A Home and Healing for Every Child

Adopt Change
  • 5.0 (6)
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‘A Home and Healing For Every Child’ is an Adopt Change podcast where we host conversations with global thought leaders, experts and individuals with lived experience on topics including foster and kinship care, adoption, child welfare, trauma and healing. Adopt Change is a not-for-profit organisation founded to ensure A Home for Every Child and healing for those who have experienced trauma. We believe that every child has the right to grow up in a safe, nurturing and permanent family home, and that all families need the appropriate supports for children to thrive.

  1. Maia: It takes a village

    6 DAYS AGO

    Maia: It takes a village

    In this episode of Caring for Kids, Melissa sits down with Maia to explore what it really looks like to learn, unlearn and ask for support.  From re-learning everyday skills like riding a bike to navigating systems like NDIS, Maia shares her experience of knowing when to lean on others and when to bring in the right expertise. It’s honest, practical and quietly powerful.  This conversation speaks to the role strong support systems play in building confidence, stability and a sense of home and healing over time.  Host: Melissa  Produced by: Ashton Kobler and Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change  Edited by: Fernanda Dedic  Sound Engineer: Grant Konemann  Engineering Assistant: Will Coleman  The views and experiences shared in this episode are those of the individual speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views of Adopt Change or Carers for Kids NSW.

    32 min
  2. Life Could Be A Dream: Bonus Episode

    25 MAR ·  BONUS

    Life Could Be A Dream: Bonus Episode

    A powerful conversation on storytelling, motherhood and the realities many women face behind closed doors.  In this episode, Emily Hikaiti sits down with Jasmin Tarasin and Clare Lewis to explore the story behind Life Could Be a Dream.  Together, they unpack the making of the film, the themes of financial safety and coercive control, and why storytelling plays such a critical role in shifting understanding and systems.  This is an honest, grounded conversation about lived experience, creative responsibility and the impact of telling stories that matter. At its heart, this is about home, what it means to feel safe, and how healing begins when that safety is present. Jasmin Tarasin is an award-winning Australian filmmaker and founder of Pure Pictures. She creates emotionally rich, human-centred stories across documentary, film and immersive installations. Her work has been recognised internationally, including her ABC documentary Utopia Girls, which was a finalist for the AACTA Awards and NSW Premier’s History Awards.  Her debut feature Life Could Be a Dream explores motherhood, financial safety and coercive control, alongside a national impact campaign. At the centre of her work is a deep commitment to honest storytelling and care.  Clare Lewis is Creative Director of GoodChat, a production company known for social impact storytelling. She has spent over a decade creating films that engage audiences across social justice, climate and community issues.  Her work includes There Goes Our Neighbourhood (ABC) and I’m Wanita, winner of Best Australian Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival. Through GoodChat, she has led hundreds of impact-driven campaigns that cut through and create change.

    18 min
  3. The Chance to Thrive: Zufi Emerson on finding her voice and shaping change

    01/10/2025

    The Chance to Thrive: Zufi Emerson on finding her voice and shaping change

    In this episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, host Melissa Doyle AM sits down with actress and Adopt Change advocate Zufi Emerson for a heartfelt and life-affirming conversation.  Zufi reflects on her family’s adoption journey, sharing the unique perspectives she and her brothers experienced growing up, and the simple honesty of children’s curiosity. Melissa and Zufi connect through their shared ties to Ethiopian culture, exploring both personal and global perspectives on adoption.  Together, they dive into their roles as ambassadors, the lessons learned along the way, and the changes still needed to ensure every child has the chance to grow up in a safe and loving home.  Optimistic, determined, and full of light, Zufi offers a powerful voice for children and families.  Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild   Get in touch:   You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au    Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on   Instagram    Facebook   LinkedIn  Show credits:   Host: Melissa Doyle AM, Adopt Change Ambassador   Guest: Zufi Emerson, Adopt Change Ambassador  Sound Engineer: Grant Konemann  Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change

    45 min
  4. Bonus episode: Different paths, shared truth with Jonah, JD, and Brad

    10/09/2025

    Bonus episode: Different paths, shared truth with Jonah, JD, and Brad

    In this special bonus episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and host Jonah Bobongie is joined by fellow Adopt Change Ambassadors Joel de Carteret and Brad Murphy for an honest conversation about adoption, identity and the lifelong process of healing.  Each of these men has walked a different road – through reunion, grief, trauma, growth and resilience. Now, they come together to reflect on the threads that connect their stories and the lessons that emerge when those experiences are shared. They explore what it means to tell your story as an adult, how that story evolves over time and the way healing reshapes our understanding of the past. This episode is a reminder that no two journeys are alike – but healing deepens when stories are spoken and carried together. ⁠Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild⁠   Get in touch:   You can find out more about us at ⁠www.adoptchange.org.au⁠    Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on   ⁠Instagram⁠    ⁠Facebook⁠   ⁠LinkedIn⁠  Show credits:   Host: Jonah Babongie, Adopt Change Ambassador   Guest: Joel De Carteret, Adopt Change Ambassador, Brad Murphy, Adopt Change Ambassador  Audio Producer: ⁠Fernanda Dedic⁠, Adopt Change   Sound Engineer: ⁠Grant Konemann⁠  Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change

