With all of the negative, and often untrue, headlines that surround foster care and adoption, it's refreshing to read a story that uplifts and brings hope. That's exactly what this week's podcast guest is on a mission to do. Dagmara Sitek is a children's book author, who is turning tragedy into hope and bringing encouragement and empowerment to chi…

If you're anything like us, last year was a really difficult year. We stepped out of it, into 2024, feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and fearful that the New Year would turn out just like the old year. The biggest aspect of this journey to take a hit was our mental health. Anyone out there with us on that one? But, it doesn't have to be this way. Th…

Happy New Year! We're kicking off the 31st season of The Resilient Caregiver Podcast and this is episode 299. We are absolutely BLOWN away that we have produced 31 seasons of this show since October, 2015! Thank you for being part of this amazing journey. We're kicking off the brand new season with an amazing interview with our good friend Rob Sche…

2023 was a combination of fulfilling, overwhelming, sometimes defeating, but most importantly, a year of growing for us. We learned so many important things this past year. As we bring this year to a close, we take a moment to look back and discuss the important things we learned as caregivers. These include... The value of time and space Focusing …

Once we've aligned our expectations, and leveled them to a manageable place, we need to establish boundaries with our children. This is not an easy task, especially if you're parenting children who become triggered easily. And sometimes the boundaries will be very hard to explain. How do you do this? In this episode of The Resilient Caregiver Podca…

In the words of Ellen Griswold (from Christmas Vacation), "I know how you build things up in your mind, Sparky. You set standards that no family event can live up to." That might not fully be the case for you, but we often do struggle with our expectations. Especially when it involves the Holidays and situations that can go south quickly with meltd…

For caregivers of a multi-racial families, hair care can be stressful and overwhelming. How do you provide the best care for your daughter or know what products to use? If you've had these questions, or felt overwhelmed and defeated by this topic, we have good news. Tony Award Nominated Acress Shalita Grant from the shows NCIS: New Orleans and You …

Diversity is a central aspect of the foster and adoption journey. But often, it's overlooked or taken for granted. That's precisely why we have crucial guests like our good friend Maria Hansen-Quine. She's a wealth of knowledge and expertise, particularly when it comes to the celebration of diversity in foster care and adoption. A Little More About…

We're excited to welcome Marna Pacheco from CapeAble Weighted Products to The Resilient Caregiver Podcast to discuss how weighted products (blankets, vests, wraps, etc) can help your children who have sensory needs. Through their patented Smart Weight Technology, CapeAble Weighted Products is changing the game in the weighted products field. And go…

It leaves us baffled. We're having a good day, doing something they wanted to do, and suddenly they reject us, respond negatively, or become defensive. We could simply ask our child a question and the claws come out. It leaves us confused, defeated, and bewildered. And we often don't see it coming. How do we make sense of the metldowns, outbursts, …

You may be thinking, "Wait, they're talking about the holidays already?" That's right! We're entering the season known as the holiday vortex- From Halloween through New Years it's a season of overstimulation, grief-magnified, and loss-intensified for our children. How in the world can we nagivate this season and live to tell about it? If you're a c…

Most caregivers step into the parenting journey with dreams, ideals, and a certain vision of how parenting is going to unfold. We have dreams of what our children will be like when they grow older. We envision positive, warm relationships, that are worthy of a Hallmark Movie. Sounds ridiculous, right? But that's what we do. That can set us and our …

For a lot of caregivers, hands-on parenting won't end when their child graduates from high school. We'll be involved in some what, shape, or form with our children as they move into adulthood. But that doesn't mean that our lives, or their lives, will be restricted. Quite the opposite. Resiliency as you continue to parent into adulthood IS possible…

Being a dad on the foster and adoptive caregiver journey is no easy task. Resiliency, let alone our sanity, seems like climbing Mt. Everest without oxygen. But, it doesn't need to be this way. There is hope. In this episode Mike has an open conversation with two dads about how to build resiliency! We talk about vulnerability, the importance of comm…

In the heat of the moment, when your child is melting down, you're on display, or you're just overwhelmed and exhausted, the question that is likely running through your head is "What's wrong with this child?" But, it's the wrong question to ask. It's okay if you've asked this before. We all have. Don't beat yourself up. It happens to all of us. Yo…

Welcome to The Resilient Caregiver Podcast. We are sooooo excited to unveil the new name, new approach, new conversations, and (each week) new insights. This week, the two of us are talking through the heartbeat behind The Resilient Caregiver (our parentn company's name) and some insights into how to achieve resiliency. In this episode, we discuss.…

