From Shadows to Spotlight with Tori Hope Peterson's Journey of Healing

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Embark on an emotional sojourn with Tori Hope Petersen as she narrates her voyage from a turbulent childhood in foster care to becoming an emblem of hope and transformation. Through her lens, you'll journey across terrains of adversity where she discovered her sanctuary in the rhythm of track and field, serving as both her escape and her identity. The revelations of Tori's past and the pivotal role of AncestryDNA in her heartwarming reunion with her biological lineage sets the stage for a conversation that's as profound as it is enlightening. Her upcoming book, a beacon on the horizon set to illuminate the path to generational healing in February 2025, weaves a tantalizing thread throughout our discussion.

With Tori as our guide, we wade through the complexities of trauma, the healing embrace of genuine support, and the strides one can take toward emancipation and triumph, even within the oft-challenging foster care system. Yet, the canvas of her life extends beyond personal conquests, as she propels us into the urgent advocacy for child abuse prevention, and the crucial work of organizations like Place of Hope in Florida, where the staggering statistics of abuse reports from 2020 call us all to action. The conversation takes a turn into the darker corridors of human trafficking, only to emerge into the light of storytelling as a powerful means of transformation and empowerment, where trauma is not a shackle but a springboard for connection and strength.

In the warm embrace of hospitality and advocacy, Tori unveils the connections between opening her home, her culinary passions, and her unwavering mission to foster change in the lives of children. Her heartfelt gratitude for the love and grace that have fueled her journey is palpable, inviting us to reflect on the power of giving back. Our gratitude extends to Amy Kazma and Place of Hope for their unwavering support in making this episode a reality, as we encourage you to engage with us further, for the stories shared here are just the beginning of a dialogue we hope will resonate, inspire, and ignite change.

Takeaways

• Growing up in the foster care system can be challenging and traumatic, but with the right support and resources, individuals can overcome adversity.
• Track and field can provide an escape and a sense of identity for those in difficult situations.
• Finding a community and a support system, such as a church, can be instrumental in healing and finding hope.
• Emancipation from the foster care system can be a difficult transition, but with determination and support, individuals can achieve their goals.
• The search for biological family members can be emotional and impactful, providing closure and a sense of identity. Using Ancestry DNA can be a powerful tool for connecting with biological family members.
• Having no expectations and being grateful for whatever comes out of a reunion can lead to a healthy and positive experience.
• Proactive support for youth in foster care is crucial, providing them with tools and resources before they emancipate.
• Sharing personal stories can be a healing experience and can help others in their own healing journey.
• Advocacy work and policy change are important in improving the lives of vulnerable children.
• Hospitality and cooking can be meaningful ways to create a welcoming and nurturing environ

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Episode Transcript

Charles Bender (00:02):
Hello and thank you for tuning in to Ambassadors
of Hope.
I'm your host, charles Bender.
We're so excited that you'vetuned in to hear from local
South Florida leaders who aremaking a difference in our
community and region through ourcharity Place of Hope.

Maya Elias (00:15):
Hello, I'm Maya Elias, producer for the
Ambassadors of Hope podcast byPlace of Hope.
Today, we're privileged to haveTori Hope Petersen as our
distinguished guest.
Tori's journey through thefoster care system, overcoming
adversity and finding solace intrack and field, is truly
inspiring.
She candidly shares herexperiences of abuse,

(00:37):
instability and her eventualtriumph as a four-time state
track and field champion.
Tori's quest to reconnect withher biological father utilizing
platforms like AncestryDNA,underscores her resilience and
determination.
She reflects on the emotionalroller coaster of reaching out
to potential relatives and theprofound impact of discovering

(00:58):
her biological family,particularly her father's sister
.
Throughout her narrative, toriunderscores the importance of
embracing uncertainty andgratitude in reunions.
Moreover, tori advocates forproactive support systems for
youth in foster care, stressingthe significance of equipping
them with the essential toolsand resources before they

(01:19):
transition to independence.
She eloquently speaks to thehealing power of storytelling
and the necessity of providingsurvivors of abuse and trauma
with safe platforms to sharetheir experiences.
In addition to her advocacywork, tori shares insights into
her personal life, including herpassion for hospitality,
cooking and her role as adevoted mother.

(01:39):
Currently, she's channeling herexperiences into a new book
aimed at breaking destructivepatterns and generational cycles
.
Join us for the remainder ofthis poignant and uplifting
episode where Tori HopePetersen's story continues to
inspire and motivate.

Lisa Inman McDulin (01:57):
Well, welcome to the Place of Hope
podcast.
Ambassadors of hope.
We're in the studio today witha special guest from out of town
who came into town to speak atour 10th annual angel mom brunch
.
Tori Hope Petersen is here withme in the studio and I'm going
to let her give a littleintroduction about herself.

(02:19):
But she's just a lovely girl.
We've had such a great day andafter we have a big event like
this, it's kind of like planninga wedding.
You spend months and months andmonths and months and then
finally the day is here.
It's just like, oh, afterwards,um, but I'm so glad that we can
share you with our listenersand other place of hope
supporters who maybe didn't getto be in the room today.

(02:40):
So, tori, welcome to Place ofHope and welcome to our podcast.

Tori Hope Petersen (02:44):
Yeah, thank you for having me.
It did.
It felt like a Superbowl thatevent did.
It was awesome, and I was sohonored to share my story with
your, your guys' audience, likesuch genuine people who want to
care and love children who needcare and love.

Lisa Inman McDulin (03:00):
Well, you've got a great story of hope.
We love your middle name, bythe way, and you know, last
summer or last spring, when wehad this event, Amy Kazma, one
of our angel moms, she kind ofpulled me to the side and she
goes OK, this is great, but weneed to go bigger.
And we got to get a speaker.

(03:20):
And I want you to do someresearch.
And I came across your story onanother podcast and I think it
was the nothing is wastedpodcast, I'm pretty sure.
And then I started doing myresearch and looking you up and,
man, what a story.
And you are such a light.
And I think by telling yourstory, you're helping countless

(03:44):
other young adults who don'thave a voice, because and we
were talking about this in thecar a little bit, I mean a lot
of times these kids, they don'twant to tell their story, they
don't want to talk about theirtrauma.
And there you are on the stagetoday and making everybody laugh
and having fun with it.
So let's tell your story.
I want you to share your storybecause I think a lot of people

(04:04):
would like to hear it.

Tori Hope Petersen (04:05):
Yeah Well, if we don't laugh we're going to
cry, so we can do both.
But I really like to makepeople laugh and I like to make
people happy, so it meant a lotto me.
Afterwards A lot of people saidyou're funny and I was like, oh
, that's the best complimentthat you can give me is to say
I'm funny and I make you laughbecause so much of the story is

(04:26):
so hard.
I was born to a single mom whoabsolutely did the best with
what she had.
I think it's really importantto say that Before I was born,
my mom is a trafficking survivor.
My mom was abused and herparents died, passed away very
young, and so she didn't haveanyone to help her out of the
situation that she was in.
She was like a teenager.

