Dream Small Podcast

About Dream Small Podcast

The Dream Small Podcast is a foster care and adoption podcast hosted by Jason and Whitney Small, foster and adoptive parents who have welcomed more than 14 children into their home and adopted three. Through honest conversations and real life stories, the podcast encourages foster parents, adoptive families, and those considering foster care. Each episode explores the realities of foster care, adoption, and parenting children from hard places, offering practical encouragement and hope for families navigating the foster care journey. Jason and Whitney share lessons from their own experience, faith, and conversations around trauma informed parenting, family life, and supporting vulnerable children. Whether you are a current foster parent, an adoptive parent, considering becoming a foster parent, or someone who supports foster families, the Dream Small Podcast exists to encourage and equip you along the way. Jason and Whitney believe that changing a child’s life rarely happens through big moments. More often, it happens through small, faithful acts of love lived out every day. If you're thinking about becoming a foster parent or walking the foster care journey, this podcast will help you navigate the challenges, celebrate the wins, and stay encouraged along the way.

Publisher

Jason and Whitney Small

Category

kids & family · religion & spirituality · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 May 2025

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

59 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   They Fostered Over 250 Children. Here's What They Learned. | E58

   What happens when you say yes to foster care more than 250 times? How do you keep loving through the heartbreak, the difficult goodbyes, and the seasons when you're simply exhausted? This week on the Dream Small Podcast, Jason sits down with Dave and Dana Williams, who spent more than 13 years caring for vulnerable children through foster care and serving as house parents at a children's group home. What began as a desire to adopt turned into a journey neither of them could have imagined. More than 250 children. A house that was rarely quiet. Countless goodbyes. And a deeper understanding of God's mercy, unconditional love, and faithfulness. Dave and Dana share openly about the joy and heartbreak of foster parenting, the importance of having people who understand your journey, and why sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is recognize that God is calling you into a new season. We also hear about their newest adventure, Snail Mail Bible Tales, a creative ministry bringing the stories of Scripture to life for children through personalized letters delivered right to their mailboxes. This conversation is a powerful reminder that God doesn't measure our faithfulness by how long we serve in one particular role, but by our willingness to follow Him wherever He leads. In This Episode ✓ How Dave and Dana's desire to adopt led to fostering over 250 children ✓ The emotional weight of saying goodbye and why loving deeply is always worth it ✓ What foster care taught them about God's mercy and unconditional love ✓ Their experience serving as house parents at a children's group home ✓ Why marriage, community, and support are essential for foster families ✓ Recognizing burnout and understanding that taking a break doesn't mean failure ✓ How Snail Mail Bible Tales is helping children discover the truth of Scripture Scripture to Reflect On Galatians 6:9 (NLT) "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." Dave and Dana's story reminds us that faithfulness takes many forms. Sometimes it means continuing to say yes, even when it's difficult. Other times, it means trusting God enough to follow Him into a different season. Learn More About Snail Mail Bible Tales Dave and Dana Williams are the founders of Snail Mail Bible Tales, a monthly subscription that brings Bible stories to life through letters written from the perspectives of biblical characters. Each mailing encourages children to engage with Scripture and creates opportunities for meaningful conversations about faith within the family. Website: https://snailmailbibletales.com (https://snailmailbibletales.com/) Dave and Dana also share their desire to make these letters accessible to foster families, including offering sample letters for families interested in learning more. Support the Dream Small Podcast If Dream Small has encouraged you, challenged you, or helped you feel a little less alone in your journey, would you consider supporting the podcast? Your support helps us continue sharing real stories of faith, foster care, adoption, and everyday faithfulness. Support Dream Small: https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support (https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support) Invite Dream Small to Speak Jason and Whitney are passionate about encouraging families, churches, foster parents, and communities to live faithfully in the everyday moments that matter most. Interested in having us speak at your church, conference, foster parent event, or ministry gathering? We'd love to connect! Speaking inquiries: info@dreamsmallpodcast.com (mailto:info@dreamsmallpodcast.com) Connect With Dream Small Website: https://dreamsmallpodcast.com (https://dreamsmallpodcast.com/) Email: info@dreamsmallpodcast.com (mailto:info@dreamsmallpodcast.com) Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast Facebook: Dream Small Podcast YouTube: @dreamsmallpodcast X: @DreamSmallShow If This Episode Encouraged You Share it with a foster parent, adoptive family, or someone who needs to be reminded that their faithfulness matters. Follow the Dream Small Podcast on your favorite listening platform, leave a rating or review, and help us reach more families who need encouragement. Because God does big things through the small and everyday faithfulness of His people. Keep Dreaming Small! Music Credit "Paradise Found" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons.

