Unbelievably Resilient

Behind the facade of our resilience we often find ourselves dealing with the inner turbulence that stems from the bodily and psychosocial effects of our pasts. Tune in to hear from Adrian, Maraide, and Slam in this Finale where we let you peak behind the veil of accomplishment and success for folks with lived experience in the child welfare system. Along the way you’ll get to revisit some of the m...

Tune in for this bonus episode where Keri is joined by one of her chosen family members, Claude Donati, as they share on how anyone can make a difference in a child or young person's life regardless of labels, legalities, or paperwork. They also share their thoughts on the Michael Oher lawsuit. --- Donate: https://www.ur-resilient.org/checkout/donate?donatePageId=62537fe2da1c9b66cdbac70d For more...

After years of shuffling through the foster care system, La Ochoa found herself facing the challenges of adulthood. Overcoming many misfortunes, she decided to take control of her future and began to set the foundation of her coming success. Realizing that other youth with similar stories may be faced with specific adversities due to the lack of guidance, she decided to build an organization to su...

This episode you will hear from Keri and Dr. Bruce Perry Co-Author of What Happened to You? with Oprah Winfrey. Dr. Perry is a child psychiatrist and neuroscientist who is the principal of the Neural Sequential Network, a Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy and an adjunct professor of Psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Dr. Perry is a renowned author and pioneer of deve...

Cordelia Cranshaw returns to the Unbelievably Resilient podcast this time as a team member; Cordelia is an esteemed speaker and former Miss District of Columbia USA for, she wears multiple hats as a sister, as a mother, as an advocate, as creator of Survivor to Thriver, a tool to help youth and young adults combat their trauma through relationship building. --- Donate: https://www.ur-resilient.org...

This episode we are joined by Emi Nietfeld renowned author, software engineer, and writer featured in various outlets like the New York Times, The Atlantic, Fortune, Teen Vogue and beyond. Tune in as Emi sheds some light on the failures of the system and the stigma around mental health issues that affected the trajectory of her life as a child and as a youth going through residential facilities an...

Join us for this inspiring and empowering episode with UR diving into the perspective of parents dealing with the loss of their children through insight into the relationship between our team member Lino and his biological mother, Elsa. Their stories reminds us of the power of love, perseverance, and the unbreakable bond between families. --- Donate: https://www.ur-resilient.org/checkout/donate?do...

Meet Adrian, our resident comic and father. Adrian, when not listening to his massive collection of Bruce Springsteen albums…is busy pushing systems to put their “money where their mouths are” and managing his own podcast “The Daily Jam.” Tune in for some good belly laughs, words of wisdom, and lessons in integrity. --- Donate: https://www.ur-resilient.org/checkout/donate?donatePageId=62537fe2da1c...

We all struggle with the stereotypes that others assign us. How do we open up when we are often confined by the boxes other put around us? Who do we open up to and when? There is an art to protecting your peace, balancing the details of your story, and responding to the wildly mischaracterized circumstances and nature of those that came through the child welfare system. --- Donate: https://www.ur-...

Meet Tori, as she shares on her transformation from her time as a track star in the system to transcending the confines of burdensome stereotypes, to writing and publishing her own book and to raising her own family. Tori says her faith grounds her, but her outlook on life has her eyes to the sky. Tune in to inspire yourself to let your own inner flame glow brighter. --- Donate: https://www.ur-res...

Meet Lino, a man of many words. Tune in as he speaks on the art of metaphors and the power they have to paint an image of yourself, the beauty of words, and the importance of showing up as your full self in all spaces. Tune in to hear more on the challenge that is filling up your own cup while you pour into the cups of the people around you.  --- Donate: https://www.ur-resilient.org/checkout/donat...

In episode two of season three our team discusses the difficulties with obtaining your case files. The hang ups, managing your own expectations, and rewriting the stories you read about your past. If you find yourself wanting to obtain your records or even you are just beginning to consider making the request…we are right there with you. Privacy and protection standards vary across the country and...

In episode one of season three we dive into the art of storytelling and the vulnerability that comes with it. Acknowledging the pain and gently moving beyond it into the realm of power. How do we know we are ready to share? Listen in as our teammates kick us off with tips, tricks, and things to prepare for when you decide to share your life of resilience with others. --- Donate: https://www.ur-res...

