Welcome to Trough Thoughts

All aboard the hot mess express!

We are Mark and Ashley

Photo by Angelique Jasmin

Allow us to introduce ourselves… the faces behind Trough Thoughts.

We are Mark and Ashley Johnson: adoptive parents for less than a year, former foster parents for almost eight years, dynamic duo, and the faces behind the Trough Thoughts Podcast.

Mark is the super intelligent, analytical web developer who is known for thoughtful responses after crockpotting about a topic and befriending every dog he sees. Ashley is the spicy, spontaneous, social worker who is known for quick responses and incomplete furniture flips. Mark enjoys the frigid temperatures from the depths of Antarctica no matter what the actual temperature is outside. Ashley enjoys baking in her car after it has been baking in the sun on the hottest summer day. Mark matches all his jerseys with his hats and shoes. Ashley doesn’t believe she is meant to have the two same socks in a pair.

We are passionate about foster care and adoption, birth family connection, hard conversation, and barriers that impact the children and families we serve.

You can hear more about the meaning behind Trough Thoughts by listening to our podcast, but in short, we strive to have real, vulnerable, honest, and above all... safe conversations even if you disagree with us. That is the Trough thoughts mantra.