Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

Julia Brewer Daily is a Texan with a southern accent. She has a B.S. in English and a M.S. degree in Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.She has been an educator, Communications Adjunct Professor at Belhaven College, administrator, and Public Relations Director of the Mississippi Department of Education and Millsaps College, a liberal arts college in Jackson, MS. She was the founding director of the Greater Belhaven Market, a producers’ only market in a historic neighborhood in Jackson, and even shadowed Martha Stewart.As the Executive Director of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi (300 artisans from 19 states) which operates the Mississippi Craft Center, she wrote their stories to introduce them to the public. She is an adopted child from a maternity home hospital in New Orleans.She searched and found her birth mother and through a DNA test, her birth father’s family, as well. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband Emmerson and two Labrador Retrievers, Memphis Belle and Texas Star.https://www.juliadaily.com/https://www.instagram.com/juliadailyauthor/https://www.facebook.com/JuliaDailyAuthor/https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-daily-1006ba7/https://twitter.com/jbdailyauthor Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

This episode is a break from the norm as we go into what Karen has learned hosting adoptive parents in Ukraine and interviewing 63 adoptive families back home in the USA. We go deep on integrating biological and adoptive families from overseas and revealing the treasure in what Karen calls "the brokenness and beauty of adoption".A Pacific Northwest native, Karen Springs lived in Kyiv, Ukraine for over fourteen years advocating for orphaned and at-risk children and working with hundreds of adoptive families. Karen has managed humanitarian and child advocacy projects throughout Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East with Orphan’s Promise. Today Karen continues as an advocate for children in families around the world and is passionate about seeing nations collaborate in solving their orphan and vulnerable children crisis through the World Without Orphans global movement. This episode is a break from the norm as we go into what Karen has learned hosting adoptive parents in Ukraine and interviewing 63 families back home in the USA. We go deep on integrating biological and adoptive families from overseas to reveal the treasure in what Karen calls "the brokenness and beauty of adoption".Find out more about Karen at karensprings.com Connect at https://www.facebook.com/karen.springs1 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

There's n othing more upsetting than seeing your child upset. Adopted kids can be more sensitive and easily upset. I'm adopted and bullies often made my young life a misery back in the 70's. Listen in as adoptee, birth mom and teacher Amanda and I explore how we can stop bullies upsetting your kids.Check out the book Amanda wrote with her mother at:https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Ann-Angel/dp/0980208165Replay of How To Prevent Bullies Upsetting Your Adopted Child webinarhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBsDhBu7eUY&t=1s Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Join us as we explore what adoptive mom Beth learned - and continues to learn - as her son struggles with addiction. It's raw, deep and profound.Here's a link to the book I refer to in the podcasthttps://www.amazon.com/Dying-Be-Me-Journey-Healing/dp/B09RY5S44RBeth Syverson is a mom, wife, musician, and as of 2021 a podcaster, activist, and public speaker.Since 2019, her son Joey has struggled with addiction to substances plus serious mental health issues. For the first year of that roller coaster ride, she and Joey were both derailed. Beth tried to “fix” Joey and her Supermom cape was tied on tight. But when nothing worked to “fix” him, she sought help for herself, which improved her own life and also her relationship to her wife Jan and to Joey.She and Joey created Safe Home Podcast in August 2021, with the purpose of helping other families avoid some of the pain we’ve experienced.“Pain that’s not transformed gets transmitted.”We are trying to transform our pain into practical guidance for other families with struggling teens.Beth adopted Joey from Japan when he was 7-1/2 months old. We now realize that his relinquishment trauma is the core issue that caused him to seek substances. Beth is a leader for other adoptive parents who are coming “out of the fog” and realizing that the adoption that created their family also created trauma for their child.Contact Beth directly by emailing [email protected]://www.facebook.com/UnravelingAdoption/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYoW-LxFFes2EX71ENcFVCQhttps://www.unravelingadoption.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Insights, epiphanies and aha moments. Our eyes open to reveal something different. We see the world differently, more clearly, better. And when we see better, we do better. Sometimes they save our lives. This episode is all about Lori's lifesaving insights. She delves deep into the tough stuff - grief, mental health and painful emotional wounds. We would both love you to listen to it and have your own insights. As a wife, adoptive, biological, and special needs mom, teacher, writer, and speaker, Lori’s heart is to help others unveil a hope-filled life while growing in faith and relationship with Christ. Wherever you find yourself today, through both Lori’s freelance writing and her blog found at www.LoriSchumaker.com, you can find tools to help you make sense of God’s love for you, strengthen your faith, and bravely learn to live a surrendered life. In her award-winning book, Surrendered Hearts, she weaves lessons of letting go, trusting, and living surrendered to Jesus through the telling of her family’s adoption story.Lori has been featured on Christian websites including iBelieve and Crosswalk. Her work can also be found in several devotional book compilations.Here's a bit more bout Lori's story from her website...One look into a pair of sparkling brown eyes, and Lori and Bryan Schumaker fell head-over-heels in love with a beautiful young girl in Bulgaria. Certain this was the child God intended for them, they stepped confidently into the adoption process they’d been preparing for. They thought they knew what to expect, and they did – but there was so much more.The application process moved smoothly ahead, and they began making plans for their daughter – only to be informed she’d been adopted by a family in Italy.Heartbroken, they struggled to move on, until, through a series of incredible events, they learned their daughter still languished in her Bulgarian orphanage. Turning heaven and earth, the Schumakers started over. Mix-ups, red tape, inexplicable delays, and a difficult judge threatened the adoption, but they were determined to bring their child home.In an award-winning true story of learning that trust means surrendering your version of how the story should unfold, Lori and Bryan finally let go – of their dream, of their daughter, of their fears and frustrations. And in that relinquishment, God began to move.Here's a link to one of her blog posts https://lorischumaker.com/10-tips-breathe-hope-adoption-storyFind out more:https://www.amazon.com/Surrendered-Hearts-Adoption-Story-Learning-ebook/dp/B07WLJXBG1https://www.facebook.com/searchingformomentshttps://www.instagram.com/lori_schumaker/https://www.pinterest.com/lschumaker/https://twitter.com/lori_schumakerhttps://www.youtube.com/c/LoriSchumakerhttps://lorischumaker.