FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT FOR FOSTER, ADOPTIVE & KINSHIP FAMILIES
Earn 7 training hours in one Saturday, from your own living room.
Changing Seasons: Finding Your Footing When Family Dynamics Shift
Practical, trauma-informed tools for the whole family. Learn how food and biology shape your child's behavior, how play and everyday anchors build connection, and how community support help you stay steady. Then walk away with a plan for a strong start to the new school semester.
Saturday, November 7, 2026
12pm to 7pm ET / 11am to 6pm CT / 10am to 5pm MT / 9am to 4pm PT
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Built for the people holding families together
Foster parents
Who need licensing hours and tools that work on a Tuesday night, not just in theory.
Adoptive parents
Whose child's history still shows up in new and unexpected ways as they grow.
Kinship caregivers
Who stepped in for a grandchild, niece, or nephew and are learning as they go.
Professionals
Caseworkers, CASAs, educators, and therapists who want to understand what families face at home.
7
Training hours in one Saturday, with a certificate to prove it
Receive a 1-hour certificate for each session you attend. Hand it to your licensing worker and check off a big piece of this year's requirement.
YOUR SPEAKERS
Coaches and advocates who have lived this work
HOST
Bonnie Johnston Butler
Certified life coach and ATTACh Board member
Tips and Tricks Throughout the Summit
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Bonnie Johnston Butler is a certified life coach, speaker, and member of the ATTACh Board of Directors who understands firsthand the joys, challenges, and exhaustion that can come with raising children from hard places. A mother of four biological children, former foster parent to 17, and adoptive mom to a sibling group of six, Bonnie brings decades of lived experience alongside her professional training. As founder of Bonnie Butler Coaching and organizer of the biannual Thriving Family Summits, Bonnie helps foster, adoptive, and kinship parents and caregivers find practical tools and support to navigate difficult family dynamics, build connection, and feel more confident in their parenting. Through her LIGHTER coaching program, Bonnie’s goal is simple: help parents carry less, become steadier, and feel lighter in the work of raising their children.
NUTRITION
Bethany Bilodeau
Behavior Expert and Foster/Adoptive Parent
Food For Thought: How Nutrition Shapes Behavior
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Dr. B is an expert in human behavior. She has had a remarkable career that began teaching high school biology in Guam. She has designed innovative programs to help youth achieve emotionally, socially, and academically. She holds numerous certifications in behavioral therapies. She has been recognized with multiple awards, including the 2024 Business of the Year in Education and Business Excellence for Social Equity. Dr. B has been a foster and adoptive parent.
BRAIN SCIENCE
Lisa Riegel
Researcher and Author of NeuroWell
Beyond Behavior: How Biology and Context Shape the Children in Our Care
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Lisa Riegel started her career in education, driven by one goal: to help people reach their potential. Over time, she realized that fulfillment—whether in a classroom, company, or community—comes from understanding how the brain drives behavior and how systems shape success.
That discovery became the foundation for her life’s work. As an educator, researcher, and author, she has spent two decades helping schools, leaders, parents, and organizations align brain science with human systems—creating cultures where people feel connected, capable, and in control of their growth.
Dr. Riegel earned dual bachelor's degrees in English and Secondary Education from Kent State University. She holds a master's degree in curriculum and instruction from Otterbein University and a Ph.D. in Education Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and she has authored five books, including her two latest books, NeuroWell, and Aspirations to Operations, focused on brain science and how we can leverage it to help people become happier, healthier, and more successful.
PLAY THERAPY
Anastasia Arauz
Licensed Counselor and Registered Play Therapist
Play Changes Everything: Creating Connection, Safety, and Attachment
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Anastasia Arauz is a licensed clinical mental health counselor, Registered Play Therapist, and certified coach with more than 25 years of experience working with children and families. Anastasia helps parents create calmer, more connected families by understanding the needs behind behavior and strengthening the parent-child relationship.
CONNECTION
Craig Parks
Founder, Parenting Harmony
Small Anchors in Changing Seasons
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Craig Parks has spent more than 30 years working with children and families as an educator, camp director, children’s musician, and parent. He is the founder of Parenting Harmony, where he helps parents create more connection, joy, and meaningful memories through the ordinary moments of family life. Drawing on music, play, ritual, mindfulness, and what he calls Affect → Effect, Craig gives caregivers practical tools they can use without adding more pressure to already-full lives. He is also the father of two children, ages 22 and 12, who continue to be two of his greatest teachers.
COMMUNITY
John Fela
Disability Advocate, Author of Faith Like My Father
The Power of Community
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John Fela (M.Ed) is a national disability advocate, working with both faith based and non-faith based disability organizations. He previously worked for Joni and Friends, a global disability ministry. Prior to that, he spent almost 20 years in education, serving in a variety of roles as a classroom teacher in both public and private school settings, as well as being a mentor teacher and school director. He holds certifications in both Montessori and traditional teaching methods, and trained in a variety of specializations, including ESL and Special Education. He is a public speaker, blogger for a variety of disability advocacy platforms, and author of Faith Like My Father, a memoir of his journey as a parent of disability. John lives in Lyons, IL with his wife, Faith, and is father to his son Christopher (ASD/NS). Follow John on his website: www.johnfela.com
EDUCATION
Sharon Dunlevy
Education Advocate, Foster Care Training Today
Protecting Your Child's Education Through Every Transition
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Sharon Dunlevy is a nationally recognized educational advocate and trainer focused on improving outcomes for children and youth in foster care. She equips foster parents, caregivers, educators, and child welfare professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate education laws, advocate effectively, and ensure school stability for students in care.
As the founder of Foster Care Training Today, Sharon is known for translating complex systems and policies into practical, trauma-informed strategies that work in real life. Her writing, training, and speaking challenge systems to do better while empowering adults to take informed action.
A simple belief drives Sharon’s work: educational success for children in foster care is not optional. It is essential, achievable, and worth fighting for.
What you will walk away with
Which vitamins and minerals support kids who struggle with anxiety, aggression, or ADHD, and how to afford them on a tight grocery budget
How to use intentional, connection-focused play to understand what your child can't yet put into words
Practical ways to find, build, and lean on a community that understands your family
A new way to read challenging behavior through the brain science behind it, plus activities that build your child's self-regulation
Small rituals and traditions that anchor your family through change, built into the car rides and routines you already have
The academic warning signs that surface weeks before a report card after a school move or placement change
Questions caregivers ask
Is it really free?
Yes. Bonnie Butler Coaching sponsors the summit so every caregiver can attend at no cost.
How do I get my training hours certificates?
Every attendee will be asked to drop their full name in the chat at the beginning of each session to mark their attendance. Certificates will be sent within a week after the summit.
Will my agency accept these hours?
Requirements vary by state and agency, so check with your licensing worker before the event. Your certificate lists each session and presenter to make approval easier.
Will there be a replay?
Yes, every session will be recorded. The link to the replay will be sent within a week after the summit.
What if I can only attend part of the day?
Come to the sessions that fit your day. You will receive a certificate for each session you attend. Just remember to add your name to the chat at the beginning of each session.
What do I need to join?
Any device with an internet connection. Your join link arrives by email after you register, with reminders the week of and the morning of the summit.
Thriving Family Summit
A gathering for foster, adoptive, and kinship families
Sponsored by Bonnie Butler Coaching, Helping Parents Feel Lighter
© 2026 Thriving Family Summit