Let's Talk: A MN ADOPT Podcast

This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion if you complete a Post Podcast Test. November 5, 2025 Long-Range Parenting In this episode, we are joined by Ron and Melissa Moore. Ron and Melissa raised three biological children and adopted three siblings from foster care. They share how they came to be interested in adoption, their parenting philosophy, and many of the joys and challenges they’ve experienced on their parenting journey. Ron and Melissa share how they support their children in being their best selves in school, work, play and in relationships. (47 minutes) FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Long-Range Parenting appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion if you complete a Post Podcast Test. October 22, 2025 Lessons in Leadership We sit down with Charley Joyce, MSW and Eric Monson, MBA to go beyond the textbooks for practical leadership strategies you can apply to your own career and life.  How do they navigate uncertainty?  What were their lessons learned?  And what wisdom would they share with their younger selves?  Tune in to transform your approach to leadership. (42:47) FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Lessons in Leadership appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. October 8, 2025 Retained Primitive Reflexes & Trauma: Unlocking Movement, Regulation, and Learning In this episode, we explore the fascinating world of primitive reflexes—the automatic movements present at birth that lay the foundation for motor, sensory, and cognitive development. Sherrie Wethey, occupational therapist, joins us to explain what primitive reflexes are, how trauma can interfere with their integration, and how treatment can improve motor skills, regulation, and higher-level learning. (31:35) FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Retained Primitive Reflexes & Trauma: Unlocking Movement, Regulation, and Learning appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. September 24, 2025 Burnout in Child Welfare Professionals and Foster Parents Burnout is a process.  It is not necessarily tied to one specific instance.  In most situations, it is an accumulation of numerous stressful, and at times traumatic, struggles that are ongoing and remain unresolved.  Dr. Heather Siek and Charley Joyce address how to recognize, understand, and overcome or manage this burnout process. (44:02) FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Burnout in Child Welfare Professionals and Foster Parents appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion. September 10, 2025 Chaya Milchtein joins Let’s Talk to share about her journey through foster care, identity and self-discovery and how this led her to building a successful career in the male-dominated industry of automobile ownership and maintenance. (46:38) FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post From Foster Care to the Auto Shop appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

August 27, 2025 Learn all about Beltrami Area Service Collaborative (BASC) and the power of collaboration in maximizing the health, education, and well-being of families in Beltrami County.  Kim Graham, Executive Director, and Kristina Ulve, School Engagement Case Manager, share the programs and services BASC supports, including mental health initiatives, educational programs, and early intervention services for children and families. Discover how BASC and its partners are creating positive change and building a stronger future for the entire community! (20:29)   FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Building Stronger Families, Stronger Community appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

This podcast is eligible for a Certificate of Completion if you complete a Post Podcast Test. August 13, 2025 Jeremy Carney, MSW, PhD  and Charley Joyce, MSW know that child welfare work can be challenging.  Yet it offers a deeply rewarding career path for individuals passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of children, families, and communities.  Hear how their professional experiences have made a profound difference in their lives and for others! FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Why Becoming a Child Welfare Professional is a Great Idea appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Children and adults alike can be their own harshest critics, and our culture often perpetuates this.  But there is a powerful yet underutilized tool called mindful self-compassion. In this episode, we are joined by one of the experts in mindful self-compassion, Jamie Lynn Tatera. Jamie Lynn is a teacher, trainer, author, and the creator the Parent-Child Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Program. She’ll tell us about mindful self-compassion and how it can positively influence children, caregivers, and our communities. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post The Power of Mindful Self-Compassion appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, Eileen Devine, licensed clinical social worker and founder of Brain First Parenting, shares how we can support individuals with challenging behaviors by moving away from rewards and consequences and toward a deeper understanding of the brain-behavior connection. Eileen also shares her personal experience of raising a daughter who lives with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post A Brain-First Approach to Parenting appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Foster parents should be aware that fire-setting can be a serious and potentially dangerous behavior that requires careful attention and intervention.  It’s crucial to understand the child’s reasons behind fire-setting, including curiosity, impulsive behavior, or underlying emotional issues.  Understanding the causes, signs, and appropriate responses can help foster parents manage this behavior effectively and keep everyone safe. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Fire-Setting Behavior in Children appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

