

Welcome to our podcast
FamilyLife Blended® provides timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families and those who love them. Join Ron L. Deal, LMFT, LPC as he and his guests discuss a wide variety of marriage, family, and relationship topics related to blended families.
Meet Ron Deal
Ron Deal is Director of FamilyLife Blended® for FamilyLife® and President of Smart Stepfamilies™. He is a family ministry consultant and conducts marriage and family seminars around the country; he specializes in marriage education and stepfamily enrichment. He is one of the most widely read authors on stepfamily living in the country.

Latest Episodes
Five kids. Two parenting styles. One rocky first Christmas. Scott and Deana Thayer share how faith, grit, and their “95/5” rule turned chaos into connection—helping blended families find hope, healing, and love that lasts through every messy moment.
Could three simple questions transform your marriage? Dr. Gary Chapman shares raw stories, faith-fueled wisdom, and keys to a successful marriage in ways messy, real, and full of hope. Love deeper, fight fair, and grow stronger—one step at a time.
Divorce hurts. But for kids, it can feel like their world’s split in two. Summer Butler shares her story and a workbook that helps kids process emotions, set boundaries, and handle life between two homes—leveraging drawing, writing, and real talk.
What helps a blended family bond after loss? Should you force togetherness—or let it grow? Author Rob Bugh, wife Rhonda, and their adult kids unpack grief, grace, awkward blended holidays, and healing in an honest, hopeful look at rebuilding family.
When a child loses a parent, grief doesn't end for them. And when they join a stepfamily, we need to come alongside with love and support as parents & stepparents and honor their pain and memories. Ron Deal talks with Diane Fromme about best ways to help.
A neurodivergent marriage includes at least one partner with a neurodevelopmental condition like autism or ADHD. Ron Deal speaks with Dr. Stephanie & Dan Holmes on the challenges of their neurodivurgent marriage, how to recognize it, & strategies to cope.
Ron Deal speaks with Gayla Grace about her new book, Beautifully Blended: 101 Devotions to Encourage Couples in Blended Families. The book offers support & advice with relatable anecdotes, along with a devotion, prayer, & Bible reading for each day.
In-law relationships can be tenuous, especially those with ex-spouses. Ron Deal speaks with Dave & Ashley Willis about building bridges, not battlegrounds, through healthy boundaries and grace-filled conversations that prevent powerlessness.
Ron Deal and Gayla Grace answer questions from Blended & Blessed: how do I cope with feeling torn between my kids and my spouse; how do I talk to my teen who doesn't want me to remarry; how do we manage the common ghosts of marriage past, and much more.
Blake Hudspeth tells Ron Deal about growing up in multiple stepfamilies pieced together from death & divorce. As a result, he carried unresolved wounds into adulthood & gives advice to parents on helping their kids navigate growing up blended.
