Our Achievements
Be StepWise was founded in 2009 by Alison O’Mahony in response to a growing demand from step-parents for information and support for their family life. Our services have been specially designed for the unique nature of a step-family. Step-parents want discreet support. They want advice that is relevant to their own family situation.
Our Aim
To help all step-families everywhere to take steps towards better family functioning whatever that may mean for them.
Our Philosophy
Step-families are about to become the new normal family type. Every step-family deserves the very best advice so that the step-family home can be a place we want to be.
What we’ve done
Be StepWise are a recognized authority for practical step-parenting advice. We have an international following. We have been privileged to have helped many step-families. We have used the media, conferences and seminars to raise awareness of the unique nature of step-family life.
Alison O'Mahony
Bestepwise Founder
Alison O’Mahony was brought up in Gloucestershire with her four younger brothers. She has fond memories of her early childhood and draws on her own good experiences from her early years. But when she was a teenager, her mother died very suddenly. Her father met her step-mother six months later. Alison’s father and step-mother had a daughter, Alison’s half-sister. Alison had great difficulty accepting a step-mother. Alison’s step-mother found her teenage step-children a challenge.
Alison went to Art College and studied jewellery design. She took a job in high-end jewellery retail in London, becoming the store manager a year later. She later joined an international firm of jewellery manufacturers and worked abroad for some 8 years. Her experience enabled her to become a management consultant with a large London firm. She ran and spoke at conferences, managed a department and consultancy clients, and designed and ran training programmes for senior managers in leadership. Alison developed into a coaching specialist. During this time Alison spent time with a man who was getting divorced andwho had children of his own. She was an unwelcome step-mother.
Later, Alison met her husband who had been widowed nine months before, and gave up paid work to become a step-parent to his two young children. Later she had two children of her own.
While her children attended school Alison trained as a parenting practitioner. She ran and developed The Nurturing Programme for parents at her children’s school. Realising that support for step-families was scarce, Alison trained as a Systemic Family Therapy practitioner at the Institute of Family Therapy, graduated from Birkbeck University London and then started her own business: Be StepWise.
Alison has had experience working as a Family Therapy Practitioner in the NHS CAMHS Dartford, Wimbledon Guild (a charity in South West London), Newminster Children’s Centre in Merton and a Private hospital for acute eating disorders in South London.
Her step-family are very close and this year she is very pleased to be becoming a step-grand-mother.
Kim Revell
Counselling Psychologist
Kim Revell grew up as a military child and eventually settled in London at age 17. Her career began in an entirely different field—as a beauty therapist. This role, which focused on enhancing physical well-being, gradually revealed to Kim the intrinsic link between external appearance and internal self-esteem and happiness. Witnessing first-hand the transformative power of positive self-perception, Kim felt a compelling need to explore the human psyche. This desire to understand and influence the human condition more profoundly led her to pivot her career towards psychology.
Meeting her husband 34 years ago was a crucial moment in Kim’s life, personally and professionally. Her husband had a young daughter and then had two more children together. This blended family experience enriched Kim’s understanding of family dynamics, parenting challenges, and the complexities of step-parenting. It provided her with invaluable insights and empathy, later becoming a cornerstone of her professional practice.
Kim embarked on her journey in psychology with a clear mission: to empower women to become the best versions of themselves. Throughout her career in the NHS, Kim specialised in helping individuals, particularly women, develop assertiveness and take control of their lives. Her work is characterised by a unique blend of psychology, evolutionary theory, and practical parenting advice aimed at providing holistic support to her clients.
Kim’s personal experiences as a stepparent and mother deeply influence her approach to therapy and coaching. She understands the nuanced challenges of forming and nurturing blended families. Combining her professional expertise with her journey, Kim has helped countless families navigate the complexities of modern family life, fostering environments where each member can thrive.
Today, Kim continues to draw upon her diverse experiences in beauty therapy, psychology, and parenting to offer compassionate, insightful support to those looking to improve their mental well-being and familial relationships. She is a chartered psychologist who aims to heal, inspire, and empower, making a lasting difference in the lives of the people she works with. Kim remains dedicated to her passion for helping others, focusing on supporting step-families to achieve harmony and mutual understanding.
How We Work
Our Commitment To You
We are a team of qualified, experienced professionals who have great empathy with step-parenting and step-family life. We will meet your specific requirements carefully and sensitively.
In a step-family there are differing perspectives on everything. There can be a lot of hurt feelings due to the amount of change step-families go through. These can drive disruptive and upsetting behavior. We are able to put challenging behavior into context. Once things are contained, new ways of being and thinking become possible.
Be StepWise are here mainly to help step-parents and in so doing help the whole family.
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