Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Kelly was born in 1970 and grew up in Wichita, Kansas. Her parents divorced before she could remember and she had no contact with her dad. Second oldest of five children, she blended in well enough but noticed some differences. She had reason to believe she was adopted and asked when she was a teenager. Her mother continually said she was not adopted. The physical differences were dismissed as traits that might have come from her absent dad.Kelly is happily married and has three sons. She is an engineer and a passionate quilter. Fast forward to 2022, her oldest son was curious about his genetic makeup and took a 23andMe. A niece had previously done 23andMe and shared her results. Kelly was surprised that her absent dad was in the database as well. When her son’s results arrived, the niece was not there nor absent dad. Curiously, there were other relatives that she did not know. Her mother quickly confessed that Kelly was indeed adopted. The rest of the kids were all biological and her mom intended to take this secret to the grave. Her mom did not want her “to feel different.” Reaching out to a relative on 23andMe, as well as the adoption agency, it was only 10 days before Kelly was reunited by phone with her parents. Her parents are still together, married for 50 years, and she has two biological brothers. They had been looking for her for many years. She learned that her dad is an engineer, her mom is a quilter, and many other commonalities.Kelly describes her story as a fairytale reunion. She has been welcomed into her biological family and they have grown very close. She continues to work on her relationship with her adopted mom, trying to work through her anger and feelings of deception.The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerMagic Mind/ADOPTIONTRIAL: USE CODE: ADOPTEETRIAL USE THE CODE AND LINK TO: receive a 3-sample pack for free.RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Unraveling AdoptionAdoptees Connect with Pamela KaranovaThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. This is an adoptee-only space. We do appreciate all of our Patreons. The next meeting is Oct. 19th @ 1pm ETSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. Liz DeBetta, creator of Migrating Toward Wholeness© is an adoptee and independent scholar-artist-activist committed to changing systems and helping people navigate trauma through creative processes. She believes that stories are powerful change agents and when we write them and share them we connect and heal. Liz is a proud member of Actor's Equity, SAG-AFTRA, Affiliate Faculty at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and part of the Diversity Scholars Network at the National Center for Institutional Diversity at the University of Michigan. She has published articles on autoethnography and adoptee narratives, has an award-winning one-woman show called Un-M-Othered, and facilitates trauma-informed healing through 1:1 coaching and workshops for adoptees and women. Her book Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal: Migrating Toward Wholeness is available from Brill Publishers. To find Dr. Liz:InstagramWebsiteThe Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Unraveling AdoptionAdoptees Connect with Pamela KaranovaThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. This is an adoptee-only space. We do appreciate all of our Patreons. The next meeting is Oct. 19th @ 1pm ETSupport the showSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village on Nov. 11, 1954, Michael was adopted five weeks later by John and Eleanor Coffey, a corrections officer and an RN, respectively. The adoption was handled by the New York Foundling Hospital. John and Eleanor had been unable to have children.He was raised as an only child in a small town in the Adirondacks. By the time his parents told him overtly that he was adopted, at age 8, he already knew. Following the Foundling’s recommendation, they had told him from the beginning that they had “chosen” him in a nursery with many other babies.Although they were loving parents, it seems they were also a bit distant—“hands-off.” Sadly, one of the few things they knew about Michael’s birth parents was that they were college-educated, and it seemed to make them feel that he was of different and maybe better stock. Michael feels they tried to stay out of his way. Although Michael had what he calls a perfectly happy childhood, there was something missing. After much soul-searching and research, he believes there might be an element of containment missing, a term used by Melanie Klein and, later, Wilfred Bion, two prominent psychotherapists--containment being the provision of a safe space at a critical part of childhood development. Michael went off to college at Notre Dame, and spent his junior year in Dublin. College took care of him to a degree (the Notre Dame motto is in loco parentis—in place of parents). Leaving college, though, was a terrifying prospect, and two months after graduating he married a woman he had known for only four months. Michael studied Anglo-Irish literature at the University of Leeds in England; his wife and he had a son, Joshua. He earned his Master’s degree. In 1978, the little family moved to New York City. Michael got a job in publishing and, settled, he wrote to the New York Founding, which was just 15 blocks from their walk-up apartment. A Sister Phelps provided him with “background information but not identifying information.” His search for his parents began. He went down many dead-ends.At the age of 50, with the help of a private investigator, he discovered that both his birth parents were deceased; his father was a Gallagher, whose own father was from Donegal, Ireland; and his mother, indeed Virginia, was fourth-generation Irish-American from a Co. Mayo family. She was a one-time Broadway actress and cabaret singer in Manhattan when he was conceived. His father, Robert Michael Gallagher, was driving a cab in New York and writing poetry at the time. They both hailed originally from Philadelphia.Michael has written a memoir in which he traces these developments, emphasizing that, since he came of age, he has been looking and listening for traces, voices, and ghosts of lost birth parents, lost siblings, or half-siblings. He did find them, ghosts and real, but just as when John and Eleanor told him at age 8 that he was adopted when he already knew it, he says he also seemed to know who he was, and where he was from before the evidence was in. At this point in his life, he welcomes this as a measure of containment, a “safety in knowing.”Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. Our next Zoom is on 10/19 at 1 PM ET. This is an adoptee-only community. We appreciate all of our Patreons! The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lea is an adoptee born at the end of the Baby Scoop era, 1970. She was born and raised in the city where she currently lives with her family. She knew from a young age that she was an adopted, a "chosen baby". She was always proud to say she was adopted and would challenge classmates when asked about her "real parents". Lea believes that she was raised by her "real" parents and does not refer to them as her adoptive parents. Lea stood out from her family at an early age as she is very tall (5'10") and her mother is 4'8". She's always been the tallest out of the extended family until her two children came along and they are both over 6 feet!Lea reunited with her biological mother in 2007. Her biological mother found her after a five-minute search online but it took some finessing to make the connection finally. They remained in reunion for about fifteen years during which time they visited, vacationed together and spent several holidays together. At seventy-four, Lea's biological father had the surprise of his life when he discovered through a cousin that he had a fifty-year old daughter who lived twenty minutes away. This connection was through Ancestry.com and again, happened very quickly. Lea recently enjoyed a two-week vacation with her biological father, his wife (who Lea refers to as Bonus Mom), and her aunt. Lea has struggled with the idea of connection her entire life. Even after the black holes of knowing who you are have been filled, Lea continues to search for her connection and sense of belonging. RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Unraveling AdoptionAdoptees Connect with Pamela KaranovaThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. Our next Zoom is on 9/14 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Patti Eddington is a newspaper and magazine journalist whose favorite job ever was interviewing famous authors who came through town on book