Pickens’ Realities & Blended Family Truths
Blended Family Life Coach and Speaker Jessica Pickens brings real-life insights into the highs, lows, challenges, and triumphs of blended family life. With over 21 years of experience, Jessica and her husband married within 90 days of meeting, blending their four children at lightning speed and welcoming two more within their first three years together. Join Jessica and her co-host, daughter Jayla, as they candidly share their Pickens’ Realities and Blended Family Truths. Through their unique perspectives, they offer valuable lessons, heartfelt stories, and practical advice to support other blended families on their journey to unity and resilience. Buckle up for an honest, uplifting conversation about love, growth, and the journey to becoming a blended and bonded family.
Episodes
Married in just 90 days back in 2002, we combined our four children, added two more, and have been through it all. Our podcast offers real, unfiltered truths from our family’s experiences, practical and spiritual tools to overcome challenges, and the honest lessons that helped us grow closer and become blended and bonded over time.
Join us for part 2 of Episode 1 - "The Meet, " where Jessica and Tyrone relive their version of how they met, while Jayla challenges them to dig a bit deeper in some areas! Subscribe and watch us every week as we dive deep into Pickens' Realities, our Blended Family Truths - our story, our lessons, your roadmap to a stronger, healthier blended and bonded family. Let’s go and grow together!
Join us for Episode 2, where Jayla and Jessica discuss the "The Meet" and the early stages of the Pickens' family from Jayla's perspective. Context and background are so important, as Jessica learns for the first time from Jayla key information about why there was a struggle and disconnect for the two of them in the beginning.
Join us for Episode 2, where Jayla and Jessica discuss the "The Meet" and the early stages of the Pickens' family from Jayla's perspective. Context and background are so important, as Jessica learns for the first time from Jayla key information about why there was a struggle and disconnect for the two of them in the beginning.
Join Co-hosts Jessica and Jayla and their special guest Jeri, Jayla's biological mom, as they delve into Jessica and Jeri's relationship as bonus and bio moms. Emotions sometimes run high, as this is the first time Jessica and Jeri have ever had this type of discussion, and they were brave enough to go it on camera, all for the purpose of helping other blended families.
Join Co-hosts Jessica and Jayla and their special guest Jeri, Jayla's biological mom, as they delve into Jessica and Jeri's relationship as bonus and bio moms. Emotions sometimes run high, as this is the first time Jessica and Jeri have ever had this type of discussion, and they were brave enough to do it on camera, all for the purpose of helping other blended families.
In this episode Jessica and Jayla talk about a parent's reality verses a child's reality. As a parent you may think everything is cool with your child. You are soon to realize that your kids aren't always thinking or receiving things how you think they are. In turn things can be misconstrued in communication, body language, voice inflection, etc.. In the end, a conversation and understanding will prevail. Your perspective is your r...
In this episode Jessica and Jayla talk about a parent's reality verses a child's reality. As a parent you may think everything is cool with your child. You are soon to realize that your kids aren't always thinking or receiving things how you think they are. In turn things can be misconstrued in communication, body language, voice inflection, etc.. In the end, a conversation and understanding will prevail. Your perspective is your r...
Join us for this episode involving Parenting Style Showdown conversations! Authoritarian, Permissive, or Authoritative? In this episode, we dive into how different parenting styles shaped our blended family, and how they might impact blended families in general, as parenting in a blended family can feel like building a bridge between two worlds. We talk about how different parenting styles impact kids, share insights on adapting an...
In Episode 5, Part 2, join us (Jessica, Tyrone, Jayla, and Dominick) as we dive into the real impact of different parenting styles and how they shaped our blended family. Parenting in a blended family can feel like building a bridge between two worlds. We talk about how different parenting styles impact kids, share insights on adapting and compromising, and offer practical steps to nurture every child in the family. Get ready for i...
Welcome! In Episode 6 of Pickens' Realities & Blended Family Truths, Jessica is joined by her daughter, Jayla, for an in-depth discussion about the complexities and challenges of being a bonus mom in a blended family. Together, they explore the nuanced dynamics of blending families, addressing the emotional and relational adjustments required to foster healthy, harmonious family bonds.
Welcome back to the 6th episode of Pickens' Realities & Blended Family Truths. In this 2nd part of the episode, Jessica and Jayla continue their open and honest discussion about sensitive topics such as guilty parenting, enabling adult children, the choices adult children make, and trauma bonding. Join us as we uncover the realities of navigating these intricate family dynamics.
In this heartfelt and eye-opening episode of Pickens' Realities & Blended Family Truths, Jayla moderates an intimate conversation between Jessica Pickens, her mother Bobbi, and her sister Teresa. Together, they dive deep into how their childhood experiences, upbringing, and Bobbi’s parenting style shaped Jessica's and Teresa's lives—and how these influences continue to impact the way they parent their own children.
Check out the 2nd half of this episode, as my daughter moderates the discussion with me, my mom Bobbi Norman, and my sister Teresa Price, as we discuss emotional details of our childhood experiences, upbringing, and how my mom's parenting style impacted the way we parent(ed).
In this episode, we dive into a crucial topic: how loyalty to the family you were born into can create unexpected challenges in the family you’re building through marriage. We share candid stories from our own journey as a blended family, exploring: The impact of weak boundaries on your new family, the roles and expectations that carried over from our immediate families before marriage, how we worked through trials and tribulations...
Welcome back to Part 2 of Episode 7 of Pickens' Realities & Blended Family Truths! In this episode, Jayla moderates an intimate conversation between Jessica Pickens, her mother, Bobbi, and her sister, Teresa. Together, they delve deep into the complexities of family dynamics, sharing personal stories and insights that will resonate with audiences of all ages. We'll witness firsthand how past parenting styles shape present-day c...
Welcome to Episode 9, Part 1 of Pickens' Realities & Blended Family Truths! In this episode, we dive deep into the unique challenges of navigating life as a Black, blended family. The journey of merging different family dynamics is never easy, but adding cultural nuances, societal pressures, and generational expectations can amplify the stress. Join us as we explore personal stories, practical advice, and heartfelt truths about...
In Part 2 of Episode 9 of Pickens' Realities & Blended Family Truths, we continue our heartfelt discussion on the complexities of being a Black, blended family. Picking up from Part 1, we dive deeper into the emotional, cultural, and social challenges that come with blending families in a world where race and identity often add extra layers of stress. In this episode, we explore how to navigate systemic pressures, manage family...
In this powerful and transparent continuation of our discussion, Jessica and Jayla dive even deeper into the unique challenges and stresses of being Black and part of a blended family.
This week, we’re joined by a special guest, Cheryl Shumake, Executive Director of Sawubona Blended Families and Founder of Stepmom Sanity. Cheryl opens up about her personal journey as a stepmom and the realities of navigating life in a Black and b...
In part 2 of episode 10, Jessica, Jayla, and special guest, Cheryl Shumake continue discussions of the compounding stresses of being Black in America and being part of a blended family. They also discuss the lack of existing church ministries and programs designed specifically to support blended families, and how that further puts blended families at risk.
Cheryl Shumake is the Executive Director of Sawubona Blended Families and ...
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