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 97: Connecting With Your Spouse: Setting Priority As Foster Parents
Episode 96: Meeting Your Biological Parent: Expectations, Joys, and Disappointments
Episode 95: The Summer Struggle: Establishing Routine for Your Foster or Adoptive Family
Episode 94: When Your Children Don’t Look Like You: Understanding Black Hair Care
Episode 93: Moved From Relative to Relative: A Journey Toward Healing After Trauma
Episode 92: When You Can’t Step Away: Life After Foster Parenting
Episode 91: When Obedience Leads to Growth: Stepping Out in Faith as a Dad and Husband
Episode 90: When Foster Care Leads to Adoption: Processing Big Emotions
Episode 89: Caring for Teens in Foster Care: The Story of One Teenage Mom
Episode 88: From Teacher to Parent: Fictive Kin in Foster Care
Episode 87: Beyond Exhaustion: Creating Breathing Room as a Foster Parent
BONUS: Expecting the Unexpected: Finding Purpose in the Long Wait or Failed Adoption
Episode 86: Life in Foster Care: What It’s Really Like
Episode 85: Good Grief: Navigating Loss in Foster Care
Episode 84: More than Coffee: Using Business for Kingdom Purposes
Episode 83: Messy Redemption: A Story of Healing from a Child in Foster Care, now Adoptive Mom
Episode 82: Navigating Court: Understanding Your Role as a Foster Parent
Episode 81: When Trauma and Puberty Meet: How to Help Your Child
Episode 80: Single+Foster Parenting: You are Needed
Episode 79: Managing It All: Family, Marriage, and Work
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