7 kids.

S-E-V-E-N.

Kalista and I went to school together. For the most part, we have been out of touch until we reconnected on good ol' Facebook. To my surprise, Kalista and her husband were blessed with a big and beautiful family - but that wasn't all. They had also decided to become Foster parents ( a term Kalista isn't particularly fond of) to children in Saskatoon.
For months I've read her stories about the highs and lows on opening her home to multiple babies, and after a while it wasn't enough for me to comment on her posts and occasionally send her a DM praising her humanitarian work.

I wanted to know her story....and share it.

Typically I've only made these interviews 30 mins tops, but I couldn't stop talking to Kalista. I'll be honest with you folks....I was holding back tears during the entire interview. Kalista reeeeeaaaallly got me deep in my feelings.
You could feel her love and Mama fierceness through the screen and I wanted her to say everything she needed to about Foster care and why more people should consider it.

We talked for 55 minutes. Seriously, we could have gone on for another hour or two.

So I ask you to watch both of these videos. If you could binge watch 9 hours of Netflix, you could watch (2) 25min interviews.

I encourage you to click the links and read more about Foster care and see how you can help.
www.fcsllg.ca
I also encourage you to share this blog. Like Kalista said, there are so many misconceptions about Foster care. The more we talk about it, the more support, understanding, and awareness we can create.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadian-foster-care-in-crisis-experts-say-1.1250543

Thank you, Kalista, for sharing your story.
Thank you for being an extraordinary human being.
Thank you for letting these children have a fair shot.

*TRIGGER WARNING. Parts of this interview talks about events that may be sensitive to viewers.*

It's amazing how the Universe brings people together. I first met Melanie while I was 'slaying the mic' at a gala and later connected with her when she decided to take my 'Slay The Mic Program'. While working together, we focused on amplifying Melanie's voice - teaching her how to give herself permission to use it because she definitely had something to say. 

Never did I believe she'd trust me enough to tell me this.

I don't want to give away the entire interview but believe me when I say it's worth watching. 

Dear Melanie: THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY. Thank you for sharing it with me, with survivors, and those who need to be encouraged to speak out. Thank you for STILL helping others while you continue to heal.

Thank you.

Please be sure to subscribe, connect, and share.

Much love,
Jam

Meet Maria.

A language teacher currently based in Ireland.

During the day, Maria teaches her students how to speak Spanish.

During the night, Maria takes pole dancing lessons.

Did your eyes pop out a bit as you read that?

Why? Think about that for a moment.

Female Educators sometimes struggle with having personal lives especially if it doesn't reflect a wholesome- let me read you a children's story - and make playdough ... image.   

Major kudos to my international friend, Maria, for being the first person to share her story with me. I certainly hope you enjoy watching it as much I enjoyed taping it!