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
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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.
