Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

What we resist persists. Especially our feelings. So what if we could be open to our feelings? Be openhearted. Ride life's emotional rollercoaster with more ease. Listen in as Cindy talks about vulnerability, openness and much more... Ms. Cindy Sarai  is the Founder and Executive Director for Adoption Dreams Come True, a non-profit domestic adoption agency based in Fort Collins, Colorado. With 23...

Raising adoptive children and teens is an art not a science. It's something you get a feel for. Listen in as adoptive father of 10 Dr Ray shares his insights on getting a better feel for this art. Packed with humour and humility. Dr. Ray Guarendi is a clinical psychologist and adoptive father of ten children who provides guidance on adoption, dispelling myths and offering practical advice from his...

Shame is a big obstacle to our thriving. So how do we say goodbye to it? How is shame different to guilt? Listen in as Penny dives deep into shame, guilt and more... Here's a bit about Penny from her agency's website: "I have been a qualified social worker since 1991 and have worked with children and families in the safeguarding arena and as a therapeutic social worker. I qualified as a play thera...

How often do you realise that you're wrong? It's incredibly freeing. It's the ultimate lubricant for life. It reduces frustration and oils relationships. But if you're like me, your beliefs can get way of humility. Listen in as Arnie dives into humility, change, making a difference and much more. Truly empowering. Arnie and his wife Donna have been foster parents for over 20 years and are the pare...

Are we going to rise above trauma or to succumb to it? Perhaps one of the most profound questions we can ask. Listen in as foster/kinship parent Joanna's profound and powerful take on thriving. Joanna is president of the Maryland Resource Parent Association. Connect with her or them here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-a-961369176/ https://mrpa.org/ https://www.facebook.com/mdresourceparents/...

Rejection can tear us apart. How do we put ourselves back together? Where does the strength come from? Where do we find the hope before we find that strength. Listen in as Niemah shares her learning on hope, healing and more... Niemah Scherlacher was born to a 15-year-old Palestinian girl in Jerusalem at a time when formal adoption was forbidden. Her birth mother was hidden and protected from hono...

Holding on to anger holds us back. It stops us thriving. And it yet we all do it to some extent. It's part of the human condition. Listen in as Rachel shares her learnings and practice on releasing anger, forgiveness and more. Rachel is the Director of the CAFO Institute for Family-Centered Healing & Health. She has a background in physical therapy and holds a Master’s in Psychology and Neuroscien...

Rumi once said “Yesterday I was clever so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise so I wanted to change myself.” One of the most profound things we can see is that tough stuff helps us change. It creates space to grow. Listen in as Jenny shares her realisations on growth. Jenny grew up in a small town with her siblings and in foster care. Later, as an adult, she became a kinship home that pr...

Hope is sometimes in short supply within adoptive families navigating tough stuff. Why is that? How can we overcome fear, choose hope and enjoy a brighter future? Listen is as Carly talks faith, truth and helping kids be who they want to be.  Carly Souza is an adoptive mother and Fostering Hope Director at The Hub in Las Vegas. Find out more at https://www.linkedin.com/in/carly-souza-aa9a382b/ htt...

How do we enable ourselves and others to thrive? Big question! Listen in as Damon shares what helps him thrive and empower his colleagues, foster youth clients and others to do the same. One Hope United (OHU) is a nonprofit organization that has been serving children, youth, and families for 130 years. We provide early childhood education, child and family services, behavioral and mental health re...

Raising adopted kids isn't about fixing them, it's about growing us. Doing Our Own Work is one of those themes that comes up again and again on Thriving Adoptees. Listen in as mom of 4 girls - 2 through adoption - Laura shares her learnings on empathy, shaming, relational loss and more. Laura Adams is a visionary educator, speaker, and systems-change advocate focused on strengthening how schools a...

How open are you to learning? When we know more we do better. So lifelong learning isn't something to be shunned by our impatience, but welcomed in. Listen in as Rashunda who adopted three teens from the welfare system shares her learnings on learning. Rashunda Williams joined the CHRIS 180 team in 2023 as the Director of Foster Care and Adoptions, before being promoted to the role of VP, Communit...

