The Adoption &amp; Foster Care Journey - Détails, épisodes et analyse

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Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org

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Soul Care Saturday—52 Devotions for Foster and Adoptive Moms

Orphans No More—A Journey Back to the Father book on Amazon

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Episode 552 - From Diagnosis to Advocacy: Finding Hope on the FASD Journey with Rebecca Ciesielski

Épisode 572

lundi 5 octobre 2026 • Durée 48:48

“This is what the Lord Almighty said, “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.” -Zechariah 7:9

This episode continues our FASD Awareness Month series with special guest, foster and adoptive mom, Rebecca Ciesielski.

After years of searching for answers, Rebecca’s child received an FASD diagnosis at age eight. Along the way, she discovered the FASCETS Neurobehavioral Approach and began viewing challenging behaviors through a brain-based lens—recognizing differences in processing, regulation, memory, and inconsistent performance and responding with appropriate accommodations and support.

That shift was so impactful that Rebecca eventually became a certified FASCETS facilitator and now serves as president of the Texas FASD Network, helping educate, encourage, and advocate for families and professionals in Texas.

If you’re parenting or supporting someone with FASD, this conversation is a beautiful reminder that when we understand the brain differently, we can respond differently.

Listen in as Rebecca shares her FASD story on episode 552 of The Adoption & Foster Care Journey podcast.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Texas FASD Network

Episode 551 - Red Shoes Rock with Kathrin Hui Gregorovic

Épisode 571

lundi 28 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:02:36

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'” -Isaiah 52:7

This episode continues our FASD Awareness Month series with our special guest, Kathrin Hui Gregorovic. Kathrin grew up in Switzerland and now lives in Austria with her family. She and her husband are foster parents to two neurodivergent kiddos. Kathrin is also an artist. As a child she loved drawing and that passion was rekindled as she learned about FASD and started drawing again for self-care. Kathrin calls herself an ‘advocartoonist’—using her illustrations and cartoons to advocate for people with FASD.

Listen in as Kathrin Hui Gregorovic shares her family’s FASD story and how she uses her talents on behalf of the FASD community worldwide.

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://redshoesrock.com/

justicefororphansny.org/hope-community

Email: sandraflach@justicefororphansny.org

Episode 550 - Living with FASD with Patti Kasper

Épisode 570

lundi 21 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:22:18

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” -Psalm 139:13-14

This episode continues our FASD Awareness Month series with our special guest, Patricia Kasper. Patti is an author, podcast host, self-advocate, life coach, social worker, as well as a former therapist and hospice chaplain. With over thirty years of experience in addiction, mental health, and child welfare, Patti took a deep dive into FASD to better support the children and families on her caseload. In the process, she discovered that she too is on the FASD spectrum. Her self-identification was later confirmed with an FASD diagnosis.

The magnitude of seeing oneself differently, through a truer lens, and understanding the impacts of prenatal brain injury upon one’s physical, emotional, and cognitive development, uniquely experienced by everyone, revolutionized both her personal and professional life. Patti’s work pivoted to focus solely on FASD in hopes of bringing a monumental shift in understanding and grace to the nearly 15 million adults in the U.S. who have never understood why life was harder for them than for most.

Listen in as Patti Kasper shares from both her professional experience and as an adult diagnosed with FASD.

Links mentioned in this episode:

patriciakasper.com

Children’s Service Center PA

Episode 549 - Understanding FASD: From Behavior to Brain with Jessica Sachs

Épisode 569

lundi 14 septembre 2026 • Durée 01:03:30

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” -Psalm 139:13-14

This episode continues our FASD Awareness Month series with our special guest, Jessica Sachs. Jessica is the FASD Specialty Dept. Coordinator & Family Peer Supervisor at Children’s Service Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA. She has more than 14 years of experience supporting families and navigating mental and behavioral health systems—with a strong focus on FASD education, advocacy, and family support.

Jessica is also the mom of 5 children. Her FASD journey began personally when she started navigating mental and behavioral health services with her oldest kids. Her passion is bringing greater understanding of FASD to families and professionals, so individuals are better understood and receive the support, accommodation, and treatment they truly need.

Listen in as Jessica shares from both her professional experience and as a birth mom of a child with FASD.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 548 - FASD Awareness Month: Connecting Families to Hope and Resources with Emma Baldwin

Épisode 568

lundi 7 septembre 2026 • Durée 56:05

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;

Ensure justice for those being crushed.

Yes, speak up of the poor and helpless,

And see that they get justice.”

-Proverbs 31:8-9

This episode kicks off FASD Awareness Month with our special guest, Emma Baldwin. Emma is a sibling of a person with FASD and an autistic self-advocate. Emma’s work in the FASD field began with the FASD Network of Southern California and training initiatives at Proof Alliance in Minnesota. While living in Minnesota, Emma served on the advisory council of the Univ. of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration and chaired St. Paul Mayor’s Advisory Committee for People with Disabilities. Today, Emma is the Director of Partnerships at FASD United—leading the FASD United Affiliate Network (which JFO is a member of), supporting the Living Experience track of the International FASD Research Conference, and overseeing the development of the FASD Symposium and White Papers.

Listen in as Emma shares how FASD United, the national organization in the U.S., is empowering people living with FASD, educating systems of care and the public, enacting policy and uniting communities everywhere so that those living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Prenatal Alcohol Exposure are recognized and supported.

