The Forgotten Podcast

Mar 03 2025 286 ep. 39 mins 514

The Forgotten Podcast artwork

We want to see people everywhere supporting the foster care community and experiencing Jesus together. So, in this podcast, we are sharing the stories of the foster care community to bring awareness that leads to action!

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Episode 264: The Reality of a Caseworker’s Role (w/ Brittni Hodges)

Mar 03 2025 39 mins

Foster care caseworkers often feel forgotten, isolated, and alone. From managing stressful workloads to coping with secondary trauma and sometimes facing frustration from families in crisis, it’s not hard to understand why caseworker turnover is so high. But here at The Forgotten Initiative, we believe well-supported caseworkers will more effectively serve children, leading to be

Episode 263: Learning How to Serve the Foster Care Community (w/ April Hobbs)

Feb 17 2025 36 mins

How much do you know about the foster care community where you live? Many people—both individuals and organizations like churches—want to support their vulnerable neighbors. But few are aware of the many practical ways they can help the children, biological families, foster families, and agency workers who make up their local foster care communities. When our latest guest disco

Episode 262: Hope for Healing from Adverse Childhood Experiences (w/ Angela Paganelli)

Feb 03 2025 37 mins

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can affect children from any background, but those in foster care are especially vulnerable. There are ten main types of ACEs that have been identified—ranging from abuse to neglect to household dysfunction. All of them have the potential to negatively impact future outcomes for a child. Our latest guest, Angela Paganelli, is a former foster y

Episode 261: Helping Children Develop Positive Relationships with Food (w/ Madison Tyler)

Jan 20 2025 43 mins

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 13.5% of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2023. Unfortunately, food-related trauma is a common challenge for many children who have entered the foster care system. Whether it’s an aversion to a particular type of food, fear that there won’t be enough food, or a tendency to overeat and hoard food, there are m

Episode 260: Transforming Despair Into Hope (w/ Keristein Fox)

Jan 06 2025 47 mins

For our very first episode of 2025, we’re bringing you another great conversation that sheds light on the real people of the foster care community. In this episode, we are talking to Keristein Fox. Today, she’s a happily married stay-at-home mom who loves watching her three children grow and thrive. But Keristein’s story wasn’t always this joyful. She endured many dark seas

Episode 259: Born into Foster Care (w/ Lucy Baker)

Dec 16 2024 43 mins

Trigger Warning: We want to let our listeners know that this episode includes mentions of sexual abuse, physical abuse, and thoughts of suicide. If you are sensitive to any of these topics, we recommend you listen with caution. From the day she entered the world, Lucy Baker felt as though she didn’t have a home. Born inside of a jail to a mother in crisis, she was immediately pla

Episode 258: Learning How to Care for a Child’s Hair (w/ Authrine T.K. Singleton)

Dec 09 2024 32 mins

When a child enters our home, there are many factors we consider to ensure their comfort and safety. However, one important aspect of a child’s well-being can often be overlooked—their hair care. This is especially true if the child comes from a different racial background, where hair care needs may differ significantly. Hair is an important part of African American culture and

Episode 257: Uncovering Your Identity (w/ Kyle Bullock, Ellyn Bullock, & Michelle Hubble)

Dec 02 2024 43 mins

It’s natural to wonder who your birth parents are. In fact, this is a question that many foster and adoptive children wrestle with. For children, teens, and even adults who have never known their biological parents, curiosity about their identity often goes hand in hand with a fear of the unknown. And for foster and adoptive parents, broaching this topic can bring up worries arou

Episode 256: The True Story of Possum Trot (w/ Bishop and First Lady Donna Martin)

Nov 25 2024 30 mins

Over the summer, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot hit theaters across the country. This film tells the powerful true story of Donna and Bishop Martin as they ignited a fire in the hearts of their rural church to embrace children in foster care who needed a home. Their East Texas community stepped up to do the impossible and adopt 77 children out of foster care. There were ma

Episode 255: Processing Your Emotions After a Placement Disruption (w/ Kamrie Smith)

Nov 18 2024 30 mins

When you decide to become a foster parent, you are asked a wide range of questions about what kind of placements you are willing to accept. What ages will you take? What ages won’t you take? Are there any special needs you will or won’t be able to accommodate? What about sibling groups? Even when your agency is doing their best to reach out to you about children that fit your c