Podcasts about big tough girl

*Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussions that may be sensitive or triggering for some listeners, including references to suicide. Listener discretion is advised Welcome back to By Their Side! In this powerful episode, we dive into the often underappreciated perspective of birth mothers with Ashley Mitchell, the inspiring force behind Big Tough Girl ™. She shares her personal journey of placing her son for adoption in 2006 and the challenges she faced in the aftermath, and we explore the critical need for post-placement support and understanding the grief and loss experienced by birth mothers. Ashley sheds light on the transformative work of her network Knee to Knee which is dedicated to supporting birth mothers nationwide. We discuss the complexities of the adoption triad, emphasizing the evolving understanding of relationships as a constellation rather than a traditional triad. We also dive into the lifelong impact of adoption, dispelling the myth that adoptions at birth are trauma-free. Ashley passionately advocates for respectful language and empathetic support for both birth parents and adoptive families.  Ashley also shares invaluable advice for professionals working with youth in foster care, highlighting the importance of child-centered approaches, empathy, and validation. Don't miss this eye-opening episode that challenges preconceptions and champions the voices of birth mothers. Join us as we navigate the intricate landscape of adoption, fostering empathy, and understanding for all involved!   Highlights: [0:44] - Today's guest is Ashley Mitchell, founder of the Knee to Knee program! [2:06] - In 2006, Ashley placed her son for adoption, prompting her advocacy for post-placement support nationwide. [4:23] - Ashley reveals that she leads monthly support groups, advocates for law reform, and educates adoptive parents ethically. [5:36] - The adoption dynamic extends beyond the triad, involving a constellation of individuals shaping relationships. [7:01] - Balancing the challenges of navigating trauma work and being a birth mom is complex. [9:10] - Ashley feels that personal language choices in adoption, like "place," express individual perspectives and deserve respect. [12:31] - Ashley argues that adoption spans a lifetime, with the shared experience of maternal-child separation shaping forever families. [15:16] - Respecting a child's varied emotions in adoption or foster care is essential for support. [18:43] - The language used about biological parents significantly influences a child's attitude and relationship dynamics. [20:33] - Ashley asserts that how others speak about birth parents directly influences a child's ability to maintain relationships. [22:34] - It's important to prioritize a child's feelings when addressing broken commitments, fostering a safe space for open conversation. [25:10] - Ashley encourages people to consider the impact on a child when discussing birth parents and to avoid burdening them with adult concerns. [28:34] - It's crucial for foster parents to understand their role and align with the goal of family preservation. [31:45] - Ashley believes that foster care training needs to incorporate adoption considerations for smoother transitions to open adoptions. [34:09] - The complexities of children returning to parents require recognizing nuances, promoting dignity, and fostering understanding. [37:45] - Birth parents need resources for mental health, but adoptive parents also require support. [39:33] - Ashley credits her husband and the supportive community of birth mothers for their resilience. [41:53] - Ashley shares where she can be found online.   Connect with Ashley: InstagramWebsite Podcast

There is so much unnecessary fears and misunderstandings surrounding birth parents and birth families. In this episode, we're working to clear it up. Last week we were grateful and honored to have the amazing and wonderful Ashley Mitchell join us for Insight Virtual Conference 2023. The Q&A portion of her session was so moving and powerful that we knew we had to make it a stand-alone podcast episode.  In this episode, Mike and Ashley spend time clearing up unwarranted fears, the truth about extended family, how to set up boundaries with birth parents who aren't in a healthy place, and much more. It's fun, colorful, and insightful. You will love Ashley's heart!  A Little More About Ashley... Ashley Mitchell, owner of Big Tough Girl and Founder + Executive Director of Lifetime Healing Foundation, set out to seek increased care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers.  For over a decade, Ashley has been one of the most consistent and sought after birth mother voices in the nation.  Well known for her vulnerability and transparency in adoption, her story has touched the hearts of countless members of the adoption community and beyond. How To Connect With Ashley... Follow her on Instagram Check out Ashley's website Learn about Lifetime Healing Foundation You can still get access to the Insight Virtual Conference 2023 replays and take home more than 15 hours of amazing and indepth training content! Click Here. Thanks for stopping by this week ;-) 

