Jenell Jones and her family opened up their home to foster, and later adopt Mercy, an eight year old girl in need of a home. Mercy came with a secret, though—her traumatic past. The traumas experienced by this young child started to manifest itself in behavioral problems that caused her adoptive family to shatter, that that is where our story begins. Meet Jenell Jones Jenell is an author and early education entrepreneur currently operating multiple early learning centers which specialize in providing high quality learning experiences to children who experience trauma in low-income areas. She joined me on Uncorking a Story to discuss her memoir Shattered. Key Topics 00:00:00 Introducing Jenell Jones 00:05:45 The Urgent Need for Reform in the US Foster and Adoptive Systems: A Story of Two Children with Different Paths 00:07:36 Unraveling the Unknown: Navigating the Journey of Adoption and Uncovering the Backstory 00:09:54 Missed Opportunities: The Devastating Impact of Withholding Information in Adoption and Foster Care 00:14:05 The Barbaric Reality of Juvenile Detention for Homeless Foster Children: A Call for Change 00:15:46 Why I Wrote My First Book: Shedding Light on the Dark Realities of the US Foster Care System 00:18:00 Behind Every Successful First-Time Author: The Importance of Building a Writing Team 00:21:39 From Trauma to Triumph: How Writing Shattered Helped Jenell Jones Overcome Self-Doubt and Shed Light on the Broken System 00:22:49 Discovering My Strength: How My Troubled Past Helped Me Show Myself Grace 00:25:48 Get Your Copy of Shattered Today: A Memoir of Adoption and Foster Care, Plus Exclusive Resources on Janelle Jones' Website 00:27:00 From MTV to Video Jukebox: How Music Videos Shaped My High School Years Buy Shattered Amazon:https://amzn.to/3oCQ58U Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/a/54587/9798823000314 Connect With Jenell Website: https://www.jenelljones.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090561567415 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenellmjones Connect with Mike Website: https://uncorkingastory.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSvS4fuG3L1JMZeOyHvfk_g Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkingastory/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkingastory Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncorkingastory Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkingastory LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/uncorking-a-story/ If you like this episode, please share it with a friend. If you have not done so already, please rate and review Uncorking a Story on Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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