This week Mal + Kate talk with friend, and Funding Love Alumni, Jessie Mattos. Jessie is a birth mom and ethical adoption advocate and professional. She placed her daughter for adoption in 2011 and while her journey to healing started out rocky, she has since found support and self-acceptance through being in community with other birth moms and learning from all sides of the adoption community. We can’t wait for you to hear her story and her perspectives on the need for post-placement support. Connect with Jessie!Instagram Abiding Love CharitiesConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

Thanksgiving is over and Christmastime is officially here!This week, Mal + Kate reminisce on memories and family traditions from Christmas Past, while sharing memories and family traditions they choose to create and carry on in their own families. They also share their secret Christmas WISH of being able to raise $40K in one day this Giving Tuesday. Give to our Giving Tuesday Campaign!Connect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

Happy Thanksgiving week! This week Mal and Kate welcome returning guest Ashley Mitchell. You probably know her as Big Tough Girl on Instagram. She is a birth mom and adoption reform advocate and she is back talking all about her own Podcast with co-host and fellow birth mom Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard Twisted Sisterhood. In this conversation, we really deep-dive in on that name, Twisted Sisterhood, and what it means, not only for relationships between Birth moms, but between all parts of the adoption constellation. Get ready for a passionate conversation about the real and raw realities of adoption experiences and the work that we still have left to do in reform and advocacy for this community. Buckle up and tune in on YouTube or wherever you stream podcasts TODAY!Connect with Twisted Sisterhood!InstagramWebsiteAshley MitchellKelsey Vander Vliet RanyardConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the showSupport the show

Hey men! Does your wife want to grow your family through adoption, but you have some hesitations?  Or has adoption always been something on your heart, too, but you just don't know where or how to begin?Well, this week's podcast is just for you! Mal + Kate welcome guests Matt Appleby + Tim Elrod to chat all about adoption through the eyes of a husband. Tim + Matt are both biological and adoptive dads, so they share their experience of adoption while also dropping a few sports references and dad jokes. Connect with Matt!InstagramFacebookPodcastConnect with Tim!InstagramFacebookWebsitePodcastConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

November is National Adoption Awareness Month, a month to bring awareness to kids + teens in foster care that are in need of an adoption placement. However, over the years, NAAM has become a month to bring awareness to adoption, as a whole. This week, Mal + Kate welcome Funding Love Birth Mom Vacation Alumni, Shonda Larson, to the show as she shares her experience as an adoptee that was adopted from foster care at the age of three. Shonda is a full time student pursuing her passion for helping others. Her heart is focused on educating others on adoption from the perspective of being an adoptee and a birth mother as well as educating the benefits of open adoptions, and allowing all members of the triad to get together to share sacred space and their stories. She believes laughing and kindness, with a little bit of sass, is the answer to any question. When not talking about adoption, Shonda is a spontaneous kind of adventurer; stay up till 2 am baking, drink too much coffee kinda person. She laugh lots, cries all the time, and loves oh so hard.Connect with Shonda!InstagramSupport the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

Happy Halloween!Growing up, did you like to dress up on Halloween more often as hero or villain characters? As fun as it can be to pretend for one night to be the bad guy, in life, no one really wants to be the villain. This week, Mal + Kate bring you a SpOoKy episode on the narrative of heroes and villains within the adoption triad. Who is the hero? Who is the villain? Birth moms? Adoptive families? And where does that narrative leave adoptees?Tune in as Mal + Kate share their honest opinions on this subject, debunking myths and flipping scripts.Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