(04:52):
Her dad moved her from where Inow live, defiance Ohio, small
rural town, to Houston, texas,and then her parents passed away
and she was there all byherself.
She was in Houston Texas Likeshe was just a kid, really in
her early twenties, and she wasbeing trafficked and she didn't
really have anybody, didn't havea community to lean on, didn't
have people, and I mean when youthink about your guys'
organization, it's so wildbecause, like there are

(05:12):
literally right.
You were telling me in the cara story of a girl.
Very similar situation getsdropped here in Florida, left
basically by her parents.
Where did my mom have to go?
If your organization would havebeen where my mom was like, my
story would be very different,because my mom just didn't have
any place.
And I just think it's soimportant to give that context,

(05:33):
because my mom is not a villain.
My mom is not this terribleperson.
She was a kid who didn't haveall these resources that we have
today, that didn't have what Ihave, what I did have as a kid.
So I was born and you know, mymom was really on her own, did
not want me to be raised inHouston.
She felt like she had so muchtrauma there and it was really

(05:56):
important that I wasn't raisedthere.
So she moved us back to whereshe was originally from, which
is where I'm from is Ohio.
My mom, she knows she alwayssaid she loved me.
She always said that she wantedthe best for me.
From a very young age Iremember from like the age of
four, my mom told me I had to goto college, I had to be an
educated woman.
That was always very importantto her.
I know that my mom wanted thebest for me, but she was
involved with dangerous people.

(06:17):
I ended up going into the fostercare system due to a drug bust.
There were uniform men bustedthrough our front door.
I was probably like four yearsold and they just took, you know
, bags of drugs down from thecabinets and this nice young
woman came, swooped me up, tookme to the backyard and she just
said we're just going to gosomewhere for a little while.
And so I went into my veryfirst foster home and during

(06:37):
that time I was like I do notwant to be here, I want to be
with my mom.
My mom loves me.
My mom provided for me.
I mean it was with drug moneywhich I didn't know was bad, but
I was provided for.
I did have a relatively, youknow it.
It appeared stable, it feltstable, it didn't feel dangerous
, it was normal.

Lisa Inman McDulin (06:53):
It was my normal, it was my normal and you
don't when you're that young,you don't know what you don't
know.

Tori Hope Petersen (06:58):
So I just wanted to go back.
I just wanted to be with my mom.
My know you don't have aconcept of time when you're four
years old, but my mom said Iwas in the system for about six
months.
The system did one of its rolesfulfilled.
One of its roles isreunification, and I will be
very frank in saying that Idon't always believe that's the
best option.
I think it's very trendy infoster care to say, like
reunification is always the bestoption.

(07:18):
We always need to put likefoster children back with like
biological family, and that'snot always the best case.
And that that proved itselftrue, because I went to go live
back with my biological mom andwe were stable for a little bit,
but as time went on, the abusein my home started to increase.
My mom was really strugglingwith mental illness, I think
because she had never healedfrom the trauma that she endured

(07:38):
when she was a teenager andwhen she was younger and it was
just coming out in herhood.
Because motherhood is hard Ifwe don't take care of our stuff,
it's all going to come out inour motherhood and our wifehood
because it's just so hard and soshe started to be very abusive
and the abuse started to getworse and worse and worse.
And so when I was 12 years old,I went into the foster care
system again for a second timeand this time I had a sister.

(08:00):
She's 10 years younger than me,so she was like about two at
the time.
We went into the systemtogether.
I was so relieved Like it was acomplete like black and white
completely different feelingthan how I felt the first time.
I was like okay, like we'regoing to get stability, like
things are going to be normal,we're going to get to escape the
abuse and the chaos, like I waslooking forward to it.

(08:21):
I was like we're going to havea family, maybe I'm going to
have a dad, like foster careseemed like this really great
thing.
But abuse had happened in thatvery first foster home that we
were in.
Unfortunately, I reported it.
They said that I was lying andme and my sister were separated.
I went to live in a residentialgroup home which I was very
upset about, and I was upsetbecause the residential group

(08:43):
home it was for high riskteenagers, it was for high risk
kids, and I had never doneanything to put me under the
umbrella to be considered highrisk.
Never done drugs, never didalcohol, didn't get into trouble
.
I had I was a 4.0 student atthis point and so I was pretty
upset.
But one of the things that theymandated was they mandated for
us to be in therapy.
I went to therapy and I waslike I literally was like in

(09:05):
therapy.
I was like I'm going to gothrough the motions, like I'm
just going to do what I have todo and say what I have to say to
get out of here.
But like, as she was asking mequestions and I had to answer
them, like I was like I'm notgoing to be, I wanted to like be

(09:26):
in had actually really hurt me.
There were many differentbehaviors in this home.
This home had such a such animpact on me and and not like
their programming, but just likein the way that I could see
myself for the first time and itmade me realize things about
myself.
Really, through the therapy andduring this therapy, you know,

(09:51):
I realized that growing up withmy mom had been really quite
hard and all these girls, we hadto have different behaviors.
But one of the ways that mytrauma manifested was that we so
we had point sheets.
Um, so if you are not in childwelfare, I'm just going to try
and like really explain this toyou very clearly.

(10:12):
So we carried around aclipboard with a piece of paper
on it and every time we had wedid something that was good
quote, unquote, good or that wasgood behavior.
They would have us write downpositive a thousand points and
then we would write down thegood behavior.
If we did anything bad, badchoice, bad behavior uh, we
would have to write downnegative, negative, 3000,
negative 3000 was the minimum.
That was like the starting, andfor me those negative points

(10:35):
were just crushing.
My mom was someone who reallyvalued achievement.
Like I said, when I was likefour she was like you gotta go
to college.
My mom was someone who reallyvalued achievement, high
accomplishment.
She had a really really highstandards for me and so when I
got like negative 3000 points,it was so crushing and I would
go to my room and I would just Iwould like rehearse how like

(10:56):
I'm going to do better, I'mgoing to do better and I would
like replay in my room how Iwould react better so I wouldn't
get the negative 3000 pointsagain and like the girls, girls,
the other girls I was livingwith, like they got like
multiple negatives like in a dayand I would maybe like one
negative a week because I was solike I have to be perfect, I
have to not get it, and like theprogramming was actually quite

(11:21):
I think it did a bit more damagethan it did.
Good, but that is actually oneof the things that the therapist
pointed out.
She was like this is how yourtrauma is, like crushing you.
She was like you think it's agood thing and everyone else.
It was so wild.
She's like everyone thinks thisis a good thing, everyone
praises you for youraccomplishments, everyone
praises you because you're thegood kid, but the reality is

(11:41):
this is how your trauma.
Perfection is a trauma responseand it helped me see myself in
this this way that, like,perfection is the enemy of good.
I couldn't have peace, Icouldn't just live in the simple
goodness, because I was alwaystrying to be perfect and I was
always trying to wrestle withthat.

