Fostering Conversations with Utah Foster Care

In this special Pride Month episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith speaks with Jessica and Giselle, a Utah foster care couple, about their journey into fostering and building a loving, inclusive family. They share how a chance encounter at a community event led them to foster care, ultimately resulting in the adoption of their first placement and the addition of another sibling to the...

In this episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith welcomes back Laura from Foster Parenting to discuss her first book, First Time Fostering . Designed as a practical field guide, the book brings together real-world strategies, scripts, and community-sourced wisdom to support new foster and kinship caregivers. Laura explains why she created a manual that caregivers can jump into by topic,...

In this powerful episode of Fostering Conversations, host Amy Smith sits down with former foster youth Carlos Rios Redd to talk about lived experience in foster care, sibling separation, adoption disruption, resilience, and hope. Carlos entered foster care as a baby, lived in more than ten homes, and experienced three adoptions. Despite repeated trauma and instability, Carlos shares how relationsh...

In Episode 69, Amy Smith sits down with longtime foster and adoptive mom Crystal Dukes for a heartfelt conversation about the real purpose of foster care: reunification. Crystal shares her family’s journey fostering more than 30 children, adopting through both private adoption and foster care, and developing deep, lasting relationships with biological families. This episode offers a candid, uplift...

In this episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith sits down with Michelle Ostmark, the Statewide Mentoring Coordinator for Utah Foster Care, to discuss the Utah Foster Care Mentoring Program and why it matters. Michelle explains how the program pairs experienced foster parents with new or existing foster and kinship families to provide guidance, emotional support, and real-life insight t...

In this episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith sits down with Terumi Sagers , TBRI Specialist for Utah Foster Care, longtime foster parent, and adoptive parent. Together, they unpack the foundations of Trust‑Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) —a relationship‑centered, trauma‑informed caregiving approach developed by Dr. Karen Purvis and Dr. David Cross. This conversation is filled w...

Podcast: Fostering Conversations Host: Amy Smith Guest: Dave, Owner of Dave’s Auto Episode Summary In this heartfelt episode, Amy sits down with Dave Bell from Dave’s Auto Center to discuss his incredible journey of giving back to the community through Utah Foster Care and other charitable initiatives. Dave shares the deeply personal story of his mother’s childhood in an orphanage, how that shaped...

In this episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith talks with Utah Foster Care clinical support specialist and LCSW Les Harris about blocked care: why it happens, how it impacts foster parents, and practical steps to restore connection. Les explains how chronic stress can suppress the parenting response system, making it difficult to feel joy or affection toward a child, even when we deep...

In this episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith welcomes Utah’s First Lady Abby Cox to announce the statewide launch of the Care Communities program . After a successful two-year pilot with Utah Foster Care, Care Communities are expanding across the state to provide essential support for foster families and children in care. Abby shares how this initiative was born out of a desire to s...

In this episode of Fostering Conversations , guest host Liz Rivera guides a powerful dialogue with Native leaders and advocates about the importance of culture, tradition, and belonging for Native children in foster care. You’ll hear from: James Toledo ( Utah Division of Indian Affairs ) on how culture provides a foundation for resilience. Stephanie Benally (Native American Specialist, Utah Foster...

In this powerful episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith sits down with Sheri, a resilient young woman who aged out of Utah’s foster care system and is now thriving as a leader at Angels Landing Foundation. Sheri shares her deeply personal story from entering foster care at age 12 after bravely reporting abuse, to cycling through 13 foster homes, and ultimately finding healing, empower...

In this episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith and co-host Tami Carson welcome Melina Moore , Utah Foster Care’s Volunteer Services Manager. Melina shares how individuals and organizations can support foster families across the state—not by fostering, but by volunteering. Learn how opportunities like Kids’ Night Out , Service Saturdays , and event support offer much-needed connection...

Show Notes: In this special Pride Month episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith and co-host Tami Carson (Director of Community Volunteers at Utah Foster Care) sit down with Adrienne, a longtime foster and adoptive parent and leader of the FLY Cluster—Fostering LGBTQ Youth. Adrienne shares her personal experience raising five adopted children, two of whom identify as queer, and the powe...

This week on Fostering Conversations , Amy and Heidi sit down with Rachel Garrett, Utah foster parent and founder of Common Thread , a nonprofit serving teens ages 12–18 who’ve experienced foster care or similar life circumstances. Rachel shares how a small community event grew into a thriving organization that now supports hundreds of teens through joy-filled activities, life skills workshops, me...

In this heartfelt episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy Smith is joined by guest co-host Jennie Shepherd, Director of Recruitment, as they welcome Celeste Edmonds—Executive Director of The Christmas Box International and author of Garbage Bag Girl . Celeste shares her inspiring journey from growing up in foster care to leading an organization that supports children in need. She opens up ab...

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Episode Summary: In this episode of Fostering Conversations , hosts Amy Smith and Liz Rivera sit down with Angela Tucker, adoptee advocate, mentor, and founder of the Adoptee Mentorship Program. Angela shares her journey from being adopted out of foster care to building a global community for adoptees to connect, heal, and grow. They discuss: Angela’s experience growing up in a multiracial family....

Episode Summary: In this powerful episode of Fostering Conversations , host Amy and co-host Liz Rivera welcome Daniela, founder of With Siblings . Daniela shares her unique perspective as a former biological child (“bio kid”) in a foster family and now as a foster/adoptive parent, social worker, and therapist. Together, they dive into the complex dynamics of supporting bio kids in foster and adopt...

Episode Summary: In this episode of Fostering Conversations , Amy and Liz are joined by Peter Mutabazi, also known as “Foster Dad Flipper” on Instagram. Peter shares his inspiring journey from being a street child in Uganda to becoming a foster parent in the United States. Over the past nine years, Peter has fostered 45 children, adopted three, and is currently fostering three more. He discusses t...

*This episode was originally aired in December 2020 Episode Summary Fostering Conversations with Utah Foster Care delves into the unique challenges foster families face during the holiday season. Hosts Deborah Lindner and Liz Rivera are joined by Dan Kammerlohr and Hope Nichols, counselors from Hope and Healing Counseling, to explore strategies for navigating the season’s complexities. The episode...

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What began as a bold experiment in Utah now celebrates 25 years of nurturing families and transforming lives. As we reflect on a quarter-century of dedicated service in foster care, we take a moment to appreciate the profound impact that Utah Foster Care has had on countless children, families, and communities Building on Bold Beginnings Twenty-five years ago, a visionary idea took root in Utah—to...

In this podcast episode, hosts Deborah Linder and Liz Rivera discuss the challenges and support systems for families with LGBTQ children, particularly focusing on the organization Mama Dragons . The episode begins with a brief introduction and proceeds to explore how Mama Dragons evolved from a small group of mothers to a significant support network. Special guest Jen Blair, host of the Mama Drago...