Episodios

  • From Foster Care to PhD 🎓 | Dr. Danisha Keating on Healing, Resilience & Taking Her Voice Back
    Sep 23 2025

    Welcome to this week’s episode of Fostering Change, hosted by Rob Scheer. 💙


    Today’s guest is Dr. Danisha Keating—author, speaker, and former foster youth whose journey from heartbreak to healing is nothing short of extraordinary. At just 16, CPS workers separated her from her eight siblings and handed her a trash bag with five minutes to pack her life. By 24, she became the guardian of her five younger siblings, choosing resilience and purpose over despair.


    Dr. Keating is the bestselling author of Taking My Voice Back: Healing What Broke Me and From Foster to PhD. In this powerful conversation, she and Rob dive into:

    ✨ How to heal from trauma, shame, and blame

    ✨ The importance of protecting your story while still speaking your truth

    ✨ The systemic barriers youth in foster care face—including files that hold pieces of their own lives

    ✨ Why education became her lifeline and how she stepped boldly into her future


    Her story is proof that no matter what you’ve lived through, you have the power to write the next chapter. As Dr. Keating reminds us: “When you’re in foster care, the courts and the files decide your story — not you. That’s why I had to learn how to take my voice back.”


    👉 Learn more about Dr. Danisha Keating:

    🌐 Website: danishakeating.com

    📱 Instagram: @drdanishakeating

    📘 Facebook: Danisha Keating

    ▶️ YouTube: The Dr. Danisha Keating Show

    🎵 TikTok: @drdanishakeating


    🎧 Don’t forget to like, comment, and share this episode to help us reach more listeners.

    We’re back every Tuesday with new conversations on Fostering Change. For guest suggestions or feedback, please email us at dthalberg@comfortcases.org.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    32 m
  • Turning a Moment Into a Movement | Dana Marlowe of I Support the Girls x Comfort Cases
    Sep 16 2025

    What started with one simple question—“What can I do with my old bras?”—turned into a global movement. 🌍


    In this inspiring episode of Fostering Change, host Rob Scheer is joined by Dana Marlowe, founder of I Support the Girls and Accessibility Partners. Dana’s work provides dignity to marginalized women and youth through access to bras, new underwear, and menstrual hygiene products.


    Together, Dana and Rob discuss:

    ✨ How to start a nonprofit and build strong partnerships with other grassroots organizations

    ✨ The importance of supporting youth and building confidence through dignity

    ✨ The powerful partnership between Comfort Cases and I Support the Girls

    ✨ ISTG’s upcoming 10-year anniversary in July 🎉


    As a human rights advocate, Dana has dedicated her life to amplifying the voices of invisible populations while also making technology more inclusive for people with disabilities.


    When she isn’t sorting hygiene products or striving for equity, you’ll find her cheering at her sons’ sports games, walking her Silver Lab, or even at early morning dance raves.


    💙 Follow I Support the Girls:

    Website: http://www.isupportthegirls.org

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SupportTheGirlsandWomen

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isupportthegirls/?hl=en

    Twitter/X: https://x.com/i_support_girls?lang=en

    Threads: https://www.threads.com/@isupportthegirls

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@isupportthegirls?lang=en

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/29214127/admin/dashboard/


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    25 m
  • Living with FASD: Patti Kasper’s Journey & International FASD Awareness Day | Fostering Change
    Sep 9 2025

    Today is International FASD Awareness Day, a day that deserves our full attention. On this powerful episode of Fostering Change, host Rob Scheer is joined by Patricia (Patti) Kasper, a Neurobehavioral Coach and Trainer who discovered she had FASD as an adult.


    Patti’s story is one of resilience and advocacy. After learning about her diagnosis, she shifted her work to focus on the 15 million U.S. adults living with undiagnosed FASD, bringing awareness, education, and hope to those who may not even realize how deeply FASD affects their lives.


    In this conversation, you’ll hear:

    ✨ Patti’s personal journey of discovery and healing

    ✨ The hidden challenges of adults living with undiagnosed FASD

    ✨ How Rob’s own connection to FASD fuels Comfort Cases’ mission

    ✨ The importance of spreading awareness on International FASD Awareness Day


    Patti is also the host of the podcast Living with FASD and author of Sip by Sip: Candid Conversation with Adults Living with FASD. You can find her book here: books.by/yourfasdcoach.


