ADOPTION NOW

In this episode, hosts April and Noah share how their kids turned a school diversity week into something unexpected — a celebration of adoption as their family culture. When their son AJ rocked a bear mascot costume and their daughter found courage with her sister by her side, they watched adoption transform from a sensitive topic into something kids could proudly share. Through stories of their school experience and eight years of podcasting, the couple talks about their dream of making adoption an everyday conversation — one where children can speak freely about their stories, where families find connection, and where being adopted isn't whispered about but celebrated. As Noah puts it, it's not about being perfect; it's about being real and building a community where everyone belongs, and where healing takes place.

Two Babies, Ten Weeks Apart Noah and April sit down with birth mother Jessica and adoptive mother Connie for a story that they have not heard before. Even after telling hundreds of adoption stories, nothing could have prepared them for this combination of embryo adoption and traditional adoption happening at once.  An Unexpected Match, with Unexpected Timing After getting married late in life, Connie and Matt struggled with expanding their family. The couple went through a miscarriage and decided to look at other options. They decided to pursue traditional adoption through an agency. They were set and ready to go when Connie heard about embryo adoption. The process moved so quickly and at the age of 43 Connie was pregnant! When Jessica found out she was unexpectedly pregnant with her third child at 21, she did not feel she could add another baby to the family.  She had just started school for a career she felt would change her and her son's lives. Through much thought, she decided adoption was her best option. She found a national agency and moved forward.  The agency, having no idea that Connie was pregnant, matched them.  Would the agency let Connie adopt 10 weeks after she delivered a baby? Would Jessica still choose to be matched to a mom who was already pregnant? Noah and April had so many question in this interview, and you can see how the connection between Connie and Jessica was a true match! Listen now to hear how this adoption story came together.

A Life-Changing Choice at 21 At 21, Jessica was a single mother of two young boys, pursuing her education and trying to get off welfare when she discovered she was pregnant. With the baby's father in prison and her own path toward stability just beginning, she made the brave decision to explore adoption.   An Unlikely Match Made in Perfect Timing After months of struggling to match with a family due to concerns about her medical history, Jessica finally connected with Connie and Matt. The twist? They were already expecting a baby through embryo adoption, due just ten weeks before Jessica's delivery. Rather than deterring her, this unique situation drew Jessica to them even more, especially when they discussed raising the girls as sisters.   From Darkness to Light: 16 Years Later Today, 16 years after placement, Jessica's story has come full circle. She went on to complete her education, marry, and have another daughter. The open adoption has allowed her to maintain a connection with her daughter and the adoptive family, with annual visits that have helped heal generational wounds - including her own father's adoption experience. Her journey from a struggling young mother demonstrates the power of choosing hope in the midst of difficult circumstances.  

Darcy Olsen is the founder & CEO of the Center for the Rights of Abused Children, an organization dedicated to uniting people in the fight to protect America's abused children. They have helped over 775,000 children nationwide. Darcy has fostered ten babies and adopted four as a single mother! Darcy shared her full story last week. Jordan had her first baby and then experienced secondary infertility. She and her husband, Jose, adopted their second child in less than 5 months! Jordan shares how her perspective on the process changed and about her experience with open adoption. Listen here for her full story on the ADOPTION NOW Podcast. April Fallon has adopted 4 children with her husband Noah. As they were trying to expand their family, they said yes to 7 placements but only finalized 4. The joy and challenges of adoption left them compelled to start ADOPTION NOW, to give adoption a voice and create a community to understand adoption through story telling.  This episode is filled with important lessons and how adoption can cause such deep personal growth as you recognized that you have no control over many things in the process!! Children are a gift from God and adoption is not transactional. It is about staying committed to the journey no matter how hard it is, remembering that you do have it in you! If these 3 moms can do it, you can too!

Darcy Olsen is the founder & CEO of the Center for the Rights of Abused Children, an organization dedicated to uniting people in the fight to protect America's abused children. They have helped over 775,000 children nationwide. Darcy has fostered ten babies and adopted four as a single mother! Darcy’s dedication to supporting abused children and navigating the foster care system is truly inspiring. If you're looking to support children in foster care or considering adoption from the system, here are some key ways to make a difference: Educate Yourself on the Process: Understand the ins and outs of the foster care and adoption process. Each state may have different laws and procedures, so it's crucial to familiarize yourself with those specific to your area. Advocate for Legal Change: Stay informed about legislation affecting foster care and adoption. Advocacy can include reaching out to local representatives or participating in community initiatives that push for improved protections and rights for children. Consider Fostering or Adopting: Taking the step to foster or adopt can have a profound impact on a child’s life. If you're not ready to foster or adopt, consider supporting foster families in your community. Provide Support to Organizations: Engage with and support organizations dedicated to helping abused and foster children, whether through donations, volunteering, or raising awareness. Seek Legal Advice: If you're contemplating foster care, seeking legal advice can help you navigate the complexities of the process if questions or concerns arise on behalf of the child’s rights.   As we listen to this episode, we hear how to take these steps, so we work together and contribute to create lasting and positive change for children in the foster care system.

