The Main Thing: Lauren McAfee loves Jesus, her role as wife and “mama,” and has an incredibly special way of sharing her family’s story of courage, heartbreak, and trust in God’s plan. We can’t think of a better way to begin Season 3 than to introduce you to Lauren and let her share the story of how God’s call has left them in the depths of joy, sorrow, and the need to continually seek and trust in Him. As we listened back to this conversation, we found ourselves in awe of Lauren’s ability to ma...
Jun 07, 2022•40 min•Season 3Ep. 48
The Main Thing: You’ll find that Episode 047 is a compilation of our thoughts and reflections on what Season 2 brought to the podcast, and what we’re looking forward to most for the future of Two Adoptive Mamas. We never could have imagined what we would learn, what others would share, and how we would become even more connected within the adoption and foster care community. We’re thrilled to share that Season 3 is already in the works. As we have in the past, we’ll be a little quieter on our so...
Mar 22, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 47
The Main Thing: We like to dive deeper into the conversations that need to happen, but aren't happening enough --- and Episode 046 is just that. Megan Boudreaux is an author, advocate, adoptive mama, and founder of Respire Haiti. Her message has challenged the thoughts of many, but the truth, love, and passion behind her family's mission are nothing short of incredible. We were thrilled to sit down with Megan to hear just a snippet of her decade-long journey that is helping bring restoration to ...
Mar 15, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 46
The Main Thing: We’re taking a moment (Mama-minisode 045) to reflect this week, as mamas, on recent global events. It’s heavy, it’s controversial, and we’re not looking to take any type of stance or suggest how you should conduct your day-to-day. We are, however, offering some resources that we have found to be very helpful in evaluating what is happening, through a biblical lens, and what it looks like to navigate this in our homes from this corner of the world. We’ve linked all the resources s...
Mar 08, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 45
The Main Thing: There is so much stress and anxiety surrounding how to have “the talk” with our adopted children. Not that talk (wink, wink), but the talk and truth in how a family can be built through adoption. How do we bring it up? What will we think? How do we answer their questions? What if they’re upset? What if I feel hurt by their reaction? Whitney Bunker, author of We Can Talk About It , joined us for Episode 044 to answer our questions, provide tangible strategies, and offer support to...
Mar 01, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 44
The Main Thing: As adoptive and foster parents (or prospective ones!) we are "in the midst" of it all the time. It's on our hearts, in our minds, part of our physical routine, and most of our practical day-to-day. But, do we know and understand the theological roots of adoption? For Episode 043, we're going there with Pastor Luke Le Duc. He's giving us an overview of "adoption" in the Old and New Testaments and sketching a landscape of what it means for our lives today. We had so many questions,...
Feb 22, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 43
The Main Thing: It’s comforting to know we’re not alone, and that’s exactly what Sosha Garlow reminds us in Episode 042. She’s a mama of biological and adopted girls, a Two Adoptive Mamas listener, and passionate about connecting moms in need of support. Willing to share her story of heartbreak, love, and perseverance during their journey to become a family of five, our conversation with Sosha is like a warm hug, laugh, and boost of encouragement that helps any day of the week! We all know it ta...
Feb 15, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 42
The Main Thing: The home study. It’s a daunting component of the adoption process. We’re not sure about you, but when it was our time to join the paperwork brigade, we had a lot of questions! Part of our mission at Two Adoptive Mamas is to meet you in the day-to-day of wherever you may be in the process. So, if you’re thinking about adoption or beginning to venture into the trenches of paperwork, this episode is for you! For Episode 041 the Two Adoptive Mamas themselves are taking the mics and u...
Feb 08, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 41
The Main Thing: She’s back and she’s the best . We loved our time with Kanisha Tillman during Season One (check it out HERE !) and so we couldn’t wait for the opportunity to have her back and dive deeper into hair care as it applies to transracial adoptive and foster families. Kanisha is so real and we love her raw, loving, and enthusiastic approach to helping parents everywhere embrace the gift of welcoming a child into our home, even when that means there might be a hair care learning curve fo...
Feb 01, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 40
The Main Thing: Erin Staudenbaur is one of the most compassionate, tender-hearted people you’ll meet. As an adoptive and foster mom, she has a unique story to share of how they built their family amidst a passionate commitment to care for vulnerable children. We’re so thankful for Erin’s willingness to join us for this episode to reveal more about the challenges and blessings of foster care and adoption. She explains her perspective of the “Savior complex,” how she’s navigating the ups, downs, a...
