This is episode two of a two-part conversation with Shrounda Selivanoff. We are continuing our ongoing series on Termination of Parental Rights. If you haven't already, please listen to the first episode where Shrounda and I talk about her family's experience of TPR and how they had to fight to maintain custody of her grandson and protect her son's rights from being terminated. 

In this episode, we talk mostly about House Bill 1747, which was passed in Washington state in 2022. Most fundamentally, the law requires the Department of Children, Youth, and Families to rule out guardianship before considering Termination of Parental Rights and adoption. While this is largely a policy conversation, we gourd it in what matters the most, which is family, and belonging, and our right to be connected.

Here is the link to HB 1747 if you would like to learn more.

Washington State Legislature

As we move into our production pause, I'd like to say Thank You! I'm beyond grateful for everyone who has listened, joined the podcast club, and been part of the incredible community we've built. You are why we make this show. Let's stay connected. Please follow Imagination Factory on LinkedIn, Instagram (@imgnfactory), or email me directly at [email protected]. See you soon...

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In this journal episode I talk about the impact that decision overload can have on us, particularly for those of us who are introverts, and how I keep my energy for the most important things. When you take a minute to think about the quantity of decisions we make every day, week, month, and year it can be staggering. And considering the weight of some of these decisions, it becomes clear that there is real value in auditing where we spend our mental and emotional energy. 

I share four ways that I've found helpful to minimize the number of decisions I make and their impact on my energy. These include self-awareness, delegation, simplification, and letting go. I'll leave you with a journal prompt to consider the practice of letting go. 

• What decisions can I let go of to create more space for my future to emerge?

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In this episode we return to our ongoing series on Termination of Parental Rights. This is part one of a two-part conversation with Shrounda Selivanoff. Shrounda is the Chief of Parent Representation Initiatives with the Washington State Office of Public Defense. She has a long history as an effective policy director and respected advocate for parental rights. She also brings her own personal experience of CPS, child welfare, and TPR as a mother and a grandmother. In part on of our conversation, Shrounda shares her story of fighting for her son's rights as a parent and for her grandson's right to know and be connected to his family. In part two of our conversation we'll dive into the policy she worked in WA and the implications it has in the ongoing conversation about a world without TPR. 

Here are links to the article that Shrounda referenced about safety, permanency, and well-being as well as HB 1747.
Oregon Child Welfare Review Assessment Findings Report, 2023
Washington State Legislature

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This week's journal picks up on the main theme of last week's episode with Jalaycia Lewis. So many of us have great ideas for things we want to do or create but we tend to get stuck in the idea phase. In order to have the impact we want, we have to get out of ideation and into action, but this is difficult, and we need some simple tools. I talk about the importance of acknowledging that we are stuck, why we are stuck, and three simple steps we can take to get us moving towards action. I also talk about the benefits of using speech acts and generative communication to help us continue to take action so we can bring our ideas into reality.

If you want to learn more about generative language, there are some great resources at Bhavana Learning Group. There e-book is particularly valuable.  Generative Communication pt.1 | Bhavana Learning Group

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This is a particularly exciting episode because we are doing something a little bit different. Today’s guest is Jalaycia Lewis who is part of the Imagination Factory community and someone I’ve been coaching for the past 6 months or so. Like so many of us, Jalaycia has ideas and dreams for what she wants to do in the world. She wants her work to align with her values, what she loves, what she’s good at, and how she wants to create a more just world. For her, that is an idea she calls The Social Recipe, which is an organization she’s wanted to start for years. 

In this episode you are going to drop into a live coaching session with me and Jalaycia. You'll her about what The Social Recipe is, what she’s been working on, and a key question she’s focused on right now. I hope you enjoy this one and find it valuable. I would love to hear your feedback, please hit me up on LinkedIn or email.

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We have two options to make this community accessible. We meet every Monday at 9am ET and 9am PT (12pm ET). You can join the club by filling out this form and we'll send you the meeting invite. Proximity Podcast Club - Google Forms

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In this week's journal episode, I share a simple exercise that my coach, Brendalyn King shared with me. Since then, I have shared this with a number of people I work with, and they typically resonate with it and find it valuable. This came to me at a time in my process where I was questioning the impact of my work and if I was doing enough and doing "the right" things. I think this is an experience that most of us have felt throughout our lives and careers. The exercise helps us to identify where those feelings are coming from and how we can remind ourselves that we are always enough, and we can trust our future to emerge. 

