Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Adoptee Paula and I go deep - because where the treasure is - the priceless insights that helped her heal the hole in her soul. Adoptee Paula and I go deep - because where the treasure is - the priceless insights that helped her heal the hole in her soul. We both really loved this conversation and hope you do too.Paula Gruben is a professional writer, born and bred in South Africa, now living in Ireland.She was relinquished as a newborn in 1974, under the highly secretive closed adoption system, which was common practice for young, unwed mothers at the time.Paula had a happy, carefree childhood, but knowing virtually nothing about her biological roots resulted in a crippling identity crisis during her teenage years, manifesting in all forms of anti-social and self-destructive behaviour, and ultimately a deeply dysfunctional relationship with her adoptive parents.When she turned 21 in 1995, Paula was granted access to her file at the Durban Child and Family Welfare Society, which had facilitated the adoption. She met her birth mother shortly thereafter, and her birth father three years later. The seed for writing a book about her remarkable adoption journey was planted, but then life took over.It was only when faced with the shock of an unplanned pregnancy, just before turning 36 in 2010, that Paula could fully empathise with what both her birth mother and adoptive mother must’ve gone through at the time she entered their lives. The seed started germinating at a frantic pace and, armed with the wisdom of age, Paula knew it was finally time to tell the story.Umbilicus is her debut novel.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F23YFRShttps://www.facebook.com/paulagrubenauthorhttps://paulagruben.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Trees seal, people heal. Adoptee Kate helps us to self understanding and compassion in this profound episode. Sit back and drink this all in - especially her healing moments - they've got incredible healing power for us all.Here'a bit about Kate's story from her websiteI swore I'd never let my birthmother into my life, but then Mom died of ovarian cancer and my birthmother, Val, found me through my mom's obituary. Hard to argue with fate. Harder still to let go of childhood promises, even when you discover everything you dreamed of being is part of who you are.Find out more about her and her book athttps://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Kate-Vincent-Vogl-ebook/dp/B087NWGZXY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=292X5M3FI8N2Yhttps://www.facebook.com/katevoglhttps://twitter.com/katevoglhttps://www.instagram.com/kate_stvincent_vogl/https://www.linkedin.com/in/katevoglhttp://www.katevogl.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Love isn't finite. But what does that even mean? In a fantastic first for Thriving Adoptees an adoptee and her birth mother talk about this and much more in this profound conversation. You're going to love this one. It was released on 24th November 2022, the first Thanksgiving day that Cynthia has spent with both her adoptive mom and birth mom.Here's a bit about Cynthia - who was adopted as a child - from her website: I grew up in southeast Idaho, just outside the town of Idaho Falls. From as far back as I can remember, I loved books and reading, and wrote my first short story (about a fairy being born in a tulip) when I was around six years old—pretty much as soon as I could write. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Widdison, told me that I'd be an author some day, and I believed her. I kept writing stories all through grade school, most of them wildly fantastical musings on supernatural beings or creatures, none of which ever won the annual short story competition where the writer got to meet Kenneth Thomasma, the author of one of my very favorite books, Naya Nuki. I learned early on that if you wanted to win the writing contest, you should write stories about that time your parents got their car stuck in the snow on the side of a mountain just before dark. You should not write about a group of unicorns fighting to take over an island from an alien invasion. I kept writing about unicorns anyway The How & The Why is her novel about adoption...Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for. They’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—except maybe the one thing she wants. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her.http://www.cynthiahandbooks.com/https://twitter.com/CynthiaHandhttps://www.facebook.com/writercynthiahand/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If we want our kids to grow, we need to grow. So how do we do that? Danny shares a wealth of insights into how we can grow based on a lifetime's experience working with kids and parents. It's wide-ranging, fascinating and empowering. Dr. Daniel Huerta oversees Focus’ initiatives that equip mothers and fathers with biblical principles and counsel for raising healthy, resilient children. A bilingual, licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Huerta addresses issues related to parenting such as communication, conflict resolution, spiritual growth, discipline, stress, anxiety, depression, media discernment and healthy sexuality.He has been interviewed by media outlets including Fox News, Fatherly, Christianity Today, WORLD Magazine, The Christian Post and CBN, and he regularly speaks on Christian radio stations across the United States. He’s also written for publications including The Washington Post on topics related to marriage and parenting.Dr. Huerta earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He’s currently working on his doctorate in psychology at California Southern University. He has maintained a private practice in Colorado Springs since 2003 and served as a board member on the El Paso County Mental Health Association for almost four years. He and his wife, Heather, have been married since 1997 and have two children, Alex and Lexi.Focus on the Family is a global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive. We provide help and resources for couples to build healthy marriages that reflect God’s design, and for parents to raise their children according to morals and values grounded in biblical principles.We’re here to come alongside families with relevance and grace at each stage of their journey. We support families as they seek to teach their children about God and His beautiful design for the family, protect themselves from the harmful influences of culture and equip themselves to make a greater difference in the lives of those around them.No matter who you are, what you’re going through or what challenges your family may be facing, we’re here to help. With practical resources – like our 1-800 Family Help line, counseling and websites – we’re committed to providing trustworthy, biblical guidance and support.https://www.facebook.com/focusonthefamilyhttps://twitter.com/FocusFamilyhttps://www.instagram.com/focusonthefamily/https://www.youtube.com/user/FocusOnTheFamilyUSAhttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Coming out of the fog marks the start our healing journey not the end of it. Listen in as adoptee Lora shares what's turbo-charged her healing. We go deep because that's where the life changing epiphanies lie - under the trauma. These epiphanies are like priceless gems buried deep underneath many layers of soil, earth and rock. I really loved talking with Lora and bringing these epiphanies into the light to empower you to your own insights.Here's a bit about Lora from her website: Lora K. Joy is the progression of me. Lora was the name my biological mother gave me, but did not feel she had the right to put on my birth certificate. K. stands for her last name and for Kimberly. A name that is on my adoption record, but I am not sure who gave it to me. Joy was my adoptive name and how everyone knew me until January 2022 when I legally reclaimed the name Lora.I am an adult adoptee, born in 1979 and adopted through a religious organization in a closed adoption. The first time I remember knowing I was adopted was at 8 years old and my whole world shifted under my feet. The first 29 years of my life I was swirling in pain, not realizing it was caused by relinquishment. The reality of adoption trauma crashed over me and I began to heal through various therapy approaches. The journey has been long and difficult, but now I can stand on the other side, while continuing to grow and heal.Reunion happened with my biological mother and maternal half-brother in 2008 and my paternal, biological cousins and half siblings in 2020. The journey of reunion is terrifying, exhilarating and heart breaking all at once. This page is meant to represent all aspects of this journey so that others may find solace in knowing they are not alone.Upon healing my adoption trauma, I gained strength to live my truth. This led to an estrangement 30 years in the making from my adoptive parents. Estrangement is about both the unhealthy relationship with my adoptive parents from which I needed to remove myself and about rebuilding the life I should have always had. I was in the wrong place my whole life and it mattered that I was raised by strangers.I have taken the lessons from my life as an adoptee and tried to parent my children accordingly. I have 2 children - a son and a daughter who are teenagers as of this writing. I have been married to my husband since 2003. He has been on this journey and supported me every step of the way.I find peace in running, traveling, skiing and spending time alone.My hope for all adoptees is that they can look inside, find their truth, heal and live their most authentic life.https://www.facebook.com/myadopteetruthwww.myadopteetruth.com Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How many ex foster kids are professors? How many have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of children from hard places. Dr David Cross is uniquely placed to support you the adoptive parent and this episode is a gem. The paradox of helping your kids thrive is that it starts with you thriving. Listen in with big ears as David shares succinct and clear insights into how you can make that happen.Here's some more about David and the Institute he leads from their website:Dr. David Cross is the Rees-Jones Director of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development and a Professor in the TCU Department of Psychology. He leads the KPICD in its triple mission of research, education, and outreach to improve the lives of children from hard places. Together with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. Cross created Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, (TBRI®) a holistic, attachment-based, trauma-informed, and evidence-based intervention for children who have experienced relational trauma. The Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development strives to help children suffering from the effects of early trauma, abuse and/or neglect. We conduct research to deepen understanding about the complex needs of these children and how to help them overcome social, behavioral, and emotional challenges. Through various outreach initiatives, we train professionals in Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, a research-based, holistic model developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross. Please understand that we are not a service provider, and do not provide clinical services of any kind. https://www.facebook.com/child.tcuhttps://twitter.com/Child_TCUhttps://child.tcu.edu/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Doubt and insecurities are part and parcel of parenting. And deeper for those adopting given the potential complexities growing their families that way. Listen in as Nancy who adopted Sophie from China and raised her on her own shares her biggest insights along the way to prompt your own insights as you do all you can to ensure your family thrives.After years as a temporary college instructor with no real home—her family and longtime friends scattered—Nancy McCabe yearned to settle down, establish a place to call