Sisters, Systems & Sibling Rights: Advocacy Rooted in Experience

In this powerful episode, changemakers Isabel Stasa, Erica Hickey, and Lily Colby share how they transformed personal pain into public purpose through advocacy. They discuss the founding of the National Network for Fostering Sibling Connections and their fight to preserve sibling bonds in foster care. This is a masterclass in lived expertise, policy change, and healing.

Guest Bios: 

Isabel N. Stasa is the Head of Community Engagement & Public Affairs at Foster Greatness. A former foster youth, Isabel channels her seven years in the system into bold advocacy. She’s served on the National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council, contributed to federal legislation, and leads digital initiatives to elevate lived experience.

Erica Hickey is a seasoned policy strategist with over a decade of impact across research, legislation, and community organizing. Her lived foster care experience fuels her mission to create family-first policies—especially around preserving sibling bonds in adoption and beyond.

Lily Colby, Esq. is the founder of the National Network for Foster Sibling Connections. A Yale and Berkeley Law grad, Lily blends legal expertise with lived experience to drive national reform around sibling rights. She co-founded advocacy orgs like With Lived Experience and is a force for justice, empathy, and change.