Episode 221: November’s Presidential Executive Order: Fostering the Future
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: In this week’s episode of Fostering Voices, Kim and Brian dig into the recent presidential executive order released on November 13th: Fostering the Future for American Children and Families. After receiving many questions about what the order means for the foster care community, Kim and Brian break down the key components, highlight potential benefits, and raise important concerns. They begin with an overview of the order’s call to modernize the child welfare system, including improved data collection, better information sharing, and enhanced collaboration with non-government...
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Episode 220: The Role Trauma and Stress Play in Disease
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: This week, we’re diving into a topic that many of us would rather avoid—how stress and trauma affect our bodies. If you’re like Kim, it’s not a conversation you’re eager to have, but it’s one that matters deeply if we want to live as our healthiest, most authentic selves. Joining the discussion is our friend and regular guest, Estefana Johnson, who helps unpack what happens “when the body says no.” Together, we explore the hidden ways internal stress and unresolved trauma can shape our health, behaviors, and overall wellbeing. From understanding Adverse Childhood...
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Episode 219: When Grandparents Become Parents
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: This week, we’re diving into an important and often overlooked topic — when grandparents step into the role of parent. In 2024, Duet reported that more than 64,000 grandparents in Arizona are raising their grandchildren, and census data shows the state ranks above the national average for grandparents providing care. For every one child raised by kin within the foster care system, there are eight being raised by kin outside of it. In this episode, we’re honored to talk with Oralia, a grandmother navigating the challenges and joys of raising her grandchildren, and Lisa from Duet,...
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Episode 218: Supporting Young Adults with Addiction
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: This week on the podcast, we wrap up our series on substance use with an honest and compassionate conversation about supporting young adults who are struggling with addiction. Joining us again are Kim McWilliams and Sarah Grado, who bring both personal insight and professional experience to this deeply important topic. We begin by exploring why this issue is so relevant today—looking at current statistics, the driving factors behind them, and the real-life experiences of youth that go beyond the numbers. From there, we shift to the power of connection on the other side of addiction:...
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Episode 217: The Impact of Marijuana on the Adolescent Brain
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: In our last episode, we explored how substances affect infants. But what about adolescents? Is marijuana really a big deal for today’s youth, and what do parents and communities need to know to keep them safe? In this episode, we welcome Kim McWilliams, an award-winning licensed counselor, and Sarah Grado, Executive Director of Not My Kid, a local Arizona nonprofit dedicated to substance use prevention and recovery. Together, they shed light on the realities of marijuana use among teens, the ripple effects it creates at school, at home, and among peers, and how communities are...
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Episode 216: The Impact of Substance Use on the Infant Brain
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: From the very first breaths of life, some babies face challenges most of us can hardly imagine. Born substance-exposed, these newborns often enter the world in pain, their tiny bodies working through the effects of addiction before they even have a chance to begin. In the Phoenix Valley, Jacob’s Hope is stepping into that story with compassion and care. Their mission is twofold: to nurture newborns who are substance-exposed and to walk alongside mothers who are fighting to overcome addiction, offering them the support they need for a healthier future. Today, we’re joined by two...
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Episode 215: Empowering Children with Learning Disabilities
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: School is back in session, and for parents raising kids who need extra support, the start of the year can bring more than just new routines; it can stir up anxiety, frustration, and countless questions about navigating the system to get the right resources. In this episode, we sit down with Joey Taylor, an education advocate, foster parent, and adoptive parent whose journey is as inspiring as it is unique. Raised and educated in Arizona, Joey’s path has taken him from the halls of jail to the desks of exceptional students, and into the homes of families in crisis. His experiences...
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Episode 214: Keep Goaling!
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: In this episode, Brian and Kim dive into the struggles parents face when life feels stuck in worry about our kids, our future, and the unknown. Drawing inspiration from Dr. Edith Eger’s wisdom, they remind us that “you’re going to be 50 anyways,” so why not keep moving toward growth and possibility? Together, they unpack what it means to get back on the “dream train,” exploring how parents can rediscover passions and live without regrets. This conversation isn’t about pretending life is all sunshine and rainbows, no trolls are left behind here, but about choosing...
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Episode 213: The Housing Crisis' Impact on Youth
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: Today we’re talking about the youth housing crisis with Matt Finley, who leads Maricopa County’s efforts to improve the youth homelessness response system. From direct services to policy, Matt brings deep experience to this urgent conversation. We explore what’s driving the crisis, how the needs of youth have changed, and what solutions are making a difference—from statewide initiatives to mentorship programs. Tune in to learn what’s working, what still needs to change, and how we can better support unhoused youth across Arizona and beyond. This is a conversation you won’t...
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Episode 212: Setting Realistic Expectations
Fostering Voices Podcast
Summary: Last week, Kim and I got real about navigating the spaces of unmet expectations. But what if we could keep ourselves out of those spaces of disappointment – or at least visit them less often – by setting realistic expectations in the first place? This week, we’re diving into that question with Estefana Johnson. Estefana is a clinical social worker who began her career supporting youth in residential treatment facilities. She now serves as the Clinical Director for ASA Now and Shade Tree Academy, bringing a wealth of knowledge, practical tools, and encouragement to the families...
info_outlineWhat is the kind of success you are looking for, for your family, and for yourself?
Our last 2 episodes with Gaelin Elmore really helped us to see what it looks like to walk alongside kids, and have them choose a different path then the one we had planned for them to be on. But is it a worse path?
We have talked before about how we once proclaimed we didn't want our kids to be 'punks/a-holes', and that was our mission. But our friends, Don and Renee Worcester, advised us to focus on what we wanted our kids to become, and not on the vast array of all the things we didn't want them to become. So we chose to focus on having children who were kind, compassionate, and forgiving instead.
In this time of having more time at home, for most folks (and hats off to all the medical professionals, and folks who are working hard to keep society functioning, and are daily putting themselves at risk!), we hope that we will all take FULL ADVANTAGE of the extra time we have together.
Make a plan to have time to get to the things you have always told yourself you don't have time for! Maybe that is exercising, or reading more, or teaching your children new things.
Here are some of the resources we mentioned in this episode:
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
- The Dragonborn Series by Brett Humphrey
- Queen Dee Fitness workouts
- Blogilates Workouts!
- Finding school districts that have meal programs for all kids 18 and under. Like this one in Arizona!
This also helps to remind us to be mindful of children who are home, and not at school, and school may have been the safest place for them! Let us all be vigilant as neighbors, of kids around us who may be in need.
The Good Word of the Day
"For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently"
- Romans 8:24-25
May our hope be in the Lord always! Especially when we can clearly see that we cannot control the world, or people around us.
We hope you enjoyed this episode and that you are able to have an abundance mindset in this time of uncertainty. We are SO thankful for this community, and we hope that you will reach out if there is a way that we can support you in prayer, or possibly some toilet paper.
Until next week friends!