Last week, we spent time with some of our closest friends at The Replanted Conference in Chicago, IL and it was AMAZING!  We featured this valuable resources on a previous show in this series, but then we took it a step further. We set up our podcasting equipment at our resource table and recorded impromptu interviews with conference attendees who shared their "And" story.... Adoption and foster care are hard, AND they're filled with beauty! Adoption and foster care are often messy, AND so worth it. Our children have us, AND their other parents (and we celebrate that!)  So many amazing stories. PLUS, we got to hear from amazing humans such as... Andi Coston from Post Resources Jamie Finn from Goods & Better and the one and only Ashley Mitchell from Big Tough Girl.  All amazing and world-changing resources. You will LOVE this episode!  Thanks for stopping by this week ;-)

Today my friends I am so honored to reshare a story from the LifeBeats Library,  Dawnbreaker Ashley Mitchell of Big Tough Girl is an advocate for not only birth mothers who have placed their babies for adoption, but for all women who have experienced hard things and are looking for a place of support and […]

To honor National Adoption Month this November, I bring you a big brave story. In this episode of About Your Mother, meet Ashley Mitchell. Ashley Mitchell is the founder of Lifetime Healing Foundation, which supports birth mothers and those affected by such trauma. Her mission is unique but needed. Give it a listen, and you will understand why.   Reflections of the Mother Ashley describes her mother as an intellectual. She grew up in a home of educators, and her mother was a brilliant woman. Though she also knows a lot about sports, more than anyone in their area. Ashley's mother continually encouraged her to learn about different things, which spurred her love and fascination for discovering as she grew up.   "She always taught me to know a little bit about a lot of different things. That just spurred so much of my fascination with documentaries and reading books. And it has served me really well to be able to sit in any kind of demographic with any kind of person to and have a little bit to share about any topic that comes up. And I have really appreciated that." – Ashley Mitchell   Journey into being a Birth Mom Ashley shares her story of finding herself pregnant at twenty-five. Because of a failed abortion plan, she found herself looking into adoption as an option. While her son and family have a good relationship now, it wasn't always the case. There was a lot of grief and trauma post-relinquishment that Ashley experienced. It was a slow process to educate herself on how to heal from the pain. She came out on the other side with a mission of building a support system for birth mothers nationally.   "No woman should go through something like this....it changes you to the core of who you are. And to then expect the women to just be up to their own devices, to fill in the gaps and to heal was just not… it just didn't sit well with us. So we wanted to change that national standard for sure." – Ashley Mitchell   Remarketing Adoption   We forget that adoption has been all about family building. And it's been that way for decades - to package and present adoption as this beautiful family-building tool. But we are missing the piece where we separate and break a family…Click To Tweet   In order to unpack her own experience as a birth mother, Ashley was drawn to learning the history of adoption. She found information - somewhat like propaganda - that carried the notion that these children were unloved and unwanted. These beliefs kept the birth mothers in secret and shame, telling mothers to pretend the relinquishment didn't happen. Yet when Ashley placed her child for adoption in 2006, her mindset was to give her son a better life. Because she loved her child more than anything, she was willing to be separated from him for that belief.   "The packaging is shifted a little bit. We've marketed adoption a little bit better from being 'unloved and unwanted' to 'we love you so much that we're going to give you this gift,' and it's been really interesting to watch in both scenarios." – Ashley Mitchell     To hear more from Ashley Mitchell and her mission to support birth mothers all around, download and listen to this episode.   Bio Ashley Mitchell, owner of Big Tough Girl and Founder + Executive Director of Lifetime Healing Foundation, set out to seek increased care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers. For over a decade, Ashley has been one of the most consistent and sought after birth mother voices in the nation speaking to reform, ethical practice, and national grief and trauma support. Well known for her vulnerability and transparency in adoption, her story has touched the hearts of countless members of the adoption community and beyond.   Connect with Ashley Mitchell LifetimeHealingFoundation.org Instagram: @bigtoughgirl @twistedsisterhoodpodcast @lifetimehealingfoundation

