Built From Broken

Madison Bell
  • 5.0 (12)
  • SELF-IMPROVEMENT
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Built From Broken is a space for anyone navigating healing, growth, and everything in between. I’m Madison, and my story hasn’t been easy—foster care, family struggles, and a lot of curveballs along the way. Each episode shares a piece of my journey and ends with a reflection question for yours. It’s not always pretty, but it’s honest. And healing starts there. So come hang out, reflect a little, and as always - keep building.

  1. 10H AGO

    The Next Chapter: Q&A Edition – Part Two

    This week on Built From Broken, I’m continuing the Q&A series and answering some of the most personal questions that came in during Season One. We talk about what it feels like when people learn I was in foster care, how childhood triggers can carry into adulthood, how I truly feel when I look back on my childhood, whether it’s anger, sadness, or something deeper, and navigating the complex emotions I have toward my grandparents. I also share a powerful moment from Vision Night with Least of These Carolinas and how even a glimpse into that reality can shift perspective. There is also an exciting personal update woven into this episode that I can’t wait to share. This episode is honest, reflective, and a reminder that healing isn’t always simple… but it is possible. If you want to learn more about Least of These Carolinas or how you can support what they’re doing, you can visit: https://lotcarolinas.com/

    27 min

  2. MAR 8

    The Next Chapter: Q&A Edition – Part One

    Season 2 of Built From Broken begins with a listener Q&A, answering some of the most meaningful questions about my experience in foster care and the long term impact childhood trauma can have on our lives. After sharing my full foster care journey throughout Season 1, many listeners reached out with thoughtful questions about my experiences, the impact those years had on my life, and what healing has looked like since then. In this episode, I begin answering some of those questions. We talk about the fear that came with sharing my story publicly, what finally made me feel ready to start the podcast, and the unexpected ways this journey has impacted both my life and the lives of others. I also reflect on navigating trauma while telling your story, the reality of self-blame after difficult childhood experiences, maintaining relationships from foster care, and how constant transitions between homes and schools shaped my ability to adapt and survive. This conversation also touches on something many people who experienced trauma can relate to. Living in survival mode and what that looks like when you are a child simply trying to navigate the environment around you. This episode covers the first portion of listener questions and will continue in the next episode, where we will dive deeper into topics like how people react when they learn someone grew up in foster care and how childhood experiences can continue to show up as emotional triggers later in life. As always, we close with the Broken to Built reflection question, the Rebuild Challenge, and a prayer, creating space to reflect on your own journey of growth and healing. Because while our past may shape us, it never has to define the life we build moving forward. You may also notice a small refresh to the podcast’s intro and closing music as we step into Season 2.

    30 min

  3. FEB 16

    The Final Chapter: Aging Out — Part Two

    Graduation was the visible milestone. Aging out was the quiet shift no one applauds. In this final chapter of my foster care story, I share what it felt like when the system stepped back and adulthood stepped in. No ceremony. No countdown. Just a case file closing and the realization that I was now fully responsible for my life. From navigating independence in my first apartment to learning hard lessons about support, safety, and information I didn’t have, this episode holds the quieter emotions that followed the cap and gown. There is freedom in aging out. But there is also loneliness. There is pride. But there is also disorientation. Because sometimes the hardest transitions are not the loud ones. They are the ones that happen when the door closes behind you and you realize it is up to you to build what comes next. If you would like to submit a question for the upcoming Q&A episodes, you can send it in a few different ways:  📌 Anonymous Google Form on my Linktree: https://linktr.ee/_builtfrombroken  📌 Direct Anonymous Google Form link: https://forms.gle/vgU5keSDKR7EzvMM7  📌 Comment on a specific episode on Spotify  📌 Email me: contact.builtfrombroken@gmail.com  📌 Or if you know me personally, just reach out or send a message

    18 min

  4. FEB 16

    The Final Chapter: Graduation — Part One

    This episode begins the final chapter of my foster care story. Graduation week was more than a ceremony. It was the collision of everything that had shaped my adolescence. Family dynamics that were layered and complicated. Milestones that felt both earned and fragile. Independence that looked confident on the outside but felt uncertain underneath. In this episode, I share what it was like to stand at the edge of adulthood while still carrying the weight of everything behind me. From job interviews and moving into my first apartment to reunions years in the making, this chapter captures the emotional tension between freedom and grief. Because graduation was not just the end of high school. It was the closing of one chapter before the system stepped back and adulthood fully began.