(12:02):
So eventually I left this grouphome.
I moved throughout manydifferent homes.
I moved throughout 12 homesthroughout my entire time in
foster care, which was very hard.
You know, you just feel unwanted, you feel disposable, you feel
like no one wants you.
You feel like no one wants you,loves you, wants you.
You just feel like you're not,you don't belong and you're
moving from.
I mean, people were always like, what was it like moving from

(12:29):
home to home to home?
Well, it was like, okay, I'mgoing to go and try to fit in
here, I'm going to try to fitinto this family and mold in
whatever way they need me to tobelong.
But the reality is, is theopposite of belonging is fitting
in.
We can't belong and makeourselves fit into something
that someone else wants us to be.
Belonging is being who God hascreated us to be, and so I was

(12:51):
always trying to be who everyoneelse wanted me to be and I
couldn't figure out who Tori was.
I had track as my escape.
I think track, you know, wasthis one place where I was like
I could be who I felt was mostlike Tori, and that still was
like high achievement, highaccomplishment.
And I'm not saying that's a badthing, I just think when we aim
for perfection it can bedestructive.

(13:11):
But high achievements and highaccomplishments was something
that was always part of me.
It's something that still is apart of me and track was kind of
like this outlet that how oldwere you when you started
running I?
started running when I was likein the seventh grade, but I
wasn't good like I was just likeit was just fun just like in
gym class or yeah, well, Istarted track.

(13:31):
So, like in Ohio, you can likestart track like in the seventh
grade, unless you're like on atravel team.
But I was poor and then I wentto the foster care system and
usually foster parents do nothave the bandwidth to have a kid
in travel sports becausethey're fostering usually a lot
of kids and foster care isalready so hard with caseworker
visits and stuff.
So I didn't start until theseventh grade and yeah, it was

(13:54):
just this escape, like I justloved it and I was okay at it.
You know, I I was a part of agood relay.
And then in between my juniorand senior year I always had a
goal.
I always wanted to go to state,but I'd never been to state in
an individual race.
Um, it was.
I was going into my senior yearand never been to state in an
individual race and my trackcoach said I think you can go

(14:16):
into the state track meet and Ithink you can win it.
But he added a caveat and hesaid if you do everything I say
so I was like, whatever, I'mgonna listen to this old man,
I'm gonna do everything he saysit doesn't work out, then it's
his old man's fault because itwas his idea, everything he said
.
So if the result isn't exactlywhat he said, it to be his fault
.
So I started to do everythinghe said, started to train, like
he told me how many hours ofsleep I need to get a night.
He told me, like the things Ineed to eat, and not like super

(14:37):
strict diet or anything, butlike you need to eat healthy,
right, and he would give me likeI was working out out of season
.
So I started training like ayear before the state track meet
and he would give me adifferent workout like every day
.
And through that we becamesuper, super close.
But in between my my junior andsenior year so that's when he
told me and then my senior yearI had still so my birthday's in

(15:00):
February, so I still had like awhole semester of high school
left and then I still had mytrack season left, because track
season doesn't start till March.
And my birthday was in February.
I chose to emancipate when Iturned 18.
In Ohio, you have the choice toemancipate or not.
You have the choice to leave,at least at this point, when I
was in care.
So it's been 10 years sinceI've been in care.

(15:21):
I feel like we should mentionthat.
So I know that things havechanged and things have gotten
better, but I wanted to leavethe system.
I didn't want to be in thesystem.
I felt very burned bycaseworkers.
I felt like they had labeled meas, like this bad kid.
When I was a 4.0 student, I hadgreat grades, I was a star
athlete and you're like,labeling me as this bad kid,

(15:42):
hard to place, like just allthese labels on me that I felt
like were really similar to thelabels that my mom had spoken
over me, they had.
It was just different.
And those labels, those werethe things like when people hear
about the physical abuse,they're like oh my gosh, you
know that's where your traumacame from.
But if I had to name anything,that where my trauma came from,
it was the labels trauma camefrom.

(16:05):
It was the labels, it was thethings spoken over me, because
those are the things still tothis very day that, like I have
to figure out how to wrestlewith and how to like when the
lies come.
I have to literally work to putthe truth there.
And so I was going into mysenior year.
Well, I was in my senior year,still had a semester left, and I
chose to emancipate and mytrack coach, you know he, gave
me this goal.

(16:25):
We were training together, butthen I was instantly homeless,
like 20% of foster kids who ageout are, and I had no place to
go.
My I did have a foster mom.
She's my 12th foster home and Iloved her.
So, like I think it's importantI did not emancipate because of
her, because I didn't have agood home.
I emancipated because I waslike I don't want anything to do
with the system itself, with,like, the government entity, but

(16:47):
I love my foster mom.
She was really really good tome.
She was taking me to church andI had, I had seen foster
parents who they'd like takingme to church, but it was
actually my 11th home where theywere taking me to church
consistently, but in the theywould talk about God, but behind
closed doors they abuse theirkids, and so I really didn't

(17:10):
understand, like there's thisJesus who is so loving and so
kind and so good, but then hispeople like there's people are
just putting a mask on.
I was like I don't want, I don'twant a mask.
Like I want to be known, I wantto be loved, and I'm already
putting a mask on all the time.
Like I don't want a mask.
Like I want to be known, I wantto be loved, and I'm already
putting a mask on all the time.
Like I don't want a whole extrareligion that's making me put
on a mask.
I was like I don't wantanything to do with it.

(17:30):
And then I went to go with mylast foster mom, whose name was
Gina, and she was taking me tochurch consistently, very
similar to my 11th foster home,but she really was very loving
and she was very kind and kind.
And in my 11th foster home Itold the foster parents I was

(17:50):
like my track coach gave me thisgoal.
I would like, really love, tostart going to practice every
day and I want new track spikes.
And they told me that it waslike unrealistic.
It was an unrealistic goal.
And then, when I asked fortrack spikes and this is how the
story sounds materialistic whenI say and I know that.
But they took me to Goodwilland they got me a pair of track
spikes that were two sizesbigger than, like, my foot, but
and I was like in the moment Iwas really grateful.
But then, when I went to go livewith Gina, she took me to like

(18:15):
a sporting store.
I tried on these brand newspikes and she got me brand new
spikes.
And it wasn't about thematerialistic thing, it was the
message she sent that I believein you and I'm going to invest
in you.
I believe in what God can dothrough you.
And then one of the things thatthe other foster parents didn't
want to do is they didn't wantto take me to practice every day
because I was practicing out ofseason.
So I couldn't just like get onthe bus or like get out of

(18:37):
school and go to practice.
Like I was practicing with mycoach out of season, like not
during the practice hours.
And so, gina, she startedtaking me to practice every day,
like whenever I needed to betaken, whenever my track coach
was available, and what she wassaying was like I believe in
your potential, I believe inthis dream that you have for

