Adoption Hacks

Latest Episodes:

68. Loving Well with Ligia Cushman Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

We talk about EVERYTHING in this episode! Whatever stage of adoption you are in, this episode has something for you. Ligia shares her personal story of loss and how it led to adoption. We also discuss what it's like to adopt as a person of color and finding community. Ligia shares where things stand with racial justice and the adoption community and what the future of trainings could look like. And she talks about personal stories of her adoption journey and how we can love our children well.

Check out Ligia's website and book here:

https://www.ligiacushman.com/

More about Ligia: Inspired by her very deep and personal connections to adoption, fueled by being the daughter of immigrants and motivated by the realities of a complex society, Ligia has become a fierce advocate for adopted children and multiracial families. Her ability to have authentic conversations about her Afro-Latina experience, adopting a mixed race child, and being married interracially is genuine and insightful.

Part of her personal mission is to address how differences in class, culture, and race impact adoption in today's world. Ligia is also dedicated to changing the narrative by introducing a modern understanding of adoption through her own professional and personal story. Earning a Masters Degree in Professional Counseling and with over 18 years of experience as a social worker, Ligia recently stepped into the role of National Child Welfare Consultant at AdoptUSKids.

n 2019, Ligia published her first book "Heard: How Loss Led Us to Love" which was recognized as one of the top 20 books on adoption by Book Authority. In 2020, Ligia’s blog was named one of the best adoption blogs of 2020 by Healthline Parenthood. Her hope is to raise awareness and change the narrative of what it means to be a transracial adoptive family in a world that often wants to put you in a box.

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67. Attachment Help with Kandace and Callie - Part 2 Dec 02, 2020

Show notes

Check out Part 1 from yesterday!

Co-hosts Kandace and Callie have recorded the podcast they wish they had in the early days of adoption! The goals of attachment are to create a connection, build trust and let the child know they are safe, understood and their needs are being met.

We go through many different ways to ease in connection and attachment through Eye Contact, Physical Touch, Closeness, Language, Food, Smells and Sleep.We want this episode to give you hope that attachment is a journey with ebbs and flows and provide you with very very practical ways that we found helpful.

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66. Attachment Help with Kandace and Callie - Part 1 Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Part 2 will be out tomorrow!!

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65. Advocating for Both Family Preservation and Adoption with Allie Haaz of Bethel China Nov 17, 2020

Show notes

Allie Haaz from Bethel China is with us today! Bethel China cares for children across China who are blind or have significant visual impairment. They provide preschool services and adoption advocacy for children who have been orphaned and therapy for families with visually impaired children so these families can receive education and support.

Bethel is a great example of how we can advocate for family preservation and adoption at the same time. In this episode we discuss how Bethel is doing that and how we as adoptive families can do that as well.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allie.bethel.104

Website: https://www.bethelchina.org/

Email: allie@bethelchina.org

Love at Last Grants: https://www.facebook.com/loveatlastgrants/

Exposed to Hope: https://www.amazon.com/Exposed-Hope-Families-Visually-Impaired-ebook/dp/B00JRSWWZ2/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Bethel+china&qid=1605549763&sr=8-5

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64. The Connected Parent with Lisa Qualls Nov 10, 2020

Show notes

Mom of 12 through birth and adoption, Lisa Qualls, and late child-development expert Dr. Karyn Purvis provide practical advice and powerful tools to encourage secure attachment for adoptive and foster families in The Connected Parent: Real-Life Strategies for Building Trust and Attachment. The final written work of bestselling author Dr. Purvis, The Connected Parent includes insights from her decades of renowned clinical research devoted help children coming from hard places. Qualls, co-host of The Adoption Connection Podcast, demonstrates how readers can successfully implement these strategies taught by Dr. Purvis in their homes, just as she did in hers. After 22 years of marriage and seven children by birth, the Qualls took the first step towards adoption. Several years later, after adopting four kids, they reached a point of tremendous discouragement and exhaustion. “We read books, received training, and learned that it would take time for our adopted children to trust us, accept us, attach to us, and begin healing,” said Qualls. “But we were experiencing extreme challenges. One of our kids was so wounded that her suffering was impacting all of us. It was a dark and dreadful place to be. We felt shame over our apparently insufficient parenting skills and our inability to bring healing to our child.” Email Us: adoptionhacksinfo@gmail.com FB/IG @adoptionhacks --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/adoptionhacks/support

63. Foster Care: Birth Family Relationships with Bennett and Brittany Reynolds Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Callie interviews Foster/Adoptive Parents - Bennett and Brittany. They share their heart for foster children and their beautiful family story. We discuss how their view of parenthood has shifted, overcoming fears and navigating and valuing birth family relationships.

