This week on The Courage Coalition, I sat with Gena Floro—a former foster youth whose story cracked my heart open and stitched it back together with hope. Between ages eight and eighteen, Gena was placed in 32 homes and attended 17 schools. Those aren’t just numbers; they’re 32 sets of rules, 32 beds, 32 times of being reminded she didn’t get to belong. In care, even simple choices ear piercing, playing a sport, cutting your hair required permission. “I learned I wasn’t a person, I was a placement,” she said. Yet underneath the moves, the survival mode, and the grief, Gena never stopped carrying a quiet courage: the decision to keep going when giving up felt easier.
Five days before turning eighteen, she was adopted proof that “too late” is a lie. Her story is not sanitized. She names the depression, the acting out, the drugs, the abusive relationship, the night a life ended outside her window, in spite of being adopted, and then turning. She chose a recovery program, found a faith community, learned to set boundaries, and began believing what Jesus says about her: worthy, loved, made in His image. She is also vulnerable and open about going back to it all, only to have to begin again and the relationships that were lost are hurt in the process.
Today, Gena protects her peace, works hard, dreams of a family of her own, and hopes to foster and adopt someday. When I asked for her definition of courage, she said: “Courage is the quiet decision to keep showing up choosing growth over comfort, healing over hiding, and truth over silence.” That’s the heartbeat of this episode.
Gena reminds us that kids in care don’t need our pity; they need to be seen, listened to, and loved with consistency. They need adults who teach boundaries and trust, who show up without strings, and who stay. If you’ve ever wondered what difference one person can make, listen in. You might realize that love is rarely loud it looks like presence, permission to be human, and a seat at the table that doesn’t get pulled away.
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Until next time, keep shining bright!
- Corree