Do you ever feel like you have an unpopular opinion?? Proceed with caution: This week, Mal + Kate share with listeners their unpopular opinions on both adoption and Disney. We invite you to pour your favorite beverage, pull up a cozy seat, and listen along to this silly and sometimes serious episode. Let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree with any of their opinions; or email Mal + Kate anytime at hello@fundinglove.com to share with them how you're enjoying the show.Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate welcome adoptive and bio mom, Laura Hernandez, as she shares about her incredible family of twelve! With seven biological children and three more that joined their family through foster care adoption, running a large household that grew even larger in a very short span of time, Laura found herself quickly over whelmed by the many to-dos of motherhood. Her solution? Mama Systems!Laura is the founder of Mama Systems, a coaching business that helps moms bring peace to their homes through organized systems so they can be intentional with their people and show up as the best mama possible. This is a not-to-be-missed episode, as it is packed full of helpful parenting advice, and lined with some of the vulnerable truths of being an adoptive parent. Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.Connect with Laura!Mama Systems Website InstagramFacebookPersonal Instagram Resources from Laura!Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Caretaker SupportMama Systems Self Care GuideMama Systems Chore GuideMama Systems Mama RoutineConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Funding Love! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate welcome returning guest, Allison Olson, to talk about her newest children's book, "Learning About My Friend's Adoption". Being both an adoptee and an adoptive parent, Allison Olson has a unique perspective on the topic of adoption. Her goal is to build confidence and self-esteem in young adoptees by changing the adoption narrative from the “lucky" child to the “loved" child. Allison lives in Oregon with her husband, two daughters, and their two kittens Bo and Aero. This book follows Allison's highly successful first book on adoption, Surrounded by Love: An Open Adoption Story.Shop Allison's books on Amazon!Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with Allison!InstagramFacebookTikTokWebsiteConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Funding Love! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate welcome Funding Love's 2024 Birth Mom Vacation Alumni, Brittany Wigington. Along with being a birth mom , Brittany is an adoptive mom with experience as an adoption professional. In this moving episode, she shares her story and why it is so important for post-placement support to be offered and normalized within the birth mom community. She says that she is motivated to help other women because she wishes that she would have "had a Brittany" in her life during her season of carrying and placing her daughter almost eighteen years ago.Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with Brittany!@luxuriousglamourby_britConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate welcome returning guest, Mallory Dumond, as she gives a trip report on the  Inaugural Rewarding Responders Vacation that traveled the first week of September. Together, the three of them talk over all of the trip details and dive into how Walt Disney World is the perfect place for families from all walks of life, profession, and background to build stronger bonds, community, and find restoration. As a sister organization that serves First Responders and their families in the same way that we serve the adoption community, Rewarding Responders is near and dear to the heart of Funding Love. Give them, and the essential community they serve, a follow today! Connect with Rewarding Responders!WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate hit record on a casual conversation about frequently asked questions they get about adoption. Listen in as they sip some rosé and talk about how they answer questions like:How did you even begin the process, when you decided to adopt?Did you name your adoptive child?Did you always want an open adoption?Isn't sharing your child  with their birth mom hard?Tune in today, and don't forget to leave us a review!Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

Our 2023 Birth Mom Vacation just wrapped up! We hosted 14 birth moms on an all-expenses-paid vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. On this episode, Mal + Kate recap the vacation with Funding Love's two Birth Mom Vacation Magic Makers, Sarah Basham and Tori Brister. They share all the details from check-in and Opening Night Dinner, to the women's official Walt Disney World VIP Tour and park-hopping days. Tune in to hear all the ways that our donors have helped this community of under served women create community and find restoration while enjoying all the MAGIC Disney has to offer. Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

