#63 - Tori Hope Petersen: From Foster Care, To Mrs. Universe, to Author

We have an amazing episode for you all today! Tori Petersen is our guest here on Rebuilding the Beast. She’s a best-selling author, Mrs. Universe, a mother, a wife, and a child of the foster care system. Growing up, Tori was placed into foster care after men busted down her doors and took her and her sister. As she got older, she found out that it was for a drug bust and her mother was having mental health struggles. After in and out of about eleven homes, at the age of 18, Tori emancipated herself from the foster care system and found a forever home with her track coach. But that’s not all we cover!The moment she realized that she was conceived out of abuse and the trauma her mother went through.Getting separated from her younger sister after Tori tried to report an incident at their then foster house. Teaching her unfortunately, to keep her head down and to not report things.Building a relationship with God and how He taught her how to forgive and love others.Good moments and families that she had in foster care and the lasting impact it gave her.Becoming exceedingly good at track.Creating a nonprofit called the Beloved Initiative that specializes in helping out foster care families.Getting told to do pageants, then entering in the Mrs. Universe pageant with a mindset of winning it all, then doing just that.Taking this new platform to continue to spread the word of God and creating awareness around the foster care system.How her proudest achievement is becoming a wife and a mother because she never thought she’d be able to have a stable family and home life. This episode got me emotional! Tori is so inspiring and I hope you’re able to gain something from this episode.Want to keep up with Tori? Follow her on Instagram and TikTok! Interested in her book Founded? Click here!Be sure to rate & review the show on Apple Podcasts!  It will really help us grow & reach more people!Follow us on Instagram for daily inspirational stories!Or check out our YouTube & website!Want to connect with Festus directly? Hit him up on Instagram!

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Turning tragedies into triumphs: Hosted by NBA champion Festus Ezeli, tune in every Wednesday for a dose of heartfelt stories, great advice and complementary light hearted fun. Sharing his personal story from coming to America to a career defining injury, join Festus on his journey to Rebuilding the Beast. Featuring an array of inspiring guests and honest conversations about the ups and downs of life. From injuries, mental health issues, diseases, addiction, to strokes of fate and more, learn about overcoming adversity. Rebuilding the Beast gives a platform to others to tell their story in hopes of inspiring, spreading positivity and guiding through challenges. Let’s talk about the hard times and let’s be vulnerable, because your story can be someone else’s survival guide!