Fostering Change Podcast | Episode 254 | Charell Star

Welcome to a special Best of Edition of Fostering Change! Originally aired during National Foster Care Awareness Month, this powerful conversation is worth revisiting.

In this episode, host Rob Scheer sits down with the incredible Charell Star—author, speaker, and foster care advocate. Many first discovered Charell through her moving feature in Humans of New York. Now she returns to share wisdom from her brilliant new book, Trash Bag Tales and Other Stories from an Accidentally Happy Life.

Her story is raw, funny, and deeply empowering—proving that resilience, joy, and self-discovery can grow from even the hardest beginnings.

In this conversation, Rob and Charell explore:

How humor and honesty can reshape the way the world sees foster care stories
The journey behind Trash Bag Tales and turning pain into empowerment
Why the award-winning documentary Feeling Wanted is used in child welfare training worldwide
What it means to move beyond survival and claim the life you deserve

Learn more about Charell Star:

Book: Trash Bag Tales and Other Stories from an Accidentally Happy Life

Instagram

Humans of New York Feature

To find out more about Comfort Cases, please visit our website: www.comfortcases.org.

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To listen to previous episodes of Fostering Change, please visit: www.comfortcases.org/podcast or your favorite podcast outlets.

📩 Have thoughts or questions? Reach out at fosteringchange@comfortcases.org —we’d love to hear from you!