What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting | Adoption, Foster parent, Foster care, Adopting

About What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting | Adoption, Foster parent, Foster care, Adopting

The Go-to Podcast for Christian Women Who Want to Grow Their Family through Foster Care or Adoption: Do you struggle with constant overwhelm or have way more questions than answers while navigating the foster care system? Are you feeling like you’re losing yourself while trying to help your foster child or heal your adopted children? Do you feel completely ill-equipped with the needs of the kiddos in your home or that you took on more than you should have? What if there was a way that you could navigate the complexities of the foster care system, gain powerful insights into the adoption journey and find more peace and less chaos while balancing it all? Hi new friend, I’m Christine Marie, Christian Biblical Mindset coach, Mom of 4- Adoptive Mom of 2 and previous foster parent of 77 children. I can’t wait to share with you everything I have learned in my 10 year journey as a Foster Mom… and now adoptive mom. On this podcast, we are going to cover- -How to grow your family through foster care and adoption while fully trusting in Gods’ plan, timing and provision. -How to navigate a complicated foster care system without losing yourself or your mind in the process. -How to balance the needs of your birth children, foster kiddos and adoptive children. -How to balance your marriage, family, career and mental health. -How I found my own personal healing through all the brokenness. I am thankful you are here and can’t wait to get started. So, go grab your cup of coffee, make sure to reheat it and let’s jump in! XO, Christine Connect with me personally in our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fostercareandadoptionforchristianwomen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cortisol_coach Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thechristinemarieofficial Email: cmhartmann@fulhart.org

Publisher

Christine Marie

Category

kids & family

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Aug 2023

Latest episode

22 May 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 47 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Jen Lilley and Dr. John DeGarmo | Called to Foster — The Honest Guide to Foster Care and Adoption

   Actress Jen Lilley and foster care expert Dr. John DeGarmo share their personal journeys and insights from their new book, "Called to Foster," with host Christine Marie, offering a candid guide to foster care and adoption.

2. 

   19 Feb 2026

   The Heart Work of Foster Care: Adoption, Birth Family Relationships, and Trusting God Through your Fostering Journey

   Welcome to the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast! I’m Christine Marie, adoptive mom, former foster parent, and biblical mindset coach. Whether you’re considering foster care, navigating adoption, supporting birth families, or trying to hold it all together in the middle of the unknown, you’re in the right place. In today’s episode, I sit down with Jeremy Walden, foster and adoptive dad, college professor, ministry leader, and co author of The Heart Work of Foster Care. Jeremy shares his family’s powerful journey through foster care and adoption, including adopting one child and later welcoming her siblings, building relationships with biological parents, and witnessing restoration, reunification, and healing unfold over years of faithful obedience. This is one of those conversations that reminds you foster care isn’t a moment. It’s a long road of love, patience, boundaries, and trust in God. Jeremy opens up about: • The real challenges of foster parenting and adoption• Supporting birth families with compassion and humility• How foster care impacts marriage and biological children• Saying yes, saying no, and protecting your family while keeping your heart open• Why foster care is truly heart work, caring deeply, loving deliberately, and trusting God when outcomes aren’t guaranteed Jeremy and his wife have adopted three children from foster care and have cared for many more over the past decade. With over 25 years of ministry experience and 15 years as a college professor, Jeremy brings both practical wisdom and deep faith to this conversation. He also shares about their book, The Heart Work of Foster Care: A Hopeful and Honest Guide to Foster Parenting, a Christ centered resource filled with real stories, encouragement, and practical insight for anyone walking the foster care journey. Jeremy is currently conducting an anonymous survey to better understand how fostering impacts foster parents’ marriages. If you’d like to participate, you can find it here:👉 https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_behFvYEixlsZ2kK You can also find Jeremy and Jara’s book here:👉 https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Work-Foster-Care-Parenting-ebook/dp/B0F7Z44NQY Whether you’re new to foster care, deep into adoption, or simply want to understand how faith sustains families through trauma and uncertainty, this episode will encourage you, challenge you, and remind you that God is always working, even in the waiting. ☕ Grab your coffee and settle in — this one will stretch you, strengthen you, and remind you why love is always worth it. 💕 PS Want to join a supportive space for women who are navigating foster care, adoption, or just want to love others well? Come join us here:👉 facebook.com/groups/fostercareandadoptionforchristianwomen

3. 

   11 Feb 2026

   Adopting a Child with High Needs: Mental Health, Medications, and Trusting God Through the Unknown with Donna Kirkwood

   Welcome to Season Two of the What to Expect While Fostering and Adopting podcast! I’m Christine Marie — adoptive mom, former foster parent, and biblical mindset coach. Whether you're navigating foster care, adoption, or parenting a child with trauma or mental health challenges — you’re in the right place. In this season premiere, I’m joined by Donna Kirkwood — former special education teacher, adoptive mom, author, and woman of deep faith — as she shares her family’s journey of saying “yes” to adopting a child with high needs. From the early days of behavioral challenges and medication decisions to the later diagnosis of schizoaffective bipolar disorder, Donna walks us through how faith, structure, and community helped them navigate trauma-informed parenting and deep unknowns. We talk about: Adopting a child with high needs and complex diagnoses Parenting through mental health challenges with grace and structure Medications and behavioral support through a trauma-informed lens Why boundaries, faith, and consistency matter Donna’s book, He Is the Vine, as a source of spiritual encouragement during hard seasons Whether you're parenting a child with trauma, navigating mental health in adoption, or walking through uncertainty with God — this episode will speak to your heart. ☕ Grab your coffee and settle in — this one will stretch you, strengthen you, and remind you why love is always worth it. 💕 PS — Want to join a supportive space for women who are navigating foster care, adoption, or just want to love others well? Come join us here:👉 facebook.com/groups/fostercareandadoptionforchristianwomen Connect with Donna Kirkwood:📘 He Is the Vine: From the Vineyard to the Tasting Room📔 Companion Study Guide also available📧 Email: Donna@DonnaKirkwood.com🌐 Website: www.DonnaKirkwood.com

Inside a recent episode

Jen Lilley and Dr. John DeGarmo | Called to Foster — The Honest Guide to Foster Care and Adoption

Published 22 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And I became mentors through their program called Special Friends, which is kind of like Big Brothers Big Sisters. My husband and I fell in love with one of our, particularly in love with one of our mentees. And like Dr. John, my husband was one of those 51% of surveyed Americans that believe the myth and misconceptions that children in foster care are bad children. And of course, he quickly realized that was not the case. As your listeners probably know, children in foster care are there because of somebody else's choices. They're not there through any fault of their own. But because of abuse and neglect that they've sustained at the hands of somebody else, and likely because their parent or caretaker also grew up in foster care. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

32,074

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

79 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

9 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 60 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

61

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

71

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.