Jan 25, 2022•28 min•Season 2Ep. 39
The Main Thing: Is it a sensory processing disorder? Or sensory integration? How can we help our children thrive amidst some of the challenging diagnoses they may face? What is the good news about how God has uniquely designed our brains to build new pathways to success? And what does this mean for my child's occupational therapy needs? Guess what? Crista Bush is answering all these questions and more in Episode 038. After serving for years as a pediatric Occupational Therapist and now as a teac...
Jan 18, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 38
The Main Thing: Mary has spent her entire adult life searching for her roots. She persevered through many obstacles in hopes of meeting her birth mother, only to find out it was too late. With an unimaginable ending to her search, she has discovered a newfound strength, which has led to sharing her story with the masses. Mary hopes to touch the lives of other adoptees who may be considering a reunification process of their own. It was a privilege to have Mary join us for Episode 037 of the Two A...
Jan 11, 2022•42 min•Season 2Ep. 37
The Main Thing: Trisha Priebe joined us for Episode 012 from her seat as the Director of Communications at Lifesong for Orphans. Well, she’s BACK for Episode 036 and we could not be more thrilled! As an adoptee, adoptive mom, and adoption advocate, Trisha lives, breathes, and embraces all things adoption. Her heart for the Lord, transparency in sharing her own personal journey, and her mission to help adoptees feel whole in who they are and the calling on their life is simply unmatched . It was ...
Jan 04, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 36
We've heard it said that the week between Christmas and New Year's doesn't count. It's a "sink into your couch" kind of week to unwind, continue festivities and game plan for that New Year purge of the clutter (physical and otherwise) that has infiltrated our homes over the past month. So let it be. Let it be a week that is different...but let's make it count, shall we? We wanted to take a moment to say a few things: 1. Merry Christmas! 2. We can't wait for what's to come in the year ahead. 3. W...
Dec 28, 2021•3 min
The Main Thing: We can’t think of a better way to finish out the calendar year than with our husbands. So, for Episode 035, they’re back! We’re taking a dive into what we learned this year and our goals for the year ahead. We are grateful, all four of us, for what the Two Adoptive Mamas platform has taught us as parents, advocates, and friends. Together our adoption and foster community is stronger when we learn from one another and in the challenging and status quo seasons. We’re so grateful to...
Dec 21, 2021•27 min•Season 2Ep. 35
The Main Thing: She started as an elementary school teacher, became an RN, and is now a mom of 6 juggling a myriad of needs while fiercely loving the kiddos God has called to her home. We had the privilege of sitting down with Stacey Gagnon for Episode 034 of the Two Adoptive Mamas podcast. We're asking Stacey about the lies she wanted to believe as she navigated her own family's adoption journey, and what she's sharing about them now to bring awareness and hope to others. Her steadfast love for...
Dec 14, 2021•40 min•Season 2Ep. 34
The Main Thing: There's so much preparation and support that happens pre-placement. But what about after a child finds their forever family? Or after a foster family welcomes a child into their home? What about continued support and resources --- do they exist? They DO! But we don't talk about it enough. Sheryl Bernot is an adoptee, adoptive mom, and now works with a foster care and adoption agency. We're starting the conversation in Episode 033 on the importance and necessity of post-permanency...
Dec 07, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 33
The Main Thing: Cindy LaJoy is one of the most passionate, real, and encouraging moms you'll meet. She has an immense heart for adoption and you name it, she's walked it with her awesome crew. She joined us for Episode 032 to take a closer look at Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). We'll start with the basics and then take a deep dive into how RAD touches each part of the adoption triad and how you too can thrive through the seemingly impossible. We're so grateful for Cindy's transparency and t...
Nov 30, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 32
When we count our blessings here at Two Adoptive Mamas, we count our listeners TWICE! We're so grateful to have had all of you --- new and "old" listeners --- along for this journey. We can't believe it's been almost a year! Sending a Thanksgiving greeting your way, and taking a quick break to be with family (and eat lots of delicious food)! 2 A.M. Connect: Stay connected with what’s happening at 2 Adoptive Mamas by visiting our website and sharing your e-mail. We don’t like to overwhelm inboxes...
Nov 23, 2021•7 min
The Main Thing: As an author, advocate, adoptee, and hopeful adoptive parent, it's tough to find a corner of Chelsea Sobolik's life that isn't touched by adoption. She graciously joined us for Episode 031 of the podcast. She shares about her work on Capitol Hill, the inspiration behind her book Longing for Motherhood , and how adoption is woven into her family. Chelsea's kindness shines through her story, and is coupled with a fierce commitment to child welfare and loving kiddos from hard places...
