What does growth mean to you? How do we grow? Listen in as we dive into this BIG subject. Insights and practical guidance aplenty.

Cynthia K. Jensen is a Certified Social Worker in the State of Wisconsin.  Cindy graduated Cum Laude from Milton College in 1978 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.  From 1990 to 2009 she was employed by another Wisconsin child placing agency.  During that time Cindy placed more than 550 children with adoptive families.  Cindy keeps current on adoption practice by obtaining an additional 30 hours (or more) of continuing education every two years as required to maintain state certification.  In addition, over the past 28 years Cindy formed strong professional relationships throughout the adoption community as well as with numerous other referral resources.  She has excellent working relationships with the various professionals involved in the adoption process in Wisconsin as well as several other states. Cindy served on a legislative task force to create legislation for a birth father registry in the State of Wisconsin.  She also spoke at the national convention for the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and has been a presenter regarding the adoption process in many different forums. Cindy is also a past member of the National Association of Social Workers.

https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.jensen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindy-jensen-a2b55555/

Adoption Avenues, Inc. strives to provide environments of love and stability for children in need. Education and support is offered for everyone in the adoption process, from the person giving up parental rights to the new loving family. We are a Wisconsin licensed child placing agency offering a full range of adoption services. Our social workers have years of experience. Adoption can be difficult and confusing. We are here to help navigate the process for birth parents who are placing a child for adoption and for adoptive parents trying to choose the best avenue for building a family.

The services we offer include birth parent counseling for women experiencing unplanned or crisis pregnancies, home studies for all types of adoption, step-parent screenings, pre-adoptive preparation, foster home licensing and post-placement supervision services. Wisconsin is an "agency" state, thus a private adoption agency must be involved in every adoption.

https://www.adoptionave.com/

https://www.facebook.com/adoptionave/

https://www.instagram.com/adoption_avenues/?hl=en-gb

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.

Would you like more peace? Does trauma drown out peace for you? Listen in as we dive deep and deeper still to find peace. Perhaps one of the most profound and powerful conversations in 542 episodes. Enjoy.

Here's a bit about Elmarie:

I WRITE TO BREAK THE SILENCE.

I was adopted through the closed adoption system in 1966, just five days after I was born. For decades, my story remained locked away—silent, like so many others. But silence never brings healing. "Un-Adoptically Me — My story. My truth. My voice" is my way of reclaiming my voice, my truth, and my identity.

Through 88 vignettes, I share the raw realities of adoption—the love and loss, the trauma and resilience, the search for belonging. My journey has taken me through deep pain and profound joy, and now, nearing my sixth decade, I embrace both. I live a tranquil life in a valley of vineyards, mountains, and open skies, a world away from the chaos of my past. I am happily married, grateful, and now fiercely passionate about the hearts of adoptees.

This memoir is just the beginning. I’m listening—to fellow adoptees, to readers, to the conversations sparked by this book. Their voices will help shape what I write next.

If you believe in the power of truth, in the courage of speaking out, and in the unbreakable strength of the human spirit, then you’re in the right place. Let’s continue the conversation.

https://foreverfree.co.za/elmarie/un-adoptically-me/

https://www.facebook.com/unadoptically

https://x.com/unadoptically

https://www.instagram.com/unadoptically

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.

So much of our lives has been based on protecting ourselves. And understandably so when we've felt so vulnerable and insecure. How would shifting our focus move us forward? Listen in as Ryan takes me - and you - on a profound learning journey. A truly mind shifting  and belief busting episode.

Ryan is adopted. He and his wife are the proud parents of two adopted daughters through kinship care, a son, and two beloved dogs who have yet to realize their own size.

Ryan is deeply passionate about loving and serving others, with a heart for making a lasting impact. He was first introduced to Hope’s Closet through its annual gala and was immediately drawn to its mission. Two years later, he joined the board of directors, and his passion for serving others ultimately led him to transition from his facility management career to become Hope’s Closet’s Executive Director.

Ryan’s greatest hope is that every child who walks through Hope’s Closet feels loved, supported, and truly valued.

Find out more at https://www.hopesclosetohio.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-craig-16a4b8168/

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.

What we resist persists. How about more freedom instead? Listen in as Danielle dives into emotional freedom, what it means and how we enjoy it. Profound and practical. Here are two of Danielle's previous interviews on Thriving Adoptees:

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/upping-our-empathy-game

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/seeing-our-untarnished-soul

Danielle Gaudette is an emotional healing coach and author of, Healing Tree: An Adoptee’s Story About Hurting, Healing and Letting the Light Shine Through.

