Adoption Wise
Rediscover the confident and connected parent you long to be. We’ll show you how.
Episodes
April 16, 2024 • 46 mins
Lisa and Amber Reynolds (our Director of Communications) chat about the challenges of parenting a young child struggling with mental illness. Amber shares candidly about what she wishes she had done differently, how her son's mental illness affected her health, and how she's overcoming blocked care. As an Enneagram 8, Amber loves advocating well for all those in her care. She and her husband, Chris, have been foster parents for sev...
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April 2, 2024 • 60 mins
Generally, what we carry into our childhoods and throughout our adulthood is part of a wider series, even patterns, of behavior, traumas, and worldviews. In this workshop, Dr. Stoker will give a very brief overview of Family Systems theory. You will learn:
highlights for Family Systems theory
a narrative that will assist you in seeing systems more objectively
tools to heal and offer hope for those with whom you live and serve
Dr....
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March 19, 2024 • 28 mins
Foster care and adoption are full of ambiguous losses and disenfranchised grief. In this episode, Lisa and Melissa discuss the gap between expectations and reality which can lead to feelings of grief. They offer tangible practices, including writing, verbal processing, and bodywork. The importance of acknowledging and processing darker emotions such as sadness, anger, or resentment without judgment is emphasized. Lastly, they menti...
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March 5, 2024 • 40 mins
Rebekah Cook shares her experiences of fostering children of incarcerated moms through a ministry called Jonah's Journey. She emphasizes the importance of establishing a relationship with the biological parents and discusses the unique challenges and rewards of this type of foster care. Rebekah also touches on her struggle with blocked care and how she sought support and healing.
Rebekah is a stay at home mom and former elementary ...
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February 20, 2024 • 25 mins
One of the signs of blocked care is isolation. In this episode, Lisa and Melissa chat about the importance of building supportive communities in virtual and real-life spaces. They recommend parents seek out and engage in safe, validating communities where they can discuss their challenges openly. All parents need to fill up their "relationship bucket" in order to maintain compassionate parenting.
Click here to download a transcript...
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February 6, 2024 • 25 mins
This week we answer listener questions such as:
What resources would you recommend for Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA)?
Do you have any wisdom to share about parenting a teenager with borderline personality disorder?
What if things don't get better?
Click here to download the transcript for this episode.
Relevant Links
PDA Masterclass
Melissa's Ted Talk on Redefining Success
The Gap and the Gain Podcast
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January 23, 2024 • 27 mins
Many adoptive and foster parents wonder if their child may have FASD or they have a diagnosis but aren't sure what to do next. Last time Sandra explored the impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol on a developing baby and identify the primary, secondary, and tertiary symptoms of FASD. This week in Part 2, you will learn practical techniques for accommodating and supporting children with FASD.
Sandra Flach is a mom of 8 children, 5 t...
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January 9, 2024 • 41 mins
Many adoptive and foster parents wonder if their child may have FASD, or they have a diagnosis but aren't sure what to do next. In Part 1 of this workshop, you will explore the impact of prenatal exposure to alcohol on a developing baby and identify the primary, secondary, and tertiary symptoms of FASD. In Part 2, you will learn practical techniques for accommodating and supporting children with FASD.
Sandra Flach is a mom of 8 chi...
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December 12, 2023 • 35 mins
Last year's reflection episode was a listener favorite, so we're back with another one! With the demands of life and parenting, it can be hard to find time to stop and reflect. But pausing and reflecting is good for our soul, our nervous system, and our relationships. In this last episode for 2023 we thought it would be fun to answer the following questions:
Describe a moment of clarity in 2023
Name something that became newly imp...
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November 28, 2023 • 34 mins
Kinship care, the full-time care of a child by relatives, comes with many added relationship dynamics and complexities. In this episode Nakole Wooley shares how they navigate the challenges of kinship care, and the importance of overcommunication and compassion in the process.
Nakole and her husband, Brandon, have been married 15 years. They are raising six kids including three who joined their family through kinship care. She is a...
