# BONUS: Stepmoms, It's Time to Go Out Loud!!!!!!!!!!!!

An episode of [Love, Darlene: Stepmom Life & Blended Families](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/6802500786), 1 Sep 2026, 7:08.

Audio: https://api.riverside.com/hosting-analytics/media/1dc32383911753c101e7b1b6fb38fb9b10d701f29445e81e4b83b9943df470eb/eyJlcGlzb2RlSWQiOiI1ZjJmZmYxYi0xYTBkLTQxNTItYmQ3OC1jN2I1ZjNiNDgwNmIiLCJwb2RjYXN0SWQiOiJiZjFlY2JiNS0zNDFmLTRhNGQtOWZhNy0zMGEzMjc4NmEyZDkiLCJhY2NvdW50SWQiOiI2YTc3NmExYzllNjAxZDY2OTQzOTY2NTMiLCJwYXRoIjoibWVkaWEvY2xpcHMvNmE5NjQxMDJhZTkwYmZjNmI1YjAzYzYyL2RhcmxlbmUtc3Bhcmtzcy1zdHVkaW8tY29tcG9zZXItMjAyNi05LTFfXzUtNS0zOC5tcDMifQ==.mp3

What happens when you're tired of fighting -- but staying quiet doesn't feel right either? In this bonus episode, I'm sharing a little about why I'm excited to be a part of The Stepmom Summit: Out Loud, happening September 14 - 18, 2026, and why this year's theme -- Find Your Voice. Take Your Place. No Apologies. -- hits so deeply for so many stepmoms. My session, Not Every Battle Deserves Your Fight: Standing Firm and Staying Calm Even When Conflict Won't Quit, airs Wednesday, September 16 at 12 PM ET. Want a FREE ticket to the summit? Click here: OUT LOUD If you have any questions, email me at sparksleadershipmovement@gmail.com Can't wait to see you at THIS kitchen table!

## Transcript

Darlene Sparks: Hey girl, welcome to Love Darlene. I am so glad that you're here. This is where we have the real conversations about stepmom life and blended families. You know, the beautiful, the complicated, ugh, the so uncomfortable, and everything else in between. We're gonna laugh, we're gonna cry, but we're gonna learn. We're gonna look at things from different perspectives, and sometimes We might have to lovingly call ourselves out too. So if you've ever thought, somebody, please tell me that I am not the only one. You're exactly where you need to be, because girl, we've got some things to talk about. Hey y'all. Welcome back to Love Darlene. All right, come here, pull up a chair real quick, because I'm popping in with a quick bonus conversation today. And this one is especially for the stepmom. Who has ever asked herself, do I say something or do I just let it go? Because if you've been in a high conflict dynamic long enough, you probably know how exhausting it can be to feel like every move comes with a consequence. If you speak up, somebody may call you difficult. If you stay quiet, you may feel like you were shrinking. If you set a boundary, somebody may get upset. And if you don't set the boundary, you're often the one carrying the most stress. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, you start asking, how do I protect my peace without losing my voice? That question is a big part of why I am extremely excited to be a part of this year's Stepmom Summit out loud. The summit is happening September 14th through September 18th, 2026. And the theme for this year is Find Your Voice, Take Your Place. No apologies. And y'all, that theme? Yeah, we need that conversation. Because there are so many things stepmoms carry quietly, things we second guess, things we want to say but are afraid will make the situation worse. Things we have convinced ourselves we just need to tolerate in order to keep the peace. And sometimes we need that reminder that finding peace and finding our

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