Melissa Unfiltered

For years, I thought the biggest battles facing our country were political. Left versus right. Conservative versus liberal. But the more I stepped back, the more I realized we've been distracted from something much bigger. In this episode, I share why I deleted almost everything from my personal social media, why I believe privacy has become one of our most valuable assets, and why our attent...

This episode is personal. My grandparents lost $50,000. They weren't buying gift cards. They weren't responding to strange emails. They simply searched for their bank online because they needed a phone number during a home purchase. Everything looked legitimate. What happened next changed my family's life and raised questions I can't stop asking. How can fake bank websites appe...

A father takes his young daughters into a women's restroom, someone calls the police, and suddenly millions of people are arguing online. In this episode, I dive into the viral bathroom video that sparked outrage across social media and ask a bigger question: How did ordinary parenting situations become national controversies? From my own childhood experiences to a personal encounter involvin...

For years, I've been asking a question that should have a simple answer: Why can't adopted children have access to their own stories? When my husband and I adopted our children through foster care, we were given medical records...but almost nothing else. No caseworker notes. No placement histories. No stories about their first steps, favorite toys, birthday parties, or the people who car...

For years, I wasn't sure if I would ever tell this story publicly. In this episode of Melissa Unfiltered , I'm sharing one of the most difficult and personal experiences of my life. What started as fragmented memories eventually led me to uncover painful truths from my childhood and make a decision that would set off a years-long journey toward justice, healing, and finding my voice. I t...

Child predators are not always strangers hiding in dark alleys. According to former Illinois Legislative Investigating Commission Chief Investigator Thomas Hampson, many are people parents already know, trust, and invite into their children’s lives. In this episode of Melissa Unfiltered, Thomas Hampson shares what he learned during an 8-year investigation into child exploitation, grooming networks...

Have we completely lost sight of what marriage is supposed to be? In this episode of Melissa Unfiltered, I open up about the modern lies women are constantly being sold about relationships, marriage, divorce, social media, porn, dating culture, and what actually destroys long-term commitment. After being with my husband for 20 years and married for 15, I share an unfiltered perspective on:  Why mo...

What REALLY happens behind the scenes in foster care? In this eye-opening episode of Melissa Unfiltered , I sit down with someone who saw the system from the inside - our family’s former foster care caseworker. Together, we unpack the realities most people never hear about:  overwhelmed caseworkers   reunification pressure   court system failures   foster parent silencing   financial incentives ti...

What if the “mom friends” you thought you had…weren’t real? In this episode of Melissa Unfiltered , I sit down with Francesca (Marathon of Motherhood) to talk about the moment everything shifted - the realization that fitting into “Mom culture” was costing her peace, her identity, and her truth. From toxic Mom groups and constant comparison to public confrontation and walking away from it all, thi...

I never thought I’d be the Mom who homeschools…and honestly, I judged the ones who did. But everything changed. This is the real story of how we went from public school to private school to homeschooling…and why I made the decision about my kid's schooling I never thought I would. In this episode of Melissa Unfiltered, I’m sharing what actually led us here...from COVID chaos to questioning ev...

I stayed quiet for years about what I saw in the foster care system… until now. This is the story I was afraid to tell - until now. In this first episode of Melissa Unfiltered, I share the real story behind why I started this podcast - from adopting three children through foster care to the fear, silence, and frustration that came with it. If you’re a parent, considering adoption, involved in fost...

I thought I had the perfect family. From the outside, everything looked normal…even good. But behind closed doors, it was a completely different story. In this episode of Melissa Unfiltered, I’m taking you back to my childhood. It's something I’ve never fully shared before. From growing up with a strong, hardworking single Mom…to the moment everything changed when she remarried…to the moment...

I never planned this life. At 18, I moved out, quit college after one class, and took a job at a mall kiosk…not exactly the beginning you picture when you think about marriage, kids, and building a family. But that’s where I met my husband. What started as a “wait…is this a date?” moment turned into a 20-year relationship filled with love, chaos, breaking up, court battles, infertility, IVF…and ul...

Welcome to Melissa Unfiltered. This is a podcast where nothing is off limits. I’m a Mom of three adopted kids, and every week I talk about the topics that get me fired up...the ones most people avoid or are too afraid to say out loud. This isn’t surface-level conversation. This is real life, unfiltered. On this channel, we dive into: • Foster care system failures • Adoption and parenting realities...