TW: While Joan does not go into specific details, this episode does contain mentions of her experiences of abuse, and we wanted you to be aware of that before listening.
Our guests often share the traumatic memories their experiences in life have left them with. But today’s guest shares what it’s like for there to be pieces missing when she tries to recall her past.
Joan Ulsher is a writer, philanthropist, retired U.S. Army Major, and an award-winning child advocate. During her own childhood, Joan survived abuse and experienced the foster care system firsthand. Today, she says many of her formative years feel like “Swiss cheese” because of all the holes in her memory.
Joan tells her story in a memoir entitled Misplaced Childhood: A True Story of Resiliency and Child Advocacy.
In this conversation, you’ll hear how Joan has navigated her mind blocking out childhood memories, how her advocacy efforts have changed her inner narrative from that of a victim to that of a survivor, how finding Christ has given her life new purpose, and so much more.
Show Notes: https://theforgotteninitiative.org/joan-ulsher-227/
Free Video Resource: Foster Care & the Church -- www.fostercare.church
Episode 106: Two Sides Of Reunification: A Dad and a Foster Mom
Episode 105: Raising a Multiracial Family as a Black Foster Dad
Episode 104: Seeing the Beauty in Diversity
Episode 103: The New Foster Parent Experience
Episode 102: My Spouse Isn’t Ready to Be a Foster Parent
Episode 101: Entering Foster Care and Confronting Sexual Abuse
Episode 100: Spotting Child Abuse and Neglect after COVID-19
BONUS: Big Family Dynamics: Thriving in a Supersized Family
Episode 99: The Battle for Control in Foster Care: A Life Surrendered to God
Episode 98: Life with Infertility: Considering the Jump into Foster Care
Episode 97: Connecting With Your Spouse: Setting Priority As Foster Parents
Episode 96: Meeting Your Biological Parent: Expectations, Joys, and Disappointments
Episode 95: The Summer Struggle: Establishing Routine for Your Foster or Adoptive Family
Episode 94: When Your Children Don’t Look Like You: Understanding Black Hair Care
Episode 93: Moved From Relative to Relative: A Journey Toward Healing After Trauma
Episode 92: When You Can’t Step Away: Life After Foster Parenting
Episode 91: When Obedience Leads to Growth: Stepping Out in Faith as a Dad and Husband
Episode 90: When Foster Care Leads to Adoption: Processing Big Emotions
Episode 89: Caring for Teens in Foster Care: The Story of One Teenage Mom
Episode 88: From Teacher to Parent: Fictive Kin in Foster Care
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