88: Enlighten Me on The Other Side of Adoption - Part 1

“Truly, this child saved my life.” Those are powerful words, especially when they’re coming from an unplanned teen pregnancy… Raquel often gets told that her story sounds like a Lifetime Original. After listening today, you’re going to understand why! Today, Raquel is getting super vulnerable and sharing about her childhood trauma, stories of abuse, and placing her first child up for adoption. We’re also hearing a few of the highlights, including the very romantic story of a Taco Bell boy!

Raquel is no stranger to vulnerability. After coming out on the other side of so much trauma, she knew she had to share her story with the hope of helping others in vulnerable situations. What started with local high school ministry has turned into thousands of people, particularly women and fellow birth mothers, following along with her journey. Sometimes Raquel has to endure some online critics, but she pushes through the hate and keeps opening up so that we can learn from her experiences. Sometimes, she also has to do multiple podcast interviews when her interviewer loses the audio files! For that, she is truly a champion in my book!

Next week Raquel will be back to talk more about the story of her relationship with her birth daughter, what her family looks like now, and how we can move forward after hearing her story and be better advocates for the vulnerable people around us. Something that Raquel shared with me in this interview is how birth moms can often be vilified in stories of adoption. I hope this episode challenges your perspective (and maybe some stereotypes you didn’t even know you had) and reminds you to listen to untold stories like this one.

Shop Simply Straws:

https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1583072&u=2650427&m=99518&urllink=&afftrack=0

Connect with Mackenzie: 

Instagram & Facebook: @theheartfelthippie

Website: www.heartfelthippie.com

Email: [e-mail]

Connect with Raquel:

Instagram: @mccloudlife

Website: https://www.mccloudlife.com/