This is a big week for Tori Hope Petersen. On October 18th Tori’s memoir entitled "Fostered: One Woman’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care" will release. Then this coming weekend, Tori will be hosting the Survivors Thriving and Writing Workshop in North Carolina. It is Tori’s desire to help survivors of human trafficking, foster care, and abuse tell their story; to know they are heard and that they deeply matter. The writing retreat is part of the Beloved Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to change the narrative for youth in foster care. To learn more about Tori's nonprofit, check out belovedinitiatitve.org.

Tori Hope Petersen is a former foster youth, foster care advocate, and is passionate about foster care reform, adoption advocacy, and vulnerable populations. In addition to her advocacy work, Tori was crowned Mrs. Universe in 2021. In today’s episode, I talk with Tori about the powerful story she tells in her forthcoming memoir about growing up in the foster care system, how God’s love has shaped her story, what are helpful and not so helpful ways to support foster youth, and her authentic thoughts on being in the pageant world. This is an episode you don’t want to miss; Tori’s heart and her story are truly incredible.