Host Sandra Flach is a mom of 8 children, 5 through adoption—one kinship and 4 international. Her youngest 2 are teens diagnosed with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). With over 30 years of parenting experience and 20 plus years as an adoptive and kinship parent, she’s made mountains of mistakes and learned loads of lessons. She understands the difficult road of parenting children with trauma histories—and she is still in the trenches! The Adoption & Foster Care Journey is a podcast to encourage, educate, and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care, and kinship care. We aim to support adoptive and foster families by sharing encouraging real-life stories and equipping them with modern-day research and parenting techniques.
Episodes
Aug 3, 2026
Aug 3, 2026
48 min
"An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside Him. Then He said to them, 'Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.'" -Luke 9:46-48
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate, and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care, and kinship care.
On this episode, host Sandra Flach talks with Scott Fuller, Vice President of Advancement at Murphy-Harpst Children's Centers, a ministry that has been serving vulnerable children in Georgia for more than 100 years.
Scott shares his unexpected journey from church planting to advocating for children in foster care, along with a powerful story of hope that demonstrates what can happen when children receive consistent care, compassionate support, and adults who believe in their future.
Together, Sandra and Scott discuss the life-changing work of Murphy-Harpst, the importance of community for foster and adoptive families, how trauma-informed care helps children heal and thrive, and the Bible passage that transformed Scott's understanding of ministry and service.
Whether you're a foster or adoptive parent, someone who supports vulnerable children, or simply looking for encouragement, this conversation is a reminder that God often accomplishes His greatest work through ordinary people who faithfully say "yes."
Listen to Sandra's conversation with Scott Fuller on Episode 543 wherever you get your podcasts.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jul 27, 2026
Jul 27, 2026
53 min
"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
I’ll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace."
-Matthew 11:28 & 29 MSG
Children with trauma and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) often aren't choosing challenging behaviors—they're struggling with brain-based differences that affect memory, impulse control, and executive functioning.
In this week's episode of The Adoption & Foster Care Journey Podcast, Sandra Flach explores:
- What confabulation is (and why it's often mistaken for lying)
- Why consequences and punishment frequently don't work
- How shifting from consequences to accommodations can transform your relationship with your child
When we recognize the difference between can't and won't, we can replace frustration with compassion and create the supports our children truly need.
Listen now and discover practical, brain-based strategies that can bring more peace and connection to your parenting journey.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jul 20, 2026
Jul 20, 2026
1 hr 2 min
"I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" -Jeremiah 32:27
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
In this episode host Sandra Flach sits down with Dr. Mark Andrews, adoptive father and founder of Adoptive Family Resources, to talk about his family's adoption journey and how it shaped his life's work of supporting foster and adoptive families.
Mark shares how learning about trauma, attachment, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) transformed both his parenting and his professional ministry. Together, they discuss the importance of understanding the brain behind the behavior, finding the right support, and remembering that we don't have to walk this journey alone.
If you're raising children impacted by trauma or prenatal substance exposure—or you simply need a reminder that God sees your family and is with you every step of the way—this conversation will encourage and equip you.
As Mark reminds us, "The Lord loves your child even more than you do."
Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jul 13, 2026
Jul 13, 2026
1 hr 11 min
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
In this week's episode of The Adoption & Foster Care Journey, Sandra Flach sits down with pediatric physical therapist and foster dad Trevor Carlson to explore how trauma, neglect, and prenatal substance exposure can impact a child's development—from tummy time to walking.
Trevor shares practical, hope-filled strategies to help caregivers support healthy development while reminding us of one essential truth: connection comes before correction.
In this episode, you'll discover:
- Why developmental milestones matter—but don't tell the whole story
- How trauma can affect a child's physical development
- Simple ways to encourage tummy time and movement
- Why safety and connection are the foundation for growth
- Encouragement for parents raising children with developmental delays
Whether you're parenting a newborn, toddler, or a child with a history of trauma, this conversation will equip you with practical tools and a fresh perspective.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jul 6, 2026
Jul 6, 2026
1 hr 32 sec
“And He (Jesus) awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” -Mark 4:39
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode host Sandra Flach talks with returning guest favorite, Dr. Jerrod Brown. Dr. Brown has 6 PhD’s and specializes in topics related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), confabulation, suggestibility, trauma and other life adversities, alexithymia, executive dysfunction, criminal recidivism, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and youth firesetting. You can check out his full bio on our website along with dozens of our bonus episodes feating Dr. Brown.
