Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Simon Benn
  • 5.0 (31)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Daily

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. 6h ago

    Trauma Recycled With Anne Peshka

    What if we could recycle our trauma? Make it into something profoundly useful? Something to drive our thriving? Something to fuel our growth? We can! Listen in as adoptee and birth mother Anne inspires us all... Here's a bit about Anne from her website: "I know what it feels like to carry things that should have broken you. Adoption. Abuse. Addiction. Years of making choices that almost erased me completely. I also know what it feels like to get back up. Every single time. I raised my kids as a single mom while working two and three jobs for decades. There was no safety net. No one coming to save me. Just me, deciding over and over again that this was not where my story ended. I have reinvented myself more times than I can count. Not because it was easy or because I had it figured out. Because staying stuck was never an option I was willing to choose. That is what true grit actually looks like. Not one dramatic comeback. Decades of showing up, doing the work, falling down, and getting back up before anyone was watching." https://www.instagram.com/annepeshka/ https://annepeshka.com/ https://www.facebook.com/annepeshkaauthor/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/annepeshka/ 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.

    Trauma Recycled With Anne Peshka

  2. 1d ago

    Super Self Care With Renee Brown

    Are you hurting right now? Could you use some Super Self Care? Listen in as Renee shares insights aplenty into how we can make life just that little - or a BIG - bit easier.  Renee received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and her master’s degree in Clinical Child Psychology from Virginia Tech. She started her career as a case manager for the intellectual and developmental disabilities population at the local Community Services Board (CSB). While working, she obtained her Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) certifications and was promoted to her first supervisory position in 2000. While in this position, Renee discovered her passion for program development and leadership. She continued to work at the CSB managing programs that supported individuals with mental health needs and/or developmental disabilities until she came to DePaul in January of 2017. Renee was already familiar with DePaul’s mission of hope and belonging as she was previously a foster parent for the organization. For almost six years, Renee has been the Vice President of Child and Family Services overseeing the Foster Care, Independent Living, Adoption, and Community-Based programs. During her time at DePaul, her restructuring of the CFS Leadership Team allowed for the expansion of the Independent Living program and the reimagining of pre-service training for prospective foster parents. Renee’s collaborative style was instrumental in increased cross-divisional and cross-program successes. Renee values community partnerships and is a member of the Roanoke City and Roanoke County Community Policy and Management Teams (CPMT). Renee is also on the Family Focused Treatment Association Board, a national organization that provides support to agencies in the child welfare system, as well as the Project Discovery Board, a program that provides support to first generation college-bound students across Virginia. https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-brown-lpc-csac-20b93bba/ https://www.instagram.com/depaulcommunityresources/ https://www.facebook.com/DePaulCommunityResources https://www.depaulcr.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.

    Super Self Care With Renee Brown

  3. 2d ago

    Mindset And Trauma - WHAT??? With Jamole Callahan

    Mindset is rarely talked about in adoption and fostering. It's trauma all the way. Why is that? What can we learn from exploring mindset to be better and do better. Listen as the inspirational force of nature that is unofficially adopted Jamole  dives deep into normally uncharted waters... Jamole Callahan spent six years in foster care living in nine different homes until he was emancipated at age 18. His road into foster care was paved with being the product of an affair, his father’s subsequent abandonment, then his mother’s drug addiction that left him to care for his baby sister at the age of 11. Although he had doting and attentive grandparents the state of Ohio still decided to put Jamole in foster care, while his sister went to live with her father, and his brother ran away and eventually went in to the prison system. He moved from home to home for six years due to abusive situations or the illness or death of his caretakers. Finally, he reached a home that changed his life and attitude, propelling him into building a success. The influence of his foster father planted the seed of Mr. Motivator by the mantra “Recognize no such word as impossible” (Napoleon Hill). He completed his college education, started a family, and saw the opportunity bring foster youth and others to a mindset of possibility. https://www.jamolecallahan.com/ https://www.instagram.com/jamole_callahan/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamole-callahan-9b31975b/ https://www.facebook.com/jamole.callahan 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.

