Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Simon Benn
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  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
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Let's thrive. Thriving Adoptees helps adoptees thrive. What does thriving mean to you? Healing? Post Traumatic Growth? Evolving? Listen in as we explore what's helped adoptees do all that... Email me at simon@thrivingadoptees.com if you'd like to have a chat about being a guest on the show. There have been 93,000 downloads of the show since launch in April 2021.

  1. Love Without Rules Jenn Noble

    1 DAY AGO

    Love Without Rules Jenn Noble

    Is love with rules really love? Probably not. And yet so many of us have only felt conditional love. Having her first daughter taught adoptee Jenn love without rules. Unconditional love as a felt experience. Not an idea. Listen in as we go deep on feeling loved and whole... Jenn works in adoption. Here's a bit about her from her agency's website: Jenn has been working with children and their families for almost thirty years, with eighteen of those years spent focusing on the needs of children in the foster care system and on providing adoption-related services. After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Jenn spent several years as a foster parent and worked in a residential program for adolescent girls. Jenn then returned to school, earned a Master’s degree in Counseling, and spent fourteen years working for Deschutes County Behavioral Health as a therapist on the school-based health clinics team. A few months ago, Jenn transitioned to a school counselor position so she can spend summers working at her favorite camp. As an adult adoptee herself, Jenn believes that every child deserves a loving, stable, forever home and she works diligently to ensure that the families who adopt through Choice Adoptions understand this responsibility. Her superpower is the “ability to micro-edit written work,” and she uses this skill to ensure that the home studies, post-placement reports, and adoption profile books that represent Choice families are of the highest quality possible. She loves meeting new families when she writes their home studies and visiting them once their adopted child arrives home. When she is not working, Jenn enjoys caring for indoor and outdoor plants, hiking, searching for waterfalls, playing tennis, riding her bike, listening to Sea Shanties, browsing antique stores, and spending time with her husband and five (mostly grown) children. https://www.choiceadoptions.org/ https://www.facebook.com/choiceadoptions/ https://www.instagram.com/choiceadoptions/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    1h 1m
  2. Loving Ourselves With Melissa Butkovich-Carraway

    4 DAYS AGO

    Loving Ourselves With Melissa Butkovich-Carraway

    What matters more than loving ourselves? And yet...so many of us believe that voice in our heads that doesn't love us. Listen in as Melissa shares her learnings on self love , helping others love themselves and more... Find out more about Melissa and the agency she works for at: https://www.forever-families.org/ https://www.instagram.com/foreverfamiliesmi/ https://www.facebook.com/ForeverFamiliesLivonia/ https://www.facebook.com/melissa.butkovich https://www.instagram.com/melbutkcarr/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    48 min
  3. Doing Things Differently With Gladys Blackwell

    17 FEB

    Doing Things Differently With Gladys Blackwell

    When we know better, we do better. Experienced adoption professional got a second chance at parenting after adopting her grandson when she was 55. Listen in as she shares what she's learned about going beyond basic needs to helping her son thrive despite trauma. Big insights on integrity, moral standards and expectations. Gladys is Senior Director of Foster Care and Adoption at The Children's Shelter, San Antonio, Texas, USA. Find out more about her and the Shelter  here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gladys-foster-blackwell-155194b4/ https://www.facebook.com/TheChildrensShelter https://www.instagram.com/thechildrensshelter https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-children%27s-shelter/ https://childrensshelter.org/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    54 min
  4. Having A Fabulous Life With Anna Bernacki

    16 FEB

    Having A Fabulous Life With Anna Bernacki

    What if we could have a fabulous life, whatever our story? Thriving doesn't look like an option for some. But what if it is? Listen in as adoptee, adoptive parent and adoption professional Anna dives into doing the work, empowerment and much more. Here's a bit about Anna from her website: "I’m an adoptee, raised in a loving family, and I grew up knowing there was more beneath the surface of my story than anyone talked about. Like many adoptees, I learned how to be grateful, how to be “fine,” and how to keep the harder questions quiet. It took years to understand how much adoption shapes a person’s sense of identity, safety, and belonging. Not just in childhood, but across a lifetime. Today, my husband and I are parenting four children, all adopted through foster care. Our family story includes joy and deep connection, but it also includes trauma, mental illness, grief, and seasons that look nothing like what we imagined when we said yes to adoption. Parenting children with complex needs has changed me. It has humbled me, stretched me, and forced me to let go of easy answers in favor of deeper understanding." https://annabernacki.com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557459094817 https://www.instagram.com/anna.bernacki/ https://www.parentingdifferent.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-bernacki-048a50387/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    52 min
  5. Finding Our Place With Matt Waller

