Foster Movement Podcast: Chardonnay

Foster Movement Podcast

The limited-series Foster Movement Podcast connects you to the voices who know the world of foster care best: former foster youth. Their insights will encourage and challenge you, helping you effectively serve children and families where you live. For ongoing episodes highlighting people, ideas, and tools that will help you fill the biggest gaps in foster care where you live, subscribe to the More Than Enough Podcast.

Foster Movement Podcast: Chardonnay

December 21, 2018

In this episode, Chardonnay Rosa shares with us the stories and experiences that shaped her childhood. She describes how her early life was filled with chaos, uncertainty, and hurt. When Chardonnay was 14, she learned, through the words of others, that she had a voice regarding her circumstances and she chose to call CPS and enter foster care. From a young age, Chardonnay always had a sense that her life would be different. She clung to that hope until a church, and the message it shared with her, helped to make that hope a reality. Listen with us as Chardonnay shares about the hardship she endured, but the hope that brought her through those difficult moments.

Then, we are joined by filmmakers and foster care advocates, Nathanael and Christina Matanick. Nathanael and Christina are foster and adoptive parents and are the creators of the short films Removed and Removed, Part 2. The Matanicks tell us why they have chosen to share the stories of youth in foster care and how they make hope integral in their storytelling and in their own home.

To Learn More:

Nathanael Matanick: nathanael.co

Key Quote:

"I really felt that nobody cared. Nobody saw my worth. And so for her to say, hey, you're really good person, just in general, like, I see that, I see that without the, the brokenness that you were born into that, you know, you could really become something without that." - Chardonnay Rosa
Share This

Meet Our Guests

Chardonnay Rosa

Chardonnay experienced a cycle of abuse, neglect, and unstability for majority of her life. At age 14, she decided to put herself in foster care. She graduated high school and went on to college to earn her bachelors in Counseling and is currently graduating with a masters degree in Organizational Leadership. Chardonnay hopes to see more children provided with loving homes.

Nathanael and Christina Matanick

As an award-winning filmmaker, Nathanael loves to let the unique perspective of his characters bring the audience into a world that they wouldn't otherwise know. Nathanael and Christina especially loves telling stories from the viewpoints of children. This is especially true in their viral short films, the ReMoved series - which dive into the world of foster care. They are currently spending his time shared between making films for Brands, continuing to create films that highlight the stories of the resiliency of youth in foster care, running successful social media campaigns related to his projects, and spending time with their four kids in California.