Stacey Gatlin, a passionate servant leader, is on a mission to transform the lives of children, women, and families through her commitment to personal, professional, and community development. She transitioned her corporate experience in talent management, leadership, and project management into entrepreneurship and advocacy.

Stacey was compelled to rewrite the narrative around Black adoption and fostering when she became a mom through adoption. Fueled to counteract negative stereotypes, she created Yes We Adopt in 2016. Through this platform, Stacey seeks to enlighten the Black community on the need for Black adoptive and foster parents.  As she further engaged with the adoption constellation, she refined her mission for Yes We Adopt to educate, uplift, and empower Black families with the tools they need to parent with courage while centering adoptees and birth families with care and respect. In 2020, she created the Yes We Adopt: Black Voices Amplified Summit to elevate our voices through community, advocacy, and education. In addition to her work in Yes We Adopt, Stacey also serves on the Board of Adoption Knowledge Affiliates (AKA) and is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in New Jersey, advocating for children in foster care.

She has conducted workshops at the Concerned Persons for Adoption “Let’s Talk Adoption” Conference and Christ Church’s “Foster Care & Adoption Seminar.”  She has also appeared on Fox Soul TV’s “The Book of Sean”; Yes, We Do Adopt! Podcast; The Adoption Journey Podcast, and was also featured in Rolling Out Magazine.

Stacey holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Rutgers School of Engineering. She is motivated by the scripture, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.”  Phillippians 4:6-7 

Music by Corey Quinn

Music by Corey Quinn

Leslie Lee at the age of 58, is just beginning to explore what it truly means to be adopted. As a same-race adoptee, she was placed with her family at eight weeks old, according to the transcript she received from the agency (Louise Wise) that facilitated the adoption.

For most of her life, she carried this part of her identity in silence—only sharing it with a select few friends and family members. Secrecy, and at times shame, shaped much of her experience.

Today, she's married, a proud mother of two adult sons, and grandmother to four beautiful grandchildren. Professionally, she built a meaningful career as a human resource specialist, with over 23 years of experience in higher education. She also holds several professional certifications in her field.

Outside of work, she's rediscovering her love for reading as a way to disconnect from the noise of current events. Leslie recently took up knitting—still a novice, but enjoying the learning process through both in-person and online lessons. This season of life is about learning what brings her peace, what pleases her, and what helps manage stress in healthy, fulfilling ways.

She's honored to share space within the adoption constellation and to finally connect with a community that understands this journey—people who simply get her, just because.

Music by Corey Quinn

Veronica is the co-author of "Rooted in Adoption-A Collection of Adoptee Reflections" and the "Rooted in Adoption Journal" now on Amazon. Veronica's Instagram is @rootedinadoption0520

Recommendations: https://www.sdpb.org/2012-07-16/piecing-together-stories-of-families-lost-in-slavery

https://growbeyondwords.com/2015/08/screening-questions-when-seeking-an-adoption-competent-therapist/

Music by Corey Quinn

Kimberly L. Carter is a women's leadership strategist, speaker, and author of the journal, “Rise, Thrive, and Flourish”. With a background in spirituality, empowerment, and Gen Z leadership development, she helps women and organizations cultivate confidence, clarity, and purpose. Through her consulting work, coaching, and vibrant online presence, Kimberly empowers the next generation of leaders to show up boldly, speak with authority, and lead with heart. She is a military veteran, holds an MBA and M.Div., and is pursuing a PhD in Women's Spirituality.

Connect with her at www.kimberlycarter.live or on Instagram @kimberlycarterlive

Laura Batt (she/her) was adopted domestically as an infant and raised in a closed adoption. She has been in reunion with her biological family for 26+ years. Laura is also a birth/first parent to her oldest adult son. She is parenting another teenage son and young child with her significant other in Oregon.

Laura worked in pregnancy and parenting support for 20+ years. She has a Master’s degree in social work, and she has certifications in adoption therapy and perinatal mental health. Laura has experience supporting families with open adoption relationships and providing post adoption support. She is currently a perinatal social worker in a medical setting. 

Website: https://adoptionmosaic.com/

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Mirella Stoyanova is a therapist, writer and international adoptee from Bulgaria of both Bulgarian and Iraqi origin. Her writing work has appeared in Write or Die Magazine, Business Insider, and HuffPost Personal, among other places. She is a proud member of Adoptee Voices and lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband Jason, her son Milo and her beloved dog, Finn.

Find her @mirellastoyanova on Instagram or on her writing website, mirellastoyanova.com. 

Reference: https://adopteelitfest.com/

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Maureen McCauley is the adoptive mom of four now-adult children, two sons born in the U.S. and twin daughters born in Ethiopia; she has lived experience with infant adoption, international adoption, older child adoption, U.S. adoption, and transracial adoption. She also has three granddaughters. Her professional background is in social and educational welfare advocacy, including as former executive director of three nonprofits focused on adoption and foster care.

With Adoption Mosaic, Maureen co-facilitates Conscious Adoption: Seasoned Parents and Navigating Estrangement, adoptive parent courses for which she also co-developed the curriculum. 

She is a writer and editor, including co-editor with two Ethiopian adoptees of “Lions Roaring, Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees.” Her writing has been published in Slate, Catapult, Focus on Adoption, Adoption Today, Adoptive Families of British Columbia, and others. She blogs at Light of Day Stories.

She has a B.S. degree from Georgetown University and an M.A. from the University of Maryland. She is a Certified Sage-ing Leader via Sage-ing International, an organization focused on aging consciously and intentionally with joy and discernment. She also has a certificate as an End-of-Life Doula for Companion Pets, partnering with their humans.

Websites: https://adopteesunited.org/ https://www.adopteesforjustice.org/

Music by Corey Quinn

Brooke Haynes is a business coach, website and marketing system designer, and the founder of Consurgo, a personal development community for visionary entrepreneurs. With a unique ability to see the big picture, Brooke helps small businesses streamline their systems, build engaged communities, and create sustainable growth. Everyone who works with Brooke walks away with renewed passion and clear visions for their entrepreneurial journeys. Connect with Brooke here itssimplyreal.com

Websites: https://consurgo.world/ https://adoptionmosaic.com/ https://frequency500.com/

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My guest is Stephanie C. Watterson.

Originally a shy and awkward biracial adoptee, Stephanie is now one of those people who, as soon as you meet her, you’ll feel joy around. She graduated from Langara College (Digital & Print Publications, Dean’s Honour Roll) and recently from Simon Fraser University (Editing Certificate). Last summer, she published her first children’s book – Septopus.

Stephanie’s love for literature has lingered and will always be a labour of love. Try saying that ten times fast! Today, she writes, edits, and creates in Victoria, B.C. Never boring, often unconventional, but always engaging, Stephanie enjoys empowering other creatives in various capacities.

Websites: https://contentauthoring.com/ https://editors.ca/editor-profile/?id=40fae0c2-35f3-429e-80fe-ab410015866f https://www.bipocadoptees.org/

Music by Corey Quinn