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November 14, 2023 • 34 mins
In this episode Angela Coston, the executive director of For the Sake of One, shares her journey as an adoptive and foster mom. She candidly discusses her experiences and challenges in parenting children with complex needs while being a community leader. Angela explains how being able to name blocked care helped her shed the shame that she was abnormal or a bad parent. She shares practical strategies that helped her overcome blocke...
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October 31, 2023 • 39 mins
Many children with early adversity have an overactive stress response that can create challenging behaviors. In this engaging workshop you will see compelling case studies, visuals, and research about the role of innate neurodevelopmental movements in healthy physical, mental, and social-emotional functioning. You will gain a new perspective about the importance of neurodevelopmental movements and how they can help with anxiety dis...
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October 17, 2023 • 22 mins
Is your adoption journey turning out differently than you imagined? You had so much love to give, but now you feel ashamed and bewildered by your lack of compassion.
You may be experiencing blocked care—a self-protective mechanism in your nervous system that makes it difficult to connect with your child and maintain compassion. When it happens, it’s like your heart seems to have left the relationship.
In this episode, we identify t...
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October 3, 2023 • 51 mins
Every adoptee walks through life dealing with the loss of at least their first family, and each one will experience that loss with a different lens. This week, Suzanne Stabile joins Lisa and Melissa for a rich conversation about adoption, the Enneagram, mystery, and curiosity. Suzanne shares vulnerably about how she's dealing with the "adoption-shaped hole" in her life.
As an internationally recognized Enneagram Master, Suzanne has...
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September 19, 2023 • 48 mins
Do you have a child who doesn't seem to be fully present? Perhaps it seems they're often daydreaming or in la-la land. This can be especially frustrating if they have trouble focusing at school or completing a task. In this workshop you'll learn:
the neurobiology of shutdown
how la-la land is protective
how to offer safety and connection
Robyn loves cultivating deep, resonant connections with anyone who is up for it, and is espec...
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This week we answer listener questions such as:
How do I prepare for every possible scenario and keep balance in our lives?
Why does our young adult reject us but show loyalty to practical strangers?
How do I help my spouse with blocked care?
How do I provide choices to a child who doesn't learn from poor ones?
Click here to download the transcript for this episode.
Relevant Links
# 41: Mentally Preparing For Your Adoption or Fo...
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August 22, 2023 • 41 mins
Join Lisa as she talks with Amy J. Brown about the journey of parenting children with special needs. We talk about the moment she realized her children's challenges were going to change her life and family forever. We talk honestly about guilt and shame as adoptive moms, blocked care, and a practical exercise for moving from guilt to acceptance.
Amy J. Brown is a writer, mentor, and co-host of the podcast, Take Heart. She is the au...
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August 8, 2023 • 29 mins
It's easy to get bogged down in big behaviors and forget to have positive interactions with your kids. TBRI® Nurture Groups provide a positive, attachment-rich environment that is imperative to helping your child increase their sense of felt safety while connecting and learning new skills for life.
In this workshop, you will learn:
importance of Nurture Groups
six aspects of a Nurture Group
how to implement the components into you...
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July 25, 2023 • 38 mins
We often have opportunities to be guests on other podcasts, and we've had some great conversations. We'd hate for you to miss them. Because we're taking the month of July off from recording new episodes, we thought it would be the perfect time to share some of those interviews with you right here on our podcast.
We couldn’t be happier to share this conversation with Melissa Corkum & Lisa Qualls of The Adoption Connection. We have l...
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July 11, 2023 • 64 mins
We often have opportunities to be guests on other podcasts, and we've had some great conversations. We'd hate for you to miss them. Because we're taking the month of July off from recording new episodes, we thought it would be the perfect time to share some of those interviews with you right here on our podcast.
The authors of Reclaim Compassion and hosts of The Adoption Connection podcast, Melissa Corkum (Enneagram 7) and Lisa C. ...
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