The Forgotten Adoption Option Podcast

Adopted together. Growing up together. Sharing their story together.
In this bonus episode, siblings Laura, Kim, and Dan reflect on entering foster care, being adopted as a group, and what they want families to know about saying yes to siblings.

Anna is a mom by adoption and birth whose personal journey led her to bridge a gap for families raising children with trauma histories. You might remember her from Season 1, when she and her husband Travis shared their adoption story. Now, Anna is a certified Master IEP Coach® and Special Needs Church Consultant, equipping schools and faith communities to better support children and families impacted by adoption and trauma.

Vince Smith leads Keystone Family Alliance as its Executive Director, drawing on his extensive expertise in organizational leadership and community engagement to drive transformative programs. Over the years, Vince has spearheaded innovative outreach and sustainable initiatives that create opportunities for vulnerable children and families to thrive.

Andrew Lewis is a partner at KPMG and the founder of the KPMG National Foster Care and Adoption Network. He is both a foster parent and adoptive parent who serves on the boards of Comfort Cases and the Center for Adoption Support and Education (CASE).

Eva Amador is a retired adoption attorney from Puerto Rico. She spent her the final years of her career navigating the legal process to help children find forever families.

Connie Going has spent over 25 years working in the child welfare system and is the adoptive parent of two teens including Davion and another young man - the boys became good friends and referred to themselves as brothers when living at the same group home.

Beverly Jenkins and I met as Invested Faith Fellows. She is the founder of the North County Innovation Center. During a meet up at her space, she shared she was an adoptive mom, too. She went on to share she adopted a teenager from her youth group. Listen to this episode to hear how their forever family came together.

Rene by day works in tech. As a single woman, she cares for her sister's children. In the foster care space we call this a 'kinship placement'. Kin refers to being a family member or someone related by blood.
I think you'll find her story remarkable and also empathize with the challenges she faces.

Brian Murphy is both the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer and Shaneetra Gross serves as Chief Administrative Officer for Gift of Adoption Fund. Gift of Adoption provides adoption assistance grants to complete the adoptions of children in vulnerable circumstances. 

Michael, who resided in California, had a successful career as a technology manager within the banking industry. His dedication and insights continue to inspire those who knew him.

In this episode, you'll hear about the realities of foster care and human trafficking overlapping.

Janet Craig wrote and directed Wake Up. She has experience as a foster mom and has a degree in theatre, was a professional tennis player, and is a veteran actress. What we can now stream and find on DVD and Blu-Ray is a result of over 7 years of work including filming during COVID. 

Alana shares her perspective of the story was shared by her adoptive mom Robin in Season 1.