    40 min
  5. Coming home: Joel de Carteret on identity and healing

    27/08/2025

    Coming home: Joel de Carteret on identity and healing

    In this episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and lived experience advocate Emily Hikaiti is joined by fellow Ambassador – adoptee and filmmaker – Joel de Carteret. Joel shares his remarkable journey of returning to the Philippines and the life-changing experience of reconnecting with his birth family.   But Joel’s story doesn’t end there. He opens up about the evolving complexities of cultural identity, the lifelong impact of childhood trauma and his pursuit of healing through movement, film and dance.   With honesty and deep insight, Joel reflects on what it truly means to come home to yourself. This is a powerful conversation about memory, belonging and the ongoing work of healing.   Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild   Get in touch:   You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au    Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on   Instagram    Facebook   LinkedIn  Show credits:   Host: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change Ambassador   Guest: Joel De Carteret, Adopt Change Ambassador  Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change   Audio Engineer: Grant Konemann Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change

    46 min
  6. In between cultures, fully myself: Jonah Bobongie on belonging, stigma and owning Your experience.

    11/08/2025

    In between cultures, fully myself: Jonah Bobongie on belonging, stigma and owning Your experience.

    In this open and reflective conversation of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Board Member and Adoptee Gabrielle Stricker-Phelps sits down with Ambassador and fellow Adoptee Jonah Bobongie for a conversation about growing up, identity, and the many sides of adoption.   Jonah shares what it was like to grow up in Brisbane with a loving adoptive family while feeling disconnected from his Papua New Guinean roots and how that shaped his understanding of culture, identity, and belonging. Together, Gabi and Jonah explore the support they found in their families and friends, the early awareness they had of being adopted, and how stigma can linger even in the most positive of adoption stories.     From Launching Led By A Heartstring and finding the time to live life as a young adult, Jonah is able to reflect on the power of storytelling, the nuances in family, the strength that can come from healing in a way that can come in a way that doesn’t fit with society’s expectations of what an adoptee’s journey “should” look like.     This is a conversation about connecting, choice, and the importance of making space for all adoption stories.   Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild   Get in touch:   You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au    Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on   Instagram    Facebook   LinkedIn  Show credits:   Host: Gabrielle Stricker-Phelps, Adopt Change Board Member  Guest: Jonah Bobongie, Adopt Change Ambassador  Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change   Executive Producers: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change

    21 min
  7. Pathways to purpose: Brad Murphy on adoption, resilience and community

    14/07/2025

    Pathways to purpose: Brad Murphy on adoption, resilience and community

    In this heartfelt episode, journalist and FutureWomen founder Helen McCabe speaks with former AFL player Brad Murphy about his early years in foster care, being adopted into a loving family and the lasting impact those experiences have had on his life.  Brad reflects on growing up surrounded by strong support, the values instilled by his adoptive parents and how those foundations helped him navigate the demands of elite sport and life beyond the game. He speaks openly about how his upbringing has shaped his approach to fatherhood, coaching and giving back to his community.  This is a grounded and moving conversation about the power of a nurturing family environment, the importance of connection and what it means to thrive.  Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild   Get in touch:   You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au    Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on   Instagram    Facebook   LinkedIn  Show credits:   Host: Helen McCabe, Adopt Change Ambassador   Guest: Brad Murphy, Adopt Change Ambassador  Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change   Executive Producer: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change, Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change

    37 min
  8. Threads of identity: Phoebe Garland on adoption, belonging and bold advocacy

    30/06/2025

    Threads of identity: Phoebe Garland on adoption, belonging and bold advocacy

    In this moving second episode of A Home and Healing for Every Child, Ambassador and lived experience advocate Emily Hikaiti speaks with Phoebe Garland – Co-founder of a successful brand management and fashion & business consultancy agency, intercountry adoptee from Vietnam and advocate for ethical adoption and permanency.  Phoebe shares her powerful story of being adopted to Australia in the wake of the Vietnam War, and the lifelong journey of navigating identity, belonging and reconnection. Now at the helm of a thriving fashion business, Phoebe reflects on how her personal history informs her work, resilience and commitment to advocating for systemic change for children growing up without stable families.   Note: In this episode, Phoebe refers to her “adoptive mother” but meant to say “birth mother”.  This is a story of courage, creativity and using your platform to speak truth to power.  Help us find #aHomeForEveryChild   Get in touch:   You can find out more about us at www.adoptchange.org.au    Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us on   Instagram    Facebook   LinkedIn     Show credits:   Host: Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change Ambassador   Guest: Phoebe Garland, Adopt Change Ambassador  Audio Producer: Fernanda Dedic, Adopt Change   Sound Engineer: Grant Konemann  Executive Producer: Ashton Kobler, Adopt Change, Renée Leigh (Carter), Adopt Change & Emily Hikaiti, Adopt Change  Adopt Change acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded and edited this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respect to Elders past and present and end that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

    32 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

‘A Home and Healing For Every Child’ is an Adopt Change podcast where we host conversations with global thought leaders, experts and individuals with lived experience on topics including foster and kinship care, adoption, child welfare, trauma and healing. Adopt Change is a not-for-profit organisation founded to ensure A Home for Every Child and healing for those who have experienced trauma. We believe that every child has the right to grow up in a safe, nurturing and permanent family home, and that all families need the appropriate supports for children to thrive.

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