Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

If I can't heal, I can't help them heal. That's the truth that hit Heather like a tonne of bricks. The more whole we feel, the better placed we are to help our kids heal. Listen in as we dive deep into healing, feeling loved and busting beliefs. A deep and empowering episode full of hard won insights.  Heather's mother was in foster care and Heather was adopted by her grandmother. Heather has adop...

Sexual abuse and neglect leave deep scars. How can anyone become grateful for these? In one of our most profound turnaround stories ever, Trent shares how adoptive family, faith and therapy have fuelled his healing, recovery from PTSD and more. 100% inspirational. Trent leaves me speechless and stumbling. Epic. Trent entered foster care at the age of four due to domestic violence, extreme neglect,...

How do you handle pain, like when your son says he hates you? There's something that us humans don't like about complexity. And yet adoption IS complex. Painful and wonderful. When it's painful it can be very painful. Listen as we dive into complexity, emotional intelligence and more. Cindy and her husband, Michael have three children through birth and adoption. She's also Director for the Beyond...

So many of us so much time ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. What Do You Need Right Now? The question can shock us into the present and unleash our wisdom. Listen in as Rebecca shares how that question changed everything and could do the same for you. Rebecca Harvin is the founder and Executive Director of Haven. Rebecca, and her husband Brad, began fostering in 2017 and in July...

We all want to be our best selves, not just for ourself but for our family. So what does that mean? How do we do that? Listen in as adoptive dad, adoption attorney, social worker and adoption agency executive director Rob shares his learnings on self worth, expectations and much more. Rob has been in the adoption field since 1996. He has worked in both the public and private sectors in child welfa...

Do you suspect you may be playing life small? Do you want more? Perhaps something is holding you back? Listen in as adoptee Karyn explores growing beyond what she thought was possible, doing that afraid and more... Find out more at   https://www.facebook.com/karyn.kunst.9 https://www.instagram.com/karynellenk/ Check out her book on Amazon https://a.co/d/1LN1a4l Guests and the host are not (unless...

Grief touches us all. Sometimes we resist it, but what we resist persists. So what do we do? Marcia has experienced a lifetime of grief including the unbelievable loss of  2 sons. Listen in as she shares her take on embracing grief, thriving with joy and how her faith empowers her. Poignant and powerful. You're going to love this. Here's a bit about Marcia: Marcia has been married to her best frie...

How does being adopted into God's family shift our ideas on family and identity? What role does faith play? Listen in as Alice and I dive into riding the emotional rollercoaster with more grace. Here's Alice's previous interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/leaning-on-30-years-learning-with-alice-murray-adoption-attorney-writer-tezpvkd And her new book https://www.amazon.com/G...

Fear & Faith. Two words we don't usually hear together. How does fear hold us back, how does faith spur us on? Listen in as Matthew and I dive deep into how we grow and help our kids do the same. In September 2006, Matthew co-founded the Heart Gallery of Broward in response to the need he observed in his community for this service. During its short tenure, Heart Gallery of Broward has achieved an...

 What help us feel that we are thriving? Feeling it. Not thinking it. Not judging it. Feeling it. Listen as Jodi and I dive deep into the feeling of thriving. Insights aplenty on peace, purpose, people and more. You are going to love this... Jodi loves being a wife to Jerry and mom to her large family of world-changers, including eight children, five adopted.  In 2009, as she faced the orphan cris...

How do we celebrate ourselves when we don't know how we came about, feel unwanted or an accident? Listen in as adoptee, adoptive parent and adoption professional Anita shares profound insights on finding meaning, a reason for being and more. She also shares how following Christ has helped her along the way. Find out more about Anita here: https://www.brookhills.org/staff-elders/anita-bucher/ https...

So many of have so much going on we can't see the wood for the trees. Today's interview is a chance to stand back and see the big picture - what helps us thrive, what helps our kids thrive and much more. Listen in - adoption professional Cindy really knows her stuff! https://www.allforkids.org/ https://www.facebook.com/AllForKids. CA/ https://www.facebook.com/AllForKids. CA/ https://x.com/AllForKi...

How do we free ourselves from the past? By seeing that it doesn't define us. Listen in as Krystal, adopted in her 30's talks about getting stronger through adversity, processing tough emotions and more. Connect with Krystal here https://www.linkedin.com/in/krystal-trocki-1372321a3/ Find out about her employer here https://26health.org/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho...

