
The Only Way Forward is Back with Jackson TerKeurst
Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption, Foster & Kinship Care
09/10/25
•43m
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Jackson TerKeurst was born in Liberia and by the age of 7 was a war orphan living in dire circumstances. So how did he end up as an entrepreneur, leader, and now author? Join us for an inspirational conversation about identity, overcoming, and redemption from Jackson's new book, The Only Way Forward is Back.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Cultural differences
- How challenges like poverty and food insecurity impacted your first experiences in the States
- How did your trauma manifest in your behavior at home?
- How did your family help heal those impacts?
- Discuss the additional unique challenges that being adopted as a teenager may have presented during your early months and years in your new family.
- Discuss how you’ve worked on answering "Who Am I?" across the chapters of your life?
- What were the helpful or healing experiences that went into pulling all those parts of your identity together to create today’s Jackson TerKuerst, husband, father, son, brother, entrepreneur, and now author?
- What would you say to parents or caregivers who are in the thick of it right now, walking with a child who is struggling to figure out who they are and where they belong?
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Previous Episode

Travel Restrictions When Fostering - Weekend Wisdom
September 6, 2025
•8m
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Question: Are there travel restrictions when you are fostering? For example, my family lives out of state, but can I bring the child with me when I travel to visit family?
Resources:
- Working as Part of a Foster Care Team
- Working with the Birth Parents for the Child's Best Interest
- Becoming a Foster Parent
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
Next Episode

Tips for Managing Your Picky Eater - Weekend Wisdom
September 13, 2025
•13m
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Today, we are tackling a question that comes up a lot for parents and caregivers in our community – what do you do with a picky eater?
Resources:
- Food Issues
- My Foster Child Only Eats Junk Food
- Practical Solutions to Typical Food Issues with Adopted and Foster Kids
Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.
Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:
- Weekly podcasts
- Weekly articles/blog posts
- Resource pages on all aspects of family building
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