Foster Care: An Unparalleled Journey

Today's guest was Darren Fink (from Transfiguring Adoption ), the author of Gruhit's Hope. It is about a group of siblings that are placed in a foster home and (spoiler alert) there are a few magical creatures involved! It isn't all fantasy - there are some real questions that this book forces you to ask yourself. Get a copy on their website at: https://transfiguringadoption.com/store-2/?model_num...

Darius Kimberling is a former foster youth (FFY) and a current foster parent as well. He and his wife of 8 years are helping kids in more than one way. His goal is to connect with each kid that comes through his organization while they are building their own custom-made Noble Goal.  You can find him on his FB page OOTW Creations (link below). https://www.facebook.com/OOTWCreations/ Foster Care: An...

A native of Tacoma, Washington, Jamerika Haynes-Lewis has more than ten years of experience as a journalist and advocate for children in foster care. While growing up in foster care, Jamerika was determined to have a different life than the one she experienced. She put herself through college earning a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Washington State University.             As the owner of...

Amber Jewell is a licensed master social worker with over 15 years of experience working with youth and families in child protective services, education, and mental health services. As an educator and an advocate for promoting change for and value within people, Amber works to inspire and motivate others to grasp their own form of hope. She is also a motivational speaker and has experience in the...

Shenandoah Chefalo is a graduate of Michigan State University, holding a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science, a Core Essentials Graduate from Coach U, and a member of the Foster Leaders Movement. She is a sought after speaker on topics surrounding youth in foster care and the science and impact of trauma and resilience on various social issues; and a traine...

Richard Capriola has been a mental health and addictions counselor for over two decades. He recently retired from Menninger Clinic in Houston Texas where he worked with adolescents and adults diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse issues. He is the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent's Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse. Foster Care: An Unparalleled Journey Find All Our Links Here ht...

Dr. Breanna Gentile, Ph. D. completed her bachelor's in psychology at Gonzaga University. She went on to receive two master's degrees, one from Golden Gate University in Counseling and the second from Palo Alto University in Clinical Psychology. She also received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Palo Alto University.   Dr. Gentile founded Dr. G's Lab, a trauma-informed design consultancy....

Tracy tells 2 adoption stories at one time. Her husband found out that he was adopted as an adult and they went on to adopt a young lady who is one of her husband's biological family members! Foster Care: An Unparalleled Journey Find All Our Links Here https://linktr.ee/fostercarenation Foster Care 101 Free webinar with NO sales pitch! Support Our Mission https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fostercare ht...

Colleen Puckett is the owner of Families' Anchor and Podcast host on The "F" Word: Foster Care . Through her lived experience in the Child Welfare System with her family, Colleen became one of the first Parent Navigators in Georgia mentoring and supporting parents currently walking through the system through partnerships with parent & child attorneys, and parent support groups. Colleen also partic...

Ryann Vernetson MA, LPC from Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) joins us to talk about what children and parents really need throughout the foster care system. SAFY specialize in therapeutic foster care and we dove right into all the things that are often overlooked in the foster care system. You can find SAFY on the web at safy.org Ryann is also on LinkedIn Foster Care: An Unp...

Gina Heumann and her hubby adopted two boys from Guatemala... her youngest was neglected by his foster mom, resulting in over a decade of chaos and frustration. Through her love of research, Gina tried and tested many therapies and treatments and finally found a path to healing. She is now the author of  Love Never Quits: Surviving & Thriving after Infertility, Adoption, and Reactive Attachment Di...

Dr. Marissa, introduced to Oprah as the Asian Oprah, is an organizational psychologist and media personality who speaks and consults all over the world. She's the celebrity host producer of the 2016 Podcast of the Year Top 10 in Health Award-winning CNBC syndicated show "Take My Advice, I'm Not Using It: Get Balanced with Dr. Marissa" and #1 bestselling author "8 Ways to Happiness from Wherever Yo...

After spending time in an orphanage and 8 years in foster care, she hopes to give back to the foster care community by highlighting other successful foster care alumni through her platform and future podcast; Belonging Starts Here .  Find her on Facebook Here On IG right Here Her business IG Foster Care: An Unparalleled Journey Find All Our Links Here https://linktr.ee/fostercarenation Support Our...

