What happens when your foster care journey leads you to places you never imagined? Amanda Preston knows this path intimately - from young newlyweds dreaming of "opening an orphanage" to becoming adoptive parents of eight children, veteran foster parents of 16 years, and eventually establishing a mental health clinic supporting neurodivergent families navigating the complexities of adoption and foster care.

During Foster Care Awareness Month, this powerful conversation pulls back the curtain on the realities of fostering and adoption from someone who's experienced it from multiple angles. Amanda challenges the widespread misconception that infants adopted from birth don't experience trauma, explaining how separation from birth mothers creates deep-rooted wounds that manifest at different developmental stages despite loving, stable homes. Drawing from both professional expertise and personal experience raising children with various diagnoses, she offers crucial insights into supporting children through these challenges.

The discussion takes a compelling turn as Amanda shares how recognizing gaps in the foster care system led her to pursue social work education, founding a national nonprofit, and eventually establishing specialized mental health services.

Amanda’s Info:

www.instagram.com/thefostermomsocialworker

www.instagram.com/the_neurodivergent_bunch

www.amandaprestonco.com

Resources:

The Body Keeps The Score: https://a.co/d/9Aq3b6d

The Primal Wound: https://a.co/d/fEZwfiX

FREE Facebook Wellness Event: https://www.facebook.com/share/1L8zPWb37z/

Trauma Wellness Newsletter: https://nicoletbarlow.myflodesk.com/fosterparentwellnewsletter

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text!

Connect with me on Instagram: @Fosterparentwell
@nicoletbarlow https://www.instagram.com/nicoletbarlow/
Website: https://nicoletbarlow.com/

Stepping into foster care or adoption without understanding trauma is like trying to navigate unfamiliar terrain without a map. That's why this conversation with Melissa Pemberton, a trauma-aware licensed therapist and parent coach with over 20 years of experience in child welfare, is absolutely essential listening for anyone caring for children from hard places.

Melissa shares her personal journey from being a teen mom with her own childhood trauma to becoming a powerful advocate for trauma-informed parenting approaches. She explains why traditional parenting methods often fail with children who have experienced early adversity—even those adopted at birth—and offers practical insights that transform how we understand challenging behaviors.

Whether you're already fostering or adopting, considering this path, or simply want to better support families in your community, this episode provides essential insights that will forever change how you view children's behaviors and your role in their healing journey. Download Melissa's free resource on regulating your nervous system and connect with her at mendingfamilieswa.com to continue learning these transformative approaches.

Melissa's Info:

www.mendingfamilieswa.com

www.instagram.com/mendingfamilieswa

FREEBIE for listeners - 6 Tips to Calm your Nervous System - https://mending-families.myflodesk.com/calm

OTHER RESOURCES Mentioned:

Get Nicole's Newsletter: https://nicoletbarlow.myflodesk.com/fosterparentwellnewsletter

Mending Families Podcast: https://www.mendingfamilieswa.com/mending-families-podcast

Empowered to Connect Podcast: https://empowered-to-connect-podcast.castos.com/

The Connected Child: https://a.co/d/h6Ddu1v

The Connected Parent: https://a.co/d/bl2Gwy9

Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors: https://a.co/d/hDQXcDQ

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text!

Connect with me on Instagram: @Fosterparentwell
@nicoletbarlow https://www.instagram.com/nicoletbarlow/
Website: https://nicoletbarlow.com/

What happens when the romanticized dream of adoption crashes into the complex realities of parenting children from trauma? April Ficklin knows this collision intimately. From a teenage mission trip where she first felt called to adoption, to the Good Friday when her family doubled overnight with the addition of two siblings from foster care, April's journey has been one of profound transformation.

The chaos was immediate. Despite years of successful parenting with her biological children, April found herself utterly unprepared for the behaviors that emerged from her adopted children's fear responses. "I'm not the parent I used to be. I'm not the parent I thought I would be. I'm definitely not the mom I want to be," she remembers thinking during those early days.

This raw conversation peels back the layers of what trauma-aware parenting truly demands. April shares how she discovered that traditional parenting methods focused on compliance and behavior correction were failing both her children and herself. The breakthrough came when she shifted her entire approach from changing behaviors to building trust - recognizing that she needed to prove her trustworthiness before expecting her children to trust her.

Now working as an adoption professional and raising four teenagers, April offers a message of hope grounded in reality. Healing happens, but it's measured in moments like when her once fiercely independent child said, "Mama made me a peanut butter sandwich. That's what mamas do." Those small victories reveal the power of connection-based parenting that values relationship over compliance.

Whether you're considering adoption, in the trenches of foster parenting, or simply want to understand trauma-responsive approaches better, this conversation offers both practical wisdom and heartfelt encouragement. The journey may not be what you expected, but the healing – for both you and your children – is worth every step.

Please connect with April by following her growing Instagram account where she shares encouragement for stressed out moms, tips for trust-based parenting, and stories to help create hope in the overwhelm. https://www.instagram.com/april_ficklin/

The Connected Child: https://www.amazon.com/Connected-Child-healing-adoptive-family/dp/0071475001

TBRI: https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.3OROkCJX.dpbs

Nicole's 5 Day Belly Blast Challenge: http://www.fasterwaycoach.com/5-day-belly-blast-2025?aid=nicolebarlow

I'd love to hear from you! Send me a text!

Connect with me on Instagram: @Fosterparentwell
@nicoletbarlow https://www.instagram.com/nicoletbarlow/
Website: https://nicoletbarlow.com/