The Nuclear Families Evangelist

The Nuclear Families Evangelist

Unlock your hidden superpower of being blended! Traci Dority-Shanklin is a wife, a stepmom through marriage, a mom again through adoption, and a daughter from an eccentric family with multiple marriages, multiple divorces, and multiple blended families. Each episode debunks the mythologies of biology and explores the unique dynamics and relationships of blended families with experts and humor -- one conversation at a time.

Episodes

August 24, 2023 39 mins

Don’t be a wrecking ball. Pour into your marriage and learn to separate feelings from truth. Heather Hetchler is a monthly columnist at Stepmom Magazine, a thought leader, and co-founder of Learning2Step, an online educational and empowerment program for blended families. Heather shares her blended family experiences and the advice that she’s learned along the way while reminding us to always be kind to ourselves.

Three Ke...

Mark as Played

The bond is different. Stepparents and parents see their children through different lenses and that’s perfectly normal. Laura Petherbridge, life coach and author of several books including 101 Tips for the Smart Stepmom, shares her no-nonsense tips for the smart stepmom and the hardest things she had to overcome when she became a stepmother.

Three Key Points

1.     Laura explains that what she perceived as disrespectful beh...

Mark as Played
June 13, 2023 28 mins

Blended families are born out of loss. A stepfamily would not exist if there hadn’t been a death, a divorce, or a break-up of a previous relationship. Laura Petherbridge, a wife, stepmother, life coach, and published author of several books including The Smart Stepmom, joins Traci on the podcast. Laura explains how loss influences the stepfamily dynamic and the importance of addressing this loss in your own blended family.

Mark as Played

Our children's nervous systems are a carbon copy of ours. Understanding interpersonal neurobiology means what's going on inside the parents is also going on inside the child. If we want to calm our children, then we must first learn to calm our own nervous systems. Clinical psychologist, Dr. Sandy Gluckman shares tools with parents to heal themselves and their children of trauma, calm their nervous systems and reduce cort...

Mark as Played

By 2020, 5.6 million children had been diagnosed with anxiety problems and 2.4 million had been diagnosed with depression. Many children are over-medicated, over-diagnosed and generally misunderstood. Clinical psychologist, Dr. Sandy Gluckman offers a medication-free option to help families heal from learning, behavioral and mood problems through her private coaching program, Parenting That Heals.

Three Key Points

·       D...

Mark as Played
January 25, 2023 27 mins

In this episode of the ‘Nuclear Families Evangelist’ (A podcast that debunks the mythologies and biology by exploring the dynamics and relationships in blended families), host Traci Dority-Shanklin (Managing Partner at Sisu Partners) talks with guests Heather Hetchler, a columnist at Stepmom Magazine, a wife, a mom, stepmom, a thought leader and a coach for blended families with learning to step at e-learning platform for blended f...

Mark as Played

In today´s episode of the ‘Nuclear Families Evangelist’ (A podcast that debunks the mythologies and biology by exploring the dynamics and relationships in blended families), host Traci Dority-Shanklin (Managing Partner at Sisu Partners) talks with guests Heather Hetchler, a columnist at Stepmom Magazine, a wife, a mom, stepmom, a thought leader and a coach for blended families with learning to step at e-learning platform for blende...

Mark as Played

In today´s episode of the ‘Nuclear Families Evangelist’ (A podcast that debunks the mythologies and biology by exploring the dynamics and relationships in blended families), host Traci Dority-Shanklin (Managing Partner at Sisu Partners) once more talks with guest Natalie Hale, parent of an adult son with Down syndrome, an advocate and an award-winning author who writes books for children with Down syndrome, ADHD and Oppositional De...

Mark as Played
December 1, 2022 32 mins

In today´s episode of the ‘Nuclear Families Evangelist’ (A podcast that debunks the mythologies and biology by exploring the dynamics and relationships in blended families), host Traci Dority-Shanklin (Managing Partner at Sisu Partners) talks with guest Natalie Hale, parent of an adult son with Down syndrome, an advocate and an award-winning author who writes books for children with Down syndrome, ADHD and Oppositional Defiance Dis...

Mark as Played
November 23, 2022 6 mins

Contact:
Traci Dority-Shanklin: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
traci@sisupartnersllc.com
website: www.nuclear-families.com

Mark as Played

In today´s episode of the ‘Nuclear Families Evangelist’ (A podcast that debunks the mythologies and biology by exploring the dynamics and relationships in blended families), host Traci Dority-Shanklin continues the discussion with guest Marni Rosenthal-Chaikin, Business Development Manager in Pharmaceuticals and an Entrepreneur in the Health and Wellness industry. Marni talks about the struggles of second marriage.

Three Key Points

1...

Mark as Played
November 10, 2022 25 mins

In today´s episode of the ‘Nuclear Families Evangelist’ (A podcast that debunks the mythologies and biology by exploring the dynamics and relationships in blended families), host Traci Dority-Shanklin (Managing Partner at Sisu Partners) talks with guest Marni Rosenthal-Chaikin, An Entrepreneur in Health and Wellness industry (Pure Barre Studio Owner). Marni shares her professional journey as well as her thoughts about blending fami...

Mark as Played

Contact:
Traci Dority-Shanklin: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
traci@sisupartnersllc.com
website: www.nuclear-families.com

Mark as Played
November 7, 2022 9 mins

Traci Dority-Shanklin shares her story of growing up blended in this episode of The Nuclear Families Evangelist.

The Nuclear Families Evangelist is a podcast that debunks the mythologies of biology by exploring the unique dynamics and relationships of blended families. We enlist experts and humor to help unlock the hidden superpower of being blended.

Contact:
Traci Dority-Shanklin: LinkedIn Twitter Facebook
traci@...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    True Crime Tonight

    If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.