Running Toward

Welcome to the Running Toward Podcast! This May, in honor of Mother's Day, we're spending the whole month with single foster moms — because fostering as a single parent is a whole unique calling, and we have some incredible women sharing their stories. Today we start with Susan — a physical therapist, professor at the University of the Incarnate Word, and single mom to six kids ranging from 5 to almost 12. She moved to San Antonio in her early thirties with no family, no connections, and no idea that foster care was about to completely reshape her life. Hope you enjoy!—Thanks for watching!Follow South Texas Alliance Of Orphans 📲 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southtxalliance4orphans/📘Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SouthTexasAllianceForOrphans🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5OW7JlcWOlbs9Ms4BQcdeI?si=0416b37dd53540c8🌐 Learn more about fostering & adoption: https://www.southtxalliance4orphans.orgIf today's story moved you — share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you've ever thought about fostering, even just once, let that thought be the start of something. 🤍Running Toward Podcast is brought to you by the South Texas Alliance for Orphans — real stories from real families walking the road ahead of you.Be sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode on Facebook and TikTok. We'll see you next week. 🤍

Catalina Almanza didn't grow up thinking she'd foster — but in a way, she always was. Growing up in Colombia, her grandmother quietly took in children who needed a home, modeling a kind of love Catalina would one day step into herself.After facing infertility and the heartbreak of closed doors, Catalina found herself scrolling through Facebook when a photo of a pink room stopped her cold. It was a foster child's bedroom — simple, hopeful, and waiting. That image cracked something open in her.In this episode, Catalina shares the journey from that moment to welcoming her first placement — a baby boy she cared for from January through March — and the devastating 5-day notice that ended that chapter. She talks about learning to love fully, even when you know goodbye is possible, and why she'd do it all over again.This is a story about grief, generosity, and the kind of courage it takes to open your home and your heart — over and over again.If you've ever thought about fostering or adoption, let Catalina's story be the thing that moves you forward.📩 Want to learn more about fostering or adoption? Running Toward Podcast is brought to you by the South Texas Alliance for Orphans real stories from foster and adoptive families walking the road ahead of you.#FosterCare #AdoptionStory #RunningTowardPodcast #FosterMom #SouthTexas #Fostering #ChristianPodcast #FosterToAdopt

Robyn grew up adopted. So when she started thinking about foster care, she wasn't approaching it as a rescuer — she was approaching it as someone who had already been the child in the story.As a teenager, Robyn saw a billboard of an elderly woman who had fostered nearly a hundred children and thought, "I want to be her one day." What she didn't know then was how much her own adoption story would shape the kind of foster parent she'd become — and how discovering that some of her biological siblings had been in foster care would change everything about why she felt called to this space.In this episode of the Running Toward Podcast, Robyn opens up about:- Growing up adopted and seeing foster care through the eyes of the child- The billboard that planted a seed she carried for decades- How her first pregnancy led her to search for her biological family — and what she found- Why she doesn't ask her kids to choose between their biological and adoptive families- Navigating transracial adoption and the education it required- A full-circle Buckner connection she never saw coming- What adult adoptees need foster and adoptive families to hearHer story is a reminder that the children we care for are writing a story that doesn't end at placement — and the most powerful thing we can offer them is the freedom to hold all of who they are.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━The Running Toward Podcast is brought to you by South Texas Alliance For Orphans — transforming the foster care crisis in San Antonio and surrounding areas.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a story🌐 Get involved southtexasalliancefororphans.org━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━#FosterCare #Adoption #RunningTowardPodcast

What happens when you say yes to foster care — not once, but twice — after walking through some of the heaviest seasons life can throw at you? In episode 13 of Running Towards, we sit down with Shiana, a foster mom, recovery advocate, and self-described bulldog for kids who need someone in their corner.Shiana shares how years of devastating loss — losing her dad, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and grandmother in a span of just a few years — actually became the foundation that prepared her and her husband Jermaine to step into foster care with open hands. She opens up about their first placement (a 16-month-old with no caseworker, no warning, and a heartbreaking goodbye), and their second — premature twin boys whose biological mom is now her neighbor, tenant, and one of her closest friends.Because Shiana is in recovery herself, she brings a perspective on addiction and the foster care system that most people never get to hear — including the hard truth about why 95% of foster cases are addiction-related, why kids are being sent home too soon, and what it actually takes to break the cycle.This one is raw, real, and full of hope. Don't miss it.

