Why We Rise!
Change is strongest when the people closest to the experience have the power to shape it.
At Raising Phoenix Santiago Consulting, we believe meaningful change in child welfare begins by elevating lived expertise. Phoenix’s own experiences with foster care and poverty shape a deeply personal commitment to creating systems where people are not simply invited to participate—they are equipped, supported, and empowered to lead.
Through consulting, training, facilitation, and speaking, we bring lived expertise and professional practice together to help people and organizations create environments rooted in collaboration, respect, belonging, and shared power.
This work is personal. It is about helping people rise, connect, lead, and transform the systems around them.
The Mission
To transform child- and family-serving systems by centering lived expertise, strengthening professionals and leaders, and creating the conditions for people, families, and communities to thrive.
We partner with individuals and organizations to turn experience into insight, insight into action, and action into sustainable change.
What We Believe
People closest to the challenges should be closest to the solutions.
We believe lived experience is expertise. We believe professionals and lived experts can work alongside one another rather than across from one another. We believe transformation requires more than good intentions—it requires shared power, meaningful relationships, continuous learning, and the courage to change how systems operate.
And we believe the process of change can still make room for connection, movement, humor, and joy.
The Values That Help Us Rise
Compassion
We lead with humanity, empathy, curiosity, and care—recognizing the whole person behind every role, title, experience, and decision.
Growth & Transformation
We believe people and systems can evolve. Through reflection, learning, skill-building, and action, we help turn possibility into meaningful change.
Joy & Movement
Transformation does not have to happen without joy. We intentionally create space for humor, movement, connection, and energy in how people learn and grow together.
Justice
We work toward child welfare and human-service systems that confront inequity, remove barriers, share power, and create fairer outcomes for children, families, and communities.
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Empowerment
We equip people with the tools, opportunities, support, and confidence to influence the systems that affect their lives.
Inclusivity
We create spaces where different identities, experiences, perspectives, and ways of knowing are welcomed, respected, and valued.
Collaboration
We believe lasting change is built together—through meaningful partnership among families, youth, lived experts, professionals, leaders, and communities.
Resilience
We honor the strength people develop through adversity while working toward systems where resilience is supported rather than continually required.