Beyond the Box

Support the show shbb.org Find Safe Haven Baby Boxes on: TikTok Instagram Youtube X Facebook Find Monica Kelsey on: TikTok Instagram

Support the show shbb.org Find Safe Haven Baby Boxes on: TikTok Instagram Youtube X Facebook Find Monica Kelsey on: TikTok Instagram

A newborn placed in a Safe Haven Baby Box. Two parents on the verge of giving up. One life-changing phone call that turned a headline into a home. We sit down with Jennifer and Mario—adoptive parents of Gracie, the third baby ever surrendered in a baby box—to trace a path from infertility and heartbreak to a living room full of laughter, crayons, and Ozzy Osbourne sing-alongs. They walk us through...

Sitting with our longtime friend Pat Miller, we unpack how Safe Haven Baby Boxes transform a desperate moment into a safe handoff—alarms triggering on door open, climate control keeping infants secure, firefighters trained to respond in minutes without confronting the mother. We go deeper than headlines to tackle the “now what” so often missing from pro-life debates. Our work meets women where the...

A single email on spring break flipped our world: a newborn had been safely surrendered in a Baby Box, and we were asked to interview that night. Between a police station with spotty reception and a nurse’s instinct, we said a shaking, courageous yes. What began as a late-night Zoom became a story of rescue, resilience, and a family remade—twice. We walk through the moments that matter: the traini...

Two infants a year might sound small—until you’re the coroner who sees what happens when a parent has nowhere safe to turn. We invited Chief Deputy Coroner Riley Hoff from Douglas County, Washington, to explore why well-intended Safe Haven laws still miss families in crisis and how a simple extension—24/7 anonymous infant safety devices—can turn fear into a safe handoff and a second chance. We unp...

Two alarms changed everything—one to a fully involved fire, and one to a life waiting in a baby box. We sat down with the Martinez family in Albuquerque to share the raw, unedited journey from infertility and foster‑care training to the moment a five‑pound newborn arrived at their station and rewrote their future. What followed was a whirlwind of NICU nights, confusing protocols, and a simple vow...

Support the show shbb.org Find Safe Haven Baby Boxes on: TikTok Instagram Youtube X Facebook Find Monica Kelsey on: TikTok Instagram

Support the show shbb.org Find Safe Haven Baby Boxes on: TikTok Instagram Youtube X Facebook Find Monica Kelsey on: TikTok Instagram

The Barkmans never expected a phone call on the way to a funeral would change their lives forever. When they answered, they learned about a baby boy surrendered in a Safe Haven Baby Box who needed a home. That baby became Samuel, their beloved son who's now a rambunctious four-year-old with a love for tools, adventures, and showing affection to everyone around him. In this deeply moving conve...

Behind every life-saving organization is a deeply human story of vision, sacrifice, and perseverance. In this revealing conversation, Monica Kelsey turns the microphone toward her husband Joe, unveiling the remarkable journey they've traveled as co-founders of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. What started as a sketch on a napkin following Monica's trip to South Africa has blossomed into a nationwi...

What happens when your little sister knows all your secrets and gets to interview you on your own podcast? Pure authenticity, unexpected revelations, and a deeper understanding of the personal journey that shaped a national movement. In this deeply personal episode of Beyond the Box, host Monica Kelsey invites her younger sister Mindy into the studio for a conversation that weaves together family...

The brotherhood of firefighters represents a special bond forged through shared danger, commitment to service, and unwavering support for one another. This episode of Beyond the Box pulls back the curtain on this powerful connection through the story of Josh Garrison—a firefighter, plumber, and unsung hero of the Safe Haven Baby Boxes movement. Host Monica Kelsey welcomes Abby Garrison, Josh'...

Every revolution begins with a moment of clarity. For Monica Kelsey and her friend Pam Stenzel, that moment happened in Cape Town, South Africa, where they encountered their first "Baby Safe" – a simple device allowing desperate mothers to safely surrender infants they couldn't care for. That discovery, sketched on a Delta napkin during their flight home, evolved into Safe Haven Bab...

A rare and powerful conversation unfolds as Monica Kelsey welcomes a birth mother who surrendered her baby in a Safe Haven Baby Box. With remarkable courage, this young woman shares her complete journey—from discovering she was pregnant at 16 weeks to the night she gave birth alone in her bathroom, guided only by Google searches and YouTube videos. The raw emotion is palpable as she describes hold...

From a simple conversation to a nationwide movement saving hundreds of lives—the untold story of Safe Haven Baby Boxes unfolds through an intimate chat between founder Monica Kelsey and former Indiana State Representative Casey Cox, the man who authored America's very first baby box legislation. Their reunion at Woodburn headquarters reveals the extraordinary behind-the-scenes struggle that b...

What happens when a night of celebration turns into the worst moment of your life? In this raw and unflinching conversation, Monica sits down with her son JJ to discuss the night that forever changed both their lives—when JJ's choices behind the wheel resulted in the death of his best friend Casey. The conversation weaves through memories of Casey, described lovingly as someone who was "...

A cardboard box in a frigid apartment hallway during a winter storm became the unlikely beginning of an extraordinary full-circle story. Matthew, abandoned as a newborn just days before Christmas in 2000, has defied incredible odds to become a South Bend police officer—the very department that investigated his abandonment. Detective Gene Eyster vividly remembers that night: two feet of snow, tempe...

What happens when a child once abandoned becomes a passionate advocate for others facing the same fate? Isabella’s remarkable journey, from being left at a Chinese orphanage at less than two days old to becoming a dedicated champion for Safe Haven Baby Boxes in America, showcases the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit. Adopted at age six by an American family, Isabella faced tremendous c...

Kentucky State Representative Nancy Tate joins Monica Kelsey to share the powerful legislative journey behind bringing Safe Haven Baby Boxes to the Commonwealth. As a freshman legislator, Tate led the charge on three bills that passed unanimously—an extraordinary feat in today’s political climate. Her passion was sparked by the real-life abandonment of a baby in Bowling Green, and she went above a...

What happens when an abandoned baby grows up to protect the very streets where they were once left behind? In this deeply moving conversation, South Bend Police Officer Matthew Stewart shares his extraordinary journey from being the "newspaper baby" – abandoned in a cardboard box in an apartment complex breezeway on Christmas Eve 2000 – to becoming a guardian of his community. Matthew&ap...

Linda Znachko, founder of He Knows Your Name Ministry, recounts her journey of providing dignity and proper burials for abandoned infants after seeing a news report about "Baby Doe" found in a dumpster. Her powerful mission statement that "Doe is not a name, a dumpster is not a grave, and a diaper is not burial clothing" has guided her work for over fifteen years.  Linda shares...

Welcome to the debut episode of Beyond the Box with Monica Kelsey , a brand-new podcast from Monica Kelsey, Founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes . This series will explore the stories behind the mission to protect newborns and provide safe, anonymous options for mothers in crisis. In this first episode, America’s favorite fire chief, John Moriarty , joins the conversation to reflect on the jou...