We say all the time - parenting an adopted child is different from parenting a biological one and today we’re going to talk about why that is.

In this episode of the Modern Adoption podcast, we are joined today by Jessica Johnson of Root and Revive Wellness. 

Jessica is a certified health coach, and adoptive mom of three who, after struggling with her own adoptive parent burn out, created Root and Revive Wellness to help other adoptive moms become more centered and confident in their parenting role. She offers one-on-one coaching sessions to help adoptive parents navigate the daily challenges of life with a trauma informed lens and parent from a more grounded place.

In this episode we discuss:

Links mentioned in this episode:

Root and Revive Wellness

Attachment style quiz

Katie Byron, "Loving What Is"

List of 12 Activities Parents can do with their child to help Strengthen the Bond

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In this episode of the Modern Adoption podcast, Erin & Jess dive into ethics in adoption…more specifically, the anatomy of an ethical adoption.

As a team of adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoption professionals, trust us when we say that we understand the desire and longing to grow your family. But how far are you willing to go and what ethical lines are you willing to cross to become a parent?

This episode might be hard to listen to, but it's an important conversation to have...we want to help your future self be part of an adoption story you're comfortable and confident in sharing one day.

In this episode we get into:

Plus so much more!

In today's episode of the Modern Adoption podcast, Erin & Jess talk with Allison Whalen, Founder & CEO of Parentaly - a company on a mission to improve the parental leave experience for everyone.

One of the first things we recommend prospective adoptive parents do when they decide to pursue adoption, is to ask about their employee benefits for family building and parental leave.

Unfortunately, a lot of family building benefits aren’t inclusive or don’t allow for adequate parental leave for families who are adopting.

As Allison mentions in today's episode, the best way to get your employer to step up their family building benefits game is to start a movement - so send them this episode and reach out to Allison at Parentaly or us at PairTree...we're happy to help.

For free templates, resources, and tips on how to ask your employer to add Parentaly to their benefits toolkit, visit ⁠their website⁠ and be sure to check out Allison's podcast, The False Tradeoff.

Need help talking to your employer about adding family building benefits? Let us help! Reach out to us or send your HR director our ⁠Unfertility Benefits⁠ info!

To see where your employer ranks in workplace benefits, check out the Dave Thomas list of ⁠100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces⁠.

At PairTree, we pride ourselves on providing a pathway to parenting for all people so we are really excited about today’s guest.

In honor of Pride Month, we wanted to do an episode focusing on adoption and family building in the LGBTQ+ community.

In this episode, we are joined by Heather Strickland, who is an Arizona attorney specializing in adoption and assisted reproduction. She is a fellow in the Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and prides herself on being an advocate for LGBTQ+ families on their family formation journey.

We cover everything from what LGBTQ+ families should know about the adoption process, challenges that exist in the process, and unique situations that may arise.

To connect with Heather, you can visit her at MyersStrickland.

In this episode, we want to have an honest and authentic (and definitely unfiltered) conversation about adopting after infertility — including what to consider, and how to navigate it.

If you’re navigating adoption after infertility, we hope this conversation helps you feel more prepared on your journey, or more comfortable in saying you aren’t quite ready yet.

Mentioned in this episode:

Creating A Family course - Coming to Terms With Infertility Grief Before You Foster or Adopt

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as the month comes to a close, we wanted to take some time and discuss the importance of self care for the adoption constellation.

Adoption is a journey that never ends, for everyone involved, so it’s important to make sure you’re taking care of yourself no matter where you are on your adoption journey. In this episode we’re going to be sharing some self-care tips for adopting families, birth moms, and adoption professionals - from our own lived experiences.

PairTree Adoption Specialist, Laurie Shelton, joins us today to share her perspective as an adoption professional of 25 years and share her journey of learning the importance of self-care and protecting your own peace as an adoption professional.

Referenced Material:

Self-Care Tools For Adoption Professionals

Self-Care Tools For Adopting Families

Knee to Knee Post-Placement Support Groups

Adoptive Parent Support Groups

Adoption Support Groups

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Sara Silvestri to discuss some of the medical considerations while adopting, specifically prenatal exposure.

Dr. Silvestri is a board certified pediatrician, and adoptive mom of 2. She uses her platform and business, The Adoption Doc to help educate adoptive families on the medical complexities of adoption such as prenatal exposure along with birth family medical and mental health history, among many other things.

Just a reminder, nothing in this episode should be considered medical advice.

To get in touch with Dr. Silvestri to book a 1:1 with her, you can find her at The Adoption Doc on Instagram, or email her at [email protected].

In this episode, we are joined by Gretchen Sisson, PhD and author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood.

We’re going to be talking about Gretchen’s new book, her eye-opening research, and the importance of sharing a real and honest look at the birth parent perspective in adoption.

Gretchen's research and subsequent book have been the subject of numerous articles such as:

Today we are talking with one of our favorite attorneys, Liz Vaysman, about the legal aspects of family formation and how family building has changed in the last few years.

We cover:

Sidenote - we dive into the role of an attorney in the family-building process, and also talk about some of the big changes affecting IVF and embryo donation BUT nothing in this episode should be considered legal advice.

If you're in NY or PA and need an adoption or ART attorney, you can find Liz at Vaysman Legal.

To learn more about NCFA's legislative agenda and how to get involved, check out the National Council for Adoption's advocacy page.

March is Women’s History Month and we would be remiss if we didn’t talk about the story of adoption in women’s history. This episode is dedicated to the incredible women who have made it their mission to change adoption for the better.

To learn more about the women we talked about in this episode:

Ashley Mitchell - you can find Ashley on Instagram @bigtoughgirl or online at https://www.bigtoughgirl.com/

Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard - you can find Kelsey on Instagram @fromanothamotha and follow her advocacy work here.

(Kelsey & Ashley also co-host Twisted Sisterhood - a podcast by birth moms, for birth moms.)

Gabrielle Glaser - learn more about Gabrielle and find articles she's written or been featured in here.

Gretchen Sisson - learn more about Gretchen and find more info about her research, articles she's written or been featured in here.

Here are the books we talked about this episode:

The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

American Baby by Gabrielle Glaser

Relinquished by Gretchen Sisson

Adoption Unfiltered by Sara Easterly, Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard, Lori Holden

The Baby Market & The Children Money Can Buy by Anne Moody

To find more of our must-read adoption books, be sure to check out The Ultimate Adoption Reading List.