What happens when you talk about adoption?

In this episode, I sit down with my friend and mentor Susan Haertling to discuss her experiences as both an adoptee and adoptive mom. We talk about what led us to collaborate on It's Okay to Talk About Adoption, why adoption conversations matter, and what happened after she shared her connection to the book on social media.

We also discuss the importance of sharing what feels right for us, honoring our own boundaries, and how even a small act of openness can create opportunities for understanding and impact.

In this episode, I’m joined by a high school English teacher who piloted the Teen Edition of the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program alongside my new graphic novel, Ready or Not?

We talk about what it actually looks like to bring this into a classroom, how students responded, and how educators can realistically use it during the school year.

If you’re an educator or know one, learn more and access the resources at ReadyOrNotBook.org.

Deborah Olivia Farmer, adoptive mom and nonprofit founder, shares her own journey through foster care adoption and how she helps others overcome the fears that often hold people back.

What is EMDR therapy and how does it help children process trauma? EMDR trained therapist Casey O'Donnell Jones, M.Ed., LPC, RPT explains Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing , how it works in practice, and how foster and adoptive families can identify whether EMDR may support healing after early childhood trauma.

Keeping siblings together isn’t accidental. It’s intentional. Tiffany and Hakim talk about how they prepare for sibling groups and what it looks like to be the family that says yes when agencies are trying to keep brothers and sisters together.

Christie Erwin is the Executive Director of Project Zero, an organization with a bold mission: Zero. Noun. The number of children that should be waiting in foster care to be adopted.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because I’ve been wearing their gray T-shirt for years. And when you’ve helped more than 1,600 children find a permanent family, you’ve earned the right to talk about getting closer to zero.

In this episode, Christie shares how Project Zero is transforming the way children waiting for adoption are seen, advocated for, and ultimately connected to families. We talk about strategy, urgency, and what it really takes to move from hundreds waiting to numbers that once felt impossible.

Because zero is not just a word. It’s a commitment.

Adoptive mom Francine Apy shares the story behind her adoption pendant necklace and her business, SoulFilling, which helps normalize adoption and support families touched by it.

Adoptive mom and Reclaim Compassion author Lisa C. Qualls explains blocked care and how parents can begin reclaiming compassion in adoptive families.
Learn more about Lisa and her work at www.lisacqualls.com

Adoptee-turned-therapist Bre Gronli shares her foster care adoption story, her path to trauma-informed work, and the resources that help shape her own healing.

Adopted together. Growing up together. Sharing their story together.
In this bonus episode, siblings Laura, Kim, and Dan reflect on entering foster care, being adopted as a group, and what they want families to know about saying yes to siblings.