Behind the
Start-Up
Erica Grace is the visionary behind Marrying ApParent, a platform she founded in 2018 after experiencing firsthand the challenges of being a step-parent. Marrying a parent herself, Erica quickly discovered the lack of resources available to help step-parents navigate their unique role. Determined to make a difference, she began interviewing step-parents and adults who had grown up as step-children, gathering valuable insights for a book she was writing about the step-parenting experience.
Having grown up in a traditional family, Erica relied on the stories and experiences of others to inform her writing. Through her research, she realized that the most difficult aspect of step-parenting was often not the relationship with the step-child, but rather the adult conflicts and boundary issues that arose. These challenges became all too personal when a crossed boundary led to the end of her own marriage.
Five years after starting Marrying ApParent, Erica faced her biggest personal hurdle: discovering her husband's affair with his ex-partner, the mother of his first child. This revelation shook her to the core and made her question her ability to write about step-parenting while going through a divorce. However, in that moment of despair, she felt a calling to continue. She realized she was not a fraud, but a source of real, lived experience.
Erica's journey has given her a unique and comprehensive perspective. Now a single mother of two, she writes from the viewpoints of a step-mom, a single parent, and a woman navigating the dating world again. Her expanded understanding has enriched her book and fueled her commitment to Marrying ApParent, a platform offering advice and support to single people dating parents, solo parents, and step-parents. Tragedy turned Erica into a trusted source, empowering her to help others through her more rounded and insightful guidance.