Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Raising adopted kids isn't about fixing them, it's about growing us. Doing Our Own Work is one of those themes that comes up again and again on Thriving Adoptees. Listen in as mom of 4 girls - 2 through adoption - Laura shares her learnings on empathy, shaming, relational loss and more. Laura Adams is a visionary educator, speaker, and systems-change advocate focused on strengthening how schools a...

How open are you to learning? When we know more we do better. So lifelong learning isn't something to be shunned by our impatience, but welcomed in. Listen in as Rashunda who adopted three teens from the welfare system shares her learnings on learning. Rashunda Williams joined the CHRIS 180 team in 2023 as the Director of Foster Care and Adoptions, before being promoted to the role of VP, Communit...

Are you suffering right now? It probably - or definitely - doesn't feel like it, but finding the purpose in that pain somehow makes it more bearable. The earlier we can see that purpose the sooner the pain can ease. Join Donna and I as we dive in life changing insights and shifts in perspective. Donna is an adoptive mother, executive director of an adoption agency and podcaster. Here's a bit about...

Tough stuff feels, well, tough. But with hindsight it becomes clear that the tough stuff prompts our biggest learnings. What if we could see the gift of the tough stuff earlier? Be more grateful for it when we are in it? Listen in as adoptive mom Jacee shares her insights on grace, grief and learnings. Powerful. Here's the interview with Jacee's mother. https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/epi...

If you're going through tough stuff, this one's for you. Truly inspirational. Adopted at 9 months Sharon grew up in an alternative universe. One that felt completely alien to her. Her adoptive mother kicked her out of the house when she got pregnant at 18. Life got tougher until she found herself at rock bottom and attempting suicide. How did she turn it around? Listen into profound learnings from...

If you're in hell keep going. But how? Listen in as Adoption Permanency Director Alaina dives into digging deep, what empowers us to persist through the toughest of tough stuff and more... Find out more about the company Alaina works for here: https://www.enniscenter.org/ www.enniscenter.org  https://www.facebook.com/EnnisCenter/# Find out more about adoption support in Michigan here: www.mare.org...

Vince's mission is to add value to everyone he meets. Listen in and let him add value to you with his insights, learnings and wisdom. Vince and his wife have six kids, three of whom are adopted. He's also Executive Director at Keystone Family Alliance. Keystone Family Alliance is comprised of representatives from different churches around the state of Pennsylvania. We aim to educate, motivate, and...

If things are looking tough right now, here's some hope for you...According to one of my mentors - Richard Wilkins "The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence" The past may explain the present but it needn't dictate the future. Join Erin and Megan as we explore hope, healing and more as we look forward to a brighter future. Erin Argue is Heart Galleries of Texas Post-Permanency Dir...

Secondary trauma can build up within us without us noticing. Even veteran therapist Bessel van der Kolk who's the author of the bestselling book The Body Keeps The Score wasn't aware of his secondary trauma until very  recently. And secondary trauma is common amongst adoptive parents. Do you want to heal for your kids? Be triggered less often? At peace more? Listen in as adoptive mother Jaycie and...

Are you advocating for your child or change? As every parent knows systems can be very tricky to navigate and change. The better we can understand them, the better we can relate with the people we deal with and more likely we are to get what we want. Listen in as Director of Foster Care and Permanency Michelle shares her inside knowledge on systems, change and more. Here is a bit about Michelle fr...

Does fear hold you back? Fear of the unknown? Fear of things not working out? Sometimes life requires us to make a leap of faith. Listen in as Terri talks about leaps of faith, unconditional love and more... Listen to her first interview here https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/helping-kids-feel-loveable-loved As an adoptive mom, Terri knows how fortunate she is to have her daughter,...

Can you open your heart more fully? Shamele has opened her heart to 4 kids through adoption, another through a special guardianship and over 300 more through fostering them. Listen in as we dive into helping our kids have fun, feel listened to and loved. Find out more about Shamele: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamele-jenkins-bb9ab712/ https://www.facebook.com/shamele.jenkins/ https://www.mdcfapa....