Nov 16, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 31
The Main Thing: We had so much fun with Kara and are thrilled to bring you Episode 030 of the Two Adoptive Mamas Podcast --- Keeping Our Cool with School. Kara's energy is contagious as she shares the ins and outs of establishing a recipe for success when it comes to navigating education. She is transparent, funny, passionate, and refreshingly direct --- a conversation that all of us can benefit from no matter our season of parenting. Kara unpacks what we can be doing at home, how we can build r...
Nov 09, 2021•29 min•Season 2Ep. 30
The Main Thing: For Episode 029 we're sitting down with a (repeat) guest, Natalie Vecchione, and her co-author and friend, Cindy LaJoy, to talk about their new book --- Blazing New Homeschool Trails: Educating and Launching Teens with Developmental Disabilities . As two adoptive moms who have navigated the challenges of FASD and other developmental diagnoses, their heart, passion, and expertise are unmatched. Both decided to homeschool and have a ton of insight, resources, and experience to shar...
Nov 02, 2021•41 min•Season 2Ep. 29
The Main Thing: After having their two boys, Melinda and her husband Nate felt God tugging at their hearts to step into foster care. A little over a year ago, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl into their family, and their lives have been forever changed. Through the challenges and special moments of their foster care journey, the Smiths have seen the Lord's hand in it all. Melinda joined us to share more about their experience and how she's keeping it real amidst the unexpected. If you're in t...
Oct 26, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 28
The Main Thing: Growing up, Kelly knew she was adopted. Rebecca always thought she was an only child - she didn’t know that years earlier her parents had made an adoption plan for a child they did not feel they were ready to parent. Fast forward to 2019 --- Kelly and Rebecca find each other --- and the rest is history! We promise you’ll love this sister duo as they share their heart for adoption, journey to finding each other, and what they want adoptive and birth parents to know. We laughed, cr...
Oct 19, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 28
The Main Thing: For Episode 026 we had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Matt Quade to unpack what it looks like to get back to work as you grow your family through adoption and foster care. There is so much conversation to be had around this topic, and so in this bonus episode, we're going to keep it going! Join us for this "fireside chat" conversation to hear our thoughts and personal experiences on reentry post-placement. Episode Resources: If you didn't catch our conversation with Dr. Q...
Oct 14, 2021•37 min•Season 2Ep. 27
The Main Thing: Adding to your family is a life-changing event. Whether biological, adoption or foster care, it’s a major event and everything is different thereafter. At some point, it comes time to return to “normal” or some of the responsibilities we had pre-family addition. But how? And with what support? For Episode 026 we had the privilege of sitting down with Dr. Matt Quade, Associate Professor of Management at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. As a passionate educator and ...
Oct 12, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 26
The Main Thing: For decades Show Hope has shown up for families pre and post adoption. Founded in 2003 by Steven and Mary Beth Chapman, Show Hope continues to be a light for families in the trenches of adoption. With a mission to engage the Church and eliminate barriers for those committing to the adoption process to grow their families, Show Hope has continued to expand opportunities for support. Most recently, their Medical Aid Grant program is helping families navigate a child’s medical needs...
Oct 05, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 25
The Main Thing: For Episode 024 we’re rounding up some of our favorite season one podcast moments. What fun it is to relive and highlight some of the moments that made this venture more than we could have hoped for! You also won’t want to miss what we’re sharing about season two - we’re so excited! Episode Resources: Until season 2, be sure to catch-up on any missed episodes at twoadoptivemamas.com or find the next addition to your personal library through our resource list! We’ll still be on so...
Jul 20, 2021•25 min•Season 1Ep. 24
The Main Thing: For Episode 023 of the podcast we got to sit down with Kanisha Tillman from Tutus and Tennis shoes --- yes you heard us correctly --- Tutus and Tennis shoes, how fun is that?! Kenisha is in the business of partnering with transracial adoptive families to equip and empower parents and children to feel confident in all things hair care. Her passion and heart for adoptive families and her mission to be a resource to so many is exciting and inspiring! Episode Resources: Want to know ...
Jul 13, 2021•28 min•Season 1Ep. 23
The Main Thing: Episode 022 provided an opportunity for us to connect with Erin Bouchard. She’s a mama with a really special story touched by foster care and adoption and is passionate about resourcing parents in the trenches. Erin joined us to talk about kinship adoption, trauma-informed parenting, and how to seek out resources in our communities so we are supported and equipped! Episode Resources: Erin shared so much goodness with us in Episode 022 --- and we have more here for you too! You ca...
Jun 29, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 22
