Paula Kyle-Stephens
About the Author
Paula Kyle-Stephens’s life was forever changed in 1968, when her father a Master Sergeant, Green Beret, and War Interrogator—returned from his second tour in Vietnam, bringing the war’s trauma into their living room and shattering every chapter of her young life. While stationed with her family on a military base in West Germany, Paula mysteriously lost her mother at age eleven. Less than a year later, she and her two younger sisters were given less than 24 hours’ notice that they would be separated and placed in foster care. The trauma of that day the driveway that marked the end of her family as she knew it—became the beginning of a journey through the foster care system marked by loss, resilience, and ultimately, hope.
Despite years of adversity, separation, and unanswered questions, Paula’s story is one of survival and transformation. Through the compassion of her “forever family,” the Ulreys, and her own determination, she found healing and a sense of belonging. Today, Paula is an advocate, keynote speaker, and foster care trainer, having authored three specialized trainings based on her life’s history:
Fostering – The Difference: A training inspired by one of her seven sets of foster parents, focusing on what truly makes a difference in a foster child’s life.
Sibling Separation: Addressing the lifelong impact and trauma of separating siblings in foster care.
Making Manners & Etiquette Fun: Creative strategies for teaching youth manners and etiquette in an engaging, memorable way.
Paula is also the founder of Paradise in the Sky, Youth Motivational Services, Inc., a nonprofit equine ranch where she provides animal-assisted therapy and healing programs for children and adults impacted by trauma. Her work empowers others to find confidence, connection, and the courage to “blossom where they are planted.”
Her memoir, Ghost of a Phantom, is a testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit a journey that begins with the echoes of war and loss, and unfolds into a message of forgiveness, advocacy, and the transformative power of unconditional love.
Paula Kyle-Stephens’s life was forever changed in 1968, when her father a Master Sergeant, Green Beret, and War Interrogator—returned from his second tour in Vietnam, bringing the war’s trauma into their living room and shattering every chapter of her young life. While stationed with her family on a military base in West Germany, Paula mysteriously lost her mother at age eleven. Less than a year later, she and her two younger sisters were given less than 24 hours’ notice that they would be separated and placed in foster care. The trauma of that day the driveway that marked the end of her family as she knew it—became the beginning of a journey through the foster care system marked by loss, resilience, and ultimately, hope.
Despite years of adversity, separation, and unanswered questions, Paula’s story is one of survival and transformation. Through the compassion of her “forever family,” the Ulreys, and her own determination, she found healing and a sense of belonging. Today, Paula is an advocate, keynote speaker, and foster care trainer, having authored three specialized trainings based on her life’s history:
Fostering – The Difference: A training inspired by one of her seven sets of foster parents, focusing on what truly makes a difference in a foster child’s life.
Sibling Separation: Addressing the lifelong impact and trauma of separating siblings in foster care.
Making Manners & Etiquette Fun: Creative strategies for teaching youth manners and etiquette in an engaging, memorable way.
Paula is also the founder of Paradise in the Sky, Youth Motivational Services, Inc., a nonprofit equine ranch where she provides animal-assisted therapy and healing programs for children and adults impacted by trauma. Her work empowers others to find confidence, connection, and the courage to “blossom where they are planted.”
Her memoir, Ghost of a Phantom, is a testament to the enduring strength of the human spirit a journey that begins with the echoes of war and loss, and unfolds into a message of forgiveness, advocacy, and the transformative power of unconditional love.
