PODCAST · business
Fostering Change
by Rob Scheer
Fostering Change with Rob Scheer Hosted by Comfort Cases founder Rob Scheer, this inspiring podcast shares powerful stories of resilience, compassion, and community. Each week, Rob sits down with guests who are making a difference in the foster care system — from former foster youth and foster parents to advocates, authors, and celebrities whose lives have been touched by foster care. With warmth, humor, and heart, Rob leads conversations that remind us all how dignity, hope, and love can change a child’s life forever. 💙 Have a story to share or a question for Rob? 📧 Email: [email protected] Follow us on social media: @comfortcases Learn more at comfortcases.org Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank
Episodes
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Somewhat Familiar: Redefining Family, Foster Care, and Belonging with Pedro Andrade
As we conclude our Best of Fostering Change series, we revisit one of our favorite conversations from Season 7 with Emmy Award-winning journalist and producer Pedro Andrade. Pedro is the creator and host of the HBO Max documentary series Somewhat Familiar, which follows his and his husband's...
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A Soft Place to Land: How Isaiah 117 House Is Transforming Removal Day for Children in Crisis
With just two episodes remaining in our Best of Fostering Change series, we’re revisiting one of the most moving conversations from Season 7. Rob sits down with Lindsay Lendyak, South Carolina State Director for Isaiah 117 House, an organization transforming one of the most traumatic moments in a...
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Turning Tassels, Changing Futures: How Shanté Elliott Is Redefining Education for Youth in Foster Care
Our Best of Fostering Change series continues with an inspiring conversation that reminds us of the life-changing power of education. Rob sits down with Shanté Elliott—a former foster youth, learning scientist, social entrepreneur, and founder of TasselTurn, an innovative organization helping...
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Love Does Not Conquer All: Peter Mutabazi on the Truth About Foster Care, Parenting, and Hope
As August begins, our Best of Fostering Change series continues with one of Season 7’s most popular and heartfelt conversations. Rob welcomes back his good friend Peter Mutabazi—author, speaker, foster and adoptive father, and founder of Now I Am Known. Known to many as the “Foster Dad Flipper,”...
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Breaking the Silence: Menstrual Health, Dignity, and the Power of Partnership with Yvonne Patron
As our Best of Fostering Change series continues, we're revisiting an important conversation about a topic that's too often overlooked—but can have a profound impact on girls experiencing foster care. Rob is joined by Yvonne Esipila Patron, Co-Founder and CEO of the PATESI Foundation, a global...
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From Foster Care to Family Law: Susan Chesnutt on Justice, Healing, and Child Welfare
Our Best of Fostering Change series continues with an unforgettable conversation featuring Susan Chesnutt—a family law attorney, former child abuse investigator, and former foster youth whose life has come full circle through advocacy and service. Susan has experienced the child welfare system…
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From Trauma to Triumph: Dr. Danisha Keating's Journey of Foster Care, Healing, and Hope
This week's Best of Fostering Change episode brings back one of our most powerful and personal conversations from Season 7. We look back to September, at Rob's powerful conversation with Dr. Danisha Keating—author, speaker, educator, and former foster youth whose remarkable journey is one of...
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From Foster Care to a Billion-Dollar Brand: Carolyn Aronson's Journey of Resilience and Reinvention
Throughout July and August, we're revisiting some of our favorite conversations from Season 7 as part of our Best of Fostering Change series. This week's featured episode originally aired during the 2025 holiday season and showcases an extraordinary story of resilience, determination, and...
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Listening First: Bridging Policy, Community, and Youth in Foster Care Support with Kym Renner
As we wrap up Season 7 of *Fostering Change*, we’re joined by Kym Renner, President and CEO of the RennerVation Foundation and a longtime leader in child welfare and public service. With more than 25 years of experience in Los Angeles County’s child welfare system, Kym brings a powerful…
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Foster Dad: The Power of Showing Up with Corey McKinney
Last week, we celebrated Father's Day with a special conversation between Rob and his son, Tristan. This week, we're continuing that theme with a powerful discussion about what it means to show up for young people who need someone in their corner. Rob is joined by Corey McKinney, a speaker…
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Growing Up Scheer: A Father and Son's Perspective on Family, Foster Care, and Finding Home
As Father's Day approaches, this week's episode of Fostering Change is one of our most personal conversations yet. For years, listeners have heard Rob Scheer share his family's story through the lens of a former foster youth, adoptive father, advocate, and founder of Comfort Cases. This week, he...
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The Girl I Am: Identity, Adoption, and Who Tells the Story with Shannon Gibney
Who gets to tell the story of adoption? For generations, adoption narratives have often been shaped by agencies, systems, and families. But increasingly, adoptees themselves are taking ownership of those stories and offering perspectives that are more complex, nuanced, and deeply personal. This...
