By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care

The Long Game of Advocacy with Jamole Callahan

Episode Summary When Jamole Callahan was fifteen, he realized the adults were meeting every few months to decide his future, and he was never in the room. He spent six years in foster care across nine homes and aged out at eighteen into the kind of instability that pushes so many young people straight into homelessness. Twenty years later, the rooms have flipped: lawmakers now invite him in, and he has helped shape the federal housing policy that gives young people leaving care a longer runway of support. He talks with host Micaela Tracy about the meetings he fought his way into, the foster-agency worker who finally leveled with him, the science teacher he now calls dad, and why housing is the foundation everything else depends on. His message reaches past the system to anyone listening: throw the pebble in the pond, because your expertise is someone else's learned skill, and the ripple reaches a shore you may never see. In This Episode 00:00 Cold open 00:30 Welcome and season framing 01:00 Fifteen years old, and the meetings he was never invited to 04:00 "Nothing about us without us": finding out decisions were made without him 06:00 Boycotting school, and the agency worker who finally leveled with him 07:00 The aging-out plan: an apartment, six months of help, then "you're on your own" 08:00 Practicing decisions while there's still a safety net 09:00 Why youth get left out: caseloads, staffing shortages, and old mindsets 11:00 Throwing the pebble in the pond: grassroots change from the ground up 14:00 Did he have an advocate? The people who took him under their wing 16:00 The lasting impact of one adult showing up for a teen 18:00 Aging out by the numbers, and why housing equals stability 18:30 Helping create the Foster Youth to Independence housing voucher 21:00 Getting housed is one thing, staying housed is another 22:00 The Permanency Pact and building a real support list 23:00 "Just like a CASA": the volunteer who stayed nineteen years 25:00 On connection, broken attachments, and being a gumbo pot of every home 25:30 What he's working on now: housing and a healthy workforce 27:30 How the community can support from the outside 28:00 What any volunteer can give: your time and your expertise 30:00 Making it easy to say yes, and getting back to grassroots outreach 31:00 Donating your small talk 32:00 Find your niche: closing words for the system, parents, and youth 34:30 Reflection and close About Our Guest Jamole Callahan spent six years in foster care across nine homes and aged out at eighteen. Today he is a co-founder of ACTION Ohio, a national speaker and trainer known as Mr. Motivator, and an advocate whose work helped advance the federal Foster Youth to Independence housing voucher for young people leaving care. Resources and Links Jamole Callahan [https://www.jamolecallahan.com/] · info@jamolecallahan.com · @Jamole Callahan on social media ACTION Ohio (Alumni of Care Together Improving Outcomes Now) [https://fosteractionohio.org/] Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) vouchers — HUD [https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/fyi] Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act (2019) [https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/2657] Permanency Pact — FosterClub [https://www.fosterclub.com/sites/default/files/Permanency%20Pact_0.pdf] Voices for CASA Children [https://voicesforcasachildren.org/] National CASA/GAL Association for Children [https://nationalcasagal.org/] Share Your Voice This season is about the many different voices in the room when a child is in foster care. If that's you, whether you've been there as a professional, a foster or birth parent, or someone who lived it, and you'd like to share your perspective on the show, host Micaela Tracy would love to hear from you. Reach out at education@voicesforcasachildren.org [education@voicesforcasachildren.org]. About the Show By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care is produced by Voices for CASA Children. Season 3, "Understanding Every Voice in the Room," features practical, human conversations with professionals and people with lived experience. Hosted by Micaela Tracy. New episodes biweekly. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the guests and host and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of VOICES or its affiliates. Content note: this episode discusses aging out of foster care and homelessness, and includes brief strong language. Voices for CASA Children | By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care