    Mindset And Trauma - WHAT??? With Jamole Callahan

  4. 4d ago

    Seeing Our Own Resilience with Roof Sweatte

    Would you like to bounce back faster from setbacks in your life? What if resilience is seen not strengthened? Revealed in a moment not built over years? Instantaneous? Listen in as adoptee Roof shares what he's seen about resilience, mindset and more. His insights could catalyse yours. Here's a bit about Roof from his website "I didn't learn about resilience, openness, and foundation from a workshop. I learned it growing up. My parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gentle, were two selfless human beings who offered over 40 children shelter a home where young children could be cared for when their biological parents couldn't. They opened their arms to a panoply of cultures, even when people disagreed with their decision to foster and care for other children on top of raising their own six biological kids. I am one of four children they adopted, totaling ten. My adoptive father, Mr. Gentle, passed away in 2020 during COVID—a day I'll never forget. The last thing I remember him saying was to " You’ve got it Big Guy!,Never Give Up." My parents taught me patience, presence, and what unconditional love actually looks like. I grew up with a brother navigating mental health challenges and a sister with Down syndrome who showed me that strength doesn't always look the way people expect and that support means meeting people where they are, not where you think they should be. I grew up in a blended family with white siblings, biological family, and all the complexity that comes with navigating multiple identities and cultures under one roof. I learned early that wholeness requires access to all parts of who you are, not just the parts that are convenient or comfortable for others." https://www.iamroof.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/roof-sweatte-194a13153/ https://www.facebook.com/Roof.sweatte/ 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.

    Seeing Our Own Resilience with Roof Sweatte

  5. Jul 16

    Fundamental Wholeness

    How would it feel to know that You are whole under your trauma? To know that You are intact, undamaged and complete despite your trauma. That everyone else is too. Listen in as I explore our Fundamental Wholeness with Donna Pope, adoptive mother, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and executive director. Here's more about Donna from her agency's website: Donna is an irreplaceable member of our adoption agency, dedicated to aiding women who are contemplating placing their child for adoption. Helping women through an unexpected pregnancy has become her life’s journey. She is seldom “off duty.” On weekends she communicates with birth mothers to aid them with their financial concerns or traveling to a hospital to ensure they are receiving the best medical possible. Her resolute dedication and heartfelt compassion make her an essential figure in supporting these women throughout their entire journey. Donna ensures that every person who works at Heart to Heart Adoptions treats birth mothers and adoptive families with respect and compassion. She insists on a non-judgmental approach to every situation. She creates a safe and nurturing space for them to share their concerns, dreams, and worries. By approaching each individual with empathy and without judgment, Donna ensures that these exceptional women have the necessary guidance and resources to make well-informed decisions. Donna’s expertise within the Utah Adoption Agency lies in her ability to find the perfect match between birth mothers and adoptive families, making her an invaluable asset to our agency. https://hearttoheartadopt.com/ https://www.facebook.com/HeartToHeartAdoption https://www.instagram.com/hearttoheartadoptions/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-pope-41652ba/   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.

    Fundamental Wholeness

  6. Jul 15

    Support Not Gratitude With Randi Thompson

    Expecting gratitude from adopted kids turns them against us. We are here to support them! Listen in as Randi shares her learnings on supporting her kids to help them thrive including expectations, acceptance and more... When Randi Thompson visited an orphanage in Kazakhstan more than 20 years ago, she saw teens forced to move out with no place to go, no skills, and no hope. Inspired to create a new future for these kids she went to work building Kidsave programs and she hasn’t stopped since. Randi is a 30-year veteran of outcome-based marketing and communications projects designed to effect social change. In 2016, Randi was awarded the Department of Health and Human Services Children’s Bureau Adoption Excellence Award for Child Welfare/Judicial Systems Change for Weekend Miracles. Randi is active in the Equity Committee of the Foster Together Network a group working to increase and enhance the provision of culturally responsive and competent care for Black children, in an effort to facilitate well-being and improve their life outcomes. To Randi, a mother, wife, daughter, sister, and grandmother, family is everything. https://www.facebook.com/KidsaveInternational/ https://www.instagram.com/kidsave/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/randi-thompson-a15a078/ https://www.kidsave.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.

    Support Not Gratitude With Randi Thompson

  7. Jul 7

    Challenging Narratives With Kareemah Baker

    So many of us are challenging other people's narratives, but what if we challenge our own? This invariably leads to the insights that power our growth, fuel our relationships and succeed. Listen in as Kareemah shares her biggest insights to catalyse insight in yours. Kareemah Harris-Baker’s story is one of resilience. As an adoptee who lost both her adoptive parents by the age of nine, Kareemah’s early life was shaped by profound transitions—and an unwavering sense of purpose instilled by her late parents. Kareemah works at New Jersey’s Department of Children and Families as Assistant Director of the Office of Adoption Operations. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kareemah-h-baker-lsw-mpa-830079a2/ https://www.facebook.com/Ladyk583/ 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.

    Challenging Narratives With Kareemah Baker

  8. Jul 1

    Realisations Are Everything With Cheryl Fix

    Time isn't the greatest healer because if there's no change, there's no healing. So what IS the greatest healer? Realisations. Those profound insights that help us see differently, more clearly and better. Listen in as we talk realisations, grace and space... Cheryl Fix is Executive Director of the Alberta Foster and Kinship Association, find out more at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheryl-fix-4b7b36b/ https://www.facebook.com/Albertafosterandkinshipassociation/ instagram.com/afka_caregiver_support https://afkaonline.ca/ 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.

    Realisations Are Everything With Cheryl Fix
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About

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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