“Astrid has opened my eyes to the adoption constellation and the experiences that come from Adoption.

She has not only brought adoptees together at nearly every age from children to adulthood to help understand their stories she has surrounded herself with birth parents, adoptive parents, prospective adoptive parents and extended family members to provide support to all of these groups. Bringing everyone together helps us all understand the experience of adoption in each capacity.

I know the different perspectives has helped prepare me to parent my son. I feel secure knowing I have Astrid as a resource and friend as my son grows and enters the many stages of life and development.

The foundation Astrid has created a safe place to share in group or one-on-one sessions. I truly feel Astrid provides a place for everyone.”

“Connecting with Astrid and Adoption Mosaic has been such a life-changing experience for our family. We have learned so much about being white/white-passing adoptive parents of a child of color...and I only wish we'd known this much when we first got started.

Adoption Mosaic is a great resource for any member of the adoption constellation, and I hope this level of education becomes standard in the adoption community.”

“Utilizing her own experience as a Transracial Adoptee and years of working within the world of adoption, Astrid Castro offers a safe space for those with this shared experience to discuss, process and heal from our story.

Through a variety of activities and forums, Adoptees, Birth Parents, Adoptive Patents and the community at large are able to come together, listen and learn from each other in ways that are authentic and healthy.

I highly recommend this organization for anyone who has had their own lives impacted by adoption, or for any others who would like to develop a deeper understanding of the adoption experience.”

“My experience with Adoption Mosaic has been life changing. The work they are doing is extremely valuable. They support all aspects of the adoption constellation with a professional and critical thinking approach.”

“Astrid and Adoption Mosaic have been part of our family’s lives for over 20 years – starting even before we adopted our daughters. From youth groups and heritage travel prep to We the Experts panels, Astrid has created programs that have helped our family through many phases of life. Adoption Mosaic is a safe space to learn and share and grow. I’m very grateful to have it as a resource.”

I was never told after 44 years that I was adopted. I wanted to reunite with my birth mom but knew I would need some type of professional help. From the moment I met Astrid, I knew she was the right one to help reunite me and my bio mom. There were many complexities involved with our story which is why I felt we needed a professional.

Astrid was amazing through our whole process. She was amazing with me as well as with my bio mom. Astrid was with us each every step of the way and addressed any concerns and questions either of had along the way.

When my bio mom and I reunited (with Astrid present), it was such an amazing experience. We now have an amazing relationship because of Astrid’s guidance along the way. I highly recommend Adoption Mosaic to any adoptee or birth parent. Astrid truly understands all dynamics of adoption and I am forever grateful for her help with our journey.

As a first mother, Astrid's insights and intellectual generosity have deepened my understanding of the complexity of adoption. Thank you for everything you do.

Astrid has built a beautiful and much needed resource for adoptive families. If you have been touch by adoption, no matter your role, this is the place for you. I came to Astrid as an adoptive mom working on understanding adoption in a more lived experience kind of way. Simply put: I want to more deeply understand my nearest and dearest daughter and myself and gain insight. Astrid is wonderfully thoughtful, knowledgable and engaging, She is able to speak with me in a way that nobody has...and when I needed her she was there. I imagine the support she has provided and knowledge she has imparted has just not been there for so many families and that makes me sad yet hopeful that it does not have to be this way. I want everyone to know of Adoption Mosaic: if you need support-she's got you.

Adoption Mosaic is a solid rock, in the midst of a sea of information/misinformation. There is simultaneously not much out there and also so much out there - from movies, TV, social media, websites, etc - so it can be hard to determine which resources are reliable. When I want information, resources, and learning opportunities I can trust, I turn to Adoption Mosaic. I have depended on Adoption Mosaic both personally and professionally, and am grateful for their expertise, perspectives and lived-experiences.

"I met Astrid and Adoption Mosaic about a year ago now, at one of my first adoptee events I had ever attended. Everything was new to me, being in adoptee spaces, exploring my adoptee identity, meeting other adoptees and talking about shared and unique life experiences.

At this particular time, I was in the midst of a reckoning with my own identity, figuring out, as a 32-year old transracial adoptee, how to navigate my relationship with my parents during a time when I was coming into my racial and cultural consciousness. It was a pretty difficult year.

Astrid quickly took me under her wing, sharing her wisdom and perspectives about the challenges that adoptees and adoptive parents face in maintaining healthy relationships with one another, as adoptees grow up and are challenged with their identity. She provides the language, tools, and framing for normalizing these challenges that are almost always overlooked.

My parents ended up taking her course for Seasoned Parents, and I believe it has helped my parents understand that the challenges I face are due to systematic forces at play for many transracial adoptees, and the best way they can support me is to remain curious. My parents are in their early 70s, and they have told me that they so wished this level of education and support existed for them throughout the years they raised. For them, I am hopeful that this exposure has been helpful and it was not too late for them to expand their perspectives beyond their own lived experiences, and ask themselves, if they've considered what it's like to be me.

And hopefully younger adoptive parents will find Adoption Mosaic earlier on in their journey, and find within them, the compassion for their children, who have likely experienced incredible loss before they were adopted, and that as parents, are able to create space for their children to safely navigate this grief (which may manifest as anger, resentment, and frustration before it transforms into sadness), regardless of this occurs in childhood, teenage years, or in adulthood.

