diff --git a/src/lib/boarding-types.ts b/src/lib/boarding-types.ts
index 9eeea74..7b9be87 100644
--- a/src/lib/boarding-types.ts
+++ b/src/lib/boarding-types.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,4 @@
-import {
-  HighlightElementStepLevelOptions,
-  HighlightElementTopLevelOptions,
-} from "./core/highlight-element";
+import { HighlightElementHybridOptions } from "./core/highlight-element";
 import { OverlayTopLevelOptions } from "./core/overlay";
 import {
   PopoverHybridOptions,
@@ -33,7 +30,7 @@ export interface BoardingOptions
     OverlayTopLevelOptions,
     PopoverHybridOptions,
     PopoverTopLevelOptions,
-    HighlightElementTopLevelOptions {
+    HighlightElementHybridOptions {
   /**
    * Whether to allow controlling steps through keyboard
    * @default true
@@ -60,8 +57,7 @@ export interface BoardingOptions
   className?: string;
 }
 
-export interface BoardingStepDefinition
-  extends HighlightElementStepLevelOptions {
+export interface BoardingStepDefinition extends HighlightElementHybridOptions {
   /**
    * Query selector representing the DOM Element
    */
diff --git a/src/lib/boarding.ts b/src/lib/boarding.ts
index 25e4eeb..b5f8c5f 100644
--- a/src/lib/boarding.ts
+++ b/src/lib/boarding.ts
@@ -454,12 +454,13 @@ class Boarding {
       highlightDomElement: domElement,
       options: {
         scrollIntoViewOptions: this.options.scrollIntoViewOptions,
-        onHighlightStarted: this.options.onHighlightStarted,
-        onHighlighted: this.options.onHighlighted,
-        onDeselected: this.options.onDeselected,
-        onNext: currentStep.onNext,
-        onPrevious: currentStep.onPrevious,
-        padding: currentStep.padding,
+        onHighlightStarted:
+          currentStep.onHighlightStarted || this.options.onHighlightStarted,
+        onHighlighted: currentStep.onHighlighted || this.options.onHighlighted,
+        onDeselected: currentStep.onDeselected || this.options.onDeselected,
+        onNext: currentStep.onNext || this.options.onNext,
+        onPrevious: currentStep.onPrevious || this.options.onPrevious,
+        padding: currentStep.padding, // note this is ONLY the stepLvl padding, the "custom padding", so we can later check if it exists using getCustomPadding
       },
       popover,
     });
diff --git a/src/lib/core/highlight-element.ts b/src/lib/core/highlight-element.ts
index b315f34..8afcf56 100644
--- a/src/lib/core/highlight-element.ts
+++ b/src/lib/core/highlight-element.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ type HighlightElementSupportedSharedOptions = Pick<
   "scrollIntoViewOptions"
 >;
 
-/** The options of highlight-element that will come from the top-level */
-export interface HighlightElementTopLevelOptions {
+/** The options of popover that will come from the top-level but can also be overwritten */
+export interface HighlightElementHybridOptions
+  extends Partial<Pick<BoardingSharedOptions, "padding">> {
   /**
    * Callback to be called when element is about to be highlighted
    */
@@ -22,11 +23,6 @@ export interface HighlightElementTopLevelOptions {
    * Callback to be called when element has been deselected
    */
   onDeselected?: (element: HighlightElement) => void;
-}
-
-/** The options of highlight-element that will be defined on a step-level */
-export interface HighlightElementStepLevelOptions
-  extends Partial<Pick<BoardingSharedOptions, "padding">> {
   /**
    * Is called when the next element is about to be highlighted
    */
@@ -36,10 +32,8 @@ export interface HighlightElementStepLevelOptions
    */
   onPrevious?: (element: HighlightElement) => void;
 }
-
 interface HighlightElementOptions
-  extends HighlightElementTopLevelOptions,
-    HighlightElementStepLevelOptions,
+  extends HighlightElementHybridOptions,
     HighlightElementSupportedSharedOptions {}
 
 /**