We spent our first Christmas Eve as a family the day after our wedding.  Talk about jumping in with both feet!

It was an exciting time.  We were in love, and I felt confident that we would all do well together.  I knew that there would be ups and downs and clashes of wills with a family of six kids.  I expected some turf wars.  But I didn't really know how heartbreaking it could be to feel that pull of a beloved child on the one hand and my precious Mike on the other. 

We've done well, and yet we've certainly had our challenging stepfamily moments.  None of us really knew how to be "step-people" after all!  No one really does.  Even if they've grown up in a stepfamily, being the parent or stepparent is different.

I think that kids and adults who have already gone through the loss of a biological family have been hurt enough.  It breaks my heart that more than half of remarriages with children don't last.  I want to change that!  I want to help families thrive together.

As long as I can remember, I've wanted to help people, so a degree in psychology seemed like a good start.  By the time I finshed college, I realized that my psychology degree by itself didn't put me into a position to be of service in the way that I wanted to be, so off to graduate school I went to study counseling psychology. My education continued when my son was born, starting my "home-schooling" in the study of parenting and family life.  My professional training and experience have always helped me at home, and my personal experience at home has always helped me professionally.

Over the years, my pull to make a difference has led me to work with people in crisis or transition. I weathered my own crisis when my first marriage ended in divorce. It was then that I experienced for myself the powerful potential for thriving that we all have within us. I learned very deeply that thriving is not about what happens to us. It's about how we respond and how we allow the events to shape us.

Coaching is an ideal fit for me. When I learned about the coaching profession, it dawned on me that that's what I've been doing for most of my professional life in some way or another.  In 2004, I completed the Coach Training Alliance certification program and launched Step by Step Coaching. My goal as a coach is to see you thrive as you create the family and the life that  fits you perfectly.

I have a special place in my heart for stepfamilies. My own stepfamily has inspired my commitment to support loving, lasting stepfamilies. One in three Americans is in a stepfamily. 1300 new stepfamilies are formed each day. Even though lots of us are dealing with the tumultuous joys and challenges of creating our stepfamilies, it's a tough thing to do!

Designing a stepfamily is a creative process that involves every member of the family. With support and guidance you can create stepfamily relationships that work in the real world, and sometimes go way beyond your expectations. I know. We've done it in our stepfamily and I'm confident that you can, too.

Between us, my husband Mike and I have a family of six children (and now, two sons-in-law, two daughters-in-law, and five grandchildren!). With 13 years together, I know firsthand about the trials and the blessings of combining two single parents and their children. I offer a healthy dose of reality and hope while you design a loving, lasting family. Your family can thrive - and you can thrive in it!.

We live in Knoxville, TN, where we look out over our neighbor's pasture to greet Harley the horse every morning, and I get to see llamas and an occasional blue heron on my morning walks.  Life is good!

I am always honored to work with couples, parents and stepparents, and through them to make a difference for the children.

Let's design families that work!

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Phone: 865.521.7759 between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM Eastern time