If you aren't able to foster or adopt, one of the most important and impactful roles you can play is supporting someone who is. But it’s not always clear what you should do or how to best help. To help with this we sat down with our own friend and employee Allie Chandler who has been supporting us in our adoption for 3 years now. Our candid discussion will better equip you to truly help the foster and adoptive families you love.

Angela Braniff is a mother to 8 through domestic adoption, international adoption, special needs adoption, embryo adoption and birth. Angela’s passion for justice, ethics and ensuring that all children are in a safe and loving family is contagious.

Julie and Brian Mavis had been foster parents, raised bio children, and even started an amazing organization called America's Kids Belong. And as recent empty nesters, they were poised for some well deserved R&R. But the Mavis' had seen too much. So when they were confronted with the opportunity to care for an older child who had aged out of foster care, they said yes. Their "yes" changed everything.

Embo Tshimanga edured 25 plus moves, 20 schools, 6 homeless shelters, 2 women’s shelters, and 2 group homes during her time in foster care. When she aged out, she had every reason to become another statistic, yet Embo began a journey of healing that included becoming a college graduate. She is here to share her story and how we can all do better at supporting our youth in and out of foster care.

Organizations Mentioned:

America’s Kids Belong

Dream Makers Project

After suffering a tragic spinal cord injury that left him in a wheelchair, Chris Norton and his wife Emily had every reason to just focus on themselves; navigating life and marriage. Instead they chose to do foster care and adoption. The Norton's have fostered 18 kids and adopted 5. Chris's story of perseverance and selflessness will inspire you to do the same.

In many countries orphaned girls are some of the most vulnerable members of society. Then, once they age out of care they are opened up to a whole new world of dangers with no family or knowledge of how to navigate life and stay safe. Our friend John Marshall saw this problem and decided to tackle it by providing a quality, free college education for these girls. You have to listen to this podcast and learn more about how Teach Her is changing lives.

Sally's journey began when she was 6 months old as she entered the foster care system. Although adopted by loving parents, her journey of abuse continued when she was sexually abused and treated terribly by family and her peers. Her own healing came when Sally adopted her daughter out of foster care and has since had to learn how to help her daughter overcome her own trauma. This beautifully tragic story of healing is a must listen.

Something you may not realize is that a large number of adoptive parents enter into adoption with trauma of their own. Jordan Tate was no exception as she experienced incredible loss before quickly entering into a domestic adoption. She is here to help us understand how we can better navigate our own pain and trauma which will allow us to more healthily help our children heal from their trauma.

This episode contains sensitive content as we discuss infant loss, miscarriage and infertility.

Our guest today, Julie Kouri, is an adoptive mom and founder of an adoption and foster care organization called Fostering Hope. In this podcast Julie shares wisdom that only comes after years of being in this field and we learn how Fostering Hope is restoring broken families.

When looking for a preschool when a child has experienced trauma you will want to consider the environment, type of care, whether state subsidies will be accepted, and many other factors, which can all be overwhelming. Enter Petra Preschool! Our guest today, Mindy Jones shares how she and her team at Petra have created a community for families in the foster system so that everyone can find the support they need to thrive.