Fostering Voices Podcast

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Fostering Voices Podcast An open conversation about foster care, adversity, and the difference that we can all make.

Today, we pause.We remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our countryโ€”and the families who ...
05/25/2026

Today, we pause.

We remember the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our countryโ€”and the families who carry that loss every day.

At Fostering Voices, weโ€™re especially mindful that freedom isnโ€™t free. Itโ€™s built on sacrifice, courage, and a deep love for others. Those same values show up in the lives of the children and families we serveโ€”resilience, hope, and the power of community.

As we gather with loved ones today, may we hold space for remembrance, gratitude, and reflection.

We remember. We honor. We donโ€™t forget.


05/20/2026

โ€œCommunity isnโ€™t just about being togetherโ€”itโ€™s about doing life together.โ€

According to the U.S. Public Health Service, people who report a weak sense of community are nearly ๐Ÿฑ๐˜… ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜† to experience poor mental health. Even more soberingโ€”social disconnection carries a mortality risk comparable to ๐˜€๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ธ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฑ ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†.

This month, letโ€™s be intentional.
Reach out. Check in. Show up.

With our family.
With our friends.
With our neighbors.
With our community.

In this clip from Episode 228 of the Fostering Voices Podcast: Empowering Vulnerable Youth in Uncertain Times, Kim Vehon shares a powerful truth: too many young adults are navigating life without a single person they can rely on when things get hard.

You donโ€™t have to be everythingโ€”but you can be someone.

๐ŸŽง Listen to the full episode below.



Episode: https://pod.link/1342406624/episode/NjgzMjRjNGQtYjg5Yy00YjJjLWEzNWYtZDFiNTJiMjc4Mjgx

05/13/2026

A 450% increaseโ€ฆ that has to be a good thing, right?! ๐Ÿ‘€

A new episode of the Fostering Voices Podcast is out now, and this week weโ€™re tackling the uncomfortable conversation around ma*****na use and the impact itโ€™s having on youth and young adults.

Is it helping? Is it harming? What are we missing in the conversation?

Join us as we take a deeper look and open the door for honest discussion. Letโ€™s have a conversation.

05/01/2026

๐—œ๐˜โ€™๐˜€ ๐—™๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฉ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†.

We know our kids are strugglingโ€”and weโ€™ve talked about how to parent in a way that empowers. But whatโ€™s really at the heart of healing?

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜: ๐—ถ๐˜ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†.

What if, instead of reacting, we leaned in with questions? What might change in the way we connect?

Have you followed the Fostering Voices Podcast yet? This is a space for authentic conversations with real peopleโ€”many of them expertsโ€”where we learn, grow, and remind ourselves that weโ€™re not in this alone. We all want the same thing: to better support our kids, young adults, and communities.

If this resonates, ๐—น๐—ถ๐—ธ๐—ฒ, ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ด ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฒ who needs to be part of this conversation.

๐ŸŽง Listen now: Linktr.ee/FosteringVoices and a special thank you to Meagan for sharing your insight and helping our youth thrive.

05/01/2026

Itโ€™s Fostering Voices Friday.

In our first clip, we talked about the reality that many of our youth are struggling with their mental health.

So now the question becomes: How do we parent and support in a way that provides structure and boundariesโ€”while still giving our kids what they truly needโ€ฆ connection and a sense of self-worth?

This part of the conversation challenges us to think differently about how we show up.

Episode 207: What Is Happening With Our Teens? Linktr.ee/fosteringvoices



05/01/2026

๐—œ๐˜โ€™๐˜€ ๐—™๐—ผ๐˜€๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฉ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—™๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†.

Today, weโ€™re revisiting our conversation with Meagan Kuโ€”diving into the growing crisis facing our kids and young adultsโ€ฆ many of them struggling in silence.

So the question is: ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜†, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜‚๐—ฝ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ?

If this conversation matters to you, weโ€™d love for you to lean in and be part of it.

Listen to Episode 207 | What Is Happening With Our Teens? Here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5UDXEbhnZtgekysbcLc47c?si=7c1659f780ab4988

04/23/2026

๐Ÿ”” NEW EPISODE ALERT ๐Ÿ””

Sometimes in the world of foster care and adoption, there are hurdles that can add frustration when all youโ€™re trying to do is support a child in need. But what happens when those barriers stand in the way of permanency and adoption?

In this episode of the Fostering Voices Podcast, we sit down with Leah and Brian from the Gift of Adoption Fund to explore how families are supported as they welcome youth who have faced adversity into permanent, loving homes.

With more than 6,500 children served and over $22 million in adoption funding provided, their work is creating tangible pathways to stability, connection, and belonging.

Weโ€™re grateful for organizations like Gift of Adoption Fund that help bridge the gap and make permanency more possible for families and youth alike.

๐ŸŽง Listen to this episode and others at linktr.ee/fosteringvoices ๐Ÿ‘ˆ

04/08/2026

Isolation is one of the most common challenges we hear from the youth and young adults we serve.

A new episode of the ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ช๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜—๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ต is now live, and in this conversation, we explore what it truly looks like to break through that isolation and show up with meaningful support.

So many young people feel like they are navigating life on their own, and that sense of disconnection doesnโ€™t just affect themโ€”it ripples into families, relationships, and every part of their support system.

Join us as we sit down with Wendi Cross, author of ๐˜•๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜จ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ and CEO of xHope, to get curious about ๐˜„๐—ต๐˜† ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜€ ๐˜€๐—ผ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜ and uncover the deeper need behind it all: ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป.

This is a powerful conversation about being seen, supported, and reminded that no one is meant to do life alone. ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ๐Ÿ’™

03/24/2026

๐”๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ง ๐ฎ๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ง ๐Ÿ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž๐ฌ.

In todayโ€™s new episode of the Fostering Voices Podcast, we sit down with Estefana Johnson to explore an important question: How do we empower vulnerable youth in uncertain times?

These conversations are a privilegeโ€”because they reflect the real challenges facing not only the youth we serve, but all of us. Letโ€™s be honest: the world can feel overwhelming at times. So how do we stay grounded, find the good in the everyday, and play a role in creating a safer, more supportive community for those we encounter?

This episode is honest, thoughtful, and deeply humanโ€”and itโ€™s one we want you to be part of.

๐ŸŽง Listen now at linktr.ee/fosteringvoices and join the conversation.

03/19/2026

Fostering Voices Podcast: Episode 226

With so many people facing mental health challenges, it can be hard to know what to do when a crisis arises.

Retired Mesa Police Sergeant and Mesa Public Schools Head of Security, Al Moore, joins us to talk about how to recognize when itโ€™s time to be concernedโ€”and when itโ€™s time to call 911.

This episode is packed with practical insight and meaningful conversation. We hope youโ€™ll take a few minutes to listen:
linktr.ee/fosteringvoices

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