home, and rear a child there. A tough academic job market led her to accept a position at a church-connected college in the deep South, a move that felt like an uneasy return to the conservative environment of a childhood that she thought she’d left behind.Nancy had many reservations about rearing a child alone in this climate, but the desire to become a mother would not go away.Meeting Sophie tells the story of Nancy’s adopting a Chinese daughter and the many obstacles she faced during the adoption and adjustment process, renegotiating her role within her family and experiencing difficulties in her job. It tells the story of her struggle to bond with a sick, grieving baby while in a foreign country during political unrest, followed, upon her return to the U.S., by a devastating loss and a career crisis.https://www.nancymccabe.net/https://www.facebook.com/nancy.mccabe.92 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What's the journey from hardship, anxiety and grief to love, joy and hope. Lisa Ann explores our burdens, how they develop over the stages of our lives and how to relieve ourselves of our burdens...Adopted at the tail end of the Baby Scoop Era, Lisa Ann’s multiple decades of searching for family finally broke through with the submission of her DNA in 2018. She has learned over the past few years the importance of listening to others who are in the community, how more adoptees need to be heard, the benefits of changing the adoption narrative from all roses to reality, the impacts the journey has on all family and friends and how just talking it out can be one of the best forms of self-care available.Lisa Ann is very driven, can be an overthinker and works to find peace with the wins and losses of her journey. She strongly believes in the power of acceptance through connection with other people who are adopted; and genuinely hopes her experience can lift others up as they too go through the process. Influenced by many adoptees with prestigious blogs, podcasts and memoirs, Lisa Ann embarks on this endeavor by focusing on being open to other perspectives, direct about her path taken, honest about emotions experienced and now very public about her adoption experience.Wandering Tree Adoptee Blog and Podcast are powered by Lisa Ann. She is a writer and commentator focused on sharing her personal journey of adoption, searching for biological family and the nuances of reunion.https://wanderingtreeadoptee.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adopted at 22, Tami's story is anything but typical. Neither is her transformation from surviving to thriving. So what has she learned on the way? What's she continuing to learn? What's changed her life? We go deep on healing is about seeing. As a mentor of mine says listen into this one like a rock with big ears for your own insights - see what you can see differently...Here's more about her book....A twenty-one year telemarketer, Tammy Schend has barely managed her life after aging out of the foster care system in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After an impulsive phone call, she quits her job, moves out of her apartment, and drives to Michigan to help take care of her paralyzed gramma. During her three month visit, she's told her mom’s buried secrets and makes a decision that destroys a family and shakes the community. Returning to Kenosha, a beautiful life of faith erupts, until she is arrested and extradited back to Michigan to pay for her criminality.Waiting to be sentenced, Tammy stays with members of her church--a family with five children and two parents who don't hit each other or yell or hit their kids. She is amazed and in love and uncomfortable. Can she trust them?https://www.amazon.com/Tami-Lowe/e/B07HKR8TS7https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Space-Me-Mormon-adoption/dp/1718065027https://twitter.com/tamiloweauthorhttps://www.tamilowe.comhttps://www.facebook.com/TamiLoweCoach Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Trauma can overwhelm our kids. So how do we help them transcend it? Adoptive mom Jenny Rose Asher and I go deep on allowing, validating and evaluating feelings on the road to healing. We also explore separating ourselves from the trauma to gain the perspective that helps us be the parents our kids need us to be to support them.Here's a bit about today's guest from her website.Jennifer Rose Asher is the proud mom of 3 wonderful children and lives with her family, dogs, and horses outside of Dallas, Texas.I have written a book called Journey To My Daughter. It is the story of how my husband Marc and I found and adopted our oldest chid, Hilary. It details my experience with miscarriage as well as everything we went through to find Hilary through adoption, from our first introduction to adoption, the mundane process of gathering paperwork and completing a homestudy, a failed adoption attempt that included a frenetic last-minute trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, through the placement of Hilary and actually bringing her home. Beyond the physical journey, however, is my spiritual journey of learning to listen to the universe and follow the signs which should have helped me to realize when I was following a path not meant for me. Journey To My Daughter is a memoir that reads like a novel. On the surface, it is the true story of my quest to become a mother. I describe my own experience of miscarriages and the adoption of my daughter, Hilary. No two journeys or adoptions themselves are the same. I’m sure some are quite unremarkable while others may be bizarre or extraordinary. My own experience was closer to the second type. It includes a whirlwind trip to Hanoi, Vietnam as well as an endless amount of mundane paperwork. I wrote about all of this. In writing and editing this book a more subtle but significant theme emerged. The other story told in this book is that of a shift in my own attitude. I began by not wanting children at all, progressed through a decision that I wanted to be a mother, and later became almost obsessed with this goal. I tried to do whatever I could to force the world to “give” me a child. I ignored the signals, both subtle and overt, when they showed me I was heading down the wrong path. By the end of the book, I was able to be more flexible and follow the signs leading me towards my goal of motherhood. I have a core belief that the universe will help us see what direction we should be headed. We can choose to ignore and fight these signs, as I did in the beginning of the story, or we can allow these clues to help guide us down an easier path, as I tried to do towards the end of the book.I originally wrote this story down to tell a story about adoption. I wanted to help other adoptive families to maintain faith and hope through the very difficult waiting time before finding their child. I definitely hope the story can help these families. However, I now see that many others may benefit from reading the story. Anyone struggling with a decision or direction may find some inspiration and an illustration of how the universe spoke to me. Still others may just be entertained by reading about a harrowing journey with a happy ending.This is the story as I remember it. Some of the names, places, details and exact conversations have been changed or omitted. In some cases this is to protect the identity of the people mentioned, and in others is simply because I don’t actually recall the details and did my best to create dialog or other details to be consistent with the story.More at https://www.journeytomydaughter.com/book​https://www.facebook.com/mjasherhttps://www.instagram.com/jenniferroseasher/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferroseasher/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If you are afraid you are definitely not alone. Fear is a familiar feeling for all parents but adoption can take it to another level. That's what adult adopted person and retired adoption professional Lynn Deiulis learned working in adoption for 25 years. In this fascinating and empowering episode we get to the very heart of that fear so you can parent with less of it, thrive and help your kids thrive too.Lynn Deiulis was placed on adoption at the age of nine months. Her adoptive parents were advised to raise her as their own and forget where she had come from. Her parents followed this advice, and adoption became an uncomfortable topic. Her mother would answer Lynn’s adoption questions, but the emotion in her mother’s eyes eventually made Lynn stop asking. Lynn grew up not knowing how or whom to ask her many questions. As an adult, Lynn found and met some of her paternal and maternal birth family members and was able to learn much about the genetic and familial information she grew up without. As a result, she has been able to piece together more of her story.Lynn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care and enjoyed a twenty-five year career in adoption services. Lynn has worked with many members of the adoption triad (children, birth parents, adoptive parents) as well as foster care and kinship families. She co-facilitated support groups where adult adopted persons, and birth parents, could freely share their unique stories and learn how and where to get some of their questions answered.​Her personal and professional journey sparked a passion to write a book that offers an opportunity for children to learn the unique details of their adoption or kinship stories, and helps adults talk to children about how they came to be living together as a family or living with another family. She also hopes the book will help professionals who work with children living through all phases of the adoption or kinship journey. Lynn resides in Northern Ontario, where she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, especially her grandchildren.The relationship between the author and the illustrator has a unique quality. Krista Donnelly and Lynn are birth half sisters who met each other as adults in 2018. Separated by the adoption process, Krista and her three full sisters grew up not knowing that two older half sisters existed. When Lynn decided to write this book, she reached out to her “new sister” who is a talented graphic designer. Krista brought the book’s characters to life while building a relationship with Lynn at the same time. Krista learned about the impact on Lynn of growing up as an adoptee, while Lynn learned about the impact on Krista of discovering she had two birth half sisters she never knew existed! Their new mutual understanding of the impact of adoption has enriched this book. Lynn and Krista hope this book will help children and families talk about these unique stories long before the children become adults.Links to buy the book and more: https://www.whatisyourstorybook.com/https://www.facebook.com/whatisyourstorybookhttps://twitter.com/AuthorLynnDhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCampCrQmQomhUskZ8-9fzcg/featuredhttps://www.instagram.com/authorlynnd/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Self worth is THE issue for us all. How we see ourselves determines how we see the world. Allison and I both had profound insights about self worth during our conversation. How we see ourselves shifted. So this is a must listen to episode for both adoptees and adoptive parents. If you're an adoptee you're going to want to listen for yourself. If you're an adoptive parent you're going to want to listen for yourself so you can deeper your own understanding. We can't share what we don't have. We can't teach what we don't understand. We can't point at what we haven't seen clearly for ourselves. Perhaps my favourite episode in over 200 so far.Being both an adoptee and an adoptive parent, Allison Olson has a unique perspective on the topic of adoption. Her goal is to build confidence and self-esteem in young adoptees by changing the adoption narrative from the “lucky" child to the “loved" child. Allison lives in Oregon with her husband, two daughters, and their cat named Howie Meowie.Her award winning book Surrounded by Love: An Open Adoption Stor https://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Love-Adoption-Story-Stories-ebook/dp/B0BFFBC2KG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10K696TQGNZIE&keywords=surrounded+by+love+an+open+adoption+story&qid=1664835693&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=surrounded+by+love%2Caps%2C428&sr=8-1Find out more at:www.ouradoptionbooks.com https://www.instagram.com/kidsbooksbyallisonolson/ https://www.facebook.com/KidsBooksbyAllisonOlson https://www.tiktok.com/@kidsbooksbyallisonolson?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCncFIED_AB5VjcFee7fEUhg Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

