Perfectly Placed

Some stories stay with us long after we hear them. In this episode of Perfectly Placed , I’m sharing memorable moments from past conversations with adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents. From identity and birth family relationships to failed matches and the realities of adoption, these stories remind us that there is no single way to experience adoption. When we listen to different perspec...

Not every adoption story is butterflies and rainbows. Adoption can be complicated, and every adoptee experiences their story differently. But Meghan Breaux has a unique perspective: even in the complicated parts of adoption, there can be so much joy if we’re willing to look for it. In this episode of Perfectly Placed , Meghan shares what it was like to grow up knowing she was adopted and to have a...

Traci and her husband thought they were hoping to adopt an infant, but when they received an unexpected call about a four-year-old boy named Armand, everything changed. Within a week, Armand was home with them, and what began as an unexpected adoption became the family they could not imagine living without. Traci shares what it was like to welcome an older child into their family, why she realized...

Known to many across Acadiana as "Fast" from the morning radio, Hans Nelson has a story that extends far beyond the microphone. In this heartfelt conversation, Hans reflects on growing up as an adoptee, becoming an adoptive father, and discovering how adoption has quietly shaped generations of his family. Together, we talk about identity, fatherhood, grief, faith, belonging, and what it...

After years of infertility, Chad and Staci Bellefleur found themselves surrendering the future they had always imagined and embracing a new path to parenthood through adoption. In this heartfelt conversation, they share their journey from infertility to adoption from both a mother's and a father's perspective. Together they reflect on grief, waiting, faith, failed matches, becoming paren...

Katelyn Hillman always knew she wanted to be a mom. After years of infertility, two pregnancy losses, and an unsuccessful IVF journey, she and her husband began exploring adoption. What they couldn't have imagined was how many unexpected turns their story would take before they became a family. In this episode, Katelyn shares what it was like to wait, to hope, and to wrestle with disappointme...

Andrew Godley was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1980 and adopted at birth. Two years later, he moved to Louisiana, where he was raised by a loving family and built a successful life as a husband, father, entrepreneur, and owner of Parish Brewing. Although adoption was never a secret and Andrew describes his childhood as wonderful, becoming a parent sparked a desire to learn more about where...

His parents believed letting him go was an act of love. At just two and a half years old, Dana was sent alone from Japan to America, leaving behind everything he knew and beginning a journey that would shape generations. In this moving conversation, author Loren Stephens shares the true story that inspired her novel, including the hidden family secrets, heartbreaking sacrifices, and unexpected dis...

In this episode, Marcy Bursac, adoptive mom, author, and founder of The Forgotten Adoption Option , shares her family’s foster care adoption journey and the experiences that led her to create resources supporting adoptive families across the country. This conversation explores common misconceptions about foster care adoption, the importance of honest adoption education, and how schools, churches,...

In today’s episode, we hear Monica’s story, a birth mother who became pregnant at 15 and faced a decision that would shape the rest of her life. With limited support and few options, she placed her son for adoption through a fully closed process. Monica shares what that experience was like decades ago, including the isolation, the stigma, and the weight of carrying that decision forward. For years...

If you’ve been curious about Safe Haven Baby Boxes or how they actually work, this episode walks you through it in a real and personal way. This episode features Caitlin Kelly - a mom of four, two through adoption - and the story behind her family and what led her into this work supporting children and families in crisis. What started as a personal journey grew into something much bigger. Caitlin...

Teisha didn’t set out to become a mom of eight. What began as a single yes slowly grew into something much bigger than she or her husband ever planned. In this episode, she walks us through the real timeline behind her family: kinship placements, reunifications, adoptions, and the moments in between where decisions weren’t simple, but they were clear. We talk honestly about what foster care actual...

After a heartbreaking disrupted adoption, Stephanie and her husband Mike were left grieving a baby they had spent months preparing to welcome. But through unexpected connections, quiet prayers, and unmistakable God-winks, their story took a turn they never could have planned. In this episode, Stephanie shares how heartbreak led them to their daughter Conway, and how a surprising twist later brough...