tours. She never dreamed of writing about her life because she was too busy helping build her husband’s veterinary practice, caring for her animal-obsessed daughter—whose favorite childhood toy was an inflatable tick—and learning to tap dance. Then fate, and a DNA test, led her to a story she felt compelled to tell. Today, the mid-century modern design enthusiast and former dance teacher enjoys being dragged on walks by her ridiculous three-legged dog, David, and watching the egrets and bald eagles from her deck on a beautiful bayou in Spring Lake, Michigan.The Girl with Three Birthdays by Patti Eddington To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 16:51The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. Our next Zoom is on 9/14 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kathleen was born in 1968 in Northern California. Her birth mother relinquished her for adoption immediately upon birth, and Kathleen was then adopted by a loving family who already had a 3-year-old adopted son. When Kathleen was 22 years old she found her birth mother. Thirty years later she learned that her birth father was an enforcer for the Hells Angels and was shot and killed when Kathleen was seven years old.She also learned that she has at least seven sisters and one brother on her father’s side -- all from different mothers from the same birth father. Each of her siblings is about a year apart. Kathleen has met most of her siblings and remains in contact with each of them to this day.Kathleen is a sociology professor living with her spouse in Honolulu and continues to make sense of her adoption experience through a sociological lens.To hear the full call of Kathleen's Birth Mother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjt5_vLQYK4LINK to hear the full call to Kathleen's Birth Mother.Correction to the episode from Kathleen: It has been 5 years since finding all of my 8 birth siblings. However, just a year and a half since Marianne and Kenny passed away. To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 14:55The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. Our next Zoom is on 9/14 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gaynor was born in a mother-and-baby home and spent the first six weeks of life there before being adopted in the same town of birth. Despite a challenging childhood with an adoptive mother who exhibited narcissistic tendencies, Gaynor persevered through an unhappy adoption experience. At the age of 31, after becoming a parent, Gaynor reconnected with their birth family. This reunion, spanning over 30 years, has been a remarkable success, with Gaynor finding a true sense of belonging and love.The journey of healing from past traumas has been long and profound. Writing a memoir, intended for her grandchildren, has been a significant part of her healing process. Now in a great place in life, Gaynor finds strength and peace in sharing her story, turning past challenges into a narrative of resilience and hope in the form of letters to all the people who have been important in her life.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 12:50The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectYou have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% offyour first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with codeVIPMAKINGOFME20at checkout - You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/vipmakingofmeRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. Our next Zoom is on 9/14 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Adopted at birth, Ajé loved sharing her adoption story throughout her childhood. She always had a feeling that she had been wanted by her birth parents, and was a tad obsessed with discovering where, and who, she came from. Around age 9, good, old-fashioned snooping led her to a document with clues about her birth parents and the person she would have been if they had kept her. She had no way of knowing that document would later lead to an unexpected, serendipitous, [absolutely impossible] reunion, just in time for her 18th birthday.A survivor of abuse in childhood and adolescence, Ajé has always had a strong conviction that anguish is not meant to be carried alone, and the events that draw us into darkness and despair are the stories that need the most light. She loves conversations about uncomfortable truths and the power that comes from finding one’s voice. Ajé is a lifelong craftaholic with a squirrel’s attention span and spends a lot of her time making art fueled by sporadic bursts of dopamine, lots of hot glue, and just the right amount of glitter. Her long-term goal is to make her home a multi-media shadow box inspired by her favorite characters & quotes from books, music, and film, one random idea at a time.She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, way too many craft supplies, and her tortoiseshell cat (who is the bestest cat ever).To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 12:55The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectYou have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% offyour first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with codeVIPMAKINGOFME20at checkout - You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/vipmakingofmeRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. Our next Zoom is on 9/14 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Angela was born in Nebraska in 1979 and adopted at 3 days old. She grew up in a family that came with many complexities and issues, and she struggled to feel content with not knowing and being with her first family. At 16, she was able to reunite with her birth mother and half-siblings in person and has been in reunion ever since. Throughout the years, she's met more of her first family and has gone through the many challenges of reunion and the search for her birth father. Angela now resides in Chicago, where her first family originated, and has two grown children. She hopes to help others understand that even in the best situations, adoption is difficult and we need to continue working towards adoptees having rights and access to their records and eliminate the secrecy.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 18:04 The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectYou have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% offyour first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with codeVIPMAKINGOFME20at checkout - You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/vipmakingofmeRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. Our next Zoom is on 9/14 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Magali was born in Sri Lanka in 1992 and adopted by French parents when she was 2 months old. She grew up in a small town in France, a mostly white area, and struggled to identify with both the French and Sri Lankan cultures. She found her birth family during her first visit to Sri Lanka when she was 16 years old. She has 4 older siblings that stay in the family. The language was a real barrier and she had to communicate with the help of a guide. Because learning Sinhalese at that time was too challenging, she decided to learn English to ensure she could communicate with most of the world. To do so she moved to London, England when she was 18 and then moved to Toronto, Canada for 6.5 years where she met her husband.Magali stayed in touch with her birth family for a few years but had to cut ties because they kept asking her for money. She dedicated her time to teaching French to English speakers because she wanted to help people struggling to learn a second language. Magali is using self-development tools to heal and is assisting other adoptees to find peace with their stories. She wants to bring awareness and make adoptees' lives easier and lighter.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 11:15 The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectYou have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% offyour first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with codeVIPMAKINGOFME20at checkout - You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/vipmakingofmeRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is on 8/3 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jeff is an adoptee born in 1964 in Salt Lake City Utah. He is the middle of 4 children (an older sister and younger twins, a boy and a girl) who were also adopted. He grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and always knew that he was adopted. He has been able to experience living in the Middle East and working in a variety of cultures in countries throughout the Middle East as well as Mexico and the United States.Jeff is the founder of a non-profit organization that has helped homeless and underserved youth in San Diego and Tijuana to get off the streets and become positive contributors to changing their communities since 2005.Jeff currently lives in San Diego, CA, and has recently become aware of the primal wound and the life-long effects of being adopted. He is seeing the impact of adoption on various other life events while also striving to heal and help as many as possible to manage and overcome the challenges that life brings to so many who have suffered various types of trauma.