About Maria
Helping Families Move From Survival To Stability
Hi, I’m Maria Natapov.
I’m a Family Systems Coach, Co-Parenting Chaos Calmer, BeH2O® Certified Coach, Rapid Resolution Therapy® Facilitator, and founder of Synergistic Stepparenting.
I help parents, co-parents, stepparents, and blended families break patterns of chaos, reduce conflict, build healthier systems, and create the stable, connected relationships they want for themselves and their children.
At the heart of my work is a simple belief:
People aren’t broken.
Most people are doing the best they can with the skills, support, experiences, and examples they’ve been given. When families struggle, it’s rarely because they don’t care. More often, they’re overwhelmed, carrying too much, reacting from old patterns, or navigating challenges they were never taught how to handle.
That’s where I come in.
What makes my perspective unique is that I’ve experienced these dynamics from many different seats at the family table – and I’ve learned both how chaos gets created and what it takes to break those patterns.
Why I Do This Work
I’ve experienced family systems from many different seats at the table: child, stepchild, partner, survivor, stepparent, adoptive parent, and parent.
I’ve been the child caught in the middle of a painful divorce. The daughter navigating conflict, loyalty binds, and the impossible position so many children find themselves in when the adults around them are hurting.
I was an immigrant who grew up between cultures and expectations. I grew up in a family that loved deeply, yet struggled with conflict, communication, emotional expression, and unresolved pain.
I spent sixteen years in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship where I often found myself carrying responsibilities that were never mine to carry.
Later, I became a stepparent. Five years into that journey, we learned of profound abuse, trauma, abandonment, and loss experienced by my stepdaughter. Over time, I stepped fully into the role of parent and eventually had the extraordinary privilege of adopting her.
Those experiences taught me something I now see every day in the families I support:
Most people aren’t trying to create chaos. They’re trying to protect themselves, protect the people they love, or navigate circumstances they were never fully prepared to handle.
Unfortunately, good intentions alone don’t create healthy outcomes.
Skills matter. Systems matter. Support matters.
The good news is that healthier outcomes are possible. Families can break long-standing patterns, create healthier ways of relating, and build the stability they’ve been searching for – not because they become perfect, but because they learn a different way forward.
That’s why I do this work.
What It's Like To Work With Me
The feedback I hear most often is that people feel seen.
Not judged. Not blamed. Not shamed.
Seen.
I bring warmth, honesty, and a 360-degree perspective to every conversation. When emotions are high, it’s easy to become consumed by one piece of the story. Together, we slow things down, widen the lens, and explore what’s happening from multiple angles.
Clients often tell me they appreciate my ability to be direct without being aggressive, compassionate without losing accountability, and hopeful without ignoring reality.
People frequently share that I help them see possibilities they couldn’t access when they were overwhelmed, scared, stuck, or convinced there was only one way forward. I help them move from reactivity to intentionality, from confusion to clarity, and from feeling trapped by circumstances to recognizing the choices still available to them.
I’m not interested in helping people prove they’re right.
I’m interested in helping them create the outcomes they truly want.
That means learning to be direct without being aggressive, compassionate without losing accountability, child-centered without abandoning yourself, and hopeful without ignoring reality.
Whether we’re working on co-parenting, stepparenting, blended family dynamics, emotional regulation, communication challenges, or family systems change, my goal is always the same:
To help you move from chaos and reactivity toward clarity, confidence, connection, and stability.
Professional Training & Recognition
My work is informed by both professional training and lived experience across divorce, co-parenting, stepparenting, blended family dynamics, trauma recovery, emotional regulation, and family systems change.
Professional Training
- Certified BeH2O® Coach
- Certified CoPS® Co-Parenting Specialist
- Rapid Resolution Therapy® Facilitator
- Trauma-Informed Certified Parent Coach
- Certified Life Coach
Recognition & Contributions
- 2026 CWE Women Entrepreneurs Who Lift Up Massachusetts Award Recipient
- Contributing Author, Child Custody Done Right
- Featured Chapter Author, Family Life Coaching Handbook
- Featured Expert, AARP
- Contributing Expert, Bored Panda
Professional Affiliations & Partnerships
- Child-Centered Collaborative Member
- Exclusive Co-Parenting, Stepparenting & Emotional Stabilization Support Partner for Foundations Family Law & Mediation Center
- Exclusive Co-Parenting, Stepparenting & Emotional Stabilization Support Partner for WhitsonLaw
- AFCC Member
You Don't Have To Figure It Out Alone
Whether you’re navigating divorce, co-parenting challenges, blended family dynamics, emotional overwhelm, or a season of significant change, healthier outcomes are possible.
You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need all the answers.
You just need a different path forward.
I’d be honored to walk alongside you.