The Fearless Fostering Podcast
Podcast by Cathleen Bearse
Episodes
July 14, 2025 • 6 mins
There’s this unspoken pressure in motherhood — and especially in foster motherhood — to be the “fun mom.”
The one who always has energy, creativity, smiles, and Pinterest-worthy crafts.
The mom who never seems to lose her cool and always has time for play.
But what happens when that’s not you right now?
What happens when life feels heavy, and you can barely summon the strength to get through the day, let alone make it magical...
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July 7, 2025 • 11 mins
And why you were never meant to carry it alone.There’s a lot of talk about the logistics of foster care.The background checks. The home studies. The training hours.Even the bedtime routines and trauma-informed parenting techniques.But what no one really talks about — at least not out loud — is the emotional load that comes with foster parenting.It’s not just heavy.It’s complicated.And most days, it’s completely invisible to everyon...
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June 30, 2025 • 14 mins
And why I built Fearless Fostering to give it to you.When I got the call for our first placement, I wanted to feel ready.I had taken the classes. I had read the books. I had organized the bedroom.But when that little one crossed our threshold for the first time…I realized how much I wasn’t prepared for.Not because I didn’t care.But because foster care is not just logistics.It’s a thousand emotions at once — grief, love, guilt, hope...
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I'm answering your foster care questions today on the podcast, including what to do when your kids need more of you than you can give, how to prepare for a new placement, and how to process the grief of goodbye.Learn more about my Fearless Fostering group and join here: https://fearlessfostering.selfcarebestie.com/fearless-fostering
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June 18, 2025 • 12 mins
There’s a moment in nearly every foster mama’s journey that hits harder than expected.It usually doesn’t happen during licensing classes or even during the first hours of welcoming a new child. It happens after a few days, when the adrenaline wears off and real life kicks in. When the child starts showing signs of trauma. When your biological kids start acting out. When the caseworker misses their visit or when the bio parent sends...
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June 17, 2025 • 25 mins
Pediatric dietician and foster mama Madison Tyler joins me on this week's episode to share some signs that your foster or adoptive kiddo might be struggling with trauma-related food issues and how to solve them. If you'd like to learn more from Madison, you can follow her on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/nourishwithconnection/
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June 16, 2025 • 14 mins
If you’re a foster mom, chances are you’ve found yourself in emotionally charged, high-stakes moments more than once—moments where your child is melting down, or a visit doesn’t go as planned, or something triggers your own trauma. These are the moments when your nervous system goes into overdrive, and every part of you wants to react.But here’s the truth: Regulation always comes before connection. And that means you must be ground...
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June 14, 2025 • 17 mins
Foster care isn’t static — it’s a system that’s constantly shifting based on politics, policy, funding, research, and public awareness. And in 2025, we’re already seeing some significant changes that every foster parent (especially moms on the frontlines) should be aware of.Whether you’re new to fostering or have had multiple placements, these updates matter. They impact how long kids stay, the kind of support you receive, and how ...
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June 12, 2025 • 16 mins
APPLY for the Fearless Fostering Group: https://forms.gle/HR8pem1G6Wx4dAhbALearn more about Fearless Fostering here: https://fearlessfostering.selfcarebestie.com/fearless-fosteringFoster care is never linear. If you’re reading this, you probably already know that. You know the wild swings from hope to heartbreak, the late-night worries, the unspoken fears. You know how it can feel like everything is happening at once — or not at al...
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June 3, 2025 • 35 mins
Absolutely LOVED this talk with my pal and former Fearless Fostering member, Christi Chatman. In addition to being a foster mama, Christi is a therapist and big believer in therapy (especially embodied therapy for all that we hold in our bodies) for foster mamas. She shares her foster care journey thus far, what was painful and frustrating, as well as encouragement for how to persevere and heal from the wounds of foster mama trau...
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May 21, 2025 • 22 mins
Charell Star is a former foster youth, lifelong advocate, and brilliant storyteller - she joins me in conversation on this episode to share her story and her debut memoir: Trashbag Tales & Other Stories From An Accidentally Happy Life.Find Charell's book here: https://charellstar.com/Connect with her on social media here: https://www.instagram.com/charellstar/#instagram
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May 14, 2025 • 9 mins
When you begin your foster care journey, you prepare for a lot of things.You prepare your home.You prepare your heart.You prepare for trauma, transitions, and the unknown.But almost no one prepares you for one of the most sacred, painful, complex, and often overlooked relationships in foster care:The relationship between you and your child’s biological mother.Join the Foster Mama Lifeline here: https://stan.store/fearless_fostering...
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May 7, 2025 • 11 mins
If you’ve ever stood face-to-face with a child in full-blown meltdown mode—screaming, hitting, crying, or shutting down—you know the pressure.Your heart races. Your brain scrambles for the “right” response.And suddenly, you’re the one feeling completely dysregulated.This is one of the hardest truths about parenting—especially in foster care:You can’t support a dysregulated child unless you know how to regulate yourself.And that’s n...
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May 1, 2025 • 8 mins
When I first started parenting kids from hard places, I thought I was prepared.I had read the books.I had attended the trainings.I had even practiced my calm voice in the mirror (true story).But nothing fully prepared me for the moment I was in the middle of a screaming match with a 6-year-old who had flipped a table over, while my heart was racing, my voice was shaking, and I was thinking,“What am I doing wrong?”The truth is, noth...
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April 15, 2025 • 10 mins
If you’re a foster or adoptive mom, there’s a good chance you’ve felt it.That deep, nagging guilt that whispers:You’re not doing enough. You should have handled that better. You shouldn’t feel this way. They deserve more than you can give.I call it the guilt spiral—and it’s a space so many of us end up in, often without even realizing it. It starts small, with a moment of self-doubt. But it snowballs quickly, pulling us into a pit ...
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April 2, 2025 • 16 mins
When I began fostering, I felt like I had prepared as much as any human possibly could. I read all the books. I watched the webinars. I went to the trainings. I talked to seasoned foster parents. I even practiced “holding space” for imaginary scenarios in my head. I was ready—or so I thought.But no amount of preparation can fully equip you for the lived experience of foster parenting, especially in that first raw, vulnerable year.N...
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March 22, 2025 • 15 mins
As a former school social worker and someone currently serving as a long-term social work sub in a public school, I’ve had a front-row seat to how schools function behind the scenes. I’ve also witnessed how challenging it can be for foster mamas to advocate for their children in the school system. Many foster children enter school carrying the weight of trauma, attachment challenges, and emotional stress, all of which can affect th...
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March 12, 2025 • 25 mins
Fact: Foster care disproportionately affects families of color. In this episode, I'm having a SUPER raw and real conversation with foster mama and foster care advocate Gaile Osborne. Gaile is the executive director of the Foster Family Alliance of North Carolina and has learned firsthand that most of us well-meaning foster mamas DO have work to do when it comes to being anti-racist and educating our extended family and frien...
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February 13, 2025 • 7 mins
As a foster mama, you carry a weight that few truly understand—the sleepless nights worrying about your child’s emotional well-being, the endless advocacy to ensure they get the right support, and the deep emotional investment in their healing. You’re juggling doctor’s appointments, IEP meetings, sibling visits, birth parent relationships, and behaviors that other parents don’t have to navigate.And through it all, you’re expected t...
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February 9, 2025 • 21 mins
When you become a foster or adoptive parent, you enter into a world that is filled with love, challenges, joy, and, at times, pain. It’s a journey that requires constant learning, compassion, and understanding as you help your child navigate their own emotions, identity, and relationship with their biological roots.Get my FREE coping skills class here: https://stan.store/fearless_fostering
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