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
Monday Jul 15, 2024
Monday Jul 15, 2024
"But He knows the way that I take; When He has tried me, I shall come out as gold." -Job 23:10
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode, host Sandra Flach, talks with Barb Clark. Barb is the Director of training at Families Rising and is a parent to five adult children. She is passionate about learning from her many mistakes, and sharing them with others so they can avoid the same mistakes. She uses humor and real-life experiences to help professionals and caregivers challenge the use of traditional strategies and push them to think outside of the box. Barb is committed to improving the education & lives of individuals who were prenatally exposed to drugs & alcohol through her work at Families Rising, as the lead coach in the FASD Caregiver Kickstart and as a private consultant.
Listen in as Barb shares what she’s learned from her own parenting journey and how she trains and supports foster and adoptive parents today.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Monday Jul 01, 2024
Monday Jul 01, 2024
"Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” -John 8:10-11
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode, host Sandra Flach, talks with Melissa Pemberton. Melissa is a trauma aware parent coach, podcaster and owner of Mending Families, LLC. She has close to 20 years of experience working with families in the child welfare system from case management, to writing home studies, to running a foster care nonprofit and is trained in a variety of curricula.
Listen in as Melissa shares how her own experience with childhood trauma has shaped her journey.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Monday Jun 24, 2024
Monday Jun 24, 2024
"Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me." Psalm 27:10
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this episode, host Sandra Flach, talks with Marina Carrier. Marina lived through early trauma as an illegitimate unwanted child. As a little girl she was sexually abused and left for dead. As an adult, she became a teacher, married, and adopted a child. Then, God called her back to the Church where she learned what it means to live in “spirit and in truth.”
Listen in as Marina shares how the suffering of her childhood became revealed and unraveled as she embraced her faith and allowed her heart to change. With greater understanding of the effects of trauma and PTSD, healing in faith brought compassion and a heart to bless and serve others who also bear the heavy burdens of lovelessness and shame.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Monday Jun 17, 2024
Monday Jun 17, 2024
"You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." -Isaiah 26:3
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
Throughout the month of June, we’re focusing on dads! This week we’re talking with foster and adoptive dad, Adam Southerland. Adam is the missions and ministry pastor at New Hope Community Church in Queensbury, NY. He grew unpin southeast Michigan, where he married his wife Hanna. Their oldest daughter was adopted as an infant in 2018, followed by two biological sons. Adam and Hannah are currently foster parents and lead their church’s foster and adoption ministry—including CarePortal.
Listen in as Adam shares his family’s “yes” to adoption and foster care.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Monday Jun 10, 2024
Monday Jun 10, 2024
"For you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." -1 Thessalonians 2:11-12
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
Throughout the month of June, we’re focusing on dads! This week we’re talking with our resident expert—and foster dad—Dr. Jerrod Brown.
Listen in as Dr. Brown unpacks neuro-parenting and how dads (and moms) can apply brain-based strategies to better connect with and support our kids from hard places.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Monday Jun 03, 2024
Monday Jun 03, 2024
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." -Galatians 2:20
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
Throughout the month of June, we’re focusing on dads! To kick us off, this week host Sandra Flach talks with Joshua Legg. Joshua is passionate about helping men grow in Christ and seeing marriages healed. He understands the complexities of families parenting children with special needs and is well versed in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders—both professionally and as a brother of an adopted sibling with FAS.
Joshua pursues his passion for dads and families as a pastor, and through discipleship mentoring, and coaching. He and his wife Heather offer marriage intensives, drawing from their own journey and walking beside couples as they heal.
Listen in as Joshua offers encouragement and hope to foster and adoptive parents—especially dads.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Monday May 27, 2024
Monday May 27, 2024
"Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." 1 Corinthians 13:7
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this week’s episode host Sandra Flach talks with Todd and Kristin Evans about their new book, How to Build a Thriving Marriage as You Care for Children with Disabilities.
Listen in as the Evans’s share how the chronic stress of raising their children with disabilities affected their marriage and how they went from barely surviving to thriving.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Monday May 20, 2024
Monday May 20, 2024
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content, with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this week’s episode host Sandra Flach talks with Jennifer Kritner, Vice President of Retail and Company Culture at Unclaimed Baggage. She also serves as the director of Unclaimed Baggage’s charitable foundation, Reclaimed For Good. Jennifer is passionate about the company’s purpose “to redeem the lost, unclaimed and rejected—for the glory of God.” She and her husband, Patrick, are also passionate about foster care and adoption and regularly welcome children into their home.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
@unclaimedbag
Monday May 13, 2024
Monday May 13, 2024
"In You, LORD my God, I put my trust.” -Psalm 25:1
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this week’s episode host Sandra Flach talks with adoptive mom, Dr. Melody Aguayo. Dr Aguayo is a parent consultant for overwhelmed parents who are looking for support and solutions to navigate their parenting journey. She has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy and a PhD in Psychology. Melody is also professionally trained in Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), but it is her own journey as a parent that has been her greatest teacher.
Listen in as Sandra and Melody discuss who to keep showing up for our kids even when our cup is empty.
Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.
Links mentioned in this episode:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community
Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org
Wednesday May 08, 2024
Wednesday May 08, 2024
“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but YOU surpass them all.” -Proverbs 31:28-29
Welcome to The Adoption & Foster Care Journey—a podcast to encourage, educate and equip you to care for children in crisis through adoption, foster care and kinship care.
On this week’s episode host Sandra Flach shares a Mother’s Day message of encouragement for foster and adoptive moms. Mother’s Day can be triggering for our kids and hard for moms on many levels.
Listen in as Sandra acknowledges the messiness of second motherhood, offers encouragement, and prays for listeners as you navigate your unique 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:
justicefororphansny.org/hope-community