Podcast host April Dinwoodie introduces Navigating Adoption: Presented by AdoptUSKids. Join us on this uplifting, educational, and thought-provoking journey of adoption.

Featuring adoptive mother and daughter pair Liz and Ashley; Kamilah Bunn, CEO of the National Adoption Association; Bob Herne, National Project Director at AdoptUSKids; and Debbie Riley, CEO and co-founder of the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E), with host April Dinwoodie.

Hear the powerful, heartwarming, and often humorous story of Liz and Ashley’s experience navigating adoption together. Experts introduce the issue of adoption from foster care and the concepts of separation and loss, and April sets the stage for future podcast episodes in the series.

Featuring adoptive mother Samanthia and her son Christian, along with Ruth McRoy, PhD, a research professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work, and Denise Goodman, a child welfare consultant, with host April Dinwoodie.

Listen to Samanthia and Christian tell the story of Christian’s adoption. With their own unique perspectives, they discuss what they expected from adoption and the unexpected joys along the way. Experts provide an overview of the children and youth waiting to be adopted and youth representation in the foster care system and detail how the recruitment process works.

Featuring two adoptive parents Jeremey and Joslyn, and Mary Boo, Executive Director at the North American Council on Adoptable Children, and Melinda Lis, Vice President at Spaulding for Children, with host April Dinwoodie.

Learn from Jeremey and Joslyn’s multiple adoption experiences then hear from experts discussing the importance of support networks and maintaining family connections for both youth adopted from foster care and their adoptive families.

Featuring adoptive mother and daughter Amber and Kimberly and Debbie Riley, CEO and co-founder of the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E), with host April Dinwoodie.

Hear Amber and Kimberly’s powerful adoption story and listen as an expert discusses the topic of trauma and how families can acknowledge loss, address trauma, and grow together with grace.

Featuring La Tika and Catherine, both adopted from foster care, along with Sixto Cancel, CEO of Think of Us, and Sarah Phillips, LINKS Coordinator and CPS Social Worker for the Orange County Department of Social Services in North Carolina, with host April Dinwoodie.

Listen to La Tika and Catherine explore the concept of aging out of the foster care system. Hear experts discuss the importance of youth in foster care having their voice heard as they work toward family and permanency.