We've blown the lid clean off on a BIG secret we've been keeping for the past 8 months! On August 30th, our brand new initiative (and name), The Resilient Caregiver, will go live to the world. We're making this change for one big reason: We are passionate about and intensely focused on helping you, amazing caregiver, build resiliency through a deep…

In this episode, Mike shares some encouragement for foster and adoptive caregivers. Along with that, he also shares an exciting annoucement that you won't want to miss. Here are important links mentioned in this episode... Honestly Adoption's website (to get on our email list to you're in the loop on the BIG announcement) Lady GaGa's song Hold My H…

In 2016, sensing an urgency to create safe space where foster and adoptive dads could connect with one another, Mike Berry, Andrew Schneidler and Jason Morriss, created Road Trip: A Mountaintop Experience for Foster and Adoptive Dads. They had one goal: create safe space where men could be open, honest, and vulnerable in without fear of judgement o…

One of the strongest emotions we'll experience on this journey is grief. How do you work through this so you better help your child? It's not easy. In fact, grief itself, is a journey. We experience this because this journey is hard, and we have lost a lot. So have our children. And helping them heal is a priority. But in order to better help our c…

As caregivers, we crave good resources. But they can be so hard to find. Fortunately, there are amazing human beings who help us succeed by sharing their amazing and powerful gifts with us. In this episode, we spent some time with the amazing, and the the lovely Terria Roushun from the Hair Essentials Company. You will love this conversation as the…

Gaelin Elmore found himself in 25 different foster homes, over 13 years as a youngster. Fortunately for him, a kind and caring football coach brought him into his home while he finished high school. Through that turn of events, he received the resources he needed to thrive as he transitioned into adulthood. But so many children do not have the same…

Where can caregivers go to find connection, camaraderie, inspiration and hope? We're glad you asked! Registration is open for one of our favorite in-person conference for caregivers, The Replanted Conference. It's happening October 12-14, 2023 in Naperville, Illinois and it's a must-attend event. We only endorse and recommend a handful of conferenc…

The adoption and foster journey can be difficult for our children. Feelings of loss, grief and abandonment can move in and take up residence in their hearts and minds. Fortunately, there are voices of hope clearing the way for understanding and transformation. Don Brushaber is one of those voices. As an adult adoptee he had lived a lot of life befo…

Behaviors can be so hard to handle. Especially when you are overwhelmed and tired. But behaviors are telling us an important story that can help us reframe our entire approach to our children. Where do we begin? The first step is to understand trauma's impact. The second is to learn how trauma's impact dictates present behavior. In this episode we'…

Sometimes it's hard to see past the behaviors and into the heart of what's really going on with your child. But once you discover this powerful parenting tool, your journey transforms! We get it. Trust us on this one. In our 20+ years of parenting, and parenting children with a trauma history, and special needs, the struggle has been real. We did a…

Saying no, not right now, setting boundaries, or emphasizing consequences are all part of the parenting journey. Even the foster and adoptive parenting journey. But there's one aspect of this that often stands at the forefront. It's a big question we receive all the time. "I say no to my child, set a boundary, and then the meltdown begins. What can…

At any given moment on the foster and adoption caregiver journey, we can find ourselves in crisis. How you respond, and the plan you put in place, can change everything! We in no way want to freak you out, but having a plan is crucial to successfully navigating these tricky waters. In this episode we share a recent session we taught on responding t…

It's a tricky thing to deal with. Boundaries. Where's the balance between connected parenting and boundary setting? In this episode we have an open discussion around this. As caregivers we can often feel taken advantage of, walked on, and just plain used. Our children don't necessarily mean to do this, but, as a product of their trauma history, tha…

Out of all the great resources we have at our disposal as caregivers, there are a few that stand out among the rest. We must learn to listen to them. Our children. Adult adoptees. Former foster youth. And birth parents. Those who have experienced the journey first hand have a wealth of knowledge to share with us, to help us become the best caregive…

There is so much unnecessary fears and misunderstandings surrounding birth parents and birth families. In this episode, we're working to clear it up. Last week we were grateful and honored to have the amazing and wonderful Ashley Mitchell join us for Insight Virtual Conference 2023. The Q&A portion of her session was so moving and powerful that we …

On the journey of healing and fostering healthy attachments, we must be tuned in to the needs our children have. But also our responsbility as caregivers. How do we pinpoint both? We're fortunate to be connected to brilliant minds, and hearts, like our good friend Deborah Gray, who is a licensed clinical social worker, and known worldwide as the at…

Is there any way to successfully communicate my child's needs to a medical professional that helps me get results? Big question! Navigating our children's special needs on a daily basis is hard. But what makes the journey even harder is feeling unheard and unseen in a medical or therapeutic provider's office. We've all had that figurative (or maybe…

