Fostering Change

What happens to a child when they grow up in foster care… and no one ever comes for them?Not when they’re five. Not when they’re ten. Not even when they’re fifteen.This week on Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Jennifer Pinder, Executive Director of You Gotta Believe!, an organization that has spent the last 30 years proving that it is never too late for a young person in foster care to have a permanent, loving family.As an adoptee herself, Jennifer brings both lived experience and professional leadership to this conversation — helping challenge the harmful belief that older youth are “too old” for adoption or permanency.Together, Rob and Jennifer discuss why older youth are so often overlooked, the emotional realities of aging out of foster care alone, and how You Gotta Believe! is redefining what family can look like for teenagers and young adults in care.At the center of this conversation is a simple but powerful truth: every child deserves belonging, commitment, and someone who will show up for them — no matter their age.Conversation HighlightsWhy do thousands of youth age out of foster care each year without permanent family connectionsThe misconceptions and fears that prevent many families from considering older youth adoptionHow You Gotta Believe! focuses exclusively on permanency for older youth in foster careWhy lived experience matters in leadership, advocacy, and building trust with young peopleWhat permanency and belonging truly mean for youth who have spent years in the systemAbout Jennifer PinderJennifer Pinder is the Executive Director of You Gotta Believe!, a nonprofit dedicated to finding permanent families for older youth in foster care. Since joining the organization in 2020, she has led efforts in advocacy, communications, fundraising, and strategic growth as the organization celebrates its 30th anniversary.An adoptee herself, Jennifer brings a deeply personal connection to the organization’s mission and works alongside a team that includes many individuals with lived experience in child welfare.Connect with Jennifer & You Gotta Believe!🌐 Website: You Gotta Believe! 📸 Instagram: @jennifer_yougottabelieve 💼 LinkedIn: Jennifer Pinder LinkedInClosing ThoughtFamily is not about perfection. It is about commitment. Consistency. Showing up.This conversation is a reminder that no young person should leave foster care believing they are unwanted or forgotten — and that it is never too late for someone to belong.

As National Foster Care Awareness Month comes to a close, this episode of Fostering Change focuses on something deeply important: what happens when organizations stop working in silos and start working together for young people.This week, Rob Scheer is joined by two Los Angeles-based leaders making a meaningful impact in the lives of youth connected to foster care: Beth Ryan, Executive Director & Founder of Stepping Forward LA, and Jorie Das, Executive Director of Friends of the Children Los Angeles.Together, their organizations are helping young people navigate some of the most difficult transitions imaginable — aging out of foster care, finding stability, building community, and creating long-term support systems rooted in consistency and trust.Beth Ryan’s work through Stepping Forward LA focuses on youth transitioning out of foster care, with programs centered around mentorship, housing support, internships, workforce readiness, and a first-of-its-kind app designed by and for foster youth.Jorie Das leads Friends of the Children Los Angeles, which provides long-term professional mentorship to youth facing systemic barriers through a unique 12+ year commitment model focused on stability, prevention, and long-term success.Throughout the conversation, Rob, Beth, and Jorie explore how collaboration between nonprofits can strengthen outcomes for youth — and why consistent relationships remain one of the most powerful tools for healing and success.Episode HighlightsWhy aging out of foster care remains one of the biggest challenges facing young adultsHow mentorship and long-term relationships improve outcomes for youthThe importance of nonprofit collaboration instead of competitionHow Los Angeles reflects both the scale of the foster care crisis and the opportunity for innovationWhy Foster Care Awareness Month must lead to meaningful action and engagementAbout the GuestsBeth Ryan is the Executive Director & Founder of Stepping Forward LA, a nonprofit supporting youth aging out of foster care through mentorship, housing support, workforce development, and community-based solutions. As the organization approaches its 10-year anniversary, Stepping Forward LA continues expanding its impact across Los Angeles.Jorie Das is the Executive Director of Friends of the Children Los Angeles, an organization providing long-term professional mentorship to youth facing systemic barriers. Under her leadership, the organization has expanded across Los Angeles County, helping youth and caregivers through a prevention-focused model built on consistency and trust.Key Questions from This EpisodeWhat prompted the creation of Stepping Forward LA and Friends of the Children Los Angeles?What are the biggest challenges youth face when aging out of foster care?Why does long-term mentorship matter so much?How can nonprofits collaborate more effectively to support youth?What role do community, housing, and workforce development play in long-term stability?How can people move beyond awareness and take meaningful action?Connect with the GuestsStepping Forward LA🌐 Website: Stepping Forward LA 📸 Instagram: @steppingforwardlaFriends of the Children Los Angeles🌐 Website: Friends of the Children Los Angeles 📸 Instagram: @friendslaClosing ThoughtReal change rarely happens alone.This conversation is a reminder that when organizations, mentors, communities, and advocates work together, young people experience something powerful: consistency, connection, and the belief that they are not navigating life alone.

