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The Honestly Adoption Podcast features real voices, sharing real hope and encouragement to parents on the journey of foster care and adoption. Hosts Mike and Kristin Berry, and Nicole Goerges share open and honest perspectives from the journey of foster, adoptive, and special needs parenting. Their goal is to be real and honest but also bring hope and encouragement to parents, all over the world.
Your hosts Zack, who's married(he/him) and Charlie (they/them/he/him), who's unattached, discuss the highs, lows and creamy middles of relationships on the autism spectrum
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…
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The Honestly Adoption Podcast
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Readjusting Our Expectations Of Ourselves And Our Children
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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…
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How To Build Connection With A Child Who Consistently Rejects You
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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…
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How Transracial Adoptive Families Can Thrive
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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…
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How To Navigate The Online World With Vulnerable Children
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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 …
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How To Respond To And Effectively Manage Crisis
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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…
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How Former Foster Youth Carry A Lifelong Connection Into Adulthood
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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 …
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Creating A Path Of Change And Empowerment For Women
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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…
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Resources That Transform (Part 12): Telling A Different Adoption Story
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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…
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Resources That Transform (Part 11): A Resource That Brings Awareness & Safety During Traffic Stops
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You may have just had a double-take when you read the title of this episode! What in the world does safety during a traffic stop have to do with the foster care and adoption parenting journey? A lot, actually! Many caregivers on this journey are parenting a multi-racial family, children with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, autism, a severe menta…
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Resources That Transform (Part 10): How To Kickstart Success For FASD Caregivers
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Welcome to our super duper special episode of The Honestly Adoption Podcast! We're all about surprises here at Honestly Adoption and we have a big one today. Our good friend Jeff Noble, from FASD Success jumped on Zoom for a special interview about his brand new FREE online workshop for caregivers caring for a child or adult with an FASD called The…
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Resources That Transform (Part 9): A Conversation About Racial Identity Development, Trauma, & Relationships
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We are pleased to welcome Dr. Abby Hasberry, Ph.D. to The Honestly Adoption Podcast. She is an Executive Educational Leadership Coach & Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Associate. In addition, she is also an adult adoptee and birth parent. A Little More About Abby (in her own words)... "If I had only three words to summarize my life's focus, th…
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Resources That Transform (Part 8): "Brain-Based Resources That Help Caregivers Thrive."
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We are pleased to welcome back our good friend, and therapist, Jessica Sinarski from Brave Brains. Jessica is a highly sought-after therapist, author, and speaker. Extensive post-graduate training and nearly 20 years as a clinician and educator led her to create the resource and training platform–BraveBrains. She makes brain science practical, help…
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Resources That Transform (Part 7): Stories & Soundbites That Transform
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Last week, we spent time with some of our closest friends at The Replanted Conference in Chicago, IL and it was AMAZING! We featured this valuable resources on a previous show in this series, but then we took it a step further. We set up our podcasting equipment at our resource table and recorded impromptu interviews with conference attendees who s…
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Resources That Transform (Part 6): The Global Mission Of Reunification
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It's Part 6 of our podcast series, Resources That Transform. This week we're replaying an awesome interview we did with Brandon Stiver from 1Millionhome. 1MILLIONHOME is all about reunification. And our guest for this episode, Brandon Stiver, is helping to lead the way. Serving as the community of practice advisor, Brandon serving with 1MillionHome…
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Resources That Transform (Part 5): The Importance Of Accurate History & Where To Find It
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One of the things we LOVE about hosting this podcast, is the deeply valuable lessons we learn from our guests. We intentionally schedule guests who challenge us, inspire us, and motivate us. This discussion with Marcie was one of the most aw-inspiring and thought-provoking interviews we've done in the 7 year history of this show! We promise...you w…
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Resources That Transform (Part 4): Providing Dignity & Support For Children In Foster Care
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It's Part 4 of our podcast series, Resources That Transform. For this episode we're sharing a highly valuable and transformational resource that is making an impact in the foster care system! We are excited to share the good work that the Isaiah 117 House is doing to provide support, dignity and necessary resources for children entering the foster …
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Resources That Transform (Part 3): A Few Of Our Personal Favorite Resources
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It's Part 3 of our podcast series, Resources That Transform, and we're going Oprah style and handing out awesome resources like cars. Okay, maybe not quite to that magnitude, but this list is pretty awesome! We wanted to take a moment, in the middle of this series, to share some things that are near and dear to our heart, and have helped us become …
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Bullying A Neurotypical feat. Miles Klee
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Miles Klee (MEL Magazine, Rolling Stone) joins us to answer burning questions about neurotypicals and their whole deal. Everything he says about you guys applies universally and is legally binding.