McKenzie's journey is a testament to the resilience and strength that many couples show in the face of loss and grief. It's inspiring to hear how she and her husband Kim found support through the ADOPTION NOW Podcast, which provided guidance and comfort as they explored adoption as a path to parenthood. Sharing their story on the podcast is a powerful way to connect with others who may be experiencing similar challenges, and it's wonderful that McKenzie is able to give back to the community that helped her. This kind of shared experience can be incredibly impactful for other individuals and couples considering or going through adoption.

We have a new season of hope and connection! April Fallon sits down with Jordan Moreno to reflect on ADOPTION NOW's remarkable journey and the episodes that have left a lasting impact on her and her family.  As we celebrate reaching over 1 million downloads worldwide, we invite you to join our community of adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth families.  Visit our Patreon page and ADOPTIONNOWPodcast.com to explore coaching resources and be inspired by the collective power of our stories.

Rodney and Mary Leah are both attorneys in Alabama. For ten years, they walked the journey of infertility before welcoming twins, Dalton and Mary Elizabeth, through Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program.  They also serve on the board of Carrywell, a non-profit that helps couples walking through infertility, miscarriage and infant loss through groups and grants. They are passionate about helping families through grief and healing as couples explore other options into parenthood. This episode is so inspiring for those interested and wanting to learn more about how the embryo adoption process works. 

Aida Phillips and her husband longed to be parents but found that conceiving naturally was not possible for them. They began infertility treatments, which ultimately proved unsuccessful and took a significant toll on Aida both mentally and physically. She started looking into adoption, but her husband was hesitant, and EVEN MORE so when they met with a crooked adoption attorney in Miami!   It was a journey to be matched to their daughter, but they did not give up.  Aida is from Mexico and Jewish. In this episode we hear how that added to the obstacles of being matched to the right birth family who would accept the child to be raised Jewish. Despite these challenges, their resilience led them to a successful match. Just wait until you hear about the day when they met their new baby daughter and the joy that filled their family! This profound experience inspired Aida to start a non-profit organization, “Born From Our Souls,” to support the Hispanic community in the adoption process. Her organization aims to hold the hearts and hands of those pursing adoption. 

After Michael and Naomi’s unsuccessful attempts to start a family, they were led to a fertility clinic where they were diagnosed with male-factor infertility. They were told IVF would be the only real option. The couple experienced a lot of grief and started praying about what to do to become parents. They started to research their options when God opened the door to the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, Tennessee!!  This is where Michael and Naomi began their life-changing journey of becoming pregnant with two adopted boys through embryo adoption and the real twist of the story is the twins are NOT biologically related. What a MIRACLE STORY!!! In this episode, they want to encourage other couples facing infertility that what feels like God’s “NO” in your life (infertility, loss, etc.) may actually be leading you face-to-face with His beautiful and perfect “YES” for your family. 

Adoption doesn’t always have to be a daunting task! Jordan Moreno’s story tells us that the timeline might be faster than you think! Jose and Jordan have a beautiful adoption story, as they all are, but this one had an ease about it that will make anyone who is nervous feel at peace that everything can fall perfectly into place and QUICKLY!!! They announced to their family in November that they had plans to adopt, finished their home study in February, matched in June and their daughter was born July 2nd!!! After experiencing secondary infertility for 5 years after their son was born, the family was so grateful to be able to expand their family through adoption and want to encourage others in this journey!

Brady and Andrea Murray are the proud parents of eleven children, seven of which are adopted. After having a biological child diagnosed with Down Syndrome, the couple started RODS Heroes, which was founded in 2013. RODS Heroes inspires families to answer the call to adopt a child with Down Syndrome or other unique circumstances. As they were helping other families, they went to China to bring home their son, Cooper, who has become the baseball star you see on Instagram @bradymurray21. The couple went on to adopt two daughters from foster-care and then said yes to another international adoption, this time from Colombia. They just recently traveled and brought home a sibling group of 4 to join the family!  Listen to this episode to hear about adopting special needs children from China, how to start your process adopting from Colombia and how adopting through the foster care system might be the right path for you! 

