Pause and Think
by Aixa de López & Jackie Darby
Latest episode
Grief and Gratitude in Adoption
Grief and Gratitude in Adoption
About this podcast
Let’s pause and think! Join us for honest conversations about adoption and parenting, as we lament, encourage, give hope and explore our true identity and worth in Christ.
For more information go to: www.whoseami.org
Episodes
The newest 20 of 51 episodes
- Grief and Gratitude in Adoption · 26 min · Season 3 Episode 39Can an adoptee feel deeply grateful for their life while simultaneously grieving what was lost? Jackie Darby and guest Dr. Mary Ann McMillan, author and professor, dive deep into…
- Redeeming the Hard Things: Research, Resilience, and the Power of Belonging · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 38How does God take what was meant for harm and turn it into something used for good? On this episode of Pause and Think, host Aixa connects with Dr. Nicole Wilkie to explore the…
- Growing Up with 70 Foster Siblings: A Biological Daughter's Story · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 37What is it like to grow up in a family that fostered and adopted more than 70 children? Dr. Nicole Wilkie shares her remarkable story as the biological daughter of foster and…
- From Silence to Strength: Adult Adoptees Finding Their Voice · 22 min · Season 3 Episode 36Healing isn't a destination—it's a journey best traveled with others. In this episode, Jackie and Aixa reflect on six years of walking alongside adult adoptees in a…
- The Primal Wound: An Adoption Conversation That Will Stay With You · 37 min · Season 3 Episode 35Why do so many adoptees struggle with rejection, identity, and belonging—even in loving homes? In this vulnerable and eye-opening episode, Jackie and licensed therapist Irene Kim…
- Postpartum Healing & the Sacred Calling of Motherhood · 33 min · Season 3 Episode 34In this deeply moving episode of Pause & Think Podcast, the conversation explores the science, soul, and sacred responsibility of motherhood. Joined by Irene Kim, this episode…
- "I'd Choose You Again" : The Words Every Adopted Child Needs to Hear · 30 min · Season 3 Episode 33What happens when adoption is celebrated instead of kept secret? Cambria's story is a moving testimony of openness, healing, and unconditional love. From "gotcha days" to…
- Name Changes: Healing or Harmful? · 22 min · Season 3 Episode 32Adoption often brings new beginnings—but what happens when those beginnings include a new name? Jackie and Aixa have an honest discussion about identity, healing, family…
- Not an Orphan: Rediscovering Identity Through Adoption and Faith · 39 min · Season 3 Episode 31In this episode of Pause & Think, Jackie Darby sits down with Stephanie Fast to explore adoption, trauma, and the lifelong journey of healing. Together, they unpack powerful…
- Abandoned at a Train Station: Stephanie Fast's Story of Survival · 38 min · Season 3 Episode 30Stephanie Fast's life began with abandonment, uncertainty, and survival on the streets of Korea. In this deeply personal conversation with Jackie Darby, she shares how being left…
- Called to Love Across Cultures: Adoption, Identity, and Raising a Child Between Two Cultures · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 29In this episode of Pause & Think, we sits down with Marlena Smith to discuss what it means to raise an adopted child with roots in two cultures? Marlena reflect on a deeply…
- The Sleeping Giant: Rethinking Orphan Care Through the Local Church · 30 min · Season 3 Episode 28In this episode Aixa sits down with longtime friends Chad and Marlena Smith to explore a radically different vision for missions and orphan care. Drawing from their years living…
- Choosing Love Daily: An Adoptive Mom's Journey Through Attachment and Grace · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 27In this episode of Pause & Think, Aixa sits down with adoptive mom Kristen Williamson for an honest, mom-to-mom conversation about the realities of adopting older children…
- Called to Adopt: Trusting God Through the Waiting · 34 min · Season 3 Episode 26In this episode of Pause & Think, host Jackie Darby talks with Kristen Williamson about her family's faith-filled journey through international adoption. Kristen shares how God…
- Saying Yes: Foster Care, Faith, and the Heart of Advocacy · 23 min · Season 2 Episode 25In this heartfelt episode of Pause & Think, host Jackie Darby sits down once again with advocate and foster mom Caitlyn Baten for an eye-opening conversation on the realities of…
- The Baten Story: Foster Care, Adoption, and a Faithful God · 24 min · Season 2 Episode 24Tim & Caitlyn Baten join us to discuss the joys and complexities of foster care and adoption — the both/and of grief and beauty. They speak on honoring birth parents, raising…
- Home and Heart: Belonging Beyond Borders in Adoption · 24 min · Season 2 Episode 23Pause & Think, hosts Aixa García and Jackie Darby talk openly about adoption — both international and domestic — and what it really means to belong. Aixa shares her experience…
- Attached on Purpose: Facing the Hard and Holy in Foster Care · 23 min · Season 2 Episode 22In this moving continuation of Pause & Think, host Aixa García sits down again with José and Sherry Salazar to tackle one of the most common fears about foster care — "I could…
- Mission as Family: The Salazars' Journey of Faith, Foster Care, and Community · 22 min · Season 2 Episode 21In this heartfelt episode of Pause & Think, host Aixa sits down with José and Sherry Salazar in Guatemala City to explore how God has shaped their family's story through…
- From Foster Child to Adoptive Mom: Kristen Thomas' Incredible Journey · 25 min · Season 2 Episode 20In this inspiring episode of Pause & Think, Kristen Thomas shares her powerful story of transformation—from growing up in foster care to becoming an adoptive mom. Kristen opens…