What if there's part of us that's not traumatised? Because it can't traumatised? Wouldn't that be a great place to find and live from? Listen in as we dive deep into thriving, touch on religion and explore the part of us that's beyond trauma. Adoptive mother Dana Hargus, M.Ed., LPC, is a seasoned health professional with over 25 years of experience in trauma-informed care. Before becoming a counse...

What happens when your search for belonging leads to both love and heartbreak? Listen in as adoptee Lisa shares what she's learned from her rollercoaster ride of reunion including lovebombing, jet black darkness and, eventually, light. Very powerful. Deeply profound. Listen with big ears. Find out more about Lisa here: https://www.instagram.com/drmommypoppins/?hl=en-gb https://www.theadoptednurse....

Do you feel disconnected from your cultural heritage or identity? Tami did - even though she wasn't adopted. She was determined her daughter who was born in Ethiopia would feel connected with her heritage. Listen in as we dive into cultural heritage, identity and more. Here's a bit about Tami from her website: I grew up disconnected from my Dominican and Jamaican roots, always feeling like I wasn'...

Can we thrive despite what happened in to us? If so how? Listen in as Wilson describes how he turned his life around after some difficult years in his mid-teens. It's an incredibly uplifting interview from the youngest guest we've ever had on the show. Wilson is just 19! Here's a bit about Wilson.. "Hi! I’m Wilson. I’m a transracial international adoptee with a deep appreciation for history, tradi...

Looking for inspiration? Andrew, father of three - including one through adoption - shares his insights on igniting our passion, finding meaning and community. A powerful and empowering episode. Andrew is a passionate supporter of foster care and adoption. Andrew launched the KPMG National Foster Care and Adoption Network in 2021, which has now grown to more than 45 of KPMG’s US offices. Focused i...

Looking for more peace and less pain? Listen in as Korean adoptee Tanya shares her learnings so far.  We dive into healing, freedom with painful emotions and much more. Tanya is a Korean adoptee and former academic. She has a Ph. D. in Sociology and an M.S. in Student Affairs in Higher Education with a focus on intercountry adoption, identity formation, emotion work, advocacy, and agency. Prior to...

What if thriving is being comfortable with where we are on our journey? Comfortable with what we don't know? Comfortable in our own skin? Listen in as adoption professional Meredith dives into comfort and lots more... Meredith Shepard joined Heart of Adoptions in August 2013 as the Adoptive Parent Coordinator. She works closely with waiting adoptive families handling day-to-day needs and assisting...

What if you could choose to thrive? Forgive others more easily. Feel spontaneous gratitude from within. Rise above your circumstances. Listen in as adoptee Sharla talks about choosing, her birth mother and much more. This is a truly incredible episode. Listen in with big ears. https://www.facebook.com/sharla.kinman   Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and spe...

Some believe that some kids and adults broken. That's downright demoralising, depressing and disheartening. There's no hope. Listen in as Morganne brings hope as we explore life beyond fear, finding new identities and more. www.facebook.com/people/Kaleidoscopes-Consulting/61575749055036/ www.instagram.com/kaleidoscopesconsulting/ www.linkedin.com/in/morgannecrouser https://jri.org/ Guests and the...

Some say change is hard. What if believing that is keeping us stuck? Even if it's change for the better? What if we were open to change? Held our expectations more loosely? Questioned our beliefs more? Saw that our beliefs are made of thoughts so we can see them crumble? Listen in as we dive into changing expectations, giving up regrets and coming to a greater understanding. Irene Steffas is the f...

If we want adoptees to thrive, adoptive parents and birth parents all need to thrive. Listen in as we dive into thriving across the adoption triad. And how openness helps us thrive. Adoptive mother Linda R. Sexton is an open adoption pioneer who seeks to educate on today’s practice of open adoption where the biological parents and adoptive families know each other and remain in contact after the a...

Guilt is feeling bad about what we've done. Shame is feeling bad about who we are. And it's the feeling that fuels imposter syndrome. What if there was another way? Listen in as adoptive mother Anna talks about owning our own story WITHOUT shame. Anna Schocket, a single adoptive mother, embarked on a heartfelt journey to pen this book as a way to open a dialogue about adoption with her young daugh...