Dream Small Podcast

The Freedom To Parent Your Family Differently

What happens when the best decision for your family doesn't make sense to everyone else?

In this episode, we share the story behind a vacation decision that surprised some people: taking only our three oldest children on a family trip while our younger children stayed home. What started as a practical choice became a powerful reminder that parents have the freedom and responsibility to make decisions based on the unique needs of their own family.

Too often, parents feel pressure from culture, social media, friends, family...

Just when you've finally built trust with a case worker, therapist, or visit supervisor...they're gone.

If you've been in foster care for any length of time, you know the feeling. You're explaining the history all over again, rebuilding relationships, and wondering if anyone else remembers what your child has already been through.

In this episode, we share some very real frustrations from our own current foster care journey and talk honestly about the constant turnover that seems to define the system. We discuss why it happens, why it hurts so much, and some practical...

Summer is supposed to be the season of slowing down, making memories, and enjoying extra time together as a family.

But for many foster, adoptive, and biological families, summer can quickly feel overwhelming. The routines disappear. The schedules change. The snacks never end. The laundry piles up. The house is never quite clean. And somehow everyone is hungry again twenty minutes after they just ate.

In this episode, Jason and Whitney share an honest conversation about navigating summer as foster parents raising a large family. From managing camps, appointments, technology, and chores to handling emotional...

What Happened After We Said Yes To Foster Care

Eight years ago, we said yes to foster care.

At the time, we had no idea how much that simple decision would change our lives. We couldn't have imagined the children who would come through our home, the adoptions that would follow, the reunifications we would celebrate, or the lessons God would teach us along the way.

For our 50th episode, we're taking a step back and sharing the story behind Dream Small.

What began after the heartbreak of a miscarriage eventually...

What happens to children in the hours after they enter foster care?

Most people never think about it.

They picture courtrooms, foster homes, case workers, and placements. But before any of that happens, many children spend hours and sometimes even nights sitting in government offices, conference rooms, and cubicles waiting to learn where they will sleep, whether they will stay with siblings, and what comes next.

In this episode, we sit down with Jenni Tice, co founder and Executive Director of Lily Pad, a faith based nonprofit creating trauma informed spaces for children...

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and in this episode we wanted to do something different.

Instead of only sharing our own thoughts, we asked foster parents what they wish everyone else understood about foster care. Their responses were honest, vulnerable, challenging, and deeply insightful.

We talked about comments foster families hear all the time:

Most people who say these things mean well. We know that. But this episode...

What is it really like to be a foster care case worker?

In this powerful and emotional conversation, we sit down with former Indiana DCS case worker, foster/adoptive mom, and child advocate Moriah Coons to talk about the side of foster care most people never see.

From overwhelming caseloads and dangerous home visits to heartbreaking court decisions and emotional burnout, Moriah gives an honest look at the impossible weight many case workers carry every single day. She shares stories from the front lines of child welfare that reveal just how complicated the foster care...

Foster care was never meant to be done alone.

In this episode, we kick off Foster Care Awareness Month with a conversation that is both deeply personal and incredibly practical. After years of fostering, one thing has become clear to us: the families who last are not the strongest or the most prepared. They are the ones who are supported.

There are roughly 200,000 licensed foster homes in the United States and nearly 400,000 children in care. While that gap matters, there is another reality that often gets overlooked. Not everyone is called to foster, but everyone...

The Real Life of Foster Care: What People Don’t See

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and while a lot of people are familiar with the idea of foster care, far fewer understand what it actually looks like inside a home that is living it every single day. In this episode, we wanted to slow things down and offer a more honest picture of that reality, not to overwhelm you, but to help you see what is often hidden and to invite you into it in a meaningful way.

When most people think about fo...

Life Update / Conversation Setup

This week, we sit down with Josh Cortez, pastor at Westfield Friends Church and foster dad of nearly eight years. He and his wife have had over 10 kids in their home, and their story is unique because almost every placement has ended in reunification.

That perspective shapes everything about how they approach foster care.

Big Topic: Reunification and Loving Bio Parents

Josh shares why reunification is not just something they accept, but something they actively pursue.

We talk about:

Disrupting a foster placement is one of the hardest and most painful parts of foster care, and it is something people rarely talk about honestly.

