TW: While Joan does not go into specific details, this episode does contain mentions of her experiences of abuse, and we wanted you to be aware of that before listening.
Our guests often share the traumatic memories their experiences in life have left them with. But today’s guest shares what it’s like for there to be pieces missing when she tries to recall her past.
Joan Ulsher is a writer, philanthropist, retired U.S. Army Major, and an award-winning child advocate. During her own childhood, Joan survived abuse and experienced the foster care system firsthand. Today, she says many of her formative years feel like “Swiss cheese” because of all the holes in her memory.
Joan tells her story in a memoir entitled Misplaced Childhood: A True Story of Resiliency and Child Advocacy.
In this conversation, you’ll hear how Joan has navigated her mind blocking out childhood memories, how her advocacy efforts have changed her inner narrative from that of a victim to that of a survivor, how finding Christ has given her life new purpose, and so much more.
Show Notes: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/joan-ulsher-227/
Free Video Resource: Foster Care & the Church -- www.fostercare.church
Episode 38: Navigating School Challenges with Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
ENCORE: Helping Your Foster and Adoptive Kids Tell Their Story
Episode 37: Adoption as a Picture of Redemption
Episode 36: A Reunification Story
Episode 35: Help for Parents of Teenagers
Episode 34: Foster Care and One Caring Adult
Episode 33: Foster Care Basics: Everything from How To Be a Foster Parent to Staying Organized
Episode 32: A Conviction to Help Kids in Care
Episode 31: What Adoptees Wish We Knew
Episode 30: How Foster Care Became a Passion to Help Others
Episode 29: Mother to Many: Doing Life with Nine Children
Episode 28: CAFO’s Aging Out Initiative: Helping Teens Transition into Adulthood
Episode 27: Keeping It Real for Foster and Adoptive Dads
Episode 26: Helping Your Foster and Adoptive Kids Tell Their Story
ENCORE: Foster Care, Adoption, Runaway: The Story of One Child's Reality
Episode 25: Trauma: How You Can Help Your Child and Family Survive
Episode 24: Through the Eyes of an Investigator: Working to Protect Children
Episode 23: Overcoming the "I Could Nevers" of Foster Care
Episode 22: Navigating the “Messy and Complicated" Path of Foster Parenting
Episode 21: Conversation with a Pediatrician: Physical Issues Common in Children in Foster Care
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