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Resources That Transform (Part 2): How To Find Refreshment As A Caregiver
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It's Part 2 of our brand new podcast series, Resources That Transform. We are excited to jump into a topic that ALL of us can relate to, and need more of: refreshment and rejuvenation! But in all honesty, how in the world do we find this as caregivers who constantly have to be 'on' or vigilant with our children? The journey is difficult, and rest s…
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Resources That Transform (Part 1): How To Provide Good Care For Your Child's Hair
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As caregivers, we crave good resources. But they can be so hard to find. In this brand new series, we're spotlighting some of the best resources on earth, that help us become the best caregivers possible! We're kicking off with a good one, right out of the gate. We spent some time with the amazing, and the the lovely Terria Roushun from the Hair Es…
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Resources That Transform (Series Preview)
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You need resources, we need resources, we ALL need good resources to help us become the best parents possible. But let's be honest..... This. Is. So. Hard. To. Find! We have so many questions, struggles, needs, desires, hopes, wishes, and downright daydreaming fantasies about how we would love this journey to be that we don't even know where to beg…
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FASD Expert Spotlight (Part 4): Overcoming Shame & Disappointment On The Journey
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As we conclude our special series, FASD Expert Spotlight, we are pleased to share an interview we had the pleasure of doing with our good friend Jeff Noble from The FASD Success Podcast. Jeff is an FASD caregiver turned educator and a highly sought-after speaker, leader, and parent coach. On this episode we dove into how to overcome shame and disap…
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FASD Expert Spotlight (Part 3): The Value Of Understanding & Resources
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In the 3rd installment of FASD Expert Spotlight, we're airing an episode we did on our good friend Robbie Seale's podcast, FASD Family Life. We talked trauma, navigating getting a diagnosis for your child, and finding valuable resources (among other things). This show is a gem! We love the work that Robbie is doing to bring hope to families on the …
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FASD Expert Spotlight (Part 2): FASD Hope And Advocacy
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We are excited to share an interview we did just a few years ago with Natalie Vecchione, on her podcast, FASD Hope. We primarily talked about the release of our latest book, Securely Attached, but wanted to share this interview and point our listeners toward this valuable resource. A Little More About Natalie... Natalie Vecchione, Co-Founder of FAS…
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FASD Expert Spotlight (Part 1): FASDs And The Online World
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We know that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders have a profound effect on a person’s ability to reason, think logically, and control impulses. But in today’s society there are extra dangers. Our children must live and function in a media-saturated world filled with false realities via the internet and social media. How do we help our children navigat…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 9): Caring For Human Beings Through Listening
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As we conclude our series, Becoming Pro-Human, we're ending with arguably the most important aspect of this journey: listening. In fact, we actually show the greatest care and concern for others when we choose to listen. But what does it really mean to listen? And what does this mean for us as foster and adoptive parents, caring for children who ha…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 8) How To Help Our Children With Sensory And Emotional Challenges
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As we continue our series, Becoming Pro-Human, we are diving into all things sensory related and talking about sensory and emotional challenges. To do that, we've invited the best of the best to the show. Our good friend Jessica Sinarski from BraveBrains! She's the author of the Riley The Brave children's series, including the new edition, Riley Th…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 7): Finding Faith And Family Through Foster Care
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There is often a negative or dim narrative that follows foster care. And, unfortunately, the beauty of the journey gets pushed to the side by a headline. In-spite of this, however, there is immense hope. Tori Peterson knows hope. In fact, it's her middle name. And as an adult, she (a former foster youth herself) has grown into a powerful advocate a…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 6): Problematic Narratives And What Foster & Adoptive Parents Can Do
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In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a lot of problematic, and dangerous, narratives have risen up. In this episode, we discusss what we've heard, and what foster and adoptive parents can do and say in response. Also on the show... DADS! Join Mike and other dads THIS fall for Road Trip. We're heading up into the…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 5): A Conversation About Fatherhood, Faith, And Equality
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For our 5th installment of Becoming Pro-Human, we are excited to welcome our friend, and fellow author and adoptive parent, Steve Disselhorst, to The Honestly Adoption Podcast. We had an amazing conversation on his book, the importance of community for parents, inclusivity, and why the end-goal is for vulnerable children to find permanency with lov…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 4): Overcoming Stigmas Around Pre-natal Drug & Alcohol Exposure
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Raised eyebrows. Dismissal in a pediatrician's office. Unfair blame, judgement, or criticism. Conclusion that this is "just a bad kid who wants to do bad things!" If you're parenting a child who was exposed to drugs or alcohol prenatally, this is all-to familiar territory for you. And, sadly, your child may also be in the crosshairs of these hurtfu…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 3): How To Care For Our Mental Health As Caregivers
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The adoption and foster care journey can take its toll on us. We're not saying that our children take a toll on us. It's just the exhaustion of understanding diagnosis, managing difficult behaviors, navigating a difficult foster care system, and trying to find the best services for our children, in a world that offers zero help in the mental health…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 2): What Are You Afraid Of?