We adoptees have lots of thoughts about adoption. Those thoughts decide how we feel. But what if those thoughts are wrong? And what if being wrong helps us heal? Ed and I explore how his curiosity let him to new discoveries and the truth. He's a great guy with a huge heart for helping us all. Hope you learn as much as I did!Edward Di Gangi was adopted at birth in New York City. An only child, he made no effort to explore his heredity until, at age 69, a visit to a cemetery where members of his adoptive mother's family were buried stirred his interest.​Over the past three years, through extensive archival research and DNA testing, Ed has peeled back the layers of his once unknown family.Set in the 1940s, as America emerged from the Great Depression and went to war, Ed's book, The Gift Best Given, recounts the search for his family and tells the story of a young woman's courage as she overcame obstacles to achieve her dreams. Ed and his wife, Linda, live in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Their son, James and his fiancee, Renee, live in nearby Durham.https://www.digangiauthor.com/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052046681375https://www.instagram.com/digangiauthor/https://www.digangiauthor.com/copy-of-purchase-my-book Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Where do we find happiness? Is it nature or nurture? Adoptee Charlotte came through some very tricky times in her adoptive family including her mother's suicide. What's she learned along the way? How has she become who she is? How has focusing on others has helped her be happy. Listen in for a very empowering episode.Dr. Charlotte Laws is an author, columnist, and public speaker. She was the star of the NBC show, “The Filter” (4 years), a political pundit on BBC television (6 years), and a southern California politician (councilmember and city commissioner - 8 years). She has had over 30 different jobs, some quite unusual: lecturer at the FBI Academy in Quantico, private eye, director of a legal corporation, cab driver, actress, chip chatter, fashion designer, nurse, backup singer for an Elvis imitator, bodyguard, magazine cover girl, Realtor, stand-up comic, et al. She was an Atlanta debutante. She has never had a glass of alcohol, a cigarette, or tried an illegal drug. Laws was born in a car and adopted at birth. Her adoptive brother was killed at 16, her adoptive father was abusive, and her adoptive mom committed suicide. As an adult, Charlotte tracked down her natural family (mother, father, and two siblings) and enjoys a loving relationship with them to this day. Laws’ natural grandfather—a lawyer who planned to run for U.S. Senate—was murdered by a devil worshipper in the 1940s. She wrote the nonfiction novel, Devil in the Basement, about his life and death. Laws is listed as the fourth most notorious party crasher in the world, beating Bill Murray, Queen Elizabeth, Serena Williams, and Lady Gaga. Party crashing began as a hobby for Laws in her teens, but later became a creative way to snag facetime with business leaders, politicians, and A-list celebrities in order to lobby for legislation, attain business partners, get exclusive interviews, and recruit charity volunteers. Laws has crashed the Secret Service four times. Laws was voted “one of the 30 fiercest women in the world” by Buzzfeed and is the recipient of the Los Angeles Animal Humanitarian Award. She is a vegan and animal advocate. Her hen, Mae Poulet, was a write-in candidate in the 2012 presidential election and is the only chicken in the world who has run for political office. Laws authored the 2016 California ballot initiative, the “Intolerant Jackass Act,” to support LGBTQ+ rights and worked for Aids Project Los Angeles during the 1980s. Laws has a doctorate from USC (2000), two Masters Degrees from USC (1997 and 1986), and two BA degrees (1996 and 1985). She completed Post-Graduate Study at Oxford University, England (2003). Laws authored the following books: Meet the Stars, Rebel in High Heels, Armed for Ideological Warfare, Devil in the Basement, and Undercover Debutante. She contributed chapters to the following academic works: Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of Mother Earth, A Call to Compassion, Uncaged, and Animals and the Environment: Advocacy, activism and the quest for common ground. As a columnist, Laws’ articles (on news and current events) have appeared in the Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the NY Daily News, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Special Report, E the Environmental Magazine, the L.A. Daily News, Gawker, the Daily Caller, Publisher’s Weekly, Jezebel, the Oakland Tribune, Salon, et al. Laws has appeared as a guest on dozens of television shows and networks, including “Larry King Live,” “Oprah,” MSNBC, CNN, “The Late Show,” BBC, TMZ, Fox News, “AM Los Angeles,” “Nightline,” “Dr. Drew,” and “Good Day L.A,” among others. After a topless photo of Laws’ daughter was hacked and posted on a revenge porn website, Laws worked tirelessly for two years to bring the website owner to justice. He eventually went to prison. Laws is known throughout the world as the “Erin Brockovich of revenge porn.” To date, she has helped over 500 victims of nonconsensual pornography, sextortion, and morphed porn. She has also assisted legislators in getting anti-revenge porn laws passed throughout the U.S. and hopes a federal law will be in place soon.Laws lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her two rescue dogs, and her seven rescue hens. She loves tennis, dead philosophers, collecting vintage clothes, nature, and animals. She tries to live her life in accordance with ahimsa: non-injury to all living beings. She believes persistence is the key to success and “othercentrism” (helping others) is the key to happiness.Check out her memoir athttp://rebelinhighheels.com/https://twitter.com/CharlotteLawshttps://www.instagram.com/drcharlottelawshttp://undercoverdebutante.com/https://charlottelaws.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Did you immerse yourself in learning before adopting and yet still feel you're learning on the job? You're not alone. Adoptive mum/mom Susan has 3 kids all in their twenties. She STILL feels she's learning on the job. Learning never stops. Getting that in our bones reduces the frustration and impatience we sometimes feel. There's always more to learn so Susan shares her insights into connecting with our kids which lies at the foundation of our relationship with them. Relationships start with us. Insightful, emotional and profound.Here's more about Susan from her website:I am a Michigander: Midwest kind and smiley, except in February when I get a little ornery from the gray sky and knee-deep snow. I am married to Mike, and we have three children who were adopted from Russia. We like watching movies together, hanging by the campfire, mountain biking, and traveling internationally. Yes! We loved visiting Prague in 2021. I have an MA in communications and co-authored Before You Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child’s Lifestory, published by Zondervan. I’ve always sought ways to help my kids process this piece of their story. I’ve put together a collection of stories for teens told to me by adoptees from across the country. Let me just say loudly that these people are AMAZING and INSIGHTFUL. They taught me so much, which in turn I share with you. I love it when people use their stories to lift others up. In We’ve Been There, teens 16 and older will find a range of stories that truly reflects how adoptees feel and process things in their teen years. It is a long-overdue connection point, a gift from one adoptee to another to remind them they are not alone. https://susantebos.com/https://www.facebook.com/SusanTeBos.Authorhttps://www.instagram.com/susanteboswriter/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Mary Beth has 7 kids including 2 adopted from China and one from foster care. Ahead of our conversation she talked to her kids about what what helps them thrive. We talk about this and go deep into the meaning of adoption, taking things personally, empathy and understanding.Here's a bit about Mary Beth's non profit: We want to see all waiting children placed in a family in which they can thrive. To that end, we will work to facilitate the adoption of the worlds waiting children into loving christian homes by giving financial assistance to families, and advocating for those children who are waiting in institutions or in foster care.http://www.betheone1.org/https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/unpacking-our-own-baggage-as-adoptive-parents-with-hollyann-petree-mom-executive-director Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoptee writers Alice and Marci go deep on changing the narrative around around adoption. We explore changing the narrative out there in the world and the narrative within. What others say about us and what we say to ourselves. It's all about self-empowerment, healing, sharing and learning from others. Listen in for a great conversation with two people who really know how to inspire themselves and other adoptees.MARCI CALABRETTA CANCIO-BELLOFounding Co-DirectorMarci Calabretta Cancio-Bello is the author of Hour of the Ox (University of Pittsburgh, 2016), which won the Donald Hall Prize for Poetry. She is the co-translator of Yi Won’s The World’s Lightest Motorcycle (Zephyr Press, 2021). Her work has appeared in Catapult, Kenyon Review Online, The New York Times, Poets & Writers, and elsewhere. She has received fellowships from the American Literary Translators Association, the Knight Foundation, and Kundiman, among others. She is co-director for PEN America Miami/South Florida Chapter, and a program coordinator for Miami Book Fair.ALICE STEPHENSFounding Co-DirectorAlice Stephens’ debut novel, Famous Adopted People, was published in 2018 by Unnamed Press. Her work has appeared in LitHub, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Margins, Banana Writers, and other publications, and has been anthologized in Volume IX of the DC Women’s Writers Grace & Gravity series, Furious Gravity (2020), and Writing the Virus (Outpost19, 2020). She is a co-facilitator of the Adoptee Voices Writing Group, editor of Bloom, and writes book reviews and a column, Alice in Wordland, for the Washington Independent Review of Books.The Adoptee Literary Festival brings together writers who self-identify as having been adopted, fostered, or otherwise displaced to share their stories, make their voices heard, and reshape the narrative of adoption which has for too long been dominated by adoptive parents and the adoption industry. Covering all genres, the festival highlights writing that makes adoptees the subject, rather than the object, of their own stories. Respectful of diverse opinions, we recognize that every adoption story is different, and celebrate all genuine voices that seek to educate, engage, and nurture.https://twitter.com/adopteelitfesthttps://www.facebook.com/adopteelitfest/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv5oxhKLCtMD7mxzkQwvmFg/abouthttps://www.instagram.com/adopteelitfest/https://www.adopteelitfest.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If you're an adoptee looking to find your birth parents, listen in. Jay shares over 30 years of knowledge on both the practical and emotional aspects of search. A fantastic big picture overview with lots of great little nuggets. Birthparentfinder.com is the creation of Jay Rosenzweig, an award-winning California private investigator. Jay has been licensed for over 30 years and has spent the majority of his career focused on locating people. In 2006, after receiving numerous requests by adoptees resulting in reunification with their families, he started BirthParentFinder.com. Since it's inception, it's been recognized as one of the leading national online companies for finding birth parents and biological relatives.BirthParentFinder.comhttps://www.facebook.com/birthparentfinderhttps://twitter.com/parentsfinderhttps://www.instagram.com/birthparentfinder/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAjrXYaZDHwba5eqKaN5wMg/featured Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

