Foster Parent Well

Struggling to find the strength to keep going in your foster care journey? This powerful conversation with missionary and adoptive mom Mandie Summers reveals how faith becomes the essential foundation when the system feels broken and the burden feels too heavy.

Mandy never imagined herself as a foster parent until a casual dinner conversation with a social worker friend opened her eyes to the crisis within the foster care ...

What happens when love isn't enough? When trauma runs so deep that having your child live at home becomes unsafe for everyone involved? This raw, vulnerable conversation with Anna Bernacki pulls back the curtain on one of foster care and adoption's most painful realities – the moment when residential treatment becomes necessary.

Anna brings a uniquely powerful perspective as both an adoptee herself and an adoptiv...

The emotional toll of fostering and adopting can leave even the most dedicated parents running on empty. In this powerful conversation, Nicole T. Barlow welcomes Melissa Smallwood, a counselor and family coach whose perspective is uniquely informed by her experience on both sides of the foster care equation – first as a foster youth who entered the system in middle school, and later as an adoptive mother of five.

Melissa c...

What if your entire city rallied around foster families? Rebecca from Georgia Kids Belong reveals how that vision is becoming reality through the Foster Friendly initiative, a movement transforming how communities support foster care.

Rebecca shares the powerful work of their I Belong Project, which creates advocacy videos for children waiting for adoption. These videos don't just share statistics- they amplify childr...

What happens to the children who were already in the home when foster kids arrive? Daniela Coats offers a perspective rarely heard in foster care conversations-  that of the birth child.

Growing up as the oldest of three biological siblings in a family that began fostering when she was seven, Daniela experienced firsthand the complex emotions that come with sharing your parents, your space, and your family identity. From t...

Raquel McLeod shares her powerful journey as a birth mother, child of kinship care, and kinship adoptive mom, illustrating how resilience can be cultivated through intentional practices and consistent support.

• The nine elements that build resilience include having one stable adult, cultivating self-worth, and prioritizing physical wellness
• Physical health dramatically impacts mental wellbeing—Raquel shares how fitn...

Ever felt like the gap between what you know about trauma and how you respond to it is impossibly wide? In this soul-nourishing conversation with Katrina Campbell, Director of Training at FaithBridgeU, we explore how continuous learning transforms not just our parenting but our spiritual lives.

"Suffering moved in with me," Katrina shares, capturing the profound reality of what happens when foster children enter ...

Parenting children from hard places requires an extraordinary partnership between spouses. In this candid conversation, Nicole interviews her husband Bruce about how they've navigated the challenges and joys of foster parenting as a team.

When Nicole first felt called to foster care, Bruce's immediate response was a firm "no." His journey from reluctance to acceptance reveals how important it is for bot...

Ever found yourself triggered by your child's meltdown, wondering how to break the cycle of dysregulation? This summer rewind episode tackles one of the most challenging aspects of foster and adoptive parenting: staying calm when everything around you is chaos.

Drawing from personal experience as both a certified parent trainer and adoptive mom to five siblings from foster care, I share seven practical strategies that...

We confront the reality of injustice in foster care and explore how to effectively advocate for change without burning out or losing sight of our purpose. From recognizing that not every battle is ours to fight, to making strategic relationships within the system, these seven practical tips help foster parents navigate the broken parts of the system with wisdom and grace.

• Not every injustice is your battle to fight—ask G...

The foundations you build before welcoming foster children into your home will determine whether you merely survive or truly thrive in this challenging calling. Drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience, this episode walks you through four essential preparations every prospective foster parent needs to prioritize.

How are you preparing your foundation? Your investment in these four areas will determi...

What happens when your foster care journey leads you to places you never imagined? Amanda Preston knows this path intimately - from young newlyweds dreaming of "opening an orphanage" to becoming adoptive parents of eight children, veteran foster parents of 16 years, and eventually establishing a mental health clinic supporting neurodivergent families navigating the complexities of adoption and foster care.

During...

Stepping into foster care or adoption without understanding trauma is like trying to navigate unfamiliar terrain without a map. That's why this conversation with Melissa Pemberton, a trauma-aware licensed therapist and parent coach with over 20 years of experience in child welfare, is absolutely essential listening for anyone caring for children from hard places.

Melissa shares her personal journey from being a teen m...

What happens when the romanticized dream of adoption crashes into the complex realities of parenting children from trauma? April Ficklin knows this collision intimately. From a teenage mission trip where she first felt called to adoption, to the Good Friday when her family doubled overnight with the addition of two siblings from foster care, April's journey has been one of profound transformation.

The chaos was immedi...

God shows up in extraordinary ways for foster parents when we embrace the truth that we're participating in His holy work of restoration and redemption.

• His grace is sufficient for our weakness, covering our doubts, fears, and mistakes
• New mercies arrive each morning—only when we need them, not a moment sooner
• Hard things are exactly what Jesus calls us to, equipped with His strength and comfort
• We...

The tension between fostering deep relationships and managing difficult behaviors sits at the heart of every foster and adoptive parent's journey. In this deeply personal exploration, we uncover why our focus often shifts from connection to control—and the surprising neurological reasons behind it.

When behaviors are under control and there's order in our homes, we feel safe. But what happens when our peace becom...

What happens in that critical moment when your child's behavior pushes your buttons? That split second before you respond determines whether your correction will actually work or simply bounce off ineffectively.

Foster and adoptive parents know the struggle all too well—the same behaviors repeating despite countless corrections. But what if the key isn't what you say during correction, but what you've establ...

We explore the critical importance of healing for foster and adoptive parents, emphasizing how past experiences shape our parenting. Understanding ourselves allows us to nurture our children effectively while providing the love they need.

• Exploring the concept of healing and being a steady presence
• The impact of past traumas on parenting styles
• The significance of understanding how childhood shapes our view...

We explore the complexities of foster care and adoption and the emotional toll trauma takes on families, emphasizing the importance of candid conversations about these challenges. Anna Bernacki shares her personal journey through adoption and how faith has guided her family.

• The importance of discussing difficult topics within foster care 
• Differences between crisis hospitalization and residential treatment 
• ...