2. 

   15 Sept 2026

   She Told Her Story. It Changed Foster Care. | E57

   What if one of the hardest parts of your story could become the thing that makes life a little easier for someone walking behind you? This week, we're joined by Ashlyn, a former foster youth whose story helped inspire Lily Pad, a faith based nonprofit creating trauma informed spaces for children experiencing foster care and others experiencing crisis. Ashlyn first entered foster care as a young child. Years later, after being adopted, she found herself back in the system after having the courage to report abuse in her adoptive home. At 15 years old, she sat in a DSS office for hours, eventually falling asleep at a desk while she waited to find out where she would go next. That experience would eventually become part of something much bigger. When her foster mom, Jenni Tice, asked Ashlyn what entering foster care was actually like for a child, Ashlyn told her about sitting in offices, overhearing conversations children shouldn't have to hear, wondering where she would sleep and whether she would be separated from her siblings. That conversation helped inspire Lily Pad. Today, Lily Pad creates what Ashlyn didn't have: a soft place to land during one of the most uncertain moments of a child's life. But this conversation is about more than Lily Pad. Ashlyn gives us an honest look at foster care from the perspective of the child living through it. She talks about attachment, constantly having to start over with new adults, finding permanence and family, and what foster parents can do to help a child feel genuinely seen. And her advice is surprisingly simple. Listen. Pay attention to the little things. Remember their favorite food. Their favorite color. The things they tell you about themselves. Give them something that feels like it is truly theirs. Because those small things tell a child, "I heard you. I see you. You matter to me." Ashlyn also shares how her relationship with Jesus has shaped the way she sees everything she's been through. When we asked what she would say to a child in foster care who might be listening, her answer was simple: "The Lord loves you. He's always watching you. He knows your story." Ashlyn's story isn't finished. At just 19 years old, she's studying business, interning with Lily Pad, dreaming about helping more children, and determined to use what she's lived through to make a difference for the kids coming behind her. As she puts it: "That's why I do what I do. It's for the girls like me." If you're a foster parent, adoptive parent, caseworker, or someone who wants to better understand what foster care feels like from a child's perspective, this is an episode we hope you'll take the time to hear. In This Episode • Ashlyn's experience entering foster care as a child and teenager • Finding the courage to advocate for herself after experiencing abuse • How Jenni Tice became "Aunt Jenni" and another aunt eventually became Mom • The conversation that helped inspire Lily Pad • What children experience while waiting in child welfare offices • Why attachment and turnover can be so difficult for foster youth • What Ashlyn wishes foster parents understood about teenagers in care • Why listening and noticing the little things matter • How God has worked through the hardest parts of Ashlyn's story • What Ashlyn wants other children in foster care to know Learn More About Ashlyn & Lily Pad Ashlyn's Story: https://www.lilypadinc.org/ashlyns-story (https://www.lilypadinc.org/ashlyns-story) Lily Pad: https://www.lilypadinc.org/ (https://www.lilypadinc.org/) Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lily.pad.inc/ (https://www.instagram.com/lily.pad.inc/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LilyPad.ASoftPlacetoLand (https://www.facebook.com/LilyPad.ASoftPlacetoLand) Listen to Episode 49 Before listening to Ashlyn's story, you can also hear our conversation with Lily Pad co founder and Executive Director Jenni Tice about how Lily Pad began and the mission to ensure no child has to spend one of the hardest days of their life sitting in a cubicle. Episode 49: "No Child Should Spend Their Worst Day In A Cubicle | Jenni Tice of Lily Pad" https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/no-child-should-spend-their-worst-day-in-a-cubicle-jenni-tice-of-lily-pad (https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/episode/no-child-should-spend-their-worst-day-in-a-cubicle-jenni-tice-of-lily-pad) Support Dream Small If Dream Small encourages you, one of the best ways you can support the podcast is by following the show, leaving a rating or review, and sharing an episode with someone who needs to hear it. Support the podcast: https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support (https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support) Connect With Dream Small Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast Facebook: Dream Small Podcast X: @DreamSmallShow YouTube: @dreamsmallpodcast Email: info@dreamsmallpodcast.com (mailto:info@dreamsmallpodcast.com) Speaking Requests Jason and Whitney are available to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership, and finding purpose through small acts of faithfulness. For speaking inquiries: info@dreamsmallpodcast.com (mailto:info@dreamsmallpodcast.com) Music Credit "Paradise Found" by Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com Licensed under Creative Commons.

