What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting
The Go-to Podcast for Christian Women Who Want to Grow Their Family through Foster Care or Adoption: Do you struggle with constant overwhelm or have way more questions than answers while navigating the foster care system? Are you feeling like you’re losing yourself while trying to help your foster child or heal your adopted children? Do you feel completely ill-equipped with the needs of the kiddos in your home or that you took on more than you should have? What if there was a way that you could navigate the complexities of the foster care system, gain powerful insights into the adoption journey and find more peace and less chaos while balancing it all? Hi new friend, I’m Christine Marie, Christian Biblical Mindset coach, Mom of 4- Adoptive Mom of 2 and previous foster parent of 77 children. I can’t wait to share with you everything I have learned in my 10 year journey as a Foster Mom… and now adoptive mom. On this podcast, we are going to cover- -How to grow your family through foster care and adoption while fully trusting in Gods’ plan, timing and provision. -How to navigate a complicated foster care system without losing yourself or your mind in the process. -How to balance the needs of your birth children, foster kiddos and adoptive children. -How to balance your marriage, family, career and mental health. -How I found my own personal healing through all the brokenness. I am thankful you are here and can’t wait to get started. So, go grab your cup of coffee, make sure to reheat it and let’s jump in! XO, Christine Connect with me personally in our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fostercareandadoptionforchristianwomen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cortisol_coach Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechristinemarieofficial Email: cmhartmann@fulhart.org
Episodes
This one is for the foster and adoptive parents carrying the weight no one sees—who keep showing up, even when it feels like everything is falling apart.
Today, I’m sitting down with Devin Schubert—an adoptive dad of three—for a conversation about the cost of obedience, the depth of trauma, and the God who restores what we thought was lost forever.
After adopting his son, Devin walked through five years of chaos: -Explosive trauma ...
Today, I’m joined by the incredible DJ Noble, a former radio host, teacher, and long-time foster parent with a powerful 15-year journey that spans across Virginia and Kansas. In this episode, we’re talking about the REAL side of foster care—the emotions, the relationships, the red tape, and the redemption.
Together, we unpack: ✨ What it’s like navigating two different state systems ✨ How to honor and embrace biological families ✨ T...
Welcome back to the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast — a Christ-centered space for foster and adoptive moms navigating the complex, beautiful, and often messy journey of parenting children from hard places. I’m Christine Marie, an adoptive mom and certified Biblical mindset coach, and I’m so thankful you’re here.
In this powerful episode, I’m joined by Nicole Barlow — fellow adoptive mama of six, Host of Foster P...
***SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING.***
In this powerful episode of the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast, I sit down with Joseph Pedroza, a man whose story will leave you speechless. His journey is one of pain, resilience, and divine transformation—a true testimony to the power of God’s redemption.
Joseph’s childhood was marked by deep trauma—placed in foster care, experiencing horrific abuse after adoption, and facing ...
Welcome to the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast! I’m Christine Marie, an adoptive mom and former foster parent, and I’m so glad you’re here.
In today’s episode, I’m joined by James McLamb, the visionary founder and CEO of Generation Youth, known as America’s Youth Coach. With a background in Agricultural Education and Youth Development Leadership, James has dedicated his life to empowering and transforming the li...
Welcome to my latest episode of the "What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting" podcast.
I’m excited to share this heartwarming conversation with my special guest, Steve Wormer—a proven leader who embodies integrity, strength, and compassion in every area of his life.
Steve’s journey is nothing short of inspirational. He was a proven leader in corporate america, is the executive director of a nonprofit organization, and served ...
Welcome to the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast—a space created to provide guidance, encouragement, and real talk for foster and adoptive moms navigating the challenges of the system.
In this episode, we’re tackling one of the biggest struggles in this journey: fear. It’s so easy to let worry and uncertainty take over, but today, I’m sharing how to shift from a fear-based mindset to one grounded in love and trust...
Welcome to the "What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting" podcast!
