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LIVING MY SHADOWS

Your past is part of your story—not the end of it.

Hodge-Niblack Barnett logo
LIVING MYSHADOWS
YOUR PAST IS
PART OF YOUR STORY—
NOT THE END OF IT.

ASK A QUESTION

What are you dealing with?

🔒 Your questions are private. We’re here to help.
◎

I’M AN
ADOPTEE

Get answers and
find support.

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♡

I’M IN
FOSTER CARE

You are not alone.
We’re here for you.

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☀

I WAS IN
FOSTER CARE

Resources for your
journey forward.

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⌕

I HAVE QUESTIONS
ABOUT MY PAST

Explore your history
and find answers.

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“

Your story matters.
Your feelings are valid.
Your future is yours to create.

♡
♡
Need help now? You are not alone.
Call or text 988 (24/7) or find local crisis resources.
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My Journey

A personal place to pick up where you left off.

Local view
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0Saved answers
0Saved resources
0Books available

Suggested next step

Add something meaningful to your story or ask a question you have been carrying.

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Recent Story

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Ask

What are you going through?

You can ask about adoption, foster care, your past, family, records, aging out, relationships, or moving forward.

Living My Shadows Ask Guide
Ask in your own words. Signed-in questions use the secure AI guide and your saved state to match relevant verified resources.
● Live AI when signed in
Information notice: Living My Shadows provides general information and support. It does not replace a lawyer, doctor, therapist, caseworker, or emergency service. Laws, record access, benefits, and services can differ by state and individual situation.
Suggested questions

Conversation history

0 questions
Living My Shadows is preparing a response…
How recommendations work
  • Your question is matched to topics such as records, family search, aging out, education, housing, legal help, or mental-health support.
  • Your saved state is used when available.
  • Official or federally maintained resources are prioritized and the verification date is shown.
Important: Living My Shadows provides general information and support—not legal, medical, mental-health, case-management, or emergency advice. For urgent crisis support in the U.S., call or text 988. For immediate danger, call 911.

Notifications

Stay connected

New personal-response questions and completed answers appear here. Notifications are private to your signed-in account.

No unread notifications

Personal Q&A

My submitted questions

Questions you intentionally submit for a personal response appear here. Your private AI conversations are not automatically shared.

My Story

🔒 This is your private space.

Your entries are private and protected. When you sign in, your story is securely connected to your account so you can access it across supported devices.

My TimelineImportant dates and milestones.
PlacementsFoster homes, group homes, shelters, adoption.
PeopleFamily, friends, mentors and people who mattered.
MemoriesSave a memory or something you do not want to forget.
Unanswered QuestionsWrite down questions you still carry.
JournalWrite your thoughts and reflections.

Timeline

Verified Resources

✓ Nationwide directory: all 50 states + Washington, D.C. are available. The Ask guide now matches questions to these resources by topic and profile state. Official and federally maintained sources are prioritized; entries show the date checked.

Books & Reading

Your published books appear below. If cloud access is temporarily unavailable, the app still shows the two published titles and their Amazon links.

Stories, guidance & lived experience

Explore books selected for adoptees, current and former foster youth, families, and supporters.

Privacy & Security

Your story belongs to you

Living My Shadows is designed to minimize unnecessary sharing of sensitive adoption, foster-care, family, and personal-history information.

Age requirements

Living My Shadows is intended for adults age 18 and older. Young people ages 13–17 may use the app with the approval of a parent or legal guardian. Children under 13 may not create or use an account.

What the app may store

If you create an account, the app may store your profile, My Story entries, saved Ask answers, saved resources, personal-response questions, notifications, and preferences in the Living My Shadows cloud database. Some prototype preferences and recent conversation history may also be stored in your browser on the device you are using.

What is private

Your ordinary Ask conversations are not automatically sent to the administrator. A question is shared for a personal response only when you intentionally choose Ask for Personal Response. Private story data is protected by account-level database permissions.

