Stories of Foster Care Alumni

There are a lot of misconceptions about the foster care system and how it works. This episode features an interview with Hannah, a former social worker and co-founder of a foster care agency.

This episode features Kimberly, a millennial who works in the service industry. Kimberly shares how her previous experiences have shaped how she leads her team with empathy, her challenges with her supervisor, her goals for the future and how her trauma will always be with her.

This episode features Claudia, a millennial working in financial services. Claudia shares about balancing career goals and parenting goals, the support she received from her employer during the pandemic, what drives her professionally, and what it's like to be the role model she has always wanted to be.

This episode features Charles, a baby boomer who retired from the automotive industry and now works as a business consultant. Charles shares how he and his twin brother faced challenges throughout life together, the importance of understanding your own values, and how this automotive salesman ended up in a bullpen... on purpose.

This episode features Clifton. Clifton is the twin of Charles, and is also a baby boomer who retired from the automotive industry, who now works as a business consultant, speaker and author. Clifton shares about his family history and how their financial struggles led to his time in foster care. He also shares why he decided to publish a book that could cost him his job, and why it's never too late to start making the right decisions for you.

This episode features April, a millennial who works in social services. April shares about the difficulties of grieving while managing responsibilities and being present for your family. She also talks about the importance of work relationships and how she's actively working toward her goals for the future - for herself and her family.

This episode features Brenda, a Gen Xer who works in health care. Brenda shares how she learned to overcome self-doubt and ask for help to reach her goals, challenges with navigating friendships and hierarchy at work, and what it's like to be raised (in part) by nuns.

This episode features Miles, a Gen Z college student. Miles talks about paying for college and the challenges of using a waiver for former foster youth, how he's grown and become more comfortable being himself thanks to the community he's found, and how his dreams for the future have evolved.

This episode features Raychel, a millennial who works in social services. Raychel speaks about the misconceptions of foster care, the importance of caring for your team as a leader, and how having similar values and goals can strengthen your organization and your ability to have an impact.

This episode features Shyla, a Gen Z college student. Shyla speaks about perfectionism and burnout, how she's learning to prioritize her own well-being, what it means to be a role model for her sisters and what happened when they visited her at college.

This episode features Victor, a millennial who works in communications. Victor speaks about sharing his identity at work as a person who was adopted, how communicating emotions in the corporate workplace can be challenging, the importance of workplace security and normalizing failure, and what he hopes for the future of work.

This episode features Chelsea, a millennial college student. Chelsea shares about overcoming negative self-narratives and limiting beliefs that others had placed upon her, how being a social work major helped her better understand her own story, and how she's working to embrace the belief that she deserves to celebrate her successes and enjoy life.

This episode features Dustin, a millennial who works in health care. Dustin shares his passion for continuous improvement both inside and outside of work, learning to take measured risks and not base decisions on fear, and the kind of leader he wants to be in the future.

This episode features MJ, a Gen Z college student. MJ speaks about art as a form of therapy and self-expression, managing triggers at work, the importance of finding a supportive work environment, and what she dreams for her future.

This episode features Vanessa, a millennial who works in social services. Vanessa shares how her experiences with social workers shaped her life, the importance of setting boundaries at work, and how we all can get involved by learning more about issues that matter to us.