Here Dr. Brown unpacks the prevalence of migraine headaches among children with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Listen in or watch on our YouTube channel to learn risk factors, symptoms, and lifestyle medicine choices to improve outcomes.
You can find episode 539 wherever you get your podcasts!
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jun 29, 2026
Jun 29, 2026
1 hr 30 min
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:13
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode host Sandra Flach talks with Michael Gaither. Michael is a Black adoptee raised by a white family in Lincoln, Nebraska. He spent 49 years living the transracial adoption experience before reuniting with his biological family and finally understanding what it meant to see himself in someone else. With 30 years in education as a teacher, principal, district administrator, and executive leadership coach, Michael founded Beyond the Moment Adoption Studio, a digital resource for white parents raising Black children.
Listen as Michael shares his story and recommends 7 Conversations Every White Parent Must Have With Their Black Children on Episode 538 wherever you get your podcasts.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
https://beyondthemomentadoptionstudio.com/
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jun 22, 2026
Jun 22, 2026
1 hr 16 min
“I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten…” -Joel 2:25
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode host Sandra Flach talks with Lainie Hartley. Lainie is an author, speaker, foster and adoptive mom, and former foster youth whose voice carries the weight of lived experience and the hope of redemption. Through raw and deeply personal storytelling, she speaks about childhood neglect, trauma, grief, survival, and the God who still restores what was never supposed to be broken.
Listen to Lainie’s powerful story of healing and redemption on Episode 537 wherever you get your podcasts.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
https://www.instagram.com/authorlainiehartley/
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jun 15, 2026
Jun 15, 2026
45 min
“Call on Me and I will answer you, and I will show you great and mighty things which you do not know!” -Jeremiah 33:3
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode host Sandra Flach celebrates foster and adoptive dads with Jerry Tucker. Jerry is the father of eight children, five of whom were adopted. He is also grandfather of nine with a tenth on the way. A real estate professional, Jerry is husband of Jodi Jackson Tucker, founder of Second Mothers, an organization that supports foster and adoptive mothers. Together, Jerry and Jodi created the Renew Retreat, an annual respite for foster and adoptive parents. Jerry is also part of a team that is seeking to launch a Second Fathers initiative in the coming months.
Listen in as Jerry highlights the critical role fathers play in foster and adoptive families and why encouraging and equipping men is so important.
Find Episode 536 wherever you get your podcasts.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jun 8, 2026
Jun 8, 2026
1 hr 4 min
“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” -Psalm 143:8
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode, host Sandra Flach continues her FASD Q & A by answering three questions she is frequently asked:
- Is getting an FASD diagnosis important?
- What about medication?
- What therapies help with FASD?
Listen in as Sandra unpacks these questions from her personal experience raising two young adult sons with diagnosed Fetal Alcohol Syndrome as well as from her professional experience as a national FASD trainer.
Find Episode 535 wherever you get your podcasts.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon
Jun 1, 2026
Jun 1, 2026
1 hr 10 min
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take delight in you; in His love He will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” -Zephaniah 3:17
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you as you care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode, host Sandra Flach talks with Brandy McCombs. Brandy is a follower of Christ, a wife, an adoptive mother, and mom to three biological sons. She serves as a college professor with a PhD focused on the intersection of the brain and high-level stress.
Listen to Sandra’s conversation with Brandy as they discuss:
- The impact of trauma and prenatal stress on brain development
- Why traditional behavior management often falls short
- The overlap between ADHD, trauma, and FASD
- The importance of accommodations and connection
- How faith and community sustain foster and adoptive families
- Brandy’s personal adoption story and parenting journey
Find Episode 534 wherever you get your podcasts.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Adoption & Foster Care Journey
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms
Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon