This week, drawing on decades of research, along with the lived experiences of the thousands of birthparents we have supported over the past twenty-five years, our staff talks candidly about what it really takes to build a long-lasting and healthy open adoption relationship between birthparents and adoptive parents. We are not just describing the general landscape of adoption; we are handing adoptive parents and adoption professionals a comprehensive guide filled with the evidence-based tools and best practices needed to transform good intentions into healthy, child-centered adoption relationships.

This month's Activism in Adoption speaker is writer, musician, filmmaker, and birthmother Kate Stapleton, who is joining us to discuss her award winning film, The Inner Sea. We sat down with Kate this week to talk about what prompted her to create this documentary, the process of being a first-time filmmaker, and to get a little advice on how to pursue an abundantly creative life.

We don't work with expectant parents, or parents considering adoption, but for the past 25 years we have been helping and supporting birthparents - parents who have already relinquished a child or children - and we know firsthand that adoption, as it is currently practiced, needs ethical reform. The birthparents who come to us tell us so, over and over again. They tell us that if someone had simply supported them, if resources had been available, if anyone had asked what they actually wanted, things might have been different. We listen to them, and today, we are sharing what we've learned from them.