Most people know Jessica Batten McGrath from Love Is Blind, but today we're getting to know the woman behind the reality TV experience. Jessica joins us for an honest conversation about the chapter that came after the cameras stopped rolling becoming a wife, a mom, and a stepmom.

Together, we talk about what it's really like to step into an already-established family, the unexpected challenges of blended family life, and how those experiences have shaped the way she approaches love, marriage, and motherhood. Jessica shares the lessons she's learned, the moments that stretched her, and the perspective she's gained along the way.

Whether you're a new stepmom or you've been navigating this journey for years, this episode is a reminder that blended families aren't perfect and they don't have to be. If you've ever felt like no one prepared you for what stepmom life would actually be like, this conversation is for you.

Connect with Jessica Batten McGrath on Instagram - @jessicabatten_

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We’re back with Part 2 of our Ours Baby series, and this time we're answering the questions everyone really wants to know.

Did your stepkids get jealous? Did bio mom get worse? Were the kids at the hospital? Do dads overcompensate out of guilt? And is "fairness" in a blended family even possible?

In this episode, we get real about the practical side of having an ours baby...from stepkid reactions and loyalty binds to grandparent dynamics, age gaps, guilt parenting, and the challenges nobody warns you about.

Whether you're considering having an ours baby, currently pregnant, or already navigating life with one, this conversation is packed with honest experiences, uncomfortable truths, and the reassurance that you're not alone.

Topics discussed:
• Stepkid jealousy and adjustment
• Bringing baby home to a blended family
• Bio mom reactions
• Dad guilt and overcompensating
• Grandparent dynamics
• The myth of fairness in blended families
• Navigating first-time motherhood as a stepmom

Grab your coffee and join us for another candid Stepmom Side Chats conversation.

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What happens when the person you trust most shapes your entire reality and that reality isn’t true?

In this deeply personal episode of Stepmom Side Chats, Alyssa & Becca sit down with Meghan, a woman who spent decades believing her father abandoned her. Raised in a high-conflict home, Meghan shares what it was like growing up caught in the middle of divorce, manipulation, fear, loyalty binds, and emotional survival. From walking on eggshells with her mother to feeling a deep longing for her dad she couldn’t explain, Meghan opens up about the painful reality of parental alienation from the child’s perspective.

She shares how therapy helped her begin connecting the dots, what it felt like to finally reconnect with her father later in life, and the healing that came from learning her story was never what she had been told.

This conversation is raw, validating, and eye-opening for stepmoms, dads, and anyone navigating alienation, high-conflict co-parenting, or the long-term effects of childhood trauma. If you’ve ever wondered what alienated kids are really feeling or what they wish the safe adults in their lives knew, this episode is one you won’t forget.

Connect with Meghan:

Instagram:@socalfitmama

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In high-conflict stepfamily dynamics, it can feel like every text, exchange, or disagreement pulls you into emotional chaos. In this episode, Alyssa and Becca unpack the hidden power of emotional neutrality and why learning not to emotionally enter every conflict can completely shift your experience as a stepmom.

We dive into selective involvement, grey rocking, behavioral psychology, and the ABC model of conflict to explain why some family dynamics keep escalating and how stepmoms can begin protecting their peace without feeling cold, guilty, or disconnected.

You’ll hear practical strategies for de-escalating conflict, regulating your nervous system, setting healthier boundaries, and learning the difference between supporting your family and becoming emotionally consumed by it.

If you’ve ever felt exhausted from overthinking texts, carrying everyone’s emotions, or constantly trying to “keep the peace,” this episode is for you.

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✨ COZY EARTH | ⁠www.cozyearth.com⁠ and use code STEPMOM

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✨ Pateron private stepmom membership: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/Stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

✨ Follow us on Instagram for more stepmom content and to stay connected for future episodes ⁠⁠@stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

✨ Leave us a review if this episode resonated with you, this helps us reach more stepmoms.

In this powerful episode, Alyssa and Becca sit down with for one of the most honest conversations we’ve had about high-conflict co-parenting, loyalty binds, and what happens when being the “nice” stepmom stops working.

