Hi, I’m Rebecca Soto.
Hello! My name is Rebecca Soto and I am an Adoption Coach. My goal is to be a source of support and care as you go through this amazing process. You may have heard of doulas, people who support families before, during, and after birth. My work is similar. I support you before, during, and after your child placement by offering a variety of coaching, services, and resources.
Adoption is a beautiful choice and something that I am so personally passionate about. I am grateful to be of service to other adoptive families and adoptees and I can't wait to work with you!
My Story
Welcome! I'm so happy you're here because it means that you are somewhere in this amazing journey we call adoption. I have been where you are- overwhelmed by the process, dealing with my own emotions about this decision, handling the questions and assumptions of others. It's a lot! When I was going through this, I felt pretty isolated. My husband and I were navigating adoption in what felt like a void. While we knew several adoptees, we really didn't know anyone who was adopting and we often felt like we were alone in our experience. Friends and family had lots of questions and assumptions about adoption, which was also challenging to deal with. Online forums were informational, but impersonal and counselors could support us with our emotions but didn't really have any experience in what we were going through. Looking back, I believe that we got through this time by sheer willpower and by holding onto our vision and dream of our family.
Our first adoption was done through a private organization that specialized in open adoption and infant placement. Our second adoption was a foster-to-adopt situation.
These two very different experiences both resulted in the two greatest blessings of our life. After going through all of this, it cemented my desire to support other people in their unique adoption journeys.
Offering my services as an Adoption Coach is a unique combination of my professional background and my personal experiences and passion. I have worked for over 20 years in adult education, focusing on training, operations, teaching, and management. I hold a Bachelor's Degree in French Studies & English Literature and a Master's Degree in Education with a focus on Educational Policy. I am also a certified ESL instructor and trainer, and a certified Life Coach. As I examine my professional life, I see that it has always centered on supporting people in reaching their goals and potential. I can't think of a better way for me to support my peers than by bringing my professional skills to the adoption world; an experience that has been so profoundly meaningful and life changing for me.
My core values are kindness, understanding, and growth and I put these into every session and interaction with my clients. I seek to understand you and your needs so that I can assist you in clarifying your vision. We focus on growth - growing your family, growing your information and confidence about adoption, growing your capacity in parenting- and we do it all with kindness, with care, and with deep compassion.
My goal for you is that you feel supported and heard and connected. I want you to feel confident and empowered as a parent, a family, and a person. I am grateful for your interest and so excited for your future! I can't wait to work with you and help you grow your family through adoption!
our Story
Your adoption story is as unique as you are. Every story and every family is different, and that is the beauty of this process! Our story will be co-created as we learn together about your vision for your family and as we incorporate tools and practices to help create that vision into reality.
Families who choose to work with me are vastly different from one another, but they do share some core values and perspectives. As a values-led coach, it is vital that we share some intrinsic beliefs about children, families, and love.
Here are some of my core beliefs about my work:
I support families who understand and celebrate the sovereignty of children and their unique experiences. Children who join our families through adoption come to us after first experiencing loss. It is our job as their parents to understand their trauma and to embrace them as whole, complex, and fundamentally lovable beings.
I support families who know that a bond with a child is a promise to love and care for them, forever and unconditionally. I support families who enter into this process with their eyes and hearts open, ready to learn and grow with their children and for their children.
I support families who understand that adoption is a journey. That there is no “timeline” or “statistics” that will match your own experience, but that by following your unique path, you will bring the child(ren) that have always been meant to be with you into your family.
I support families who believe that children come from our hearts and souls (and not always our bodies). Families who feel called to adoption because they want to be parents to children, and who believe that children are not an accessory to our lives, nor a testament to our own righteousness. Children are to be loved and cared for on their own merits, not as extensions of their parents.
If this describes you, I look forward to working with you as we look at the hopes, barriers, gifts, fears, and love that you bring into this journey.
By working with me, you will:
Feel secure and confident in decision-making, grounded in your ‘why’ and how that aligns with the ultimate vision of your family
Maintain hope and focus through the ups and downs of the adoption process
Feel less isolated and become part of a supportive community
Complete paperwork and materials with ease and efficiency, avoiding misinformation and time consuming missteps
Intentionally prepare for and transition to parenthood in your own unique and inspired way
I can’t wait to meet you!