    13 FEB

    Finding Our Place With Matt Waller

    Finding our place - our home and our place in the world - is profound. Listen in as Matt who's fostered and adopted shares his learnings on self worth, relationships and much more...deep and highly empowering. Matt Waller, MS is the Director of Community Impact for One Accord for Kids. Matt and his wife, Jen, founded The Attic Foster Network, a Permian Basin based nonprofit that serves children and families of the local foster system and invites churches to do the same. Matt moved to Midland, with his family, to teach for Midland Classical Academy. Prior to that, Matt worked in Christian Camping. His emerging career in child welfare is a direct result of the West Texas grassroots movement to see the local community care for local foster children. Matt earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University. He holds a graduate degree in nonprofit management and leadership from Walden University. https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-waller-aa2b6819/ https://oneaccordtx.org/ https://www.facebook.com/oneaccordtx/ https://www.instagram.com/oneaccordtx/ https://x.com/oneaccordtx/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    52 min
  6. Levelling The Playing Field With Karen Barrick

    12 FEB

    Levelling The Playing Field With Karen Barrick

    Adoptees often start life at a disadvantage. How do we level the playing field so they can enjoy the same opportunities as others? Listen in as Karen shares her learnings and insights. Karen is an adoptive mother and the Head of Service for One Adoption South Yorkshire. https://www.oneadoption.co.uk/south-yorkshire https://www.facebook.com/oneadoption/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    53 min
  7. Busting Beliefs With Angie White

    27 JAN

    Busting Beliefs With Angie White

    Does the desire for validation hold us back? How do you react when you or your beliefs are challenged? Listen in as adoptee Angie talks about surfacing and busting beliefs in this particularly empowering episode. Here' a bit about Angie and the organisation she leads from their website: "To serve as the President and CEO of CASA San Antonio is a privilege. It is also an honor to work with the dedicated team and Board to serve children in the San Antonio area. My history as a foster, then adopted child, is what drives my motivation to let displaced children and youth know they are treasured, worthy and can overcome difficulties to become all they want to be. I believe all children have the absolute right to be loved and raised in a safe home. Most of my career had been in the corporate world, and as in all roles, relationships and collaboration are essential. I previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Alpha Home, and the COO of Chosen. The not-for-profit sector is challenging and worth every minute of the dedication it takes, as you truly know you are making a difference. Again, I am humbled to serve CASA and look forward to the future as we continue to support children experiencing foster care with amazing volunteer advocates." Find out more about Angie and CASA https://www.casa-satx.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/drangie/ https://www.facebook.com/ChildAdvocatesSanAntonio https://www.instagram.com/casa.satx/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    55 min
  8. Faith Is Bigger Than Fear With Wendi Cross

    26 JAN

    Faith Is Bigger Than Fear With Wendi Cross

    Life can feel pretty scary. But what if we felt differently about that fear? What if faith felt bigger than that fear? Listen in as mother of 6 including 2 by adoption points us to big insights to seeing ourselves and our fear differently. Here's a bit about Wendi: "I am a wife. A mom. A mother-in-law. A Jaja (AKA: grandma). A missionary. A teacher. A speaker. And a cheerleader for Jesus. I love God, my husband, my family, and people of all nations. I also love to travel, meet new friends, and have fun wherever I go. I am the director of xHope, Inc., a non-profit that exists to empower at-risk youth by providing hope, love, education, and forever families. I am also the director of Redeemer House Ministries in Uganda where we rescue, rehabilitate, and reunify children into forever families." https://www.wendicross.com/ https://www.facebook.com/wendi.neelycross https://www.instagram.com/wcross8/?hl=en https://www.xhopemissions.org/ https://www.instagram.com/xhopeinternational/ https://www.facebook.com/RedeemerHouseOrphanage Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

    51 min
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Let's thrive. Thriving Adoptees helps adoptees thrive. What does thriving mean to you? Healing? Post Traumatic Growth? Evolving? Listen in as we explore what's helped adoptees do all that... Email me at simon@thrivingadoptees.com if you'd like to have a chat about being a guest on the show. There have been 93,000 downloads of the show since launch in April 2021.

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