Advertise on podcast: Let's Talk: A Foster Adopt Minnesota Podcast

Dr. Kelly McGonigal, health psychologist, author, and lecturer at Stanford,  joined us to talk about her new book out this month, Joy is a Risk Worth Taking. She shared about her journey into studying joy, why joy is important for humans, and some of her favorite strategies to notice and cultivate joy in our everyday lives. (67 mins) October 21, 2026 This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion if you complete a Post Podcast Test The post Joy is A Risk Worth Taking appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

October is National Book Month and we’re celebrating with Hachette Speakers Bureau! How do we find some of the presenters and authors our listeners love hearing from? Today, we’re getting a behind-the-scenes look with Jayme Boucher, Director at the Hachette Speakers Bureau, part of Hachette Book Group. We’re excited to talk with Jayme about how her team discovers authors, matches them with the right audiences, and helps bring new ideas, stories, learning, and connection to communities. Here’s the link to Raising Readers: https://joinraisingreaders.com/landing-page/raising-readers-home/ 24 min The post From the Page to the Global Stage appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

As a new school year is underway, Natalie Larson, MA, LPCC-S, RPT-S shares what it means to build trust, connection, and emotional safety in relationships with children and youth. This conversation offers thoughtful insights for foster, adoptive, and kinship families as they support healing, belonging, and stronger bonds over time. 27 min This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. The post The Art of Attachment appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

We go shoulder to shoulder with Dr. Adam McCormick to explore what relational repair can look like for boys and young men in foster care who have learned that vulnerability may not be safe. Trauma-informed care requires more than better techniques. It begins with understanding what may be beneath behavior: the stories youth carry, the survival strategies they have developed, the ways trauma and masculinity can intersect, and the emotional disconnection that can follow. 40 min This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. The post Trauma, Masculinity, and Foster Care appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

How to tell the difference between healthy motivation and a goal that may be consuming too much of who we are.

The transition from summer break to school in the fall can be challenging for any child. It can be even more difficult for children who have a hard time with change given trauma and attachment issues and their placement in foster care or being adopted. In this episode, we are joined by Emily Johnson, who has years of experience supporting kids in going back to school. Emily is a foster caregiver, adoptive parent, and birth parent. Emily helps us understand what children are going through and offers practical guidance on ways to support them through the transition from their summer routines to the often more structured, demanding and earlier mornings of going back to school. 30 min This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. The post Back-To-School Support for Foster and Adoptive Children appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Please listen to Part 1, You Don’t Always Have the Words, before listening to this episode. In Part 1, Madilyne and her birth mother Aimee describe from their unique perspectives their experiences of Madilyne and her siblings being removed from Aimee‘s care and living with their grandparents, then a foster family, and eventually an adoptive family. In this episode, Aimee and Madilyne share what it was like not seeing each other for several years. They also share about the process of rebuilding their relationship, including the joys, heartaches, setbacks, and growth they have experienced individually and in their relationship. Content note: This episode includes mention of suicide. Please listen with care. 55 min Release date July 29, 2026 This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. The post Reunification is a Process, Not an Event: Part 2 with Aimee and Madilyne appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, we are joined by Madilyne and her birth mother Aimee. Because of Aimee‘s untreated mental health concerns that led to addiction, Madilyne and her brother and sister were removed from Aimee‘s care and placed with their grandparents. Later, they were placed into foster care with a non-relative and then adopted by members of their church. Madilyne and Aimee share their unique perspectives through these transitions. In Part 2, Reunification is a Process, Not an Event, Aimee and Madilyne share the joys and heartache of rebuilding their relationship over the last several years. Content note: This episode includes mention of suicide and sexual abuse. Please listen with care. 48 min This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion The post You Don’t Always Have the Words: Part 1 with Aimee and Madilyn appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

The Immigrant Experiences Reading & Resource Guide was created by Kelly Hooker, an avid book reviewer @kellyhook.readsbooks, alongside Rawand Amedi, mental health therapist and refugee from Kurdistan. Hear how they created this guide to foster understanding, build empathy, and open meaningful conversations across ages. Kelly and Rawand carefully selected stories for both children and adults that invite readers to see the world through lived experiences of migration, identity, belonging, and resilience. They remind us that stories have the power to connect us, even across different backgrounds.  Kelly and Rawand wanted to share some resources:  what-to-say-to-kids-about-ice and the Immigrant Experiences Reading Guide. 25 min This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion The post Stories Have the Power to Connect Us appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, your co-hosts Bridget and Kris interview each other about what they love (and don’t love) about hosting the podcast, favorite episodes, what’s they’ve learned along the way, and what they are looking forward to for the future of the Let’s Talk podcast. (27 mins) June 17, 2026 The post Our 150th Episode: Looking Back, Looking Forward appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Olivia Allery shares the historical and systemic factors contributing to violence in Indigenous communities. By exploring the impacts of colonial history, intergenerational trauma, and legal frameworks, we look at why certain cycles persist and what changes are necessary for progress. This episode is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. (27 mins) June 2, 2026 Resources… The post Understanding Violence in Indigenous Communities appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Hear from child welfare professionals, Brianna and Stephanie Coleman, about their years of experience working with children, adolescents, and adults with marginalized identities.  They  share the various types of safe care supports available in our communities and you will leave feeling encouraged to open your heart and home to LGBTQ+ youth. Next up is Mariah… The post Compassion, Support and Connecting Communities appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Whether you’re a parent, foster or adoptive caregiver, or a professional supporting families, this conversation invites you to pause, reflect, and walk away with a deeper understanding of how culture, connection, and care come together in everyday parenting. Dr. Siek and Rawand Amedi bring their expertise in child development and mental health, while sharing insights rooted in cultural awareness,… The post Where Culture Meets Care appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Since the end of World War II, over 500,000 children have been adopted from abroad by U.S. citizen parents with the promise of a secure life.  Yet, for many, that promise was broken by a legal oversight that denied them automatic citizenship.  Amanda Cho and Rachel Koelzer will share how this loophole started, the impacts… The post The Call to Action for Intercountry Adoptee Justice appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Youth self–harm is an increasing mental health challenge. Foster youth are especially susceptible to engaging in self–harm. Charley Joyce, MSW, joins us to discuss the different forms of self–harm, why foster youth self–harm and some considerations in how foster parents might respond to a youth that is self–harming. (40 mins) April 8, 2026 This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion… The post Responding to Self-Harm appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.