Mother and Baby, Healing Together with Tara Sundem, MS APRN NNP-BC

Episode Summary For thirty years, neonatal nurse practitioner Tara Sundem watched newborns go through opioid withdrawal under bright lights, separated from their mothers, and for a long time she believed those mothers had brought it on themselves. Then she learned what she had been missing, and she set out to build the opposite of what she had been part of. As co-founder and executive director of Hushabye Nursery in Phoenix, she now cares for substance-exposed babies and their mothers together, treating the two as one patient. She talks with host Micaela Tracy about the night a baby in withdrawal changed her mind, why dignity is a clinical intervention and not a nicety, how she partners with the Department of Child Safety instead of against it, and what families navigating addiction and recovery actually need. Her message holds for anyone who has ever judged a parent from the outside: this is a brain disease, not a choice, and the earliest moments of a child's life can shape everything that follows. In This Episode 00:00 Cold open 00:30 Welcome, season framing, and a content note 01:30 Meet Tara: Hushabye Nursery and the whole-family model 02:00 The nurse who didn't understand: Tara's own change of heart 03:30 Adverse childhood experiences and rethinking the whole approach 05:30 What the research says about keeping families together 09:00 Open child welfare cases, and getting a baby home with mom 10:30 One little win, and changing the safety narrative 12:00 Back to 2015: the hospital and the 2:30 a.m. morphine call 14:00 The night it clicked: soothing a baby through withdrawal 17:30 "So what about the moms?" the question that reshaped the mission 19:00 It isn't a choice: understanding addiction with dignity 21:00 The HOPPE model: meeting mom, baby, and family together 23:00 Same room, six feet, and partnering with DCS 25:00 What a family actually hears when DCS arrives 28:00 Community, staying engaged, and giving back 29:30 Relapse without writing a parent off: the "oopsie" 34:00 Former clients who now do the work 36:00 A mother's impossible math 38:30 What Tara wants anyone who has judged to understand 42:30 Where to find Hushabye 43:00 Reflection and close About Our Guest Tara Sundem is a neonatal nurse practitioner with more than thirty years in intensive care and the co-founder and executive director of Hushabye Nursery, a Phoenix nonprofit that cares for opioid-exposed newborns alongside their mothers rather than separating them. Since 2020, Hushabye has cared for more than 1,000 babies and walks alongside the families learning to care for them. Resources and Links Hushabye Nursery [https://hushabyenursery.org/] · 480-628-7500 (call or text, available 24/7) How Childhood Trauma Affects Health Across a Lifetime — Dr. Nadine Burke Harris (TED Talk) [https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime] Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — CDC [https://www.cdc.gov/aces/about/] Voices for CASA Children [https://voicesforcasachildren.org/] National CASA/GAL Association for Children [https://nationalcasagal.org/] About the Show By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care is produced by Voices for CASA Children. Season 3, "Understanding Every Voice in the Room," features practical, human conversations with professionals and people with lived experience. Hosted by Micaela Tracy. New episodes biweekly. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the guests and host and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of VOICES or its affiliates. Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of substance use, addiction, and sexual violence, and may be difficult for some listeners. Voices for CASA Children | By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care

More Than a Placement with Phoebe Johnson

Episode Summary Phoebe Johnson spent her childhood living in foster care. Today she runs the kind of home she once needed. As executive director of Firm Foundation Youth Homes and Gigi's Cottage, she talks with Micaela about what it took to get there, the foster mom who never gave up on her, and the two models that shape how the girls in her care are met every day: Trust-Based Relational Intervention and Grace Based Parenting. Her central message holds for any adult showing up for a child carrying complex trauma. You can't redirect a brain until it feels safe, and connection is what heals it. In This Episode 00:00 Cold open 00:15 Welcome, season framing, and a content note 01:30 Meet Phoebe: Firm Foundation Youth Homes and Gigi's Cottage 03:00 Phoebe's story: foster care, a pastor's family, and seven years to permanency 08:00 Losing Ona, a scholarship she didn't know existed, and the people who walked her into adulthood 12:00 Stepping into the executive director role 14:30 Empathy for a system under pressure: community problem, community solutions 17:00 Why loving your staff well is how you love the girls well 20:00 Length of stay, permanency, and meeting each girl where she is 23:00 Trust-Based Relational Intervention and how complex trauma lives in the brain 26:00 Grace Based Parenting: connection before correction, and play as a regulator 30:00 Staying connected with girls who age out 33:00 What general audiences misunderstand about group homes 36:00 The gaps Phoebe sees, and how anyone can step in 38:00 Where to find Phoebe's work 39:00 Reflection and close About Our Guest Phoebe Johnson is the executive director of Firm Foundation Youth Homes and its DCS-licensed group home, Gigi's Cottage. She grew up in foster care herself and now leads the kind of home that shaped her. Resources and Links Firm Foundation Youth Homes [https://firmfoundationaz.org/] Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development [https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/] Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel [https://www.amazon.com/Grace-Based-Parenting-Your-Familiy/dp/0849905486] Voices for CASA Children [https://voicesforcasachildren.org/] National CASA/GAL Association for Children [https://nationalcasagal.org/] About the Show By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care is produced by Voices for CASA Children. Season 3, "Understanding Every Voice in the Room," features practical, human conversations with professionals and people with lived experience. Hosted by Micaela Tracy. New episodes biweekly. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the guests and host and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of VOICES or its affiliates. Content Warning: This episode may include discussions of sensitive topics that could be triggering for some listeners. Voices for CASA Children | By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care