Jenell M. Jones is the author of “Shattered,” a book that shares her experience as an adoptive mother. Last week we heard her story on adopting Mercy from the foster care system. Mercy joined the family of 6 children and had many mental and physical traumas that affected her day-to-day life. On part two, Jenell talks about how the system is set up to help children but often fails to provide resources to help foster children heal and be able to thrive in a family. On this episode she shares about the next level of trauma that vulnerable children could face. How does adoption and foster care play into human trafficking? What is being done to protect our children?

Jenell M. Jones is the author of “Shattered,” a book that shares her experience as an adoptive mother. Jenell is currently operating multiple early learning centers, which specialize in providing high quality learning experiences to children who experience trauma in low-income areas, while also raising 7 children! When she brought home Mercy she found out that her expectations about adoption were shattered.  Her passion is helping foster parents and adoptive parents ask the right questions on this journey. In this episode we get very real about the day-to-day challenges of raising children with mental and physical trauma. She gives advice to parents (and soon to be parents) on what they need to hear most about the foster care system. What questions do you ask social workers? What do you need to be prepared for when bringing home an older child? What do you need to know about trauma and loss?  This episode helps us understand how important it is that children find healing and what resources Jenell had to use to hopefully lead her daughter to find truth and peace in her story.

President & CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption has joined ADOPTION NOW for an incredible interview. Rita Soronen has worked on behalf of abused, neglected and vulnerable children for more than 30 years.  As the leader of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national nonprofit public charity, her mission is to dramatically increase the number of adoptions from foster care. They are working hard to find permanent families for the more than 140,000 waiting children in the United States foster care system. The non-profit was inspired by Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s fast-food restaurant chain, who was adopted himself! Rita shares his story, as well as her own journey in working with families and children. If you are interested in adopting an older child from the foster care system, this episode is for you!

Author Sarah D. Shearer joins ADOPTION NOW to talk about her adoption story.  In her words, her story started off with little hope, “I was born with various medical needs and was left in a Russian hospital where nuns helped to keep me alive until I was transferred to an orphanage.” The Russian orphanage was convinced that no one would want her, but a family in Thomasville, GA saw her picture and fell in love. This is an uplifting story filled with gratitude and grace towards adoption. Sarah has written a memoir called “Extra Ordinary” to share her positive perspective. She says, “no one can speak to adoption more than an adoptee.” Listen to this episode and check out her book on Amazon!   QLyczKYulKtuC15aefxa

PART 2!! As we heard on the last episode, Jacob and Jessica already had 2 biological children when they adopted a baby boy while being filmed on the Oxygen show “I am Having Their Baby.” The family of 5 soon became a family of 6, as they went on to adopt a little boy with clubfoot. On this week’s episode Jessica shares how their journey was not over after 2 adoptions! As they waited on the agency’s adoption list, a situation came up that involved drug exposure to the unborn baby. The couple had to make a quick decision if they wanted to keep moving forward and say yes. Listen to hear the rest of the J Family's story!

As cameras rolled, Jessica and Jacob started their adoption journey on the Oxygen show “I’m Having Their Baby.” On this episode, Jessica talks to us about the experience of adopting while being filmed on a TV show (as if the hospital time isn’t stressful enough)! They had 2 biological children when they started the process, and as you will hear, they just kept saying yes to situations. This is part 1 of 2 episodes on how they became a family of 8!

Kurt and Megan were married and had 2 sons when they went on a mission trip to Haiti. God began to stir in their hearts a call to adopt. This is a story about surrendering to God’s plan and being obedient to taking the next steps. They knew that if they did not pursue adoption, they would miss out on what God had planned for them. The process was not easy but eventually they brought home a 4-year-old little girl named Esther. They were all so excited but as time went on, they learned about trauma and grief in children. In this episode we hear from Megan about the joy and chaos of learning to parent differently and how to let go of the expectations of what they thought raising a daughter would look like. Through prayer and resources, they have seen Esther grow in ways that have brought love and understanding to their whole family.

Noah joins April on this episode to talk about so many things…like the new WEBSITE! They update us on how the kids are doing and share what is next for ADOPTION NOW. You do not want to miss this candid conversation the two of them have about life as a multicultural adoptive family.