Inside Kirstin Czernek’s Journey From Fitness Entrepreneur to Advocate: How Adoption, Down Syndrome, and Faith Redefined Her Purpose
“Once you get a glimpse into the world of having a child with Down Syndrome, everything shifts. Your perspective on life changes; it’s like you were seeing in black and white, and now you’re seeing in color. I think a lot of times people might be intimidated because they don’t have a full understanding… That’s what I feel is my role to do online — to share and dispel all of those things.”
I had the pleasure of talking with Kirstin Czernek. In the curated, high-gloss world of social media, “authenticity” is a word that gets thrown around until it’s meaningless. It’s a hashtag, a marketing strategy. But Kirstin Czernek’s version of authenticity hits different. It’s not just about posting a no-makeup selfie; it’s about navigating a life so full of profound trials and unexpected joy that it demands to be shared. Her online presence is a raw, unfiltered mosaic of advocacy, family, and the kind of heavy, real-life challenges that most people would hide.
She didn’t start out as an advocate. Her story begins with a “fairly typical upbringing” in New Jersey. Then, the familiar script-flip of modern life: “My parents got divorced when I was 13, which moved us down to Florida.” She followed a conventional path. She went to college, got her graduate degree in mental health counseling, and worked in the field for six years. She even pivot-shifted into entrepreneurship, opening and running a successful fitness studio and nutrition practice for seven years. She had a whole life, a whole career, before this one.
The real story, the one that defines her, began almost nine years ago when she and her husband made a life-altering decision: “we decided to pursue adopting from foster care.”
That’s when they met their daughter, Mia, who was 18 months old. But the system wasn’t done with them. While in the process of adopting Mia, they learned her biological mom was pregnant again. “When her brother Kai was born, he also moved in with us,” Czernek says, a statement delivered with a matter-of-factness that belies the emotional weight of raising biological siblings from foster care. They adopted them both.
The Czerneks weren’t done. “My husband wanted to try for one more, so I gave him one chance and got pregnant with my daughter, Aria.” This is where the universe threw them its biggest curveball. At 20 weeks pregnant, they received a diagnosis: Aria had Down Syndrome.
“It was a shock at first,” Czernek admits, “but honestly ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to us.”
That shock diagnosis didn’t close a door; it blew open an entirely new one. It rewired their perspective and “opened up our eyes to the world of people with different abilities.” It led them, later, to a private special needs adoption for their son Luca, who also has Down Syndrome. The fear of the unknown was replaced by a calling. “Once you get a glimpse into the world of having a child with Down Syndrome, everything shifts,” she explains. “Your perspective on life changes; it’s like you were seeing in black and white, and now you’re seeing in color.”
This new, full-color perspective coincided with a career change. She sold her studio in 2021. The world felt “heavy and intense… We were all just coming out of 2020.” Czernek saw an opening, not for a business, but for a mission. “I felt like we had so much joy in our home, and I wanted other people to experience that joy. So I started to share… I wanted to be a light.”
Her feed became a dispatch from the front lines of adoption, foster care, and special needs advocacy. But the “light” Czernek shares isn’t a fake, filtered brightness. It’s the kind of light that only exists because it’s pushing back against real, palpable darkness.
About a year ago, that darkness took shape. Her son Luca was diagnosed with leukemia.
The family, already experts in navigating complex medical and emotional systems, was thrown into a year-long inpatient hospital battle. (He is, thankfully, now cancer-free). The real test wasn’t just the medical fight; it was holding the rest of the family together. Czernek recalls the moment she had to tell her older kids.
“I remember sitting on my daughter Mia’s bed with her, and she was crying, and I was crying with her, feeling all the emotions her little heart was going through,” Czernek says. In that moment, she had to draw on Mia’s own “intense story” from foster care as a tool for resilience. “I was able to say, ‘Hey, you went through X, Y, and Z, but you came out the other side better, stronger, and kinder… This is another example of something really hard that can be used in your life to make you better.’”