What the Body Carries with Dr. Scott Lyons

Episode Summary Dr. Scott Lyons explains why trauma is not about the event, it is about what it does to a body. He walks through co-regulation, why safety can stop feeling safe, and the one thing any caring adult can do differently tomorrow: play. In This Episode 00:00 Cold open 00:15 Welcome and episode framing 01:15 What "somatic" actually means, in plain language 04:45 What the body carries: trauma in the body, not the event 05:45 Memory, temporal collapse, and lifebooks 10:15 An ordinary Tuesday for a child: oxytocin, vasopressin, and why safety doesn't always feel safe 15:15 Why play and movement undo learned helplessness 22:10 Co-regulation, grounding before a visit, and "Mommy needs a moment" 32:50 Behavior is communication, and where CASA volunteers connect the dots 34:50 Hope, and the one thing to do tomorrow 37:30 Reflection and close About Our Guest Dr. Scott Lyons is a holistic psychologist, founder of The Embody Lab, and author of Addicted to Drama. He hosts The Gently Used Human podcast. Resources and Links Addicted to Drama: Healing Dependency on Crisis and Chaos in Yourself and Others [https://www.amazon.com/Addicted-Drama-Healing-Dependency-Yourself/dp/0306925834] The Embody Lab [https://theembodylab.com] The Gently Used Human podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-gently-used-human-with-dr-scott-lyons/id1685789759] Dr. Scott Lyons Website [https://drscottlyons.com] Voices for CASA Children [https://voicesforcasachildren.org] National CASA/GAL Association for Children [https://nationalcasagal.org] About the Show By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care is produced by Voices for CASA Children. Season 3, "Understanding Every Voice in the Room," features practical, human conversations with professionals and people with lived experience. Hosted by Micaela Tracy. New episodes biweekly. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the guests and host and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of VOICES or its affiliates. Content Warning: This episode may include discussions of sensitive topics that could be triggering for some listeners. Voices for CASA Children | By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care

The Seeds We Plant with Tori Hope Petersen

Author and national speaker Tori Hope Petersen joins host Micaela Tracy to talk about the people who shaped her: the court advocate who said "I'm not going anywhere," the foster mom Tanya who let her be a kid without turning every moment into a lesson, and her own decision to become a healed person instead of a hurt one. For anyone wondering whether small acts of consistency really matter, Tori's answer is clear: the seeds you plant today shape generations you may never see. Content note: Tori reflects on childhood abuse and family instability. Listener discretion advised. In This Episode 00:00 Cold open 00:30 Welcome and episode framing 01:00 Tori's story: foster care, reunification, and re-entering at 12 07:00 The court advocate who said "I'm not going anywhere" 1 3:00 The group home and a perspective shift 16:00 Choosing to be a healed person, not a hurt one 20:00 Tanya's house: not every moment is a teaching moment 28:00 Adoption and learning to receive family 34:00 Generational impact: the long game of showing up 37:00 Tori's books and where to find her work 38:00 Reflection and close Standout Quotes "Not every moment needs to be a teaching moment. Some moments just need to be: I'm here for you." "I don't want to be a hurt person that hurts people. I want to be a healed person that helps heal people." "You're not just breaking cycles for one person. It impacts generations." About Our Guest Tori Hope Petersen is a national speaker and author of Fostered and Breaking the Patterns That Break You. She grew up in the foster care system and was later adopted. Today she is also a foster mom, adoptive mom, and biological mom, and writes and speaks about identity, healing, and breaking generational patterns. Resources and Links * Fostered [https://www.amazon.com/Fostered-Womans-Powerful-Finding-through/dp/1087750970/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YCUOINQ7004O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.87lkWJdsAIDZ9ae04o4k7WxFOsMVxdiwfGK2b_RSBKd0RRw9iiD_y26UdUC_Bl15.XEo1H0lPoaat_bmhYY6NSxHGACrsEz3xjz-0hgUXF_k&dib_tag=se&keywords=fostered+tori+hope+peterson&qid=1777670546&sprefix=fostered+by+tori+%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-1] and Breaking the Patterns That Break You [https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Patterns-That-Break-You/dp/B0D92QK595/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1YCUOINQ7004O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.87lkWJdsAIDZ9ae04o4k7WxFOsMVxdiwfGK2b_RSBKd0RRw9iiD_y26UdUC_Bl15.XEo1H0lPoaat_bmhYY6NSxHGACrsEz3xjz-0hgUXF_k&dib_tag=se&keywords=fostered+tori+hope+peterson&qid=1777670546&sprefix=fostered+by+tori+%2Caps%2C169&sr=8-2] by Tori Hope Petersen, available wherever books are sold * Voices for CASA Children [https://voicesforcasachildren.org] * National CASA/GAL Association for Children [https://nationalcasagal.org/] About the Show By Their Side: Advocating for Children in Foster Care is produced by Voices for CASA Children. Season 3, "Understanding Every Voice in the Room," features practical, human conversations with professionals and people with lived experience. Hosted by Micaela Tracy. New episodes biweekly. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the guests and host and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of VOICES or its affiliates. Content Warning: This episode may include discussions of sensitive topics that could be triggering for some listeners.