For over a decade, Ashley has been one of the most consistent and sought after birth mother voices in the nation.  Well known for her vulnerability and transparency in adoption, her story has touched the hearts of countless members of the adoption community and beyond. She is owner of Big Tough Girl and Founder + Executive Director of Lifetime Healing Foundation which champions increased care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers. Click here to download a transcript for this episode. Relevant Links Lifetime Healing Foundation Connect with Ashley on Instagram The Girls Who Went Away* by Ann Fessler *This is an affiliate link

For over a decade, Ashley has been one of the most consistent and sought after birth mother voices in the nation.  Well known for her vulnerability and transparency in adoption, her story has touched the hearts of countless members of the adoption community and beyond. She is owner of Big Tough Girl and Founder + Executive Director of Lifetime Healing Foundation which champions increased care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers. Click here to download a transcript for this episode. Relevant Links Lifetime Healing Foundation Connect with Ashley on Instagram The Girls Who Went Away* by Ann Fessler *This is an affiliate link

Ashley Mitchell, owner of Big Tough Girl and Founder + Executive Director of Lifetime Healing Foundation sits down for a virtual chat with AFTH's own Adoption Counselor & AFTHtv host Amanda Aliberti. These ladies dive into the nitty-gritty of the common holiday triggered anxiety and depression that expecting, and birth parents face each year. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/a-heart-to-heart-afth/message

In this episode, we hear from birth mom Ashley Mitchell of Big Tough Girl and Lifetime Healing Foundation. Now 14 years into her open adoption experience, she talks of grief and healing, and of the importance of adoption education for both adoptive and for...

Ashley Mitchell, owner of Big Tough Girl and Founder + Executive Director of Lifetime Healing Foundation, set out to seek increased care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers.  For over a decade, Ashley has been one of the most consistent and sought after birth mother voices in the nation.  Entering in to the adoptive community can be overwhelming to new adoptive parents so on this episode Ashley and Kandace discuss how AP's can find your footing and role in these conversations. Ashley shares how she has seen this community grow through tension and difficult conversations. We discuss Adoptive Parent Privilege and why it is so important for AP's to be listeners and life long learners. And we also discuss how AP's can use their voice and role to support adoptees and birth moms.  Find Ashley on Instagram @BigToughGirl  and also:  bigtoughgirl.com sitkneetoknee.com Find Us:  IG/FB @AdoptionHacks Email Us:  adoptionhacksinfo@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/adoptionhacks/support

Buckle up for today's episode! Manda's friend Ashley, known as "Big Tough Girl" online, tells the story of choosing to place her son in the arms of another woman 14 years ago and the wild journey that followed. You will never think or talk about adoption and birth parents the same after hearing her insight and wisdom.

This week we are talking with Ashley Mitchell. She is the owner of Big Tough Girl,  Founder + Executive Director of Lifetime Healing Foundation and co-host of the podcast Twisted Sisterhood. She has set out to seek increased care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers.  Ashley is a birth mother herself, placing her now 13 ... more »

Ashley Mitchell is the queen of "owning her shit." And I love it! This episode was incredibly fun to record. It's the first with a co-host - I was joined by Kate Williard from Episode 33, Love Over Fear.  It was Kate's episode where I was first brought into the "Wild West" that seems to be the world of adoption. Kate mentioned that Big Tough Girl was an account she drew strength from on Instagram, and BOOM, fast forward a few months and we made the follow-up interview happen.  I would never describe Ashley as big. But she is for sure one badass, tough girl. And her heart and her personality are most-definitely big. Larger than life.  Ashley chose to give her first child up for adoption. At that point in her life, she was not ready to provide for another human being. Her mission now is to bring that side of the story to an adoption community seemingly dominated by the adoptive parent perspective instead of the birth parent perspective.  Grab a cup of coffee, hunker down, and get ready for an emotional roller coaster, where most importantly, you will LEARN something. We never know what other people have battled or are going through. Extend grace. Always.  Follow Ashley: http://www.bigtoughgirl.com/  Follow Kate: http://www.instagram.com/kateelisewill 

