{"podcast":{"title":"From Foster to Forever","slug":"from-foster-to-forever-6781182","podcast_index_feed_id":6781182,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/from-foster-to-forever/","website_url":"https://www.fromfoster2forever.com/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/c59e6602-0030-4ccd-9c75-05cc29d4bd24/FFtF1500-2.jpg","author":"Rachel Fulginiti","episode_count":45,"summary":"There are many ways to build your family. Fostering-to-adopt is not the easiest, but it's a beautiful and profoundly impactful thing to do. Join Rachel Fulginiti, creative multi-hyphenate and two-time foster to adopt mom, as she shares her own story and the stories of others who have successfully navigated the foster care system and created their forever families through adoption. We explore the complex journey, touching on subjects like welcoming newborns or older children into your home, resiliency through loss and heartbreak, transracial adoption, special needs, co-parenting through a divorce, and more. We also amplify the voices of adult adoptees, who can teach us so much through their lived experience. If you've ever considered fostering and/or adoption, experienced it first-hand, or are simply curious to learn more, this show is for you.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/from-foster-to-forever-6781182"},"episode":{"title":"Embracing the Unexpected in Foster Care with Nikki Zakocs","slug":"embracing-the-unexpected-in-foster-care-with-nikki-zakocs","published_at":"2026-01-20T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/from-foster-to-forever-6781182/embracing-the-unexpected-in-foster-care-with-nikki-zakocs","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/from-foster-to-forever-6781182","url":"https://www.fromfoster2forever.com/","audio_url":"https://pdcn.co/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/aa99ae44-499d-4641-b204-a1191c4324f2.mp3","summary":"Flexibility and openness are the name of the game when it comes to fostering and adopting, and our guest, Nikki, really drives that point home today. She’s got a heartwarming story about her journey through foster care, navigating the ups and downs with grace and humor. From dealing with unexpected placements straight out of the hospital to fostering a medically fragile baby, Nikki shares the real scoop on what it’s like to open your home and heart to kids in need. We also dive into how her family adapted, the community support that came through in spades, and the bittersweet moments of attachment and letting go. So, grab your headphones and settle in for a chat that’s not just insightful but also sprinkled with wit and wisdom—perfect for anyone curious about the foster care world! Diving into the heart of foster care and adoption, we chat with Nikki Zakocs, an audiobook narrator and former foster mom who shares her journey through the often chaotic but incredibly rewarding world of fostering. From the moment she and her husband decided to open their home to children in need, Nikki emphasizes the importance of flexibility and an open mind. With three biological kids already in tow, they embarked on a deeply personal journey that began with a lot of research and conversations about what it means to be a foster family. She candidly recounts her initial hopes of adopting internationally, only to discover that the path to foster-to-adopt was not just feasible, but also filled with unexpected joys and challenges. Nikki paints a vivid picture of her first placement, a newborn baby girl who arrived just days after they were licensed, and the whirlwind of emotions that came with it, including the overwhelming feeling of court appearances and the reality of potentially having t…","meta_description":"Flexibility and openness are the name of the game when it comes to fostering and adopting, and our guest, Nikki, really drives that point home today. She’…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2807,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/from-foster-to-forever-6781182/episodes/embracing-the-unexpected-in-foster-care-with-nikki-zakocs/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/from-foster-to-forever-6781182/embracing-the-unexpected-in-foster-care-with-nikki-zakocs.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}