Episode 17

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Published on:

17th Dec 2025

Behind the Savannah Bananas: Co-Founder Emily Cole on Family, Foster Care, and the Conversation That Changed Everything

What if the most heart hitting story connected to the Savannah Bananas had nothing to do with baseball, trick plays, or viral hijinks, but everything to do with family and purpose? In this friendship podcast conversation, Daryn sits down with co-owner Emily Cole to uncover the behind the scenes truth that shaped the Savannah Bananas brand from the inside out.

This episode pulls you straight into the real life story of how Emily and Jesse Cole built an entertainment empire while quietly growing their family through bio, foster, and adoption and why that journey inspired Bananas Foster, the foundation at the heart of their mission. Packed with emotion, connection, and pure Savannah Bananas energy, this is the conversation that shows the world what the Savannah Bananas stand for when the cameras aren’t rolling.

This is a conversation about family, community, and the powerful ways one act of love can ripple into something bigger than you ever imagined.

In This Episode You Will Learn

✅How Emily and Jesse built the Savannah Bananas brand on joy, connection, and conversation

✅ Why foster care became the unexpected doorway to their family growing in the most beautiful way

✅ The mission behind Bananas Foster and how they use their platform to celebrate foster families

✅What it means to parent through uncertainty and still choose love anyway

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Key Timestamps

  • (00:00) Emily talks about family, growth, and using their platform for good
  • (02:06) The Savannah Bananas phenomenon and inviting Emily onto the podcast
  •  (06:00) Emily and Jesse Coles meeting story and their early days in baseball
  • (10:25) Launching the Savannah Bananas the same week they married
  • (11:05) Their first child and the conversation that led them toward foster care
  • (12:23) Emily’s deep research into adoption and discovering foster care
  • (13:53) Getting licensed during COVID and welcoming their first placement
  • (15:31) A weekend placement that became their second adopted daughter
  • (17:01) The book that shifted Emily’s mindset: Everything Is Figureoutable
  • (21:00) Why kids, not parents, deserve the biggest celebration
  • (24:21) The reality of modern families and shifting norms
  • (27:01) Creating Bananas Foster and celebrating foster families publicly
  • (29:04) The powerful third-inning moment at Bananas games
  • (31:23) Navigating identity protection and diverse family storie
  • (32:47) Their audacious goal: turn a 400k-kid waitlist into a waitlist of foster families
  • (35:00) Emily Cole shares why Jesse Cole is the friend who changed her life.
  • (36:10) Emily Cole reflects on the qualities Jesse Cole saw in her early on.
  • (37:10) Daryn asks what Emily is loving right now; she talks homeschooling.
  • (38:56) Emily shares her favorite kids’ learning tool, the Yoto.
  • (39:12) They talk about screen-free learning and how kids absorb so much through listening.
  • (40:12) Emily expresses gratitude and they reflect on how meaningful it is when someone gives back to her for a change.
  • (42:10) Daryn shares her personal takeaway about how connection, support, and perspective can shift everything and introduces her daughter Nicole “Ro” Felton
  • (42:25) She reflects on how Emily’s story mirrors her own family journey and why these conversations matter so much.
  • (44:37) Ro jokes about the Bananas Foster dessert, adding fun Savannah Bananas energy.
  • (47:29) Ro explains how their blended family “just works,” a core friendship podcast moment.
  • (52:02) Ro tells Daryn she feels chosen and loved, highlighting the heart of this conversation.

Key Takeaways

🔹 Family can be built in countless beautiful ways

Emily’s openness to bio, foster, and adoption created a family story full of compassion and intention.

🔹 Platforms should be used for purpose, not just attention

The Savannah Bananas bring joy to millions, and Bananas Foster transforms that visibility into impact.

🔹 Every foster story holds both heartbreak and hope

Emily honors that the real heroes are the kids who show resilience through unimaginable transitions.

🔹 Everything becomes possible when you start with one small step

Her mantra during uncertainty: “Everything is figureoutable.”

Guest Bio – Emily Cole

Emily Cole is the co-owner and co-creator of the wildly popular Savannah Bananas, known for reinventing baseball and building unforgettable fan experiences. Alongside her husband Jesse, Emily co-founded Bananas Foster, a nonprofit that celebrates foster families and shines a light on the 400,000 children in care across America. She is a mom to three children through bio and adoption, a homeschool parent, and a passionate advocate for creating communities rooted in joy, compassion, and belonging.

Resources & Links



conversation, friendship podcast, Savannah Bananas, Bananas Foster, Emily Cole, foster care stories, adoption journey, Daryn Kagan, family storytelling, parenting with purpose, baseball entertainment, viral sports team, meaningful conversations

Transcript

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