Naja shares her own journey through parental alienation, conflict, and the emotional toll of loving children who may have been taught to keep their distance. Together, we unpack how chaos from another household can quietly impact your marriage, your identity, your peace, and even the way your stepkids show up in your home. This conversation is raw, funny, validating, and full of the hard truths many stepmoms need to hear, especially if you’ve ever felt misunderstood, pushed to your limits, or wondered how to love deeply while still protecting your peace.

Connect with Naja Hall:

Instagram:@vipstepmom Website: www.vipstepmom.com

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✨ COZY EARTH | ⁠www.cozyearth.com⁠ and use code STEPMOM

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✨ Pateron private stepmom membership: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/Stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

✨ Follow us on Instagram for more stepmom content and to stay connected for future episodes ⁠⁠@stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

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Summer always sounds magical… until the custody schedules change, the kids are home 24/7, your routines disappear, and suddenly your house feels louder, messier, and a lot less like your own.

In this episode, Alyssa and Becca open up about what summer really feels like as a stepmom, the pressure to make memories, plan activities, keep everyone entertained, manage different parenting styles, and somehow not lose yourself in the process. From camp chaos and screen-time guilt to relationship stress and burnout, this is the conversation stepmoms need before summer officially begins.

Because sometimes being a stepmom in the summer doesn’t feel like sunshine and family memories… it feels like emotional overtime.

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✨ COZY EARTH | ⁠www.cozyearth.com⁠ and use code STEPMOM

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✨ Follow us on Instagram for more stepmom content and to stay connected for future episodes ⁠⁠@stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

✨ Leave us a review if this episode resonated with you, this helps us reach more stepmoms.

In this powerful episode of Stepmom Side Chats, Alyssa & Becca sit down with somatic healing coach Meggie, a mom of four, who shares how severe burnout, mysterious health symptoms, and nervous system dysregulation completely changed the course of her life. After losing her hair, gaining weight, battling unexplained physical symptoms, and feeling completely disconnected from herself, Meggie discovered that her body wasn’t betraying her, it was trying to protect her.

Together, we unpack how stepmoms and women often carry stress in their shoulders, jaw, hips, and nervous system, why so many of us live in fight-or-flight without realizing it, and how chronic stress can silently impact everything from our relationships to our physical health.

If you've ever felt touched out, emotionally numb, constantly overstimulated, or like your body is screaming for help… this episode may explain why.

Connect with Meggie:

Instagram: ⁠@meggie_m_martin

Website: https://meggiemartin.com/

Some of Meggie's amazing resources include:

Somatic exercise in 5 bundle:

https://meggiemartin.thrivecart.com/somaticsinfive/

Free BodyBased workshop: https://meggiemartin.thrivecart.com/bodybased-workshop-2026/

Use code STEPMOMSC for a discount

✨ Big Ass Candles | www.bigassluxuries.com and use the code STEPMOM for a discount

✨ Cozy Earth | ⁠www.cozyearth.com⁠ and use code STEPMOM

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✨ Follow us on Instagram for more stepmom content and to stay connected for future episodes ⁠⁠@stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

✨ Leave us a review if this episode resonated with you, this helps us reach more stepmoms.

Friendships as a stepmom can feel... complicated. In this raw and honest episode of Stepmom Side Chats, Alyssa and Becca dive into one of the most isolating parts of stepmom life, how friendships shift when your reality becomes blended family drama, court dates, co-parenting chaos, and emotions your friends simply may not understand.

We’re talking about losing friendships, feeling judged, oversharing, emotional boundaries, and why so many stepmoms feel like no one truly gets it. We also share personal stories of friendships that changed, what we wish we had done differently, and how to find the people who can actually support you through this journey.

Plus, we end with one of our favorite segments: Texts I Didn’t Send, and trust us... these submissions are wild.

If you’ve ever felt alone, misunderstood, or like your friendships changed after becoming a stepmom, this episode is for you.

✨ Big Ass Candles | www.bigassluxuries.com and use the code STEPMOM for a discount

✨ Cozy Earth | ⁠www.cozyearth.com⁠ and use code STEPMOM

✨ Pateron private stepmom membership: ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/Stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

✨ Follow us on Instagram for more stepmom content and to stay connected for future episodes ⁠⁠@stepmomsidechats⁠⁠

✨ Leave us a review if this episode resonated with you, this helps us reach more stepmoms.