Episode 82 - Nicole Barlow
Mending Families is hosted by Melissa Pemberton and she brings you weekly content that is a mix of trauma aware interviews, parenting tips for those caring for kids from adversity, and stories from people just like you as they share their beautiful messy moments. Melissa hopes that when you listen each week, you will feel encouraged, inspired and take a little something away to help you and your family move from broken to mended.
In this episode, Nicole shares about her journey into foster care and adoption, and her experiences as a foster parent and foster parent trainer. She also discussed the importance of self-care and trauma-informed practices for foster and adoptive parents, with Nicole emphasizing the need for parents to prioritize their well-being to better support their children.
Nicole Barlow is a mom to six kids—five of whom she adopted as a sibling group through foster care. She is a parent trainer who encourages and equips foster and adoptive parents and a certified wellness coach who helps parents be at their best so they can parent well. Her foundation for all her work is her faith and love for Jesus, which she believes is essential for navigating the challenges of foster care and adoption.
You can find Nicole on Instagram or check out her website nicolebarlow.com
A big THANK YOU to our new sponsor, West Plains Roasters! If you have not stopped by to see them, pop in 7 days a week and get yourself some toast, coffee, or even cake on Fridays!
Topics Nicole mentions:
*One-on-one time with your kids can make a big difference with connection.
*Finding our “people” and support to provide co-regulation so we don’t try to get that from our kids
*When we neglect our physical health, it makes it difficult to implement strategies that we believe in
*Staying hydrated, planning ahead for nutritious food, and moving your body are all ways to start making positive changes
*Check out this episode of Mel Robbins podcast that Melissa references
*If you are more easily agitated, fatigued all the time, or overstimulated more often than not, these might be signs that you need to make some changes
*Foster Parent Well podcast is Nicole’s podcast…check it out!
*The Connected Child and The Connected Parent are both books that Nicole recommends
*The Hope for the Journey conference has a focus on TBRI and is a great resource for parents parenting kids from hard
*Grab yourself a pair of dumbbells to start on your journey of self-care and healing your body
**As an Amazon affiliate, I do receive a small commission when you purchase any of the products I have linked in this post**
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