In this episode, Jason and Whitney open up about the heartbreaking reality of disrupting placements. They share what it means when a foster family reaches the point of saying a child can no longer stay in their home, why that decision is almost never quick or easy, and the guilt, shame, and grief that often follow.

Drawing from their own personal experiences with three disrupted placements over nearly eight years...

In this episode, Jason and Whitney talk about their unexpected journey into medically fragile foster care and how quickly their lives changed when they said yes to what they thought would be a short, simple placement. They share what medically fragile foster care actually looks like day to day, the fear and learning curve that comes with medical needs, the hospital visits, appointments, and emotional weight, and the incredible joy of watching children grow and heal.

This episode is ultimately about a bigger message: you don’t have to be special to do something meaningful. Most of th...

If your church, conference, or organization would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, you can contact them at dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com.

In this episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney talk about how easy it is for foster care to harden your heart and why followers of Jesus must fight to stay soft, compassionate, and tenderhearted anyway.

They begin by asking a simple but honest question: Have you ever felt yourself getting harder, not because you wanted to, but...

If your church, conference, or organization would like Jason and Whitney to speak about foster care, adoption, or living a meaningful life through small acts of faithfulness, you can contact them at dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com.

In this solo episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason shares reflections from attending the Every Child Symposium in Central Indiana, a conference designed to encourage foster parents, adoptive families, and churches to care for vulnerable children.

Jason originally attended the event to complete some required foster parent training hours, but he walked away with far more than that. The...

Foster care is built around one painful reality that many people don't talk about: goodbye is the goal.

In this episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney open up about the different kinds of goodbyes foster parents experience. Some are joyful. Some are heartbreaking. Some come without warning.

From reunification with biological parents to unexpected court decisions, to realizing a child needs a different forever home, foster care is full of emotional transitions that few people truly understand.

In this honest and vulnerable conversation, we share:

• The different types of...

Episode Summary

Marriage is hard. Add kids. Add trauma. Add foster care. Add special needs. Now multiply the stress.

In this episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney talk honestly about what it takes to protect and strengthen your marriage while fostering and parenting children with trauma, disabilities, and high needs.

With divorce rates hovering around 50 percent and dramatically higher among families raising children with disabilities, this conversation matters.

We are not claiming to be perfect. But after nearly 14 years of marriage, multiple foster placements, adoptions, court cases, sleepless...

Adoption day is often imagined as a magical finish line. A perfect moment where everything suddenly changes. But the reality is both simpler and deeper than that.

In this deeply personal episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney share the real story behind the day their daughter’s adoption became official. Just four hours after leaving the courthouse, they sit down to reflect on the logistics, emotions, surprises, and sacred moments that marked the day she officially became theirs forever.

This episode pulls back the curtain on what adoption day actually looks like, fr...

Foster care is hard. Not just emotionally, but practically. Kids often arrive with nothing. Families are stretched thin. Support can feel fragmented or temporary.

In this episode of the Dream Small Podcast, we sit down with Renae, Executive Director of Resources of Hope, a nonprofit based in Whiteland, Indiana, that is quietly and faithfully wrapping around foster, kinship, and adoptive families with the kind of support that actually meets real needs.

Renae shares her own foster care journey, including the painful experience of stepping away from fostering after a difficult placement, and how God used...

There’s a common myth that foster parents “do it for the money.” In this episode of the Dream Small Podcast, we walk through the real financial support foster parents receive in Indiana, including per diem rates, reimbursements, adoption subsidies, and why none of it comes close to covering the true cost of caring for a child.

If you’ve ever wondered:

This episode gives honest, firsthand answers based on real-life experience.

What You’ll Learn in T...

Some weeks feel like a year. And for foster and adoptive families, those weeks often come with sick kids, missed church services, packed calendars, emotional exhaustion, and moments where you wonder how everything is going to get done.

In this episode, Jason and Whitney invite you into one very long, very real week in their home. From fevers and stomach bugs to basketball games that start early, overlapping school schedules, missed Bible studies, and late night cleanup, they walk listeners through the day by day reality of life in a large foster and adoptive family.

...

What does it actually take for a church to support foster and adoptive families well, not just in theory, but in real, practical ways?

