Join the Movement for Family Well-being

Tune in for stories and lessons from the leaders, advocates, and community members who are working from the grassroots to the grasstops to ensure that all families have what they need to thrive.

This podcast is produced by Proximity Design Studio with funding support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. It is not a project of Thriving Families, Safer Children and views expressed are those of hosts and guests, and are not representative of the funders, TFSC partner organizations or the Thriving Families, Safer Children movement.

Listen Now Season 1 Podcasts

Meet Your Host

Valerie Frost

Valerie Frost is a dynamic public speaker, trainer, and advocate with firsthand experience navigating the child welfare system as a parent. With over a decade of teaching early childhood education, she blends her passion for learning with a commitment to supporting families and communities. Valerie focuses on issues such as childcare, education, special needs, family violence, and child welfare. She envisions a world where gaps in well-being are seen as opportunities for support, not risks. Above all, her proudest accomplishment is being a mother to three children, her greatest inspiration.

Latest Episode:

2025-02-14

In this episode, Valerie talks with Marie Zemler Wu and D.L. Moffitt of Foster America about an innovative shift happening in child welfare financing. Marie, Co-founder and Executive Director, and D.L., Fiscal Innovation Specialist, explain how Foster America is reimagining the way we support families by creating a just and equitable alternative to the current […]

All Episodes:

2025-02-14

In this episode, Valerie talks with Marie Zemler Wu and D.L. Moffitt of Foster America about an innovative shift happening in child welfare financing. Marie, Co-founder and Executive Director, and D.L., Fiscal Innovation Specialist, explain how Foster America is reimagining the way we support families by creating a just and equitable alternative to the current […]

2025-01-30

Valerie talks to Adam Ballout, a public defender and co-founder of the F.I.R.S.T. (Family Intervention Response to Stop Trauma) Legal Clinic in Washington state. The clinic takes an innovative approach by partnering with healthcare providers and community organizations to offer free legal advocacy to mothers facing substance use challenges. The goal is to keep mothers […]

2025-01-16

In this episode, we hear from Flo White, a youth organizer and leader with Sasha Bruce Youthwork. Flo shares her powerful journey from experiencing homelessness to becoming a leader within the organization and a key advocate for youth in Washington, DC. Her story is one of resilience, growth, and empowerment, as she navigated the challenges […]


Why Should You Listen?

Engaging

Episodes will focus on different topics and feature stories from local community sites that make the family well-being movement real and personal. Topics include the importance of lived expertise and power sharing, racial equity, and policy and practice innovations.

Educational

Each episode will unpack the topic from the perspective of what can be learned from the challenges and the successes. Movements don’t happen overnight and community and family well-being is complex. However, we can learn and grow from the experiences of others.

Actionable

The goal of each episode is to leave you with something that you can take back into your own community to grow the movement.

Join the Movement

Join the movement by listening, learning, and activating within your own community. Share the show with your colleagues, friends, and anyone in your community who can join with you in supporting families.

Subscribe to the Podcast

Where to Listen?

Apple Podcast Spotify

In addition to our site partners across the country, the following people and organizations have come together to show that it is possible to fundamentally rethink how America protects children and supports families.