Traci and her husband thought they were hoping to adopt an infant, but when they received an unexpected call about a four-year-old boy named Armand, everything changed. Within a week, Armand was home with them, and what began as an unexpected adoption became the family they could not imagine living without.

Traci shares what it was like to welcome an older child into their family, why she realized she had not missed out on the firsts, and how Armand’s story challenged what they thought their family would look like. She also talks honestly about adopting across racial differences, helping Armand navigate questions of identity and belonging, and creating an adopted teen group so he could connect with others who understood his experience.

We also talk about the assumptions people make when they see a family that looks different from what they expect, and why asking questions is so much better than creating a narrative without knowing the story.

This is a beautiful conversation about staying open to the family you never expected, seeing adoption from a child’s perspective, and discovering that sometimes the story that was meant for you is so much better than you could have imagined.

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Known to many across Acadiana as "Fast" from the morning radio, Hans Nelson has a story that extends far beyond the microphone. In this heartfelt conversation, Hans reflects on growing up as an adoptee, becoming an adoptive father, and discovering how adoption has quietly shaped generations of his family.

Together, we talk about identity, fatherhood, grief, faith, belonging, and what it means to truly be family. Along the way, Hans shares stories that are funny, moving, and deeply honest - from childhood memories and raising his children to unexpected discoveries that changed the way he understood his own life.

Whether adoption is part of your story or not, this episode is a powerful reminder that family is built through love, commitment, and the people who choose to show up for one another. It's a conversation about legacy, healing, and the unexpected ways our stories are woven together.

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After years of infertility, Chad and Staci Bellefleur found themselves surrendering the future they had always imagined and embracing a new path to parenthood through adoption.

In this heartfelt conversation, they share their journey from infertility to adoption from both a mother's and a father's perspective. Together they reflect on grief, waiting, faith, failed matches, becoming parents, and raising their son with honesty about his adoption story. Their different perspectives reveal how couples often process the same journey in very different ways while leaning on one another through it all.

This is a story of perseverance, unconditional love, and the beautiful truth behind the words, "For this child we have prayed."

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Katelyn Hillman always knew she wanted to be a mom. After years of infertility, two pregnancy losses, and an unsuccessful IVF journey, she and her husband began exploring adoption. What they couldn't have imagined was how many unexpected turns their story would take before they became a family.

In this episode, Katelyn shares what it was like to wait, to hope, and to wrestle with disappointment while trusting that God was still at work. She talks about the phone call that led them to their daughter, the boys who entered their lives through foster care, and how the family they have today looks different than anything they originally planned.

It's an honest conversation about infertility, adoption, foster care, and the beauty of letting go of your own timeline. No matter where you are in your own story, Katelyn's journey is a reminder that sometimes the path you never would have chosen becomes the one you're most grateful for.

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Andrew Godley was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1980 and adopted at birth. Two years later, he moved to Louisiana, where he was raised by a loving family and built a successful life as a husband, father, entrepreneur, and owner of Parish Brewing.

Although adoption was never a secret and Andrew describes his childhood as wonderful, becoming a parent sparked a desire to learn more about where he came from and who his children were descended from. What followed was a decades-long search through DNA records, family trees, and unexpected dead ends that ultimately led him to his biological family in South Africa.

In this episode, Andrew shares his journey of identity, belonging, gratitude, and discovery. He reflects on growing up adopted, reconnecting with biological relatives, and the surprising peace he found after meeting people who looked, thought, and lived so much like him.

This conversation is a powerful reminder that family is not an either-or proposition. Nature AND nurture can both shape who we become...even when they're separated by an ocean.

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His parents believed letting him go was an act of love.

At just two and a half years old, Dana was sent alone from Japan to America, leaving behind everything he knew and beginning a journey that would shape generations. In this moving conversation, author Loren Stephens shares the true story that inspired her novel, including the hidden family secrets, heartbreaking sacrifices, and unexpected discoveries that emerged as she researched her husband's adoption story.

We also explore the meaning behind the book's title, All Sorrows Can Be Borne, which comes from the belief that even life's deepest pain becomes lighter when someone is willing to listen. That idea resonates deeply with the mission of Perfectly Placed: creating space for honest adoption stories to be told, heard, and understood. Because when we share our stories, we not only honor our own journeys—we help others carry theirs.

This episode is a powerful reminder that adoption stories are rarely simple, but they are always rooted in love, loss, resilience, and the search for belonging.

Purchase All Sorrows Can Be Borne here.

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In this episode, Marcy Bursac, adoptive mom, author, and founder of The Forgotten Adoption Option, shares her family’s foster care adoption journey and the experiences that led her to create resources supporting adoptive families across the country.

This conversation explores common misconceptions about foster care adoption, the importance of honest adoption education, and how schools, churches, businesses, and communities can better support adoptees and adoptive families.

A thoughtful and encouraging conversation about advocacy, visibility, and the power of saying yes.

Resources

Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program

Buy Marcy's Books

Listen to her Podcast

In today’s episode, we hear Monica’s story, a birth mother who became pregnant at 15 and faced a decision that would shape the rest of her life.

With limited support and few options, she placed her son for adoption through a fully closed process. Monica shares what that experience was like decades ago, including the isolation, the stigma, and the weight of carrying that decision forward.

For years, she lived with unanswered questions about her son and his life. More than 40 years later, those questions were answered when they were finally reunited.

Her story is a powerful reminder that adoption doesn’t end at placement. It continues across a lifetime, shaping both loss and healing in unexpected ways.

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If you’ve been curious about Safe Haven Baby Boxes or how they actually work, this episode walks you through it in a real and personal way.

This episode features Caitlin Kelly - a mom of four, two through adoption - and the story behind her family and what led her into this work supporting children and families in crisis.

What started as a personal journey grew into something much bigger. Caitlin shares how her faith and experiences shaped a deep commitment to making sure parents have safe options and that every child is given a chance.

This conversation goes beyond the headlines and invites you to see the people and stories behind the need. Because at the end of the day, every child’s life matters, and we all have a role to play.

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Teisha didn’t set out to become a mom of eight. What began as a single yes slowly grew into something much bigger than she or her husband ever planned. In this episode, she walks us through the real timeline behind her family: kinship placements, reunifications, adoptions, and the moments in between where decisions weren’t simple, but they were clear.

We talk honestly about what foster care actually asks of you: not just opening your home, but doing the internal work to show up for kids who carry real trauma and real loss. Teisha shares the weight of those decisions, the tension between protecting your heart and choosing to love fully anyway, and why her biggest fear was never getting attached, but not doing enough.

This conversation also pulls back the curtain on what it looks like to raise a large, blended family rooted in both biology and adoption. From maintaining sibling connections across homes to making sure each child feels individually known, Teisha offers a grounded, lived-in picture of family that is messy, intentional, and deeply connected.

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