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Amanda felt alone and angry. But she refused to stay that way and went on a deep journey within. Listen in as she shares her biggest learnings on that journey - emotional safety, loving ourselves and much more. I hope you love listening to this as much as we loved our conversation. Deep and profound. Just the way you like your podcasts. Here's a bit about Amanda from her website:Coming out of the fog (unpacking my own adoption) was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. It broke me to the core, and I had to let part of myself die off. I wasn’t ready for that, and at one point I didn’t see how I would ever be the same again…The short version of my story is that I was born in Colombia, sometime in 1984. I don’t know anything about my first two years of life. Well into adulthood, I would tell you that I was not affected by my adoption and that it was all in the past. I was adopted to Sweden, as a baby, and from a young age, I knew I was going to move abroad. I left Sweden, for New York in 2005 and loved being in the big city. I have realized what a perfect match it was for me as an adoptee to be in a place where I got to remain anonymous, but always have people around me. Fast forward a few years and I had my first daughter at the age of 26. This was the first time I met a biological relative, and the first time lacking medical history started to bother me. A few more years, I had another daughter, moved from New Jersey to California, and in my early 30’s I started experiencing anxiety, and anger outbursts. This lead me to start asking questions, trying to figure out the root cause, and I landed on (you guessed it) my adoption. The following 5 years were heavy, dark, and at times very lonely. I was uncovering trauma, and deep-rooted fears and issues I had buried for my entire life. It truly was like opening Pandor’s Box and realizing too late that the only way to go was forward. I started This Adoptee Life, to share my story, and it became where I would work out my entire adoptee experience and much of my healing. With every post I would write and every thing I would share, I wanted to make sure other adoptees would know they are not alone. On social media and on the blog, you could follow my process of coming out of the fog, in real-time. The turning point came in 2020 when late in the year, I decided to take a break and spend some time away from This Adoptee Life. To re-charge. After 2 very intense years, it was the first break I had taken from showing up almost daily. During this time, I connected with some of the people who are my mentors, my support, and my coaches today. They taught me about trauma, about finding inner peace, about self-love, and what it means to be authentically yourself.This next chapter for This Adoptee Life has been one in the making since day one, but it’s only now that I have grown strong enough, confident enough, and peaceful enough, within, to dare step into my purpose, fully. And I am so grateful to you, for reading this, and being part of this with me. Thank you for being here, and for showing up for yourself and others. We are in this together.AMANDA MEDINATHIS ADOPTEE LIFEhttps://thisadopteelife.com/https://www.facebook.com/thisadopteelifehttps://www.instagram.com/thisadopteelife/https://twitter.com/thisadopteelife Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

As adoptees our most overwhelming fear is that of another rejection. Ann and I explore the insights have helped her overcome this and other fears in life-changing moments. Join us as we dive deep into her biggest aha moments and listen in for your own epiphanies.Ann Kief and her husband live in the Florida panhandle. Her professional life was mainly focused on education, leadership and college administration. She taught at the university, college and grade school levels as well as in numerous parks and recreation settings. She has written professionally, as well as dabbled in writing children’s literature. She and her husband have also enjoyed pursuing their entrepreneurial interests in several businesses. Her greatest joy and fulfillment, however, has been as a wife, mother and grandmother.Ann Kief lived half of her childhood in Germany and the other half in Northern Virginia. She has a BS from Southern Illinois University and MS from Indiana University. She has written professional articles and co-authored a nationally distributed professional management aid book. She believes this is an inspirational book of amazing occurrences along the journey of discovery blending families and countries. Whether adopted or not, readers will be drawn into the twists and turns of the thought processes, relationships, and research.https://www.facebook.com/BlessedByAdoptionBook/https://www.instagram.com/blessedbyadoptionbook/https://www.linkedin.com/in/akief/https://blessedbyadoption.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Understanding WHY we do the things we don't want to do often initiates stopping doing them. So please stick with my lengthy set up this episode - it's well worth it. Lynn and I explore adoptees' concern for other people's thoughts about us including why it triggers are own insecurities. What's wrong with me is perhaps the most common questions we ask ourselves. Listen in for some more empowering questions in this profound episode.Here's the link to the book I mention in the podcast https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Link-Sydney-Banks-ebook/dp/B07FN6CYPBLynn Deiulis was placed on adoption at the age of nine months. Her adoptive parents were advised to raise her as their own and forget where she had come from. Her parents followed this advice, and adoption became an uncomfortable topic. Her mother would answer Lynn’s adoption questions, but the emotion in her mother’s eyes eventually made Lynn stop asking. Lynn grew up not knowing how or whom to ask her many questions. As an adult, Lynn found and met some of her paternal and maternal birth family members and was able to learn much about the genetic and familial information she grew up without. As a result, she has been able to piece together more of her story.Lynn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care and enjoyed a twenty-five year career in adoption services. Lynn has worked with many members of the adoption triad (children, birth parents, adoptive parents) as well as foster care and kinship families. She co-facilitated support groups where adult adopted persons, and birth parents, could freely share their unique stories and learn how and where to get some of their questions answered.​Her personal and professional journey sparked a passion to write a book that offers an opportunity for children to learn the unique details of their adoption or kinship stories, and helps adults talk to children about how they came to be living together as a family or living with another family. She also hopes the book will help professionals who work with children living through all phases of the adoption or kinship journey. Lynn resides in Northern Ontario, where she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, especially her grandchildren.The relationship between the author and the illustrator has a unique quality. Krista Donnelly and Lynn are birth half sisters who met each other as adults in 2018. Separated by the adoption process, Krista and her three full sisters grew up not knowing that two older half sisters existed. When Lynn decided to write this book, she reached out to her “new sister” who is a talented graphic designer. Krista brought the book’s characters to life while building a relationship with Lynn at the same time. Krista learned about the impact on Lynn of growing up as an adoptee, while Lynn learned about the impact on Krista of discovering she had two birth half sisters she never knew existed! Their new mutual understanding of the impact of adoption has enriched this book. Lynn and Krista hope this book will help children and families talk about these unique stories long before the children become adults.Links to buy the book and more: https://www.whatisyourstorybook.com/https://www.facebook.com/whatisyourstorybookhttps://twitter.com/AuthorLynnDhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCampCrQmQomhUskZ8-9fzcg/featuredhttps://www.instagram.com/authorlynnd/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Trauma experts talk about neuroplasticity as our brain's ability to change but they don't explain how to harness it. It's a lot simpler than it seems. Lightbulb moments start change. So how do have more lightbulb moments? By listening to other people's lightbulb moments. By remaining open as we listen. Being aware of when our old beliefs are blocking new ideas like bouncers block new people coming into a nightclub. Suni shares some of her lightbulb moments about her birth mother, forgiveness and understanding to catalyse lightbulb moments for you. Listen in and listen up. Here's a bit about Suni and her book:After ignoring her own adoption story for 50 years, SUNI MILLER ZMICH journeyed alongside the interviewees as they described their stories, connecting on an elemental level, her unanticipated reward was she could clearly see herself in the mirror for the first time in her life. She is the mother of two daughters, a retired accounting and finance manager, and a transient ex-army brat poised for the next adventure. Practically empty nesters, she and her husband, Kurt, live in Minneapolis. For Now. When I first started Through the Lens of Ourselves,I only had a vague idea of what I wanted to accomplish.