What to avoid sharing

Do not enter passwords, Social Security numbers, full financial account numbers, or other secrets. If you are a minor, avoid sharing precise location, school schedule, placement address, or private identifying information with unknown people.

Your choices

You can sign out, export story data, delete local device data, and request deletion of cloud account data. Production release should include a complete published privacy policy, contact process, retention rules, and any legally required parental-consent workflow.

Terms of Use

Important use notice

Living My Shadows provides general information, lived-experience support, resource navigation, and AI-assisted guidance. It is not a law firm, medical provider, therapist, child-welfare agency, caseworker, emergency service, or government records office.

Information can vary

Adoption records, foster-care rights, benefits, court processes, and services can vary by state, county, age, case type, and individual circumstances. Verify important decisions with the appropriate official agency or qualified professional.

AI and personal responses

AI-generated answers may be incomplete or incorrect. Administrator personal responses reflect lived experience and general guidance and are not professional legal, medical, mental-health, or case-management advice.

Respectful use

Do not use the app to threaten, exploit, harass, impersonate, solicit minors, expose another person's private information, or encourage unsafe contact. Access may be limited or removed for harmful misuse.

Age

Living My Shadows is intended for adults age 18 and older. Young people ages 13–17 may use Living My Shadows with the approval of a parent or legal guardian. Children under 13 may not create or use an account.

Youth Safety

Safety comes before secrecy

If you are in immediate danger, someone is hurting you, or you may hurt yourself, use live help instead of waiting for an app response. In the U.S., call or text 988 for crisis support or call 911 for immediate danger.

Age & parent/guardian approval

Users age 18 and older may use Living My Shadows independently. Users ages 13–17 may use the app only with the approval of a parent or legal guardian. Children under 13 may not create or use an account.

If you are currently in foster care

For safety concerns, consider contacting a trusted caseworker, attorney/GAL, CASA, foster-care ombudsman, teacher, counselor, caregiver, relative, or another trusted adult. The best contact depends on your situation and state.

Family searches and reunions

Do not arrange secret in-person meetings with unknown adults. Protect your address, placement location, school, phone number, and other identifying information. When appropriate, use verified agencies, trusted adults, or professional intermediaries.

Photos and private records

Think carefully before uploading documents containing Social Security numbers, medical identifiers, court numbers, addresses, or information about other children. Redact sensitive details when possible.

Mandatory reporting

The app itself is not a mandated reporter or emergency service. People you contact through outside organizations—such as teachers, clinicians, social workers, or other professionals—may have legal reporting duties depending on their role and location.

More

Your Profile

Set up your Living My Shadows profile

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☁️ Cloud Account

Not signed in
Local only

Sign in to securely sync your profile, My Story entries, saved answers, and saved resources across devices.

📲 Install Living My Shadows

Use the app like a regular mobile or desktop app.
App

Install it to your Home Screen or desktop for faster access and a standalone app window.

Account & Profile

👤
My ProfileUpdate your role, state, and preferences.
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🔒
Privacy & SecurityControl how your information is stored and used.
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🔔
Notifications Personal Q&A updates and account notices.
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🔖
Saved ResourcesKeep helpful programs and organizations together.
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Support & Information

❓
Help & SupportApp help, questions, and support.
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📚
Books & ReadingRecommended books, lived experience, and helpful reading.
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📖
About Living My ShadowsOur mission and how the app works.
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🛡️
Terms & PrivacyReview privacy and terms information.
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🧒
Youth SafetySafety guidance for youth, family searches, and sensitive information.
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⬇️
Export My StoryDownload a copy of your story data.
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Data & Preferences

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App LanguageEnglish (US)
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🌙
Dark ModePrototype theme is currently dark.
✓
🗑️
Delete My DataPermanently delete story data on this device.
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Safety

Living My Shadows should never replace a licensed professional, attorney, caseworker, or emergency service. Production content should be reviewed for youth safety and legal accuracy.

LMS

Welcome to Living My Shadows

Tell us who you are so the app can personalize questions, resources, and support.

Before you continue

Your name and state are optional. Account data can be cloud-synced when you sign in.

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