Keep Me In The Light Fri, 20 Mar 2026 02:05:10 -0400 https://www.buzzsprout.com/2542280 en-us © 2026 Keep Me In The Light yes 1212a730-977b-51ae-b423-ae95337eb7cf Katie Welch & JJ Harper episodic false Keep me in the light is a podcast for the weary, the watchful, and those walking through hard seasons, especially through foster care. Together we explore what it means to fight to stay tender in a world that can often harden us. Here we hold space for stories where dark and light collide. 

]]> Buzzsprout (https://www.buzzsprout.com) Katie Welch & JJ Harper https://storage.buzzsprout.com/o5cz2e5bfubsznq31d5lqamok0rr?.jpg Keep Me In The Light S1E10 - What Almost 9 Years of Foster Care Has Taught Us - Katie & Nick Welch S1E10 - What Almost 9 Years of Foster Care Has Taught Us - Katie & Nick Welch In the season 1 finale, Foster Light's founder and Keep Me in The Light's host, Katie Welch, sits down with her husband Nick Welch. They share lesson learned through 8.5 years fostering, the ways it's impacted their marriage, mental health and the ways it's changed them for the good. 

Be sure to get your ticket's for Foster Light's Golden Gala Fundraiser! This super fun event held at Hotel Kansas City on May 31st will be a night filled with dancing to live music, yummy food and drink, incredible auction items - and all proceeds help fund Foster Light's work to be a stabilizing force to foster families, so kids in care leave better than when they entered. 

Get your Golden Gala tickets here!

Follow us on instagram! @fosterlight

Check out our website! www.fosterlight.co


]]> In the season 1 finale, Foster Light's founder and Keep Me in The Light's host, Katie Welch, sits down with her husband Nick Welch. They share lesson learned through 8.5 years fostering, the ways it's impacted their marriage, mental health and the ways it's changed them for the good. 

Be sure to get your ticket's for Foster Light's Golden Gala Fundraiser! This super fun event held at Hotel Kansas City on May 31st will be a night filled with dancing to live music, yummy food and drink, incredible auction items - and all proceeds help fund Foster Light's work to be a stabilizing force to foster families, so kids in care leave better than when they entered. 

Get your Golden Gala tickets here!

Follow us on instagram! @fosterlight

Check out our website! www.fosterlight.co


]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18878167 Fri, 20 Mar 2026 01:00:00 -0500 2591 Foster care, adoption, grief, marriage 1 10 full false S1E9: New Placement Roadmap - Katie & JJ S1E9: New Placement Roadmap - Katie & JJ Ever wondered what the first few hours, days, weeks or months look like when you welcome a new foster placement into your home? Katie and JJ have created a little roadmap for you to follow with tips on how to make those kiddos feel safe and welcomed into your family!

]]> Ever wondered what the first few hours, days, weeks or months look like when you welcome a new foster placement into your home? Katie and JJ have created a little roadmap for you to follow with tips on how to make those kiddos feel safe and welcomed into your family!

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18839460 Fri, 13 Mar 2026 01:00:00 -0500 3068 Foster care, adoption, trauma, grief, hope, faith 1 9 full false S1E8: Thinking about becoming a foster parent? This one is for you! - Katie & JJ S1E8: Thinking about becoming a foster parent? This one is for you! - Katie & JJ Today, Katie & JJ sit down to discuss 5 things they wish they knew before stepping into foster parenting. You'll get a quick crash course on trauma behaviors, how fostering impacts your marriage and other close relationships, and walk away with a list of questions to process through if you're thinking about stepping into foster parenting! They also discuss some ways you can support foster families in your community if it's not your season to say yes yet. 

Questions to work through if you're considering foster parenting:

  •  Why do I want to do foster care? 
  • Am I trying to rescue kids? 
  • Do I have margin for this?
  • How do I typically handle chaos? 
  • Is my marriage and other key relationships stable? 
  • Do I have regulated coping skills? 
  • Can I tolerate ambiguity? 

Visit Foster Light on the web!

Check us out on instagram!

]]> Today, Katie & JJ sit down to discuss 5 things they wish they knew before stepping into foster parenting. You'll get a quick crash course on trauma behaviors, how fostering impacts your marriage and other close relationships, and walk away with a list of questions to process through if you're thinking about stepping into foster parenting! They also discuss some ways you can support foster families in your community if it's not your season to say yes yet. 

Questions to work through if you're considering foster parenting:

  •  Why do I want to do foster care? 
  • Am I trying to rescue kids? 
  • Do I have margin for this?
  • How do I typically handle chaos? 
  • Is my marriage and other key relationships stable? 
  • Do I have regulated coping skills? 
  • Can I tolerate ambiguity? 

Visit Foster Light on the web!

Check us out on instagram!

