Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Finding our place - our home and our place in the world - is profound. Listen in as Matt who's fostered and adopted shares his learnings on self worth, relationships and much more...deep and highly empowering.

Matt Waller, MS is the Director of Community Impact for One Accord for Kids. Matt and his wife, Jen, founded The Attic Foster Network, a Permian Basin based nonprofit that serves children and families of the local foster system and invites churches to do the same. Matt moved to Midland, with his family, to teach for Midland Classical Academy. Prior to that, Matt worked in Christian Camping. His emerging career in child welfare is a direct result of the West Texas grassroots movement to see the local community care for local foster children. Matt earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University. He holds a graduate degree in nonprofit management and leadership from Walden University.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-waller-aa2b6819/

https://oneaccordtx.org/

https://www.facebook.com/oneaccordtx/

https://www.instagram.com/oneaccordtx/

https://x.com/oneaccordtx/

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.

Adoptees often start life at a disadvantage. How do we level the playing field so they can enjoy the same opportunities as others? Listen in as Karen shares her learnings and insights. Karen is an adoptive mother and the Head of Service for One Adoption South Yorkshire.

https://www.oneadoption.co.uk/south-yorkshire

https://www.facebook.com/oneadoption/

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.

 Does the desire for validation hold us back? How do you react when you or your beliefs are challenged? Listen in as adoptee Angie talks about surfacing and busting beliefs in this particularly empowering episode.

Here' a bit about Angie and the organisation she leads from their website:

"To serve as the President and CEO of CASA San Antonio is a privilege. It is also an honor to work with the dedicated team and Board to serve children in the San Antonio area.

My history as a foster, then adopted child, is what drives my motivation to let displaced children and youth know they are treasured, worthy and can overcome difficulties to become all they want to be. I believe all children have the absolute right to be loved and raised in a safe home.

Most of my career had been in the corporate world, and as in all roles, relationships and collaboration are essential. I previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Home, and the COO of Chosen. The not-for-profit sector is challenging and worth every minute of the dedication it takes, as you truly know you are making a difference.

Again, I am humbled to serve CASA and look forward to the future as we continue to support children experiencing foster care with amazing volunteer advocates."

Find out more about Angie and CASA

https://www.casa-satx.org/

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

https://www.facebook.com/ChildAdvocatesSanAntonio

https://www.instagram.com/casa.satx/

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.

Life can feel pretty scary. But what if we felt differently about that fear? What if faith felt bigger than that fear? Listen in as mother of 6 including 2 by adoption points us to big insights to seeing ourselves and our fear differently.

Here's a bit about Wendi:

"I am a wife. A mom. A mother-in-law. A Jaja (AKA: grandma). A missionary. A teacher. A speaker. And a cheerleader for Jesus. I love God, my husband, my family, and people of all nations. I also love to travel, meet new friends, and have fun wherever I go. I am the director of xHope, Inc., a non-profit that exists to empower at-risk youth by providing hope, love, education, and forever families. I am also the director of Redeemer House Ministries in Uganda where we rescue, rehabilitate, and reunify children into forever families."

https://www.wendicross.com/

https://www.facebook.com/wendi.neelycross

https://www.instagram.com/wcross8/?hl=en

https://www.xhopemissions.org/

https://www.instagram.com/xhopeinternational/

https://www.facebook.com/RedeemerHouseOrphanage

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. Especially our feelings. So what if we could be open to our feelings? Be openhearted. Ride life's emotional rollercoaster with more ease. Listen in as Cindy talks about vulnerability, openness and much more...

Ms. Cindy Sarai is the Founder and Executive Director for Adoption Dreams Come True, a non-profit domestic adoption agency based in Fort Collins, Colorado. With 23 years in the field of Social Work and 15 years in the adoption arena, her passion is clear. Her belief that every child deserves a home that is loving, safe and permanent is the foundation for the work her agency does for birth parents, adoptive parents and children. As a result of her focus, Cindy has been a part of over 500 placements of children into permanent happy homes.

Cindy created a diverse agency that was not exclusive in any aspect, but served all birth parents and adoptive families regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. Cindy provides free life-time counseling for all birth parents regardless of their final choice and often meets with birth moms whom she met years ago. Adoptive family fees are based on a sliding scale, using annual income, so that adoptive families are not taken out of the adoption process based solely on income. Adoption Dreams Come True has always mirrored our diversity rich world and values the uniqueness of every client who comes through its doors.

https://www.adoptiondreams.org/

https://www.facebook.com/AdoptionDreamsComeTrue

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdlTbJSW7UtYqHBNZWK8X6A

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.

Raising adoptive children and teens is an art not a science. It's something you get a feel for. Listen in as adoptive father of 10 Dr Ray shares his insights on getting a better feel for this art. Packed with humour and humility.

Dr. Ray Guarendi is a clinical psychologist and adoptive father of ten children who provides guidance on adoption, dispelling myths and offering practical advice from his personal and professional experience, emphasizing that love and commitment create family bonds, even across different ages or races, and encouraging adoption as a rewarding path. He's known for his books, radio shows, and talks, addressing concerns about the adoption process, fostering, and integrating adopted children into the family.

Find out more here:

https://www.drray.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-guarendi-233042291/

https://www.youtube.com/@dr.rayguarendi

https://www.facebook.com/Dr.RayGuarendi

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 is a big obstacle to our thriving. So how do we say goodbye to it? How is shame different to guilt? Listen in as Penny dives deep into shame, guilt and more...

Here's a bit about Penny from her agency's website:

"I have been a qualified social worker since 1991 and have worked with children and families in the safeguarding arena and as a therapeutic social worker. I qualified as a play therapist in 1999 and have worked independently as both a social worker and play therapist over the years. In 2003, I coordinated the development and delivery of mental health services for Looked After Children across social care, health and education for two years.

I love sharing knowledge and deliver training to a wide range of professionals, foster carers and adoptive parents on areas such as attachment, child development, the impact of trauma and abuse and communicating with children. I joined Adopters For Adoption in 2015 and have enjoyed every minute of my time working with our adopters and their children, when they have arrived! I live in Sheffield with my husband and two boys."

https://www.adoptersforadoption.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdoptersforAdoption

https://www.linkedin.com/in/penny-rowntree-26a47382

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 often do you realise that you're wrong? It's incredibly freeing. It's the ultimate lubricant for life. It reduces frustration and oils relationships. But if you're like me, your beliefs can get way of humility. Listen in as Arnie dives into humility, change, making a difference and much more. Truly empowering.

Arnie and his wife Donna have been foster parents for over 20 years and are the parents to three daughters and three sons, four of which are adopted into his family from the foster care system.

Arnie currently serves as the Executive Director of the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA). NFPA is a non-profit organization representing thousands of foster, adoptive and kinship parents, established to provide opportunities for advocacy, networking, and education.

Arnie’s role includes developing partnerships and building relationships that benefit foster parents by providing the resources, services and support they need to provide care for children in need.

He serves on multiple national, state, and local government committees, and strives to provide one voice in advocating for core needs for family-based care.

https://www.facebook.com/NFPAonline

https://www.linkedin.com/company/nfpaonline/

https://nfpaonline.org/

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.

Are we going to rise above trauma or to succumb to it? Perhaps one of the most profound questions we can ask. Listen in as foster/kinship parent Joanna's profound and powerful take on thriving.

Joanna is president of the Maryland Resource Parent Association.

Connect with her or them here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-a-961369176/

https://mrpa.org/

https://www.facebook.com/mdresourceparents/

https://www.instagram.com/mrpa_md_resource_parent_assoc/

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.

Rejection can tear us apart. How do we put ourselves back together? Where does the strength come from? Where do we find the hope before we find that strength. Listen in as Niemah shares her learning on hope, healing and more...

Niemah Scherlacher was born to a 15-year-old Palestinian girl in Jerusalem at a time when formal adoption was forbidden. Her birth mother was hidden and protected from honor killing, and Niemah was placed in a Jewish Baby Home to ensure her safety and survival. She was late adopted by American Christians and raised in the United States. Decades later, Niemah discovered the identity of her birth mother and the truth of her origins, a revelation that brought both heartbreak and redemption. Through her journey, she has witnessed God’s providence an faithfulness, especially in the deeply personal work of healing after finding her birth mother only to be rejected.

Find out more about her:

https://www.facebook.com/niemah.scherlacher

https://www.instagram.com/niemahanne_/

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.