In this powerful episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney sit down with Deidra, a mom of 12 children (a mix of biological, adopted and foster) and a leader in a thriving foster care and adoption ministry. Deidra shares her family’s incredible story and sheds some light on how a grassroots church effort grew into a fully supported, staff-led ministry that has changed the lives of countless families.

From ca...

Foster care comes with paperwork, training, and background checks, but no one really prepares you for the surprise rules. In this episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney pull back the curtain on the unexpected, confusing, and weird rules they’ve encountered throughout their foster care journey.

From needing court approval to take a foster child out of state, to regulations around haircuts, ear piercings, medical appointments, and even sleepovers, this conversation is equal parts informative, humorous, and eye-opening. If you’ve ever considered fostering, support foster families, or are already licensed and nodding along thin...

What does it really mean to parent fairly?

In this episode of Dream Small, Jason and Whitney dive into a powerful parenting truth that came straight from one of their own kids: fair doesn’t always mean equal. Inspired by an insightful conversation with their son Benny, they unpack why different children, especially those impacted by trauma, autism, ADHD, or other forms of neurodiversity, often need different responses, expectations, and support.

Through personal stories, humor, and hard-earned experience, Jason and Whitney explore:

What happens when you hand the microphone to your kids and ask them what Christmas is really about?

In this special Christmas episode of Dream Small, Jason and Whitney sit down with their three oldest children - Lia, Laney, and Benny - for an unfiltered, unscripted conversation about Jesus, family, foster care, and the meaning of Christmas. With honesty, humor, and wisdom well beyond their years, the kids remind us that Christmas isn’t about perfect traditions or perfectly wrapped gifts - it’s about presence, people, and the Prince of Peace.

From Lia’s simple...

In this deeply personal episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney discuss the unexpected day that changed everything - the day Whitney was diagnosed with cancer. Whitney walks through what she felt, how she told Jason, what it was like to hear the word carcinoma, and how faith held her through moments of fear, confusion, and waiting.

From navigating biopsies and PET scans to wrestling with the “unknowns,” Whitney shares openly about being a mom of seven in the middle of a cancer diagnosis—and how God met her in the middle of it. This episod...

In this heartwarming episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Whitney sits in the hot seat as her two oldest kids interview their own mom about life as a foster and adoptive parent. From chaotic sibling moments to chicken-nugget emergencies, from autism insights to deep conversations about faith and surrender, this episode gives listeners an inside look at the beauty and messiness of real-life foster parenting.

You’ll hear Whitney share:

• How her early career with DCS led her toward foster care

• What it felt like to receive her first foster placement within hours of bei...

In the Thanksgiving episode of The Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney open the door to their joyful, loud, messy, and love-filled home. Whether you're driving to family gatherings, prepping holiday meals, or simply needing encouragement this week, this conversation is full of warmth, humor, and reminders of God’s goodness.

This episode dives into:

The holidays can be magical… and they can also be really hard — especially for kids who carry deep histories, big questions, or painful memories. In this episode, Jason and Whitney get honest (and hilarious) about what it really looks like to navigate Thanksgiving and Christmas with foster and adoptive children.

From unexpected triggers (yes, even turkey and side dishes), to family dynamics, to overstimulation, to kids suddenly melting down in the middle of the “perfect” holiday moment — this episode is packed with real stories, practical strategies, and a whole lot of grace.

Whether you’re a new foster...

In this vulnerable episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney open up about one of their hardest seasons as foster parents. After months of prayer, tears, and tough conversations, they share honestly about what it means to stay faithful — even when faithfulness doesn’t feel easy or rewarding.

From early-morning reflections after a rare night away to wrestling with questions of long-term placement, Jason and Whitney explore how God’s call to faithfulness often requires showing up again and again and again. They discuss what it looks like to love a child through trauma, to seek d...

We wanted to share the sermon from our church this past weekend. It resonated with us deeply so we wanted to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

ROTTEN (Faithfulness Pt 8)

Nov 2, 2025

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Mount Pleasant Christian Church

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Make an IMPACT

The Bible teaches us that tithing is an act of obedience and that we should trust God with every aspect of our lives, which also includes our finances. Sacrificing a portion of our income helps us look beyond ourselves and makes us more aware of the...

