Shows
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 25: Natalie Vecchione on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)If you happen to follow my YouTube channel, you may have seen last week’s episode entitled “5 Facts about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.” If you haven’t had a chance to watch that yet, I encourage you to check it out, because it will give you some of the background on the topic we’re going to be focusing on in this episode, which is FASD.
Natalie Vecchione is an FASD parent advocate, podcaster, author, and, most importantly, a wife and homeschool mom of two. Natalie and her husband, John, built their family through domestic adoption. Th...2021-08-101h 01
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 24: Dr. Samantha Coleman and Sandria Washington Take Us "Black to the Beginning"
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Episode 24
In the non-adoptive world, where people only know of adoption but have not actually lived as part of an adoption story, there is often a romanticization of adoption. Adoption is often sentimentalized and treated as a “happily ever after” story. But anyone living inside of an adoption story knows that adoption is a really complex topic with multiple lifelong ramifications, and there is no single “Adoption Narrative.” And while there is a growing body of work that focuses on transracial adoption and amplifyi...2020-07-1549 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 23: Whitney King - Supporting Families in Crisis Before They Become Families in Crisis
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Episode 23
When people think about foster care, we usually imagine children removed from situations where they are being severely abused or neglected by their natural parents. We hear stories in the news about examples of horrific abuse or neglect, and we celebrate that these children have been rescued and placed in a loving and safe foster home.
But this narrative, while certainly sometimes true, is an oversimplification of the circumstances that lead to children being removed from their parents. It might s...2020-07-0143 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 22: Jason Johnson on the Unique Role of the Foster Father
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Episode 22
It’s June, the month when many families celebrate Father’s Day, and in today’s episode, we’re focusing specifically on the role of foster fathers. My guest Jason Johnson is a writer and speaker who encourages families and equips churches in their foster care and adoption journeys.
Jason currently serves as the Director of Church Ministry Initiatives with Christian Alliance for Orphans, where he speaks and teaches at churches, conferences, forums and workshops, as well as encouraging families that are...2020-06-2055 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 21: Marvin Charles on Reuniting Fathers With Their Children
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Episode 21
It’s June, which means that Father’s Day is upon us. For many children in foster care, Father’s Day is a loaded holiday. Some have never met their fathers, if their fathers have even been identified. Others have fathers who are completely “out of the picture,” meaning they are no longer involved or engaged with their children’s lives. But why is that so common? Do the dads just not care?
My guest today is going to challenge every preconce...2020-06-191h 12A Fostered Life PodcastEp 20: Rena Konomis of Project Search and Reunion
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Episode 20
Anyone who is involved with the world of adoption knows that adoption has lifelong implications for everyone involved: birth parents, adoptive parents, and, of course, the people who are adopted from one family into another. Until very recently, adoption was almost always shrouded in secrecy. The link between the birth parent and the adopted person was held in file boxes on the shelves of adoption agencies, paperwork that connected the adopted child to the parent or parents they came from. In order t...2020-05-1150 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 19 Virtual Visits in Quarantine
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Episode 19
You don’t need me to tell you that we are living in unbelievable times. The world is, in many ways, at a stand-still while people are strongly encouraged and even mandated in some places to stay home in order to flatten the curve of the spread of COVID-19. While this time of social distancing is affecting every sector of our world, for children in foster care and their parents, this season of quarantine means the suspension of in...2020-04-2037 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 18 Foster Care for Refugees
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Episode 18
When most people think of foster parenting, we think children who are experiencing neglect or abuse being removed from their parents and placed with someone else—either a foster parent or a relative caregiver. But there is another type of foster care that many people don’t know about.
Every day, over 40,000 families around the world are forced to flee the...2020-04-1148 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 17: From Cuddler to CASALike this podcast? Please rate it on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Special Thanks to my newest Patron, Maureen, for supporting A Fostered Life!
Episode 17
I have lost count of the number of times someone has told me that they really want to be involved in foster care, and they really care about foster youth, but they are not in a season of life where they can be foster parents. They wonder how they can help.
How can you make a difference in the lif...2020-02-2639 minA Fostered Life PodcastA Listener’s Feedback on Episode 10A listener shared some really important feedback on my interview with Kevin, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I thought what she shared was really important and wanted to pass it on.
Recorded live at Chicago O’Hare Airport. 2020-02-2509 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 16: Author & Entrepreneur MaLisa RileyLike this podcast? Please rate it on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Special Thanks to Patrons Shelley & Joyce for supporting A Fostered Life Podcast!