(18:57):
yourself, even though I neverbeen on the state track, meet an
individual race and, likeusually the stuff is very
progressive and she reallydidn't have like a ton of reason
to believe in me, but she waswilling to invest in me without
knowing what the end result wasgoing to be.
And so when I emancipated, I wasa part of this church because
of, really, gina taking me, Ihad come to faith, I had come to

(19:19):
believe in Jesus.
I had understood.
You know, one of my bigquestions about God was that if
he's so good, then why didn'tyou give me a dad?
Because I would have had a dadto like, maybe protect me from
my mom or prevent me from goinginto the foster care system.
And then I realized that, likeGod was my father, god is my
father and he's there,protecting me, loving me, always

(19:40):
there for me.
And so I accepted Jesus into myheart, still attending this
church that my foster mom wentto, and I had that community.
I really looked to them.
A lot of people were involved infoster care and I looked at
them and I thought, maybe ifthese people care about kids
like me, then maybe God caresabout me.
And so I started to ask peopleyou know, can I, can I live with

(20:01):
you?
There's this one woman who Itutored her daughter.
Uh, she was, her daughter waslike a second grader, and I
tutored her when I was in highschool and she just said if
there's ever anything you need,you can come, you can just call
me.
And so I called her and I waslike I need a home.
And I came and lived with herand she had all the best
intentions and her home was likea very safe and normal home.

(20:22):
I moved into her basement andthen the first night that I went
to go sleep in there, I startedto break out hives and I didn't
know what it was from.
So we like went to the hospitaland we found out that I was
allergic to black mold.
They had black mold in theirbasement and like their home was
like very nice.
It was just like they had blackmold in their basement.
So I had to move out of there.
And then I went to go live withjust like this person from my

(20:42):
high school and I was sleepingon the floor.
It was their house was likesuper cold.
It's going to have heat.
Of course we're like inFebruary and like late February
at this point, so it's cold inOhio and I went and I bought a
space heater because I hadworked here and there throughout
throughout my foster careexperience.
So I had like a little bit of asavings account, went and bought

(21:02):
a space heater and I was likesleeping by the space heater,
like stay warm.
And I woke up and I like burnson my arm, on the side that I
slept on, and my track coach waslike what are those?
And I was like they're burnsfrom a space heater, because I'm
like trying to.
I'm sleeping by the spaceheater because it's really cold
in the house.
And he was like you need aplace to sleep that is stable,
you need a place where you'regoing to get good sleep, because

(21:25):
you're not going to get, you'renot going to win this, like if
you aren't getting good sleep.
And so there's someone from mychurch, another person from my
church that I asked um, she wasthis woman, her name was Tanya,
and every Wednesday she wouldcome pick me up, me and my
sister up, when we live with mymom, and she would take us to
her house, feed us, and thenshe'd take us to church every
Wednesday.
And so I had not really likekept a relationship with her

(21:48):
throughout my foster careexperience, because my mom had
some jealousy of her and she hadtold the county my case was not
to let us be in contact witheach other.
But once I had emancipated, Iwas like can I come live with
you?
And so she let me live with her, and she was someone that I'm
still very close with today.
She's like my mom, she's likemy mother figure, and so I lived

(22:08):
with her and went to the statetrack meet that year and became
a four-time state champion intrack and field.

Lisa Inman McDulin (22:14):
Amazing story, amazing story, but I know
that's not the end of the story.

Tori Hope Petersen (22:19):
I know that's not the end.
There's a lot to the story.

Lisa Inman McDulin (22:21):
There's a lot.

Tori Hope Petersen (22:26):
My track coach was driving me to and from
track practice.
My track coach was driving meto and from track practice and
there was one time he wasdriving me home and he said,
tori, when the track season isover, because the realities of
the school, the technicalitiesof it all, my family, my
daughters and I have talkedabout it and we want to welcome
you into our family, and we wantto welcome you into our home,
and so that would be like areally cool ending to the story.

(22:54):
It really would.
But I heard him and I thoughtyeah, I've heard that before.
And so I kept training with himand we became super close.
He became this father figure inmy life and I never really I
had a lot of great moms, momfigures in my life, but I never
really had a father figure, andhe was the staff that I felt
like I always needed and, as wewere in between this track
season, and, it being over, hewould invite me to his house

(23:17):
that he would cook for me.
Him and his daughters would cookfor me.
They would teach me how to cook.
There was this one time, me andhis daughter.
He had a grill like still inthe box in the garage and he
left and we're like we shouldput the grill together as a
surprise for him.
And so we put the grilltogether and he came home and I
guess it was backwards.
It was completely backwards,but he he kept it like that and

(23:42):
he's used it backwards till thisvery day because he says it
reminds him of when we werebecoming sisters and so I went
to the state track meet and itwas, I was just so grateful to
be there.
I was like, if I don't win,that's okay.
I made it here, I have myfamily.

(24:02):
but that day God had his handover my life and I became a
four-time state champion intrack and field.
Thank you, Till this day.
It is one of the most memorabledays of my life.
I became the 50th girl ever inhistory of Ohio to win four

(24:24):
state titles in one meet, whichis as many as you can win in one
meet.
I became the first individualwoman at my high school to be a
state champion.
All the other state championsstill at my high school to this
day are men, and I became thefirst woman of color at my high
school to be a state championand it was, to this day, one of
the greatest honors and it iswhat allowed me to go on to

(24:47):
college and get a full ridescholarship.
I graduated from HillsdaleCollege in 2018 and only three
percent of foster youth go on toget a bachelor's degree or
higher.
These things that I was able todo were because of all of the
people.
I know that I just I told you astory, me but really my intent

(25:09):
was to tell you a story about afoster mom who was faithful in
taking me to church and showedme community, A Tanya who came
and picked me up and establisheda relationship with me from a
very young age so that I couldeventually live with her and she
could show me what it was liketo be a wife and a mom.
It took Scott, who didn't knowwhat the end results were going

(25:31):
to be, but placed this loftydream in front of us that we
could chase together.
It's all these people whodidn't know what the end results
were going to be, but theyinvested anyway and it didn't
just take one person.
You know there's this idea Ifyou're in the foster care space.
You've heard it a lot.
It takes one adult to changethe trajectory of a child's life

(25:53):
and I like that sentiment.
But what we lose is that itreally takes the community.
It takes all of us, and if wesay it only takes one, then only
one of us has to give today.
Only one of us has to walk outof here and do something to
really make an impact.
But really it takes all of usto change a child's life.
It takes an entire community.

(26:14):
What I love about Tanya andScott is that they were models
for me and they're a huge reasonI am who I am today.
Now I get to do this.
I get to advocate for kids whoare in the position that I was
in.

Lisa Inman McDulin (26:34):
I know we were talking about it in the car
.
I would lay there and justlisten to your voice talking.
The book is called Fostered.
You can download it, I think,on Audible, Audible any place.

Charles Bender (26:45):
You can get it on Amazon.

