Claim OwnershipThe Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast
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Š Marcy Bursac, Adoptive Mom & Founder of The Forgotten Adoption Option
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đ The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast â now in its sixth season â shares real stories and insights on adopting through foster care.
Each month, host Marcy Bursac, Americaâs Foster Care Adoption Mentor, interviews:
⢠Adoptive parents
⢠Adoptees
⢠Adults who aged out of foster care
⢠Child welfare experts
đĄ Nearly 30% of children in U.S. foster care are legally free for adoption, yet many families never reach the finish line.
đ Learn more at FosterCareAdoption.org and subscribe wherever you listen.
Each month, host Marcy Bursac, Americaâs Foster Care Adoption Mentor, interviews:
⢠Adoptive parents
⢠Adoptees
⢠Adults who aged out of foster care
⢠Child welfare experts
đĄ Nearly 30% of children in U.S. foster care are legally free for adoption, yet many families never reach the finish line.
đ Learn more at FosterCareAdoption.org and subscribe wherever you listen.
85Â Episodes
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Keeping siblings together isnât accidental. Itâs intentional. Tiffany and Hakim talk about how they prepare for sibling groups and what it looks like to be the family that says yes when agencies are trying to keep brothers and sisters together.
Christie Erwin is the Executive Director of Project Zero, an organization with a bold mission: Zero. Noun. The number of children that should be waiting in foster care to be adopted.If that sounds familiar, itâs because Iâve been wearing their gray T-shirt for years. And when youâve helped more than 1,600 children find a permanent family, youâve earned the right to talk about getting closer to zero.In this episode, Christie shares how Project Zero is transforming the way children waiting for adoption are seen, advocated for, and ultimately connected to families. We talk about strategy, urgency, and what it really takes to move from hundreds waiting to numbers that once felt impossible.Because zero is not just a word. Itâs a commitment.
Adoptive mom Francine Apy shares the story behind her adoption pendant necklace and her business, SoulFilling, which helps normalize adoption and support families touched by it.
Adoptive mom and Reclaim Compassion author Lisa C. Qualls explains blocked care and how parents can begin reclaiming compassion in adoptive families.Learn more about Lisa and her work at www.lisacqualls.com
Adoptee-turned-therapist Bre Gronli shares her foster care adoption story, her path to trauma-informed work, and the resources that help shape her own healing.
Adopted together. Growing up together. Sharing their story together.In this bonus episode, siblings Laura, Kim, and Dan reflect on entering foster care, being adopted as a group, and what they want families to know about saying yes to siblings.
Tom Baldwin serves as the Director of Strategy and Development for the Belmont University Social Innovation Labs, where he helps students, leaders, and organizations rethink how meaningful social change is made. With more than two decades of experience launching innovations across the business and social impact sectors, Tom brings a thoughtful and creative lens to todayâs most complex challenges.The Innovation Lab recently released its Impact and Investment Caseâa bold invitation to reimagine how we support youth transitioning out of the foster care system. Their work explores what it takes to shift systems, unlock new forms of capital, and develop leaders who can build a more supportive future for young people.
Anna is a mom by adoption and birth whose personal journey led her to bridge a gap for families raising children with trauma histories. You might remember her from Season 1, when she and her husband Travis shared their adoption story. Now, Anna is a certified Master IEP CoachÂŽ and Special Needs Church Consultant, equipping schools and faith communities to better support children and families impacted by adoption and trauma.
Meet my graphic novel writing coach Maria Rodgers OâRourke! Maria is a writer and certified Story Grid Editor. Her career began in advertising and public relations, moved to nonprofit leadership, and homed in on communications and writing after earning her masterâs degree in pastoral studies. Maria is publisher and author of two womenâs journals. Sheâs contributed stories to the St. Louis Post Dispatch and the HuffPost, and to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Maria runs MRO Creative, where she supports writers as a developmental editor and coach and crafts her own stories and reflections. Learn more about Maria and her approach at mrocreative.com.
Josh, a finance professional from Erie, Pennsylvania, shares how a timely billboard sparked a life-changing decision for him and his wife, Elenaâto say yes to helping children in foster care. In this episode, youâll hear how Josh brings foster care adoption advocacy into his Fortune 500 workplace, openly sharing his journey with colleagues and finding meaningful ways to support children in care. His story offers inspiration and practical ideas for anyone looking to be an advocateâright where they are.
Vince Smith leads Keystone Family Alliance as its Executive Director, drawing on his extensive expertise in organizational leadership and community engagement to drive transformative programs. Over the years, Vince has spearheaded innovative outreach and sustainable initiatives that create opportunities for vulnerable children and families to thrive.
Andrew Lewis is a partner at KPMG and the founder of the KPMG National Foster Care and Adoption Network. He is both a foster parent and adoptive parent who serves on the boards of Comfort Cases and the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE).
Karen Phillips didnât plan to become a child welfare changemakerâshe simply said yes to becoming a foster parent. That yes set her on a path to help families in crisis long before the foster care system gets involved.In this episode of The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast, Karen shares how her lived experience fueled the creation of the 100 Families Initiative at Restore Hope Arkansas. Together with her team, sheâs building tech-powered, community-based solutions that bring together nonprofits, agencies, and families to prevent foster care entry.đ§ Youâll hear:How Karenâs journey into foster care turned into statewide impactWhat the 100 Families model looks like in actionThe surprising ways technology is bridging gaps across systemsWhy prevention is both possible and powerfulThis is more than a storyâitâs a blueprint for hope.
Eva Amador is a retired adoption attorney from Puerto Rico. She spent her the final years of her career navigating the legal process to help children find forever families.
Connie Going has spent over 25 years working in the child welfare system and is the adoptive parent of two teens including Davion and another young man - the boys became good friends and referred to themselves as brothers when living at the same group home.
Beverly Jenkins and I met as Invested Faith Fellows. She is the founder of the North County Innovation Center. During a meet up at her space, she shared she was an adoptive mom, too. She went on to share she adopted a teenager from her youth group. Listen to this episode to hear how their forever family came together.
Amanda Denning is the Director of Extreme Recruitment for the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. Amanda is herself half adopted and, as of a few months ago, has become the kinship placement for her niece. She has been working in child welfare for more than 10 years first as a recruiter and now as the director of a unique and intensive approach to finding permanent homes for children in foster care who are considered hard to place due to age, special needs, or length of time in care. This program is called Extreme RecruitmentÂŽ. Exciting News!This podcast has been recognized among the Top 3 Best Adoptive Mom Podcasts and the Top 25 Best Adoption Podcasts by Feedspot! More people are discovering the reality of children waiting to be adopted through foster care, and together, weâre amplifying their voices.Explore the rankings: â Best Adoptive Mom Podcastsâ , Best Adoption Podcasts
In addition to being the mother of 3 daughters, 1 through adoption, â Katerina Canyonâ is an award-winning poet and author.Â
During our conversation, we revisit stories from past guests, including â Ben & Emilyâ , who faced the unexpected challenge of their paperwork getting lost during the licensing process, and â Thea & Amyâ , who discuss how their â Family-Matchâ technology is changing the way waiting children are matched with adoptive families.
Rene by day works in tech. As a single woman, she cares for her sister's children. In the foster care space we call this a 'kinship placement'. Kin refers to being a family member or someone related by blood.I think you'll find her story remarkable and also empathize with the challenges she faces.
Brian Murphy is both the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer and Shaneetra Gross serves as Chief Administrative Officer for Gift of Adoption Fund. Gift of Adoption provides adoption assistance grants to complete the adoptions of children in vulnerable circumstances.Â
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