This is Home

This is Home is a narrative podcast series about families brought together through unlikely circumstances and the remarkable relationships they forge. Our mission is to tell stories that expand the understanding of what family means to be more inclusive and reflective of the kind of families we see and experience every day – in all of their beautiful and messy forms.

John came to live with the Lindstroms, the family of his CASA Jill, when he was five years old. It wasn't easy. Twenty years later, John speaks to us about how an unhealthy relationship with food was his refuge from deep anger and trauma, how reality TV changed his life for the better, and how he feels about family today.

Jill and her children's lives were transformed when foster youth John was adopted and joined the family. In this 2-part episode, you'll learn how foster care can change a family over the course of two decades, and what it's like when foster youth become a sibling to other kids who don't quite understand where they came from.

Frank Caeti and Rachel Romanski adopted their son in April of this year. This amazing yet bittersweet moment came after fostering him for about a year and a half, which came after innumerable hours of trainings and interviews of becoming certified to foster and adopt, which came after years of conversation about family and planning. In this podcast, we talk through this lengthy process, because in Frank and Rachel's opinion, there was immense value in the process. The time that it took, the questions that were asked and connections that were made with others during this time, were all pivotal parts of the process—and they wouldn't change a thing. If fostering-to-adopt has ever been a consideration for your family of if you'd simply like to learn more about the process, Frank and Rachel walk us through the step by step and their opinions, surprises and lessons learned from all of it.

Susan Grundberg is the Executive Director/ CEO of You Gotta Believe! She met her son, Sharif, when he was 18 years old. Despite planning to adopt and working in foster care for decades, both Sharif and the process of becoming a family, took Susan by surprise. In this interview, we hear from both Sharif and Susan about how they met and the joys and challenges of becoming a family and finding “home.” You can learn more about You Gotta Believe! and their amazing work on their website: http://yougottabelieve.org/ May is Foster Care Awareness Month. You can help support the effort of making sure people know that it's never too late for family by sharing this story.

It used to be that children were the natural "next step" for committed couples, Now, many are choosing (or in some cases, having the choice made for them) to delay having kids or not to have them at all. We talk to several couples, and a few experts, about what that decision can look like. Joining us on this episode are Dr. Jeanne Safer, author of Beyond Motherhood, and Laura Carroll, author of the Baby Matrix, who share some wonderful wisdom on topics like: the role of women in the world, how to deal with shame before peers, the biological desire for kids, and how to go about making the decision to become or not to become a parent. Check out links as well as a bonus mini episode where Erica and Christina talk about their feelings on motherhood, all on our website at thisishomepodcast.org

When Cameron's grandmother adopted Cameron's mother from across the country, she probably didn't anticipate that years later she'd be raising her own grandchildren. Cameron shares his powerful story about how adoption, the epidemic, and a series of relatives changed his life- and how his own unbounded enthusiasm and drive took him to places far beyond the South Side. You can follow Cam on twitter @camwes

Mia Birdsong is Co-Director of Family Story, an organization that believes that in order to pave the way for effective policy and practice change, we must first change the way we think and talk about what makes a good family. We talk about single mom shaming, representation of black families, and the history of our "modern family" in a riveting conversation that spans culture, politics and the personal.