​I am an adoptee. After conducting many interviews, my personal journey melded with the interviewees. I learned that ALL members of the adoption triad yearn for familial connection. In listening to the birth mothers, I was surprised at my own reaction. For years, I had harbored resentment about my own birth parents and would not fully invest myself emotionally with my adoptive parents. But after allowing myself to see through the lens of the birth parents in my book, I felt safe enough to become closer to my adoptive parents.My hope is that my book will bring peace to to those who are still traumatized by their adoption experience. I will forever be grateful to the individuals who were brave enough to share their stories with me. They nourished my soul and I hope their stories will feed the world.Listening to the stories of others touched by adoption healed me.My hope is that my book will also heal you.You know that quiet voice that whispers to you when you first wake up in that fuzzy space between sleep and full consciousness - where your dreams and reality collide? I would sometimes hear those little nudges to examine my adoption.Here's the link I to the Dragon story mentioned https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7stT4OQoFGUHere's links to her website with links to Amazon etc:https://www.sunimillerzmich.com/Here are links to her social media:https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068780925549https://www.instagram.com/sunimillerzmich/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

The adoption world is trauma obsessed. I believe we should be trauma informed and healing obsessed. Michelle does too. We go deep on holding the energy to heal, allowing and expressing our emotions. There's a place underneath those emotions that's already and always whole, untouched by the trauma let's go there. And unveil who we truly are. Adoption is a spiritual journey. But not in a woo woo way, just a path that reveals who we are when we see that.Here's a bit about Michelle :This is my Foster Adoption Journey. One morning, sometime after my forty-third birthday I realized I wanted to be a Mom.In this book you'll hear about my foster children, how I had to let go, and whom I fell in love with.EXCERPT:Now I appreciate that you might think any normal woman would want kids in her twenties or thirties, but I didn’t really. My husband and I were busy with career, traveling and partying and, well, I just forgot to have kids. I never heard my biological clock ticking and now my alarm was ringing, and ringing loudly! ... My hubby and I decided to adopt through foster care, but had no idea what we were in for! This is my story.https://www.amazon.com/Bedrooms-Journey-Frustration-Parenting-Adoption-ebook/dp/B006SJN504?ref_=ast_sto_dphttps://www.facebook.com/michelle.vandepas Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

In a first for the podcast this lovely couple provide an incredible insight into what goes on for birth parents, how they kept going (and together) despite being riddled with emotion and how our suffering connects us. We explore the deep insights they had along the way that have shifted their focus on to Michael. Because relationships start with us. How we are. Doing our own work makes us better.Find out more about their book and download it free: https://bertauski.com/expectations/https://www.amazon.com/Expectations-Adoption-Story-Bertauski-Tony/dp/1951432169 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How do we get through the toughest stuff? When a life-threatening medical condition, an alcoholic husband, and a traumatic special needs adoption shatter that dream, there are only two choices—crumble or change the narrative. We go deep on how we do that covering topics such as resilience, epiphanies and eye opening insights. Inspirational.A young girl dreams of the perfect life—marriage, children, and a career—her happily ever after. Valerie learned to embrace the unimaginable to create an extraordinary life.Valerie Cantella is an award-winning, multipassionate communications and public affairs professional living a life beyond her wildest dreams. She is the author of Off-Script: a mom’s journey through adoption, a husband’s alcoholism, and special needs parenting. She shares her journey as a mother of teens with mental health issues, the struggles of special needs parenting, the effect of alcoholism on a marriage, and how she learned to embrace the unimaginable to create an extraordinary life. Valerie calls herself a recovering perfectionist and is passionate about using her experiences to help others. She volunteers with organizations supporting those with mental health and substance abuse issues and serves on the County’s Behavioral Wellness Commission. Her love of writing began when her stubby little fingers learned to form letters, and those letters made words that crafted sentences. From those sentences, she wrote short stories, articles, poems, and even two books for her grade school author showcase. Valerie later turned to journalism and a career in communications. She is the mom of three adult children–a biological son, an adopted daughter, and a bonus son by marriage. Valerie and her husband Tom live in Santa Barbara with their exuberant yellow lab, Charlie. When she isn’t writing or speaking, you will find her walking at one of their beautiful beaches. Her mantra: I will look forward. I will trust God. Today is a new day. https://valeriecantella.com/https://www.facebook.com/vcantellahttps://www.instagram.com/valeriejcantellahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-cantella/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Conversations oil our understanding of other people's perspectives and our relationships with them. They also give us a comparison to our own perspective if we are brave enough to go there. Why does that matter? Because shifts in our perspective power the insights to help us to better lives with less anger and resentment. Listen in as we go deep on conversation, communication and much more.Julie Ryan McGue is an author, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. She writes extensively about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it.Julie’s debut award winning memoir Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (She Writes Press) came out in May 2021. It is the story of her five-year search for birth relatives. Her weekly blogs That Girl, This Life and monthly column at The Beacher focus on identity, family, and life’s quirky moments. