The Foster Friendly Podcast

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, hosts Travis and Courtney, along with guest Bethany Hall, discuss the complexities of navigating the holidays for children in foster care. They explore the emotional challenges, the importance of managing expectations, and strategies for preparing both parents and extended family for the unique dynamics that arise during this time. The conversation e...

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, host Brian Mavis is joined by his colleagues (who form the Executive Leadership Team), Nanette Kirsch and Phil Grizzle, to discuss the mission of America's Kids Belong (AKB) and the challenges faced in the foster care system. They emphasize the importance of family in improving outcomes for children in foster care and explore the persistent issues of...

Darius Kawewehi, a former foster youth, shares his experiences and insights on being in foster care. He was born and raised in Hawaii and grew up surrounded by the Hawaiian culture. Darius shares the story of his viral video in high school where he read a thank you letter to his adoptive mom. He then delves into his journey of entering foster care at the age of four, the uncertainty and confusion...

In this episode, Courtney and Brian interview Marcy Bursac, founder of the Forgotten Adoption Option , about her experience with foster care adoption. Marcy shares her personal journey of adopting two siblings from foster care and the challenges she faced along the way. She also discusses the need for more awareness and support for foster care adoption and how she started the Forgotten Adoption Op...

Jamie and Adriana Howard share their adoption journey of becoming an instant family of six through foster care. They initially planned for domestic infant adoption but felt drawn to foster care and older children. They emphasize the importance of learning as they go and being open to trying new strategies when it comes to parenting. They highlight the uniqueness of each child and the need to adapt...

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, Travis and Courtney interview Nicholas Kelley, a single foster dad who shares his journey into fostering and running a family-owned "Foster Friendly" restaurant, Kelley's Tavern and Grill , in Georgia. Nicholas talks about his experiences as a foster dad and the unique perspective he brings to the foster care system. He emphasizes the importance of f...

In this episode of the Foster Friendly podcast, hosts Brian, Courtney, and Travis delve into the fundamentals of foster care, sharing personal stories and insights from their experiences. They discuss the definition of foster care, the statistics surrounding it, and the pressing need for more foster families. The conversation also addresses common myths and misconceptions about foster care, practi...

In this episode, Pastor Buddy Sampson discusses the importance of foster care from a church perspective and the biblical mandate to care for orphans. He shares how his church, Overland Durango , meets the requirements to be a foster-friendly faith community by teaching about foster care, supporting foster families, and providing trauma sensitivity training. Pastor Buddy also talks about the connec...

In this episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, Brian Mavis and Courtney Williams interview Larry and Tammie May, a couple who adopted a child after their biological children had grown up. The conversation explores their decision to adopt, the challenges they faced, and the importance of being brave and stepping out of the norm. They discuss the partnership between them and how they supported each...

Becca Bramley, a foster care caseworker, discusses her background and role as a therapeutic foster care program manager. She explains the difference between general foster homes and therapeutic foster homes, highlighting the intensive support provided by the latter. Becca also delves into the concept of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the impact of trauma on children in care. She emphasiz...

In this conversation, hosts Brian and Travis interview Britt Kelley, Foster Friendly Manager with Colorado Kids Belong. Britt is a former foster youth alumni and shares about her experiences as a teenager in foster care. They discuss the challenges faced by teens in foster care, the importance of supportive foster families, and the need for empathy and understanding. Britt shares her personal jour...

In this lively conversation, hosts Brian, Travis, and Courtney discuss the movie 'Sound of Hope' and its portrayal of a church in Possum Trot, Texas, that adopted 77 kids. They share their personal reactions to the movie and highlight the importance of understanding the context and time period in which the story takes place. They discuss the need for trauma-informed training and support for foster...

In this heartwarming episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, hosts Brian and Travis interview Woody and Mindy Houser, an inspiring couple from South Dakota who specialize in caring for children with high-level medical needs. The Housers share their journey into foster care, which began after the stillbirth of their daughter and led them to adopt two children from Korea and eventually foster childr...

In this latest episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast, hosts Courtney and Travis are joined by Dr. John DeGarmo, a renowned foster care expert who has fostered over 60 children and is the director of the Foster Care Institute . Dr. DeGarmo is a global keynote speaker and foster care consultant, best selling author, and trauma informed presenter and trainer. Dr. DeGarmo shares his extensive experie...

This week’s conversation explores how being in foster care impacts education. Dr. Danisha Keating is a former foster youth, a CEO, an international motivational speaker, and an author. She shares her personal journey and the challenges faced by foster youth in education. Dr. Keating also discusses the emotional struggles and trauma that foster youth experience, as well as the common lack of unders...

In this episode, we explore the sobering and eye-opening correlation of many former foster youth who end up incarcerated. Social policy experts have deemed this all too common reality as the "foster to prison pipeline." Our guest, Bernie Lattner, has an extremely unique and helpful vantage into this phenomonen as a long time foster dad, mentor, and prison chaplain for a federal prison in Rochester...

Tina gives her testimony of being in the foster care system then being adopted. She is able to discuss what she had to go through during her time in foster care and her experience of recovering from the effects of being in foster care after being adopted. Tina elaborates on the issues of reciprocal adoption of siblings and the role she played as a mother figure in her brother’s life. She also talk...

 In 2019, Pam and her husband Gary were about to be empty nesters when she saw a story on Facebook about a sibling group of seven  whose parents were killed in a car crash. They were desperately needing a family who could keep them all together. It was then that she and Gary made the life changing decision to become new parents again after raising five of their own. Later, their adoption story wen...

Nanette Kirsch, as the executive director of marketing and communications for America's Kids Belong (AKB), details her experience in tech marketing that contributed to spearheading AKB's marketing strategy. She delves into the idea of foster-friendly communities— underscoring that community support is vital to foster families. The discussion doesn't end there; it also sheds light on the Foster Fri...

The latest episode of the Foster Friendly Podcast is spent with Barry Farmer. He is not only an adoptive father but a strong voice for foster care and adoption advocacy. Barry walks us through his personal narrative — a tale of being raised under kinship care and later becoming a foster parent at quite a young age. Barry and hosts, Travis and Courtney, all represent transracial adoptive families a...

Hosts Brian Mavis, Travis Vangsnes, and Courtney Williams present the Foster Friendly podcast in its debut episode. The show seeks to widen the Foster Friendly effort, which includes The Foster Friendly App , designed to support foster families. The goal of the podcast is to give foster and adoptive parents information and assistance. This show also seeks to amplify support for foster families, br...