Not Meant to Fly Solo: Why adoptive families need a crew

A Bilingual Picture Book: Overcoming Adversity with Resilience

Meet Caleb Koala, a sweet and spirited young koala who lives with his grandfather and loves nothing more than riding his bike with his wild hair blowing in the wind. Caleb is no stranger to adversity but has overcome challenges and physical limitations to find joy in keeping up with others on his bike. However, when a sudden fall leaves him injured, doubt creeps in and Caleb decides he is now a koala who will no longer ride a bike. But with the love and support of his beloved Grandpa, Caleb embarks on a heartwarming journey and discovers his God-given ability to do hard things. 

This bilingual picture book is an essential read for adults caring for children who have experienced early adversity, from parents and grandparents to social workers, therapists, global orphan care providers, and church ministry leaders.

Find it here.

Dr. Aguayo holds a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Ph.D. in Psychology.  Her doctoral and post-doctoral studies have all emphasized the impacts of developmental trauma.  She is trained in Circle of Security, Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) & Theraplay.  Her coaching practice emphasizes educating organizations, professionals, and families on the impacts of early trauma on development: cognitive, neurological, relational, and behavioral.  

For over ten years, she has worked specifically with this population.  She herself is an adoptive parent to two children, now adults, one with significant special needs including complex developmental trauma disorder, extreme mental illness, and substance abuse disorder.  She approaches all of her audiences with the expertise of a professional and the endless compassion of a mother.  She pursued her doctorate because of her son, and he continues to inspire her to learn and grow professionally and personally.  

She has written articles for Focus on the Family & Fostering Families Today.  She is a notable keynote speaker who has spoken nationwide at many notable locations: CAFO, Vanderbilt’s Neuroscience Symposium at CIA, Empowered to Connect, Wyoming Psychological Association Annual conference and many others.  She is bilingual, speaks internationally and offers her services in English and Spanish.  You can find more information about her services at www.drmelodyaguayo.com. 

Traci Newell is a licensed social worker-supervisor and the Director of Church-Based Programs at Lifeline Children’s Services, where she began working as a pregnancy counselor in 2003. From there, her role broadened to include the preparation of families going through the adoption process and training of families desiring to foster. Inspired to challenge the status quo in foster care, Traci was given the life-changing opportunity to develop a national parenting class and mentoring program for parents with child welfare involvement in conjunction with local churches. Since then, she has witnessed countless stories of God’s redemptive work. She has been a featured speaker at numerous adoption and foster care conferences and events and is a proud Momma of two daughters, who entered her family through adoption.