She is a 24-year Body & Brain trainer and coach, as well as a certified practitioner of Emotional Freedom Techniques. She has dedicated her life to helping others do the work she is committed to doing for herself: the work of transforming their relationship with their emotional suffering and, in doing so, uncovering the innate light of self-love within.

Bringing over two decades as a master trainer, she gently guides her clients towards inner healing and self-acceptance with understanding and compassion. 

Danielle is available to work with anyone in the world through online sessions and you can reach out to her via my website if you'd like to get in touch.

https://www.daniellegaudette.com/

https://www.facebook.com/danielle.gaudette.33

https://www.facebook.com/DGhealingtree

https://www.instagram.com/danielle.gaudette/

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.

Feeling free to be our authentic selves. Being accepted as we are. What does that mean for you? How can you help the people you love feel that? Listen is as adoptive mom and adoption professional Ligia shares what she's learned - and continues to learn - on two big topics. Especially as they relate to race. An eye opening episode.

https://www.instagram.com/ligiaspeaks/

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.

What if we were to stop searching for happiness outside us? How would that be? How would that feel? Listen in as Amanda and I dive into what she calls emotional self sufficiency. Have you heard of that? I certainly hadn't. And it lead to a profoundly empowering conversation. We both loved it and hope that you do too.

https://www.theanchorfamily.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.

Truths can be elusive for us adoptees. Fantasies or nightmares may fill in the blanks.  And truths can shift when we re-visit the past and ask others for their truth - their versions of events. This can lead to profound realisations. Listen in as Julie and I explore shifting truths, changes of mind and more.

Julie Ryan McGue is an author, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. She writes extensively about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it.

Here are links to previous interviews

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/julie-i4j2iwqo

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/julie

Her new book is Twice The Family:

From the award-winning author of Twice a Daughter comes the much- anticipated prequel. In this coming-of-age memoir–set in Chicago’s western suburbs between the 1960s and 80s–adopted twins, Julie and Jenny, provide their parents with an instant family. The twins’ sisterly bond holds tight as the two strive for independence, individuality, and belonging. But as Julie’s parents continue adding children to their family, several painful and tragic experiences test family values, parental relationships, and sibling bonds.  

Faced with these hurdles, Julie questions everything—who she is, how she fits in, and even her adoption circumstances. She understands her adoptive family is held together by love, faith, support, and her parents’ commitment to each other and their children. 

And yet, the life her parents have constructed is not one Julie wants for herself. As she matures, she chooses her own unique path. In the process, she realizes how the experiences that formed her have provide a road map for the person and mother she wants to be.

More at https://juliemcgueauthor.com/twice-the-family/

Julie’s debut award winning memoir Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (She Writes Press) came out in May 2021. It is the story of her five-year search for birth relatives. Her weekly blogs That Girl, This Life and monthly column at The Beacher focus on identity, family, and life’s quirky moments. 

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Julie received a BA from Indiana University in Psychology. She earned a MM in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University. She has served multiple terms on the Board of the Midwest Adoption Center and is an active member of the American Adoption Congress.

Julie splits her time between Northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida. She is the mother of four adult children and has three grandsons. If she’s not at her computer, she’s on the tennis court, or out exploring with her Nikon. Julie is currently working on a collection of personal essays.

https://juliemcgueauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/juliemcguewrites/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-ryan-mcgue-a246b841/

https://www.instagram.com/julieryanmcgue/

https://twitter.com/juliermcgue

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.

What helps us blossom? What gets in the way? How do we overcome those obstacles? Listen in as we explore big questions with grace and depth. Brad stretched me out of my comfort zone into new insights. I hope this interview catalyses sparks insights in you.

Foster parent Brad Brooks serves as the Executive Director of Southeastern Children’s Home and Counseling Center. Brad is an avid San Francisco 49ers fan and a running enthusiast. He has previously served as both a Case Manager, Education Instructor, and Director of Social Services for Southeastern Children’s Home. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University and a Master’s Degree from Converse College. He and his wife, Katie, have four children:  Reese, Ellie, Hattie, and Will.

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.

Shame. Not being enough. Trauma. Listen in as birth mother Janelle shares insights on what helps us thrive and what gets in the way of thriving. She also shares how shifts in perspectives help us overcome those obstacles. Powerful. Impactful. Love this.

Connect and find out more at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janellebasham/

https://www.bravelove.org/stories/meet-the-team-janelle-basham/

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.

Born without arms in Romania and unwanted, George went straight from the hospital to an orphanage where he stayed until being adopted at 18 months. Relentlessly bullied at school he felt ashamed, full of resentment, mad at the world and God. Listen in as he shares his insights on the journey to thriving. An incredibly powerful interview. You're going to love this.

Find out more:

@ThatArmlessGuy

Www.thatarmlessguy.com

“UndeFEETed”

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.