Before Shiloh was ever in their arms, there were signs. A rose that bloomed at just the right time. A name written on their hearts before they knew her face. A feast day, a phone call, and a quiet whisper from God that said, trust Me. In this episode, Nicky shares her story of grief, surrender, spiritual motherhood, and the unmistakable God winks that led her and Andre to their daughter. It’s a st...

In this episode, Ashton shares the deeply personal story of how her family came together through loss, uncertainty, and two very different adoption journeys. From infertility and IVF, to kinship foster care that became forever, to a private infant adoption, Ashton reflects on what it means to love children through the unknown. She opens up about honoring birth families, navigating trauma and trust...

In this episode of Perfectly Placed , we hear from Emily, a single adoptive mom whose path to motherhood included an adoption scam, deep loss, and unwavering faith. Emily shares what it was like to pursue adoption on her own, face the financial and emotional realities of the process, and forgive after being taken advantage of late in a pregnancy. Just months later, she received the call that chang...

Ellen’s story is one of love, loss, courage, and redemption. Adopted as a baby, she later faced an unplanned pregnancy at sixteen and made the heartbreaking decision to place her son for adoption, never knowing if she would see him again. Decades later, her life comes full circle in ways she never imagined. This episode is a powerful reminder that adoption is not just a moment. It’s a lifetime of...

Rachel Broussard has lived every side of adoption. In this powerful episode, Rachel shares her journey as a birth mother, adoptive mother, foster parent, and sibling of an adoptee. She reflects on placing her son for adoption at 18, the faith and peace that carried her through that decision, and decades of loving him from afar. Rachel also opens up about adopting through foster care, navigating re...

In this episode, Ashley Bartels shares her remarkable journey through infertility, foster care, and the unexpected gift of adoption. Born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Ashley was told she’d never have children. Yet at 21, she fought to carry her first daughter, Shelby. Years later, after longing for another child, Ashley and her husband Michael opened their home to two young sisters through fo...

In this powerful episode, Shannon Phillips opens up about the raw, emotional path her family walked through adoption—from the heartbreaking surrender of her first child, Anna Marie, to the hard-won joy of welcoming her son, Thomas. Shannon shares the toll of legal battles, the weight of uncertainty, and the faith that carried her forward. Her story sheds light on the realities of adoption and fost...

In this episode, Robin shares her journey as an Asian American adoptee raised in a white family—from her early years in foster care to navigating life between her adoptive and biological families. She reflects on the complexities of transracial identity, the impact of how her heritage was handled growing up, and what it has meant to know her biological parents. Robin’s story offers honest insight...

In this episode, Rosa Hood shares her story of being adopted at birth and how it’s shaped every part of her life. She talks about her 25-year marriage, raising three daughters, and the faith that carried her through loss and healing. Rosa opens up about her gratitude for her adoptive parents, the courage of her birth mother, and her deep connection to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her story is a beautifu...

Adopted at just 17 days old, Denise grew up surrounded by love, but always with questions. In this episode of Perfectly Placed you'll hear her powerful story of discovery, faith, and reunion. From learning she was adopted to the emotional moment she met her birth mother, sister, and later her birth father through DNA, Denise shares how each connection revealed a deeper sense of purpose. She a...

When Angie Guillory lost her young son, Landon, to cancer, her world was shattered. In this moving conversation, Angie shares how grief eventually led her and her husband, Lon, to adoption and to their daughter, Delilah Grace. With honesty and warmth, she reflects on love, loss, and the beauty of open adoption, offering encouragement and hope to anyone walking their own adoption journey. This epis...

What does it mean to grow up caught between cultures? And how does adoption shape identity across a lifetime? Today's guest is Anna, an adult adoptee whose story begins in Calcutta, India and unfolds in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Anna opens up about the joys and challenges of growing up in a multicultural household, navigating questions of heritage, and finding belonging. She shares how her famil...