If you haven't listened to the episode with Brendalyn, I would highly recommend doing so. She is an incredibly skillful coach and absolutely amazing person. You can listen here.  Should I Leave My Job with Brendalyn King

Here is this week's journal prompt. 
- Am I Enough? 
- Am I Doing Enough? 
- Can I Measure My Impact? 
- Can I Trust My Future to Emerge? 

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I've been under the weather, so I decided to rerelease a gem from season one. I'm excited to share my conversation with Dr Jessica Pryce. Dr Pryce's book, Broken: Transforming Child Protective Services, gave us a great backdrop to a wide-ranging conversation. At the beginning of the book, she lays out a framework or process of moving from being an agent of the child protection system to becoming an advocate and then activist. We talk about what these terms mean, the process of moving from one to the other, and how this has played out in Jessica's career. The conversation then turns to the subtitle of the book, transforming child protective services, Dr Pryce's Ted Talk, and her perspective on Termination of Parental Rights.

Please visit Dr Pryce's website to learn more about her work, listen to her Ted Talk, or to purchase her new book. Reimagine Child Protection (jessicaprycephd.com)

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In this week's journal episode, I wanted to return to the conversation about Termination of Parent Rights. I've been surprised by the number of conversations that are happening around TPR in recent months, more than any time in my career, including national working groups. While we have a long way to go in terms of making significant strides, it seems as though we are normalizing the conversation about a world without TPR. So, I wanted to come back to the thought experiment of, "what if TPR no longer existed?" 

I also reference a future episode that we are developing that will likely touch on a particular policy in Washginton state that was passed in 2022, which requires the state to rule out guardianship before proceeding with adoption and TPR.

Can you read the bill language here. 1747-S HBR FBR 22 (wa.gov) 

The journal prompt this week is...in ten years, TPR will no longer exist, what will need to change between now and then to be prepared for a world without TPR? This is a creative constraint to help us imagine the future we want to see rather than how we want to change the current structures of the system. 

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We have two options to make this community accessible. We meet every Monday at 9am ET and 9am PT (12pm ET). You can join the club by filling out this form and we'll send you the meeting invite. Proximity Podcast Club - Google Forms

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We're excited to bring you an update on what is happening with Together with Families (TwF) since our last episode with Sarah Winograd. TwF is, in my opinion, one of the more innovative organizations working with families impacted by the child welfare system. I had the pleasure of catching up with Sarah and her partner and co-founder Andel Jones-Foster.

TwF is an interesting organization for us all to learn from but not because of what they do but rather how they do it. I think what makes them unique is their ability to build relationships, to share power, and to co-design with the families they serve. Their approach leads to an organizational culture and programming that is far more relevant, responsive, and impactful. 

TwF is about to launch The Hub, which is their new office location and family resource center. They’ll also be launching a new website, a short film about their work, and a playbook that anyone can use to learn about and apply their unique approach. We will update these notes with links as soon as the website is live. 

You are invited to join the Proximity Podcast Club, a community of people supporting one another through their process of becoming who they want to be in this work. We have two options to make this community accessible. We meet every Monday at 9am ET and 9am PT (12pm ET). You can join the club by filling out this form and we'll send you the meeting invite. Proximity Podcast Club - Google Forms

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One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the past few years is that the practice of letting go is critical to my process. I've see how letting go has helped me and many others I've had the opportunity to work with. In this episode I talk about letting go as the practice of creating space for our future to emerge. And one of the key elements of this practice is discerning between things that we think are comforts but are actually constraints. This is a practice of letting go what feels like security but is actually holding us back from the future we really want to create.

The journal prompt is, what parts of my life have I come to see as comforts, but are actually constraints? Another way to reflect on this is, what I do I believe is giving me security but is actually holding me back? Lastly, what can I let go so that I am free to create my future?
 
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