Welcome to Wins, Woes & What’s Happening — our monthly download on life.

We’re covering our personal wins, what's been weighing on us this month, and new legislation affecting the system. Plus, what we’re watching when our brains are officially done for the day.

Real life. Real foster care. No sugarcoating.

Don't forget to Like, Follow, & Share!

Instagram

Facebook

Website

In this powerful episode of Beyond the Home Study, we sit down with former foster youth and author Lainie Hartley to hear the story behind the system.

Lainie shares what foster care felt like from her side — the pain, the hope, and the complicated relationships between foster and birth families. She challenges us to lead with empathy, not assumptions, and introduces her Bridge Program, designed to help foster and birth parents build understanding instead of division.

This conversation will challenge the way you think about foster care — and maybe even the way you parent within it.

Don't forget to Like, Follow, & Share!

Instagram

Facebook

Website

In this episode of Beyond the Home Study, we sit down with Karen Henderson, Director of Programs at CASA of the River Region, to talk about the life-changing impact of a CASA volunteer (Court Appointed Special Advocate) in the foster care system.Karen shares how CASA advocates support children through the court process, provide a consistent adult presence, and help ensure a child’s voice is heard. We also discuss secondary trauma, the need for volunteers (especially for teens) and the powerful story of a teenager who went from not wanting to attend school to graduating and inviting his CASA advocate to the ceremony.If you’ve ever wondered whether one adult can truly make a difference in foster care, this episode is for you.

Learn more about CASA of the River Region:

https://www.casariverregion.org/volunteer

Embrace a Child CASA Event:

https://www.casariverregion.org/embrace-a-child

Don't forget to Like, Follow, & Share!

📸 Instagram

📘 Facebook

🌐 Website

Foster care is beautiful—and heartbreaking.In this Season 2 premiere, Lora Rose & Abbey are back and going deep! In this episode they share personal stories from inside foster care, including the joy of welcoming children in, the reality of reunification, and the grief that comes with letting go.

Don't forget to Like, Follow, & Share!

📸 Instagram: @beyondthehomestudy

🌐 Website: www.yourehomenetwork.com

In this season finale of Beyond the Home Study, hosts Lora Rose & Abbey share all their favorite things—from the sensory tools they can’t parent without to the coffee, books, apps, and even nail polish that help them feel human on the hard days. If you’re looking for fresh ideas, practical tools, or just a few fun favorites to brighten your week, this episode is for you.

Resources

These are a few of our favorite things! Click here for the products mentioned in this episode.

Support the Show

If you’re loving these conversations, help us keep going!

Leave a rating and review wherever you listen & don't forget to follow us on Instagram!

Stay tuned for Season 2!!

In this episode of Beyond the Home Study, Lora Rose & Abbey talk with Johanna Choate, who shares her powerful story of perseverance through the ups and downs of adoption. From unexpected twists in the process to the emotional toll of waiting, Johanna opens up about what it’s like to hold onto hope when things don’t go as planned.

Memorable Quotes:
 “God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called."

“We just kind of belly flopped into it.”

“Adoption was not our first plan by any stretch of the imagination.”

Support the Show

If you’re loving these conversations, help us keep going!
Leave a rating and review wherever you listen & don’t forget to follow us on Instagram. 

In this episode of Beyond the Home Study, Lora Rose & Abbey sit down with Valerie Marble, newly published author & CEO of A Step Ahead Adoption Services, to walk through the first questions every prospective adoptive parent should be asking. Valerie breaks down how to start the adoption journey with clarity and confidence—covering what to consider when looking at your timeline, what finances may look like, how often disruptions really happen, plus so much more! Whether you’re just beginning to explore adoption or already deep in research mode, this episode is full of grounded, practical guidance from someone who’s been on both sides of the process.

Resources

A Step Ahead Adoption Services

Valerie's Book: Living Through the Journey: a journal for hopeful adoptive parents

Support the Show
If you’re loving these conversations, help us keep going! Leave a rating and review wherever you listen. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram!

In this episode of Beyond the Home Study, Lora Rose & Abbey unpack the concept of co-regulation—how parents can help children calm down by first calming themselves. Drawing from personal experiences and real-life parenting moments, they discuss what co-regulation looks like in the context of foster care and adoption, how to respond to meltdowns, and why repair matters after we lose our cool.

Memorable Quotes:
“"I feel like I have a hundred pound weight on my shoulders."

“Mirror neurons, baby!”

Support the ShowIf you’re loving these conversations, help us keep going!

Leave a rating and review wherever you listen & don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

In this episode of Beyond the Home Study, Lora Rose & Abbey explore the powerful role of play in building attachment and supporting child development. They unpack how play fosters connection, how trauma can influence a child’s ability to engage, and why movement-based play is key to emotional regulation. 

Memorable Quotes:

"Your best toys are yourself and your creativity."

“Redefine your definition of play and know that it's much broader than you think."

Support the Show

If you’re loving these conversations, help us keep going!

Leave a rating and review wherever you listen & don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!

In this heartfelt episode of Beyond the Home Study, hosts Lora Rose & Abbey sit down with Jessica and Ryan McMichael to share their powerful story of adoption. From the heartbreak of disrupted matches to the joy of welcoming their children home, Jessica and Ryan offer an honest look at the emotional ups and downs of building a family through adoption.

Memorable Quotes:
"Adoption was always Plan A for us."

"Every hardship, every piece of paperwork, it's all worth it."

"There's no playbook for adoption, just start the conversation."

Support the Show:

If you’re loving these conversations, help us keep going!
Leave a rating and review wherever you listen & don't forget to follow us on Instagram!