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 16:54 The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectYou have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% offyour first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with codeVIPMAKINGOFME20at checkout - You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/vipmakingofmeRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryDr. Liz Debetta : Migrating Toward Wholeness MovementHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is on 8/3 at 1 pm ET.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julie Ryan McGue is an American writer, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. In her books, essays, and blogs, she explores the topics of finding out who you are, and where you belong, and making sense of it. She is the author of two books: Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging, and Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship. Her third book, Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood releases in February 2025.https://www.juliemcgueauthor.comAward-winning author of Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and BelongingNEW BOOK - Available Nov 1, 2023, Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship -FB @juliemcguewrites -IG @julieryanmcgueTwitter @juliermcgueTo skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 16:07The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectYou have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% offyour first subscription or 20% off one-time purchases with codeVIPMAKINGOFME20at checkout - You can claim it at: https://magicmind.com/vipmakingofmeRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is on 8/3 at 1 pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara, Sandra, Darla, Lisa, Karen, Sally, Barbara, April, Jenny, Sally, Mindy and MSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stephen Rowley, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist practicing on Bainbridge Island,Washington. He is an adoptee and the father of an adopted son. Born in 1949 to anunwed mother, he was adopted at six months and enjoyed the benefits of growing up in a loving and affluent home. At age 13 he became deeply curious about his parentage. Not until college did he have the means to begin a lifelong quest to find his birth mother and his true identity. After years of investigation, he finally found his birth mother living in tragic circumstances. However, their poignant reunion vastly exceeded their expectations of finding each other when their souls finally reunited. As told through his memoir, Rowley traces the inner life of an adoptee, not simply the external narrative of his lifelong search.The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny (Chiron Publications, Sept. 2023). Learn more at stephenrowley108.com/memoir/To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 15:34The Girls Who Went Away by Ann FesslerSeptember 7th in Kansas City, MissouriEventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People ProjectRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryThank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is on 8/3 at 1 pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara, Sandra, Darla, Lisa, Karen, Sally, Barbara, Jenny, Sally & Mindy.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Carolyn Hill-Bjerke is an adoptee born in 1967, during the Baby Scoop Era.She was born to 20-year-old students at the University of Connecticut.Carolyn’s biological mother was put into a maternity home. Her fathermoved to New York City and became a lawyer. He worked in theentertainment business.Carolyn was in foster care for the first five months of her life as herbiological mother resisted relinquishment until she no longer could.Carolyn grew up in the Washington, DC area as the daughter of a nuclearengineer and a doctor. She was an artist and writer who wasmisunderstood in her early life. Carolyn attended Syracuse University and moved to New York City in 1989. Carolyn worked as a journalist before launching her career in advertising and film production. Carolyn is still a production executive, consultant, and agent – www.carolynreps.com Carolyn also earned her MFA in Poetry from Columbia University in 2003. Upon meeting her biological father in 2011, Carolyn learned her family name – Pennella – means “of the pen” in Italian signifying a lineage inwriting.Carolyn met her husband, the artist Wayne Bjerke, in New York City. Theylive in Connecticut near where she was born. Carolyn and Wayne havethree children. The oldest, Paige Bjerke, now attends the University ofConnecticut.Carolyn's Substack - https://carolynhill.substack.comCarolyn's Book - https://www.amazon.com/Things-Dont-Want-Talk-About-ebook/dp/B01AIGC3R8To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 11:28The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler September 7th in Kansas City, Missouri Eventbrite: LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & A PHOTO JOURNEY with Jeff Forney of The Innocent People Project RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectorySupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Trishina was born in 1991 in Sevastopol, Ukraine, and was adopted at 18 months old. She was always curious about her biological family, searching on and off. Still, it wasn’t until she joined a Russian social media app called Vkontakte, that she could find some answers. Trishina is a nurse and military wife currently living in Cleveland, Ohio.Vk LinkTo skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 2:12In Season 8, we will be reading The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler starting July 2nd See you in Kansas City? LIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & PHOTO EVENT with JEFF FORNEY of THE INNOCENT PEOPLE PROJECT - September 7th in Kansas City, Missouri.RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is on 7/13 at 1 pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara, Sandra, Darla, Lisa, Karen Sally and Barbara.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Season 7 FinaleGretchen Sisson, PhD is a qualitative sociologist who studies abortion and adoption in the United States, based at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. She is the author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, a ten-year examination of adoption relinquishment during the years of Roe.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 11:36Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonLIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & PHOTO EVENT with JEFF FORNEY of THE INNOCENT PEOPLE PROJECT - September 7th in Kansas City, Missouri.RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is on 7/13 at 1 pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara, Sandra, Darla, Lisa, Karen and Sally.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Steve Inskeep is an adoptee and adoptive parent born in 1968, the peak year for adoptions in America during the Baby Scoop Era. He is a host of NPR's Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.Known for interviews with presidents and Congressional leaders, Steve has a passion for stories of the less famous: Pennsylvania truck drivers, Kentucky coal miners, U.S.-Mexico border detainees, Yemeni refugees, California firefighters, and American soldiers.And now adoptees can be added to that list. Recently, he published an in-depth article in The Atlantic about America’s long history of secret adoption:NO ONE’S CHILDREN - America's long history of secret adoptionA native of Carmel, Indiana, Inskeep is a graduate of Morehead State University in Kentucky and resides in Washington, DC.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 15:51Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonLIVE RECORDED PODCAST with Adoption: The Making of Me (ATMOM) & PHOTO EVENT with JEFF FORNEY of THE INNOCENT PEOPLE PROJECT - September 7th in Kansas City, Missouri.RESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is 7/13 at 1pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara, Sandra, Darla, Lisa and Karen.