Upwardly Dependent

This episode may be the most spiritually rich conversation to date on the Upwardly Dependent podcast. Dr. Krish Kandiah, and Officer of the British Empire and long-time advocate for refugees and orphans, shares incredible stories and deep reflections from his love for God’s word. As the last guest in this series on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, you will be sure to find a renewed passion for not...

Lauren was first introduced to Nick and Whitney Runyon a decade ago, and was drawn to their videography and storytelling across the globe. Both the Pinkstons and the Runyons entered into their own adoption journeys soon after, and as Lauren’s mind has expanded on the issue of orphan care, so has the work and advocacy of the Runyon’s organization, The Archibald Project. In this conversation, Lauren...

As Lauren says again and again, if you want to see less human trafficking in the USA, start by surrounding vulnerable families while children are young. The majority of domestic trafficking cases involve children who have aged out of or who have interacted with the U.S. foster system.  Lauren was eager to interview Sarah because of her extensive experience in family advocacy. This conversation tur...

Kayla and Lauren have been online friends for 10 years, writing and mothering in similar spaces. This conversation takes a deep dive into the relationships parents have with others who mothered our children both before and after they joined our families. Kayla writes heartfelt prayers for parents who are in need of a ministry of words in seasons of deep grief or spiritual dryness. Her top-rated Su...

Once you see how institutionalizing children can be harmful to their development, how do you continue to be involved with the care of orphans and vulnerable children? Brent Phillips, CEO and Programs Manager at Cherish Uganda, shares how this organization has evolved over the years to best center families within their care strategy. Brent speaks candidly and truthfully about the unique challenges...

It is critical to center the voices of lived experience experts in any human rights conversation. This episode is sure to give you pause at different moments, as David Sanon shares his experience growing up in a boarding school in Haiti, where American donors sponsored his education. After meeting Steph DeLuca Robinson and other trusted partners, he found an opportunity to lead and develop his fel...

Eric Gott began working with kids who hold difficult narratives as a play therapist in Nashville, Tennessee. He then became a foster dad, and after 3.5 years of courtroom appointments, he and his wife, Leah, became the legal parents of four young children. Eric now serves as a Children’s Minister in Birmingham, Alabama, where he has brought trauma-infused thought to the way the church creates incl...

Jamie Finn is no stranger to the attachment journey for children and families. Having shared her life as a foster mother for a decade, Jamie knows the beauty and the sorrow of loving kids with difficult beginnings. In this episode, you’ll hear Jamie share the ways her heart posture has changed over the years. If you’re considering becoming a foster parent, if you’re currently walking through the a...

In a law-oriented society like the United States, it is critical to engage legal professionals who frame our understanding of adoption and foster care policies in the field of child advocacy. Elizabeth Kirk, who holds a doctorate in law from Notre Dame, is passionate about adoption policy because of the way her own life started and the way she and her husband have grown their family. As a leading...

Dr. Nicholas Darby obtained his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama School of Medicine and is a distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.  He is a managing partner of Florence Medical Associates, where he practices primary care in Florence, Alabama.  He served as chief resident during his time at Cahaba-UAB Family Medicine Residency and has also enjoyed roles...

As medicine continues to advance, reproductive technologies provide more options to hopeful parents. Lauren’s sister, Ansley, shares her journey to motherhood with great vulnerability. This episode provides a frame for those who have wandered through ethical questions of in vitro fertilization. The things Ansley discusses here offer both challenge and hope in the midst of family planning. ... Epis...

As the mother of four children who joined her family through adoption, Shannan Martin shares how loving and walking alongside the marginalized of her community not only revolutionized her faith, but also made her an unapologetic ally with those who are negatively impacted by the U.S. prison system.  Shannan, whose husband is a chaplain in their local jail, shares what she has learned by living wit...