Lisa Inman McDulin (26:47):
It's a great read.
It really is a great read.
It's a great story and, ofcourse, it's interesting to me
too, just because of the line ofwork that I'm in and what we
getas.

Maya Elias (27:05):
Did you know that April is when we recognize
National Child Abuse PreventionMonth and the importance of
communities working together tosupport and strengthen families
and prevent child maltreatment?
I would like to share with youall some stories in regards to
Child Abuse Awareness Month.
In the year 2020, Florida'sChild Protective Services faced

(27:33):
an alarming reality.
They received approximately185,000 reports of child abuse
and neglect.
Can you imagine the weight ofthose numbers, the weight of
those young lives?
Approximately 36% of allchildren in Florida's foster
care system are under the age offive.

(27:53):
These are tender years where achild should be wrapped in love,
not tangled in a system theycan barely comprehend.
And, what's even moreheartbreaking, almost one out of
every five kids in thissituation are dealing with
serious mental health problems.
These statistics reveal a storythat's hard to hear, but one

(28:14):
that must be told.
They illuminate the toughemotional and psychological
struggles that these childrenface every single day.
It shows us just how hard it isfor them and for the foster
care system to cope with thesechallenges.
Is for them and for the fostercare system to cope with these
challenges.
But amidst these stark realities, there is hope.
There are beacons of light inthe darkness.

(28:35):
Like Place of Hope.
We are the guardians, theprotectors, the ones who refuse
to let the numbers define ourchildren's futures.
Together, we can be part ofthat hope.
Together, we can combat thosestaggering numbers, and it is
crucial, now more than ever, tocontinue advocating for these
children.
I invite you to be a part ofthis challenge.

(28:56):
I invite you to make adifference today.
By donating to organizationslike Place of Hope, you're
ensuring that all children haveaccess to safe, supportive and
stable family environments.
Let's rewrite the story forthese children.
Let's give them the childhoodthey deserve.

(29:17):
Donate today at placeofhopecom/donate.

Lisa Inman McDulin (29:27):
Now what?

Tori Hope Petersen (29:28):
because I don't remember what happened to
your dad so my biological fatherpassed away a month before I
was born oh my god.
I didn't know that until I wasso.
My mom had always told me thatmom had always told me your dad
passed away before you were born.
But I think I didn't know if Icould believe her and I always
wondered if he was still outthere somewhere.

(29:51):
Um, and the things that I didknow about him weren't
necessarily good things, but Istill had a desire to meet him,
if I could like just to be.
There's this little part of meI know this is sounding really
bad, but there's this littlepart of me that I just wanted to
like go to him and be like Idon't want anything from you,
but I do want you to see whatyou missed out on.
So I took an ancestry DNA testand I actually took my ancestry

(30:13):
DNA test, because everyonealways asks me what my ethnicity
is and I always said I don'tknow.
And then people look at youfunny and they're like what do
you mean?
you don't know, and then you gotto tell them your whole life
story.
The second that I meet them,like these strangers on the
street like not, strangers onthe street don't always want to

(30:34):
hear your whole life story, butthey ask.
And so you're like OK, here'sthe story.
So I took an ancestry DNA andDNA test to find out my
ethnicity and I ended up, ofcourse, finding a relative from
my dad's family side and Imessaged them and I was just
like hey, if you do not want toopen this book, that's totally
okay.

(30:54):
Like, if you don't want to talkabout this, it's okay.
But I'm pretty sure I am yourbrother's daughter.
My mom had told me his name andwhen I looked at the family
tree there was his name.
It had said that he passed inJanuary of 1996 and I was born
in February of 1996.
And so I was like I thinkthat's him Like it's matching up
.
For a while no one messaged meback and then so the way that

(31:18):
Ancestry DNA works is the peopledo not pop up unless they also
take the test.
You can have a family memberout there, but they're not going
to pop up unless they've alsospit in the little thing, sent
it out.
You know, someone else, likethe person that I initially
found never messaged me back andI was like that's fine, you
know it's.
It's like someone's messagingyou saying that they're possibly
your niece, like that's, that'sweird.

(31:39):
Like I don't know if I'drespond.
I don't know, I probably would,but I get that people, some
people wouldn't.
So I didn't take offense, itJust kind of like let it, let it
lay, let it rest.
There was another lady thatpopped up and she actually
messaged me and it also saidthat she was my dad's sister.
Cool thing is that my dad hadlike 11 siblings.
I was like I wasn't worriedabout it because I was like

(32:00):
eventually one of them has tofind me.
There's so many of them and shemessaged me and she's like
asked who I was.
I was like well, I think I'myour brother's daughter and this
is like the story that my momtold me, and we had kind of
talked we probably talked forabout a year and just over text
message and just would be like,hey, hope you're doing well,
kind of give each other updates.

(32:21):
And then after about a year shesaid I want to fly you here and
I want to throw a familyreunion for you.
Oh yeah, so she threw a partyfor me and this is, you know,
the African-American side of my,of my family, my.
I grew up with a white mom andI don't know much about the
African-American side of cultureside of who I am, and so it was
really cool because she made usall comfort food, like all.

(32:44):
Southern comfort food and it wasjust such a sweet family
reunion and I think that God'shand was.
I just see how God's hand wasover that time as well, because
I had a friend who I was friendswith.
We became friends in collegeand there wasn't a lot of people
I graduated from Hillsdalecollege in 2018.
And there wasn't a lot ofpeople who went there that were

(33:05):
adopted.
There weren't a lot of peoplewho went there who were African
American.
So, but she was.
She was both adopted andAfrican American.
So we just like became friends.
You know it's like, oh, you know, you just like.
It's like you see each other inthe cafeteria and you're like
like there you are like the oneperson and like who had a
similar life as me, and you justfeel like a little less alone.
And so we, we became friendsand she actually met her

(33:27):
biological part of herbiological family, probably
about just a few, like threemonths before I met mine, and I
remember asking her.
I said what can you tell me?
Like she went into it so stableand then her biological mom
didn't show.
So she met her biologicalgrandparents, but her biological
mom didn't show and she wassupposed to and but she came out

(33:49):
so stable and OK.
And I said, how did you, how'dyou come out like that?
Like, why are you not like moreemotional or more worked up?
And she said, you know, I justwent in with no expectations and
I was just grateful forwhatever came of it.
And so for me, I that's how Iwent in.
When I met my biological dad'sfamily, I was like I'm going to
go in here with no expectationsand just be grateful for
whatever comes of it.

(34:10):
And and I think it helps youbecause I had, I had a family.
My track coach ended upbringing me into his family.
He, his family, ended upbecoming mine.
That's who my kids call grandpa, that's who walked me down the
aisle at my wedding.
So at this point, you know, I'mnot feeling like I need
something from them.

Charles Bender (34:29):
Right.

Tori Hope Petersen (34:29):
And I'm just grateful I just see that God's
hand was over the situation andit was such a healthy reunion,
it was such a healthy meetingand it was just exactly what it
needed to be.

