I love listening to podcasts as I exercise, clean, pretend to clean, and drive around town. My feed is generally a good mix of true crime, storytelling, and political commentary. But recently I’ve been loving some adoption-themed podcasts. Here are four of my favorite adoption podcasts that may be new to your ears.

  • Creating a Family. This one is super informative and really straight-forward. Sponsored by Creating the Family, a nonprofit that works to support infertility and adoption education, there are a ton of episodes and a lot of good information to be found. Basically, if you have a question about a scenario within adoption, there will most likely be an episode that addresses it. It is great for when you have time to sit and listen or if you are not a fan of “chitchat” in your podcasts.
  • Adoption Now. Husband and wife team Noah and April Fallon are adoptive parents and showcase stories from all sides of the adoption triad. The podcast is really cleanly produced and the stories are extremely well-told. If you don’t know any birth mothers, or if you are new to open adoption, I can’t recommend Adoption Now enough. April is phenomenal at humanizing every person she interviews. Also, if you like crying, then this is the podcast for you. On a recent episode, Fallon said of being an adoptive parent, “This is bigger than a baby. You’re about to be needed in a way that you have to be open to.”
  • Add Water and Stir. Hosts ABM and Mimi have a really great banter and friendship vibe going on. They talk about adoption issues surrounding parenting children of color and—bonus—do amazing recaps of everyone’s favorite cry-fest, This is Us. The feel of their show is casual and breezy but really substantial. Unfortunately, this podcast is no longer broadcasting. They are “being retooled,” but there are a ton of great episodes to listen to while we wait to see which direction they take at their relaunch.
  • Foster Movement Podcast. Are you ready to have your heart broken and then feel the immediate need to go foster every single child in the world? Then this podcast is right up your alley. Each episode focuses on either a former foster kid telling his or her story or interviews with advocacy leaders. It is sponsored by a Christian adoption foundation, so there is some religion, but I challenge you to listen to a grown adult tell the story of being loved for the first time without becoming inspired to do better in your daily life.