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In case you weren't aware, we are raising human beings who are going to grow to think, believe, and identify the way they choose. We can either accept that or resist that. There is no in-between. Yet, so many caregivers do resist, or attempt to damage control, their children's choices when they realize they've chosen a different path from one they …
We’re back! We’re just very busy. “Hurts So Good” author Leigh Cowart talks to us about kink and its intersection with autism, how COVID forced us to be more comfortable with roommates, and making sure your parakeets are girlbosses. Content warning for loud noises: the birds were especially loud this time and we pared it down as best we could but t…
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Becoming Pro-Human (Part 1): A Different Discussion
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With so much discussion, debate, and arguing happening around Roe v. Wade, and the pro-life versus pro-choice movements, we've decided to start a different discussion: becoming pro-human. But what does that mean? Where do we even begin? Join Kristin, Nicole and Mike as they open up this discussion (and even share some humorous moments!)…
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Why Won't My Child Respect My Boundaries?
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It's possible that because of your child's trauma history, and the impact that has had on his or her brain, they simply can't follow simple guidelines, or adhere to boundaries. Hard to believe, but it's true.By Mike & Kristin Berry
If you've spent more than a couple of days on this journey, you know rejection is par for the course. Regardless of how hard you try to connect, build trust, reach out, or meet needs, your child rejects you. It can be soul crushing, and just plain exhausting. You're left feeling like a failure. But you aren't. In fact, there's way more going on wit…
But will they ever be able to live free of it later on in life when they are adults? On today's show we are so excited to welcome Best-Selling Author, Anna LeBaron on to talk about the effects of childhood trauma and how she has worked to overcome them and live free. As a child Anna grew up in a polygamist cult and experienced horrific abuse at the…
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What Happens When Birth Parents And Adoptive Parents Support One Another?
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If you haven't met Ashley Mitchell yet, you need to. At age 26 Ashley placed her son for adoption. It was a dark time in her life. She felt a deep sense of loss as she returned home from the hospital without her baby. Would she ever find hope? The answer was yes. But it would be quite the journey. Today, 16 years later, she has become a powerful vo…
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Why Re-regulation Strategies Are NOT Spoiling Or Enabling
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You've probably been there a time or two when your child was dysregulated: extended family, close friends, or even your other children frustrated or angry because, instead of swift correction (which they all believe should happen) you're talking calmly to your child, as if they had done nothing wrong. It's a common occurrence that outsiders will mi…
If you were to ask our guest for this week's podcast, she would tell you, "Become trauma-informed!" When you understand trauma, and you know how it manifests itself in your child's life, and behavior, everything changes. Andie Coston is our guest, and what an amazing interview this is! We LOVE Andie and are certain you will too!…
It begins with compassion, understanding, and making yourself and your life available. From there, it takes action. Peter Mutabazi is demonstrating all of this in his mission through NowIAmKnown.com and his journey as a foster dad.By Mike & Kristin Berry
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. More than 650 caregivers and professionals, from all corners of the world, gathered online to listen to 15 amazing speakers, trainers, and thought leaders for 2 fu…
In our latest episode of The Honestly Adoption Podcast, Mike, Kristin and Nicole have a candid conversation about the fallacies in education (especially when they first began this journey), how there's no one right way to help our children process what they've been through, the importance of NOT keep your child's adoption story from them, choosing …
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Encouragement, Hope, and Practical Help For Foster Parents
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Jamie knows the trials and struggles that foster parents face. And because of this, she has dedicated her life to not only caring for vulnerable children, but also providing resources, tools, and hope for the entire foster family. Her new book, Foster The Family, dives deep into the real life journey of foster families, but also provides the hope, …
Resiliency is possible. It just doesn't look like it does for the vast majority of humanity who are not on this journey. We have to recognize the areas of our lives where we can seize the opportunity to build resiliency while we are actively involved in caring for our children 24-7. So what does that look like? In this episode of The Honestly Adopt…
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A Look Back At 20 Years Of Parenting (And How Our Views Have Changed)
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What we thought we knew about parenting when (or before) we began this journey certainly evolves. Realistically speaking, we realize how much we didn't know before cradling that baby in our arms, rushing about for the elementary-aged child, or navigating the attitude-ridden teenage years. And then of course, there's the unique and often challenging…
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Using Story And Brain Science To Help Your Children Heal
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We’ve spent the past 7 years explaining the brain, and how trauma impacts it, in a very simple fashion because, well, most of us are parents, and caregivers, not medical experts. That’s precisely why we love the work that Jessica Sinarski is doing through BrainBrains and the books and resources she’s created. This interview was enlightening, refres…
