In this episode, host Angela Tucker sits down with Athena Garcia to discuss her powerful journey through the child welfare system. Athena shares how losing her mother at a young age and later entering foster care during high school shaped her life and career. Drawing from her lived experience, she now serves as a child welfare facility auditor, working to protect the safety and rights of youth in care. Athena holds a Master of Social Work from Boston University and brings both professional expertise and personal insight to a thoughtful conversation about resilience, accountability, and systems change.

Re-envisioning Foster Care Champion, Alexandria Ware, a fierce advocate and founder of Culture Creations Incorporated. A survivor of more than 50 foster care placements in Kansas, Alexandria shares how her lived experience—once marked by anger and survival—has become the foundation of her purpose-driven work. With unflinching honesty, she reflects on the ways trauma shaped her youth, the mentors and judges who offered steady guidance, and the healing practices that helped her transform pain into power. Together, Angela and Alexandria explore what it means to re-envision foster care, why cultural connection is essential, and how those most impacted by the system must be at the decision-making table.

ReEnvisioning Foster Care Champion, Dakota Roundtree Swain, teaches Sociology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and is the Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Harvard Medical School.

Dakota has a Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis University and uses their understanding of policy to create pathways that help foster care alumni identify their dreams and develop the skills they need to achieve them. 

Dakota has a strong desire to help young people who feel a responsibility to change the child welfare system learn about the policies that shaped their experiences in foster care. They do this so youth can understand "the why" behind decisions made on their behalf by legislators and child welfare professionals and move toward healing.

Having been a highly engaged youth advocate during their time in foster care, Dakota is working diligently to transform child welfare so that youth who are currently experiencing the system do not feel like “merchandise on a conveyor belt” -  only valued for their stories.

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ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.

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Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer
Beylen Curtis - Research Assistant

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The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

ReEnvisioning Foster Care Champion Gaelin Elmore is a former NFL player who chose to retire from football and become a full-time advocate for children and youth whose lives have been impacted by foster care. A visionary leader who experienced life in our nation’s child welfare system, Gaelin shares his wisdom, lived expertise, and award-winning ideas with child welfare professionals across the country. His frame: Belonging is a fundamental human need. Belonging helps us rise to our potential rather than fall to circumstance. Neuroscientists have found that belonging is connected to the same neuro networks that communicate hunger and thirst. It’s a scientific fact: Humans need to be connected to a group or a community of people who know us and care about us. Gaelin shares with Angela how the people in his life claimed him and helped him overcome the trauma he experienced, and how his belonging defines his advocacy and leadership.

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ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.

***

Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer
Beylen Curtis - Research Assistant

***

The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

Charles and Molly Lerner were adopted by the same parents when they were children. They are siblings by adoption. Today Charles and his husband, who live in Boston, are parenting Molly’s son. They are his adoptive parents. Molly, who lives in Texas, is co-parenting her son with them.

Listen in as Angela speaks with Charles and Molly at the 9th national ReEnvisioning Foster Care conference in Boston about what it’s like to co-parent. Their shared journey requires them to confront the reality of their childhoods as well as their present-day lives while they meet the emerging developmental needs of their son. 

Charles and Molly offer us a glimpse into a more expansive definition of family in this live interview; a broader frame for kinship adoption and a deeper understanding of how to help a child thrive. 

Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform child welfare so children and families thrive. 

To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.

***

ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.

***

Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer

***

The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

ReEnvisioning Foster Care Champion Demetrius Napolitano is a passionate advocate for children and young people who are experiencing foster care and their peers in NYC public schools. Using his knowledge of yoga and meditation, plus his lived expertise, he launched a nonprofit called Fostering Meditation to provide concrete skills that enhance the health and well-being of his students. 

Demetrius recently presented his compelling yoga and meditation approach at the 9th national ReEnvisioning Foster Care conference at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston. The 2-day event, hosted by the Treehouse Foundation, was a forum where Champions from around the country planned and presented their award-winning ideas. It was the perfect venue for Demetrius to lead conference attendees in morning meditations and for this live interview.

Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform child welfare so children and families thrive. 

To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.

***

ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.

***

Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer

***

The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

2023 REFCA Champion Keri Hope Richmond is a change maker, storyteller, and a passionate advocate for children and families. She is the manager of child welfare policy for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Executive Director of Unbelievably  Resilient (UR) - a nonprofit that is fully staffed by professionals with lived experience and works to rewrite the foster care narrative.

