What happens when family steps in—not because they have to, but because love pulls them in?

In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend Lori Sofet to talk about her unexpected journey into kinship care. When she said yes to caring for her toddler relative, she wasn’t prepared for how hard—and how healing—it would be. Together we unpack the quiet, behind-the-scenes battles of kinship caregivers: the loyalty pulls, the loneliness, and the fierce love that makes it all worth it.

Whether you’ve walked this road or are just now learning what kinship care means, this is a powerful story of resilience, identity, and what it really means to reimagine family.

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📚 Learn More About Trauma-Informed Care, TBRI®, and ACEs If you're stepping into foster care, kinship care, or just want to better understand the impact of trauma, these are the resources Lori and I mention on this episode...

🔹 Trauma-Informed Care An approach that recognizes the widespread impact of trauma and creates environments of healing and safety. → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T43zJDgTNPA

🔹 ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) ACEs are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood—like abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction—and they can affect long-term health and development. → ACEs Basics & Quiz: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/index.html → Watch: NPR’s “ACEs Explained” short video