Media – Books
Blended was never the whole story.
In Piece by Piece: My Blended Experience of Mosaic Family, Dr. Steve Hudgins offers a powerful, honest, and healing journey through the cracks, bonds, and beauty of life after divorce and remarriage. Part memoir, part clinical insight, and fully human, this book redefines what it means to belong in a family built from brokenness.
Because families are not just blended—they are mosaics.
A marketing strategist commented, “I was concerned that the book would be written in a ‘highly academic’ style, but you have surprised me. You didn’t just write a theory. You gave us a language for what we’ve been living.” – Annette King
Coached Soul Podcast, guiding transformation with truth and tenderness.
This is more than a motto; it is the lifeblood of my work.
In a world that often demands perfection but offers little grace, Dr. Steve and Kenya offer a unique blend of clinical insight, faith-rooted wisdom, and authentic human connection.
Healing is not just about arriving; it is about becoming. And that becoming starts now.
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You’re Inner Game – Coached Right
The Road That Broke You Might Be the One That Builds You.
An inspiring, vulnerable memoir of faith, trauma, fatherhood, and transformation. Written for anyone navigating life’s unexpected detours, this book is a reminder that purpose can be found even in pain.
This introspective and thought-provoking book sets you on a transformative path of self-discovery and healing, using discussion questions to guide self-reflection. The author beautifully emphasizes the idea that life is an ongoing journey, and every step, whether challenging or triumphant, contributes to our personal growth and understanding.
Publisher's Announcement
Hello, I am Nic the owner of GBW Publishing House. Wow! Have you ever met someone who, within an instant, gets you?
“Due to the nature of his work, it was undeniable that our conversation would inevitably lead to my personal experiences as a product of divorce. Not to mention being twice divorced and remarried for a third time. As a mother, each of these marriages brought with them their host of integration issues. Never have I spoken to someone who understood my feelings and could address them fully.
Dr. Steve Hudgins is more than a counselor; he is a trusted voice guiding families and individuals through life’s hardest turns. With a message that transforms broken pieces into strength, his work challenges, heals, and empowers. When others offer noise, he offers clarity. When others step back, he steps forward. One piece, one truth, one life at a time, your story deserves that kind of voice. He gave my journey as a divorcee, single parent, step-parent, and piece in a mosaic family a voice.
An association of mine for a few years, Dr. Steve Hudgins, approached me a few months ago to discuss publishing his book, PIECE BY PIECE: My Blended Experience of Mosaic Family. We have since become fast friends, and I’m thrilled to announce today that GUIDING BRILLIANT WRITERS (GBW) PUBLISHING, LLC, has published and released his 418 page book on Amazon. Click on the button to buy your copy today!
GBW Gold standard editor, Leslie Flowers, said, “Hello Dr. Steve, Stopping by to tell you that your book is sheer Brilliance. You are an exceptional writer and your vulnerability has me feeling like I’m reading secrets over your shoulder. I am deeply honored to read every single word. I know a lot about you from your writing. As well much of it comes back to me after my 30 years marriage disintegrated. This is a special project as you walked me through the path I traveled and gave it the words I have not written.
Leslie
Research to Application - Dr. Steve Hudgins' Work
“I walked away not just from my spouse, but from kids who called me dad. And no one prepares you for that.”
– Participant, reflecting on the second divorce in a blended family
What Is a Mosaic Family?
A Mosaic Family is not just another label for “blended.” It is a living picture, formed from broken pieces, imperfect yet beautiful, unique yet united.
Unlike traditional terms like stepfamily or blended family, which often carry stigma or suggest a seamless merging, the word ‘mosaic’ acknowledges both the fractures and the artistry of modern families.
Each member, child, parent, stepparent, or grandparent, is a distinct piece, shaped by their past. Different in color, texture, and story. Some carry jagged edges from past trauma; others are softened by mercy or maturity. In a mosaic family, wholeness does not come from uniformity; it comes from honoring difference.
What holds these pieces together is not just love, but also intentional boundaries. Boundaries that protect individuality while fostering connection. Boundaries that allow each person to be fully seen, without being swallowed by someone else’s expectations. In mosaic families, unity is not about sameness; it is about sacred structure, where every piece belongs in its rightful place.
“I did not know where I ended and where they began. I just kept giving and giving, trying to hold it all together—and I lost myself in the process.”
— Participant, reflecting on emotional boundaries in a second marriage
Over 65% of remarriages involve children from previous relationships, forming what we commonly call “blended families.” However, what happens when those families fracture again? What becomes of the bonds, the roles, the love that once held it together?
“No one tells you how to grieve a family that was never fully yours to begin with.”
— Participant struggling with identity and belonging after leaving a mosaic family
That question launched Dr. Steve Hudgins into a deeply personal and professional exploration, culminating in his doctoral dissertation:
A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study Exploring Divorce in Blended Families (Hudgins, 2025).
This study addressed a striking gap in the literature: on adults who had experienced a second divorce within a blended family system. Through rich interviews, participants shared the emotional chaos, role confusion, and grief of becoming “un-parented” after divorce, not just from partners, but from stepchildren they had grown to love.
“The first divorce was hard. The second? It shattered the pieces that were barely holding together.”
— Participant explaining the compounded pain of repeated family loss
What emerged was more than just data. It was a clear pattern of broken boundaries, misunderstood roles, and emotional disintegration that traditional models—like Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST)—could not fully capture.
Why MFST Was Born
While Bowen’s model laid a foundation for understanding intergenerational patterns and emotional differentiation, it falls short in addressing:
- Non-biological bonds and losses
- Fragmented loyalty structures
- Identity ambiguity within remarriage
- The grief of step-relational rupture
- Spiritual dimensions of family reconstruction
In response, Mosaic Family Systems Theory (MFST) was developed; an innovative, more inclusive framework that:
- Honors the individuality of each “piece” in a stepfamily
- Recognizes that resilience is relational
- Integrates clinical insight with spiritual depth
- Embraces non-linear, creative healing paths
- Provides practical therapeutic tools for complex family systems
MFST elevates Bowen’s core by offering a model not just for understanding families, but for rebuilding them after the break. It is not a rejection of traditional systems thinking; it is an evolution, designed for the mosaic reality of today’s families.