Change is hard. Until an insight happens. Whether that's about how we feel, what causes those feelings, our behaviour or anything else. So changing is a seeing thing. Listen in as Steve shares some of the insights that have done the heavy lifting. We hope this interview catalyses some changes for you. Steve joins the team at Hand in Hand with a background in non-profit organizations, the healthcar...

From rainbows and unicorns to adoption is trauma. Pendulums swing too far before they settle into balance. Listen in as we find a more balanced approach that's closer to the truth. Ryan Hanlon became President and CEO of NCFA in May 2022 after serving as the Vice President of Education, Research, and Constituent Services since August 2017. Prior to joining NCFA, he served as the Executive Director...

It takes courage to tackle the tough stuff in adoption. It takes courage to love our kids when that love isn't reciprocated. Listen in as Melody talks about courage, support from others and much more. Melody has five kids including one from adoption. Melody Marshall is the Co-Executive Director of My Village Ministries, a local initiative focused on family preservation, and the Co-Executive Direct...

If I can't heal, I can't help them heal. That's the truth that hit Heather like a tonne of bricks. The more whole we feel, the better placed we are to help our kids heal. Listen in as we dive deep into healing, feeling loved and busting beliefs. A deep and empowering episode full of hard won insights.  Heather's mother was in foster care and Heather was adopted by her grandmother. Heather has adop...

Sexual abuse and neglect leave deep scars. How can anyone become grateful for these? In one of our most profound turnaround stories ever, Trent shares how adoptive family, faith and therapy have fuelled his healing, recovery from PTSD and more. 100% inspirational. Trent leaves me speechless and stumbling. Epic. Trent entered foster care at the age of four due to domestic violence, extreme neglect,...

How do you handle pain, like when your son says he hates you? There's something that us humans don't like about complexity. And yet adoption IS complex. Painful and wonderful. When it's painful it can be very painful. Listen as we dive into complexity, emotional intelligence and more. Cindy and her husband, Michael have three children through birth and adoption. She's also Director for the Beyond...

So many of us so much time ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. What Do You Need Right Now? The question can shock us into the present and unleash our wisdom. Listen in as Rebecca shares how that question changed everything and could do the same for you. Rebecca Harvin is the founder and Executive Director of Haven. Rebecca, and her husband Brad, began fostering in 2017 and in July...

We all want to be our best selves, not just for ourself but for our family. So what does that mean? How do we do that? Listen in as adoptive dad, adoption attorney, social worker and adoption agency executive director Rob shares his learnings on self worth, expectations and much more. Rob has been in the adoption field since 1996. He has worked in both the public and private sectors in child welfa...

Do you suspect you may be playing life small? Do you want more? Perhaps something is holding you back? Listen in as adoptee Karyn explores growing beyond what she thought was possible, doing that afraid and more... Find out more at   https://www.facebook.com/karyn.kunst.9 https://www.instagram.com/karynellenk/ Check out her book on Amazon https://a.co/d/1LN1a4l Guests and the host are not (unless...

Grief touches us all. Sometimes we resist it, but what we resist persists. So what do we do? Marcia has experienced a lifetime of grief including the unbelievable loss of  2 sons. Listen in as she shares her take on embracing grief, thriving with joy and how her faith empowers her. Poignant and powerful. You're going to love this. Here's a bit about Marcia: Marcia has been married to her best frie...

How does being adopted into God's family shift our ideas on family and identity? What role does faith play? Listen in as Alice and I dive into riding the emotional rollercoaster with more grace. Here's Alice's previous interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/leaning-on-30-years-learning-with-alice-murray-adoption-attorney-writer-tezpvkd And her new book https://www.amazon.com/G...

Fear & Faith. Two words we don't usually hear together. How does fear hold us back, how does faith spur us on? Listen in as Matthew and I dive deep into how we grow and help our kids do the same. In September 2006, Matthew co-founded the Heart Gallery of Broward in response to the need he observed in his community for this service. During its short tenure, Heart Gallery of Broward has achieved an...

 What help us feel that we are thriving? Feeling it. Not thinking it. Not judging it. Feeling it. Listen as Jodi and I dive deep into the feeling of thriving. Insights aplenty on peace, purpose, people and more. You are going to love this... Jodi loves being a wife to Jerry and mom to her large family of world-changers, including eight children, five adopted.  In 2009, as she faced the orphan cris...