Maddie Finds Her Place: Dana Sutton on Foster Care, Food Trauma & Building Resilience

In this deeply personal and heartfelt episode, Kelly Springer sits down with Dana Sutton, a tutor, parent, and children’s book author, to talk about her journey of fostering and later adopting a young girl from a youth homeless shelter. Dana shares the emotional backstory that inspired her latest children’s book, Maddie Finds Her Place—a story rooted in real-life resilience, emotional trauma, and the transformative power of safe, stable relationships.

Dana’s unique perspective as a mentor and adoptive parent highlights the often-overlooked connection between trauma, food insecurity, and long-term mental health. Together, Kelly and Dana explore how childhood experiences with neglect and abuse can shape nutritional behaviors and identity, and how small acts of compassion and education can lead to lifelong healing.

• Dana’s journey of fostering and adopting Maddie at age 16 from a youth homeless shelter

• The real-life events behind Maddie Finds Her Place

• What “youth agreement” housing looks like in Canada and how it works

• The emotional and physical scars of food trauma in children with disrupted home lives

• How Dana used food access, stability, and support to help Maddie begin healing

• The role of a parent in supporting vs. fixing—especially when the child comes from trauma

• How smell, food, and mealtime can trigger PTSD responses

• Why adults need to open their eyes to what vulnerable kids are facing every day

• Dana’s approach to giving kids emotional safety, permission to speak, and validation

• Kelly’s experience working as a dietitian for youth residential care

• The impact of nutrition education on mental health and psychotropic medication outcomes

• How Dana’s book is reaching both children and adults with its layered messages

• Children in care or living with trauma don’t need to be “rescued”—they need to be seen, heard, and given a chance.

• Food insecurity isn’t just about access—it’s often used as a form of control or punishment.

• Adults have a responsibility to look beyond behavior and see the story underneath.

• Empowering youth starts with empowering their voice and reframing their identity.

• Storytelling—whether in books or conversations—can help bridge the gap between trauma and healing.

• Maddie Finds Her Place

• You Can Do Hard Things

Both available at: danasuttonbooks.com

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