Lisa Inman McDulin (34:41):
That's a great story.
Not all kids are as I mean Iwant to lightly use the word
fortunate, but you werefortunate because there's a lot
of blessings that came out ofsome of the things that you've
been through.
But not not every young adultwho ages out or emancipates at
18 has the same story.

Tori Hope Petersen (35:03):
Yeah, you know people ask me all the time
what can I do, like once kidsage out of care, like how can I
support them?
And I think what people don'trealize and like I'm for any you
know, obviously you guys werean organization that helps kids
who emancipate out of care, butyou're also an organization that
helps kids before theyemancipate.
And I think that that's reallyimportant before because, like

(35:24):
when we only help kids afterthey emancipate, what that is,
that's a reactive, that's usbeing reactive.
But when we put all theseparameters and boundaries and
help kids before they emancipate, what that is is that's
proactive.
We're being pro, it's proactivehelp.
We're building a support systemfor them before they emancipate

(35:45):
so when they emancipate theyhave a support system.
We're giving them the toolsthat they need before they
emancipate so that when theyemancipate they have a support
system.
We're giving them the toolsthat they need before they
emancipate so that when theyemancipate they have the tools
they need.
That was why I was so fortunate.
I had a community in my church.
I had a vision for my life thatwas track and college, again
before I emancipated.
I had a plan I had.
I remember my church sponsoringme to take, like the Dave

(36:09):
Ramsey course when I was in highschool.
I don't really remember a lotof it and I remember thinking
like I don't know what a lot ofthis stuff means.
But then when it's coming atyou as an adult, you're like oh,
I remember that, I rememberthat, and so we can give kids
the resources before theyemancipate.
Even if they aren't getting itin the moment, when they become
an adult they're going to belike oh, I remember this, I

(36:30):
learned this, and they're goingto be able to use the tools and
the skills that they learned.
I was so fortunate because Ihad these people invest in me
before kind of the rug waspulled out from underneath me,
in a sense.

Maya Elias (36:47):
Today we're diving into a critical issue that
affects us all, child abuse.
Did you know that preventingchild abuse isn't just about
doing the right thing morally?
It's also a strategic move inbreaking the cycles of poverty
and homelessness.
Studies have shown time andtime again that children who
experience abuse are at asignificantly higher risk of

(37:08):
facing economic hardship andeven homelessness later in life.
But here's the good news byinvesting in their safety and
well-being today, we're not justchanging lives.
We're investing in a brightertomorrow for everyone.
Imagine a future where everychild has the opportunity to
thrive, where the cycles ofpoverty and homelessness are

(37:29):
broken and where our communitiesare stronger because of it.
Join us in this mission.
Come together with Place ofHope as we work tirelessly to
break these cycles, one child ata time.
Together, we can build a futurewhere every child has the
chance to reach their fullpotential.
Visit our website atplaceofhope.
com to learn more and find outhow you can make a difference

(37:51):
today.

Lisa Inman McDulin (38:00):
We were talking about, like what Place
of Hope does, and you wereasking me about the campuses and
you know who we're serving andwhere we're serving and what
we're.
You know what we're doing, thecampus we've got a couple of
different campuses but down inBoca specifically, we're serving

(38:22):
kids who have, you know, beenwith Place of Hope maybe, or
they've been with another agency.
They've turned 18, they'veelected to stay and continue in
the program.
We've had kids that have cometo us that you know, covid,
perfect example, floridaAtlantic University is right in
our neighborhood and those dormsshut down and the kids that
ended up homeless or living intheir cars were all former

(38:42):
foster kids.
And I think our first three orfour young adults that came to
live in the, in a two-storyapartment that we opened the
week before everything got shutdown all or out of the foster
care system and, um, you knowit's, and it's pretty remarkable
when you look at the statisticsof what happens to kids or what

(39:07):
can happen the homelessness,the pregnancy, the drug and the
human trafficking, and that'ssomething I want to.
I kind of want to go in thatdirection with you because I
know that one of the things thatI remember, I hear you saying
the words at the end of achapter, I believe, and you said
I was being groomed and thatwas like shocking.

(39:30):
I wasn't expecting to hear thatin your story, but these kids
are so vulnerable to that, youknow, and there's so many ways
now that these predators can getto our kids I mean, social
media and technology is justunbelievable.
Tell us a little bit about kindof that experience and kind of
you know, if you feel like youwant to share that.

Tori Hope Petersen (39:51):
I feel like one of the tricky parts about
that experience and about andthis is just true for a lot of
human trafficking survivors, andI think it's why I'm hesitant
to share it is that, like I wassaying, yes, you know, I was
willingly going about and doingit, but I didn't realize what
was being done.
Vulnerable youth who do nothave stable homes, who do not

(40:14):
have a consistent, loving family, become so vulnerable to
trafficking.
Because that's what we'relooking for.
We're looking, you know, men,these people who prey on
children and the situation I wasin they come and they promise,
they promise home, they promisestability, they promise love,
they promise marriage, theypromise all these things that

(40:35):
you know would be a dream tohave, and I think that that's
what I wanted.
That's what I wanted.
I think that's why it's so easyto just fall into it and not
realize what is being done.
And yeah, I mean, that's reallywhat it was.
I was promised marriage, I waspromised to be with a person

(40:56):
together forever, and that wasall like wow, that would be a
dream to not have to keepfighting for love to not keep
fighting, for someone to takecare of me, for me to stop
fighting.
You know being in the same place, and so I did these things, and
then I didn't realize what wasbeing done until it was on a

(41:21):
college campus, actually, andone of the roommates you know
roommates told me what was beingdone, and so it's just such a
hard situation, I think, forpeople who are already have so
much trauma that they haven'thealed from to recognize what
trauma they're experiencing inthe moment they're experiencing

(41:45):
in the moment.

Lisa Inman McDulin (41:45):
Another thing we were talking about is
just your willingness to tellyour story and how important
that is and how healing that isfor you, and you know that you
were so excited to know that wehad some of our young adults in
the audience today.
And then you told me about acourse that you're teaching to
kids who've come out of thesesituations kind of how to tell
their story.
I would love to know you knowmore about that and and, um,

(42:07):
maybe share like a success storyor some some that you've worked
with.

Tori Hope Petersen (42:12):
Like my greatest passion, this is my
whole heart, because when sothere are synopsis in our brain,
there are literally nerves inour brain that begin to change
from shame to pride when we tellour stories to empathetic
listeners.
So, when we tell our stories toempathetic listeners, you know
about something that's been doneto us that was hurtful, but we

(42:35):
share it with someone whoresponds compassionately who
responds and says, wow, thathelped me.
We begin to change the way thatwe view ourselves and the ways
that we view our stories, andwhat my job has become right has
.
What my job is is telling mystory to hundreds of empathetic,
compassionate listeners, and somy brain has literally

(42:58):
completely changed the way thatI view my story.
It's changed the way that Iview myself.
It's been so healing and Ithink people always ask like,
how have you healed?
And I think you know.
Of course, there has beentherapy, there have been times
where I have taken medicationand there has been my community.
There are so many differentmodalities to therapy or
different modalities to therapyand healing.