On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Christie Werts, a former foster youth, Army veteran, author, and adoptive mother whose life has come full circle through foster care.Christie shares her journey in her book, Life’s Sad Story, God’s Love Story, tracing a path from childhood trauma and separation to healing, compassion, and building a family of her own.This is an especially emotional conversation for Rob, who reflects openly on the painful experience of his own mother leaving him and his siblings — and the lasting impact that loss has had throughout his life.Together, Rob and Christie explore how childhood trauma shapes identity, how healing can emerge in unexpected ways, and what it means to return to the foster care system — not as a child, but as a parent determined to create something different.At the center of Christie’s story is compassion: a decision to foster and later adopt her husband’s ex-wife’s child in order to keep siblings connected and together.And by the end of the conversation, Christie leaves listeners with a message that becomes the emotional heartbeat of the episode: this is ultimately a love story — about God, healing, and hope.As Christie shares: “There’s a love story ahead of you. And it’s gonna be ok.”Episode HighlightsChristie’s journey from foster youth to foster and adoptive parentThe emotional impact of childhood separation and abandonmentHow trauma and healing can exist side by sideA remarkable decision to keep siblings together through adoptionThe role of faith, compassion, and second chances in rebuilding familyAbout the GuestChristie Werts is a former foster youth, Army veteran, author, speaker, and mother of five whose life has come full circle through foster care and adoption. After experiencing trauma in the system as a child, she later returned to foster care as a parent, ultimately adopting a child connected to her own family.Through her book, Life’s Sad Story, God’s Love Story, Christie shares a deeply personal journey of resilience, faith, healing, and compassion.Key Questions from This EpisodeWhat inspired you to write Life’s Sad Story, God’s Love Story?How did your childhood experiences in foster care shape your life?What led you to step back into foster care as a parent?How did the decision to adopt your husband’s ex-wife’s child come about?What did healing look like for you over time?How have kindness and compassion shaped your family today?What message do you hope listeners take from your story?Connect with Christie📱 TikTok: @Cjthemom5📘 Facebook / Instagram: Christie Werts

On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by David Sussillo, a neuroscientist, author, and former youth who experienced a childhood marked by instability, poverty, and time in group homes.His story begins in environments many children in foster care and group settings know all too well — uncertainty, trauma, and systems that don’t always provide the support they should. But his story doesn’t end there.Through a combination of resilience, critical intervention, and moments where someone stepped in, David found a path forward. Today, he is a leading neuroscientist who has worked at Stanford, Google, and Meta, studying the very thing that shaped his life: the human brain.His memoir, Emergence, is not just a story of survival — it is a powerful reminder of what can happen when even one opportunity changes the trajectory of a child’s life.This conversation challenges us to ask a difficult but necessary question: how many children are out there right now, just one moment away from a different future?Episode HighlightsGrowing up in instability, poverty, and group home environmentsHow trauma shapes memory, identity, and developmentThe role of mentors, teachers, and small interventionsFrom survival to success in neuroscience and researchReflecting on resilience, loss, and the paths not takenAbout the GuestDavid Sussillo is a neuroscientist, author, and adjunct professor at Stanford University. After a childhood marked by instability and time in group homes, he earned a PhD in computational neuroscience from Columbia University and has worked at leading institutions, including Google Brain and Meta.His memoir, Emergence: A Memoir of Boyhood, Computation, and the Mysteries of Mind, tells the story of his journey from trauma to transformation.Key Questions from This EpisodeWhat led you to write Emergence now?What was it like to revisit your childhood experiences through writing?How did you navigate growing up in group homes and unstable environments?Who were the people who helped change your path?What role did small moments or opportunities play in your journey?How do you reflect on your success alongside those who didn’t have the same outcome?What would you say to a young person facing similar challenges today?Closing ThoughtSometimes it doesn’t take everything changing — it takes one moment, one person, one opportunity.And for a child navigating instability, that can be the difference between surviving and becoming something far beyond anyone's expectations.Connect with David🌐 Website: https://www.davidsussillo.com🐦 Twitter/X: https://x.com/SussilloDavid🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-sussillo-736a1290/