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18799151 Fri, 06 Mar 2026 01:00:00 -0600 2666 foster care, adoption, grief, trauma 1 8 full false S1E7: From Infertility to Foster Care - JJ Harper S1E7: From Infertility to Foster Care - JJ Harper Today, Katie sits down with KMITL's co-host, JJ Harper, talk about her journey navigating infertility. JJ shares learning about her diagnosis, wrestling with next steps, and ultimately her and her husbands decision to step into the world of foster care. 

Foster Light

@fosterlight.co

]]> Today, Katie sits down with KMITL's co-host, JJ Harper, talk about her journey navigating infertility. JJ shares learning about her diagnosis, wrestling with next steps, and ultimately her and her husbands decision to step into the world of foster care. 

Foster Light

@fosterlight.co

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18715983 Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:00:00 -0600 4019 foster care, adoption, infertility, grief, hope 1 7 full false S1E6: How To Not Die Under Chronic Stress - Katie & JJ S1E6: How To Not Die Under Chronic Stress - Katie & JJ It's no secret that foster parenting is inherently stressful. We're not just talking about hard days, but entires seasons, years, decades of chronic stress! Chronic stress can take an immense toll on your spiritual, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. We don't have all the answers, but Katie & JJ, (two foster mammas) sit down to talk about the lessons they've learned while enduring the chronic stress of foster life. 

fosterlight.co

@fosterlight.co

]]> It's no secret that foster parenting is inherently stressful. We're not just talking about hard days, but entires seasons, years, decades of chronic stress! Chronic stress can take an immense toll on your spiritual, emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. We don't have all the answers, but Katie & JJ, (two foster mammas) sit down to talk about the lessons they've learned while enduring the chronic stress of foster life. 

fosterlight.co

@fosterlight.co

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18673538 Fri, 13 Feb 2026 01:00:00 -0600 4120 foster care, adoption, grief, chronic stress, mental health, faith 1 6 full false S1E5: Grieving Hard Things - Jonathan Kindler, LPC S1E5: Grieving Hard Things - Jonathan Kindler, LPC Our guest today is Jonathan Kindler, a licensed professional counselor, professor, a pastor, a podcast host, dad, husband, former foster parent, and most importantly: Katie's brother! Talking with Jon is amazing because you get both clinical insight and spiritual perspective to conversations about emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Jon has spent more than a decade helping individuals and couples navigate anxiety, trauma, relationships and grief -  always with a blend of compassion and biblical truth and practical wisdom. He serves on faculty at Living Faith Bible Institute where he shapes future counselors, and he's the founder of Sound Mind Counseling in Kansas City.

Jon also hosts the Sound Mind Podcast. There, he explores mental health through a biblical lens. We are so excited to hear from him today, his story as it relates to foster care and the grief that comes with it. 

Jon's counseling practice, Sound Mind

Jon's podcast, Sound Mind

fosterlight.co

@fosterlight


]]> Our guest today is Jonathan Kindler, a licensed professional counselor, professor, a pastor, a podcast host, dad, husband, former foster parent, and most importantly: Katie's brother! Talking with Jon is amazing because you get both clinical insight and spiritual perspective to conversations about emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Jon has spent more than a decade helping individuals and couples navigate anxiety, trauma, relationships and grief -  always with a blend of compassion and biblical truth and practical wisdom. He serves on faculty at Living Faith Bible Institute where he shapes future counselors, and he's the founder of Sound Mind Counseling in Kansas City.

Jon also hosts the Sound Mind Podcast. There, he explores mental health through a biblical lens. We are so excited to hear from him today, his story as it relates to foster care and the grief that comes with it. 

Jon's counseling practice, Sound Mind

Jon's podcast, Sound Mind

fosterlight.co

@fosterlight


]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18633364 Fri, 06 Feb 2026 01:00:00 -0600 3522 foster care, adoption, grief, loss, counseling 1 5 full false S1E4: Growing Up in Foster Care - Zoya Maverick S1E4: Growing Up in Foster Care - Zoya Maverick Katie sits down with Zoya Maverick, a former foster youth, a fierce advocate and tender-hearted voice in the foster care community.

Zoya brings both lived experience and deep compassion to the conversation, sharing honestly about the challenges and the beauty of walking through hard seasons. She's someone who doesn't shy away from the ache, but she also points us back to the light. I can't wait for you to hear her story.

www.fosterlight.co

@fosterlight.co

]]> Katie sits down with Zoya Maverick, a former foster youth, a fierce advocate and tender-hearted voice in the foster care community.