3. 

   8 Sept 2026

   Parents, Raise Kind Kids: When Words Follow Our Children Home

   Episode 56: Parents, Raise Kind Kids: When Words Follow Our Children Home Our seven year old went to school excited about her new hairstyle. She came home with most of it undone. A classmate had told her it was ugly and looked like spiders, so she took it out. The next day, the same child ruined a self portrait she had drawn. Then, later that week, we were called into the principal's office and shown a picture our daughter had drawn. Across the top she had written: “How can I be dead if kids be mean to me?” She's seven. This week we're having a conversation we never wanted to have. We're sharing what happened, what we learned after talking with our daughter, the heartbreak and anger we felt as her parents, and what we believe our responsibility is now. We're also talking about something this experience forced us to confront: our kids can be carrying far more than we realize. Sometimes the bubbly, energetic kid is hurting too. Sometimes “school was good” isn't enough. Sometimes behavior is telling us something, and we need to slow down long enough to notice it. But this conversation isn't only for parents whose children are being bullied. It's also for the rest of us. Because sometimes our child is the one doing the hurting. Our kids will get it wrong. They'll say something cruel. They'll hurt someone's feelings. When that happens, our job isn't to get defensive or blame somebody else. Our job is to own it, correct it, model something better, and teach our children to be kind. Don't just raise successful kids. Don't just raise athletic kids. Raise kind kids. Raise kids who notice the child sitting alone. Raise kids who don't make fun of someone because they look different. Raise kids who understand their words have weight. Raise kids who apologize when they get it wrong. Raise kids who understand that kindness isn't weakness. Because we can't control every voice our children will hear. But we can teach them which voices deserve to be believed, and we can raise children who use their own voices to build others up. In this episode: • Recognizing when behavior may be communicating something deeper • Why we shouldn't minimize our children's emotions • Listening before trying to fix the problem • Taking concerning language seriously • Advocating for and protecting our children • Grounding our kids in their identity in Christ • What to do when your child is the one being unkind • Raising compassionate kids in an increasingly unkind world Support The Podcast If Dream Small has encouraged you, please consider rating, reviewing and sharing the show. Support Dream Small: Support the Dream Small Podcast (https://dream-small-podcast.captivate.fm/support?utm_source=chatgpt.com) Speaking Requests: Jason and Whitney are available to speak about foster care, adoption, faith, leadership and finding meaning through small acts of faithfulness. dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com (mailto:dreamsmallpodcast@gmail.com) Follow & Contact: Instagram: @dreamsmallpodcast Facebook: Dream Small Podcast X: @DreamSmallShow YouTube: @dreamsmallpodcast Email: info@dreamsmallpodcast.com (mailto:info@dreamsmallpodcast.com) Music Credit: “Paradise Found” by Kevin MacLeod, Creative Commons.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

18 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Contact Dream Small Podcast

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Dream Small Podcast