Keri helps people with lived experience not let their foster care experience define them. To move through the pain and to find purpose in it. To find hope, to carry hope, and to heal while dealing with the reality of living in foster care.

Keri has been an intern on Capitol Hill and is currently working with the White House and legislators to make meaningful national change for child welfare. She is truly leading the nation forward.
 
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We’re excited to let INNOVATE! listeners know we’re going to finish up Season 3 of INNOVATE! at the 9th national Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America conference on November 3rd & 4th in Boston.

For the first time ever, we’ll be on stage in front of a live audience and I’ll be interviewing 2 more visionary REFCA Champions to find out how they are using their wisdom, lived experience,  and award-winning ideas to inspire a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care.

We hope you’ll join us!

REFCA2023 is a two-day event that is being planned AND presented by REFCA Champions from across the country. Please come meet us and hear our visions for creating a more just and equitable child welfare system. Together we can create resources that help children, youth & families thrive.

Early Bird Registration will begin shortly. Go to www.treehousefoundation.net for more information.

***

ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society.

***

Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer

***

The Treehouse Foundation has been leading the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) movement since 2010. Please visit www.treehousefoundation.net for more information about the award-winning work of the Treehouse Team.

REFCA Champion Patty Chin is a visionary advocate for young people in foster care. Using her lived expertise, she created a compelling new option to support the needs of the 20,000 youth who age out of foster care every year without the benefit of a legal, permanent family. It’s called Soul Family.

SOUL Family allows a young person to identify and design their chosen circle of caring adults who have a legal role in their lives. SOUL Fam­i­ly adults pro­vide sup­port, oppor­tu­ni­ty, uni­ty and legal rela­tion­ships for young peo­ple ages 16 and older as they move from fos­ter care to adult­hood. At this crit­i­cal point of devel­op­ment, young people need the anchor of a nur­tur­ing, life­long family. Patty is working with the Annie E. Casey Foundation to pilot the SOUL Family model.

Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.

To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.

***

ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. 

***

Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer

REFCA Champion Jasmine Snell has a dream:  to create a primary school that supports two generations of Americans - children and their parents;  a community based resource that is available to children experiencing foster care and their peers. While bringing her vision to fruition, Jas uses her lived experience to coach young people living in foster care as well as to mentor young adults experiencing substance dependence or who are on a mental health journey. Her stellar advocacy and visionary leadership are truly inspiring.

Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.

To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.

***

ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. 

***

Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer

REFCA Champion Carloe Moser discusses the ways that the Crosby Scholars LIGHHT Program in Winston-Salem, North Carolina helps young people living in foster care see a light at the end of the tunnel while facing racism, classism, conflict, and discord;  to give them hope and a way forward.

Carloe has seen the way the streets can be a battlefield. The way they can prevent youth in foster care from dreaming about and/or applying to college. That battlefield is where he works every day. It’s where he shares his wisdom and lived expertise with youth. And, where he focuses on changing the foster care narrative.

Welcome back to INNOVATE! for Season Three! This season, host Angela Tucker highlights REFCA Champions who are inspiring a Re-Envisioning of Foster Care in America. These visionary leaders are using their wisdom, expertise and lived experiences in foster care to transform the foster care narrative from Alaska to New York, California to Missouri, the Pacific Northwest to New England.

To learn more about INNOVATE!, the Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America (REFCA) Movement and the Treehouse Foundation, go to treehousefoundation.net. As always, be sure to like and subscribe to the podcast to be notified when new episodes are released.

***

ABOUT THE HOST:

INNOVATE! host, Angela Tucker, is a REFCA Champion and a nationally recognized mentor, entrepreneur, educator and consultant. Angela is a transracial adoptee who, having been adopted from foster care by a white family, grew up in a city that was demographically just 1% Black.

She is the Founder of The Adopted Life, a child-welfare consulting business where she strives to center adoptee stories and bring clarity and truth to narratives about race, class and identity.

Angela is the author of You Should Be Grateful: Stories Of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption. She has hosted the previous two seasons of INNOVATE!, and currently works as the Executive Director of the Adoptee Mentoring Society. 

***

Angela Tucker - Host & Producer
Nicholas Ramsey - Editor & Producer
Judy Cockerton - Executive Producer