This episode kicks off National Foster Care Awareness Month — a time not just to reflect, but to act.On today’s Fostering Change, Rob Scheer welcomes back Laura, The Foster Parent Partner, a therapeutic foster parent, mentor, and now author of First-Time Fostering, releasing May 12.This conversation focuses on a question many people ask, but far fewer answer: what does it actually take to become a foster parent?Not the idea of it — the reality.Laura brings practical, real-world insight into what fostering looks like day to day, what new foster parents need to understand, and how to move from thinking about it to stepping into it. As a returning guest, she builds on her previous conversation with Rob to go deeper into the emotional, logistical, and human side of fostering.As we begin National Foster Care Awareness Month, this episode serves as a starting point for those considering how they can be part of the solution.Episode HighlightsWhy National Foster Care Awareness Month should lead to action, not just recognitionThe gap between thinking about fostering and actually saying yesWhat foster parenting really looks like day to dayCommon fears and misconceptions that hold people backHow support, mentorship, and community make fostering possibleAbout LauraKnown as The Foster Parent Partner, Laura is a therapeutic foster parent, content creator, and mentor who supports individuals navigating the foster care journey. Through her platform, she helps new foster parents move through the licensing process and prepare for their first placement with confidence.Her new book, First-Time Fostering, is a practical, honest guide designed to equip future foster parents with the tools, expectations, and clarity needed to take that first step.Key Questions from This EpisodeWhat inspired you to write First-Time Fostering — and who is it for?What makes this book different from others about foster care?Why does Foster Care Awareness Month matter, and how should people respond?What are the biggest fears that stop people from fostering?What does fostering really look like on a daily basis?What role does community play in helping foster parents succeed?What should someone do if they’re on the fence right now?Closing ThoughtAwareness is only the beginning. What matters is what comes next.Foster care doesn’t need more observers — it needs more people willing to step in, show up, and say yes.

On this episode of Fostering Change, Rob Scheer is joined by Jennifer Griffith, author of Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment and host of the About Your Mother podcast.This conversation centers on a deeply personal and universal question: how much of who we become is shaped by the relationship we have—or don’t have—with our mother?Jennifer’s memoir explores abandonment, generational trauma, and the search for understanding and connection. While her story is not rooted in foster care, the themes resonate deeply. Many children in foster care experience separation from their biological parents, particularly their mothers, making this conversation especially relevant to identity, belonging, and emotional development.Together, Rob and Jennifer explore how early relationships shape us, how patterns are passed down, and how telling the truth about our stories can open the door to healing and transformation.Episode HighlightsHow maternal relationships influence identity and self-worthThe lasting emotional impact of abandonment and separationUnderstanding and breaking cycles of generational traumaWhy storytelling can be a powerful tool for healingHow these themes connect to the experiences of youth in foster careAbout the GuestJennifer Griffith is an author, speaker, and host of the About Your Mother podcast, where she explores the stories that shape identity and relationships. Her debut memoir, Both Sides of Then: Finding Love After Abandonment, examines generational trauma, resilience, and the lasting influence of family history. Through her work, she encourages others to better understand their past and find meaning in the connections that define them.Key Questions from This EpisodeWhat did writing your story teach you about understanding where we come from?Why is the “mother story” such a powerful lens for identity?What does healing look like when relationships are complicated or absent?How do early experiences of separation shape a child’s sense of self?Where does healing begin for someone carrying a difficult family story?Connect with Jennifer🌐 Website: https://byjennifergriffith.com/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byjennifergriffith/🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byjennifergriffith/Closing ThoughtUnderstanding where we come from doesn’t always give us easy answers — but it can give us clarity. And sometimes, that clarity is the first step toward healing, growth, and a different path forward.