The title of this podcast episode likely prompts a reaction from anyone reading it. After all, the hardships of this journey take quite the toll on us. How do you find the strength and insight to regain compassion for your child? If you're asking these questions, you're not alone. In fact, this makes you normal. But there is hope. More importanly, …

The FASD journey can be very defeating and very frustrating. Mostly because, we are constantly dismissed by providers, or made to feel like we're a bit crazy when we try to get answers. How do you break through this? We're glad you're here for this episode as we dive into the topic of advocacy, especially as it relates to parenting a child with a F…

The caregiver journey is hard and full of challenges. We hear words like resiliency and we often get the wrong idea. What does that really mean? It's not what you think. Resiliency is not perfection, it's not about never failing, and on the days you don't feel like you're not resilient, it's not what defines you. So then, what does it mean to be re…

From the memorable quotes, to the "ah-ha" moments, to the tears, to the on-camera dancing....the dancing....oh the dancing! Insight Virtual Conference 2022 was one for the history books. And now...we get to do it all over again! That's right...Insight Virtual Conference 2023 is open for registration and coming April 20th and 21st. In this special H…

As caregivers, we often carry around immense feelings of guilt from something we said, or did. How do we face these feelings, let alone overcome them? It's a question all of us have had at one time or another. And what's even more difficult is that we have to keep on parenting and caring for our children, while carrying this burden. It's not like w…

While it may be hard to see and understand, our bodies are super computers that capture and hold data for years. This has never been more the case, then with our child's trauma history. You've probably found yourself scratching your head a time or two, or simply throwing your hands up in confusion, when the child who has been in your home for years…

One of the most confusing and overwhelming aspects of the foster and adoption journey, is trying to make sense of behaviors that come from trauma. Where do you even begin? Let's be honest... Trying to make sense of our child's behavior, let alone manage it (or stop it), is like climbing Mt Everest! Nearly impossible....or so it seems! What if we to…

Rejection hurts, no matter who you are, or the circumstances. It especially stings when it's coming from our children. Why does it happen, and how can we respond? In this episode of The Honestly Adoption Podcast, we're sharing an insider's Live Q&A call that Mike did with Jenn Hook, therapist, and Executive Director of The Replanted Conference. Thi…

This journey is long and can often be defeating. The fact is, parenting is hard. Sometimes, in the face of it all, we just need some solidarity. We need to know that we are not alone, and we need to hear someone else tell us it's okay. In this episode of The Honestly Adoption Podcast, we are taking a step back from talking through strategies, techn…

It's really, really, really hard to believe this when you're in the middle of it, but the behaviors you see in your children are not about you. They're a window into something much bigger. In short, the behaviors you are seeing are a direct result of trauma, not you (even though it feels like it). Once you understand that, everything can change. Bu…

We're concluding our special podcast series, The Insight Archives, with a question that many parents wrestle with: How do I build a connection with a child who consistently, and constantly, rejects me? You pour more love, and time, and energy, and resources that you can begin to keep track of into this child. You are there at a moment's nontice whe…

It's week 3 of our end-of-2022 podcast series, The Insight Archives, where we're sharing some of our favorite sessions from both the 2021 and 2022 Insight Virtual Conference replays. This week, our good friend Ligia Cushman joins us to talk about how transracial adoptive families can thrive. Ligia's wisdom, insight, and gentle spirit will inspire y…

It's week 2 of our end-of-the-year podcast series, The Insight Archives. We're sharing 4 amazing sessions from the 2021 & 2022 Insight Virtual Conference! In this episode, our good friend Chuck Hagele shares valuable insights into the online world and helping our children in the best way possible! There are so many present-day dangers that present …

At some point, the odds of your family being in the middle of a crisis are great. It kinda sorta comes with the territory of the foster and adoption journey. In that moment, what do you do? We've been in the place many times over the past 20+ years of parenting. And the most important lesson we've learned is that there is a right way to respond, an…

The story of foster care can often be heartbreaking. Especially when a child ages out of the system and finds themselves on their own. But, what if a stronger bond existed than what we can see with our eyes? We were so fortunate to recently inteview author Angelo Grotticelli on the podcast, who wrote the book The Bond. Out of all the books written …

We had the opportunity to sit down with Lata Hamilton who is a leaderships expert and adult adoptee living in Australia. She has an amazing story that will bring hope and empowerment to women worldwide, but also everyone who listens in! About Lata Hamilton (in her words)... "I believe everyone deserves to experience the magic of change. If we can m…

We love heart-warming adoption storylines. And this week, we are excited to share an interview with Preston Pouteaux, one of the producers of a new documentary called "I'll See You Later." I'll See You Later is a documentary that tells the life altering stories of adoption, profoundly carried between families learning to embody love together. For t…