Brenda grew up watching her mother say yes to a boy no one else wanted. Decades later, she found herself standing in a shelter, being told she wasn't the mom — and that's when everything changed.Growing up in El Salvador, Brenda learned early that caring for a child without a home wasn't heroic — it was just the right answer to an obvious need. When infertility led her and her husband toward foster-to-adopt, she thought she understood what she was walking into. She didn't. What she found instead was the slow, holy unraveling of her need for control, her instinct to judge, and her definition of what a blessing actually is.In this episode of the Running Toward Podcast, Brenda opens up about:- Growing up in El Salvador watching her mother adopt a boy no one else claimed- Navigating infertility and saying yes to foster care and adoption- The shelter moment that stripped away every need for control- Learning that her calling was to be a mom — not a judge- The heartbreak of adoption day and why it felt like both an ending and a beginning- Building a lasting friendship with her daughters' biological mother years after reunification- What she told her daughter when she was afraid loving two moms meant betraying oneHer story is a quiet invitation: you don't need a perfectly prepared heart. You just need a bed, a willingness to show up, and the courage to let go of the rest.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━The Running Toward Podcast is brought to you by South Texas Alliance For Orphans — transforming the foster care crisis in San Antonio and surrounding areas.🔔 Subscribe so you never miss a story🌐 Get involved → southtexasalliancefororphans.org━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━#FosterCare #Adoption #RunningTowardPodcast

In this powerful episode of Running Toward, Marin Baker shares her journey from planning international adoption to stepping into foster care, navigating special needs diagnoses, becoming a CPS caseworker, and ultimately learning what it means to release control and trust God fully.Marin opens up about the realities of the foster care system, trauma-informed parenting, courtroom heartbreak, and the emotional toll of advocating for vulnerable children. She also shares how foster care transformed her faith, her marriage, and her biological children — teaching compassion in ways nothing else could.This conversation is raw, honest, and deeply hopeful.

In this episode of Running Toward, we sit down with Alex to hear her powerful journey into foster care, adoption, and advocacy. From working as a case manager to becoming a foster and adoptive mom of three, Alex shares how faith, obedience, and courage shaped her family’s story.She opens up about unexpected detours, early marriage, saying yes to hard callings, navigating trauma-informed parenting, and the challenges of welcoming children into her home. We also discuss supporting teens in foster care, aging out of the system, church involvement, and why stepping into broken spaces matters.This conversation is for anyone who has felt called to help but doesn’t feel “ready,” for families considering foster care, and for anyone wanting to live out their faith with purpose.

Josh and Caitlin share their powerful story of how infertility changed the course of their lives and led them into foster care.What began as a journey filled with uncertainty, grief, and unanswered prayers slowly turned into a calling they couldn’t ignore. After years of trying to start a family, they felt God nudging them toward fostering — a path that would challenge their faith, stretch their hearts, and ultimately reshape their understanding of family.In this episode of the Running Toward Podcast, they open up about:• Their infertility journey• The moment they decided to foster• The emotional reality of loving children who may leave• How the foster care system really works• The heartbreak and healing that comes with fostering• What they wish more people understood about foster careTheir story is one of faith, resilience, and learning to trust God’s plan even when it looks nothing like the one you had for your life.

After losing her son in 2020, Susan never imagined foster care would become part of her story. What began as grief, anger, and unanswered questions turned into a calling she couldn’t ignore. In this episode, Susan shares how faith, loss, and responsibility collided — leading her and her husband into foster care, adoption, and a completely reshaped life.From navigating trauma, therapy, and the foster system… to surrendering control and deepening her faith, this is a raw and honest conversation about what it means to run toward the hard things.