    🔗 Connect with Patti Kasper:

    Facebook: facebook.com/Patricia.Kasper.Your.FASD.Coach

    Instagram: instagram.com/patriciakasperthefasdcoach

    Threads: threads.com/patriciakasperthefasdcoach

    LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/patricia-kasper

    Email: contact@patriciakasper.com


    📢 After listening, please leave us a review—it helps us reach more people and continue these important conversations. Have guest suggestions or questions? Email our producer: dthalberg@comfortcases.org.


    💙 Thank you for supporting Fostering Change. Together, we can bring dignity and hope to children and families everywhere.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    24 m
  • From Blankets to Building Communities: The Inspiring Story of Bob Dalton | Fostering Change
    Sep 2 2025

    Welcome to Season 7 of Fostering Change!


    Believe it or not, this is our 243rd episode — and it’s all thanks to YOU and your support. Starting this season, new episodes will drop every Tuesday, just like you requested!


    👉 We’d love your help: after watching/listening, please leave a review. It takes just a minute and makes a huge difference with the “mysterious algorithm,” helping us share our incredible guests with even more people.


    🌟 Today’s Guest: Bob Dalton

    We’re kicking off Season 7 with our friend and Comfort Cases supporter, Bob Dalton — founder of Sackcloth & Ashes, the company behind stunning Italian-made blankets. For every blanket sold, one is donated to a local shelter. Bob and his team have already given countless blankets to Comfort Cases, and we couldn’t be more grateful.


    In this episode, Rob and Bob dive into:

    Why community matters now more than ever

    How Sackcloth & Ashes is transforming giving with a one-for-one model

    Bob’s exciting new app LOCL, designed to reconnect us with our neighbors, groups, and events nearby


    💡 More About Bob:

    Bob Dalton is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and social designer on a mission to reclaim human connection in the digital age. Named a Forbes Changemaker and CNN Champion of Change, he’s donated hundreds of thousands of blankets through Sackcloth & Ashes and now, through LOCL, is building digital tools to help people connect locally.


    📌 Learn More:

    🌐 sackclothandashes.com

    🌐 locl.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    19 m
  • Resilience, Recovery & Foster Care Reform | Lara Love Hardin & Jennifer Perry | Fostering Change
    Aug 26 2025

    Welcome to our final Best of Summer episode of Fostering Change! 🌟 Next week kicks off Season 7 (premiering Tuesday, September 2) and—by popular demand—we’re back to WEEKLY episodes.


    This week, Rob Scheer is joined by:

    👩‍💼 Jennifer Perry – Co-Founder of FosterMore & Executive Director of Children’s Action Network

    📚 Lara Love Hardin – FosterMorey Award Winner & New York Times bestselling author of The Many Lives of Mama Love (an Oprah Book Club pick!)


    Lara opens up about her journey through addiction, incarceration, and the painful separation from her children—and how she rebuilt her life through resilience, recovery, and storytelling. Together, Rob, Jennifer, and Lara shine a light on the foster care system, the power of second chances, and the urgent need to support youth in care.


    🎧 Listen & Subscribe:

    YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | wherever you get your podcasts!


    💬 Share your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear from you!

    📅 Don’t miss it: In honor of National Foster Care Awareness Month, new episodes will be released every Tuesday in May.


    🌐 Learn more & support our mission: www.comfortcases.org


    📌 More Information:

    Children’s Action Network

    FosterMore


    📱 Follow & Connect:

    Children’s Action Network: Instagram @childrensactionnetwork | X @childrensaction | Facebook Children’s Action Network

    FosterMore: Instagram @foster_more | X @fostermore | Facebook FosterMore


    Lara Love Hardin: Instagram @laralovehardin | Facebook Lara Love Hardin

    📖 Get Lara’s book, The Many Lives of Mama Love, at your favorite bookstore.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    34 m
  • The Power of Giving Back: Jamie Truman’s Mission to Change Lives | Best of Fostering Change
    Aug 12 2025

    "When good people get together, great things happen." – Jamie Truman

    In this Best of Fostering Change episode, Rob Scheer sits down with Jamie Truman of Truman Charities, an organization dedicated to helping both local and national charities — including Comfort Cases — by hosting multiple fundraising events each year. The best part? 100% of the funds raised go directly to the charities they support.


