Blended

This week on Blended, Kate Ferdinand is joined by co-host Nathalie Holmes-Lewis and TV and radio presenter, and founder of Clean Curls, Sarah-Jane Crawford.
Sarah-Jane shares her personal story of growing up adopted, the close relationship she had with her dad and the impact losing him at a young age had on her life. She also opens up about becoming part of a blended family herself.

The panel then discusses a dilemma from a mum who adopted her daughter with her husband. Years later, after welcoming a biological baby together, she feels something has changed. While everyone acknowledges that life naturally shifts when a new born arrives, the mum can't shake the feeling that her husband is different with their adopted daughter.

The conversation explores whether those changes are simply part of adjusting to life with a baby, or whether a mother's intuition is sometimes telling us something important. Sarah-Jane shares why she believes it's important to trust those instincts, while Kate and Nathalie discuss how families can make sure every child continues to feel equally loved, secure and seen.

It's an honest conversation about adoption, identity, intuition and what it really means to be family.
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This week on Blended, Kate Ferdinand is joined by co host Nathalie Holmes-Lewis and her stepson Tate Ferdinand, who is back by popular demand after listeners loved hearing his perspective on blended family life.

Tate joins the panel to help answer two dilemmas, the first dilemma comes from a teenager whose dad and stepmum have recently split up. Her stepmum has been in her life for years and she feels like she's lost a parent, but everyone seems focused on how the adults are coping. The panel discuss whether it's normal to grieve a stepparent after a breakup and whether relationships between stepparents and stepchildren should continue, even when the adults' relationship ends. Kate shares her own feelings on what would happen if her relationship with Rio ever changed and why she believes those bonds don't simply disappear.

The second dilemma comes from a teenager who feels torn between his biological dad and his stepdad. On Father's Day, birthdays and special occasions, he never knows who to celebrate without upsetting someone. The conversation opens up into the reality of loyalty, guilt and navigating relationships in blended families, as well as the pressure children can feel to keep everyone happy.

Tate also reflects on his own blended family journey, sharing honest insights into his relationship with Kate, the challenges they faced in the early years and how their family has grown into the close unit they are today.
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This week on Blended, Kate Ferdinand is joined by co-host Nathalie Holmes-Lewis and special guest co-host singer, songwriter Terri Walker.

Terri opens up about growing up in Germany with her mum and stepdad, the close bond they built and the huge role he played in shaping her life.

The first dilemma comes from a heartbroken mum whose 14 year old daughter wants to stay living with her stepdad after the adults have separated. While she never imagined being apart from her daughter, she also knows her daughter sees her stepdad as a father figure and has built her life around him, her school, her friends and the home they've shared for years. Kate. The panel discuss whether teenagers should have more say in where they live and whether sometimes doing what's best for your child can be incredibly painful as a parent.

The second dilemma leaves the whole panel shocked. A mum writes in after her husband, who has helped raise her daughter since she was six years old, suddenly changes his mind about adopting her. After years of treating her like his own, he admits he loves her but not in the same way he loves his biological children. The panel tries to understand what could be behind his decision. Is it about inheritance or legal obligations? Or is it something much deeper? Most importantly, they discuss how a mother explains that rejection to a daughter who already sees him as her dad.
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This week on Blended, Kate is joined by Nathalie and special guest co host Natalie Lue, author of The Joy of Saying No and host of The Baggage Reclaim Sessions.

Today’s dilemma comes from a stepmum who had a moment that shook her. During a situation where her stepdaughter was being praised, she corrected something small and immediately felt like she had taken the shine off her. It triggered a deeper fear that she might be repeating the same subtle patterns she experienced growing up.

They discuss how old wounds can quietly show up in parenting, especially in blended families where emotions can already feel heightened. Nathalie talks about how simply acknowledging the pattern is something previous generations often never did.

Kate opens up about how she sometimes swings between overreacting and then overcompensating. She shares how easy it is to correct too quickly, then feel guilty and flip into people pleasing mode to balance it out.

Natalie Lue breaks down the “mother load” and how much emotional responsibility women carry without even realising it. She challenges the idea that every moment needs to be handled perfectly and asks what would actually happen if we didn’t overmanage everything.

It’s an honest conversation about insecurity, boundaries and the fear of passing down patterns you worked so hard to escape.

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Kate is joined by Rio & Tate Ferdinand to discuss a few dilemmas and family whilst on holiday in Portugal

In the first, a 16 year old boy is struggling with his stepmum moving in and trying to set boundaries. Tate speaks candidly about how he felt when Kate first became part of his daily life and what teenagers really need when a new adult enters their space.

In the second dilemma, a stepmum shares that telling her stepchildren about a new baby didn’t go well at all. Tears, anger and even one child saying they wished the baby would “disappear.” Tate opens up about how he truly felt when Kate and Rio told him they were expecting Cree, and Kate asks Rio how he would have handled it if the children had reacted that way.

Plus, Tate does quick fire quiz revealing who’s the strictest parent, who’s the better cook and who’s secretly the boss of the house.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.