We've all felt shame - it's part of the human experience. But beyond it lies the peace we seek for ourselves and those we love. So how do we get to the other side of shame? Marcy and I go DEEP into this in one of my favourite conversations so far. We hope you love it too.Here's how Marcy describes herself on her website: Jesus-follower, mom to 4 humans, two adopted through the foster system and two biological, multi-passionate mompreneur, best-selling author, international and 2xs TEDx speaker, networker, and mentor. My mission is to help people uncover and present their stories to help them finetune their uniqueness, empower their lives, and to maximize their potential. Here, we work together to create safe spaces and connections so that others feel worthy of value and love.Watch her Tedx Talks:How Story Empower Kids to Shape Our WorldYou Are More Than Your Traumatic ExperiencesFind out more at:https://www.facebook.com/MarcyPusey/https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcypusey/https://www.instagram.com/marcymarie/https://marcypusey.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

GINA ROGERS – PRESIDENTGina Rogers is a dynamic, passionate individual who is eager to serve at-risk children and families. Currently, Gina works at Boys Town North Florida on the Development Team; her title is the site’s Donor Relations Specialist. Gina has earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Social Work and has been certified in Child Welfare Practice as well as Leadership in Executive and Administrative Development. Gina is determined to serve children and families in need and believes in maximizing every child’s opportunity to succeed.DONNA WHITTLE – VICE PRESIDENTDonna Whittle is a native of Tallahassee, FL. Donna professionally holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and has worked for the State of Florida since September 2008. She is a certified traditional foster parent for the State of Florida Department of Children and Families, which began November 2017. Donna and her husband have welcomed nine children into their home, ranging in age from an infant to teenagers, over the past four years. Donna stated, “All the children that we have fostered will always have a piece of my heart. Each child that has left my home are forevermore my godchildren.” Donna’s passion is advocating and caring for children. In November 2019, Donna and her husband adopted three sibling brothers that were their past foster children. Donna stated, “Our boys are a true blessing. I am so grateful that I get to be their mother.” Donna began volunteering for the Heart Gallery Big Bend in June 2021. She has taken on the role of social media coordinator, became a board member in October 2021, and January 2022 became the Vice President. Donna studied website design for three years and participated in yearbook design all four years of high school. She enjoys updating and designing for the Heart Gallery Big Bend website and social media platforms. She is confident that expanding our platform to promote and advocate for children, will increase their chances of getting adopted. She believes every child should have a loving, caring, supportive family. By volunteering, she hopes that she can make a difference by helping children find their forever homes.BELINDA HEYS – TREASURERBelinda Heys is a former foster mom and now adoptive mom. Her passion is advocating for kids to find their forever families. She has been volunteering for the Heart Gallery Big Bend for the last 3 years.CASSIE BRANCH – SECRETARYCassie Branch professionally holds a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Early Childhood Educational Leadership and is the owner of a local childcare facility. Cassie and her husband have invited 12 children in her home ranging from infant to teenagers in the last 3 years. She is a mom to 7 children. Cassie and her husband adopted 3 children in 2020. The Heart Gallery holds a special place in Cassie’s heart. She hopes to help increase awareness of what the Heart Gallery is and increase the number of people involved in volunteering in this organization. She also believes that advocating for children through legislation brings awareness and funding to allow these children to find a forever family.The Heart Gallery Big Bend is dedicated to increasing awareness of children in our community who are available for adoption and in need of loving, permanent homes. The individuality and spirit of each child has been captured by local photographers who have generously donated their time and talent.https://heartgallerybigbend.org/https://www.facebook.com/HeartGalleryBigBendhttps://www.instagram.com/heartgallerybigbend/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Jenni Alpert (Cami) - Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist Jenni Alpert (Birth name: Cameron, Cami) was born in Los Angeles, CA and adopted out of the foster care system at the age of four. She started to sing and play piano while staying in various foster homes. With the encouragement and support of her adoptive family, she learned to play the guitar as well and began writing and record songs early. With her honest rich songwriting and soothing musical melodies, songstress Jenni Alpert’s haunting, powerful, and sultry voice has gained the respect of fans and music tastemakers worldwide. Her emotionally driven songs weave a unique web of eclectic Soul-Americana Pop. As familiar with jazz and Americana as she is pop, Alpert graduated from UCLA in the Ethnomusicology Department after completing a four-year jazz program headed by Kenny Burrell. No stranger to the recording studio, Alpert has released 8 albums and has independently toured over 14 countries with regularity. Upon reuniting with her biological father who was homeless, addicted, and running from the law at the time, yet a musician just like her, a film team decided to make a short documentary entitled Homeless: the Soundtrack directed by Oscar-nominated, Peabody and Emmy Award winning documentary film director Irene Taylor Brodsky, produced by Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz about the early stages that unfold the journey of their biological reunion capturing the unique bond they share. The two performed to share their biological reunion adventures and on creative approaches towards transformation in story and song together alongside supporting the film as a duo under the name Cami and Don,The Biological Duo until his passing. Currently Jenni Alpert (Cami) continues to join a range of non profits and organizations that focus on adoption, foster care, the Adoption Constellation, and homelessness as keynote speaker and performer in support of education and healing.Listen to Don’s Take in soundbites https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/KGpcgbiuhLt6eMc29Read article from EpochTimes: https://www.theepochtimes.com/father-daughter-duo-proves-home-is-where-the-heart-guitar-and-family-are_3076655.htmlNBC Nightly: https://youtu.be/ZEsc-j7pMaEhttps://vimeo.com/577773273 Password: jennialpertbiologicalreunionhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0578938138/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_F56B7GGM6VYKXB27RKKDhttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cdP6dotlBs23P1dR3eL9r3gqMUDu-oyhttps://www.facebook.com/camianddonbiologicalduohttps://www.facebook.com/jennialpertmusicwww.jennialpert.com Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Richard Rose is the Director of Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi). TLSWi provides consultancy and training on Therapeutic Life Story Work and working with ‘hard to reach’ children and adolescents and develops academic training programmes in the UK and Internationally. TLSWi is also the professional body for Therapeutic Life Story Work and engages in research, supervision and professional development of all members.Richard has worked with traumatised children and families since he was 17 years old, and in that time has been shaped by those he has journeyed with over the last 38 years. He qualified in Social Work in 1989 and since then worked in the UK in local authority child protection and from 1997 with the highly regarded residential therapeutic treatment agency SACCS, including four years as the Clinical Practice Director of the Mary Walsh Institute.Throughout his career, Richard has worked with children and their families in and out of home care and within birth family placements, with the aim of enabling these placements to become healthy and nurturing.Richard is a regular visitor to Australia where he is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at La Trobe University, Melbourne and Honorary Associate of Berry Street, Melbourne. He is also an Honorary Associate of the Open Adoption Institute, University of Sydney. He is a regular visitor to the USA, where he presents for Portland State University, DHS Oregon and ORPARC (Adoption Services).Richard is the author of The Child’s Own Story – Life Story Work with Traumatised Children (2004); Life Story Therapy with Traumatised Children – A Model for Practice (2012) and Innovative Therapeutic Life Story Work (2017).In 2020 he founded Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi) and this will now be the home of TLSW and a new International Professional Community that impacts across the World.He is married to Paula and has two children, Ben and Callum.https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-richard-rose-81779045/https://tlswi.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Seasoned professionals Phil and Mike share 2 lifetimes worth of insights, learning and understanding into what helps adopted kids thrive. Given the depth and breadth of their experience there's a host of nuggets here, so settle in for your own learning.Phil Scarpelli is the President and CEO of the Brevard Family Partnership Family of Agencies. Phil joined the Brevard Family Partnership in November 2018. Since the inception of privatization, he has been proudly involved in Florida’s child welfare system as early as the late 1990s. Previously, Phil worked as part of the Department of Children and Families Central Region’s Leadership on its middle and senior managers’ professional development and talent management. Before that, he was the State Director with Key Assets Florida, Inc., part of the International Core Assets Group, a leading children’s services provider.Phil has 30 years of experience working in behavioral healthcare and child welfare in both clinical and administrative capacities. Throughout his career, he has been committed to children and families at risk. To develop a perpetual learning environment willing to challenge the status quo, embrace innovation, inclusion, transparency, and trust.Phil has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Gerontology from Iona College and a Master’s Degree in Psychology from Yeshiva University.Mike DiBrizzi is President/Chief Executive Officer Camelot Community CareHe began his employment with Camelot in 1994 and has held various direct care and leadership positions before being appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2007. Mr. DiBrizzi has served on various community boards and committees including as Board Chairman for The Foster Family-Based Treatment Association and The Florida Coalition for Children Foundation. Mr. DiBrizzi is a graduate of Leadership Pinellas and serves on the City of Largo, Fl. Planning Board. Mr. DiBrizzi received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Tampa