(43:20):
However, I think one of themost underrated modalities for
healing is telling your story,and I don't think people think
of.
We need to give peopleopportunities to tell their
stories to people who havecompassion, uh, so that people
will respond to them in in waysthat heals them.

(43:42):
You know, it's not, it's justnot like a typical way that we
think about healing, but for me,it has been one of the most
healing experiences ever, and soI want to offer that experience
to other survivors.
And so what I started doing wasI started hosting retreats for
survivors of abuse, trauma,former foster youth, human
trafficking survivors, and wejust walk them through.

(44:02):
How do we tell our stories, howdo even unpack our stories, how
do we know our stories and howdo we communicate them?
Because we've all been at thatfundraiser where a child or a
young adult has been put on astage before they are ready to
and they are uncomfortable andthey are crying.
It doesn't make the theaudience cry.

(44:23):
It doesn't make the audiencelike want to, doesn't make the
audience like want to give.
It makes the audienceuncomfortable.
It makes the audience pitysomeone that we should be
dignifying, right and so whichI'm just.
I'm so grateful.
Of course, y'all did not do thatat all and I was so thankful
because I see it at fundraisersall the time and I'm just like,
oh, we can't keep doing this tosurvivors.

(44:44):
It hurt, it doesn't help them,it hurts them.
We need to prepare them beforewe do this and if we prepare
them, then it's healing, thenit's powerful and for them and
for the audience, and then forkids who are coming after them,
and then it's just the cycle,because what's happened is I've
gotten to share my story whenI'm ready to share it.
And then I get to hear fouryears later, five years later,

(45:06):
six years later, again and again, how my story helped another
kid tell their story.
And then it becomes a cyclicalright, like just cyclical way of
healing, and it's so beautiful.
But I and then I've donecourses, so like just like zoom
coaching, kind of like biggroups of survivors who want to
tell their stories, and it'sjust been so powerful.

(45:29):
I think probably the mostpowerful story was there was one
time I was hosting a retreatand these are afford.
We make these affordableretreats for survivors because
so often if survivors aren't yetready to tell their stories,
they can also be in positionswhere they can't afford
something like to go to aretreat where they're getting

(45:50):
this kind of like training.
And we bring other speakers andother storytellers who have
told their storiesprofessionally for years and so
we bring them in.
And the most powerful story wasthere was this human
trafficking survivor who decidedto attend one of our retreats

(46:11):
and she had been trafficked byher parents and her parents had
also used the videos to exploither and she was a kid.
She was just a kid and it wasvery so.
Cameras recording all of thatwas very traumatic for her.
But we did bring like a videocamera, a videographer, there to

(46:32):
show what we had been doing, sothat we could continue doing it
, so that we could show othergirls.
You know other women, othersurvivors.
This is what we're doing and wewant you to be a part of it.
Part of it.
And we we had like a consentform.
She signed the consent form butthen when we got there she was
very triggered and she was likeI don't think I can do this,
like I don't think I can do thecamera.
So we're like that's fine, we'regoing to shut off all the
cameras and so the rest of likethe thing, we had like very

(46:56):
minimal cameras.
We were only really doing themwhen she wasn't like around, if
she was like in a differentsmall group or off group.
And then we got to like thelast day where, like at the
beginning of our last day at theretreat, and she was like I
think we should make a video,and I was like a video of what.
And she said I think we shouldall make videos of this

(47:17):
experience and what it means tous.
And so I was like, okay, let'sdo it.
So we got the videographer andthey all started kind of talking
about their experience andtheir testimonies of what it
meant to them and she thatspecific girl got in front of
the camera and she shared andthen she pulled away from the
camera and she just startedweeping and she said I did it.

(47:40):
I did something good, I didsomething good in front of the
camera and that is justsomething that that is how you
know like God is in something,because we could not have
planned that, we could not havemanufactured that.
Anyway, it was nothing like Iwas expecting, but it was just.
It was so powerful, it was soamazing and, yeah, I think it,

(48:02):
it was the power of her.
The the wild thing is weliterally gave her the training
to share her story and then shesaid I'm going to share a story
on camera and that was a part ofher healing experience.
That's tremendous.

Lisa Inman McDulin (48:14):
It's great to see how God has taken your
story and you're now using it tohelp other kids.
You are definitely a voice forthe voiceless and countless
generations.
Your light is so bright, youknow, so bright.
I've listened to so many.
I think I've I don't know I've.

(48:43):
I've watched a lot of videos,so I just think it's great that
you're using that.
But that's biblical, that'swhat God wants us to do with our
, with our pain and and um.
I remember speaking to one ofour kids who told me his grandma
said don't waste your pain,don't waste your pain.

Tori Hope Petersen (49:03):
Use it.

Lisa Inman McDulin (49:04):
But I think that that little workshop or
retreat or class or whatever youcall it, would be really
something neat for some of ourkids to maybe experience,
Because if you have theopportunity to put them in front
of a group of people to speak,um, they're the greatest
storytellers.

(49:24):
But you know, I don't ever wantto do anything that's going to
make them upset, um, or triggerthem or cause any kind of issue,
because you know we don't wantthat.

Tori Hope Petersen (49:36):
We don't want them to feel that way, but
it is such a good opportunity.
You know, it was my church whenI was 17,.
They gave me my first everspeaking engagement and I think
that we should we should givethose kids opportunities.

Charles Bender (49:48):
We should give them speaking engagements.

Tori Hope Petersen (49:49):
Obviously, I was one of them, and what it
did for that very first time wasthat it showed me that I had a
story to tell.
It showed me that I had atestimony.
It showed me that God had donesomething in my life that could
influence and impact otherpeople, and that what I had been
through you know it's not, itwasn't going to be wasted if I
shared it.

Lisa Inman McDulin (50:10):
That's amazing.
I might have to get you to umdo that with some we've.
We just formed, actually, ayouth advisory council for place
of hope.

Tori Hope Petersen (50:18):
Oh awesome, those are so important.
Yes, you should explain likecause.
I'm sure you have othernonprofits who listen to you and
who want to learn from you.
A lot of nonprofits don't evenknow what that is and why it's
beneficial, so you shouldexplain that.

Lisa Inman McDulin (50:30):
Yeah, so this was our CEO's idea.
He's, I think he's been wantingto do this for a long time, but
it's finally come to fruition.
And we've met twice now.
We just actually had, um abreakfast meeting this past week
and, um, not all of the kidswere there because they have
jobs and they're busy.
I want to say there wasprobably nine or 10 of them were

(50:52):
there and the first hour waslike all business.
We were just kind of givingthem updates about our campaign
and this and that and this wasgoing on a place of hope, and
then it was.
Then we turned the tables andI'm thinking I'm going to get
out of here fast, we're almostdone.
Well, then Charles asked them aquestion and, um, you said you
know, here's, here's one of thethings that we're facing as an
organization, here's a here's achallenge that we're having with

(51:15):
.
You know this or that, and youknow what would you suggest?
Like, we put it back on them.
And these are all kids who havegrown up here, who all
experienced unimaginable trauma,all different stories.
Um, and a couple of them arestill with us, they still live

(51:38):
with us and yet they're servingin this capacity and, wow, the
ideas that were just rolling offtheir tongue.
I mean, they had so many greatideas and just I just love it.
It was unbelievable.
It was so encouraging, we wereall so excited.