    Over the past 15 years, Jamie and her husband Jerry have helped raise more than $2 million for various causes. Jamie is also the author of Vanishing Fathers: The Ripple Effect on Tomorrow's Generation, a #1 Amazon Best New Release, with all proceeds benefiting charities supporting at-risk youth.


    In this inspiring conversation, we discuss:


    The power of giving back to your community

    How Truman Charities creates a meaningful impact

    The vital role fathers play in shaping future generations

    Jamie also hosts The Truman Charities Podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts.


    Learn more about Jamie & Truman Charities:

    📚 Order her book: Vanishing Fathers on Amazon

    🌐 Website: trumancharities.com

    📸 Instagram: @jamie_trumancharities

    📍 Facebook: trumancharities

    💼 LinkedIn: jamietruman

    ✉️ Email: info@trumancharities.com


    If you enjoyed this episode, please like, share, and subscribe! Have a guest suggestion or feedback? Email us at info@comfortcases.org.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    19 m
  • The Urgent Truth About Foster Care & LGBTQ+ Families | Fostering Change: Best Of!
    Jul 15 2025

    Welcome back to a special Best of Fostering Change episode!


    This week, we revisit a powerful conversation originally aired in March, featuring two changemakers in the world of child welfare and LGBTQ+ advocacy: Kate Trambitskaya, CEO of Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children, and Brian Rosenberg, founder of GWK Academy Family Building.

    Join host Rob Scheer for an honest and urgent discussion about how federal cutbacks are impacting foster youth, LGBTQ+ families, and other vulnerable communities—and how you can help make a difference.


    🔍 Why This Episode Matters:

    💡 Kate Trambitskaya is a returning guest who continues to lead efforts that support expectant mothers, children in institutional care overseas, and adoptees here in the U.S.


    🌈 Brian Rosenberg introduces the future of GWK Academy—expanding from supporting gay and queer men to serving all LGBTQ+ individuals in their family-building journeys starting March 2025.


    🛠️ How You Can Help:

    🔥 Don’t just listen—take action.

    💬 Leave a comment or question below.

    ❤️ Like, share, and subscribe to spread the message.

    📩 Contact us at: fosteringchange@comfortcases.org

    🌐 Learn more at: https://www.comfortcases.org


    📲 Connect with Our Guests:

    Spence-Chapin Services to Families and Children

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/spencechapin

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencechapinsvc/

    Twitter/X: https://x.com/spencechapinsvc

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/71342/


    GWK Academy / Gays With Kids

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GaysWithKids

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gays_with_kids

    Instagram (GWK Academy): https://www.instagram.com/gwkacademy

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GWK

    LinkedIn (Brian Rosenberg): https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrrosenberg/


    🎧 Subscribe for more powerful conversations that lead to real, lasting chang

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    25 m
  • The Croc King: Meet the Man with 3,000+ Pairs of Crocs with a Connection to Foster Care!
    Jul 1 2025

    Happy July and welcome back to a Best Of episode of Fostering Change! In this lively and heartwarming conversation, host Rob Scheer reconnects with fan-favorite Doogie Sandtiger, also known as The Croc King — a man with a passion for comfort and color who has collected over 3,000 pairs of Crocs.


    You may have seen Doogie on The Today Show or follow him on social media. But beyond the viral Croc fame, Doogie's story is deeply personal. Like Rob — and many youth in foster care — Doogie never learned how to tie his shoes as a child. That’s where Crocs became more than footwear — they became a symbol of independence and identity.


    This episode is not just fun (we promise it is!), but it also delves into the real-life challenges faced by youth in foster care and how individuals like Rob and Doogie are working to make a difference.


    👉 Know someone who should be a guest on Season 7 of Fostering Change?

    Email us at: info@comfortcases.org


    🔗 Follow Doogie “The Croc King” on Social Media:

    📘 Facebook: facebook.com/doogielicious

    📸 Instagram: instagram.com/doogielish

    🎵 TikTok: tiktok.com/@hardcroclife4me


    💙 Thank you for listening and supporting Fostering Change!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    22 m