This episode of Fostering Change was originally scheduled to air in March — but after recording, Rob Scheer felt the conversation was too important to wait. He personally requested that it be released early so listeners could hear it as soon as possible.
Rob is joined by Rachel Bruno, a Nashville-based author, speaker, and advocate whose deeply personal experience with the child welfare system ignited a powerful call for accountability and reform.
After her children were unlawfully removed by child protective services, Rachel found herself confronting a system where parental rights, due process, and family integrity are often overlooked. Instead of staying silent, she fought back — ultimately securing a seven-figure civil rights settlement and emerging as a leading national voice for families facing similar injustices.
Rachel is the author of Fractured Hope: A Mother’s Fight for Justice and founder of Giver of Light, an organization dedicated to supporting families navigating child welfare involvement. Together, Rob and Rachel discuss hope after trauma, the urgent need for accountability, and why lived experience must guide ethical, child-centered reform.
Episode Highlights
• How one mother’s fight sparked national conversations about reform
• What families experience when due process is ignored
• Accountability and justice within child welfare
• How Giver of Light supports families in crisis
• Why lived experience belongs at the center of policy change
📘 Book Recommendation
Rob strongly recommends Rachel’s book:
Fractured Hope: A Mother’s Fight for Justice — a powerful firsthand account that exposes the realities families face inside the child welfare system and why reform is urgently needed.
👉 Get the book directly from Rachel:
https://rachelbruno.com/book/
Purchasing directly supports her advocacy and helps amplify voices too often unheard.
About the Guest
Rachel Bruno is an author, speaker, and advocate for parental rights. Her lived experience navigating the child welfare system made her a national leader in reform. After securing a civil rights settlement for the unlawful removal of her children, she authored Fractured Hope and founded Giver of Light. She continues to serve in leadership and advisory roles, promoting family integrity, accountability, and ethical child welfare practices.
Connect with Rachel & Giver of Light
🌐 Website: www.thegiveroflight.org
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/rachelbrunospeaks
📸 Instagram: @rachelbrunospeaks
🐦 X/Twitter: @bruno.rachel
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/rachelbruno
","author_name":"Rob Scheer"}