In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered

In this special Season One finale of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , host Shannon Enoch and Rebecca Starnes, Chief Program Officer at Children's Home Society of North Carolina, reflect on the podcast's journey. They discuss the power of authentic storytelling, highlighting resilience among foster families, youth, and professionals. Key themes include dispelling foster care myths,...

In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , Kristen, a single public school teacher from North Carolina, shares her journey into foster care and adoption. After facing fertility challenges and separation, her experience with foster children in her classroom inspired her to become a foster parent. She recounts accepting placement of a five-year-old boy, taking him on a beach trip just...

In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , Amanda, a program supervisor at Children's Home Society of North Carolina and experienced foster and adoptive parent, shares her personal and professional journey in foster care. She discusses the growing shortage of foster families, increased needs of children post-COVID-19, and the importance of shared parenting—collaborating with bi...

In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , foster parent Mandie shares her family’s journey fostering teenagers. She discusses the challenges and rewards of building trust, supporting teens’ emotional needs, and preparing them for independence. Mandie highlights the importance of patience, compassion, and community support, while addressing misconceptions about fostering older child...

In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , siblings Mikaila and Mat share their personal journey through the foster care system. Mikaila recounts her experiences with kinship care, abuse, and resilience, while Mat offers insight as her older brother and military serviceman. Together, they discuss the challenges of sibling separation, generational trauma, and the importance of suppor...

In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , guest Kate, a former juvenile court attorney, shares her journey as a foster and adoptive mother of six. She discusses the challenges and rewards of transracial adoption, the importance of openness and communication, and the realities of parenting children with trauma. Kate also highlights the value of support networks and introduces her ch...

In this episode of "In Real Life Foster Care Unfiltered," Lauren and Joe, high school sweethearts from Connecticut, share their four-year journey as foster and adoptive parents. They discuss their motivations, the challenges of navigating agency support, relationships with biological families, and the impact on their own daughter. The couple highlights the importance of community, advoca...

What does it really mean to raise children who don’t look like you? In this honest episode, host Shannon talks with foster and adoptive parents Ashley, Jeff, and Tori about the realities of transracial foster care and adoption — the joy, challenges, microaggressions, and responsibility of parenting across racial lines.  The families share how race became part of their foster care journey, the grow...

In this episode, Ashley shares how her family of seven became nine after a change in North Carolina law allowed larger families to foster. She describes the licensing process, welcoming two young siblings, and the challenges and joys of expanding their family. Ashley discusses building a relationship with the children’s birth mother, the emotional complexities of adoption, and the vital support fr...

In this episode of In Real Life Foster Care Unfiltered , Shannon chats with Tara, a foster parent with 25 years’ experience. Tara shares her journey into fostering, her focus on supporting teenagers, and the importance of building a strong community and collaborating with birth families. She reflects on the challenges, joys, and personal growth that come with fostering, offering encouragement and...

Foster and adoptive mom Tracey shares the real story behind foster care — love, loss, reunification, and the courage to say “yes” again. She talks about navigating reunification, the realities of transracial adoption, supporting children’s identity, and building relationships with birth families. Tracey’s honesty reveals both the heartbreak and the deep rewards of fostering, offering encouragement...

In this episode of "In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered," leaders from Children’s Home Society of North Carolina discuss the urgent need for foster families, the realities faced by children in foster care, and common misconceptions about fostering.   They highlight the shortage of foster homes, the importance of keeping siblings together and children in their communities, and the suppor...

In this episode of In Real Life Foster Care Unfiltered , Theresa shares her personal journey into foster care, inspired by her father’s experience. As a single mom, she discusses the challenges and rewards of fostering, the importance of preparation and support, and how she involves her teenage son in the process. Theresa also highlights the emotional complexities of reunification and the value of...

In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , Tori, a foster and adoptive parent, shares her powerful story of building a family through foster care and transracial adoption.  A former educator, Tori opens up about her journey to fostering and adopting three children, the emotional ups and downs of parenting through trauma, and her experience as an African American mother raising Cauca...

In this episode of In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , Mikaila shares her powerful journey of entering foster care at age 12, the trauma of removal, and the life-changing impact of her first foster mom.  Now a Family Recruitment Specialist with Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, Mikaila uses her lived experience to inspire and support foster families across the state. Her story highligh...

12-year-old junior golfer Autumn and her adoptive father, Donnie, share their journey from foster care to adoption. Golf became a life-changing outlet for Autumn, helping her build confidence, mental resilience, and a positive outlook. With resilience, hope, and the transformative power of family and sports, they reflect on the challenges and joys of fostering, while offering encouragement to othe...

In this episode of "In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered," guest Tim shares his inspiring journey as a professional in child welfare, which leads to being a single foster parent and then adoptive parent, as well as a kinship provider. Tim recounts becoming a guardian to twins, fostering to adopt an 8-year-old boy, and later fostering and adopting his niece through kinship care. He discus...

In this episode, Bennie shares her family’s powerful foster care journey—how she and her husband felt called to foster, the impact on their biological son, and the joys and challenges of opening their home. She emphasizes the importance of keeping siblings together, the ongoing need for foster parents (especially for older children and sibling groups), and the role of strong support systems in mak...

What happens when life takes an unexpected turn, and you still feel called to give back? In this inspiring episode, we meet a “Foster Granny” who began fostering after losing her husband.  She shares the challenges and joys of opening her home later in life—from providing routine and structure to building trust with children in care. She discovered that fostering not only transforms children’s liv...

Shannon Enoch, Executive Director of Programs at the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, introduces In Real Life: Foster Care Unfiltered , a new podcast from the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. Aimed at current and prospective foster parents, as well as anyone curious about foster care, the show features candid conversations with foster families across North Carolina. Shannon out...