Tori Hope Petersen (51:54):
I was like cause you know what you're doing
, you're teaching them, you'reshowing them that it's not just
us serving you, you're servingus.
You're not a charity case, youare an investment, and I think
that that is just like.
That is one of the mostpowerful things that a nonprofit
can do is saying you're not acharity case to us.
You are an investment and webelieve in your voice as much as

(52:18):
we believe in our work.
We know that you have value toit.
I just love youth advisoryboards.
What it communicates to you isjust, it's just irreplaceable.
You know that message thatyou're sending them is so good.

Lisa Inman McDulin (52:33):
Well, I'm excited to see where these kids
take us, because I mean this theideas that they had and in our
program, at least for the over18, their expectations there are
.
There are it's accountabilitytied to it's not just move in
and play video games all daylong there are.

(52:54):
There are expectations clearand the kids are given you know
agreements to sign and they knowthese are the expectations you
have to apply, you have to beaccepted.
It's great to get theirfeedback once they've gone and
moved on on suggestions andthings that we could do in our

(53:14):
program now, because it's adifferent world we live in right
now.
I mean, things have changed somuch in the last, even five
years.
I mean, just so, what are youdoing now?
I know those days are behindyou, but you're taking your
story on the road.
You've written a bestsellingbook and you told me in the car
you were writing another book.

Tori Hope Petersen (53:33):
Thank you so much for asking me that, um.
I'm on podcasts a lot and a lotof people don't ask me what are
you doing now, um?
And that has been something inmy adulthood that has irked me a
little bit, because I'm morethan my story.
I'm more than a former fosteryouth, and being a former foster
youth will always absolutely bea huge part of who I am today.

(53:55):
I am who I am today because Iam a former foster youth and
because I am my mother'sdaughter and because I have had
the experiences that I did as akid, and because I have had the
experiences that I did as a kid.
But at the same time, I amother things too, and I
appreciate that you see that andthat you ask that I am a mom to
two biological children, anadopted son who is a young adult

(54:17):
.
We said that we're Gen Zs, whoare parents of Gen Zs, and then
I have a 16 year old fosterdaughter.
Me and my husband really valuehospitality, just welcoming
people in and from our community, whether that's you know to eat
.
I love cooking a lot.

(54:39):
My mom was.
I love my mom so much, but thatwas one.
That was one thing she was notblessed with was making good
food.
And so I, when I got older, Iwas like, how do I make good
food?
And I just really value makinggood food and I think one of the
things that this job hasallowed me to do my work.
I get to advocate for kids.
I've helped change policy onCapitol Hill and I have been a

(55:00):
part of policy change for youthin foster care and at-risk youth
.
And then I get to advocate forkids from fundraisers.
I get to help organizations whoare doing meaningful, impactful
work for vulnerable children toraise funds so that they can
continue to expand and continueto help kids.
And then I help communities gettheir communities involved in

(55:23):
foster care and adoption,whether that's helping their
communities become fosterparents, do respite become CASAs
, safe families.

Lisa Inman McDulin (55:32):
You are a busy girl.

Tori Hope Petersen (55:33):
I'm a busy girl, but I love it.

Lisa Inman McDulin (55:35):
You've done a lot in your short life.

Tori Hope Petersen (55:38):
Any other way.
I think that I'm so gratefulfor the mission that God has
given me, but also, I had afriend that recently told me
this and, um, I'm so gratefulfor the mission that God has
given me, but I'm also trying toremember this truth that my
friend spoke over me recently.
She said uh, Tori, if youwouldn't have ever helped anyone

(56:01):
, God still would have redeemedyour story.
God still would have died on thecross for you.
And so trying to live in thisfull, abundant life, trying to
not, I don't think we can.
I don't know.
I don't know if we can wastewhat God has done for us or not,
but I don't want to waste it.
I don't want to waste thesuffering, so trying not to just
throw away his goodness andwalk away from it, but also

(56:26):
resting in the idea that hislove for me is enough and I
don't have to work for it.
But I think the thing is, whenyou have experienced God's love,
you know, when you understandthat you truly are loved.
After going through so muchbrokenness, after you know, I
know what it's like to not feelloved, I know what it's like to

(56:47):
not feel safe, and then, whenyou experience love and safety,
your compulsion is to give.
That you know, and so that'sthat's what we try to do now, in
whatever way that we can.

Lisa Inman McDulin (57:00):
Well, I love following you on your social
media and you do share your kidsand all the things that you do
with them at home and youractivities and the hospitality,
and there was a post about achicken in a pot or something.

Tori Hope Petersen (57:14):
I saw.

Lisa Inman McDulin (57:15):
I remember seeing something in the chicken
and you had invited people overto your house.
That's just.
That's so amazing.
What's your book that you'rewriting now, before we finish up
, so people can look for that?

Tori Hope Petersen (57:27):
So when you write a book, like you don't
actually know the title of ittill the end, so I can't.
I'm kind of sad because I wishI could tell you the title of
this, but I actually don't evenknow the title and that's really
sad, but the book is going tobe about um breaking patterns
breaking patterns in our livesthat are destructive, so that we
can break generational cyclesum and live healthy whole lives

(57:50):
where we are able to create asafe place for others and where
where we're able to healthilylove others.

Lisa Inman McDulin (57:57):
That sounds great.
I can't wait to read it.
And when will that be out?

Tori Hope Petersen (58:00):
It'll be out February of 2025.
So, people, if you, if you willfollow me on social media, then
they will, then you'll find outwhat the book title is.
Probably, when I find out whatthe book title is, you'll figure
it out, it's going to come toyou, it's going to come to you.

Lisa Inman McDulin (58:14):
Well, I have like.

Tori Hope Petersen (58:15):
So when you are an author, you like have, I
have titles I just have to.
They just haven't approved themyet.
So we'll see.

Lisa Inman McDulin (58:22):
There you go .
Well, thank you so much.
We appreciate you and it's justsuch a joy to meet you and just
keep doing what you're doing,and I'm just an honor to be able
to meet you here and thank you,amy Kazma, for making it
possible.

Tori Hope Petersen (58:35):
Thank you, amy.
Someone needs to tell Amy thatI did not leave her.
Someone needs to tell Amy thatpeople, all these people, came
and sucked me in and then I wasgone, and I'm sorry, amy, but
thank you, amy, and thank youPlace of Hope for having me.

Charles Bender (58:50):
Thank you for listening.
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(59:14):
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