and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of South Florida.https://brevardfp.org/https://www.facebook.com/BrevardFamilyPartnership/https://twitter.com/BrevardFPhttps://www.instagram.com/brevardfamilypartnership/https://www.youtube.com/user/Brevardfamilypartner Bringing Families Together For A Bright Future. At Camelot Community Care, this is not merely a slogan – it is our “calling”. Our dedicated team seeks to live out this calling each and every day with respect, compassion and commitment equal to the enormous trust placed in us on behalf of our community’s most vulnerable children and families. We measure our work against the most important yardstick we know; making a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve. Camelot Community Care’s ability to create better outcomes for those we serve can be seen in the wide variety of effective programs that we implement and oversee. We continue to make a positive impact that will be felt in our community for generations to come! As a community-based care agency, partnership, and a spirit of collaborative caring are written into the DNA of our organization. Through collaborative partnerships with other agencies statewide, our foster parents, volunteers, and community benefactors, our mission of enabling children and families to realize their fullest potential by stopping the cycle of abuse and neglect in families and in our community is possible. The success of this model of care continues to be demonstrated year after year. In spite of on-going society-wide economic challenges, the state’s opioid crisis, an increase in the number of children receiving out-of-home services statewide, and flat funding, our network, and tremendous community partnerships have allowed Camelot to continue our forward-thinking approach. The child welfare system journey is ongoing and we would like to thank you for sharing it with us as we continue to keep our children safe and create a bright future for our most important resource.https://www.camelotcommunitycare.org/https://www.facebook.com/camelotcchttps://www.linkedin.com/company/camelot-community-care-inc./ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoptee & therapist Brett dives deep into how we change. We want to change and yet the work involved seems daunting. Why is that? How does safety keep us stuck? How does adoption impact safety? Where's the freedom from this for adoptees? It's an empowering and uplifting conversation. Here's some info on Brett and the Center he works at from their website.Dr. Brett Furst holds a B.S. in Child and Adolescent Development from The University of California, Davis, an M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Chapman University, and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. He has his Doctorate in Psychology from Alliant International University. Dr. Furst is a fully trained, EMDRIA approved, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapist. Dr. Furst, in addition to his focus on the underlying causes of addiction, specializes in academic and educational difficulties, and provides supportive services to those clients pursuing continuing education at PACE, including managing ADHD symptoms, proper study habits, and processing difficulties, from a therapeutic lens. Therapeutically, Brett comes from a Gestalt perspective, placing emphasis on the exploration of the authentic self and how inauthenticity and the negative personas clients create contribute to their unhealthy habits and the disconnection from themselves through substance. Dr. Furst has worked at several local treatment facilities where he has customized several young adult curriculums. Brett has also developed one of the first experiential poetry groups, and finds group work to be some of the most rewarding he has done. He enjoys spending time with his family and dog, and exploring new parts of his native Orange County.https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettfurst/https://fursttherapy.com/At PACE Recovery Center, we believe in empowering our clients to fulfill their own particular dreams. We believe that Positive Attitudes Change Everything. Our trained addiction treatment staff will help our clients identify their specific recovery goals, and help them achieve them. From our home base in Orange County, we also provide in-depth mental health services that address the root issues driving addiction and mental illness. Once men leave our program, they have all the tools they need to thrive in recovery.Giving Men the Skills for SobrietyLong-term sobriety is more than simply not using alcohol or drugs, it is about living life. Helping our clients develop life skills, educational aims, or vocational goals not only teaches them about responsibility and accountability, but also helps improve their self-esteem.https://www.instagram.com/pacerecovery/https://www.facebook.com/PaceRecoveryCenterLLChttps://www.pacerecoverycenter.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Therapy is often seen as THE route to overcoming trauma and thriving. Mentoring is less known and less common. In this episode I interview mentor Jessica on the benefits of mentoring to help adoptees thrive. Listen in for insights, aha moments and personal learnings.Jessica is a transracial adoptee born in Bogota, Colombia who grew up in Long Island, New York. She is an Adoptee Advocate, working to create supportive spaces for adoptees and their families. Jessica was one of the founding mentors in the NYC Teen Mentorship program which began in 2006, and now is the Manager of Community Engagements at Spence-Chapin, overseeing all community programming. Jessica’s passion for connecting with adoptees and their families has always been the driving force in her work and is the reason she continues to create spaces for adoptee stories and voices.https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-m-luciere-3a438340https://www.instagram.com/jmluciere/?hl=en-gbSpence-Chapin Services to Families and Children is a non-profit organization that has been providing adoption and adoption support services for over a century. The Spence-Chapin Way is to provide guidance and support to children, women, and families throughout all our program areas.https://spence-chapin.org/community-programming/https://spence-chapin.org/https://www.facebook.com/spencechapin/https://www.instagram.com/spencechapinsvc/https://twitter.com/SpenceChapinSvchttps://www.youtube.com/user/AdoptionsNYC Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Life can feel really tough when our kids are showing the signs of their trauma. Adoptive mom of two Heather has been there and felt like throwing in the towel. So how do we get past this? How do we ride the emotional rollercoaster that is parenting kids from tough places? Heather goes deep on self regulation, unconditional love, absolute security and tapping into a source bigger than ourselves so our families thrive.Heather T. Forbes, LCSW, is the owner of the Beyond Consequences Institute and author of numerous books on the topic of working with children impacted by trauma. Coming from a family of educators, Heather has a passion for helping children in the classroom. Trauma robs children of their curiosity, and Heather’s passion is to help these students return back to their innate love for learning. She consults and lectures extensively with both general and special education schools around the nation and the world.Her signature style is to bridge the gap between academic research and “when the rubber hits the road” classroom situations, giving teachers and school personnel the understanding and tools they need for even the most challenging of students. Heather has worked in schools with trauma-impacted students and knows firsthand how challenging it can be on a daily basis with these students.Much of her insight on understanding trauma, disruptive behaviors, and developmental delays, comes from her own experience of raising two internationally adopted children and mentoring a severely trauma-impacted young adult.https://www.beyondconsequences.com/https://www.facebook.com/BeyondConsequenceshttps://twitter.com/HeatherTForbeshttps://www.youtube.com/c/HeatherForbes/videos Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Known stories heal. So how do we do that? Adoptive mom and story expert Alisa shares a host of practical insights into this vital topic. She breaks the process down for adoptive parents so they can gather and share their child's story in an empowering and healing way.Here's a bit about Alisa and her organisation from her website:Alisa Matheson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Counseling, in 2017 from the University of Northwestern – St. Paul and completed an Advanced Certificate in Therapeutic Lifestory Work and The National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative Courses.She has experience as an adoptive and foster parent, adoption recruiter, educator and contractor; completed 30 Lifebooks and 80 Social and Medical Histories. In every role over the past 11 years, she has championed communication, relationship building, and respect for the personhood and rights of everyone involved in the child welfare system.We envision a world in which everyone has the same person-centered access to their own personal history, stories, and medical information.Power of Story completes Lifebooks and Social Medical Histories with children and youth in Minnesota foster care to bring these necessary, healing, therapeutic, and valuable items to life.We also provides life history specific resources and workshops nationwide.More at:https://powerofstory.us/https://www.facebook.com/powerofstory.us/https://www.instagram.com/powerofstory.us/https://www.linkedin.com/company/power-of-story/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw1LBjPOu_Oybwke8AtemnQ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Being where the other is. Putting ourselves in our kids' shoes. Seeing life through their lens. Maria goes deep on how we build empathy and connection with our kids to help them heal and thrive.Maria Nanos, LCSW, Ph.D., is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greenlight Family Services. Dr. Nanos received her Ph.D. in Clinical Social Work from the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago and her masters in social work at Jane Addams, University of Illinois. Dr. Nanos’ clinical career began in 1987 focusing on children and families of sexual abuse and neglect in the Chicagoland area. Dr. Nanos rapidly moved into managerial positions supervising programs in areas of mental health, child abuse, sexual assault, DCFS investigations and more recently grandparents raising grandchildren. Dr. Nanos is an avid advocate for human services in Chicago and is a frequent presenter at conferences and trainings. Dr. Nanos is an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago in the Masters program and has a part time clinical private practice. She has consulted with many agencies in Chicago thus reaching thousands of families.Dr. Nanos is a native Chicagoan who enjoys most outdoor activities, travel and nature. She resides with her family in Evanston.Greenlight Family Services (formally known as Center for Law and Social Work) has been preserving families, providing hope and protecting lives throughout the State of Illinois since 2003. Our mission is to achieve the best outcomes for families, young adults, and children by providing the highest quality services. In the beginning, Greenlight focused on providing legal assistance for the growing population of grandparents raising grandchildren. Each year, Greenlight strategically expanded its legal and social services.In 2017, Greenlight acquired Porchlight Counseling Services and added specialized sexual assault therapy to our array of crisis counseling services programming. These services exist to help college sexual assault survivors achieve healing and wholeness and to create a world in which a person’s life is not defined by the devastating experience of sexual assault. The program provides counseling, advocacy, and other supportive services to the survivors of campus sexual assault, with the goal to