Shanelle   Dupree  has deep Midwestern roots. She was born in Nebraska, raised in Oklahoma, and moved to Kansas to attend Washburn University School of Law.  Shanelle  is a lawyer, author, speaker, administrator, strategic connector, wife of a Pastor and Elected Official, and mama of 4.  Shanelle 's faith is the thread that connects her life. Attorney  Dupree  practiced law for nearly a decade rep...

Natalie Chavis Fisher  is a best-selling author, third-generation attorney and executive producer for the feature documentary  Foster Care: Perfect Imperfection . She is a leading expert in foster care adoption committed to helping improve the lives of vulnerable children and their caretakers. Natalie believes broken systems break children and has dedicated her life to help foster healing. She has...

Patty Waters enjoys bringing people, ideas, and inspiration together and hopes to form a dialogue that shares a unique perspective from an adopted teenager. Patty and her 3 siblings were adopted by the Waters family at the age of 13 and grew up in Austin, Texas. Patty and her siblings were in the foster care system for 5 years. She earned her Masters in Healthcare Administration and a Masters in B...

This week we hear a story from Tamara Sipp. Her life was turned upside down by an event that could happen to any hard-working single parent doing the best that she could.  Foster Care: An Unparalleled Journey Find All Our Links Here https://linktr.ee/fostercarenation Support Our Mission https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fostercare https://patreon.com/fostercarenation Website https://fostercarenation.co...

Juanita  H.  Grant known as The Parent Mastermind is a Mother of 5, includes both bio and adoptive. Fostering 30 children in the past 25+ years. A Board Member of MAFF (Mass Alliance for Families). PAYA (Preparing Adolescents for Young Adulthood), MAPP Trainer, Keeping Kids Safe Trainer, Trauma Certified, Financial Educator. Inspire by  Juanita  the Parent Master Mind which she is the founder and...

Debbie   Ausburn  is a social worker turned lawyer who has served as a house parent, foster parent, criminal prosecutor of crimes against children, and stepparent.  She now advises, and defends youth-serving organizations.  She is the author of  Raising Other People's Children: What Foster Parenting Taught Me About Bringing Together a Blended Family .    You can follow  Debbie 's blog at  OtherPeo...

Sarah's Links The FosterLane Website Welcome to the Foster Lane - Parenting Advice From a Coach Who's Been There Chapter 1 - When it's hard, it's hard Chapter 2 - When it's good, it's good Chapter 3 - 3 Simple strategies to take you from striving to thriving Chapter 4 - You can't do it alone Chapter 5 - Putting it all together Plus resources, references, and advice You can find Sarah @thefosterlan...

Karl Smith and his wife adopted their daughter as an infant from China. He details their journey to China to pick up their daughter and their family's journey beyond. You can find his story on our website here .   Foster Care: An Unparalleled Journey Find All Our Links Here https://linktr.ee/fostercarenation Support Our Mission https://www.buymeacoffee.com/fostercare https://patreon.com/fostercare...

His start in life was inauspicious. At 9 years old, he relinquished his parents' rights and entered the Russian orphanage. At the age of 12, he decided to be adopted into a new family, in a new country, halfway across the world, to start a new life. At 24 years old, he began his journey of helping others live the life they have always dreamed of, despite their hardships and misfortunes by allowing...

When I started this journey, I had no idea where my stories would take me. From learning to understand and appreciate entirely different cultures through our international adoptions to a rat totaling my minivan, I have thoroughly enjoyed the trips down memory lane that have helped me source stories and bits of wisdom to help others in their own journey. Though my kids may find my stories about the...

Natalie Vecchione, Co-Founder of FASD Hope and Host of the FASD Hope podcast series is also a seasoned guest and conference presenter about the basics of FASD and life as a mom of a young adult son living an FASD. Podcast https://www.fasdhope.com/podcast/ Website https://www.fasdhope.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fasdhope1/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fasdhope/ Foster Care: An Unp...

Gaelin Elmore Born the youngest of 5 to a struggling household, it brought many of its own complications. After spending over 10 years in the foster care system, and experiencing physical, mental, and emotional abuse, I was as good a bet as any to be just another youth chewed up and spit out by the foster system.   However, I knew I didn't want to be another statistic.   While battling homelessnes...