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Julie received a BA from Indiana University in Psychology. She earned a MM in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University. She has served multiple terms on the Board of the Midwest Adoption Center and is an active member of the American Adoption Congress.Julie splits her time between Northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida. She is the mother of four adult children and has three grandsons. If she’s not at her computer, she’s on the tennis court, or out exploring with her Nikon. Julie is currently working on a collection of personal essays.https://juliemcgueauthor.com/https://www.facebook.com/juliemcguewrites/https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-ryan-mcgue-a246b841/https://www.instagram.com/julieryanmcgue/https://twitter.com/juliermcgueHere's a link to the podcast episode I refer to https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/primally-wounded-or-fundamentally-unwoundable-with-nick-mabeyHere's a link to another episode on the primal wound it's recording of a webinarhttps://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/whole-healing-my-primal-wound-webinar-recordingHere's a link to a video of that webinar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnz7I7V_IOQ&t=162s Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What comes after the fog? What helps us navigate that? What do we do to feel good? Adoptee Paul and I go deep for answers, because that's where the priceless gems are hidden. Those priceless gems are insights that move us to a better, happier place. We both loved this conversation and hope you love it too. If you don't we will give you your money back. Hold on a minute - we're giving you these priceless gems free! Enjoy....Here's a bit about Paul:Paul Kimball, a biracial adoptee, explores his own abandonment issues as he searches, and eventually reunites with his birth parents. After a seemingly joyous reunion, his birth mother, a Caucasian professional cellist, rejects him. This causes him to seek out his Armenian birth father, who along with his extended family, accepts him as one of their own.Paul's birthparents met at the Hollywood Methodist Church in 1961. Vahe had immigrated from Iraq to California, while Wendy gave cello concerts throughout the United States. After Wendy became pregnant, they decided to have an abortion in Mexico, and upon arrival, changed their minds. As directed by her parents, Wendy had her baby in secret in Fort Bragg. Vahe was told that the baby had been aborted.After one week with Wendy, Paul was given up for adoption. He was placed in foster care through Children's Home Society for four and a half months. Being biracial, Paul was considered a "Hard to Place" baby. The Kimballs, a wonderfully liberal Berkeley family, decided to adopt Paul. On Paul's first birthday, November 22nd, 1962, he was officially adopted three hours before the assassination of President Kennedy.Paul became a professional French Horn player, conductor and music teacher. He had always been deeply moved by the cello, especially the recordings of Jacqueline Du Pre. Music was his life, and cello his therapy.After marrying and becoming a father of two daughters, Paul searched for his birthmother. Upon learning that she was a cellist, he was even more determined to meet her. After several months and false leads, he found her name in the Musician's Union directory. This led to a three-hour phone call with birth mother, Wendy.Paul and Wendy met in L.A. and had a beautiful three-month reunion. That summer, she went to New York to play in an orchestra. While there, she made the decision to keep Paul a secret. She was afraid of being thought of as a "slut." She stopped all communication. When the horrors of 911 happened, Paul left one last message on her phone. This led Wendy to contact his mother in law, and let her know that Paul must never contact her again.In shock, Paul decided to search for his birth father. With some clues provided by Wendy, including his last name, Paul tracked down Vahe through his brother Vasken. On Christmas day, Vasken announced to his extended family that Vahe had an unknown son, much to their astonishment. That evening, Paul called Vasken who handed the phone to Vahe. The first words that Vahe said to him were "Son, I love you!"For twelve years, Vahe, Paul and the extended Armenian community got to know and love each other.Paul kept tabs on Wendy through her summer orchestra's website. One summer he noticed that she wasn't listed. He learned through a facebook message that Wendy had died a few years earlier.Paul found her gravesite, but no marker, just grass. He decided to design one for her. When the marker was completed, he visited it alone, in tears, while listening to cello music. Paul's adopted parents, and Vahe passed away. His adopted father committed suicide three days after his mother passed while looking at her pictures.Now that his parents were gone, Paul continued to contemplate his abandonment issues. The realization that we are all human beings, adopted or not, and that we are all a part of nature, has brought much comfort and healing.https://www.facebook.com/paul.kimball.14https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-All-Human-Beings/dp/1977236197 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Most of us adoptees tell ourselves a tough story about ourselves. A story that we are not good enough. Adoptee Lisa has taken what she's learned - and continues to learn - into helping fellow adoptees as a therapist. Listen in as she shares her learnings with great clarity and hope. Let Lisa guide you to the light at the end of the tunnel - being the hero in your own story.Here's a bit about Lisa from her website:Lisa Floyd, NCC, LMHC-AAdult Parent-Child RelationshipsAdoption Therapy SpecialistCertified Brainspotting TherapistIs your mom impossible to please? Is your dad emotionally unavailable? Do you feel like the outsider in your family? I specialize in Adult Parent-Child Relationships and how to find healing from dysfunctional relationships when you are an empath. I am a fellow empath, so I understand the challenges of feeling everything more deeply. I can guide you to see your sensitivities as gifts that can help you to develop stronger boundaries and healthier relationships.I employ a strengths-based approach in therapy which focuses more on your internal strengths and resourcefulness and less on weaknesses, failures, and shortcomings. I am a certified Brainspotting therapist. I am also informed about Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB). I enjoy working with those who have experienced relationship issues, emotional neglect, and codependency.As an adult adoptee, I am passionate about working with other adoptees and helping heal all members of the adoption constellation. I completed the National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training for Mental Health Professionals through Center for Adoption Support and Education. I have contributed to the books The Adoptee Survival Guide (2015) and Adoption Therapy: Perspectives from clients and clinicians on processing and healing post-adoption issues (2014). I have also been a speaker at the Indiana Adoptee Network Conference (2018).I completed my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Indiana Wesleyan University. I currently hold an Associate License for counseling in Indiana, and I am pursuing becoming fully licensed. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]​https://www.greenhouseindy.com/lisa-floydhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-floyd-877503131/https://www.facebook.com/GreenHouseIndyCounseling/https://twitter.com/counselingattgh Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Shifts happen when we see through the story we've been innocently telling ourselves about ourselves. After setting the scene Vin and I go deep into self love in what's one of our most profound conversations here on Thriving Adoptees. We go deep because that's where the most valuable shifts happen. I'm loving that depth. Vin loves that depth. We love the fact that you do too. Shifts change lives. Listen in for your own shifts. Born in India, adopted at 10 months, raised in Australia, Vin is a true one off. He runs a Facebook group where adoptees and adopters can learn from one another in a friendly and no conflict environment.Connect with him at:https://www.facebook.com/CrZyPhOtOgRaPhErHere's the link I mention to Vin's earlier interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/vin-adoptees-emotional-rollercoaster Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

