The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast

You don't need a degree, title, or position of authority to advocate for change!In this bonus episode, I'm joined by Ella Bat-Ami, a young woman who aged out of foster care and went on to advocate for a Foster Youth Bill of Rights in Tennessee.Ella shares how she found mentors, brought her ideas before state lawmakers, and used her lived experience to speak up for others. We also talk about how adults can support young people in finding their voices and how anyone can begin advocating right where they are.

I’ve wanted to have this conversation for a very long time. In this episode, I’m joined by Toni Jordan, the first biological parent to share her story on The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast. Toni shares what it was like for her child to enter foster care and ultimately be adopted by another family, what she wishes adoptive families understood about first families, and a powerful story of recovery and redemption. This is a perspective that belongs in the foster care adoption conversation, and I’m grateful Toni trusted me to help make space for it.

Our stories and experiences can change the way people understand foster care adoption, but knowing what to say, what not to say, and how to say it can feel intimidating. In this episode, I’m joined by Melissa Otero, National Campaign Director at AdoptUSKids, to talk about strategic sharing, overcoming the fear of speaking up, protecting the parts of a story that aren’t ours to tell, and how any of us can use our voice to help others better understand foster care adoption and take action.Mentioned in this episode:Melissa shares the story of the Arntson family in Minnesota, whose foster care adoption journey began after seeing an AdoptUSKids billboard with the message, “You don’t have to be perfect to be a perfect parent.”Watch the Arntson family’s story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r5-2vuxZ7I

In this episode, I talk with educator and adoptive mom Laura Adams about building Adoption & Foster Friendly Schools™. We explore how schools can better support students from adoptive, foster, and kinship families and why connection, understanding, and belonging matter so much for children with complex family stories.

In this bonus episode, I talk with Kacie Alexander and Heather McDow from Alltru Credit Union about how one conversation led to adoption-friendly workplace benefits and changed a family's adoption journey. Discover why employers of any size can make a lasting difference for children and adoptive families.