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Christina Thanstrom is a baby Scoop-era adoptee born in Los Angeles in 1966. A loving couple adopted her in 1967 through LA County and she had a mostly idyllic childhood with a younger brother (also adopted) in the San Fernando Valley.Christina was reunited with her birth mother, Arleen, an R.N., at age 19 while in college (the same age Arleen had given birth to Christina). Christina learned that whenArleen’s parents discovered her pregnancy, they threw her high school graduation photo against the wall and called her a “whore.” She then went to a “home forunwed mothers” where she gave birth to Christina.Reunion was fraught with unspoken emotions and unaddressed traumas on both sides. Sadly, Arleen died at 52. 23&Me introduced Christina to her bio-father’s family, who have opened their arms and hearts to her.Christina and her hubby David are proud parents of adult children, Sophia and Harrison. Christina is a devoted rescue pup mom and fierce animal rescue advocate. She hopes that we overcome and eliminate the shame and the secrecy surrounding adoption on all sides of the triangle.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 18:37Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is 7/13 at 1pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara, Sandra, Darla, Lisa and Karen.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mark Diebel has been married for almost 46 years and has two sons and two grandchildren. He has been serving as an Episcopal priest in parish ministry for thirty-six years. He was reunited with his birth mother, a second-generation Japanese immigrant, in 2004 when he was 49. A year later he learned that his natural father, a Cuban doctor, was killed in a bizarre accident in Matanzas Cuba in 1970. Over the years, he has learned about both of his first parents and visited their homes in Hawaii and Cuba. As an Episcopal priest, he advocated for adoptees and donor-conceived persons to have access to their personal information and their right to know their origins and their parentage. In May 2012, he wrote an essay, Human Nature and Truthfulness in Adoption and Donor Conception Practice, for the Journal for Christian Legal Thought. He explores the relationship between Christian theology and contemporary adoption practices. He talks about his adoption experience, adoption practices in general, race, and identity in sermons. Mark is currently working with The Episcopal Church as it begins to examine its complicity in the practice of forced adoptions during the Baby Scoop Era. He is retired and living close to his grandchildren in Owensboro, Kentucky.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 9:03Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is 7/13 at 1pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara, Sandra and Lisa.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Cary is a baby scoop-era adoptee who was born in a Florence Crittenton Home in Atlantic City NJ in 1964. Her first mother was 19 years old and was forced to relinquish her baby like many young mothers of those times. Cary had a great upbringing in a family that loved her and never made her feel othered. In her early 30s she reunited with her birth mother and then her birth father. The reunions went well for the most part, but some family members that started out enthusiastic soon became clearly uninterested in staying connected.Even in the best situations, adoption is incredibly complex. In recent years after the death of her older, adopted, sister, Cary has been better understanding just how complex it can be. Her relationship with her sister was great—as long as she was a child. It became more complicated and difficult as adult years went by. Losing her sister, and therefore her best connection to the parents who raised her and whom she loved dearly, has brought up a lot of adoption-related issues that she hadn't really tuned into before.What she would like people to understand most is that an adoptee can be both happy with who they grew up with, how they were raised, and the life they’ve had, while also feeling sad and having complicated feelings about the loss they started life with, and the impact adoption has had on them.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 13:01Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is 6/1 @ 1pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara and Sandra.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ellen is a baby scoop-era New York State adoptee. She was adopted by a loving Greek American couple through a closed private adoption and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area with a younger adopted brother.Ellen always wanted to find her original family and searched off and on starting in the early 90s but kept hitting roadblocks. Her adoptive parents were not supportive of her search so she had very little information to go on. Then a friend had her rescue dog’s DNA tested which changed everything for the better.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 16:13Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] Therapist DirectoryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our next Zoom is 6/1 @ 1pm ET.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, Barbara and Sandra.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Simone Pajo was born in Auckland New Zealand in 1968, the baby scoop era. She was the middle child between two bio children and was adopted after the death of the middle bio daughter. She grew up knowing her adoption was the result of a baby's death and this greatly affected the way she saw the world and her place in it. It has taken decades for Simone to form a coherent worldview where her right to her identity does not depend on the needs of others.She has lived in the UK for over 30 years and is a law graduate and former journalist.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 13:53Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community.Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, and Barbara.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ryan Anderson is a foundling and a transnational, transracial, and late discovery adoptee (LDA). Found on the street in El Jadida, Morocco he was adopted at age 3 months and then brought to Scotland at age 6 months, in between this time he was fostered by a Moroccan family. He first found out he was adopted at age 18. Since 2020 he has been focused on personal development, to then became open to sharing his story at age 31.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 14:21Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, and Barbara.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jessica is a 1970 baby scoop-era adoptee, who started discovering her roots at age 50. After more than 80 years of closed records in NYS, she was able to obtain her original birth certificate in 2020. Two DNA tests and one secret after another uncovered a history of relinquishment, trauma, and family ties nearby of where she resides in upstate New York. At 54, Jessica is learning to live her truth on her terms and allowing herself to heal from the lifelong effects of being adopted. A retired art teacher, she is running a thriving business and enjoying her life with her amazing sons and husband, all while continuing to uncover more pieces of her genetic puzzle. To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 12:06Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonRESOURCES for AdopteesS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryHiraeth Hope & HealingMoses FarrowNational Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.NAMI Hotline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or email them at [email protected] you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our Patrons: Laura, Barbara, Ramona, Linda, Daphne, Denise, Michelle, Emily, Linda, John, Eric, Beth, Ron, Tony, Kristi, Kristen, Jane, Kelley, Sandra, The Harpy, Kristan, Lisa, Michelle, Jesper, Julie, Rivi, Robert, Colleen, Janet, Robin, Lynn, Mikki, Sharon, Carol, Elizabeth, Diane, Ann, Darra, A.M., Kelly, Lyn, Lynn Wood, Jeff, Karla, Ellen, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim, Simone, Liesl, Kelly, Sherry, and Barbara.