This episode is Sponsored by The Mustard Seed Marketplace:

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62. Transracial Adoption Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

Torie Dimartile is a doctoral student in Sociocultural Anthropology at Indiana University studying the impact of systemic racism on domestic transracial adoption and an advocate for racial justice in the Christian church. She herself is a transracial adoptee on a lifelong journey towards a healthy racial identity.

In this episode we talk about the history of transracial adoptions and systematic racism in the US adoption industry. We also discuss how adoptive parents can prepare for their transracial adoptions and things to look for in agencies.

Find Torie Here:

https://wreckageandwonder.com

IG:

https://www.instagram.com/wreckageandwonder

Join us in thanking Torie for her time here:

Venmo: @Victoria-DiMartile

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61. Honey Clothing Company with Elizabeth McGlathery Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

In this episode Callie interviews Elizabeth McGlathery about her company Honey Clothing Company. Elizabeth and her husband adopted a child from South Korea and during that time realized the need for single mother support in the country. Honey creates retro, stylish clothing and accessories and gives a portion of their proceeds to support Korean single mothers. In this episode you'll hear Elizabeth's adoption story, how Honey was created and advise for those wanting to start a small business that gives back.

Listeners can get 20% off your next order from Honey by using the code ADOPTIONHACKS

Find Honey Here:

https://honeyclothingcompany.com

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AdoptionHacksInfo@gmail.com

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It's an honor to be listed as #2 in Feedspots Top Foster Care Podcasts!

https://blog.feedspot.com/foster_care_podcasts/

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60. Parenting Challenging Behaviors with Sonia Martin Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

On the show this week we have - Sonia Martin, LICSW, PIP, TBRI® PRACTITIONER from Lifeline Children Services. Sonia serves as Lifeline's Director in the Central Alabama area. She engages the central Alabama church community in implementing Families Count, birth mother support and services, and speaking to parents, professionals, Judges, DHR attorneys, & GAL’s at various conferences in the southeast on topics such as parenting kids from hard places and how to measure bonding and attachment in deciding best placement for children in foster care. Sonia is the mother of 7 teenage boys, 3 of which were adopted internationally and she is a foster parent for Montgomery County DHR.

Sonia and Kandace discuss "typical" behaviors in foster and adoptive children, what parents need to be aware of and what is under the surface of those behaviors. And we have an in depth discussion where Sonia gives VERY practical examples of how we can flip the conversation and create connected moments when we are parenting and correcting.

See what Lifeline is doing here:

https://lifelinechild.org

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59. Through Adopted Eyes with Elena Hall Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Callie interviews Elena S. Hall, a Russian adoptee with a passion for adoption advocacy. Elena’s goal is to aid those in the adoption triad to promote healing and growth within the adoption community and empower readers to share their own stories.

Elena is the author of 2 books which we discuss in this episode: Through Adopted Eyes which explores the world of adoption from the viewpoint of adoptees. Elena shares her own story and thoughts on the subject of adoption in addition to interviews from other adoptees of different ages, heritages, and perspectives. And Through Adopted Hearts which explores the world of adoption from the viewpoints of both birth and adoptive parents. If you are an adoptive parent, birth parent, adoptee, or just curious to learn more, these book provides thoughtful and challenging perspective into how adoption shapes and changes lives.

If you’d like to join us in thanking Elena for her time and work in the adoptive community, you can do so via Venmo @elena_hall

Check out all that Elena is doing here:

Instagram: @throughadoptedeyes

Facebook

Amazon

Audible

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