Season 3, Episode 47Title: “Your direction is more important than your speed.”Subtitle: From Surviving to Serving: Reclaiming Purpose Through Pain In this deeply moving episode of the Resilient Voices & Beyond Podcast, host Michael D. Davis-Thomas (MDDTSpeaks) sits down with Andrea Atkins—a single mother of four, foster care alumni, and child welfare specialist—for an unfiltered, soul-stirring conversation about survival, motherhood, healing, and the audacity to rewrite your own narrative. With raw vulnerability and unwavering strength, Andrea shares her journey through the foster care system—beginning with removal at age four, adoption at ten, and ultimately a disrupted adoption that led her to find family in unexpected places. But this isn’t just a story about trauma. It’s a testimony of intentional healing, of learning to embrace authenticity after years of masking pain, and of turning personal wounds into a mission of service. Now a child welfare professional, Andrea doesn’t just occupy space in the system—she’s reshaping it. Fueled by lived experience and maternal wisdom, she advocates for youth who feel voiceless and unseen, helping to create trauma-informed spaces rooted in dignity, empathy, and care. This episode unpacks the messy, miraculous in-between: the tension of healing while serving, the weight of single motherhood, and the power in moving forward—not fast, but faithfully. Key Themes Covered:Growing up in and aging out of the foster care systemNavigating disrupted adoption, identity loss, and cultural disconnectionBreaking cycles and reclaiming voice through motherhoodThe unspoken pressures of “beating the statistics”From performance to purpose: why healing is the real workSystemic gaps in child welfare and the role of lived experience expertsSelf-forgiveness, therapy, and the slow walk toward wholenessThe power of proximity in advocacy and why small actions matterWhether you’re a parent, professional, survivor, or simply someone navigating life’s unpredictable terrain—this episode will meet you right where you are. Andrea’s story is proof that your pain is not pointless, your pace is not your identity, and your past doesn’t disqualify your purpose.Guest: Andrea AtkinsFoster Care Alumni | Child Welfare Specialist | Advocate | Boy Mom of 4

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