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Valerie Naiman is an adoptee, singer, story-songwriter, eco-village founder, ontologist, and author. Her #1 bestseller book, Mystic Masquerade, an Adoptee's Search for Truth, was based on five decades of a search that took her around the world as she unraveled the mystery of her stolen identity. Valerie holds a master's degree in Art and worked as a costume designer and actress in film and theatre in NY, Miami & LA. She’s the President of the Spirit Foundation, a non-profit that supports disenfranchised children..She also leads seekers to sacred sites in the USA and abroad. In 1990 she had an intense vision that ended up founding the first Eco-village in North America.Through all of her adventures, she journaled her findings as she excavated her biological and spiritual identity. Presently, Valerie is completing an audiobook version of Mystic Masquerade and producing an album of story songs about her search. She now lives on a small organic farm in Asheville, NC with her dwarf goats and honeybees.Valerie's Book Trailer and WebsiteInstagram @valnaimanauthor and Facebook @valnaimanauthorTo skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 15:29Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community. Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie, Lynn Wood, Jeff Wadstrom, Karla, Ellen Ashcraft, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim Mullis, Simone Jung, Liesl de Wet, Kelly Jennings, Sherry Espinoza and Barbara Whitacre.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Chris Valdheims is a domestic adoptee born in the late 1970s and adopted in the early 1980s after spending years of his early childhood in foster care. Growing up, he knew very little about his birth family other than his mother and father had met while she worked as a librarian at MIT. He also knew his father was Black, and his mother had immigrated to the United States from Latvia. He spent years searching for answers about his family of origin, and in 2009, he stumbled upon a complex story that involved his grandfather, a then-unknown geometric artist named Zanis Waldheims. Following the trail from there, he began to unravel the mystery of his family history and, in the process, learn more about himself and where he had come from. His journey took him to Canada, Germany, Latvia, and Lithuania for answers, and he shares the story in a recently completed memoir for which he is currently seeking the right publishing partner. Along the way, he discovered that his father may have been one of the astronauts killed in the 1986 Challenger Space Shuttle disaster.He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons and is the founder of a well-known law firm, Counsel for Creators.Chris Valdheims on Instagram.To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 18:29Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie, Lynn Wood, Jeff Wadstrom, Karla, Ellen Ashcraft, Gayle Whitlock, Dave, Kim Mullis, Simone Jung, Liesl de Wet and Kelly Jennings. Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After being an only child all her life, Margaret Jane’s adoptive parents adopted four more children through the foster care system. This experience of witnessing adoption through foster care, and being the oldest sister of a group of adoptees, has given her a unique perspective and experience with adoption. Margaret Jane is married to her high school sweetheart, who she shares 3 kiddos with. She is an avid gardener, houseplant collector, and sourdough enthusiast. She also enjoys playing various musical instruments with her family and singing and playing for her church worship team. Margaret Jane works as an adoption “storyteller” for Adoption.com, where her job is to write and tell her own adoption story, as well as the adoption stories of other adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents. She is passionate about educating adoptive parents on how to do adoption better. She is also passionate about amplifying adoptee voices and sharing their stories. To skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 11:31Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, by Gretchen SissonS12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie, Lynn Wood, Jeff Wadstrom, Karla, Ellen Ashcraft, Gayle Whitlock, Dave & Kim Mullis.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Susan Ito is the author of the memoir, I Would Meet You Anywhere, published by the Ohio State University Press in November 2023. She co-edited the literary anthology A Ghost At Heart’s Edge: Stories & Poems of Adoption. Her work has appeared in The Writer, Growing Up Asian American, Choice, Hip Mama, Literary Mama, Catapult, Hyphen, The Bellevue Literary Review, and elsewhere. Her theatrical adaption of Untold, stories of reproductive stigma, was produced at Brava Theater. She is a member of the Writers’ Grotto, and teaches at the Mills College campus of Northeastern University. She was a co-organizer of Rooted and Written, a writing workshop for writers of color. I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito. Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.As mentioned by Susan in the episode: The Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture Conference- April 4th-6th at Brown UniversityTo skip ahead to the interview go to timestamp: 17:15S12F Helping AdopteesGregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryUpdate: Although we are unable to attend Chicago's Foglift in May, here is the link for Early Bird tickets: Foglift Early Bird Link: Chicago: May 17th & 18thIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie, Lynn Wood, Jeff Wadstrom & Karla.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Stacie is a Canadian born and an adoptee to same race and religion parents in 1991-1992. She is part of a mixed family of adopted and “home-made” siblings, all boys, and is the second oldest. She grew up mostly outdoors in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Traveling to Canada every summer fostered loving bonds with both of her grandmas and many cousins. Living further away from them, though, meant she had to create her group of “family” as she grew up. She’s maintained supportive friendships spanning over 25 years that have involved a lot of skiing, hiking, traveling, education, football games, collecting dogs, significant others, and now nieces and nephews. Reading and music have always been crucial in her life allowing her to think beyond the mountains enclosing the valley she grew up in. Her parents couldn’t contain her independence early on as she studied abroad in Costa Rica and then Spain. After the initial culture shock, she thrives in solitude; searching for something untouched by her conscious mind, a longing that always tugged at her heart. Learning about and experiencing other cultures has been a way to fill the void of her unknown lineage. She isn’t afraid to show her gratitude in any setting: thankfulness, every moment, every experience, and every person who has contributed to thatsense of fullness. Regardless of the reason for “searching” for a first family, Stacie believes in adoptees. should always feel free and empowered to do so. She doesn’t believe there is a “right” way to do it as adoptees never signed a legal form to be in this position so they shouldn’t be held to the standards are adoptive parents agreed to. The World Wide Web is our friend!Stacie hopes to finish her memoir at some point in the future and maintain healthyrelationships with all the family involved in her birth and upbringing. You can find her only on Instagram @stacegrier or in the mountains. Sending so much love to all the adoptees finding their way or already thereUpdate: We are not able to attend Chicago Foglift - to attend: Foglift Early Bird Link: Chicago: May 17th & 18thLIVE PODCAST GUEST: If you would like to be the guest on the LIVE podcast by Sarah & Louise, please send an email to: [email protected] (make sure you are free to be in Chicago and you would be comfortable in front of a live audience and being filmed/recorded). We will choose one adoptee. I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito. Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ken DeStefano is a domestic adoptee born in the late 1960's and raised in a caring and loving home. As an adoptee, he has had a largely happy life, but always wondered about the unknown. That curiosity led to a search for his birth mother and a reunification with her. His debut novel, "I Will See You Again...Hearts Will Sing," tells the story of two people whose past, present, and future lives are inexplicably linked.Update: We are not able to attend Chicago Foglift - to attend: Foglift Early Bird Link: Chicago: May 17th & 18thLIVE PODCAST GUEST: If you would like to be the guest on the LIVE podcast by Sarah & Louise, please send an email to: [email protected] (make sure you are free to be in Chicago and you would be comfortable in front of a live audience and being filmed/recorded). We will choose one adoptee. I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptee 501c3 organizations.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie & Karla.