In this episode of Running Toward, we sit down with Katie to hear her powerful journey into foster care. From teaching in Title I schools to opening her home to vulnerable children, Katie shares the highs, heartbreaks, and faith-filled moments that shaped her family. We talk about trauma, resilience, community support, and what it really means to love kids who come from hard places. This episode offers an honest look at fostering, obedience, and choosing to show up—even when it’s messy and uncertain.

In this episode of Running Toward, Brittany shares her journey into foster care—one marked by hesitation, obedience, heartbreak, and deep faith. From feeling unqualified and overwhelmed to learning how to hold children and plans with open hands, this conversation explores surrender, reunification, loving without guarantees, and trusting God in the chaos of foster care.

In this episode of Running Toward, Ashlie shares her powerful journey through infertility, loss, faith, and foster care. From struggling with unanswered prayers and career-driven identity to learning how to trust God through heartbreak, Ashley opens up about loving children without guarantees.She talks about losing her first placement, choosing to foster again, navigating grief, adoption, and learning to surrender control. This is a story about obedience, resilience, and choosing to love even when it costs.If you’ve ever wrestled with waiting, loss, faith, or saying “yes” to something hard, this episode will encourage you to keep going.

In this episode of Running Toward, Bethann shares her powerful journey through foster care, adoption, and loving children without guarantees. From early callings to heartbreaking goodbyes, she opens up about faith, obedience, resilience, and choosing love even when it hurts. A moving story about staying the course and trusting God through uncertainty.

In this episode of Running Toward, we sit down with Ariel to talk about one of the most overlooked crises in our communities: teens and young adults aging out of foster care.Ariel shares how motherhood, foster care, and adoption reshaped her understanding of responsibility, faith, and calling. We unpack what really happens when youth turn 18 and lose state support, why so many end up homeless, incarcerated, or trafficked, and how trauma, identity, and lack of family support shape their futures.This conversation explores the power of presence over fixing, why healing happens in relationships, and how ordinary families can step into extraordinary impact. It’s an honest, heavy, and hope-filled look at what it means to run toward hard stories instead of away from them.

In Episode 3 of Running Toward, we sit down with Pastor Mike Kraft to talk about what happens when foster care stops being a “cause” and becomes personal—right on your couch.Mike shares how stepping into foster care exposed a gap: the church may care deeply, but often feels unprepared to serve kids and families touched by trauma. We talk about control, interruption, fear, and what obedience looks like when there’s no clean ending—just daily dependence on God.This isn’t a solutions episode. It’s an honest story about proximity, surrender, and why caring for vulnerable children is a discipleship issue, not just a system issue.Subscribe for more stories of ordinary people choosing not to look away.

In this episode of Running Toward, we sit down with Jocelyn to hear a deeply personal story of faith, foster care, and the cost of obedience. Adoption and loss were part of her life long before foster care entered her own home, shaping her understanding of God’s heart for vulnerable children. But knowing the mission didn’t make saying yes any easier when it began to impact her marriage, her children, and the life she thought she had under control.Jocelyn shares what it looks like to count the cost, wrestle with fear, and step forward without certainty—learning to love not only foster children, but their families too. From long-term placements and heartbreaking goodbyes to the ongoing realities of trauma, adoption, and parenting, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what foster care really asks of a family.This episode is for anyone who’s ever felt the nudge to help but didn’t feel ready—and for those who are learning that faith often looks like choosing trust, one day at a time.

This episode features Jen being interviewed about her personal story and the moment she couldn’t ignore the foster care crisis anymore. She shares how one newspaper article exposed the hidden reality for kids in her own city and sparked a reluctant, life changing journey into fostering, advocating, and building real support for families who say yes.Jen walks through the fears, the pushback, the messy learning curve, and the faith moments that ultimately led her to start the South Texas Alliance for Orphans. It’s an honest look at what it costs to step closer, why the church often looks away, and how “small yeses” can turn into a movement that changes a city. If you’ve ever felt the nudge to help but don’t feel ready, this episode is for you.