Links mentioned in this episode:

https://hollyseaverbooks.com/

Episode 547 - Homeschooling, FASD & Finding What Works for Your Family with Melissa Dunn Corkum

Épisode 567

lundi 31 août 2026 • Durée 01:17:26

“Be Still and know that I am God.” -Psalm 46:10

What happens when the traditional school system simply isn’t working for your child? For families raising children impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), finding the right educational environment can require flexibility, creativity, and a willingness to let go of what we thought education was supposed to look like.

In this episode of The Adoption & Foster Care Journey, Sandra reconnects with Melissa Dunn Corkum for an honest, informal conversation about their experiences homeschooling children with FASD. Neither approaches the conversation as an educational expert—they're sharing from the perspective of moms who have lived it.

Melissa and Sandra talk about the freedom homeschooling can provide to slow down, follow a child's strengths and interests, reduce unnecessary pressure, and create an educational experience around the child's actual needs rather than forcing the child to fit a predetermined curriculum.

They also explore the importance of structure, repetition, experiential learning, individualized accommodations, and recognizing that what works for one child may not work for another. From Ninja Warrior and bouldering to learning through everyday routines, their stories demonstrate how strengths-based education can open doors that traditional approaches sometimes miss.

But this conversation isn't just about educating our children. Melissa introduces the concept of blocked care and explains why caring for the caregiver's nervous system is essential for long-term parenting. Together, they discuss practical ways parents can recognize stress, reconnect with supportive people, regulate their nervous systems, and give themselves permission to make changes when something isn't working.

Whether you're currently homeschooling, considering a change in educational placement, or simply trying to figure out how to help your child learn and thrive, this conversation offers encouragement that there isn't one right way to educate a child—and it's okay to find the way that works for your family.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 546 - Twice Delivered: Isaac Melber’s Journey of Adoption, Identity & Faith

Épisode 566

lundi 24 août 2026 • Durée 01:18:16

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” -Romans 8:28

What happens when a child is taken from everything he knows and placed in a completely different culture, language, and family? For Isaac Melber, adoption was the beginning of a journey that would lead him through grief, questions of identity, healing, faith, and ultimately a calling to ministry.

In this episode of The Adoption & Foster Care Journey, Isaac shares his powerful story of growing up in Ethiopia, losing his parents, spending time in a Christian orphanage, and eventually being adopted by an American family. He opens up about the challenges of cultural transition and the questions he wrestled with as an adoptee—and how Scripture became an anchor for his identity and healing.

Isaac also shares about returning to Ethiopia as a teenager to meet members of his birth family and the unexpected opportunity God gave him to share the gospel with them. His story is a beautiful reminder that God can redeem even the hardest parts of our stories and use them for His purposes.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

Isaac’s childhood in Ethiopia and his experience in a Christian orphanage
The transition from Ethiopia to life with an American adoptive family
Navigating language, culture, food, grief, and loss as an adoptee
How Scripture helped Isaac process grief and establish his identity
The importance of grounding identity in Christ rather than circumstances or achievements
Isaac’s journey through soccer, football, and wrestling—and learning to use sports to honor God
Discovering his calling to ministry
His emotional return to Ethiopia and reunion with members of his birth family
Sharing the gospel with his family during his visit
Isaac’s book, Twice Delivered, and his desire to encourage adoptees, adoptive families, and the church
Practical encouragement for parents raising children from hard places

A Word of Encouragement for Foster & Adoptive Parents

Episode 545 - From Empty Nest to a Full House with Holly Seaver

Épisode 565

lundi 17 août 2026 • Durée 47:26

“Behold, I am going to do something new,

Now it will spring up;

Will you not be aware of it?

I will even make a roadway in the wilderness,

Rivers in the desert.”

-Isaiah 43:19

On this episode, host Sandra Flach, talks with Holly Seaver. Holly is a Christian, wife, mom of a multiracial and multicultural adoptive family, foster mom, and children’s book author. Her writing is inspired by her family’s lived experience including titles such as “My New Home & Me” and "Jack & Max & the Happy Home—A Foster Care Story”

Listen in as Holly shares her family’s journey from empty nest to full house after she and her husband felt led to become foster parents. Fostering led to adopting—something they never planned to do. Now their nest is full! Along the way she started writing children’s books for kids in foster care.

Enjoy Holly’s inspiring story and 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

Bonus Episodes with Dr. Brown

Episode 544 - Frontal Lobe Impairment: A Topic all Adoptive & Foster Parents Need to Know with Dr. Jerrod Brown

Épisode 564

lundi 10 août 2026 • Durée 58:46

“You will keep in perfect peace

All who trust in You,

All whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

-Isaiah 26:3

On this episode, host Sandra Flach, talks with our favorite returning guest, Dr. Jerrod Brown, about Frontal Lobe Impairment and what it means for children impacted by FASD, trauma, and other neuro-developmental differences.

Dr. Brown explains how the frontal lobe plays an important role in: self-regulation, executive functioning, decision making, communication, and adaptive functioning. When these areas of the brain are impaired, what looks like defiance or poor behavior may actually be a sign that a child is struggling with a brain-based difference.

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 fire-setting. You can check out his full bio on our website along with dozens of our bonus episodes featuring Dr Brown.

Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and share it on your social media.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Brown’s email: Jerrod01234Brown@alive.net