She’s candid about the dual role of that speech. “It was like I was speaking to her, but I was also speaking to myself, laying the groundwork for what we were going to go through.”
This is the bedrock of her resilience. It’s not a platitude; it’s a lived experience. It’s what fuels her platform. When she talks about foster care, she’s not just talking about the beauty of adoption; she’s talking about radical, systemic reform. Her big idea? “Empowering parents.” She argues the goal must always be reunification. “We should be the community that does that,” she insists. “The ultimate goal should be to erase the need for a foster care system by keeping kids within their families.”
How does she handle it all? A combination of raw pragmatism and unshakable faith. “I have four little kids watching every single thing I do,” she says. “It’s one thing to say something, but it’s another to live it and act it out.” This, she clarifies, isn’t pressure; it’s “a responsibility.” It’s what “kept me in a good mental space.”
That, and a core belief: “Keep God first.”
Czernek is still navigating the tricky business of sharing a life that is both beautiful and brutal, all while protecting her kids. She’s learned to ignore the noise — “Don’t worry as much about what other people think” — and to “constantly exercise gratitude.” Her life is a testament to the idea that joy isn’t the absence of struggle, but the strength you build in the middle of it.
Yitzi: Kristin, it’s a delight and an honor to meet you. Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn about your personal origin story. Can you share the story of your childhood, how you grew up, and what planted the seeds for the amazing things that have come since then?
Kirstin: Oh, thank you. I grew up in New Jersey. I have two sisters, and I had a fairly typical upbringing. My parents got divorced when I was 13, which moved us down to Florida, where I finished high school and eventually went to college. I met my husband there and did my undergraduate and graduate studies in psychology and mental health counseling. I worked in that field for about six years. From there, I opened up a fitness studio and nutrition practice, combining all the things I love. I owned and operated that for about seven years and then sold it in 2021. I segued into social media, but not intentionally; it just kind of happened. That leads to where we are today.
Yitzi: Great, that’s amazing. Please tell us about the exciting work you’re doing now.
Kirstin: Almost nine years ago, we decided to pursue adopting from foster care. That is where we met our daughter Mia; she was 18 months old. While we were pursuing adopting her, we found out that her mom was also pregnant. When her brother Kai was born, he also moved in with us, and we started pursuing adopting him as well. We finalized their adoptions about eight years ago, and that was one of the best things that ever happened to us.
When Kai was about one year old, my husband wanted to try for one more, so I gave him one chance and got pregnant with my daughter, Aria. Aria was born with Down Syndrome, which was a shock at first but honestly ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to us. It opened up our eyes to the world of people with different abilities and special needs and just made us fall in love with all individuals with Down Syndrome. That led us to adopting our son Luca, which was a private special needs adoption.
I share all that to say that in 2021, when I sold my studio, I started sharing more about our life online. It was during what I would say were heavy and intense times. We were all just coming out of 2020, and I wanted to be a light. I felt like we had so much joy in our home, and I wanted other people to experience that joy. So I started to share little clips of what that looked like for us, and it just took off. I’ve been doing social media for about four years now, and I’ve had the honor of sharing our family and educating people about foster care, adoption, and Down Syndrome. I have such an amazing community online that I’ve been able to build, and it’s honestly been a dream.
Yitzi: Amazing. First of all, congratulations on all your blessings. What you do is really beautiful. I think what you’re doing is amazing. For the sake of our readers, what are some of the myths you would like to dispel about having and raising a child with Down Syndrome or other special needs?
Kirstin: I feel like a lot of the things that people might be scared about are the unknowns. When I got Aria’s diagnosis at 20 weeks pregnant, it became one of those things that the more I learned about it, the less scary it was. That’s why I think education and spreading awareness within the Down Syndrome community is so powerful, and why I feel it’s a calling to do that myself.
