Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. They become a lot easier with a North Star to follow. Podcaster Niall has interviewed an incredible array of talent in the worlds of healing, consciousness and psychology including my favourite author Rupert Spira. Listen in as we riff on intention, course correction and more.

Here's the link to the interview with Jill Bolte Taylor:

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/with-jill-bolte-taylor

And the interview with Kathy Mackechney:

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/deeper-healing-with-kathy-mackechney-leden48a

Niall McKeever is an entrepreneur and psychology student from Northern Ireland, who is passionate about making great ideas more accessible.

He is the Founder of The Weekend University - an alternative education project which aims to make the most important ideas in psychology more accessible.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-weekend-university/id1233173966

https://theweekenduniversity.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theweekenduniversity

https://www.instagram.com/theweekenduniversity/?hl=en

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do you want change for the better? There's a part of us that always thinks it is right. And it feels good to be right. But it gets in the way of the change we want. Of being better. Of connecting better. Listen in as Kristin shares profound lessons on humility, insight and change.

Listen to Kristin's previous interview here:

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/a-guide-to-family-wellbeing-with-kristin-orphan-foster-adoptive-parent-founder-executive-director

Connect with Kristin here

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-orphan-5b2a8113a/

Finally Home is a non-profit whose mission since 2008 is to equip foster, adoptive and kinship families to build healthy homes where kids can heal. Over the years all kinds of families have benefited from Finally Home's programs and products which are designed to give parents the tools they need to help their kids and families thrive. Whether through an encouraging children’s story book, a therapeutic toolkit, or an educational training, Finally Home’s resources reinforce time tested skills and characteristics found in healthy families.

https://www.finallyhome.net/

https://www.facebook.com/FinallyHome.net

https://www.instagram.com/teamfinallyhome/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Who doesn't want more ease? More peace? How? That's the question. Listen in as Jean shares her insights on how insights help us to more ease. With ourselves. With others. As she says so wisely "Compassion is free". That compassion oils our relationships.

Jean Kelly Widner is the author of The Adoption Paradox: Putting Adoption into Perspective, a powerful exploration of the complex realities of adoption. Born in 1965 and adopted from birth in Washington State, Jean lives the paradox she writes about—experiencing both love and loss, belonging and separation. In her book, she shares stories from all sides of the adoption triad: adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive families, alongside insights from mental health experts.

Find out more here:

https://adoptionparadox.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Adoption-Paradox-Putting-Perspective-ebook/dp/B0F6X136JN

https://www.facebook.com/people/Jean-Kelly-Widner/100080741770981/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do you want to take your advocacy to the next level? When we know more, we achieve more. When we focus more, we achieve more. Listen as adoptive mother and advocate Marcy shares learnings about learnings, focus, experimentation and much more.

Here's the link to Marcy's previous interview:

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/reasons-for-hope-with-marcy-bursac

Marcy and her husband adopted a biological sibling pair.

While remote schooling my children during the pandemic, she began to see a gap between adults with a desire to adopt and the 115,000 adoptable children within the United States. 

Marcy is the author: "Are You a Forever Family?" & "The Forgotten Adoption Option"

Host: The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast

Facebook Community / Instagram / LinkedIn

www.forgottenadoptionoption.com

Meet waiting children and get tools to pursue foster care adoption.

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do you feel comfortable in your own skin? Being adopted can feel distinctly uncomfortable. Whether that's due to others or ourselves. Listen in as Rabail shares what she learned coming through tricky teenage years and out of the other side.

Find out more about Rabail here:

https://www.adoptionmatters.org/podcasts/exploring-transracial-adoption/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rabail-ahmed-0b3038336/?originalSubdomain=uk

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How do we bounce back? Keep going when all seems lost? Listen in as adoptive mother Besty and I explore answers to these big questions and more...

Betsy Armstrong grew up on a farm in Minnesota, but Chicago captured her country-mouse heart thirty-plus years ago, so she stayed. Betsy is a writer, mom, athlete, and philanthropist who wants to change the world. She has had careers in sales, counseling, and the non-profit space. Still, her true passion is running, which led her to become the Executive Director of Girls on the Run - Chicago and the Chicago Area Runners Association. Her writing has been published in the Brevity Blog, The Pinch Journal, and WOW-Women on Writing, and she has been recognized by essay contests in Writer’s Digest and WOW-Women on Writing. Besides writing, she bakes apple pies exactly how her great grandma taught her and listens to NPR while simultaneously recording too many reality TV shows. She and her husband, kids, and pets divide their time between the mountains of Nevada and the lakes of the Midwest.

