Amber Canales shares her powerful story of prenatal trauma, abuse, life in a shelter, and years in kinship care inside the foster system.

She describes the daily hardships, emotional and physical abuse, and the turning point when teachers, CPS, and a caring aunt helped her and her siblings find safety and stability.

This episode highlights resilience, the long road to healing, and ways listeners can support children impacted by foster care.

In this episode of Speak Up, Naomi Castillo tells her powerful story of being raised by her grandmother after her parents separated and struggled with instability. She shares memories of visits to her mother in jail, summers living with relatives, and the sacrifices her grandmother made to keep her safe.

Naomi also describes reconnecting with her paternal grandparents and father, setting boundaries with her mother, and how her grandmother’s steady love shaped her into the person she is today. A heartfelt tribute to grandparents raising grandchildren and the resilience that comes from chosen family.

In this enlightening episode, Misty sits down with Christina, a licensed professional counselor supervisor and a registered play therapist supervisor, to delve into the transformative world of play therapy. Christina shares her extensive knowledge and passion for working with children, providing invaluable insights into how play therapy serves as a powerful tool for emotional and psychological healing.

Listeners, especially kinship caregivers and foster parents, will gain a deeper understanding of how play therapy can support children who have experienced trauma. Christina discusses the importance of creating a safe and nurturing environment for children to express their emotions and experiences through play.

Join us as we explore the nuances of therapeutic play, the types of toys used, and the role of caregivers in facilitating a child's healing journey. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or simply intrigued by the process of play therapy, this episode offers a wealth of knowledge and practical advice to empower you in supporting children's emotional well-being.

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Guest: Christina Villarreal-Davis, Ph.D., LPC-S, NCC, RPT-S, RST-C/T

🧠 Wellspring of Life Counseling and Play Therapy Center, PLLC

📚 Referenced Experts & Concepts:

Gary Landreth – Pioneer in Play Therapy, creator of the ACT Model (Acknowledge the feeling, Communicate the limit, Target acceptable behavior)

Neuroplasticity – The brain’s ability to adapt and form new connections, especially in safe and healing relationships

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_6rQk7jlrc&t=86s

Secure Attachment – Child is upset when parent leaves but is quickly comforted when they return.

Insecure-Avoidant Attachment – Child avoids or ignores the caregiver; shows little emotion when parent leaves or returns.

Insecure-Resistant (Ambivalent) Attachment – Child is distressed when parent leaves and angry or clingy when they return.

Later, researchers (Main & Solomon) added a 4th:

What does foster care look like when you're standing just outside the story—but still close enough to feel every ripple? In this episode, I sit down with my good friend, Rita Robledo, who didn’t grow up knowing about the system and wasn’t trained to navigate it—but found herself walking alongside me through the thick of it anyway. She asked the questions, held the space, and stayed when things got complicated. Whether you’re a foster parent yourself, supporting someone who is, or just wondering how to make a difference without knowing all the lingo—this conversation will remind you that being present matters. Sometimes the most meaningful roles come from the people who simply choose not to look away.

What happens when family steps in—not because they have to, but because love pulls them in?

In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Lori Sofet to talk about her unexpected journey into kinship care. When she said yes to caring for her toddler relative, she wasn’t prepared for how hard—and how healing—it would be. Together we unpack the quiet, behind-the-scenes battles of kinship caregivers: the loyalty pulls, the loneliness, and the fierce love that makes it all worth it.

Whether you’ve walked this road or are just now learning what kinship care means, this is a powerful story of resilience, identity, and what it really means to reimagine family.

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📚 Learn More About Trauma-Informed Care, TBRI®, and ACEs

🔹 Trauma-Informed Care

🔹 ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)

This episode is deeply personal. I’m sitting down with Jennifer Borrego—who I met because our daughters are biological siblings. We were both fostering, unaware of each other, caught in a system that never connected the dots.

What started as confusion and frustration slowly turned into something redemptive. We talk about what it was like to find each other, to figure out how to trust, and to choose connection even when everything felt uncertain.

It’s not polished or easy—but it’s honest. And it’s a story that shows what can happen when two families fight for what matters most.

💛 Connect with Tiny Bexar Coalition

🔗 Website: tinybexarcoalition.com

Reach out to request support, volunteer, or find ways to get involved!

In this eye-opening conversation, Martin shares what he’s witnessed working overnight at a local children’s shelter—stories that are hard to hear but even harder to ignore. From heartbreaking sibling separations to the unheard cries of infants who’ve learned no one is coming, this episode exposes the unseen realities of emergency shelter care. Because awareness is the first step to action.

The children Martin spoke about are real—and they’re right here in our city. If your heart is stirred to take action, here are some shelters in San Antonio you can reach out to. Each one may have different needs—call or check their websites for up-to-date donation or volunteer opportunities:

📍 Boysville

📍 St. PJ’s Children’s Home

📍 The Children’s Shelter

📍 Seton Home (part of The Children’s Shelter)

💛 Whether you donate pajamas, bring a meal, or simply ask how you can help—your step matters. Let’s fill the gap together.

In this episode, Morgan shares her journey as a single foster mom—how she learned to advocate for herself and the children in her care, build a support system, and develop lasting relationships with bio families. Her story is honest, courageous, and full of wisdom for anyone navigating foster care—or wondering if they can do this too.

In this very first episode of The Speak Up, I sit down with my husband to share the deeply personal story that opened our eyes to the reality of foster care — and ultimately changed the course of our family forever. We’re pulling back the curtain on how an unexpected call turned into a calling, the heartbreak and beauty that came with it, and how our journey began not with a plan, but with a story.