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No Child Should Age Out Alone: Finding Families for Older Youth with Jennifer Pinder
What happens to a child when they grow up in foster care… and no one ever comes for them? Not when they’re five. Not when they’re ten. Not even when they’re fifteen. This week on Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Jennifer Pinder, Executive Director of You Gotta Believe!, an organization...
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Supporting Youth in Foster Care Through Community & Mentorship with Beth Ryan and Jorie Das
As National Foster Care Awareness Month comes to a close, this episode of Fostering Change focuses on something deeply important: what happens when organizations stop working in silos and start working together for young people. This week, Rob Scheer is joined by two Los Angeles-based leaders...
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From Foster Care to Family: A Story of Healing and Second Chances with Christie Werts
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Christie Werts, a former foster youth, Army veteran, author, and adoptive mother whose life has come full circle through foster care. Christie shares her journey in her book, Life’s Sad Story, God’s Love Story, tracing a path from...
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Emergence: From Group Homes to Groundbreaking Science with David Sussillo
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by David Sussillo, a neuroscientist, author, and former youth who experienced a childhood marked by instability, poverty, and time in group homes. His story begins in environments many children in foster care and group settings know all…
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First-Time Fostering: What It Really Takes to Say Yes
This episode kicks off National Foster Care Awareness Month — a time not just to reflect, but to act. On today’s Fostering Change, Rob Scheer welcomes back Laura, The Foster Parent Partner, a therapeutic foster parent, mentor, and now author of First-Time Fostering, releasing May 12. This...
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Both Sides of Then: Understanding Where We Come From with Jennifer Griffith
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Jennifer Griffith, author of Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment and host of the About Your Mother podcast. This conversation centers on a deeply personal and universal question: how much of who we become is shaped by the...
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Build the Table: Creating Opportunity, Connection, and Lasting Impact for Youth with Jodi Grinwald
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer welcomes back Jodi Grinwald, founder of Today is the Day, co-founder of Applaud Our Kids Foundation, and author of the new book Today is the Day: LIVE IT!. Jodi is a returning guest to the podcast, and we’re excited to continue this important...
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Called to Help: The Many Paths to Building and Supporting Families with Katy Encalade
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Katy Encalade, President and CEO of Egg Donor & Surrogate Solutions, who has spent more than two decades helping to create and support families. Katy brings a unique and deeply personal perspective to this conversation. She has been a...
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Thinking Inside the Box: How Business Can Drive Real Impact with Mordy Kurtz from The Boxery
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Mordy Kurtz of The Boxery, a company that demonstrates how even behind-the-scenes business operations can play a meaningful role in supporting children in foster care. At Comfort Cases, partnerships are essential. The Boxery has been a...
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Raising the Voice of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care!
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by leaders and advocates working directly with young people transitioning out of foster care: Sarah Baumgartner of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Brian Robinson of Kids’ Voice of Indiana, and Princess Martinez Casanova, a foster youth...
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Preserving Childhood: Safeguarding Memories for Youth in Foster Care with Karen Segal
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Karen Segal, founder of Photo Safe, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting what many children in foster care often miss: photographs and personal memories. For most families, childhood photos are a given. They capture milestones,...
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The Untold Story Behind Somewhat Familiar: Pedro Andrade Reveals How It All Started!
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by his friend, Pedro Andrade, an Emmy Award–winning journalist, producer, and global storyteller whose work explores identity, culture, and what it truly means to be a family. Pedro is the host and producer of the HBO Max documentary…
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Not Quite Home: When Systems Meant to Help Fall Short
On this episode of Fostering Change Podcast, Rob Scheer is joined by Temple Lentz — nonprofit CEO, local elected official, and debut novelist — for a thoughtful conversation about what happens when the systems designed to protect vulnerable families don’t always work the way they’re supposed to....
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Migrating Toward Wholeness: Adult Adoptees, Storytelling, & the Long Arc of Healing - Dr Liz Debtta
On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer sits down with Dr. Liz DeBetta — an award-winning writer, educator, and solo performance artist whose work explores adoption, trauma, identity, and healing through storytelling. Dr. Liz is the founder of Migrating Toward Wholeness, a…
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Fractured Hope to Reform: One Mother’s Fight for Justice in Child Welfare with Rachel Bruno
This episode of Fostering Change was originally scheduled to air in March — but after recording, Rob Scheer felt the conversation was too important to wait. He personally requested that it be released early so listeners could hear it as soon as possible. Rob is joined by Rachel Bruno, a...