More at:

https://www.facebook.com/betsy.andersonarmstrong

https://www.instagram.com/wordsbybetsy/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1647428939

https://www.betsyarmstrong.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

"Other people's opinions of us are none of our business." Winston Churchill. I love that quote. For me it's about doing what feels authentic to me. Being me. Doing me. I could never have imagined that the starting point for our conversation - stigma - was going to empower my advocacy. Make me bolder. Listen in and see where this episode takes you. 

About Becky's last interview...

Following failed and miscarriages Becky and her husband Kip adopted 2 girls who are now thriving teenagers. Listen in as Becky shares what she's learned - and continues to learn - for insights on how you can navigate your own journey as an adoptive parent. There are tonnes of insights into handling the tests our kids bring us, building relationships with birth parents and much, much more. Practical, relatable and insightful

Here's a link to it https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/handling-tough-stuff-with-adoptive-mom-becky-fawcett

HelpUsAdopt.org, founded in 2007, is a national 501(c)(3) adoption grant program. HelpUsAdopt.org was founded by Becky and Kipp Fawcett as a response to their own personal adoption experience - they have 2 daughters -  in an effort to make adoption more feasible for all families. 

The organization is the only one of its kind in the United States that embodies all of the following criteria:

• awards large, life-changing and problem-solving grants up to $15,000
• supports all types of families (married couples, single parents and LGBT families)
• supports all types of adoptions (domestic, international, foster care)
• supports all types of religions, and does not require a statement of faith
• does not charge applicants to apply

Find out more at:

https://www.instagram.com/becky.fawcett/?hl=en

https://www.helpusadopt.org/

https://www.facebook.com/helpusadopt.org

https://www.instagram.com/helpusadopt/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do feel different? Less than? Do you deserve to thrive? Doug always felt different. But he didn't know he was adopted until he was 12. Listen as we dive into insights, sobriety and more in this profound and empowering episode.

Check out Doug's book - There Are More Like Me: Search, Reunion, and Synchronicity in Adoption here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/There-Are-More-Like-Synchronicity/dp/B0DYQJN7FK

Check him out on Substack here https://douglasbhenderson.substack.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Another episode with a difference courtesy of two ladies with huge hearts. Empathy for others in the adoption constellation is foundational to thriving and communication. Listen in as birth mother Laura and adoptee Hannah explore the path to empathy. 

Hannah Andrews  was born in Chicago and was adopted as an infant during the Baby Scoop Era. She was raised on a Midwestern farm with two older adoptee brothers. In 2018, a chance meeting with author birthmother  Laura Engel sent Hannah in search of her own history. She found more questions than answers, but found guidance and community from fellow triad members. She joined the AKA board to provide that same support to others. Hannah is a writer, pianist & pet enthusiast .  She lives in San Diego, CA with her dog Josie and three Pussycats .

https://www.instagram.com/hannahshannonmashup/

https://medium.com/@writingsbyhannahandrews

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100074619925818

https://www.adoptionknowledge.org/our-board-of-directors.html

Here's a bit about Laura and her book from her website:

My book is about Laura, a woman who lived her life with her secrets finds her greatest secret unearthed at age 67. The child she was forced to give up for adoption when she was 17 in an Unwed Mothers Home in New Orleans unexpectedly sends her an email.  Meeting her 49 year-old son rocked her world and cracked her soul wide open. She found the acceptance and love she had always denied herself had been with her all along. My book tells an incredibly sad story but ends with a story of grace, hope, and extraordinary joy.

https://www.facebook.com/lauralengelauthor/

https://www.instagram.com/storytellerlaura/

https://lauralengel.com/

https://lauralengel.com/books/

Listen to Laura's previous interview here https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/goodby-shame-with-birth-mother-laura-engel

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

The Promise is that Scotland's children and young people will grow up loved, safe and respected. This episode dives into how Fraser, his team and partners are delivering on that. We explore resilience, expectations and more.

Fraser has been Chief Executive of The Promise Scotland since September 2022. Prior to that, he spent 16 years working for Audit Scotland, including ten years as Controller of Audit and Director of Performance Audit and Best Value.

Before joining Audit Scotland, Fraser was a public services consultant in Edinburgh and London. He specialised in leadership, change management, facilitation and process improvement.

Fraser is committed to systems change, focusing on how public money is spent more effectively to enable better lives for children, young people, care experienced adults, families, and communities.

Here's the link to Adoption UK's Barometer https://www.adoptionuk.org/news/record-crisis-levels-for-adopted-people

More at:

https://thepromise.scot/

https://www.facebook.com/ThePromiseScotland/

https://x.com/thepromisescot

https://www.instagram.com/thepromisescotland/

https://www.youtube.com/@thepromisescotland617

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fraser-mckinlay-b2b48122

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.