The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast
by Marcy Bursac | Adoptive Mom & Foster Care Adoption Advocate
🎙 The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast shares honest conversations about foster care adoption.Hosted by Marcy Bursac, adoptive mom of siblings, author, and foster care adoption advocate, this show features adoptive parents, adoptees, adults who aged out of foster care, child welfare professionals, and allies from workplaces, schools, and faith communities. Each episode offers the kind of candid conversation prospective adoptive parents often wish they could have—the same conversations that once happened in my living room before the pandemic.🔗 FosterCareAdoption.org
Episodes
-
how to speak up and advocate where you are
You don't need a degree, title, or position of authority to advocate for change! In this bonus episode, I'm joined by Ella Bat-Ami, a young woman who aged out of foster care and went on to advocate for a Foster Youth Bill of Rights in Tennessee. Ella shares how she found mentors, brought her…
more -
what it’s like for your biological child to be adopted by another family through the foster care system
I’ve wanted to have this conversation for a very long time. In this episode, I’m joined by Toni Jordan, the first biological parent to share her story on The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast. Toni shares what it was like for her child to enter foster care and ultimately be adopted by another...
-
how to share your foster care adoption story in your community
Our stories and experiences can change the way people understand foster care adoption, but knowing what to say, what not to say, and how to say it can feel intimidating. In this episode, I’m joined by Melissa Otero, National Campaign Director at AdoptUSKids, to talk about strategic sharing,...
-
Building Adoption & Foster Friendly Schools™
In this episode, I talk with educator and adoptive mom Laura Adams about building Adoption & Foster Friendly Schools™. We explore how schools can better support students from adoptive, foster, and kinship families and why connection, understanding, and belonging matter so much for children with...
-
how one employer changed a child’s future
In this bonus episode, I talk with Kacie Alexander and Heather McDow from Alltru Credit Union about how one conversation led to adoption-friendly workplace benefits and changed a family's adoption journey. Discover why employers of any size can make a lasting difference for children and adoptive...
-
how workplaces can honor National Adoption Month in November
In this episode, I talk with Walmart leader Kacie Alverson about how one workplace turned National Adoption Month into an opportunity to educate, encourage, and support the adoption community. Together, we explore practical ideas that listeners can bring to their own workplaces, regardless of...
-
how friends can support the foster care adoption journey
My friend Haeli has walked alongside my family through every stage of our foster care adoption journey. From respite care to adoption day celebrations, we discuss practical ways friends, family members, and community members can support children and families impacted by foster care and adoption.
-
how a simple social media post about adoption can impact others
What happens when you talk about adoption? In this episode, I sit down with my friend and mentor Susan Haertling to discuss her experiences as both an adoptee and adoptive mom. We talk about what led us to collaborate on It's Okay to Talk About Adoption, why adoption conversations matter, and…
more -
how to bring the teen edition of the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program to your school
In this episode, I’m joined by a high school English teacher who piloted the Teen Edition of the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program alongside my new graphic novel, Ready or Not? We talk about what it actually looks like to bring this into a classroom, how students responded, and how...
-
fears that can hold us back from adopting through foster care
Deborah Olivia Farmer, adoptive mom and nonprofit founder, shares her own journey through foster care adoption and how she helps others overcome the fears that often hold people back.
-
What is EMDR therapy?
What is EMDR therapy and how does it help children process trauma? EMDR trained therapist Casey O'Donnell Jones, M.Ed., LPC, RPT explains Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing , how it works in practice, and how foster and adoptive families can identify whether EMDR may support healing...
-
how to prepare to care for sibling groups
Keeping siblings together isn’t accidental. It’s intentional. Tiffany and Hakim talk about how they prepare for sibling groups and what it looks like to be the family that says yes when agencies are trying to keep brothers and sisters together.
-
Counting down to zero waiting children: How Arkansas is making it possible
Christie Erwin is the Executive Director of Project Zero, an organization with a bold mission: Zero. Noun. The number of children that should be waiting in foster care to be adopted. If that sounds familiar, it’s because I’ve been wearing their gray T-shirt for years. And when you’ve helped more...
-
coaching the heart and mind through adoption
Adoptive mom Francine Apy shares the story behind her adoption pendant necklace and her business, SoulFilling, which helps normalize adoption and support families touched by it.
-
how to recognize and overcome blocked care
Adoptive mom and Reclaim Compassion author Lisa C. Qualls explains blocked care and how parents can begin reclaiming compassion in adoptive families. Learn more about Lisa and her work at www.lisacqualls.com
-
the importance of trauma-informed services
Adoptee-turned-therapist Bre Gronli shares her foster care adoption story, her path to trauma-informed work, and the resources that help shape her own healing.