The secret is out and the date has been announced! Funding Love will host its second annual fundraising gala once more at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando on April 26th, 2024. It is called the Funding Love Garden Gala and in this episode, Mal + Kate reveal all the details. From the whimsical, floral decor, to the return of the silent and live auctions, full course dinner, and educational and inspiring programming, this event will be sure to WOW our incredible donors that attend. Sponsorships are available NOW! Email us at hello@fundinglove.com for more info.Tickets will go on a Loyalty Pre-Sale October 15th, 2023, and officially ticket sales begin November 1, 2023. Mark your calendars and save the date, April 26th, 2024, NOW! Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate welcome returning guest, Kay Wilkoff. Kay is a foster, adoptive, and biological mom who works to promote hope and health of the foster parent community in her county as a mentor and Co-Chair of the Foster Parent Advisory Board in Monroe County, NY. Kay and her family have provided support to over 25 kids in care over the last decade and are currently a part of an open foster/guardian relationship with their current teen foster daughter. In this episode Kay shares the raw and real truths of the ups and downs of foster care. If you have ever considered foster care, or know someone that fosters and you would like to better understand their experience, this episode is for you!Connect with Kay!FABMC.orgConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Funding Love! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the showSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate chat with adoptive mom and small business owner, Janna Kelly. She shares her story of adoption and how her small business came to life during that journey. Now, as a thriving, growing business, she gives back to Funding Love by donating her products to Funding Love Welcome Baskets. Janna is the small business owner of Joy in Words Designs that grew out of the “waiting” period during the very beginnings of her own adoption journey. What started as a “side hobby”, grew and grew into what it is today; a business, fully partnered with her parents, that ships personalized items all over the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Janna and her husband have three precious kiddos all who came to their family through the gift of adoption….. so adoption is so near and dear to their hearts. Janna loves talking about adoption and loves helping to educate others about adoption while supporting both the adoptive and biological sides of the adoption triad.Connect with Janna!FacebookInstagramEmail janna@joyinwordsdesigns.comConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Funding Love! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the showSupport the show

This week adoptive mom, Misti Maddron, shares her story of building her family through adoption with Mal + Kate. It's a story of grief and loss that is lined with hope and joy and faith. Misti Maddron is a Christ follower, wife, mom of five, teacher, and artist. Her family is definitely a masterpiece of the Lord; constructed through adoption and miracles. She and her husband David have journeyed through infertility, adoption, and grief. It is her desire to provide hope of restoration through faith, art, travel, and her personal story. She loves big and lives big. She has a love for community, family, and rainbows. She shares her story because her desire is that you will find hope in today and what the future holds.Don't forget to leave us a rating and review.DonateConnect with Misti!Click here Connect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Funding Love! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the showSupport the show

Are you in the adoption community? Are you in the middle of an adoption journey? Do you ever pray?Do you ever wonder WHAT to pray, WHEN to pray, or HOW to pray?This week, Mal + Kate talk about their faith and pull back the curtains of vulnerability to share what their own prayer lives look like. They also offer their opinions on some good things to pray over if you are a hopeful adoptive parent. We hope you enjoy it and will leave us a comment or review while you're here.Support the show!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Us! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the showSupport the showSupport the show

This week, Mal + Kate talk with adoptive mom and author of Human Connection from an Open Adoption Journey, Paula Weeks. Paula is an adoptive mom to three adopted teens. All have some form of open adoption. She shares with us her thoughts an experience with open adoption, even when they all look very different. Paula is also an adoption life coach, a photographer, author, speaker and business partner with my husband’s Neurofeedback clinic. She is the middle child of 7, and grew up in the military, traveling the world. She is a self-help junkie, with books, podcasts and research. Before becoming a life coach, Paula owned a couple fitness centers, where she coached people to better health and a more positive mindset about their health. Still a gym rat, her focus now is helping families in the adoption triad.Connect with Paula via Instagram on her business and personal account.Purchase her book HERE!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Funding Love! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the showSupport the show

On this episode Mal and Kate have a chat with Laura Khoury. Laura is the adoptive mother of two beautiful girls. In addition, she and her husband have embraced the fostering of young children. Laura feels deeply passionate about creating stories about foster care and adoption as a way to encourage children to talk about their personal stories. It is Laura’s belief that all children should know where they come from and feel a sense of pride in their story. Laura and her family currently live in a small town in Michigan where they love being outdoors all year round. They enjoy fishing, skiing, hiking, and just relaxing with a book on the boat or at the beach. She loves children’s literature and feels energized and right at home when writing about her passion.In her book The Tale of Mallory Mouse: From Foster Care to Adoption Laura tells the story of how her youngest daughter, Cecilia, joined their family.  The attention and care she gave to this adorable children's book is unmatched. Connect with Laura via Facebook and InstagramPurchase her book HERE!Don't forget to leave us a rating a review.DonateConnect with  your hosts!@malyourpal@katedawnduckConnect with Funding Love! WebsiteInstagramFacebookSupport the show