Adoption Mosaic has played an important role in my own healing journey, and has also provided a launching pad for healing within my family. Thank you so much for the continued support, it has truly been invaluable.”

“Adoption Mosaic is a multi-faceted resource center, that provides training and support for anyone touched by adoption. On a personal level, our family has accessed a variety of workshops, support groups, events and one-on-one consultations. On a professional level, I have consulted with Astrid to ensure that the educational materials I develop are informed and inclusive of adoption. “

“Adoption Mosaic is an excellent resource for anyone touched by adoption from any direction. The offerings are varied, thoughtful, provocative and powerful in the way they put adoptees first.

We have attended virtual events (panels) and a multi-week parent course. We have only benefitted from the experience. We are relieved, as parents of young adult adoptees, to have found this resource.

Our daughter is also very connected to support through Adoption Mosaic which is essential as she transitions to adulthood.”

“Adoption Mosaic has been a huge support for us in navigating issues around transracial adoption and reunion with birth family. We have participated in workshops and I continue to join the Better Together Group (adult adoptees and adoptive parents). Being a parent is a journey and being an adoptive parent is a journey with some added considerations!

Adoption Mosaic helps me be a more compassionate parent and I am so grateful to Astrid, Shelise and the rest of the Adoption Mosaic team for the work they do :)”

“Astrid Castro and Adoption Mosaic have created an incredible, powerful, dynamic and supportive community with their monthly series, ‘We The Experts.’ It is an invaluable way to connect, share and educate and be educated and to be part of a vibrant community full of insight, connection and resources. The consistent high quality and thoughtfulness of the presentations and dialogue, the diversity of participants and viewpoints are stellar.

The way that Astrid and Shelise Gieseke, Adoption Mosaic’s Assistant Director and Team, run ‘We The Experts’ creates an immensely safe space with healthy boundaries and a place to focus on the rich content while feeling that all the participants are being taken care of with ease. Being a panelist in the series was a wonderful opportunity to share and be connected to other adoptees.

The work of Adoption Mosaic in this program and others is a vital contribution to the Adoption Community. I highly recommend it to all Adopted People looking for community, inspiration, depth of knowledge, connection and a feeling of belonging. ‘We The Experts’ is a cherished monthly series, reinvented beautifully virtually during the pandemic and beyond.”

“I just left this webinar and I can see how much time and energy you put into making adoptees feel heard. I suggest to all members here to engage with Adoption Mosaic you will not regret it!!!"

“I'm a Late Discovery Adoptee. Coming to terms with my new normal was an emotionally charged path. Although I did seek out therapy seven months later, I only decided to look for other LDAs who understood what this experience was like, two years after the fact. I wish I had done it a lot sooner. Even more, I wish I had discovered Adoption Mosaic at the beginning of my journey.

This is a stellar organization, headed by phenomenal people who care greatly, have expertise in this arena, and offer a safe place to seek out unique paths towards healing.

Recently, I was a panelist on one of their Late Discovery Adoptee panels and I highly encourage any LDA, at whatever stage of their journey, to reach out to Adoption Mosaic. They will help guide you towards what you most need.”

“Adoption Mosaic is unlike any other adoptee organization I have known. Their focus is on panel events. Since they aren't limited by nationality and are open to all adoptees in all locations, they have been able to find panelists for everything under the sun. I believe in them so much that I help them do this with my network and my network's network.

Another thing I like about them is that it's adoptee-centric (and I would also add heart-centric). This means that nurture parents, nature parents, and adoptees who fit more than one part of the triad can attend. They only request that only adoptees ask questions. It's a great way for adoptees to share what the adoptee experience is like with their family/friends without fear of being triggered.

In addition, no one is turned away if they can't pay. They have a scholarship fund (don't be scared by that word as each event is only $10 for adoptees) for those who don't have the funds to pay, and other attendees donate to it freely.”

“I have been an invited panelist on one of Adoption Mosaic's "We The Experts" speaker series on male adoptees. Astrid took incredible measures to holistically support adoptee panelists and frame our emotional work within an ethical storytelling framework. She made sure we only shared what we felt comfortable with, and made a point to follow up with each and every one of us after the event.

Astrid also collaborated with me, as a part of Chinese Adoptee Alliance, and facilitated a panel by our community, for our community, on "Navigating Relationships with Family". Adoption Mosaic is very supportive of adoptee-led nonprofit organizations, working with our limited budget and graciously donating much of their time to our cause.

Astrid and Adoption Mosaic has a commitment to creating community-based resources for adoptees, that I have not seen elsewhere. They provide resources that adoptees and adoptive families need. They are a critical fixture in the adoptee community. They are people-centric, and care about each and every relationship they foster.”

“Adoption Mosaic is a truly life-changing organization. I've been on my adoptee identity journey, and came across one of their We The Experts panels that helped me have a major breakthrough in this process. Can't recommend the organization enough!”

“Adoption Mosaic creates much-needed safe spaces for adoptees and provides incredible resources for the adoption community and beyond! As a transracial international adoptee, I could not recommend an organization more. Very thankful and appreciative for Astrid and the amazing Adoption Mosaic team for all of their hard work!”