-
what it is like to be adopted as part of a sibling group
Adopted together. Growing up together. Sharing their story together. In this bonus episode, siblings Laura, Kim, and Dan reflect on entering foster care, being adopted as a group, and what they want families to know about saying yes to siblings.
-
evolving support for youth transitioning from foster care
Tom Baldwin serves as the Director of Strategy and Development for the Belmont University Social Innovation Labs, where he helps students, leaders, and organizations rethink how meaningful social change is made. With more than two decades of experience launching innovations across the business…
more -
school and church accommodations for children who have experienced trauma
Anna is a mom by adoption and birth whose personal journey led her to bridge a gap for families raising children with trauma histories. You might remember her from Season 1, when she and her husband Travis shared their adoption story. Now, Anna is a certified Master IEP Coach® and Special Needs...
-
HOW to write a graphic novel about foster care adoption
Meet my graphic novel writing coach Maria Rodgers O’Rourke! Maria is a writer and certified Story Grid Editor. Her career began in advertising and public relations, moved to nonprofit leadership, and homed in on communications and writing after earning her master’s degree in pastoral studies.…
more -
championing foster care adoption in corporate America
Josh, a finance professional from Erie, Pennsylvania, shares how a timely billboard sparked a life-changing decision for him and his wife, Elena—to say yes to helping children in foster care. In this episode, you’ll hear how Josh brings foster care adoption advocacy into his Fortune 500…
more -
how Pennsylvania churches are uniting to support foster & adoptive families
Vince Smith leads Keystone Family Alliance as its Executive Director, drawing on his extensive expertise in organizational leadership and community engagement to drive transformative programs. Over the years, Vince has spearheaded innovative outreach and sustainable initiatives that create...
-
HOW to create a foster care and adoption employee resource group (ERG)
Andrew Lewis is a partner at KPMG and the founder of the KPMG National Foster Care and Adoption Network. He is both a foster parent and adoptive parent who serves on the boards of Comfort Cases and the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE).
-
using technology to leverage cross-sector communication
Karen Phillips didn’t plan to become a child welfare changemaker—she simply said yes to becoming a foster parent. That yes set her on a path to help families in crisis long before the foster care system gets involved. In this episode of The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast, Karen shares how her...
-
the role an adoption attorney plays in the child welfare system
Eva Amador is a retired adoption attorney from Puerto Rico. She spent her the final years of her career navigating the legal process to help children find forever families.
-
how a social worker adopted a teen in her caseload
Connie Going has spent over 25 years working in the child welfare system and is the adoptive parent of two teens including Davion and another young man - the boys became good friends and referred to themselves as brothers when living at the same group home.
-
how a youth pastor adopted a teenager in her youth group
Beverly Jenkins and I met as Invested Faith Fellows. She is the founder of the North County Innovation Center. During a meet up at her space, she shared she was an adoptive mom, too. She went on to share she adopted a teenager from her youth group. Listen to this episode to hear how their forever...
-
how to bring the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program to your school
Foster Care Adoption Awareness in the Classroom: Lessons from Two Educators In this episode, I sit down with Jamie and Linda, two passionate elementary school teachers who have been instrumental in shaping and implementing the Foster Care Adoption Awareness Reading Program. Jamie, a kindergarten...
-
the need for adoptive families for children in the foster care system
Amanda Denning is the Director of Extreme Recruitment for the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. Amanda is herself half adopted and, as of a few months ago, has become the kinship placement for her niece. She has been working in child welfare for more than 10 years first as a recruiter and now as...
-
how to know you're ready to adopt a teen
In addition to being the mother of 3 daughters, 1 through adoption, Katerina Canyon is an award-winning poet and author. During our conversation, we revisit stories from past guests, including Ben & Emily, who faced the unexpected challenge of their paperwork getting lost during the licensing...
-
how an aunt cares for a sibling group in her family tree through the foster care system
Rene by day works in tech. As a single woman, she cares for her sister's children. In the foster care space we call this a 'kinship placement'. Kin refers to being a family member or someone related by blood. I think you'll find her story remarkable and also empathize with the challenges she faces.
-
grant funding opportunities for families adopting through the foster care system
Brian Murphy is both the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer and Shaneetra Gross serves as Chief Administrative Officer for Gift of Adoption Fund. Gift of Adoption provides adoption assistance grants to complete the adoptions of children in vulnerable circumstances.
