Jessica Miles shares her raw, powerful story of loving through the hardest seasons of foster care, demonstrating how her own difficult childhood prepared her to show up authentically for children experiencing trauma. She offers profound insight into what it means to love intentionally when behaviors are extreme and systems are failing.

• Loving children the way she wished she'd been loved as a child
• Creating safety and protection as foundational parenting values
• Learning each child's unique love language and needs
• Suffering hearing loss from years of managing extreme behaviors
• Finding self-care in small, tangible ways during crisis seasons
• Processing personal trauma while parenting traumatized children
• Wrestling with faith questions while standing firm in commitment
• Using personal pain as a source of empathy and understanding
• The transformative power of being known and truly seen

Share this episode with anyone walking through hard seasons who needs to know they're not alone. The hard is holy.

Kate shares her journey from teacher to single foster parent, reflecting on the profound identity shift that occurs the moment a child enters your home and the unique challenges of navigating the system alone.

• Background in early childhood and special education creating a strong foundation for advocacy
• Building a house with kids in mind before even being licensed
• The exact moment of becoming a mother at 11:23pm on June 29, 2023
• Navigating the overwhelming initial days of placement with no preparation
• The tremendous mental load of single parenting while managing the foster care system
• Creating community support networks for foster families
• Starting a nonprofit to connect those who want to help with foster families in need
• The critical importance of utilizing respite care for sustainability
• Finding balance between the peaceful single life and the chaos of fostering
• The uncertainty that comes with foster care and learning to embrace it

Use respite care regularly - it's not just good for you but beneficial for the kids to see other safe adults and different family dynamics.

Welcome back to season two where we dive into the complicated reality of Mother's Day for foster and adoptive moms, exploring how joy and grief often coexist in our parenting journey. I share my personal struggles with balancing celebration, complicated emotions, and the mantra that helps me navigate it all: "two things can be true."

• Mother's Day feels different when you share it with your children's first mothers
• Parenting feels drastically different when attachment comes naturally versus when it doesn't
• Breaking dysfunctional cycles adds another layer of complexity to motherhood
• Finding peace amidst chaos becomes a daily practice when raising children from trauma
• Even when we struggle with attachment, we still show up and try every single day
• We get to choose how we respond, even when circumstances feel overwhelming
• Acknowledging both the beautiful and difficult parts of motherhood helps us find balance

If nobody has told you today, you are doing a good job. It's okay to fail—you can repair. It's okay to struggle—your muscles are getting stronger. Be exactly where you are in the process, doing the best you can with the information and skills you have today.

Vulnerability and authenticity are explored through personal experiences of motherhood, therapy, and relationships. By unpacking the burdensome narratives around love and acceptance, the episode inspires listeners to reflect on their own stories and choose healthier paths toward autonomy.

• Navigating the complexities of vulnerability in relationships
• The impact of books on parenting and boundaries
• Confronting the stories we tell ourselves
• Understanding the significance of personal autonomy
• Embracing healing through awareness and compassion
• Invitation to explore narratives that shape our sense of self

This episode focuses on the vital role of advocacy in supporting children, particularly in foster care and educational systems. We touch on personal experiences, the importance of knowledge about rights and relationships, and strategies for effectively advocating within complex systems.

• Understanding the role and significance of PACE
• Navigating challenges in the foster care system
• Empowering oneself with knowledge of rights and policies
• The emotional landscape of advocacy work
• Building key relationships within educational and care systems
• Importance of curiosity and community support in advocacy
• Techniques for responding versus reacting professionally
• Fostering collaboration for effective outcomes.

The episode delves into the transformative journey of foster care and adoption, highlighting the emotional complexities and realities faced by families involved. Megan Hampton-Pusey shares her experiences as a foster mother, addressing the importance of community support, the challenges of attachment, and the often-overlooked struggles of fostering.

• Insights into the emotional and psychological impact of fostering
• Importance of community and support for foster parents
• Contrast between biological and foster parenting dynamics
• The reality of attachment styles in adopted children
• The burden of societal perceptions on foster parents
• Discussion on resilience, trauma, and growth in children
• Personal reflections on the struggles and joys of parenting
• Encouragement to reconsider assumptions about foster care

Our conversation today dives deep into the joys of foster care and adoption, sharing heartfelt stories of connection and triumph amidst the challenges. We explore the significant moments that define our experiences as foster parents, offer practical parenting strategies, and celebrate the little victories that shape our family narrative.

• Navigating chaos after the holiday season
• The power of positive stories in foster care
• Celebrating small victories with our kids
• The importance of family travel and experiences
• Embracing patience and understanding in parenting
• Powerful family systems: the tradition of Sunday Sundays
• Welcoming a new puppy into our family dynamic

This episode highlights the transformative impact of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) on families navigating foster care and adoption. By understanding emotional needs behind behaviors, caregivers can build stronger connections and foster healing, while also addressing their own emotional challenges in the process.

• Introduction to TBRI and its importance in parenting
• Definition and core principles of TBRI
• The role of the infant attachment cycle in development
• Understanding unmet needs behind child behavior
• Differentiating emotional age from chronological age
• Emphasizing connection over correction in parenting
• Recognizing the emotional toll on caregivers
• Real-life applications of TBRI strategies
• The significance of allowing grief in parenting journeys
• Insights on fostering healthy family dynamics through TBRI