Every child needs someone who won’t walk away | Trish Zenczak & Maddie Harris

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What does it mean to be the steady ground a child needs when life gets hard?

After nearly five years of Healing Hearts, we're beginning a new chapter as Steady Ground Parenting—a podcast for parents raising children through hard seasons. But this rebrand goes beyond a new name. Rooted in the same belief that drives Speak Up For Kids, it's a deeper reflection of the work we've been doing all along: helping children and families impacted by foster care, trauma, adoption, and family disruption find the support, connection, and stability they need to grow. When we speak up and show up for children, we change lives.

In this episode, we hear from two people whose lives have been shaped by foster care. Trish Zenczak, Director of Training and Impact at Speak Up for Kids, shares her story of growing up in foster care and how that experience shaped her work advocating for children, becoming a foster parent, and eventually adopting. She also explains the programs and community efforts through which Speak Up for Kids is mitigating trauma and cultivating self-worth in the lives of kids living in foster care.

Then, Maddie Harris shares what it was like to experience foster care as a child, move through multiple homes, and eventually find stability with the family who adopted her. Her story shows what children in foster care need from the adults around them, and how consistency, encouragement, and simply refusing to walk away can change a child's life.

These stories show that being steady ground doesn't mean always having everything figured out. It means showing up, listening, believing in a child, and finding practical ways to remind them that they matter. That’s what it means to be the steady ground your child needs to grow.

In This Episode:

• Why we're becoming Steady Ground Parenting
• Trish's experience growing up in foster care and how it shaped her life's work
• What foster care can feel like for a child experiencing uncertainty and change
• Why children impacted by foster care should be seen for who they are, not what they’ve gone through
• How consistency and stability can help children learn to trust again
• What Maddie's experience can teach parents about showing up for kids in their lives
• The programs Speak Up for Kids uses to support children and families
• The impact volunteers, students, and communities have on kids living in foster care
• Why small moments of encouragement can build confidence, belonging, and hope
• What it really means to become the steady ground a child can depend on

This is the beginning of Steady Ground Parenting. If you've been with us through Healing Hearts, thank you for continuing with us. If you're new here, welcome. We're here to help parents and caregivers feel more prepared to support children through hard seasons, giving them practical tools, tips, and strategies to become steady ground.

Resources & Support:
📩 parents@speakupforkidspbc.org
📷 @speakupforkidspbc
🌐 speakupforkidspbc.org/steady-ground-parenting
📅 Local to Palm Beach? See our events: speakupforkidspbc.org/events

Want to be featured?
🎙️ parents@speakupforkidspbc.org