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Funding the Mission: Stephen Garten on Financial Resilience for Nonprofits
Nonprofits exist to serve people — not paperwork. But too often, outdated financial systems slow growth, strain leadership, and pull focus away from mission-driven work. This week on Fostering Change, Rob Scheer sits down with Stephen Garten, Founder & CEO of Charity Charge, a Public Benefit...
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Breaking the Silence: Menstrual Health, Dignity, and the Power of Partnership with Yvonne Esipila
As Fostering Change continues through Season 7, this episode dives into an urgent but often unseen issue: menstrual and postpartum poverty, and how it impacts girls in foster care and communities around the world. Rob Scheer sits down with Yvonne Esipila Patron, Co-Founder and CEO of the PATESI...
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Solving the Foster Parent Shortage with StepStone Family & Youth Services
As Fostering Change continues into the new year, this episode tackles one of the most urgent issues facing child welfare today: the national shortage of foster parents and what it means for children who need safe, stable homes. Rob Scheer is joined by Kelsey Davis, National Director of Foster...
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A Soft Place to Land: How Isaiah 117 House Is Transforming Removal Day for Children in Crisis
In this powerful episode, Rob Scheer sits down with Lindsay Lendyak, South Carolina State Director for Isaiah 117 House, to talk about one of the most overlooked moments in foster care: Removal Day. Instead of children waiting for hours in government offices, Isaiah 117 House creates a warm,...
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What’s OK? Helping Youth Navigate Boundaries, Sexting, and Cyber Safety with Jenny Coleman
As Fostering Change continues into the new year, this episode tackles one of the most urgent — and evolving — challenges facing young people today: staying safe, informed, and supported in a digital world. Rob Scheer is joined by Jenny Coleman, a nationally recognized expert in child welfare and...
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Turning Tassels, Changing Futures: Shanté Elliott Is Redefining Education for Kids in Foster Care!
As we continue an exciting new year of Fostering Change, this episode centers on possibility — what happens when lived experience, research, and belief in young people come together to rewrite outcomes. This week, Rob Scheer is joined by Dr. (Candidate) Shanté Elliott, a learning scientist…
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Leading with H.O.P.E.: Building Resilience in Youth, Families, and Classrooms with Dr. Brandi Kelly
Happy New Year from all of us at Fostering Change! We hope you had a joyful holiday season filled with rest, connection, and moments that centered what matters most. As we step into 2026 together, we’re excited to continue bringing you meaningful conversations that uplift, educate, and inspire....
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Fostering the Village: Supporting Caregivers to Transform Child Outcomes with Becky Santoro
As we close out an extraordinary year of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer welcomes Becky Santoro, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Foster Village Charlotte — a nonprofit reshaping foster care by focusing on the people raising and supporting children every day: foster, kinship, and birth families.…
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From Foster Care to a Billion-Dollar Brand: Carolyn Aronson’s Journey of Resilience and Reinvention
As we head into Christmas week, Fostering Change brings you an extraordinary story of resilience, determination, and transformation. Rob Scheer is joined by Carolyn Aronson, founder and CEO of It’s A 10 Haircare — one of the most successful Latina-owned beauty brands in the world. Carolyn’s…
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Jen Lilley on Faith, Foster Care, and the Life-Changing Power of Saying Yes!
This week on Fostering Change, Rob welcomes a cherished friend and longtime champion of Comfort Cases — actress, producer, author, and foster care advocate Jen Lilley. While millions know Jen from her work in television and film, her most meaningful role has been off-camera: as a foster and...
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No Kid Sleeps on the Floor: Luke Mickelson and the Sleep in Heavenly Peace Movement
As we move deeper into the holiday season, Fostering Change continues to shine a light on the small acts of kindness that create powerful, lasting impact. This week, Rob Scheer sits down with his longtime friend Luke Mickelson, founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) — a nonprofit built on one...
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Fostering Hope for the Holidays: Empowering Teens in Care Through Community with Dionna Carter
This week on Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Dionna Carter, founder of the Foster Teen Christmas Outreach, an initiative that began in 2019 and has now raised more than $1.3 million in gift cards for teens in foster care. As Dionna explains, “Teens are often forgotten during the…
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It’s Okay to Talk About Adoption: Changing the Conversation to Help More Kids Find Families
As we close out National Adoption Awareness Month, Fostering Change honors the advocates, parents, and changemakers who work to ensure every child waiting in foster care finds a permanent, loving family. This week, host Rob Scheer welcomes back Marcy Bursac, nationally recognized adoption…
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Breaking Barriers: Becky Fawcett on Making Adoption Accessible - Fostering Change Podcast
As Fostering Change continues our celebration of National Adoption Awareness Month, we’re highlighting the voices reshaping what adoption looks like in America—and making it more equitable, inclusive, and accessible for all families. This week, host Rob Scheer sits down with Becky Fawcett…
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Connected, We Thrive: Building Schools That Heal for Adoptive, Foster & Kinship Kids - Laura Adams
This November, Fostering Change continues our special series for National Adoption Awareness Month, celebrating families formed through adoption and raising awareness about the unique needs of children in foster and kinship care. Throughout the month, we’re spotlighting extraordinary advocates,...