Once you get a glimpse into the world of having a child with Down Syndrome, everything shifts. Your perspective on life changes; it’s like you were seeing in black and white, and now you’re seeing in color. I think a lot of times people might be intimidated because they don’t have a full understanding, and instead of asking questions, they say nothing because they don’t want to say the wrong thing.
I think a lot of the myths are tied up in that lack of understanding or in outdated information from 20 years ago that isn’t relevant now. Once individuals with Down Syndrome were given an opportunity to show what they were capable of, they blew the world away. It’s about giving those opportunities and seeing that growth, specifically over the last 30 years. I mean, in the 1960s, individuals with Down Syndrome were institutionalized. We’ve come a very long way. Breaking down some of those barriers and creating understanding has really dispelled a lot of those myths, which again, I think is just because people are either too intimidated or they don’t have any experience or exposure. That’s what I feel is my role to do online — to share and dispel all of those things.
Yitzi: You probably have some amazing stories from the different parts of your career and your great work. Can you share one or two stories that stand out most in your mind from your advocacy and professional life?
Kirstin: A recent story that stands out involves my son Luca. He was diagnosed with leukemia about a year ago and recently has been in remission and is completely cancer-free. We adopted Luca, he was in the NICU for a few months, and we only had him home for a few months before going back to be impatient in the hospital for a year. Within that story, over the last year, we have had the opportunity as a family to get so much closer and grow in resilience.
One of the most difficult parts of Luca’s diagnosis was figuring out how to share it with my other kids, specifically my two older ones, now 10 and eight. They have a good understanding, but these are mature and heavy topics. I had the opportunity to sit with them and explain how this was going to be very difficult, with trying and hard times, but that we are stronger and would come out better because of it.
I remember sitting on my daughter Mia’s bed with her, and she was crying, and I was crying with her, feeling all the emotions her little heart was going through. I was able to pull from times in her own life where she has grown and been so resilient. She is adopted from foster care and has a pretty intense story. I was able to say, “Hey, you went through X, Y, and Z, but you came out the other side better, stronger, and kinder. You have a greater understanding of people and how the world works than other kids your age. This is another example of something really hard that can be used in your life to make you better.”
In those moments, when you’re speaking to your kids, it does a lot for you at the same time. It was like I was speaking to her, but I was also speaking to myself, laying the groundwork for what we were going to go through over the next year and how we were going to approach it. It’s a relatively recent example but definitely one that sticks out in my mind.
Yitzi: Wow. Were there moments you felt you weren’t strong enough to deal with all of this? What did you do then?
Kirstin: My faith and my relationship with my husband and my kids, and just knowing that God has a purpose for me, for Luca, and for my whole family in all of this, really carried me through a lot of difficult times. Also, I have four little kids watching every single thing I do. It’s one thing to say something, but it’s another to live it and act it out. Knowing I had a responsibility for how I was going to let this impact me, and what that would look like for them, was a responsibility, not a pressure. I feel like it kept me in a good mental space. It created boundaries around where my mind would go because I knew I had to keep it all in check. I had to take care of myself, continue to eat well and exercise, practice self-care, and meet all of their needs because I needed to be my best version for them. At the end of the day, it truly just came down to that.
Yitzi: Beautiful. You have an amazing platform. What kind of change do you hope to make with it?
Kirstin: As I shared, when I initially started on social media, I wanted to be a source of joy and light. It’s also really important to me to show up authentically. We’ve been hit with a lot of trials, so sometimes that can be tricky to navigate, but I do see how powerful it can be to show up, be authentic and vulnerable, and connect with people in that way. I love having the opportunity to share about Down Syndrome, how it’s impacted our life, and the things we’re navigating. I like to give a good picture of those things while also protecting my kids. Each age and stage comes with different things, and it is fairly nuanced, but I feel like we’ve been able to walk that line pretty well. I also share about foster care and adoption. These are pillars that I share, but they’re also my life. I live them out every day and have been so blessed by these different things, so to have the opportunity to share that with people and have them be impacted in the same way is amazing.