    19 min

  5. FEB 1

    The Dayridge House: Back Again – Part Eight

    In this episode, I pick back up at the end of my senior year, a season filled with anticipation, transition, and decisions that quietly shaped what came next. I reflect on being accepted to college, competing at BPA Nationals, prom, and senior skip day, all while navigating the uncertainty of preparing to age out of foster care. This episode captures the tension between independence and stability, and what it felt like standing on the edge of a major life change. We end with a Broken to Built reflection question, a Rebuild Challenge, and a prayer, before picking right back up with graduation in the next episode.

    16 min

  6. JAN 19

    The Dayridge House: Back Again – Part Seven

    As senior year continues, I am still a few months away from graduation and focused on staying grounded while navigating a season of transition. In this episode, I share what life looked like during this stretch of senior year, including changes in my living situation, a health-related scare, and how much of my energy was poured into school, work, and staying busy. I reflect on the difference between routine and reactive care, and how perspective shifts when you look back at those years as an adult. I also talk about the parts of school that mattered to me during this time, including mentorship, marketing and business programs, and competing in BPA. These experiences helped give structure and momentum as senior year moved forward and graduation slowly came into view. This episode captures the in-between space, not the beginning or the end, but the stretch where you keep moving even when everything feels unsettled. Once my foster care story is complete, I will be starting a Q and A series where I answer your questions openly and honestly. If you have a question you would like me to answer, you can submit it in any of the following ways: 📌 Through the anonymous Google Form on my Linktreehttps://linktr.ee/_builtfrombroken 📌 Use the direct Google Form linkhttps://forms.gle/vgU5keSDKR7EzvMM7 📌 Comment on a specific episode on Spotify 📌 Email me directly atcontact.builtfrombroken@gmail.com 📌 Or, if you know me personally, just reach out or comment here Thank you for listening and for being part of this community. Q and A Series Reminder

    18 min

  7. JAN 12

    The Dayridge House: Back Again — Part Six

    By the time Christmas came around, I had already mentally checked out. In this episode, I share what it looked like to quietly prepare for freedom long before I physically left. As graduation approached, my focus shifted to survival, independence, and getting out. This chapter reflects the slow unraveling that happens when care becomes conditional and adulthood is forced too early. I open up about moments that shaped me during this time. Learning to rely on myself, navigating medical issues without support, managing financial responsibility without guidance, and the emotional weight of realizing I did not truly have a home. I also share the experience of being kicked out, sleeping on a friend’s floor, and finishing high school while silently carrying the reality that the people meant to protect me had chosen absence instead. This episode is about forced independence, quiet resilience, and the moments that harden you before you are ready. It is about what happens when survival becomes normal and how those seasons shape who we become. We will continue this story next week. If you are walking through a season where you feel unseen, unsupported, or prematurely grown, this episode is for you. You are not alone!

    19 min

  8. JAN 4

    The Dayridge House: Back Again — Part Five

    In this episode of Built From Broken, I continue sharing what life looked like during my final stretch at the Dayridge House, a chapter marked by sharp contrasts. Before everything unraveled, there was a moment that almost changed my entire future. A safe adult. A stable home. An offer rooted purely in care and compassion. And the complicated fear that comes when kindness feels unfamiliar. But after that possibility passed, what followed was betrayal, stolen pieces of connection, broken trust, and situations where protection should have been guaranteed but was not. This episode holds both ends of the spectrum, what it feels like to be truly seen and what it does to you when that safety is taken away. We’ll talk about: Turning down support because survival taught you not to trust it The long-term impact of betrayal by caregivers How unprotected moments can reopen old wounds And the quiet grief of realizing someone tried to love you when you didn’t yet know how to receive it I close the episode with this week’s Broken to Built reflection question, a Rebuild Challenge, and a prayer, inviting you to gently examine where survival may still be shaping your choices today. Thank you for being here. Thank you for holding space for these stories. Until next time, keep growing, keep healing, and as always, keep building.

    16 min
See All (43)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Built From Broken is a space for anyone navigating healing, growth, and everything in between. I’m Madison, and my story hasn’t been easy—foster care, family struggles, and a lot of curveballs along the way. Each episode shares a piece of my journey and ends with a reflection question for yours. It’s not always pretty, but it’s honest. And healing starts there. So come hang out, reflect a little, and as always - keep building.

Information

  • Creator
    Madison Bell
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Madison Bell
  • Show Website
    Built From Broken