-
realities I faced as I aged out of the foster care system
Michael, who resided in California, had a successful career as a technology manager within the banking industry. His dedication and insights continue to inspire those who knew him.
-
the realities of foster care and human trafficking overlapping
In this episode, you'll hear about the realities of foster care and human trafficking overlapping. Janet Craig wrote and directed Wake Up. She has experience as a foster mom and has a degree in theatre, was a professional tennis player, and is a veteran actress. What we can now stream and find on...
-
what it is like to be adopted as a teenager
Alana shares her perspective of the story was shared by her adoptive mom Robin in Season 1.
-
core issues in adoption and permanency
Allison Davis Maxon is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of child welfare and children’s mental health. She specializes in attachment, developmental trauma and permanency/adoption. Allison co-authored "Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency: A Guide to Promoting Understanding and...
-
HOW a waiting child found his forever family
In 2013 Davion Only-Going warmed hearts around the world after standing before a Florida church congregation and asking for a family to adopt him. A few years later he was adopted. Today, he is a chef in the Tampa area.
-
webinar series to help you take the next step to explore foster care or adoption
Courtney is the host of FosterCon and she is the foster care recruitment manager for America's Kids Belong. She and her husband have fostered more than 60 children. She is the mother of 9 children - 6 through adoption. FosterCon is a series of virtually delivered webinars featuring compelling...
-
how to use your lived experience in the foster care system to help others
Andrew Bridge is a children's right lawyer, author, and foster care alum. He helped establish National Adoption Day. His new book "The Child Catcher" recounts his first lawsuit as a young lawyer, fighting for children confined to one of the nation's most notorious institutions in rural Alabama.…
more -
how 22 families from one church adopted 77 children through the foster care system
Rebekah Weigel is a foster/adoptive parent, child advocate and national ambassador for CarePortal (a technology the supports children and families interacting with the foster system). She has a passion to see the faith community care for vulnerable children and families. She is an award-winning...
-
HOW to give and receive support if we step into the foster care system
Jillana Goble is an advocate, author, and speaker as well as a mom and founder of Every Child.
-
challenges facing youth who age out of the foster care system
Lisa Schelbe is the associate dean of academic affairs and an associate professor at Florida State University College of Social Work and a faculty affiliate at the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. She is the Director of the Child Well-Being Research Network. Additionally, she serves as...
-
how to know if you can parent children with special needs
Crystal & Justin share what it's like to be a family that has adopted multiple children with unique, special needs. Pages 5-9 in this document are an example of a list of behaviors, conditions and medical needs you might be asked to consider when adopting through foster care.
-
tips for thriving as a second mother
Jodi founded Second Mothers, a community for women who are foster mothers, adoptive mothers, and/or step mothers.
-
what it is like to work inside the child welfare system
Darrell Missey is the Director of Children's Division for the State of Missouri.
-
connections to prioritize if you age out of the foster care system
Dr. Wynter is a Foster Youth Voice Whisperer, Child Welfare Strategist & Systems Thinker. She and I met after I published my first book "The Forgotten Adoption Option". A few local readers had told me barriers they were facing as they tried to get licensed to adopt through foster care. Dr. Wynter...
-
mental health and emotional literacy for children
Justine Froelker is an educator who uses storytelling, humor, and passion to help individuals to rise from difficulty, cope with emotions, and move forward in a healthy, authentic way.
-
HOW to know it's time to close your license
Christopher and Ashley adopted a young boy through foster care and then later decided they no longer felt called to accept more children into their home.
-
how to help adoptees thrive
Simon Benn resides in the United Kingdom and is the founder of Thriving Adoptees. He is an adoptee who helps other adoptees thrive. He also shows parents how to help their adopted children to thrive, too. He also shows parents how to help their adopted children to thrive, too.
-
tailoring to the needs of first-generation college students
Anthony Donovan is the Associate Dean of Students & Director of Residence Life at my alma mater, Belmont University.
About this show
🎙 The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast shares honest conversations about foster care adoption.Hosted by Marcy Bursac, adoptive mom of siblings, author, and foster care adoption advocate, this show features adoptive parents, adoptees, adults who aged out of foster care, child welfare professionals, and allies from workplaces, schools, and faith communities. Each episode offers the kind of candid conversation prospective adoptive parents often wish they could have—the same conversations that once happened in my living room before the pandemic.🔗 FosterCareAdoption.org
Hosted by
Marcy Bursac | Adoptive Mom & Foster Care Adoption Advocate
Categories