Elizabeth Friedland: Single Mom Fostering

Elizabeth Friedland is the Senior Director of Corporate Communications for Appirio, a global tech consultancy. She’s spent more than 12 years in the public relations and communications world, working in both Indianapolis, where she currently lives, and New York. Outside the office, Friedland writes, directs, and produces award-winning short films. She is also an advocate for foster care; in addition to being a proud foster mother to five children since 2015, Elizabeth is a member of the Foster Success Leadership Council, part of the nonprofit Connected by 25, an organization dedicated to providing the financial, educational and social support to assist Indiana youth as they age out of the foster care system.

I was so excited for this interview because I have been thinking a lot about foster parenting in recent months. I am also so intrigued by Elizabeth’s decision to do this as a single woman. I learned so much in this interview, from the logistics of fostering to the emotional challenges of raising a child for a period of time and then sending them off to someone else for permanent placement.

I know you are going to adore Elizabeth as much as I did. I can’t wait for you to hear her story. I hope she inspires you to consider fostering or sharing this story with someone else who might be in a position to foster. Please to share this episode!

Listen in to hear Elizabeth share:

What inspired her to become a foster parent as a single woman
What is required to become a foster parent
How she got started fostering and what the first year looked like with 5 different babies
Her different relationships with the biological families of her foster babies
How her most recent placement has changed her heart and what she’s doing about it
The myths and truths about fostering
How you can get involved with foster kids without committing to being a foster parent

Links Mentioned:

Elizabeth’s Blog: http://elizabethfriedlandwrites.tumblr.com/
Elizabeth on Twitter: @efriedland
Elizabeth’s Podcast: Single Mom Fostering
Book: Another Place At the Table
SMA Episode 20: Jillian Mitchell – Foster Adoption and Finding Your Family