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Victoria Rich never expected to search for her biological family. Always curious about her origins, she did a photography project at the infant home where she was born but did not pursue any personal searching. Then she read The Girls Who Went Away and was struck that so many of the women interviewed said they thought about and worried about their babies all the time. She had grown up hearing the message that you should never look because it would be too painful to open up the old wounds for the birth mother. After about a decade of debating whether or not to search, New York State opened its adoption records in 2020. She first spoke to her birth mother the week before the pandemic shutdown. Their reunion was the subject of a PBS Self-Evident Episode.Link for The Infant Home Project: Infant Home projectUpdate: We are not able to attend Chicago Foglift - to attend: Foglift Early Bird Link: Chicago: May 17th & 18th LIVE PODCAST GUEST: If you would like to be the guest on the LIVE podcast by Sarah & Louise, please send an email to: [email protected] (make sure you are free to be in Chicago and you would be comfortable in front of a live audience and being filmed/recorded). We will choose one adoptee. I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptee 501c3 organizations.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie & Karla.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John Frey was born in Vietnam and brought to the United States as part of Operation Babylift when he was a year-and-a-half old. John often struggled with his identity, having been adopted and raised by a White American family while not having any connection to his birth country or culture.I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptees 501c3 organizations.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie & Karla.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kristal Parke is a talented Cree filmmaker, producer, podcast host, and adoptee, whose personal journey has driven her to explore themes of identity, belonging, and family in her work. Born and raised on the West Coast of Canada, Kristal was adopted into a non-indigenous family as an infant. This experience profoundly shaped her perspective on life, and she has used her creative prowess to shed light on the complexities of adoption and its impact on individuals and communities. In her highly anticipated debut feature documentary, titled "Because She's Adopted," Kristal delves deep into her own life story while also weaving together the narratives of other adoptees from diverse backgrounds. Through heartfelt interviews, poignant storytelling, and powerful visuals, the film offers a touching and introspective exploration of what it truly means to belong, and the universal longing for a sense of connection and acceptance. The “Because She’s Adopted Podcast” will also be making its way onto the podcast stage Fall of 2024. Kristal Parke cements herself as a compassionate and insightful filmmaker and host, encouraging audiences to reflect on their own stories of identity and belonging.You can find Kristal @Because She's Adopted on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook & YouTube.I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptees 501c3 organizations. Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton, Lynn Marie & Karla.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lorah Gerald is a same race, domestic, Baby Scoop Era, preRoe adoptee. She posts as The Adopted Chameleon on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Patreon, and Pinterest. She co-facilitates Adoptees Connect Tulsa and has a private Facebook group for adoptees and all MPEs called The Adopted Chameleons. She started her social media pages after her reunion with her biological family.She was raised as an only child in her adoptive family. This was the first time in her life she had ever seen or been in contact with anyone in her biological family. Her birth mother ignored her and rejected her attempts at reunion. She was a secret to her whole family. Reunion was a rollercoaster of emotions. It opened up feelings she had suppressed. She found writing, being creative, and telling her story was therapeutic. Her pages connected her with others who are experiencing adoption trauma. Since that time she has been educating people on the trauma of adoption and how we can help heal ourselves. To better deal with her trauma, she became a certified kundalini yoga instructor, TIYT-Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy instructor, and Reiki Master. With her training in trauma, yoga therapy, and energy healing, she shares these tools online and in person in her weekly yoga classes and workshops. Working with these techniques, she now better understands her trauma and how to help others on their path to being their best and authentic selves. All of her social media accounts, articles, podcast interviews, classes, workshops, and more can be found on her website.The Adopted Chameleons group link.Adoptees Connect Tulsa I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Thank you for our past support: S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska, Darra Robins, A.M. Homes, Kelly Layton & Karla.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sarah D. Shearer is a writer, wife, and mother. She was adopted from Russia as a baby but has spent her life in Thomasville, Georgia. She is passionate about encouraging people to overcome and maintain a positive perspective.Sarah is married with two beautiful children. She and her family live on a sprawling rural farm, which gives her, as L.M. Montgomery says in Sarah’s favorite childhood novel Anne of Green Gables, great “scope for the imagination.”Sarah also enjoys writing for local magazines, reading, and celebrating her friends and family. I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofmeCODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off.Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Ann Mikeska and Darra Robins.Support the showSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born in Edinburgh in 1963, Roy grew up an only child and always knew he was adopted, or as his adoptive mother, Mollie, would tell him, “chosen”. Whilst loved unconditionally by Mollie and her husband Peter, the stigma of being an adopted teenager in 1970s Scotland resulted in Roy being bullied and spat on in school. At sixteen, he left Mollie a note asking if she had any information about his blood parents. She supplied a form his birth mother had filled in at the adoption agency that gave some details but omitted others, including his father’s name. Roy became a father himself in his mid-forties, his newborn son being the first blood relation he had consciously laid eyes on. In his early fifties, having had his full adoption papers opened, Roy discovered his mother had made a Transatlantic trip to give birth to him before swiftly returning to her home in Toronto, keeping her pregnancy a lifelong secret. Within a few months, he had found the identity of his father and traveled to Canada, meeting close family on both sides he’d never known he had.Roy has since published a series of poems, Be My Baby, and released a CD, Songs from Be My Baby, relating to his adoption and experiences of neurodiversity which further marked him out as "different" at school and continue to impact his life. Writing and performing help him feel closer to both sets of parents and to understanding himself.I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofmeCODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to a 75% off. This only lasts until the end of January, so hurry up before it goes away.Available in all Sprouts in January 2024Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, DarraSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pam Uzzell is a documentary filmmaker and podcaster currently living in Oakland, CA. She is the director and producer of four independent documentaries and the host and producer of the podcast, Art Heals All Wounds. Her adoptive parents were loving but saw her as the “oddball” of her family, resulting in a profound sense of loneliness. She turned to reading as a way to find a sense of belonging, which led her to gravitate towards storytelling as a career. She’d often been curious about both of her biological parents, but when she was diagnosed with a rare disease at age 30, it felt more crucial to find answers. After making a connection with her birth mother and her extended family years later, no one on that side of the family appears to have this disease. She discovered that her biological father had passed away two years before she found out his name. In all probability, he was the parent