Are you suffering right now? It probably - or definitely - doesn't feel like it, but finding the purpose in that pain somehow makes it more bearable. The earlier we can see that purpose the sooner the pain can ease. Join Donna and I as we dive in life changing insights and shifts in perspective. Donna is an adoptive mother, executive director of an adoption agency and podcaster. Here's a bit about...

Tough stuff feels, well, tough. But with hindsight it becomes clear that the tough stuff prompts our biggest learnings. What if we could see the gift of the tough stuff earlier? Be more grateful for it when we are in it? Listen in as adoptive mom Jacee shares her insights on grace, grief and learnings. Powerful. Here's the interview with Jacee's mother. https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/epi...

If you're going through tough stuff, this one's for you. Truly inspirational. Adopted at 9 months Sharon grew up in an alternative universe. One that felt completely alien to her. Her adoptive mother kicked her out of the house when she got pregnant at 18. Life got tougher until she found herself at rock bottom and attempting suicide. How did she turn it around? Listen into profound learnings from...

If you're in hell keep going. But how? Listen in as Adoption Permanency Director Alaina dives into digging deep, what empowers us to persist through the toughest of tough stuff and more... Find out more about the company Alaina works for here: https://www.enniscenter.org/ www.enniscenter.org  https://www.facebook.com/EnnisCenter/# Find out more about adoption support in Michigan here: www.mare.org...

Vince's mission is to add value to everyone he meets. Listen in and let him add value to you with his insights, learnings and wisdom. Vince and his wife have six kids, three of whom are adopted. He's also Executive Director at Keystone Family Alliance. Keystone Family Alliance is comprised of representatives from different churches around the state of Pennsylvania. We aim to educate, motivate, and...

If things are looking tough right now, here's some hope for you...According to one of my mentors - Richard Wilkins "The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence" The past may explain the present but it needn't dictate the future. Join Erin and Megan as we explore hope, healing and more as we look forward to a brighter future. Erin Argue is Heart Galleries of Texas Post-Permanency Dir...

Secondary trauma can build up within us without us noticing. Even veteran therapist Bessel van der Kolk who's the author of the bestselling book The Body Keeps The Score wasn't aware of his secondary trauma until very  recently. And secondary trauma is common amongst adoptive parents. Do you want to heal for your kids? Be triggered less often? At peace more? Listen in as adoptive mother Jaycie and...

Are you advocating for your child or change? As every parent knows systems can be very tricky to navigate and change. The better we can understand them, the better we can relate with the people we deal with and more likely we are to get what we want. Listen in as Director of Foster Care and Permanency Michelle shares her inside knowledge on systems, change and more. Here is a bit about Michelle fr...

Does fear hold you back? Fear of the unknown? Fear of things not working out? Sometimes life requires us to make a leap of faith. Listen in as Terri talks about leaps of faith, unconditional love and more... Listen to her first interview here https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/helping-kids-feel-loveable-loved As an adoptive mom, Terri knows how fortunate she is to have her daughter,...

Can you open your heart more fully? Shamele has opened her heart to 4 kids through adoption, another through a special guardianship and over 300 more through fostering them. Listen in as we dive into helping our kids have fun, feel listened to and loved. Find out more about Shamele: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamele-jenkins-bb9ab712/ https://www.facebook.com/shamele.jenkins/ https://www.mdcfapa....

Change is hard. Until an insight happens. Whether that's about how we feel, what causes those feelings, our behaviour or anything else. So changing is a seeing thing. Listen in as Steve shares some of the insights that have done the heavy lifting. We hope this interview catalyses some changes for you. Steve joins the team at Hand in Hand with a background in non-profit organizations, the healthcar...

From rainbows and unicorns to adoption is trauma. Pendulums swing too far before they settle into balance. Listen in as we find a more balanced approach that's closer to the truth. Ryan Hanlon became President and CEO of NCFA in May 2022 after serving as the Vice President of Education, Research, and Constituent Services since August 2017. Prior to joining NCFA, he served as the Executive Director...

It takes courage to tackle the tough stuff in adoption. It takes courage to love our kids when that love isn't reciprocated. Listen in as Melody talks about courage, support from others and much more. Melody has five kids including one from adoption. Melody Marshall is the Co-Executive Director of My Village Ministries, a local initiative focused on family preservation, and the Co-Executive Direct...