Buckle in for an amazing chat with birth mom advocate and serial entrepreneur Ashley Mitchell of Lifetime Healing and Big Tough Girl! Ashley set out to increase care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers and has walked the WALK. For almost a decade, she has been one of the most consistent and sought after birth mother voices in the nation. Well known for her vulnerability and transparency in adoption, her story has touched the hearts of countless members of the adoption community and beyond. In this episode, you will hear her incredible story of hitting ROCK-bottom and how she has turned her journey into resources to help other women who place their children for adoption. She shares about moving forward in your business when you're not sure what the future looks like and what launching a national education curriculum and training program looks like. You will learn: How to balance the heart and the head in emotionally-demanding businesses How to move past physical, emotional, and legal roadblocks in growing your business What to do when you feel overwhelmed by the problem before you How to affect real change when you want to make a difference with your business The role social media should take in handling tough stuff PLUS -- the 5 biggest blocks you should get over to become a "Big Tough Girl!" Lifetimehealingadoption.com Bigtoughgirl.com This episode is perfect for creative entrepreneurs who want to incorporate a social mission in their business model, or who work with emotionally demanding subject areas or industries. Above all -- this episode is about rising ABOVE your setbacks and about the resiliency and indomitable nature of a fierce girl-power spirit!!

Ashley Mitchell, owner of Lifetime Healing, set out to seek increased care, understanding, and resources for birth mothers.  For almost a decade, Ashley has been one of the most consistent and sought after birth mother voices in the nation. Well known for her vulnerability and transparency in adoption, her story has touched the hearts of countless members of the adoption community.   Links to guest: https://www.instagram.com/bigtoughgirl/ https://www.facebook.com/amitchbtg https://lifetimehealingadoption.com/ http://www.bigtoughgirl.com/btg5 https://www.facebook.com/lifetimehealingllc/?timeline_context_item_type=intro_card_work&timeline_context_item_source=100001693912281 hi@lifetimehealingadoption.com   Favorite Product - Connect with us on Mommispace! Facebook | Instagram | Email | Pinterest   ---> Be sure to Leave a Rating & Review!   Here's how you leave a review if you're like me and need detailed instructions for all things technical…   From your computer - - Click this link - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/mommispaces-podcast/id1294885715?mt=2 - Then click "view in itunes" below the logo - Click on the link at the top that says "Ratings and Reviews" - There will be a button you can click that says "write a review."   From your phone - If you're subscribed to the Mommispace on itunes all you have to to is go to the podcast in your library and scroll to the bottom of the page and there is a option to write a review there!  

Ashley is a birthmother who placed her son 11 years ago and is navigating through open adoption. She talks very openly about the pain she went through the years after placement and now she is an advocate for other birthmothers. She has just released a new curriculum for adoption professionals to help other birthmothers in their journey of healing.

Ashley is an birthmother whose adoption story started in an abortion clinic. She shares about her life changing moment and how she placed her baby 11 years ago. Ashley Mitchell has shared her story all over the country through nationally acclaimed writing series, award-winning service, television + radio interviews and hundreds of blogs + business sites. She is known for her vulnerability and realness through her speaking, writing, mentoring and advocacy work for the adoption community. She is the owner of Big Tough Girl™, serving women world wide in their desire to live life as a Big Tough Girl™. She believes strongly in the power of sharing your story, educating yourself on the issues, and providing the resources so that women can feel empowered and successful in their journey. Ashley and her husband now have 2 children. She is learning daily how to navigate open adoption and how to create a life after placement. www.bigtoughgirl.com

   Ashley Mitchell of Big Tough Girl is an advocate for not only birth mothers who have placed their babies for adoption, but for all women who have experienced hard things and are looking for a place of support and healing.  On our episode today we will be discussing some very difficult subjects, including abortion, […]