This is an important question as families consider caring for children and teens in foster care. While there are no certain answers, it’s vital to consider all the ways a family could change and different experiences families may encounter. Charley Joyce and Rick Delaney have helped numerous families prepare for the uncertainties and changes that come with providing foster care, and today they will share their knowledge and insights. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post If Our Family Provides Foster Care, Will Our Family Change? appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, we are joined by Scott Yeomans, who shares his story as a kinship caregiver, acknowledging the unanticipated commitment, emotions and decisions he and his family have faced. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Commitment Through Uncertainty appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Unfortunately, the life experiences of foster youth have often been impacted by abandonment, trauma and neglect. These experiences can result in youth being chronically scared and coping by wanting constant reassurance and protection from safe adults who are often foster parents. In this podcast, Dr. Rick Delaney and Charley Joyce will discuss backgrounds that create this neediness, implications for foster parents and considerations when responding. Unfortunately, the life experiences of foster youth have often been impacted by abandonment, trauma and neglect. These experiences can result in youth being chronically scared and coping by wanting constant reassurance and protection from safe adults who are often foster parents. In this podcast, Dr. Rick Delaney and Charley Joyce will discuss backgrounds that create this neediness, implications for foster parents and considerations when responding. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post The Exhaustion of Parenting a Child with Bottomless Needs appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, Britt Frank–therapist, author, speaker, and adjunct professor—shares tools and insights from her brand new book, Align Your Mind. Listen in as she brings us personal stories, practical tips, and new ways of navigating all the different parts of ourselves. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Align Your Mind appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, Rick Delaney and Charley Joyce focus on the behavioral and emotional challenges children in foster care and families experience within the school system.  Tune in to learn how school-related issues impact foster parents and their interactions with their children, and how parents can advocate for their child’s educational needs and rights. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post School Issues for Children in Foster Care appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, we are joined by Holly Guyer, Mark Watkins and Sandi Falck. Holly, Mark and Sandi are siblings who were adopted at birth. They share their story–from what they were told by their parents in childhood, to the information they learned along the way, to connecting in adulthood. They also share how the adoption law change in Minnesota helped them learn more information about their birth parents. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Let’s Talk – The Missing Puzzle Pieces appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Ellie Krug is a former civil trial attorney, nonprofit leader, radio/podcast host, author and national speaker on human inclusivity. Most of all, she is the parent of two Korean-born adult daughters, one of whom Ellie lost when she came out as transgender in 2009. Our interview will touch upon the challenges of being an adoptive parent years after the adoptive child comes home, but will particularly focus on how Ellie and her oldest daughter regained their relationship following several years of estrangement. Theirs is a story of open hearts, persistence, and love. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Let’s Talk – Open Hearts, Persistence, and Love appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

Rick Delaney and Charley Joyce will define what is meant by anger and aggression directed at mother figures in foster care. We will learn how they determined this can be a dynamic in foster care, describe what the anger/aggression looks like, possible reasons for the anger and some considerations in how foster families might respond. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Let’s Talk – Anger and Aggression Directed at Mother Figures in Foster Families appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, we are joined by award-winning science journalist Donna Jackson Nakazawa. Donna is going to share with us the latest research on Positive Childhood Experiences, why they are so vital for us to understand and practical ways to incorporate them with the children in our lives and in our communities. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Let’s Talk – Positive Childhood Experiences appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.

In this episode, we are joined by author, clinician, and adoptee advocate Cam Lee Small. Cam will share an overview of what it means to be Adoption Literate, outlining how we can best support those impacted by adoption in our families, schools, and communities. FOSTER ADOPT MINNESOTA Website | Facebook | Youtube The post Let’s Talk – Adoption Literacy appeared first on Foster Adopt Minnesota.