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.

Don’t forget to rate and review, also we love hearing from you so follow @blended on Instagram to share your story.

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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.

In this week’s episode, Kate Ferdinand is joined by Nathalie Holmes-Lewis and Cilla Kessie to discuss a topic that feels uniquely blended.

The first dilemma comes from a mum whose 11 year old daughter becomes giddy and excited when her partner’s teenage son comes around. They have only met a handful of times but it has made her think about the future and dynamics she had never really considered before.

The second dilemma is from a mum with a 15 year old daughter who is thinking about moving in with her partner full time. He has two teenage sons. She has noticed how they talk about girls and about women and it has made her pause. Her daughter’s dad has also raised concerns. Is she overthinking normal teenage behaviour or should boundaries be set before blending fully?

The panel have a strong and honest debate. Kate feels that not every interaction needs to be treated as a warning sign and that excitement can simply be part of growing up. Nathalie feels more firmly that teenage attraction and energy should never be ignored and that boundaries need to be clear from the start. They explore whether parents can sometimes be naive when they are focused on love and blending.

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On a previous episode, Travis Jay made a bold comment. You always know your dad’s dirt, but you never know your mum’s. So the ladies decided to look into it.

In this episode, Kate Ferdinand is joined by Nathalie Holmes-Lewis and Cilla Kessie as they unpack two dilemmas that flip the narrative and explore women who cheat.

In the first, a married woman admits to having an affair. She broke it off and says it was a mistake. Her husband found out and is devastated, but instead of separating fully, they are living under the same roof for the sake of the children. She wants to know if reconciliation is possible while sharing a home, or if the damage is already done.

In the second dilemma, things are even more complicated. A woman has been sleeping with both her ex and her current partner. She is now pregnant and does not know who the father is. Her ex has a hold on her but she wants a future with her current partner. She is trying to navigate the situation without destroying multiple lives.

The panel does not hold back.

Cilla is clear on consequences. Kate questions whether we judge women differently. Nathalie shows sympathy in the first dilemma, especially where remorse is genuine, but asks whether the reaction would be the same if it were a man.

Rio drops in to give his honest opinion on the second dilemma.

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How much is one person supposed to handle?

In this episode, Kate Ferdinand is joined by co-hosts Nathalie Holmes-Lewis and Cilla Kessie to unpack one layered and emotionally heavy dilemma from a stepmum who feels like she is drowning.

She is navigating a high conflict ex who tells the children that their parents would still be happy if she was not around, even though she had nothing to do with the breakup. At the same time, she has discovered emotional cheating in her own marriage, messages, pictures and behaviour that have left her questioning how far it really went.

Between solicitor emails, blended family pressures and constant tension, she feels like she is carrying more than one person should.

The ladies do not hold back. They discuss whether emotional cheating can sometimes cut deeper than physical betrayal, how much damage a high conflict ex can really do to a relationship and whether love is enough when trust keeps being shaken.

They believe you should do everything you can to protect your marriage, but the panel also ask a hard question. Where is the line? At what point does staying become self sacrifice?

This episode is honest, uncomfortable and full of the realities many blended families face behind closed doors.

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