A m I stuck with the Primal Wound?W ill it ever heal?H ow do I live with the scars?W hat on earth do I do to be whole?I 've been searching for answers to these questions (and many more) since reading Nancy Verrier's book.What I've learned has brought me peace.I 'm rarely triggered.I know deep down that I'm ok.D on't get me wrong...I still have my moments.But those moments don't hurt as much or last as long.I've touched on my healing insights with over 200 guestsNow I 'm sharing much more on this crucial subject. Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

The feeling of not being wanted haunts us adoptees. Being lied to exacerbates that feeling. The feeling moulds our thinking in a vicious circle that threatens to spin out of control. Or does so! Listen in as adoptee Joanne shares how the truth has helped her heal. There are insights, epiphanies and epiphanettes (like epiphanies only smaller) aplenty to speed you along your healing journey. Buckle up and listen in with big ears. This episode is packed with wisdom.Here's a bit about Joanne and her book"What if you found out that you were adopted and everything you thought you knew about your family, your security, was shattered? My Secret is about my 40 year quest for truth about who I am. But, more than that, this story is about overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles to achieve a goal.My undaunted determination led me from private detectives, online sources and social agencies to covert missions like trying to collect an aunt's DNA sample at a family gathering. There were rumors, innuendos, false leads and small steps forward and backward, all leading me to finally find my 82 year-old mother.I believe the reader will be drawn in by the intimacy of the journey"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014N2OQ6Y Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Australian adoptee Susannah felt cut adrift. This episode is all about her journey back to home - finding herself. Listen into her wisdom for your own insights into healing, understanding who we are and seeing that we are (more than) enough. Poignant, powerful and very relatable to all adoptees.Here's more about Susannah, her story and her memoir:In 1965, Robin, unmarried and pregnant, comes to Melbourne to give birth and give her baby up for adoption, then returns to Perth to resume her life having never seen her baby. After 10 days alone, the baby, is taken home, named Susannah, and made part of a wonderful family that loves her. The adoption laws at the time guarantee that there can be no contact between birth mother and child. Ever.In 1984, the law is changed and sealed files can be opened. In 1989 Robin tries to make contact with Susannah who is now the same age as Robin was when she had her. Susannah replies to Robin in a letter, declining contact.In 2014, Susannah, at the same age Robin was when she wrote her first letter, writes Robin a different letter. The heartlines open. After nearly fifty years apart, a mother and daughter are reunited. But the path to a relationship is not smooth. Very few adoption reunions result in meaningful, long-term reconnection. The fragile relationships stumble and fall under the weight of years of repressed anger, hurt, grief and loss, different beliefs and of whole lives spent apart. A feeling of connection isn’t enough. You have to fight for a relationship.This is the story of two women who did. The raw openness of their writing and the breakneck speed of their reconnection is compelling. Heartlines is at once both unique and universal. It’s a story of courage and what can happen when you open rather than close your heart; when you decide to stay just as every fearful instinct tells you to run away.Heartlines is about connection and reconnection and why relationships are worth the fight. It is a piercingly honest and often hilarious story of what it takes to reconnect – and stay there – after a lifetime apart.Fast-paced, warm and funny, this is an adoption story that pulls the reader on to a wonderful if wobbly rollercoaster ride, exploring themes of family, motherhood, loss, belonging, hope, courage and the importance of never giving up.https://www.amazon.com/Heartlines-Year-Met-Other-Mother-ebook/dp/B01AV416QQhttps://www.susannahmcfarlane.com/https://www.facebook.com/susannahmcfarlane/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Amanda is an adoptee AND a birth mother. She's on the show with her mother Ann. That's a totally unique combination that we've never brought to you before! Listen in as we dive deep into grace, empathy, avoiding judgement and supporting others. They've learned a whole heap through their own lived experience and researching other people's experience for the books they've written.Check out the book they wrote together at:https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Ann-Angel/dp/0980208165Check out Ann's book at:https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Angel-ebook/dp/B00FJZAD6Mhttps://www.annangelwriter.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Finding out she was adopted at 57 left Carlyn feeling fragmented and deeply unsettled. Listen in as she shares how she put herself back together and found peace. We go deep in this very profound episode. The deeper we go, the more we learn and the clearer we see. And the more peaceful life is. Isn't peace what we all truly want?Carlyn Montes De Oca grew up surrounded by secrets. She never knew her dad was a Marine during World War II or that her grandmother hired kidnappers to bring her mother back home after her parents eloped. Her mom and dad took an even bigger secret to their graves… Carlyn’s identity.In 2019, at age 57, a consumer DNA test taken for fun revealed that Carlyn’s mom and dad, immigrants from Mexico, were not her biological parents and that most of her entire extended family, including 63 first cousins, all knew the truth but never told her. In that instant, the reality Carlyn had lived with her entire life shattered. This revelation fueled her year long journey to find the answers to “Who the hell am I and where do I belong?” Questions that led her to unearth a truth she could never have foreseen.Junkyard Girl explores the powerful impact of long-held secrets and the complex relationships between immigrant mothers and their native-born daughters. This is a coming-of-age story later in life, a tale about loss and discovery, betrayal and forgiveness, and the true meaning of an American family.https://animalhumanhealth.com/junkyardgirl/https://www.facebook.com/carlynmontesdeoca/https://twitter.com/carlynmdohttps://www.linkedin.com/in/carlynmdo/https://www.instagram.com/carlynmontesdeoca/https://www.youtube.com/user/carlyn555 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Flexing stops us breaking. Cate is an adoptive mum who's been through tough stuff herself. She's also an educational professional too who helped many adoptive parents pull back from breaking point. Relax and listen in for perspective changes that are going to make you and your family's easier and better.Cate Tumman has two adopted kids and is an experienced education profession with extensive special educational experience.I am a previous head teacher of an Therapeutic Independent school which was a project-correction passion to create and develop to its successful current position of having two consecutive Ofsted Good ratings in the six years it has been open.My educational career has been to focus on making education accessible for those young people that have a barrier to accessing it for any reason. In the most recent years this has been supporting young people who have experienced early life trauma. With a particular focus on being able to have trust in the educational system again and to feel “safe to learn” again.My values are to ensure that each and every child that crosses my path takes a little glimmer of positivity and belief that “they can” and that to restore a belief that adults can “keep you safe”. My passion and values are fuelled by my family, my two beautiful, adopted children and my husband, we travel an amazing journey together as a family and this allows me to understand the challenges that children and family’s experience from all angles and truly empathise.Then to relax …when there is time…you will find me crafting, knitting, crochet, bead