Episode 16
MaLisa Riley is an author and entrepreneur who draws from her own experience as a youth in foster care to produce resources aimed at helping children in challenging circumstances use their imagination as they process some of the harder aspects of their reality. Her first children’s book, “Tommy’s 2 Mommies,” was published in 2019. The story follows young Tommy as he goes betwee...2020-01-2446 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 15: Blogger, Child Abuse Survivor, and FFY Cherie ReneeLike this podcast? Please rate it on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Episode 15
One of the things I have been so grateful for over the past few years is connecting with former foster youth who are willing and eager to share about their experiences in foster care in order to shine light on what it’s like to be in foster care, and to de-stigmatize what it means to be a foster kid. In 2018, I heard an interview on Oregon Public Radio with Cherie Renee, a woman who was i...2020-01-0635 min
A Fostered Life PodcastHappy New Year! Announcing This Month's Giveaway Winners!Like this podcast? Please rate it on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Episode 14
In Episode 13 of A Fostered Life Podcast, I interviewed author Jillana Goble about her book, “No Sugar Coating: The Coffee Talk You Need about Foster Parenting.” I announced in that episode that I would be giving away four copies of the book to four of my Patreon supporters. In this episode, I'm trying out my new Blue Yeti microphone as my mom draws the winning names from a baseball hat! Congratulations to the four listeners and suppo...2020-01-0204 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 13: Advocate and Author Jillana GobleLike this podcast? Please rate it on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Episode 13
A few months ago, someone on Facebook alerted me to a new book by Jillana Goble called, “No Sugar Coating: The Coffee Talk You Need about Foster Parenting.” I got my hands on the book and as I read it, I kept nodding my head in agreement with the author. Our experiences have been very similar, and if I were going to write a book for new and prospective foster parents, it would look a lot lik...2019-12-2356 min
Inspirational WomenWe Need to Consider Ourselves All Part of the Foster FamilyChristy Crispin is an incredible woman. If you have heard the phrase about accomplishment and success--Find a need, and fill it. Christy is the embodiment of it. Before she and her husband married, they talked about children. She revealed her desire to foster, possibly adopt. And when they welcomed their first foster child just 7 years ago, she discovered how unprepared she was and set out to fix the situation not just for her family, but for others as well. Christy started with YouTube videos and from this grew her blog, and website, and it keeps growing. Her family is growing...2019-12-2231 min
Spotlight with Laurie HardieSpotlighting It's A Fostered LifeThis week we hear from Christy Tennant Krispin with “A Fostered Life” Podcast. Christy started with a youtube channel to encourage other foster parents. Since then it has involved into a weekly podcast, she interviews experts, former foster children and seasoned foster parents. Her mantra is “No foster parent should ever feel alone.”
It is important for foster parents to feel supported so they will continue. The goal is to train and keep as many foster parents as possible as the need is so great. Some of the things they go through is truly tragic and having support through those tough ti...2019-12-1827 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 12: Three Strands—A Church-Based Approach to Supporting Reunification and Family Preservation: My Conversation with Tonya Foulkrod, Part 2Like this podcast? Please rate it on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Episode 12
In the last episode (Episode 11), I introduced you to Tonya Foulkrod. Our conversation covered a lot of ground, so I broke it up into two parts. In Episode 11, which was Part One, we heard about Tonya’s early experience as a foster parent and how she and her husband became involved with the mother of the child who was placed in their care, leading them to start a ministry focused on offering a more holistic way t...2019-12-0926 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 11: From Foster Parent to Family Preservation Advocate: My Conversation With Tonya Foulkrod, Part 1Like this podcast? Please rate us on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Episode 11
Foster parents are not typically encouraged to be intimately involved with the parents of the children who come into our care. While we are encouraged to “support reunification efforts,” and it is suggested that we do things like send a journal back and forth to visits or share occasional pictures, usually there is a significant disconnect and even animosity between foster parents and their foster child’s mom and or dad.
...2019-11-1820 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 10: Foster Parenting Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Conversation with KevinLike this podcast? Please rate us on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Episode 10
According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, or RAINN, one in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult. The effects of child sexual abuse can be long-lasting and can have a profound affect on the victim's mental health. Victims are four times more likely than non-victims to develop symptoms of drug abuse and/or experience PTSD as adults, and they’re three...2019-10-121h 02A Fostered Life PodcastEp. 9: When Foster Parents Fight for Reunification: A Conversation with LaurenLike this podcast? Please rate us on iTunes and become a $1+ patron on Patreon! Click here to learn more.
Episode 9
One of the things many people say when they hear that I’m a foster parent is, “I couldn’t imagine getting attached to a child and then having to give them back.” While I can appreciate that people are just expressing their honest feelings, the truth is, that sentiment shows a total lack of understanding about the main point of foster care, which is precisely to love a child to the point of getting...2019-10-071h 01A Fostered Life PodcastEp. 8: It's Never Too Late to Choose Love: A Conversation with Bryan PostLike this podcast? Become a $1+ patron! Click here to learn more.
Episode 8
Bryan Post is one of America’s foremost child behavior experts and he’s the co-founder of The Post Institute for Family-Centered Therapy. The Post Institute works with adults, children and families struggling with early life trauma and the impact on the development of the mind/body system. Bryan has authored or co-authored several books, including From Fear to Love: Parenting Difficult Adopted Children and Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control: A Love-Based Approach to Helping Attachment-Challenged Children With Severe Behaviors, which is on my “M...2019-09-2658 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 7: Foster Parenting & Flexibility: A Conversation with Melissa SmallwoodWhen I put out a call recently for guests for this podcast, I was overwhelmed by the response. So many people have written to me, from social workers to foster parents to former foster youth, all willing to share a bit of their stories in order to help enlarge and shape foster parent’s perspective on our role in the lives of the children in our care.
Today’s guest is one such person, and I am so grateful to have had a chance to speak with her. Melissa Smallwood has such an amazing and redemptive story, beginn...2019-09-1945 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 6: Adopted at 20—A Conversation with BrittneyOne of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that, while I have a lot to learn from other, more experienced foster parents, mental health professionals, books, etc., the people who have taught me more than anything about how to be a good foster parent or foster caregiver if you prefer is children who are or were in foster care. The kids who have come and gone from our home as well as adults who are former foster youth have taught me more than anyone about what it’s like for kids in foster care and what they...2019-09-1241 min
A Fostered Life PodcastEp 5: Back to School with Ernest Henderson, Jr.Welcome to A Fostered Life, the show in which we explore the various facets of foster care through the voices of the many people who participate in the system. I’m your host, Christy Tennant Krispin, and this is episode five.
It’s back to school time, and for youth in foster care, that can either be a really good thing or a really, really hard thing (or a bit of both.) Today I’m speaking with Ernest Henderson, Associate Director of Eastern Washington Education Programs at Treehouse. Ernest not only brings the professional insights of someo...2019-08-2952 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 4: Trauma Informed Parenting: A Conversation with Therapist Dena JohnsonBe sure to subscribe!
Episode 4
Today I'm speaking with Dena Johnson, an adoptive mother and trauma and attachment therapist who focuses her practice on counseling foster and adoptive families. The first time I heard Dena speak was at a conference for foster and adoptive parents several years ago. I was really struggling with some of the challenges of being a caregiver for children with a background of trauma, and I was so grateful for her honest, down-to-earth, approachable and hopeful tone and helpful practical insights for parents and caregivers. Dena shares really informative c...2019-08-2240 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 3: Helping Teens in Care Launch Successfully—A Conversations with Alex and Jesse from TreehouseClick Here to Subscribe to the Podcast!
Episode 3
In 1988, a group of DSHS social workers grew tired of seeing the deprivation often faced by children in foster care. They started purchasing the little things needed to help children feel loved and capable—things like birthday presents and school supplies—funded by community bake sales and car washes.
That little band of dedicated social workers evolved into what is known today in the state of Washington as Treehouse, an organization that helps more than 7,000 youth in foster care each year. Offering programs that focus on a...2019-08-1548 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 2: Open Your Heart (and Home!) to Teens in Foster Care—A Conversation with LaceyBe sure to subscribe to the podcast!
Episode 2:
Lacey entered foster care for the first time when she was six months old. After spending her entire childhood in and out of foster care, including attending thirteen (!!!) different elementary schools, Lacey was adopted just two weeks shy of her eighteenth birthday. Today, she is a wife and mother who is thriving in her forever family.
Oh, and she and her husband just became licensed as foster parents, too!
In this episode of A Fostered Life, Lacey and Christy chat about some of...2019-08-0850 minA Fostered Life PodcastEp 1: From Foster Youth to Foster Parent—A Conversation with Amber M. JewellBe sure to subscribe to the podcast!
Episode 1:
As a licensed master social worker, previous youth in foster care and current foster parent, Amber Jewell has a unique perspective on the foster care system and how it affects youth. In this inaugural episode of A Fostered Life, Amber sheds light on how being part of the system can affect youth in care, and she gives some helpful input on what teens in care need in order to thrive as they move into adulthood.
Despite the hardships that come in life, Amber believes in t...2019-08-0143 minA Fostered Life PodcastIntroducing A Fostered Life Podcast!
Welcome to A Fostered Life, the show in which we explore the various facets of foster care through the voices of the many people who participate in the system. Host Christy Tennant Krispin interviews former foster youth, social workers, foster parents, therapists, and others, and these conversations provide personal glimpses at the challenges and triumphs of families whose lives intersect with foster care.
For foster parent resources from A Fostered Life, including videos, blog posts, and The Flourishing Foster Parent support community, please visit www.afosteredlife.com. (You can also leave feedback about...2019-07-2703 min