provide high-quality, long-term counseling at no charge to the client.In 2019, Greenlight expanded its services and moved its main office to the South Side of Chicago to better serve its foster care and post adoption families where they live. Greenlight also opened a Springfield office to better serve the southern region of the state of Illinois.Today, Greenlight manages the Heart Gallery of Illinois and Adoption Listing Service for the state of Illinois and provides relative, non-relative, second parent, step-parent, adoption services as well as DCFS foster parent adoption and post adoption services. Greenlight provides services for more than 7,000 families and young adults each year.https://greenlightfamilyservices.org/https://greenlightfamilyservices.org/heartgalleryofil/https://www.facebook.com/GreenlightILhttps://www.instagram.com/greenlight_il/?hl=en Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If our kids come from trauma life can be dark. Where's the bright light of hope? It's in neuro-plasticity, the brain's built in capacity to change. Melissa translates the science into every day language we can all understand and sets out practical ways to harness neuroplasticity so our kids can thrive.Melissa is an adoptee and adoptive mom. Here's a bit about her and her organisation from their websitePatrick and I are parents to six by both birth and adoption (ages 14-23). Our open-door policy has blessed us with lots of honorary family members along the way. As an Enneagram Coach, Safe and Sound Practitioner, and Empowered to Connected parent trainer, I love helping families laugh more and yell less. I hate cleaning and love extra crispy french fries.Here at the Adoption Connection, we use our real-life experiences in adoptive parenting to bridge the gap between theory and practice.You’ll find practical resources rooted in our faith in Jesus and backed by brain-science to bring you hope for your family’s future athttps://theadoptionconnection.com/https://www.facebook.com/theadoptionconnectionhttps://www.instagram.com/postadoptionresources/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Lindsay Hermida helped Lindsay Rustan adopt. She's now raising 6 (yes 6!) teenagers. Her gold dust insight absolutely blew me away. So be sure to listen out for it. As a high school teacher Lindsay is ideally placed to explain what goes on within the educational system. Her knowledge puts you in a better place to get the support your kids are due. Listen in as the three of us go deep on adopting from foster care and explore advocating for your kids. Lindsay Hermida worked in the foster care system for six years prior to joining the Heart Gallery team in 2014. She initially began working with newly licensed foster parents before transitioning to work specifically with prospective adoptive parents and helping to match waiting children to their forever families. She has also worked for Eckerd Community Alternatives as an Operations Specialist and liaison between Eckerd and case management agencies. Helping children find their forever families has been the most fulfilling thing Lindsay has ever done both personally and professionally. Through her work with the Heart Gallery, she is now able to make a direct impact on the lives of children waiting to be adopted through her work as the Executive Director.Every child deserves love. So, we created the Heart Gallery of Tampa to find forever families for Tampa’s foster children. These kids are just like any other kids, only they’ve experienced abuse, abandonment, and neglect. They find themselves in foster care through no fault of their own. What they need most is a family. The Heart Gallery gives them a face, a voice and a place to shine. Give your heart… adopt.https://heartgallerytampa.org/https://www.instagram.com/heartgallerytpa/https://www.facebook.com/HeartGalleryTampa/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

The title may cause some to question this episode or simply not listen to it. I chose the topic out of deep respect for Herbie's beliefs and because I know a lot of adopters are religious too. I was also curious as to where we'd go. I'm not a religious person but my own healing experience appears to be more spiritual than psychological. More magic than logic. That's why healing can't be set out in a step by step rational process. Rewiring our brains isn't like rewiring a plug. It's magical. I would suggest that from a religious perspective God is the source of the magic.Perhaps our kids trauma happened before they came into our homes. Perhaps it happens in trying to figure it out. Herb talks about how God's grace helps us heal. We take a deep and religious dive that's all about everyone's intrinsic value. Hugely profound, we explore humility and self awareness. The better we understand ourselves the better able we are to help our kids understand themselves. The clearer we can see our own worth, the more clearly we can point our kids towards their own worth. The worth that lies underneath the trauma waiting to be revealed.Here's a link to the last interview with Herbie https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/herbie-newell-president-executive-director-pYbKfULKHerbie is the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services and its ministry arms. He holds a Master’s of Business Administration in Accounting from Samford University. He worked with WAKM Companies, LLC, a prominent accounting firm, for several years as an independent auditor before being led to Lifeline in 2003 as Executive Director. From January 2004 to December 2008, he served as the president of the Alabama Adoption Coalition and was chosen as a Hague Intercountry Adoption evaluator and team leader by the Council of Accreditation. Under Herbie’s leadership, Lifeline has increased international outreach to 25 countries through adoption and strategic orphan care, obtained licensure in 12 states, attained membership into the ECFA (Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability), and established the foster care arm at Lifeline. Herbie has spoken at many events concerning adoption and the Church’s response to orphan care, including the National Council for Adoption, Christian Alliance for Orphans, Together for Adoption, Care Net and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.Having witnessed the plight of older orphans on many international trips, Herbie’s burden for the fatherless was a catalyst for forming (un)adopted in 2009, Lifeline’s strategic orphan care ministry focused on equipping orphaned and vulnerable children with life skills needed to bring about community transformation. During Summer 2013, Herbie and his family traveled for seven weeks throughout China, working with (un)adopted and orphanage partners. In Summer 2018, he and his family served for five weeks in Colombia with Lifeline’s adoption and orphan care partners.Herbie and his wife, Ashley, live in Birmingham, Alabama, and are parents to son, Caleb, and daughters, Adelynn and Emily. Following her graduation from Samford, Ashley worked as Assistant Director of Sav-A-life, a Birmingham-based crisis pregnancy center, where she counseled hundreds of women on life-giving options for their babies.Herbie and Ashley share a passion for the unborn, life, and adoption and desire to spend their lives advocating for the least of these.Connect with Herbie at:https://twitter.com/Hmnewellhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/herbienewell/Here's a summary from Lifeline's website "With a mission to equip the Body of Christ to manifest the gospel to vulnerable children, we know we cannot do this without one another. Whether through adoption, foster care, orphan care, or education and counseling, the mission is accomplished when churches live out James 1:27 in their communities and to the ends of the earth. Lifeline’s four decades of experience serves to assist families with international adoption in all 50 states, each of the U.S. territories and with U.S. citizens living abroad. Lifeline also serves women in unexpected pregnancies and families through domestic adoption."More at:https://www.facebook.com/lifelinechildhttps://lifelinechild.org/https://www.instagram.com/lifelinechild/https://twitter.com/lifelinechildhttps://vimeo.com/lifelinechild Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How do transracial adoptees come to terms with feelings of loss and shame? Clare shares what she's learning as we dive deep into mental health and limiting beliefs. We also touch on physical health given her wake up call after being diagnosed with diabetes. Inspirational.Check out Claire's amazing letter to herself here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uCIJtEfcEAkrz_NiZTjer_0JKB-kpyxMhbXrKZxzTKc/editConnect with her here:https://www.facebook.com/claire.magenheimerhttps://www.instagram.com/claire_magenheimerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-magenheimer/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Life can be chaotic for all families. So how do get comfortable with the chaos? What do we focus on to help our kids thrive? How do we need to be so that happen? Danielle dives deep into humility, vulnerability, re-thinking our own past. Boldly being wrong about who we think we are and what we do changes our lives for the better.Here are links to the book from my mentor that I recommend in the interview:https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Your-Fault-Choosing-ebook/dp/B07957XB9T/ref=sr_1_1?crid=34D7KHUUD05FN&keywords=Elizabeth+Ivory&qid=1660294268&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=elizabeth+ivory%2Caps%2C144&sr=1-1https://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Not-Your-Fault-Choosing-ebook/dp/B07957XB9T/ref=sr_1_2?crid=22513BOGT0UTN&keywords=elizabeth+ivory&qid=1660294218&sprefix=Elizabeth+Iv%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-2Here's a bit about Danielle and the organisation she founded from her websites:Danielle Gletow, a passionate children’s rights advocate for nearly 20 years is all too familiar with the disheartening state of the foster care system. As a former emergency placement guardian and now adoptive parent, Danielle witnessed the saddening circumstances surrounding the “forgotten children” of the system. Often times, babies, toddlers and adolescents are robbed of their blissful innocence, but Danielle has sought to bring love, hope and joy to each child through the work of her foundation, One Simple Wish. What began as a small startup in her Central NJ home with a personal $10,000 investment, has grown to a million dollar nonprofit serving children in 49 states through a network of more than 800 Community Partner agencies – the largest of its kind. She’s been able to empower everyday people to make direct and meaningful differences in the lives of foster children and at-risk youth one simple wish at a time and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. She has appeared on Nightline, The Harry Show, NBC Nightly News, CNN, The Kate Couric Show and has been featured in publications like Christian Science Monitor, The Star Ledger, The Washington Post and Woman’s World to name a few. She was also honored as one of the Most Influential Moms in America by Family Circle and chosen out of tens of thousands of nominees as a top 10 CNN Hero. Her heartfelt compassion and goodwill, despite her own disrupted childhood, have taught her to turn adversity into assets and she hopes to instill that within everyone she encounters—be it in front of an audience of fellow professionals or individuals she encounters in her every day life. Danielle’s witty, caring and invigorating demeanor make her relatable, as she touches on the topics of female empowerment, living with mental illness, childhood trauma and so much more. With a book in the works, she is a speaker not to be missed.https://www.facebook.com/DanielleGletow/https://twitter.com/DGletowhttps://www.daniellegletow.com/At One Simple Wish we believe that every child deserves love, hope and joy.Every year nearly 500,000 children are impacted by abuse, neglect and trauma and spend time in our nation’s foster care system. It can be lonely, confusing