Yitzi: That’s amazing. You have an insider’s perspective on the foster system and adoption. If you had the power to make one change to improve the foster care system, what would it be?
Kirstin: Empowering parents. I think providing resources, empowering parents, and surrounding them with community is key. Reunification is the goal and should always be the goal. There are some circumstances, like with my own children, where that’s not an option, but it should always be the goal. I think coming in and creating those reinforcements is crucial. There are programs, and I think people are trying, but it’s going to take a lot more. It’s something that I would love to see and be a part of in my lifetime: coming alongside these parents to equip them so they have the confidence and ability to reunify with their kids and be a family forever. Some of the cards these parents have been dealt are really difficult, and it’s very easy to repeat patterns you grew up in. So, we need to help break some of those patterns, but you can’t just ask them to do that and give them their kids back and expect everything to be okay. They need help and support. We should be the community that does that. The ultimate goal should be to erase the need for a foster care system by keeping kids within their families.
Yitzi: Amazing. What part of your story do people rarely ask about that you wish they would?
Kirstin: I don’t know if there’s anything I get asked that I wish they wouldn’t. There are certain things that, out of respect for my kids’ privacy, I have boundaries around. People sometimes ask things out of pure curiosity, not maliciously, but it’s not my story to tell. With sharing adoption content, that can be tricky because I want to build awareness, but I have to do it in a respectful way. What that looks like right now is running things by my kids, showing them the video, showing them the caption, and asking if they want me to take things out or not share it at all. Because I have so many boundaries around that, I think people are more curious because I share a little bit less. Maybe they assume I’m less interested in sharing, but it’s more so that I have those strong boundaries and I’m pretty protective.
Yitzi: Beautiful. This is our signature question. You’ve been blessed with a lot of success and are doing amazing work. Can you share five things you’ve learned from your experiences that you wish you had known when you first started?
Kirstin: Five things. Okay, let’s see.
- You’re stronger than you think you are and can handle more than you think you can. If I had known that starting out and questioned myself less, it would have saved me some overthinking.
- Don’t worry as much about what other people think. I think we all struggle with that to a certain degree, and it’s something I’ve had to overcome, especially with content creation where everyone has access to you and an opinion.
- Keep God first and keep faith a priority. It has been a foundation in my life and helped me get through a lot of hard things, but sometimes I wrestle with that a little on the front end.
- Constantly exercise gratitude. Gratitude is so important and is a mind-shifter. If you’re ever struggling, writing down and focusing on the things you have versus the things you lack can change your whole mood.
- If you’re struggling, go and help somebody. Get outside of yourself. Sometimes we get so stuck in our own heads. If we can get outside of ourselves and volunteer or help someone else, it changes your worldview and helps put life into perspective. Your own problems just don’t seem as big.
Yitzi: That’s beautiful. Kirstin, because of your amazing work, you’re a person of enormous influence. If you could spread an idea or inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Kirstin: Kindness and inclusion. A big reason we moved to Tennessee from Florida was for inclusive education. Being able to now see my daughter, who’s in kindergarten, go to a typical classroom and be amongst her typical peers is wonderful. She benefits so much from them, and they benefit so much from her. There’s so much beauty in inclusion. Again, it opens your worldview, gets you outside of yourself, and it’s beautiful. To be able to see more kindness and inclusion could drastically shift how people view and accept each other, which ultimately shifts how people treat each other throughout the world.
Yitzi: Amazing. So inspirational. I wish you continued success, good health, and blessings. Is Luca feeling better?
Kirstin: Thank you. Luca is doing great. He just came back from a walk with my husband, and he’s doing awesome. Thank you so much for asking.
Yitzi: You should only have more blessings. Keep up the amazing work, and I hope one day I can meet you in person.
Kirstin: Thank you so much. And thank you for taking the time. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Yitzi: Thanks so much, Kristin. Have a wonderful day.
Inside Kirstin Czernek’s Journey From Fitness Entrepreneur to Advocate: How Adoption, Down… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.