art, baking. https://www.linkedin.com/in/cate-tumman-4211381b4/?originalSubdomain=uk Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Alice felt that there no was no place for people of mixed race like her. Adoption had destroyed her sense of identity. She felt fractured. Listen in as we explore the most important issues for adoptees who want to heal.About Alice Stephens - from her website: Born in South Korea to a Korean mother and an American soldier father, I became Alice Stephens when I was adopted at 9 months old into a white family from Philadelphia with three biological children.When I was four, we moved to Botswana, and ever since then I have been addicted to traveling the world.Besides wandering, I love writing, reading, hanging out with my family, walking my dog, eating spicy noodles, and swimming.My work has appeared in Urban Mozaik, Flung Magazine, Banana Writers, The American, and the LA Review of Books, among other places. Famous Adopted People is my debut novel.As a book reviewer, I strive to highlight marginalized voices, diverse authors, and books in translation. Additionally, I am a columnist for the Washington Independent Review of Books, a contributing editor to Bloom, a co-facilitator at Adoptee Voices Writing Group, co-founder of the Adoptee Literary Festival, and a member of The Starlings Collective.An adoptee before I was a writer, my mission is to merge the two, and make great literature while changing the the narrative around adoption.https://www.facebook.com/AliceStephensAuthor/https://www.famousadoptedpeople.com/https://twitter.com/AliceKSStephenshttps://www.instagram.com/alicestephensbooks/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

I love meeting kindred spirits and interviewing them so they can share their learnings with you dear listener. Fellow adoptee Danielle is a total one off in the amount of time and effort she puts into healing and supporting others. We go deep into the truth of who we are in a way that's accessible and ultimately healing. We back this up with some practical pointers to help you along your healing journey.Here's a bit about Danielle from her website:My name is Danielle and I am an Earth Citizen 🙂 .What I mean when I say that, is I have a sincere desire to see a healthier, happier and more peaceful world, and I believe it starts with me.I have dedicated my life to growing my own light by helping others to grow their light also. For this, I currently work as a Regional Manager of Body & Brain Centers in Seattle, WA., giving lectures and leading training and coaching sessions.My journey with this work and this path began over 20 years ago – when I started to seek healing for my own body, mind and spirit. I have created Healing Tree – the blog, and now the book – in order to share my stories and inspirations family, friends, my students, and anyone else who may be interested in the healing journey.It is a journey – and a long one at that! Sometimes it’s nice to know you have companions along the way, traveling down similar roads as you. It is my hope that the words you discover here become comforting friends for you, finding their way to your heart. Who knows, they may even turn on a small light in there 🙂 When my light, your light, and our lights shine bright together, what a beautiful world it will be! “Our adopted angel” – that’s what Danielle’s adoptive parents called her. She grew up adored, doted on, and unconditionally loved. It wasn’t until she was in college that she first felt a gnawing curiosity about her roots. From time to time, she would wonder: Where did this face come from? Where did this body come from? Where did this blood come from? Her search to find her biological parents had begun – one full of surprises and revelations.After reuniting with her birth mother – and uncovering the primal wound that lay deep within her – Danielle embarks on a twenty-year healing journey of self-discovery, reconciliation, and forgiveness.At once a heartfelt memoir and a guide to self-awareness, Healing Tree offers a compassionate exploration of self, family, and what it means to be whole. Rooted in her twenty-year practice in Body & Brain holistic mind/body techniques, Danielle offers an approachable eight-step method for anyone wishing to heal from emotional or psychological wounds. This method invites readers to cultivate a loving relationship with their authentic selves and charts a pathway to inner peace.For anyone who feels stuck, hurt, or rudderless in the sea of life, for anyone interested in doing the deep work of self-healing, becoming liberated, and realizing the potential to heal beyond themselves, Healing Tree is a source of direction, inspiration, and hope.Find out more at:https://www.daniellegaudette.com/https://www.facebook.com/DGhealingtreehttps://www.instagram.com/danielle.gaudette/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Is it any wonder us adoptees crave love given the loss of the one who gave us life? Alex and I explore what he's learned on his journey to self love. He shares his recovery from pathological infatuations and a whole in his torso. My conversations for the podcast seem to be getting deeper as I talk to more adoptees. The deeper we go, the more healing we find. So listen in as we dig deep. I LOVED this one and am sure you will love it too.Find out more at:https://alexmfrankel.com/https://www.facebook.com/alex.m.frankelhttps://www.instagram.com/alexm.frankel/https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-m-frankel-5466621b/https://www.tiktok.com/@alexmfrankelhttps://twitter.com/alexmfrankelhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOk3xjp8aatHb7f0ke9jLSg Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

When we know better, we do better. So what do adoptive parents need to know? Erin shares what she's learning raising her own kids adopted from foster care and helping other parents too. That professional perspective that backs up her personal one really makes this episode sing with clarity. We talk about understanding our own triggers, values and overwhelm which I know can be huge issues for you. Enjoy.Here's a bit about Erin from her website:My name is Erin Bouchard. Together with my husband, Joel I have been a foster parent since 2011. We adopted out of the foster care system in 2014. Over the years I have learned a lot through our experiences about early trauma. My goal is to help foster and adoptive parents learn about the impacts of early trauma. I teach and educate about connection and attachment. https://www.facebook.com/traumabasedparentinghttps://www.instagram.com/traumabasedparenting/https://www.instagram.com/erinchristinebouchardhttps://www.traumainformedfosterparenting.com/https://twitter.com/onceuponstrathhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/erinbouchard Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoptees born in Ireland can now access their birth information and apply for a tracing service. Listen in as Patricia Carey, CEO Adoption Authority of Ireland explains the background and services now available.The Adoption Authority Of Ireland's mission is to " To ensure the provision of the highest possible standards of adoption related services, throughout the lifelong adoption process, with the best interests of children as the first and paramount objective."The Birth Information and Tracing Act 2022 was signed into law on 30 June 2022. This landmark legislation provides a full and clear right of access to birth certificates, birth and early life information for all persons who were adopted, boarded out, the subject of an illegal birth registration or who otherwise have questions in relation to their origins. It also allows for access to information by next of kin in certain circumstances.The new law establishes a Contact Preference Register and a robust tracing service and, as well as a range of new bespoke measures to address issues arising for people affected by illegal birth registration.More at:https://aai.gov.ie/en/https://www.birthinfo.ie/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Here's a bit about Joy from her website :Adopted as a baby and raised by a devout Jehovah’s Witness family, Joy Castro is constantly reminded to tell