Zoya brings both lived experience and deep compassion to the conversation, sharing honestly about the challenges and the beauty of walking through hard seasons. She's someone who doesn't shy away from the ache, but she also points us back to the light. I can't wait for you to hear her story.

www.fosterlight.co

@fosterlight.co

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18597127 Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:00:00 -0600 2935 foster care, adoption, faith, non-profit 1 4 full false S1E3: Foster Care and Finding Hope After Loss - Rachel Savage S1E3: Foster Care and Finding Hope After Loss - Rachel Savage Today's guest is Rachel Savage, a mom of five, both biologically and through foster care. Rachel has walked through deep grief and has remarkable resilience. After being on the front lines in Afghanistan, becoming a parent, a foster parent, and then walking through the tragic loss of her husband a few years ago, Rachel has continued to parent with extraordinary courage, faith and love. Her story is one of heartbreak and hope: holding onto the light in the middle of pain. She shares with us what it looks like to keep going, to keep showing up for her kids and to keep choosing joy and light in the midst of darkness and sorrow. 

fosterlight.co

https://www.instagram.com/fosterlight.co/

]]> Today's guest is Rachel Savage, a mom of five, both biologically and through foster care. Rachel has walked through deep grief and has remarkable resilience. After being on the front lines in Afghanistan, becoming a parent, a foster parent, and then walking through the tragic loss of her husband a few years ago, Rachel has continued to parent with extraordinary courage, faith and love. Her story is one of heartbreak and hope: holding onto the light in the middle of pain. She shares with us what it looks like to keep going, to keep showing up for her kids and to keep choosing joy and light in the midst of darkness and sorrow. 

fosterlight.co

https://www.instagram.com/fosterlight.co/

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-17925391 Fri, 23 Jan 2026 01:00:00 -0600 3032 Foster care, adoption, widowhood, faith, grief & loss 1 3 full false S1E2: Cancer, Adoption & Foster Care - Danielle Ripley-Burgess S1E2: Cancer, Adoption & Foster Care - Danielle Ripley-Burgess  Today on the show, we are honored to get to talk to one of our Foster Light board members, Danielle Ripley-Burgess. Danielle is a three time cancer survivor, a foster and adoptive parent, and an author. She has a super inspiring story that has been shaped by resilience, and has shifted her into being a pillar of wisdom and courage for so many people. She's created a platform that encourages other people to face unimaginable hardship with hope and faith. We're so excited for you guys to get to be inspired by her incredible story.  

Where you can find Danielle:

https://www.danielleripleyburgess.com/

Foster Light

www.fosterlight.co

@fosterlight.co

]]>  Today on the show, we are honored to get to talk to one of our Foster Light board members, Danielle Ripley-Burgess. Danielle is a three time cancer survivor, a foster and adoptive parent, and an author. She has a super inspiring story that has been shaped by resilience, and has shifted her into being a pillar of wisdom and courage for so many people. She's created a platform that encourages other people to face unimaginable hardship with hope and faith. We're so excited for you guys to get to be inspired by her incredible story.  

Where you can find Danielle:

https://www.danielleripleyburgess.com/

Foster Light

www.fosterlight.co

@fosterlight.co

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18517477 Fri, 16 Jan 2026 01:00:00 -0600 3858 Foster care, adoption, cancer survivor, motherhood, faith, non-profit 1 2 full false S1E1: Welcome to the Pod! w/ Katie & JJ S1E1: Welcome to the Pod! w/ Katie & JJ It's finally the day! Come listen to the first episode of Keep Me In The Light, where Katie & JJ discuss what you can expect from the podcast, what they wish they would have known before jumping into their foster parent journey, and, of course, what's helping them to feel human these days. 

@fosterlight.co

]]> It's finally the day! Come listen to the first episode of Keep Me In The Light, where Katie & JJ discuss what you can expect from the podcast, what they wish they would have known before jumping into their foster parent journey, and, of course, what's helping them to feel human these days. 

@fosterlight.co

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18475416 Fri, 09 Jan 2026 01:00:00 -0600 1892 Foster care, adoption, grief, trauma, parenting, non-profit 1 1 full false Keep Me In The Light - Season 1 Trailer Keep Me In The Light - Season 1 Trailer Welcome to Keep Me in the Light — where foster families, former foster youth, and those who support them share real stories. In this trailer, you’ll hear honest moments from therapist and former foster parent Jon Kindler, foster and adoptive mom Rachel Savage, and former foster youth Zoya Mavrick. We can't wait for you to hear their stories. 

@fosterlight.co 

www.fosterlight.co

]]> Welcome to Keep Me in the Light — where foster families, former foster youth, and those who support them share real stories. In this trailer, you’ll hear honest moments from therapist and former foster parent Jon Kindler, foster and adoptive mom Rachel Savage, and former foster youth Zoya Mavrick. We can't wait for you to hear their stories. 

@fosterlight.co 

www.fosterlight.co

]]> Katie Welch & JJ Harper Buzzsprout-18301852 Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:00:00 -0600 853 Foster care, adoption 1 1 full false