Since her release in 2019, Cyntoia Brown Long has been able to travel the U.S. speaking about her experience within the criminal justice system where she was tried as an adult and placed in a womens’ prison at the age of 16. Her story started long before her arrest, however, and long before she found herself fearing for her life in the home of a man who offered to pay her for sex.  Cyntoia shares...

In this episode, Dr. Patt van Eys provides an incredible foundation of understanding about psychiatric illnesses and the U.S. system for diagnosing and treating mental health concerns. Listeners will find this conversation SO helpful as Dr. Patti connects child development, attachment, and dissociation to the critical ages of neurological growth for babies 0-3 years of age. For those parenting or...

Angela Tucker has been a long-time trusted voice in the space of transracial adoption. As an advocate for children growing up in foster and adoptive homes, she shares her own experience of finding her safest place amongst others who were raised apart from their birth families.  Angela facilitates the connection of a vibrant adoptee community full of teens and adults who share a unique journey to f...

***This episode contains themes of self harm, some mild language, and other concepts that may be sensitive to listeners.*** ... Milton Washington leads a number of ventures as he shares a powerful narrative of an identity formed through transnational and transracial experiences. In this episode, he sheds light on the unique origin to his story, and how he learned to grow into his own identity with...

Kimberly and Lauren discuss the particular landscape of orphanages in Thailand, where $40M is donated to homes in 2 of the 76 provinces alone. Kim, a veteran advocate for reformed care led by Thai churches and families, shares how she’s seen practices shift over the years, and where donor churches still need to evolve in their understanding of child development and attachment. Kimberly leads StepA...

As the President of CAFO (Christian Alliance for Orphans), Jedd Medefind invites people with any skill set or particular burden to care for the needs of vulnerable children and families. Whether that is through offering prepared meals, financial support, intercessory prayer, physical space, or emotional respite, there are things anyone in the Church can offer in the ecosystem of family-based care....

When Lauren was in graduate school, she committed herself to bringing research and data to inform the ways Christians engage with humanitarian issues. Dr. Kristen Cheney is an incredible resource for Churches to understand the psychology of attachment, best practices around child protection, and the need for excellent qualifications in the field of child development in order to appropriately work...

Like many guests on this season, Megan Boudreaux found herself swept up into the church industry or orphanages. The longer she stayed in Haiti, the more she noticed that something was awry with the North American approach to placing children in institutionalized care. Megan and Lauren discuss the crisis of children aging out of orphanages with no connection to their city, their family, or their cu...

If there is a good place to start this conversation for our season on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Brandon Stiver is the right person to set the tone. With years of experience in this space, Brandon helped Lauren curate this episode through his knowledge and his connections to voices in this space. He is a co-host of the Think Orphan podcast, and has dedicated his work and his research to fami...

Lauren is back with another season exploring the complexities of a global issue that engages many churches, but not always with a cohesive impact. As we follow the mandate of ‘pure religion’ outlined in James 1:27, what does it really mean to care for orphans and widows? What is the invitation to this work, and why isn’t it as simple as a few words in a New Testament epistle? Hear the purpose behi...

For this episode, Lauren spills her heart (and a bit of her life history) to explain the purpose behind this season’s episodes. She discusses how her biblical worldview has changed over time, shares stories from experiences with churches spotted across the world, and offers a hope for a future faith community that stewards responsible Gospel messaging. ... EPISODE SHOW NOTES EPISODE TRANSCRITPION...

Dr. Aaron Wheeler, the Director of Missional Development for Kindred Exchange, chats with Lauren about four different frames through which people see the world and their place in the Story of God. Too often, he says, our evangelism problem is rooted in a limited theology–we have a “good news” that doesn’t match people’s bad news. This two-part episode series will significantly inform the way follo...

Dr. Aaron Wheeler, the Director of Missional Development for Kindred Exchange, chats with Lauren about four different frames through which people see the world and their place in the Story of God.  Too often, he says, our evangelism problem is rooted in a limited theology–we have a “good news” that doesn’t match people’s bad news. This two-part episode series will significantly inform the way...