Inclusion Ministry for Teens and Adults : Stephanie Smith
Every Child Belongs
In this episode of Every Child Belongs, Kim talks with Stephanie Smith, CEO and founder of Kingdom Inclusion, a ministry creating inclusive environments for teens and adults with disabilities and helping churches bridge the gap between the church community and the disability community. Stephanie shares the story behind her passion, shaped by her sister Shelly, who has cerebral palsy and uses a communication device. She explains why finding a church that truly welcomes people with disabilities can be so challenging, and what changed when Shelly was included in youth group life simply...
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A Good Family Is Better Than a Great Program : Brian Mavis
Every Child Belongs
Kim talks with Brian Mavis, co-founder of America’s Kids Belong, about foster care and why families are the key to changing long-term outcomes for kids from hard places. Brian shares his family’s journey into foster care, how America’s Kids Belong grew from storytelling and advocacy to recruiting and retaining foster families, and what communities can do to better support the families who say yes. Brian also unpacks his new book, Upstream: Diving into Foster Care to Heal 10 Social Wounds, explaining how foster care is connected to many of the challenges communities work hard to address...
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Why Nearly Half of Families Leave Church: New Research with Erik Carter
Every Child Belongs
Dr. Erik Carter joins Every Child Belongs to talk about what belonging really means for families impacted by disability and why churches must move beyond accessibility to genuine relationships. Erik is a professor at Baylor University and Executive Director of the Baylor Center for Disability and Flourishing. He shares how friendships with young adults with developmental disabilities shaped his faith and his life’s work, and why ministry must be with people, not for them. Kim and Erik discuss research showing that nearly half of families of children with disabilities have left their church...
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Anniversary Episode: A Year of Stories, Strategies, and Hope
Every Child Belongs
It’s the one-year anniversary of Every Child Belongs and this episode flips the script. With Dave kicking things off, Kim Botto reflects on what the past year has meant, what surprised her most, and what she’s learned from conversations with educators, therapists, parents, and advocates. You’ll hear the biggest themes that kept showing up across the season: why proximity matters, why behavior is often misunderstood, why listening is so closely tied to love, and why adults have a responsibility to stay in the game longer than feels comfortable. Kim and Dave also talk about the power of...
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How Play Helps Kids Heal : Brianna Edwards
Every Child Belongs
In this episode of Every Child Belongs, host Kim Botto sits down with licensed mental health counselor, registered play therapist, and author Brianna Edwards. Brianna shares how play can become one of the most powerful tools we have for helping kids feel safe, connected, and understood. She explains why play is a child’s natural language, how adults can use it to disarm fear and build connection, and why behaviors often have deeper stories underneath the surface. Kim and Brianna talk about practical ways parents, teachers, and church leaders can support kids with big feelings or confusing...
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When Ministry Gets Personal: How Jenni Von Tobel’s Story Changed Everything
Every Child Belongs
What happens when years of serving families affected by disability suddenly becomes your story too? In this heartfelt conversation, Kim Botto sits down with Jenni Von Tobel, longtime disability ministry leader at Willow Creek Community Church and mom of five, including her youngest daughter, Everly Rose, who has Down syndrome. Jenni shares how becoming a parent on “the other side of the table” transformed her approach to ministry—from advocacy to invitation, from teaching inclusion to living it. She reflects on celebrating life in the face of a diagnosis, what...
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Raising Stronger, Braver Kids : Sissy Goff
Every Child Belongs
In this episode of Every Child Belongs, host Kim Botto welcomes bestselling author, counselor, and podcast host Sissy Goff. With over 30 years of counseling experience, Sissy is known for her calming presence and practical wisdom in helping kids and parents navigate the challenges of today’s world. Together, Kim and Sissy explore why anxiety is on the rise in both kids and parents, and how adults can respond with empathy, hope, and practical tools instead of dismissing or overreacting. Sissy shares strategies like “chunking” overwhelming situations into smaller steps, practicing...
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Parenting Through Faith & Advocacy: Camille Robinson’s Story
Every Child Belongs
In this episode of Every Child Belongs, host Kim Botto welcomes Camille Robinson, host of the Moments of Joy podcast and soon-to-be published author with Penguin Random House. Camille shares her story as a mother of five, including her son Maison, who was born with a congenital heart condition and later diagnosed with autism and an intellectual disability. Camille opens up about the challenges and joys of parenting children with special needs, from navigating IEPs and medical interventions to advocating for inclusion in schools and churches. She talks about how her...
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How the Church Can Support Foster Families : Jami Kaeb
Every Child Belongs
What happens when the Church shows up for those who often go unseen? In this powerful conversation, Kim sits down with Jami Kaeb (mom of eight and founder of the Forgotten Initiative) to explore how churches can truly come alongside foster families, kids, and especially the often-forgotten caseworkers who hold the system together. Jami shares the story of how God transformed her family's view of adoption and foster care, how a simple “yes” led to a national movement, and why supporting those behind the scenes is one of the most impactful things the Church can do. This episode is...
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Included and Indispensable : Ellie Axford
Every Child Belongs
What if the Church wasn’t just a place where kids with disabilities were cared for—but discipled, included, and seen as indispensable? In this inspiring episode, Kim Botto talks with Ellie Axford, Director of Embrace Special Needs Ministry at Brentwood Baptist in Nashville. Ellie shares how a ministry that started with four kids and a closet has grown into a thriving, full-spectrum program that includes worship, discipleship, and lifelong support. You'll hear powerful stories of reverse inclusion, church leadership buy-in, baptisms, and practical advice for churches just...
info_outlineIt's the summer! Our routines change, the way we do things change, and so we're changing up Every Child Belongs for the month of July with a couple of mini-episodes.
When we started this podcast in January 2025, one in 36 kids were being diagnosed with autism. Just a few months ago, the CDC, Center for Disease Control, released new research which shows that one in 31 kids are being diagnosed with autism. And it made Kim think back on a couple episodes that we had with two moms who are parenting kids who are autistic.
Our very first episode was with Larah Roberts. She shared all kinds of great insight on how we can talk to our kids who are neurodivergent about things of faith. One of the things I love that she talked about was God created us to know him. So the fact that somebody has a diagnosis or a difference, that doesn't change the fact that God created them to know him so we can march forward confidently.
Larah's Episode:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/raising-autistic-disciples-larah-roberts/id1788322535?i=1000682404450
Larah's Book "How to Advocate & Stay Christian: For Parents of Special Kids"
https://amzn.to/4mcTT9b
The second episode by a mom raising an autistic kid is my friend, Kari Baker. Her son, Brady, is a teenager, and she shares how they navigated getting the diagnosis. And one of my favorite quotes in her book is she talks about how the first couple years, they were very much swimming in a private pool. Like they weren't sharing it with anybody. They weren't even using the term autism. She talks about how she navigated that, how she started being vulnerable and how God used that to really build her community.
Kari's Episode:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kind-families-kari-baker/id1788322535?i=1000685147742
Kari's Book "Finding KIND: Discovering Hope and Purpose While Loving Kids with Invisible Neurological Differences"
https://amzn.to/451GV79
So if you are somebody who is parenting an autistic kid, loves an autistic kid, has a family in your circle that has an autistic kid, and you want to better understand what these families might be going through or how you can better support them, give those both a listen.
Everybody have a great summer!
"Boundless Hope for Every Child" by Kim Botto
https://amzn.to/3TL4tIf (affiliate links)