I’m Christine Marie, your host. In addition to being a biblical mindset coach and a former foster parent of 10 years, I’m also an adoptive mom to our two beautiful daughters. I know firsthand the ups and downs of the foster care and adoption journey, and I’m here to help you navigate it with confidence and faith. Having cared for 77 foster children, I’m passionat...
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Caroline Leaf, a communication pathologist, audiologist and clinical neuroscientist, to explore the powerful concept of neuroplasticity and its impact on healing trauma in children.
Dr. Leaf specializes in psychoneurobiology research, has published 19 bestselling books in 24 languages, has over 50 million downloads on her award winning podcast, "Cleaning up the mental mess," and over 9 million do...
Looking back there is a few very pivotal lessons I wish I didn't have to learn but I am so thankful to share them with you today.
These are the top 5:
1. How does your foster child's behavior reflect on your parenting.
2. Chronological age vs. emotional age.
3. Your feelings are valid.
4. Being authentically you.
5. Putting your family first.
There are so many more lessons that I learned but these five that are foundational to...
Welcome to the "What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting" podcast, hosted by Christine Marie, a biblical mindset coach, previous foster parent of 77 children and adoptive mom of 2. This episode dives into the complexities of adopting through the foster care system, addressing common concerns and providing insights into balancing the journey with grace and faith.
The topic today is if adopting a child through the foster care sys...
On today’s episode, we will talk about the emotional highs and lows, the moments of judgment, and the lessons of grace.
It wasn’t until I had fully exited the world of foster care that I truly looked back and analyzed my heart’s posture. Knowing the intimate stories of the 77 children that entered our home and the hundreds more that I helped mentor the families of; my heart was broken. It in a place of judgement towards the biolog...
Whether you are a foster parent hoping to adopt, already adopted or a long-term foster parent, this episode is for you if you struggle with anxiety, overwhelm and desire to keep Jesus at the center.
I will share vulnerably several ways that I tried to maintain control and perfection while battling anxiety and worry. I had found myself fully shifted into a mindset of striving to control every aspect of our foster care and adoption p...
Welcome to the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast show. If you're a foster mom on the journey to adoption, already adopted, or somewhere in the middle, you're in the right place.
Today, I will take you on the journey of deciding to continue with my podcast. Over the past 2 months, God has been refining and pruning my heart and showing me how to more completely depend on Him.
If you are struggling right now as a fo...
On today's episode, we will conclude this 2 part series and talk about parenting children with attachment disorders. We will cover 6 key points to helping foster children feel safe and secure, comforted and supported, connected, experience consistency, feel encouraged and help you as the foster parent maintain boundaries in the foster home. All of these will help in developing bonds with your children, maintain emotional regulation...
In this episode which is part 1 of a 2 part series, we talk about attachment disorders commonly observed in foster and adopted children.
Attachment disorders relate to the bond children form with their primary caregiver right from birth, which significantly impacts their behavior. Children subjected to neglect, abuse, or abandonment often develop attachment disorders. We will discuss the 5 basic human needs that, when unfulfilled, ...
In this episode, we are going to dive into a lesser-discussed aspect of foster care: the mental health diagnoses of the foster children and then the topic of medication.
When you become a foster parent, you often have to navigate the often-overwhelming world of mental health care. I personally, know that I wasn't prepared for the level of complexity and at many times needed to make tough decisions without the understanding needed t...
There is a dire need for emotional support in the foster parent community – a need that often is neglected resulting in overwhelming isolation and unfortunate situations.
I will be vulnerably sharing one of the hardest lessons I learned as a foster parent while fostering and how it impacted the emotional struggles I faced. This episode will cover the importance of support systems, self-care and accessibility to emotional outlets an...
Join me today in an insightful edition of 'What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting' podcast, as we unravel the complexities of self-sabotaging behaviors prevalent among foster children. Dealing with challenging behaviors can seem perplexing, but understanding the root causes can pave the way towards significant change.
Diving deep into the neuroscience behind these actions, the episode unveils how traumatic experiences, subcons...
Popular Podcasts
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Daniel Jeremiah of Move the Sticks and Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Daily join forces to break down every team's needs this offseason.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.