and a bit scary. Through our innovative wish-granting platform, you can send some love to a child who needs it. When wishes come true, kids not only have a chance to just be kids, but they can also make important connections, experience new things and find their passion!500,000+ kids spend time in foster care each year.100,000+ kids are waiting to be adopted.22,000+ young people age out without stable, permanent connections.https://www.onesimplewish.org/https://twitter.com/OneSimpleWishhttps://www.facebook.com/onesimplewish Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoptee Emma shares what she's learned about how we break from addiction whether that's our thinking or other addictions like alcohol. It's a particularly profound episode. I hope you find it as powerfully enlightening and empowering as I did.Emma Stevens is a U.S. domestic adoptee from birth and has survived layers of trauma that have put her on multiple journeys. She developed the inner strength and courage to surmount the many struggles she faced. Her traumas were born from being an adoptee who struggled with being forced to wear an impossible mask of playing the part of the “good adopted child.” Because being relinquished and adopted has colored her life, it’s Emma’s desire to be part of the movement that is dedicated to helping bring forth change to the way our world views the needs and support of adopted individuals. She believes strongly in adoptees finding their voice and discovering their truth to have a solid sense of self and to reclaim their identities. Through telling her story, Emma is dedicated to help redefine the narrative of adoption to include the entire complex truth.https://mobile.twitter.com/emmastevenstgphttps://www.facebook.com/Emmastevens99https://www.instagram.com/emmastevensthegatheringplaceWhen Emma learns her birth mother wrote and signed a letter about her to the adoption agency, she knew she had to have that letter if she were to ever discover her birth mother's true identity. Her birth mother had used a fictitious name at the maternity home and used an assumed name on Emma's original birth certificate. Emma takes bold measures to get ahold of that letter and start solving the puzzle that is her life.Emma was adopted into a family that expected her to conform to their expectations of who she should be — but she did not arrive as a blank slate. Unable to see that her relinquishment and adoption were not her fault, her soul split into pieces. In order to put the pieces back together, Emma embarks on multiple journeys and adventures towards both solving the mystery of who she is, and healing from the pain of separation from her origins.Emma powerfully describes a childhood and life profoundly affected by not knowing her true self. Has she ever known her true self?It's a story of inner strength and perseverance where Emma welcomes all her parts of self to feel valued and seen. She fights to reunite her fractured soul through love and acceptance of herself, and of others. In a meditative and surreal state, under and around a big old oak tree with a simple wood-seated and rope swing attached, she accepts the invitation of integrating herself. And this reunion all takes place at The Gathering Place.https://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Place-Adoptees-Story/dp/B09HH8PDGLhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Gathering-Place-Adoptees-Story/dp/B09N54ZRRT Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

A low sense of self worth can plague adoptees. So how do we make our kids see their iron clad value? To be comfortable in their own skins? How does being a transracial adoptee play out in this issue which is in fact all about identity? What do we need to do to help our kids with this? Adoptive dad, counselor and professor Dr Mark Andrews shares his empowering answers to these tricky questions.Here's a bit about Mark from his website:"My own experience as an adoptive parent since 1994 has also reinforced my belief in the need for increased pre- and post-placement support and education for parents. Like all adoptive parents, much of my and my wife’s experience was trial and error—especially in that we had not been parents previously. I have learned a lot over the past three decades! I have “walked the walk” of experiencing both the mountains and valleys (and everything in-between) of the adoptive parent life. It is my passion to pass on what I’ve learned to other adoptive and foster parents. Thus, in 2018 I concluded my time working in the mental health field to begin Adoptive Family Resources (AFR). AFR is an initiative to provide support, resources and ongoing training for adoptive and foster parents in both the pre- and post-adoptive periods."More at:https://www.adoptivefamilyresources.org/https://www.instagram.com/adoptivefamilyresources/https://www.facebook.com/AdoptiveFamilyResources/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Mike's sense of self crumbled on finding out he was adopted at 9. It took him decades to become secure in himself. How did he? What can we learn to unleash our own greatness? How can we be more of who we truly are? Listen in with big ears.Our greatest learnings often come from the toughest times. Here's a bit about Mike from his website:"When I was nine, my parents told me I was adopted, and it shattered my sense of identity and belonging. After that point, I believed being “perfect” was the only way to avoid rejection and abandonment. For years, I chose to trust only myself.It was only through finding the people I felt I belonged with and could trust, through sports, work, friends, and family, that I was able to build my confidence and truly believe in my ultimate success.I call this group of people your personal trust community. In my own, my wife supports my emotional and social well-being. Father John supports my spiritual well-being. My personal trainer, Suzan, supports my physical well-being. They, along with several others, have helped me unleash my own greatness.Seeing my own transformation using the help of my personal trust community spurred me to want to help others find their personal trust communities too.I now help executives and individuals determine what’s holding them back, restore their dignity, and build personal trust communities in their lives and organizations to unleash their own greatness and achieve their goals."More at:https://mikethorne.co/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbthorne/https://www.ted.com/talks/michael_thorne_three_words_that_can_transform_our_lives_they_aren_t_what_you_thinkhttps://adoptioncouncil.org/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Kelly thought that her experience raising 3 bio kids, her knowledge of trauma and qualifications in children and infant mental health would make raising her adopted child straightforward. It was anything but. Listen as we take a deep dive into what she learned and continues to learn. We explore helping kids adjust to new environments, building trust, vulnerability and more. Kelly's gift to listeners is her openness to share what she's learned about herself. Empowering and insightful.Kelly founded The Sparrow Fund along with her husband Mark in 2011. She spearheads the Sparrow Counseling program for foster and adoptive children and their families along with Louie, a service-trained golden retriever. Kelly has a particular interest in (a) partnering with parents to help children understand their stories in healing ways; (b) encouraging, equipping, and empowering parents to experience healing relationship as they navigate the effects of trauma; and (c) helping caregivers and teachers of vulnerable children best experience the power of relationship. Kelly and Mark have been married since 1998 and have 3 biological children and 1 daughter who was adopted as a toddler from China in 2010. You can read more about Kelly’s professional background on the Sparrow Counseling pageThe Sparrow Fund cares for caregivers, supporting families in foster care and adoption as well as those who care for vulnerable children. We give grants for families to receive individualized support as they build their family via adoption. We provide specialized counseling services. We offer training and connecting opportunities that encourage, equip, and empower caregivers. We seek to serve in orphanages and educational settings to care for caregivers who stand in the gap for vulnerable childrenFind out more at:https://www.instagram.com/sparrowfund/https://www.facebook.com/TheSparrowFundhttp://sparrow-fund.org/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's the link to the other podcast episode on unpacking our own baggage as adoptive parents that I mention in the interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/unpacking-our-own-baggage-as-adoptive-parents-with-hollyann-petree-mom-executive-directorMarcy and her husband adopted a biological sibling pair.While remote schooling my children during the pandemic, she began to see a gap between adults with a desire to adopt and the 115,000 adoptable children within the United States. Marcy is the author: "Are You a Forever Family?" & "The Forgotten Adoption Option"Host: The Forgotten Adoption Option PodcastFacebook Community / Instagram / LinkedInwww.forgottenadoptionoption.comMeet waiting children and get tools to pursue foster care adoption. Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Connect with me at www.simonbenn.co.uk email [email protected] Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about Meg and the Trust she works for. As the Director of Home Visiting Training and Professional Development, Meg oversees all initial and ongoing professional development for home visiting staff across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.During her tenure with the Children’s Trust, Meg has developed partnerships to strengthen and advance home visiting at the state and national levels. For seven years, Meg coordinated the Healthy Families Massachusetts training program. Prior to joining the Children’s Trust, Meg directed early literacy programs for young children and worked as a preschool teacher.Meg received her master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and has extensive experience in early education, adult learning and integration, and instructional design.Our programs partner with parents to help them build the lifelong skills and self-confidence they need to ensure children grow up safe and healthy.https://www.childrenstrustma.org/https://www.facebook.com/trust4kidshttps://www.instagram.com/trust4kids/https://www.youtube.com/childrenstrustfund Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Genevieve is the Executive Director of A Family in Bloom Adoption and also one of the Placement Supervisors. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania and received her Master’s Degree from the University of California Santa Barbara in Counseling Psychology in 1990 with a focus in Marriage, Family, and Children. Her 30 years of experience in the field encompasses work in child abuse prevention, University counseling programs; as a school psychologist, and for the last fifteen years, exclusively in the adoption field. Before founding A Family in Bloom Adoption in 2011, Genevieve was employed by several long-standing agencies in the State of Colorado. She has spent much of her adult life living, working, and traveling abroad. Two of her own three children are adopted internationally and transracially.Here's some info from Genevieve's agency's website: A Family in Bloom Adoption is a licensed, Hague Approved International and Domestic Adoption Agency in Colorado. We help create and grow families through international adoptions.Our mission is to accomplish this goal through quality personalized service, with a commitment to high ethics and integrity. Central to the agency’s philosophy is the belief that every child deserves a loving, secure, and permanent family. Respect, care, and understanding are integral to our work with birth parents. The agency works with any applicant, birth parent, or adoptive child regardless of race, ethnicity, or national origin. We are licensed for adoptions in the age range of 0 to 18 years. Children with special needs can be placed by the agency.https://www.afamilyinbloomadoption.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

