Claim OwnershipBehind the Curtain: Honest Conversations about Foster Care and Adoption
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© 2025 Behind the Curtain: Honest Conversations about Foster Care and Adoption
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Each episode will feature a conversation between host Rebecca Harvin and foster/adoptive caregivers or members of the community who support foster care and adoption.
38 Episodes
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In part two of two, we explore authoritative parenting as a blend of warmth and structure that forms character for the long game. Faith and research meet in practical steps that build trust, align kids with reality, and make the teen years a joy rather than a warning. • greeting rituals that prioritize presence over logistics • using fewer words to lower defensiveness and increase responsiveness • humor as connection that supports timely correction • creating buffer zones like car rides for ...
In part one of two, we explore kind, authoritative parenting for foster and adoptive families, weaving research, faith, and real-life practice into a clear path that balances warmth with firm guidance. Rachel Medefind shares how discipline means training for growth, not punishment, and why community and mindset shape outcomes. • what authoritative parenting is and is not • warmth plus discipline as twin levers for growth • the four parenting styles and long-term outcomes • why “discipline” e...
In this episode, we explore foster parenting advice and adoption resources through the story of a neighbor's crisis that led to adopting two teens. Mary shares her transition from a career police officer's mindset to trauma-informed parenting, revealing the challenges and rewards of becoming an adoptive family. Listen to how they moved from emergency foster care to adoption, emphasizing foster care advocacy, attachment, and the power of community support and therapy guidance. This episode hig...
In this episode of 'Behind the Curtain: Honest Conversations about Foster Care and Adoption,' we explore essential soul care for foster and adoptive caregivers experiencing burnout. We share honest stories of exhaustion, striving, and the simple spiritual practices that help restore strength, encourage rest, and sustain leadership from a full cup. Michael Mitchell guides listeners through breath prayer, welcoming prayer, benevolent detachment, and practical ways to stay present amid caregivin...
Two friends pull back the curtain on what a Guardian ad Litem does, why the role matters, and how one steady volunteer can change a child’s case. Andrea shares training, time commitment, school advocacy wins, and the power of speaking for the child alone. • what a guardian ad litem or CASA is and does • training, background checks, and virtual court workflow • time commitment of 12 to 15 hours per month • how to investigate when stories conflict • advocating for reunification visits with saf...
Big news first: we’re taking a short breather so we can come back strong on December 2 with Season Three of Behind the Curtain. While we pause, we’re pointing you to two powerful replays and a brand-new support that can change the daily rhythm for foster and adoptive families. We start with a listener favorite: a candid look at foster care through the eyes of Brianna, a former foster youth, alongside her case manager. It’s raw, grounded, and deeply human, offering a window into what healing ...
Kate Angelo shares her transformative journey from foster care to bestselling author, revealing how small interventions changed her life trajectory and shaped her mission to help others heal from trauma. • Experiencing stability when a friend's family took her in through an independent living program after facing placement in a group home • Developing survival mechanisms that protected her during childhood trauma but required adjustment in adult relationships • Navigating triggers from past ...
In part one, Kate Angelo shares her extraordinary journey from a chaotic childhood with exotic pets, parental kidnappings, and neglect to finding purpose after aging out of foster care. • Former foster youth who became a bestselling author and now runs a nonprofit for strengthening marriages and families • Grew up in extreme chaos with exotic pets including a lion, bobcat, and monkey while experiencing neglect • Experienced trauma including witnessing her stepfather's murder and her grandmot...
Brianna Groah and her former case manager Kinsey Howell share the raw reality of foster care from the perspective of a child who lived through it. With honesty and vulnerability, they reveal what makes the difference between mere survival and genuine healing in the system. • Life before foster care included living in tents in the Florida woods after fleeing CPS in West Virginia • The trauma of removal and placement in eight different foster homes over five years • Why Bri intentionally sabot...
Educational advocate Trina Middleton shares her 30+ years of special education experience to help parents navigate the complex world of school advocacy for children with special needs, particularly in foster and adoptive families. • Recognizing red flags in struggling students: lack of motivation to learn, resistance to reading, and inability to complete homework independently • The importance of early intervention—waiting until third or fourth grade creates wider learning gaps • Understandi...
