EP28: Finding Hope & Purpose Through Adoption with Angie Sanders

For Angie Sanders, the path to motherhood was not easy. She endured 3 heart-wrenching miscarriages, with the last one happening on Christmas Eve - right before she was about to share her pregnancy news with family - and sending her into early menopause.

But her strong desire to become a mom did not stop her from finding a way. She found solace and support through therapy and helping care for the children of friends and began the journey to become a parent through adoption.

When she and her husband could find no support groups for people who were going through the same situation as them, Angie decided to start one herself. It's called Adoptive Parents & Family Support Group and has grown to over 300 members. You can find it here: https://www.meetup.com/AdoptiveFamilies/

Her deep desire to be a "difference-maker" and better support the families in her group led her to become a certified Peaceful Parent Educator through the "TEACH Through Love" program and start her own business called "Evolving Parents." She also speaks at public events and adoption agencies, when she has the opportunity, about her passions: adoption and parenting.

She is a wonderful example of how a bad experience can lead you to an unrealized passion and then a purpose! She never let her pain keep her from moving one foot in front of the other and finding the lessons she was meant to learn. And now, as a result, she is giving back in a big way. 

Click on the following link to listen to the Ted Talk Angie mentions in the episode: "Do schools kill creativity?" by Sir Ken Robinson, 
https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_do_schools_kill_creativity

Other information Angie provided that may help those who are dealing with infertility and for those who have suffered
miscarriages is: https://resolve.org/

The name of the video game inventor that Angie mentioned during the interview is Ralph Baer. He was known as 'The 'Father Of Video Games.'

To learn more about Angie, here are some links where you can find her:

Website: http://evolvingparents.com/
Adoption Support Meetup Website: https://www.meetup.com/AdoptiveFamilies/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Evolveparents/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everevolvingmom/

I'm always looking for interesting guests so if you have a great midlife transformation to share or know of someone who does, let's connect!

If you'd like to connect with ME, you can find me at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurieColvinWright/   
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/not_your_average_grandma/  
Website: https://www.notyouraveragegrandma.com/

Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/NotYourAverageGrandma