For more than 30 years, Rita Soronen has worked on behalf of abused, neglected and vulnerable children, providing leadership for local, state and national efforts, working to improve the juvenile justice and child welfare systems while striving to assure safe and permanent homes for North America’s children.Leading the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national nonprofit public charity, since 2001 and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada since 2004, Ms. Soronen works to find permanent families for the more than 135,000 waiting children in North America’s foster care systems. Under her leadership, the Foundation has significantly increased its grant-making while developing strategic initiatives that act on the urgency of the issue. In 2021, the Foundation dedicated more than $40.9 million to grants and award-winning programs, such as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids®, Adoption-Friendly Workplace™ and National Adoption Day. Additionally, through public service announcements, social media campaigns, articles, events, sponsorships and more, the Foundation is building awareness around the growing need for foster care adoption.Under Ms. Soronen’s leadership, the Foundation created Wendy’s Wonderful Kids in 2004 with seven pilot sites as a platform to engage more partners to transform failing child welfare practices and, most importantly, to aggressively find the right families for children waiting much too long to be adopted. In 2011, a rigorous, five-year national evaluation by Washington, D.C.-based Child Trends revealed that a child referred to the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids program is up to three times more likely to be adopted. In 2017, with the support of the Blue Meridian Partners, the Foundation launched an aggressive, multi-year business plan to take Wendy’s Wonderful Kids to scale in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. With support from the Foundation’s partners and generous donors, more than 500 Wendy’s Wonderful Kids recruiters have helped to find forever families for more than 12,000 children in foster care and counting across the U.S. and Canada.Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Soronen served as the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Franklin County. During that time, she also served as the president of the Board of Trustees of the Ohio CASA/GAL Association and led the passage of specialty license plate legislation benefiting CASA programs throughout Ohio, as well as the design and implementation of model program standards assuring the consistent application of effective advocacy for children involved in court proceedings at the local and state levels.Ms. Soronen is a nationally recognized child welfare advocate. She has testified before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth on the importance of foster care adoption. A requested national speaker on the topics of children, the child welfare system and social innovation, Ms. Soronen has been a featured presenter at events for the Center for Adoption Support and Education, Children Need Amazing Parents, National Association of County Commissioners, the National Council for Adoption, North American Council on Adoptable Children, the Philanthropy Roundtable and at While House adoption events, among others. Ms. Soronen is a founding board member and past vice president of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and is a current member of the advisory board. She also serves as a member of Barco’s Nightingales Foundation’s advisory board and the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association for Children’s board of trustees.Ms. Soronen is a founding board member and past vice president of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute and is a current member of the advisory board. She also serves as a member of Barco’s Nightingales Foundation’s advisory board and the National Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad Litem (CASA/GAL) Association for Children’s board of trustees. Ms. Soronen is a recipient of the Angels in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, the National CASA Association Kappa Alpha Theta Program Director of the Year Award, the Ohio CASA/GAL Association Statewide Leadership Award and was a 2013 recipient of WSNY’s 20 Outstanding Women You Should Know. She is a fellow of the Jefferson Fellowship for Executive Leadership; was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Community Leadership from Franklin University in 2016; was named a YWCA Woman of Achievement in 2017; was named a National Number One by the Columbus Foundation in 2018; and was honored with Smart Business Network’s 2019 Smart 50 Program Award for Impact, Giving Back to the Community.A graduate of the University of Louisville, Ms. Soronen resides in Columbus, Ohio.Ms. Soronen is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and shares insights regularly through articles with fellow council members. Read Ms. Soronen’s latest articles.Th

An adoptive mother of two now-adult children and a former foster parent, Gayle H. Swift is also a certified coach, co-founder of GIFT (Growing Intentional Families Together). GIFT provides family coaching before, during and after adoption, a former teacher, and former newsletter editor. As a staunch adoptee-rights activist, Gayle has presented at the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) Conference. She believes in the power of books to inform, heal, and create community.Gayle is also fifty-six year survivor of ovarian cancer, she values the blessing of family relationships. Gayle has zip-lined in Costa Rica, paraglided in Peru, hiked to the Sun Gate above the citadel of Machu Picchu, and snow-shoed in Antarctica but parenting proved to be the greatest adventure of her life.She has collaborated with her daughter, Casey A. Swift (an adoptee, media specialist, teacher, and the 2017 Teacher of the Year for her school ) on two award-winning books: ABC Adoption and Me and We’re Adopted, So What? Teens Tell It Like It Is. Then, with her GIFT Family Services colleague, Sally Ankerfelt, they co-authored Reimagining Adoption: What Adoptees Seek From Families and Faith, an award-winning publication.Gayle has won six Royal Palm Literary Awards.More at:https://gaylehswift.com/Here's more about Gail's organisation from their website.At Growing Intentional Families Together, we believe that the decision to adopt a child is yours and yours alone. We know that you have what it takes to discern whether adoption is right for you. Our adoption coaches all are adoptive parents or adoptees. We are here to give you tools, insights, and behind-the-scenes information that will help you feel confident in your decision. If you currently are parenting a child through adoption, Growing Intentional Families Together stands ready to help you navigate the joys and challenges of parenting. Through it all, we are here with skilled support so your adoption journey is as successful and fulfilling as it can be.https://giftfamilyservices.com/https://www.facebook.com/GIFTFamilyServices/https://mobile.twitter.com/aboutadopting Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Check out www.simonbenn.co.uk to book me as a speaker Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Imani Z. Seunarine is Vice President of Behavioral Health and Outpatient Services at The Home for Little Wanderers https://www.linkedin.com/in/imani-seunarine-lmhc-1b870630/ Here's some more from their website: Here's a bit about The Home from their website:As the oldest child welfare agency in America, we have maintained our commitment to children since before the Civil War. Because every child deserves happiness, and no child should go through life alone.Each year, our community-based programs and residences meet the needs of more than 15,000 diverse youngsters and family members. These children are often society’s most vulnerable, victims of trauma, violence or shattered family lives.We ensure their emotional, social, educational and physical well- being from birth to age 26 through a dedicated team of professionals and a wide range of critical services. As a result, disadvantaged kids have safe surroundings, loving relationships and a secure path toward tomorrow.Find out more athttps://thehome.org/https://www.facebook.com/thehomeforlittlewanderershttps://twitter.com/thehomeorghttps://www.instagram.com/thehomeforlittlewanderers/71 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Joy Alessi is Policy Director of the Adoptee Rights Campaign, a diverse group of intercountry Adoptees and allies striving to educate, organize and advocate for U.S. citizenship.https://adopteerightscampaign.org/https://www.facebook.com/citizenshipforalladopteeshttps://twitter.com/ARC_citizenshiphttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMgFx4PefOA0zwce09yRnjAhttps://www.instagram.com/adoptee_rights_campaign/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Check me out and get in touch at www.simonbenn.co.uk Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Alex is a single mother through adoption and a nonprofit professional with over 20 years of experience. In 2011, Alex started her journey to become a mother through adoption and finds herself, 10 years after the birth of her daughter, happily sharing her daughter's life with her birth family. Alex believes strongly in the importance of belonging and that radical inclusion is critical to spark societal change. Her professional career has been an effort to include and uplift the less resourced. She currently works at a nonprofit called Let It Be Us that recruits foster parents for waiting children and helps connect the child welfare system to ensure every child is placed in a loving home. She graduated from Williams College and University of Chicago Law School, and lives with her daughter in Chicago, Illinois. She is currently working on a memoir about her experience with open adoption, tentatively titled 'Real Mom', and has created a website, Family Love Redefined, https://www.familyloveredefined.com/ , where she posts resources and other podcasts she's done.Alex is Deputy Director at Let It Be Us and has a wealth of experience in nonprofit management and nonprofit legal strategy and operations. As a nonprofit professional with 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she has experience leading fundraising and operations teams, expanding and managing back-office functions, and overseeing multi-million dollar facility renovations. Alex earned a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Williams College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago. Alex has been instrumental in the development of the Let It Be Us Parent Recruitment Events. She also has extensive experience with private and state contracts. She is also a mother through adoption with a passion for reimagining how we define family and ensuring all children are in safe, healthy, happy homes. Let It Be Us is changing the landscape of foster care and adoption in Illinois through innovative programming.Find out more at https://letitbeus.org/https://www.facebook.com/letitbeusorghttps://www.instagram.com/letitbeushttps://twitter.com/letitbeusil Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Trisha and Rich work at Lifesong which seeks to mobilize the Church to care for the orphan, where each member can provide a unique and special service: some to adopt, some to care, some to give. With caring people like you and church partnerships, we support children through global orphan care ministries, Christian adoptive families, and foster care initiatives.https://lifesong.orghttps://www.facebook.com/lifesongfororphanshttps://twitter.com/lifesongorphanshttps://www.instagram.com/lifesongfororphans/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Check out www.simonbenn.co.uk for more on my work and to book me as a speaker. Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.