the truth no matter what the consequences. Nevertheless, Castro finds this tenet to be the most violated. Here, in her very own Truth Book, Castro bears witness to a childhood lost but a life regained.Castro’s parents divorce after her father is excommunicated for smoking. She is twelve when her mother marries a “brother” in the church who, though exhibiting an impeccable public persona, is violent and controlling at home. For two years, Joy does not grow at all; in fact, she loses sixteen pounds in response to the physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse she suffers at his hands. Her battered mother does nothing to protect her, nor does her church. She is sustained by humor, books, and her protective love for her younger brother until their daring escape. This courageous personal account looks freshly at the disturbing effects of religious hypocrisy and the resilience of the human spirit.More at:https://www.joycastro.com/https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJoyCastro/https://twitter.com/_joycastro Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Shame seems to exist on a scale from mildly debilitating to totally wrecking adoptees' lives. Listen in as explore shame, where it comes from and coming to terms with it. This episode is all about how understanding the truth of who we are sets us free.Susan Beale was raised on Cape Cod, lived in Belgium and France, and now lives in the Wells, Somerset. Susan has worked as a journalist and editor in the US and Europe. She is a former competitive figure skater. She is a recent graduate of the Bath Spa MA in Creative Writing. The Good Guy - her first novel is inspired by Susan’s life. Susan was adopted as a baby and only reconnected with her birth mother several years ago. The inspiration for the book came from her adoption files. The papers include interviews with her mother, grandmother and one with her birth father. As well as helping Susan understand why she was adopted, the papers paint a portrait of America on the cusp of the sexual revolution. It’s a time of unprecedented prosperity and conformity. Young people enjoy new freedoms, but gender roles remain clearly defined and expectations of morality and purity are strictly, and sometimes cruelly, enforced. It’s a world about to be shaken to its core.Ted, a car-tyre salesman in 1960s suburban New England, is a dreamer who craves admiration. His wife Abigail longs for a life of the mind. Single-girl Penny just wants to be loved. After a chance encounter, Ted becomes enamoured with Penny and begins inventing a whole new life with her at its centre. But when this fantasy collides with reality, the fallout threatens everything, and everyone, he holds dear. The Good Guy is a deeply compelling debut about love, marriage, the pressure to conform, and what happens when good intentions and self-deception are taken to extremes.https://www.amazon.com/Susan-Beale/e/B07761GLTThttps://twitter.com/terminal_expat Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoptee Diane's search & reunion process was epic and, ultimately, rewarding. Listen in as we take a deep dive into faith, hope & perseverance that powered her through that process for insights galore for all adoptees.It is our human right to know who we are. After her adoptive parents passed away, Diane decided to take the DNA plunge to find her biological family. Learn how she found her biological family after years of wondering who she was and why she was born. With the help of a search angel, science and technology a lifetime of questions were about to be answered. Christmas, 2018 is just the beginning of her emotional journey to connect with her family.https://www.facebook.com/dianegrayauthorhttps://dianegrayauthor.com/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faith-Hope-Perseverance-Adoptees-Biological/dp/1977226647 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Feeling unwanted is a central theme to many of adoptees' lives. We ache for connection. And it's a deep throbbing heartache that hurts like hell. Listen in as adoptee Laurie and I explore what she's learned to help you heal that heartache.What does it mean to belong? Laurie James spent most of her life wondering that same question. A lack of belonging and loneliness dictated how she spent most of her life. She rarely shared her secret with others—it was always hidden behind a carefree and can-do attitude. In her mid-forties, Laurie is sent down an unwanted path after her mother has a heart attack and her husband’s lawyer delivers some shocking news. She suddenly finds herself Sandwiched between caring for her parents, managing unruly caregivers, raising four teenage daughters, and trying to understand the choices of her husband she thought she knew. Sandwiched is a story about one woman’s struggle to do “it all” while facing the reality that the ideal life and family she believed she had created was slowly crumbling beneath her. As she tries everything to keep her family together, Laurie seeks therapy, turns to yoga, rediscovers nature, develops a strong female tribe and begins writing. As she explores the layers of her life and heals her past, she realizes that she’s the only one who can create the life she wants and deserves. Sandwiched, is a memoir debut about what it means to let go of the life you planned in order to find the life you belong to. https://www.instagram.com/laurie.james/https://www.facebook.com/laurie.james.79219754https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurie-james-8336a0168/https://www.laurieejames.com/Here's a another episode on the primal woundhttps://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/primally-wounded-or-fundamentally-unwoundable-with-nick-mabeyHere's a link to the event on 3 January 2023 about healing the primal wound https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/whole-healing-my-primal-wound-tickets-473258638327 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Transracial adoptee Thomas felt anger was stitched into him. Listen in as we explore how he saw through that to find peace and end his identity crisis. This is a particularly profound conversation which listeners are going to love.Here's a bit about Thomas and his book:An inspirational book detailing the profound changes in the life of a black child being left at a hospital after birth. Thirteen months into his life being adopted by a white couple that migrated from Europe before World War 2, who would later adopt over twenty children with different nationalities.The author writes of his emotional struggles from being abandoned and not knowing how to accept love to searching for answers to the pain and confusion that comes with growing up in white churches and schools while being black in the 1980s. Through anger, drugs, alcohol, jail, death, racism, and having the feeling there's no one to connect with to finding out who he is.The author takes you for a riveting ride through his life as he never gives up to find the answers he is looking for that haunted him throughout his life.Through life, love, hate, hurt, tears, and confusion, the author finds what he is looking for. But did he? An unbelievable ending to a lost soul that endured emotional trauma as in the end, he learns to love what he pushed away, learns to accept his life and who he is.https://www.facebook.com/people/AuthorThomasKirst/100063906433231/https://authorthomaskirst.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Resolving identity is often particularly tricky for transracial adoptees given the extra layer of complexity that race brings to adoption. Lucy felt different, saw lots of people who looked very different to her and was treated very differently too. Finding peace and ease with her identity took decades. Listen in as we explore the insights on the journey.Here's a bit about her from her websiteLucy Sheen Made in Hong Kong exported to the UK in the early 60s as a transracial adoptee. Brought up by a white family in the heartland of conservative England, next to the cucumber sandwiches, church spires and cricket on the village green. Lucy has over thirty years of professional experience as an actor. Lucy has always written, but it is only in the last five years that Lucy has become an active writer. Her work takes its inspiration from her own background. Much of what interests Lucy concerns identity. "Duality, the schism in thought and emotion when you are conflicted, when your heritage and culture is split. The loss of your roots the displacement from one culture to another." Lucy seeks to write and make sense of things that most British audiences will be unfamiliar with. What it feels like to be "the other", what it means to be a minority within a minority. To tell the tales of lives that have been overlooked, to make the invisible and forgotten visible and known.https://www.lucysheen.