Welcome to the Called To Love Podcast.

In this powerful episode, I am fortunate enough to welcome back advocate, speaker, author, and foster mom Tori Hope Petersen. Drawing from her journey through foster homes, aging out of the system at 18, and overcoming labels like "self-sabotager," Tori shares how destructive patterns rooted in past trauma can be recognized and broken.

This conversation dives into the challenges of foster and adoptive parenting, offering encouragement to love and guide children in survival mode with grace and perseverance. Tori emphasizes the importance of living with integrity, proclaiming biblical truth over oneself and others, and trusting God’s timing for healing. We also explore why dysfunction often feels familiar, the power of rewriting personal narratives, and how to embrace healthy relationships with resilience and faith.

Whether you’re a foster or adoptive parent or navigating personal challenges, this episode offers wisdom, practical tools, and faith-filled encouragement to break free from cycles that hold you back and embrace a life of hope and healing.

To learn more about Tori, her work, and her resources click here.

You can also purchase her book Fostered or preorder her upcoming book Breaking the Patterns That Break You.

She is on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok with the handle @ToriHopePetersen.

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called To Love Podcast.

In this powerful and heartfelt episode, I get to dive into a topic of deep significance: the sanctity of life and the journey of redemption after abortion. I am joined by Robin Gerblick who is the founder of the Exodus Women’s Retreat, author of Giving Up Grace, and an adoptive mom.

Robin candidly shares her journey from a point of crisis, navigating feelings of abandonment and loss, to finding profound healing through faith, grace, and forgiveness. We discuss the emotional, physical, and spiritual consequences of abortion, shedding light on the real struggles women face and the importance of creating a safe, grace-filled space for them to heal. Robin also shares practical insights for adoptive and foster parents seeking to minister to women in crisis and children from difficult backgrounds.

This episode is a call to Christian parents to understand the complexities women face in times of crisis and explore how to extend grace-filled support. Whether you carry abortion as part of your story, or you're parenting children touched by these realities, Robin’s testimony is a beacon of hope and a reminder of the redemptive power of God’s love.

You can learn more about Robin and her work here.

Her book Giving Up Grace: A Spiritual Rebranding of the Soul can be found on a wide variety of sites such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Redemptive Press.

Other resources mentioned include the Exodus Women’s Retreat and Focus on the Family Post-Abortion Resources.

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this powerful episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Bradley Pierce, attorney and co-founder of Abolish Abortion Texas, to discuss the church’s role in addressing the issue of abortion. We explore the challenges faced by pro-life advocates, the importance of equal protection legislation, and how the body of Christ can truly step up to make a difference for the unborn.

Bradley unpacks the resistance to equal protection laws, even within pro-life circles, and shares insights from his experience drafting and advocating for abolitionist legislation across the U.S. We highlight practical ways Christians can engage, from educating themselves and influencing legislation to supporting families and fostering meaningful conversations within their communities.

This episode is a call to action for believers to live as "living sacrifices" and step boldly into their role as defenders of life. Whether it’s advocating for change in the legal system or offering tangible support to families, everyone has a part to play in this fight for life.

Let’s move from simply saying we are pro-life to living it out with conviction, compassion, and purpose.

You can watch the "Abortion-Free" docuseries here to learn more about the current state of abortion, biblical perspectives, and actionable steps for individuals and churches.

Learn more about Bradley Pierce and his work at Abolish Abortion Texas or Foundation to Abolish Abortion.

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Nicole Wilke, author and director at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Center on Applied Research for Vulnerable Children and Families. Nicole helps to explore the powerful intersection of scripture and science in building resilience in children and families.

Her passion for helping vulnerable children and connecting research with frontline practice shines through as she discusses her new book, Overcoming: What Scripture and Science Say About Resilience. We discuss practical ways for parents, caregivers, and communities to become agents of change and support children through adversity.

Nicole's books are available for purchase from Amazon or the Christian Alliance for Orphans page.

Here's where you can learn more about Nicole and the Christian Alliance for Orphans.

She is also present on Linkedin and Instagram.

So glad you're here to join us! You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

As 2024 comes to a close, Somer wants to highlight one of the best episodes from this year -- in case you missed it!

Often people think infertility leads to adoption. It isn't always the case, but it can be for some. Joined with Somer on the podcast are authors Jenn Hesse and Kelley Ramsey who were connected from miles apart thanks to social media. They both share similar infertility stories which is what dawned their friendship and eventually collaborating on this book, "Waiting in Hope: 31 Reflections for Walking with God Through Infertility"

In this episode, they tackle the emotional rollercoaster that is infertility. There is hope and there is pain, and it can be isolating. Kelley and Jenn remind us how important marriage is, community, and leaning into God who has the plan we may not understand.

Something beautiful can come from this grief, and something beautiful can also be different from what we expect.

So glad you're here to join us!

You can email your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

Somer would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you a monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

As 2024 comes to a close, Somer wants to share the best from this year. This episode is a 2024 highlight, to make sure you didn't miss it! The conversation is about how hard isn't the same as bad, and we all know how hard adoption and foster care is.

Joined with Somer on this insightful conversation is the author "M is for Mama" Abbie Halberstadt. Abbie is the busy mom of ten kiddos who also finds time to encourage Christian mamas in their calling of motherhood. As moms, we are laying the foundation for our kids to know Christ; it is a heavy responsibility but one we can do with God on our side.

Somer and Abbie talk about the hardship of parenting, and how that relates to adoption and foster care. Whether you're parenting adopted, foster, or your own biological children, its all hard! And hard is where God grows us.

So glad you're here to join us!

Link to:

Abbie's Instagram

Abbie's website

Abbie's new book "Hard is Not the Same as Bad"

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

This is a special episode where Somer shares clips from the five most downloaded, most popular episodes from Called to Love thus far:

1. Reframing Your Mindset As A Christian Adoptive Parent: Reflect on Your Calling
2. Lessons Learned in Our Adoption Journey with Somer & Corey
3. Everything You Need to Know from an Adoption Attorney (featuring Lucrece Bundy)
4. Listener Q & A: Am I Really Called to Adopt or Foster?
5. Understanding God's Heart for Adoption and Foster Care with Tim Wolkiewicz

As the year closes, it is the perfect time to reflect on everything God has done and God has done great things for this podcast. Somer hopes and prays this show has been a blessing for you and a valuable resource! She is crafting a series for 2025 titled, "The Lies Adoptive and Foster Parents Believe" and she needs your help! Submit that "lie" the enemy is whispering in your ear so Somer can help point you towards God's truth.

You can email your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

Somer wants to connect with you on Instagram or send you her monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast.

In this episode, I am focused on talking about our neurodivergent kiddos, whether they're our biological ones, adopted, or being fostered. "Neurodivergent" has been a popular term in the past few years but what does it mean? And how do we love our kids well when we struggle to understand them? I explore all of this and other ways to regulate the big feelings and much more in this episode.

And please reach out to me with your questions, comments, and especially your "lies" that you've experienced as an adoptive or foster parent, for a series I am doing in the New Year.

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I'd love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!