Raquel McCloud

Raquel McCloud is somewhat of an anomaly in the adoption world. She was raised in kinship care, became a birth mom at 15, and later adopted her biological sister.

She creates safe spaces around vulnerability and authenticity because she believes it is fundamental to humanity and healing. This passion led her to launch The Resilient Retreat, which was later absorbed by The Ampersand Initiative—a nonprofit she co-founded to directly pour into the most underserved population impacted by adoption: birth moms. She writes, speaks, and continues to show up, even on days when she would rather disappear to live a quieter life surrounded by nature and endless art supplies.