In this episode of Dream Small, Jason and Whitney open up about one of the hardest experiences they’ve ever faced as foster and adoptive parents — attending their first foster care mediation.

They walk listeners through what mediation actually looks like, who’s in the room, and the heavy reality of sitting across from a biological mom who deeply loves her child while navigating the legal process that could end her parental rights.

Through honesty, faith, and even a little humor, Jason and Whitney wrestle with questions like:

• What does love look like when it’...

In this heartfelt (and often hilarious) conversation, Jason and Whitney pull back the curtain on what life looks like as a family of nine—newborn and all—and why community is the difference between surviving and thriving as foster parents.

From mysterious “toilet paper genies” to Amazon angels who send kickballs, the Smalls share real stories of how their village has shown up in unexpected ways—and why isolation can be one of the hardest battles foster families face.

Whitney also gives a sneak peek into her upcoming article in Foster Families Today, titled “Community in the Chaos...

In this heartfelt and joy-filled episode, Laney takes over the microphone to interview her dad for a special father-daughter conversation about faith, family, and the wild adventure of fostering. From learning patience through parenting to seeing God’s hand in every twist and turn, this candid discussion will inspire you to trust God even when life feels chaotic.

What You’ll Hear About in This Episode:

In this moving continuation of her story, Bre opens up about what it was like to navigate foster care as a teenager—shifting homes, faiths, and expectations while searching for belonging. She shares the emotional tension of moving between families with vastly different religious beliefs, the impact of being “the new kid” again and again, and the powerful difference one man named Don made through simple, steadfast love.

Jason and Whitney listen as Bre reflects on the foster parents who shaped her, the struggles that challenged her faith, and what she wishes every foster parent understood about the te...

In this powerful 20th episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney sit down with their friend Bre, who courageously shares her story of growing up in foster care, navigating trauma, and breaking free from generational cycles.

Bre is the second oldest of eleven siblings and entered foster care as a teenager after years of instability and hardship. In this conversation, she opens up about:

In Episode 19 of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney open up about one of the most defining moments of their foster care journey — the return of their “always yes” child.

Years earlier, this little girl had entered their home as a scared toddler, quickly bonding with their family. But in a painful and unexpected turn, the foster care system sent her back home before it was safe, leaving their family grieving a sudden loss with no closure. For three years, Jason and Whitney prayed for her, never knowing if they would see her again.

Then...

In this episode of the Dream Small Podcast, Jason and Whitney share the incredible story of how God worked through friends, neighbors, and their church community to prepare their family for a brand-new foster placement — a five-week-old baby.

After wrestling with the decision for months and wondering if they were “too old for babies,” Jason and Whitney prayed for clarity. God answered in unmistakable ways: from baby clothes showing up at just the right time, to neighbors offering cribs and car seats, to surprise meals, strollers, and even toilet paper left in their garage “from a friend of Jesus...

In this episode of Dream Small, Jason and Whitney sit down with Clara — their former nanny and long-time family friend — to share a unique perspective that often goes unheard: what it’s like to grow up as a foster sibling.

Clara was only in second grade when her parents became foster parents, and over the years their home welcomed more than 50 children. As the oldest sibling, Clara experienced the ups and downs of foster care in ways that shaped her faith, her resilience, and even her career path. From the surprise of meeting her very first foster sister...

Ever wondered what daily life really looks like for a foster family? In this episode of Dream Small, Jason and Whitney pull back the curtain and share the organized chaos of their home—where visitors include case managers, therapists, guardians ad litem, and more.

A Foster Home is a busy place - where multiple visitors come into your home. This episode will give you a glimpse of some of the visitors. You’ll hear:

• What a DCS Family Case Manager (FCM) does and why they’re central to every case

• The difference between GALs (Guar...

In this episode of Dream Small, Jason and Whitney welcome their first non-family guest, Michelle, to share her powerful story of fostering and adoption.

Michelle and her husband fostered for 13 years, ultimately adopting five children. Her foster journey began with a surprise call late one night about twins—and what followed was a whirlwind of faith, heartbreak, disruption, and God’s provision.

Michelle opens up about:

• How infertility led them to private adoption and then foster care

• The unexpected late-night phone call that launched their fostering journey

• The challenges and hearta...