The Jantoyas, Elizabeth Janssen and Lisa Montoya, share their journey as best friends, foster and adoptive moms, and tireless advocates for children in the foster care system. They discuss how their friendship formed over fostering challenges and evolved into a community-building partnership that supports other foster families while creating meaningful change. • Elizabeth has 14 children (5 biological, 9 from foster care with 8 adopted) • Lisa has 5 children (2 biological, 3 adopted - 2 from...
This episode is Part 2 of Rebecca's conversation with Tammy Pulsifer. Here is the link to go back and listen to Part 1: Part 1 with Tammy Pulsifer Tammy Pulsifer, Director of Community Engagement at Safe Families for Children Tallahassee, shares how their organization builds support systems for vulnerable families to prevent children from entering foster care. The conversation explores the profound isolation that leads to foster care placement and how Safe Families creates communities of supp...
Tammy Pulsifer, Director of Community Engagement at Safe Families for Children in Tallahassee, shares how their organization prevents children from entering foster care by supporting families in crisis through community intervention and radical hospitality. • Born to missionary parents and raised internationally in Guam, Saipan, Korea, Hawaii, and England before settling in Tallahassee • Found purpose through local philanthropy work before joining Safe Families in 2021 • Safe Families create...
Loryn Smith brings 30+ years of child welfare experience as owner of Finally Home Christian Adoption Services, sharing her journey of fostering 120 children and adopting many into her family. • Service without sacrifice is a counterfeit • Being faithful is our responsibility; outcomes belong to God • Finding freedom in being "just a character" in God's bigger story • Relationships with children matter more than their achievements • Living in today rather than worrying about tomorrow • Creati...
Rebecca and Olivia explore the concept of "trying softer" and how loosening our grip on control can transform our lives, especially in the demanding world of foster care and adoption. • Recognizing when we're trying too hard from a place of insecurity or fear of being "found out" as not good enough • Understanding how our tendency to meet everyone else's needs often comes at the cost of our own wellbeing • Examining the difference between authentic presence versus performing or dissociating ...
Stephanie Miller shares her journey as a single foster and adoptive mom to three young children, revealing both the exhausting challenges and profound joys of parenting alone. • Adopted a five-year-old last December and a 16-month-old around Halloween, while currently fostering another five-year-old • Drew inspiration from her cousin who fostered and adopted three siblings as a single mother • Openly discusses the fears she faced - financial concerns, physical exhaustion, and emotional capac...
Rebecca shares how intentionally noticing positive moments and seeking connection opportunities with her children is transforming her summer parenting experience, despite the challenging start. • Summer began with significant struggles, including a moment when Rebecca needed to leave the house after a lawn chair broke in her hands • Progress with one child who historically couldn't participate in simple conversations without going into fight/flight/freeze mode • Celebrating her young son's d...
Rebecca Harvin and Courtney Studard share their hard-won wisdom on traveling with children of all ages, from essential packing strategies to entertainment tips that really work. We offer practical advice for making family travel more enjoyable, less stressful, and filled with meaningful memories rather than meltdowns. • Start children traveling young whenever possible - they adapt quickly and become great travelers • Lower your expectations dramatically - it's a trip, not a vacation • Always...
Jenn Ditges shares her powerful journey from infertility to motherhood through foster care and adoption, revealing how she came to mother six children after experiencing twelve pregnancy losses. • Always dreamed of being pregnant since witnessing her mother's pregnancy at age 8 • Received a spiritual promise of having six children while walking in Africa • Experienced twelve pregnancy losses, with doctors eventually stopping treatment • Bought a six-bedroom house in faith before having any c...
Jessica Miles shares her raw, powerful story of loving through the hardest seasons of foster care, demonstrating how her own difficult childhood prepared her to show up authentically for children experiencing trauma. She offers profound insight into what it means to love intentionally when behaviors are extreme and systems are failing. • Loving children the way she wished she'd been loved as a child • Creating safety and protection as foundational parenting values • Learning each child's uni...
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