who passed this disease down and he had no other children besides her. However, there are unexplained DNA connections on Ancestry that suggest a mystery behind her father’s origins. Despite attempts to connect with these connections and get more information, she still has more questions than answers about her father’s ancestry and whether there are more biological family members who share this disease.I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofmeCODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to a 75% off. This only lasts until the end of January, so hurry up before it goes away.Available in all Sprouts in January 2024Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sally King is an adult adoptee from the foster system. Growing up she knew she did not seem to fit anywhere and just accepted that that was who she was. After marrying and having two biological children a little girl came to her and her husband through the foster care system. This had her embark on a journey of self-discovery and acknowledgment and through the later adoption of her daughter and dealing with social services once again she realized the impact her foster and adoption had on her.Sally has never looked back on her decision and knows full well the impact adoption can have on a person. Good and bad - there is still an impact. She details this journey through many speaking engagements and the writing of her book, "In Search of Serenity".I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofmeCODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to a 75% off. This only lasts until the end of January, so hurry up before it goes away.Available in all Sprouts in January 2024Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby, Jamie Johnson, Sandra Umney, Patrick Hawes, Anna Brook, Niamh Graham, Lisa Baylasri, Beverly Halsey, Gina Funaro, Karen Lane, Janet Kane, JR, Stacie Witbeck, Karen Bruckner, Kate Hackett and Virginia McQueen.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jane is a baby scoop-era adoptee born in 1963 in Delaware to a 14 yr. old mother. After being in foster care for the first 10 months she was adopted and raised by two wonderful parents in Pennsylvania.Shortly after her 2nd birthday, her parents gave birth to a biological son. Jane always knew she was adopted and wondered where she came from but never wanted or needed to search. But, at the age of 58, after both adoptive parents passed, she did a DNA test as well as some other searching. She found that sadly, her birth mother had been deceased for 20 years. Unable to get to know her, it gave her the urge to search and find out whatever else she could. She discovered that she has six half-siblings. In finding one of the siblings, she found her birth father, with whom she never thought possible. Jane has been reunited with five of the six siblings, as well as her birth father, numerous aunts, and a cousin.Jane owns and operates a cleaning business and still resides in Pennsylvania with her partner and 3 cats. I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™Use code: ADOPTION20 to save on your subscription.Available in all Sprouts in January 2024Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby, Jamie Johnson, Sandra Umney, Patrick Hawes, Anna Brook, Niamh Graham, Lisa Baylasri, Beverly Halsey, Gina Funaro, Karen Lane, Janet Kane, JR, Stacie Witbeck, Karen Bruckner, Kate Hackett and Virginia McQueen.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born in 1970, Sean Broderick was adopted at birth and always knew he was adopted as long as he can remember. The fact that he was adopted never seemed to bother him or cause any type of turmoil in his life. Sean seemingly had a happy and healthy childhood although alcoholism existed within one of his adoptive parents, his parents ultimately divorced and he had a lack of discipline and guidance due to being alone often.Growing up, Sean’s adopted mother would remind him from time to time that there will come a day that he will want to meet his biological mother. This didn’t make sense to Sean on the surface and he never really gave the notion of meeting his bio mom any serious thought. It was when Sean, at the age of thirty-three, and his wife started trying to conceive their first child that he realized that he should try to find out some health history for himself. Sean started his search for his biological mother shortly before his thirty-fourth birthday and was reunited with her about six months later. Since that time, it’s been a roller coaster of emotions that continue to this day and the beginning of meeting many more biological family members over the next eighteen years including siblings, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and even cousins.I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™Use code: ADOPTION20 to save on your subscription.Available in all Sprouts in January 2024Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby, Jamie Johnson, Sandra Umney, Patrick Hawes, Anna Brook, Niamh Graham, Lisa Baylasri, Beverly Halsey, Gina Funaro, Karen Lane, Janet Kane, JR, Stacie Witbeck, Karen Bruckner, Kate Hackett and Virginia McQueen.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Katherine Sanford is yet another adoptee caught up in the Baby Scoop Era of U.S. closed adoptions and the restrictive laws that prevent access to birth records. It wasn’t until 2017, with the help of two spit-in-a-tube ancestry kits, that she could finally answer the one crucial question she longed to answer: “Who am I?” Katherine writes about her experience in the award-winning book, Storked! You can follow her at www.kcsanford.comI Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito. Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off. Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™Use code: ADOPTION20 to save on your subscription.Available in all Sprouts in January 2024Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby, Jamie Johnson, Sandra Umney, Patrick Hawes, Anna Brook, Niamh Graham, Lisa Baylasri, Beverly Halsey, Gina Funaro, Karen Lane, Janet Kane, JR, Stacie Witbeck, Karen Bruckner, Kate Hackett and Virginia McQueen.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Join us for a deep dive into 'loss' with David Benjamin (guest:Season Two) and Moses Farrow (guest:Season Five). To find David BenjaminTo find Moses FarrowMagic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™Use code: ADOPTION20 to save on your subscription.Available in all Sprouts in January 2024To find NPE StoriesThank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby, Jamie Johnson, Sandra Umney, Patrick Hawes, Anna Brook, Niamh Graham, Lisa Baylasri, Beverly Halsey, Gina Funaro, Karen Lane, Janet Kane, JR, Stacie Witbeck, Melia Misak Cox, Karen Bruckner and Kate Hackett.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Nikole Shaw also known as "Koko" in the online community was born in Hawaiian Gardens, California, growing up in the suburbs of Orange County. Adopted as an infant, she is a black domestic adoptee who spent much of her life in a small town called Brea. Koko received her Bachelors of Science from San Jose State University and is currently working for the Department of Public Health San Francisco as a mental health professional. Koko is mostly known in the adoptee community as @theblackadoptea and spends her time advocating for and creating content for the adoptee community. She has a passion for spoken word and is also a writer who is in the process of completing her first children's book about adoption. Koko continues to share her adoption journey with the world and is reunion with her biological family from Belize. We are re-running Koko's episode to highlight past episodes that the listener may have missed. Remember our Season Five Finale and Contest Winner Announcement will be on December 19th. Stay tuned!Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™Use code: ADOPTION20 to save on your subscription.To enter our New York City ATMOM Happy Hour & Operation Foglist + Un-M-Othered Screening taking place on February 2nd & 3rd - go directly to the home page of our website and Subscribe to the Pod.Note: There will be a cash stipend for airfare and hotels - if you live outside the continental US, you may have to pay additional funds to attend depending upon cost. Tickets to Operation Fog Lift & Un-M-Othering- are limited so hurry to purchase! Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights LawJoe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Support the showSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Shelley Jean is a baby scoop-era domestic adoptee born in 1970. She was in foster care for about 2 months before being adopted. She always knew she was adopted but didn’t think about it very often until her adoptive mother passed away. At the age of 48, Shelley started on her journey of self-discovery. She now has a hard time imagining her life before searching. The journey has had many ups and downs, but Shelley is content to finally know her own story.Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™Use code: ADOPTION20 to save on your subscription.To enter our New York City ATMOM Happy Hour & Operation Foglist + Un-M-Othered Screening taking place on February 2nd & 3rd - go directly to the home page of our website and Subscribe to the Pod.Note: There will be a cash stipend for airfare and hotels - if you live outside the continental US, you may have to pay additional funds to attend depending upon cost. Tickets to Operation Fog Lift & Un-M-OtheringThank you to our sponsor S12F.Joe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kevin Barhydt is a YouTube creator and the author of Dear Stephen Michael’s Mother. His YouTube channel creates a safe space for survivors of addiction, abandonment, adoption, and child sexual abuse, to explore the healing process.Abandoned by his mother at birth, Kevin was enveloped in a labyrinth of adoption, addiction, and child sexual abuse. By age 20, a shell of the boy he once was, Kevin succumbed completely to a suicidal lifestyle of drug dealing and prostitution. At 45, after many years of recovery, Kevin began a painful journey to uncover his origins and the hopeful search for his mother.His book, “Dear Stephen Michael’s Mother”, chronicles the unfolding of these stories. The interwoven perspectives offer an unflinching look at the myriad ways life can cloak us in darkness and helplessness yet still resonate with joy and recovery.To find Kevin and his Book: Stephen Michael's MotherAlso in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™Use code: ADOPTION20 to save on your subscription.To enter our New York City ATMOM Happy Hour & Operation Foglist + Un-M-Othered Screening taking place on February 2nd & 3rd - go directly to the home page of our website and Subscribe to the Pod.Note: There will be a cash stipend for airfare and hotels - if you live outside the continental US, you may have to pay additional funds to attend depending upon cost. Tickets to Operation Fog Lift & Un-M-OtheringThank you to our sponsor S12F.Joe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Monica Hall is an author, adoptee, and birthmother. She was born in Canada, adopted by American parents, and raised in Anchorage, Alaska where she spent the first sixteen years of her life and had many of the foundational experiences that drive her writing. In addition to working as a business consultant, she has founded several successful companies and has worked in advertising and marketing for more than twenty years. Monica published essays on her website and wrote her memoir to provide others with understanding, courage, and empowerment. She wants readers to realize that no matter the difficulties they face, it’s possible to heal and succeed. Monica is a speaker, life coach, and mentor. She has three grown children and lives in Sacramento, California. Practically Still a Virgin will be available in Spring, 2024. Please subscribe to Monicahall.com for launch dates and essays.You can find Monica at:WebsiteInstagram Personal Facebook Author Facebook TikTokAlso in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™To enter our New York City ATMOM Happy Hour & Operation Foglist + Un-M-Othered Screening taking place on February 2nd & 3rd - go directly to the home page of our website and Subscribe to the Pod.Note: There will be a cash stipend for airfare and hotels - if you live outside the continental US, you may have to pay additional funds to attend depending upon cost. Tickets to Operation Fog Lift & Un-M-OtheringThank you to our sponsor S12F.Joe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A few kismet moments in her early twenties led her on a journey of discovering who she looks like. Vicky Heydon was adopted through a private county adoption right after birth in 1987 and then raised in the same county. Although she believes she crossed paths with her biological family a few years prior, it wasn't until she was in her late 20s when she was helping to pack up her parents to move out of state that led her to her biological family. When the idea of building her own family came into focus, Vicky began facing her truths about adoption and began to focus on the question, "Is it nature or nurture?"Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond.Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™To enter our New York City ATMOM Happy Hour & Operation Foglist + Un-M-Othered Screening taking place on February 2nd & 3rd - go directly to the home page of our website and Subscribe to the Pod.Note: There will be a cash stipend for airfare and hotels - if you live outside the continental US, you may have to pay additional funds to attend depending upon cost. Tickets to Operation Fog Lift & Un-M-OtheringThank you to our sponsor S12F.Joe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby, Jamie Johnson, Sandra Umney, Patrick Hawes, Anna Brook, Niamh GrahSupport the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Moses Farrow, LMFT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, who has 20+ years of working in the mental health field. Farrow has spent the last decade within the population of adopted people and their families. As an activist and speaker, he is mission-driven. In 2018, he wrote a blog article speaking out about his personal life as a survivor of abuse and suicide loss. Since then, he has started several initiatives in the fight against anti-Asian hate, suicide, human rights violations, child abuse, mental health stigma, and child trafficking. Throughout the past decade, Farrow has volunteered with a number of nonprofit organizations focused on addressing adoption issues. He has continued to share his personal experiences and those of his siblings who are no longer able to on his social media and on news and pop culture platforms such as The Guardian, Love What Matters, and numerous podcasts. Today, he adds voice to the efforts of other activists regarding the criminal elements of the adoption industry that result in the deaths of adopted people.To find Moses: Moses Farrow Adoption Trauma Factsheet Download - Moses FarrowTo enter our New York City ATMOM Happy Hour & Operation Foglist + Un-M-Othered Screening taking place on February 2nd & 3rd - go directly to the home page of our website and Subscribe to the Pod.Note: You must live in the Continental United States to enter the contest.Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Joe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby, Jamie Johnson, Sandra Umney, Patrick Hawes, Anna Brook, Niamh Graham, Lisa Baylasri and Beverly Halsey.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Haley Radke is an adoptee advocate and the creator and host of the popular podcast, Adoptees On, where adopted people share their adoption experiences. Adoptees On has more than 250 episodes featuring adoptees and adoptee therapists and has been downloaded over 1.2 million times in 140+ countries worldwide. www.adopteeson.com To go directly to Haley's interview, you can go to the timestamp: 9:42Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond.Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Joe Soll & other adoptee resourcesHaley Radke: Adoptees OnFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby and Jamie Johnson.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gregory D. Luce is a Minnesota-based attorney born and adopted in the District of Columbia. He is the founder of Adoptee Rights Law Center, where he represents US-born and inter-country adoptees on issues involving identity, records, and US citizenship. He is also a co-founder and the executive director of Adoptees United Inc., a national nonprofit adoptee rights organization. A graduate of Boston University and the University of Minnesota Law School, he lives in Minneapolis with his spouse and two children.To find Gregory Luce: Adoptee Rights Law CenterTo go directly to Gregory's interview, you can go to the timestamp: 12:06Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss The Baby Thief by Barbara Bisantz Raymond.Thank you to our sponsor S12F.Joe Soll & other adoptee resourcesFireside Adoptees Facebook GroupReckoning with the Primal Wound DocumentaryTo learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook PageIf you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury, David Behar, Chris Manby and Jamie Johnson.Support the showTo support the show - Patreon. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.