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Love Does Not Conquer All: Peter Mutabazi on the Truth About Foster Care, Parenting, and Hope
Welcome to the first episode of Fostering Change for National Adoption Awareness Month—a month dedicated to celebrating families formed through adoption and raising awareness of the thousands of children still waiting for their forever homes. As we move toward National Adoption Day on November…
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Losing a Child While They’re Still Alive: Navigating Estrangement, Addiction & Ambiguous Loss
Advisory: This episode includes sensitive discussion about addiction, family estrangement, and emotional loss. This week on Fostering Change, host Rob Scheer welcomes back two dear friends — Julie and David Bulitt — for one of the most personal and moving conversations of the season. Rob and his...
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From Foster Care to Family Law: Susan Chesnutt on Justice, Healing, and Child Welfare
⚠️ Advisory: This episode includes discussion of child abuse and family trauma. Welcome to this week’s episode of Fostering Change, where host Rob Scheer speaks with Susan Chesnutt — a family law attorney, child welfare advocate, and former foster youth based in Vero Beach, Florida. Susan’s…
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Can’t Keep Me Down: Baron Li on Turning Trauma into Purpose - Fostering Change Podcast
CONTENT WARNING: ADULT/DISTURBING THEMES — ABUSE & VIOLENCE Welcome to this week’s episode of Fostering Change. Our host, Rob Scheer, sits down with an extraordinary guest — Baron Li, co-owner of Four Tiers Contracting and founder of the CKMD Army. Baron’s journey is one of unimaginable pain,...
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CASA’s Fight to Protect Children’s Voices | Tracey Heisler on Advocacy, Cuts & Hope
This week on Fostering Change, host Rob Scheer welcomes Tracey Heisler, Executive Director of CASA of Somerset, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties (CASA SHaW) in New Jersey. CASA—Court Appointed Special Advocates—ensures that children in the child welfare system have a voice in the courtroom and…
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From Trash Bags to Triumph: Charell Star’s Inspiring Foster Care Journey - Fostering Change Podcast
Welcome to a special Best of Edition of Fostering Change! Originally aired during National Foster Care Awareness Month, this powerful conversation is worth revisiting. In this episode, host Rob Scheer sits down with the incredible Charell Star—author, speaker, and foster care advocate. Many first...
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From Foster Care to PhD 🎓 | Dr. Danisha Keating on Healing, Resilience & Taking Her Voice Back
Welcome to this week’s episode of Fostering Change, hosted by Rob Scheer. 💙 Today’s guest is Dr. Danisha Keating—author, speaker, and former foster youth whose journey from heartbreak to healing is nothing short of extraordinary. At just 16, CPS workers separated her from her eight siblings and...
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Turning a Moment Into a Movement | Dana Marlowe of I Support the Girls x Comfort Cases
What started with one simple question—“What can I do with my old bras?”—turned into a global movement. 🌍 In this inspiring episode of Fostering Change, host Rob Scheer is joined by Dana Marlowe, founder of I Support the Girls and Accessibility Partners. Dana’s work provides dignity to…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Fostering Change with Rob Scheer
Hosted by Comfort Cases founder Rob Scheer, this inspiring podcast shares powerful stories of resilience, compassion, and community. Each week, Rob sits down with guests who are making a difference in the foster care system — from former foster youth and foster parents to advocates, authors, and celebrities whose lives have been touched by foster care.
With warmth, humor, and heart, Rob leads conversations that remind us all how dignity, hope, and love can change a child’s life forever. 💙
Have a story to share or a question for Rob?
📧 Email: [email protected]
Follow us on social media: @comfortcases
Learn more at comfortcases.org
Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank
HOSTED BY
Rob Scheer
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Fostering Change have?
Fostering Change currently has 304 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Fostering Change about?
Fostering Change with Rob Scheer Hosted by Comfort Cases founder Rob Scheer, this inspiring podcast shares powerful stories of resilience, compassion, and community. Each week, Rob sits down with guests who are making a difference in the foster care system — from former foster youth and foster...
How often does Fostering Change release new episodes?
Fostering Change publishes regularly with 304 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Fostering Change?
You can listen to Fostering Change on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Fostering Change?
Fostering Change is created and hosted by Rob Scheer.
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