Shari Shink- From the Courtroom to Cobbled Streets

Christy Belz welcomes attorney, trailblazer, and founder of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Law Center Shari Shink — now the force behind Cobbled Streets — for a conversation rooted in nearly 50 years of advocacy. What began as a one-year detour to Colorado became a lifetime commitment after one courtroom moment Shari couldn’t walk away from. This is a fierce, urgent, and deeply human conversation about a broken system, the children caught inside it, and what it looks like to build something better from the outside.Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, YouTube or wherever you get podcasts!Key Takeaways One Courtroom Moment That Changed Everything: Shari traces her entire career back to a judge’s decision to remove a thriving two-and-a-half-year-old from the only family he’d ever known — and her refusal to let it happen again.Why the System Keeps Failing: She breaks down the policy pendulum swinging from family-first to child-safety-first and back — and why every swing traumatizes the kids caught in the middle.The Accountability Gap: With judges, lawyers, and caseworkers all involved, nobody is held responsible for outcomes — and that’s why kids cycle through placement after placement.What Cobbled Streets Actually Does: Community events, individual experiences, and ambassador networks across Colorado’s 23 judicial districts — all built around one question: what does this child want?“My Horse Didn’t Give Up on Me”: A seven-year-old’s four words after equine therapy that capture everything foster kids are missing — and everything Cobbled Streets is trying to give back.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Resources Mentioned: Rebecoming Me (Film): https://www.cobbledstreets.org/rebecomingme  Connect with Christy Belz: Website: https://christybelz.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christybelz/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christybelzcoach/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristyBelzCoach/