HALLIE: ON SINGLE MOMHOOD + SUPPORTING FOSTER FAMILIES + SERVING AS A CASA
Hallie Graves is a single foster mama of one baby boy. She's new to foster parenting, but she's got a whole lotta foster care experience under her belt. This week, we talk all about single momhood: the naysayers, the unique difficulties (and blessings!), the necessary support system. Hallie shares great thoughts about how to help foster families and, more importantly, how to offer to help. We also chat all the other roles she's served within the foster system, from guardian ad litem to CASA to mentor. And, you know, as always, we digress into Chick-fil-A and Kimmy Schmidt and the like. It's a good one.
• The intro song, The Source, is brought to you by one of the best new worship bands out there, The Evidence. Yes, the frontman is my (talented, brilliant, adorable, Jesus-loving) cousin. No, that's not why I love them.
• Hallie's photos above are taken by the artist, advocated, and newly adoptive mama, Whitney Runyon. If you don't follow @thearchibaldproject on Instagram, get on it.
• Earlier this year, I was inspired by my fellow foster mamas who are going it alone, and wrote A Love Letter to Single Foster + Adoptive Moms. It starts "You are my hero..."
• For more specific ideas on how to serve foster and adoptive families, check out Visiting Orphans: Caring for Foster Children by Caring for Foster Families.
• Hallie served as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for foster children. Learn more about serving as a CASA. Read about becoming a CASA or serving foster children in other ways.
• Polished is a community of young, professional women who gather together to share faith and career. Hallie is the director of Polished Austin. If you're in Austin, check out her chapter. If you're in Texas, check out the other chapters of Polished.
• In true mom fashion, Hallie's eating Chick-fil-A. Just found out my new office space neighbor is a Chick-fil-A owner/operator, so I'll be hitting that up ASAP.
• Hallie shared that she and her friends "nerd out" over social justice books. Her most recent reads was The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. I've been wanting to read this since I saw Netflix's 13th (check out the trailer below).
• Hallie's most recent fiction pick is The Time Inbetween.
• Podcasts are Hallie's listening choice. She likes Typology (our last guest, Krystle, shared this one, too. She's an ENFP. I'm an ESFP. We get each other.), The Popcast, The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey (who, gasp, she's IRL friend with), and Best of Both Worlds (which seems right on topic with our epi this week - juggling work and momming).