How do you define resilience? Join us as the team explores what it means to be resilient, what their personal relationship with resilience has looked like, and how they have defined resilience for themselves after a childhood in foster care. You also won't want to miss the discussion about the relationship between resilient superheroes and their representation as "orphans" in the media.  ___...

How do you define strength? What does it take to foster or adopt? Tune in, once again, to a raw and vulnerable exploration of the topics you all know and love. This week La Tika lays it all out there for the world. So pull up a chair, get comfortable, and grab your pencils because you will want to jot down some of the silver bullets from this episode - there are plenty. --- Donate: https://bit.ly/...

Tune in this week about the birds and the bees, the grass and the trees, the wind and the breeze. Talking about sex can often stir up a myriad of emotions for people, even more so, for foster youth. With complex trauma and a variety of safe and unsafe relationships, it is extremely crucial that foster youth have a healthy age-appropriate relationship to sexuality and sexual health. You will end th...

Meet Coach JJ, an amazing foster care alumni that takes us on the journey of his life and his love/hate relationship with growing up in the system. "Being a part of a team meant something to me. My teammates family would come together to make sure I had the things that I needed." Listen as our hosts dissect romantic relationships in its many capacities. Enjoy! --- Donate: https://bit.ly/support-Fo...

Join us as talk about their personal healing journeys. "Healing is not a linear process. You're not going to just wake up one day and be healed and never again experience a bad day. Healing and recovering from the experiences of our life, requires time, new experiences, new input and emotionally repairative experiences." ~ Ixchel Martinez; Licensed Therapist and former foster youth --- Donate: htt...

Throughout this season, we often refer to foster youth as super hero's. In Episode 7, we have the pleasure of speaking to our very own super woman, Cherish Fields. She's a mom, wife, social worker, alum of the system, and foster parent. Listen as she takes us on a journey of healing and resilience. Enjoy! --- Donate: https://bit.ly/support-FosterStrong For more info visit us a www.urfosterstrong.o...

Where you come from does not dictate where you’re going. In this episode, our Producer Candi Marie sits down with Jaquia Wilson a young resilient foster alum that works with The Institute for Family. Through her testimony and experiences she helps us redefine our idea of family. Enjoy! --- Donate: https://bit.ly/support-FosterStrong For more info visit us a www.urfosterstrong.org

On this episode of the FosterStrong Podcast we pause to recognize and thank the time, commitment, and dedication of the CASA/GAL volunteer’s across the country as we recap the first-ever CASA/GAL Volunteer’s Day that FosterStrong patterned to host. FosterStrong’s team members know first-hand the impact these caring relationships can have on a young person's life. Listen in to hear more about our p...

On this episode of the FosterStrong Podcast we take you on a journey from foster care to Hollywood. Buckle up for the unbelievably resilient story of actor and comedian Brandon Phillips. Thank you for listening and remember YOUR STORY MATTERS. Enjoy! --- Donate: https://bit.ly/support-FosterStrong For more info visit us a www.urfosterstrong.org

A licensed social worker and alumni of care, Ixchel is a healing guru. Ixchel's story is one of mental fortitude and tenacity. She has advocated for youth at both a local and federal level, always pulling up a chair for the foster youth around her. Her specialty is childhood trauma and crisis intervention and she eats, sleeps, and breathes resilience. Tune in to hear about how Ixchel's education g...

Tune in to hear from our guest Cordelia Cranshaw, former Miss District of Columbia USA 2019, also a former foster youth and now a foster system advocate; motivational speaker; and Licensed Clinical Social Worker.  With many words to the wise Cordelia embodies resilience in her everyday. Tune in to hear about how you can build strength and persevere from the mouth of a resilient warrior. ...

In the first episode of Season 1 we spoke to Sean Anders about the vision of FosterStrong this season we start off by diving into his story. In Season 2 we focus on the Unbelievably Resilient. Join us as we dive into the stories of those who exude confidence and breathe resilience. We have new segments for you about aging out of the system and the next generation of great foster care leaders. ---...