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucysheenhttps://www.instagram.com/lucysheenhttps://www.facebook.com/ActorLucySheen/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Taking our kids' behaviour personally stops us being the parents we need to be. So how do we become agents of healing? Listen in as therapist Catherine explores essential insights and steps to helping our kids heal.Here's some more about her from her website:Catherine Young, LMFT, is an author, trainer, consultant, clinical supervisor and child and family therapist. She has devoted over 25 years to helping children and families. She has worked in varied settings including public and private mental health agencies, children’s day treatment, children’s shelters, adoption agencies, early childhood mental health, and private practice.Over the years Catherine developed a therapy model for working with some of the most challenging children and their families: Multi-Modal Attachment Therapy (M-MAT). She is excited to be sharing this model in her book, M-MAT Multi-Modal Attachment Therapy: An Integrated Whole-Brain Approach to Attachment Injuries in Children and Families.She further applied the principals in M-MAT to attachment-based parenting. In her desire to bring healing to more children and families, she has recently authored a second book for parents: Understanding Attachment Injuries in Children and How to Help: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers.Catherine Young currently provides training and consultation in attachment theory and therapy, attachment-based parenting and care, and related topics.One of my first clinical jobs after graduate school was in a public mental health day treatment program for children 7 to 12 years of age. Many of these children were one step away from being removed from their homes due to their behavioral/emotional difficulties. Up to that point, the training I had received and the reading I had done in child therapy had been in non-directive play therapy and behavior therapy. I soon found that these children needed something much more. They needed more structure, more relationship focus, and more direction to help them move out of destructive patterns and cycles.I went in search of more effective therapies... ...I have taken elements of attachment-based play, other attachment-based therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, play therapy, solution focused therapy and, I am sure, other therapy modalities that I have absorbed over the years, and brought them together in a new, organized and systematic approach that I have found very effective in reaching these very challenging children.Because it needs a name, I call this approach Multi-Modal Attachment Therapy (M-MAT). I call it Multi-Modal Attachment Therapy simply because it integrates a variety of therapeutic modalities in a systematic way to treat children with significant attachment injuries.I have watched children transform from detached, angry, aggressive, emotionally disorganized, sometimes bizarre, sometimes withdrawn beings into loving, happy, emotionally connected children. These children have historically been so challenging to treat that I have had parents tell me that other professionals have told them not to expect too much of their child; not to expect too much love, too much growth, too much connection from these injured children.More at:https://www.m-mat.org https://www.facebook.com/MultiModalAttachmentTherapy Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Many of us adoptees struggle with identity. Christiana became Christina at 8. All of a sudden she was in a new country, in a new continent, with a new culture and her new name. Listen in as we unpack what she's learned about absorbing the most extreme identity shock we've ever discussed on this podcast.Christina Rickardsson was born in 1983 as Christiana Mara Coelho in Brazil in a town called Diamantina (Minas Gerais), where she lived with her mother in a cave. When Christina was around five years old they were kicked out of their home (their cave) and ended up having to move to the streets of a São Paulo, where Christina begged for food and money, and where she was subjected to several physical and psychological abuses. At the age of seven she was taken to an orphanage together with her youngest brother, and when Christina was eight years old they were adopted (against Christina’s and Christina’s mother’s will) and moved to Vindeln, a village located in the north of Sweden in a region called Västerbotten.Christina’s life changed when she moved to Sweden, but even though she was finally in a safe place, adapting to new country was not easy. There were several culture-clashes and in the beginning it was hard for her to feel at home because everything around her was new: the food, the nature, the people, and also the language spoken around her. Little by little Christiana became Christina, and this change helped her to adapt to the Swedish lifestyle.Christina wants her book to help increase people’s understanding about differences, prejudice and cultural conflicts, helping to promote dialogue, tolerance towards more open societies. She wants her own experience to become an example of how important it is to secure children’s rights, with Sweden and Brazil and a starting point.Christina wants her story to inspire governments, companies, organizations and people to work together effectively in multicultural settings.There are currently about seven million street children in Brazil, and Christina believes it is important to draw attention not only to the situation they are in, but also to the fact that these children have no voice of their own. The writer wants to help change this reality so that all children can live in a society where they can have a safe and happy childhood, and where they contribute to their own society when they become adults.https://christinarickardsson.se/en/https://www.facebook.com/rickardssonchristinahttps://www.instagram.com/christina_rickardsson/https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-rickardsson-02738884/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Check out my free event in January https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/whole-healing-my-primal-wound-tickets-473258638327 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adoptee Paula and I go deep - because where the treasure is - the priceless insights that helped her heal the hole in her soul. Adoptee Paula and I go deep - because where the treasure is - the priceless insights that helped her heal the hole in her soul. We both really loved this conversation and hope you do too.Paula Gruben is a professional writer, born and bred in South Africa, now living in Ireland.She was relinquished as a newborn in 1974, under the highly secretive closed adoption system, which was common practice for young, unwed mothers at the time.Paula had a happy, carefree childhood, but knowing virtually nothing about her biological roots resulted in a crippling identity crisis during her teenage years, manifesting in all forms of anti-social and self-destructive behaviour, and ultimately a deeply dysfunctional relationship with her adoptive parents.When she turned 21 in 1995, Paula was granted access to her file at the Durban Child and Family Welfare Society, which had facilitated the adoption. She met her birth mother shortly thereafter, and her birth father three years later. The seed for writing a book about her remarkable adoption journey was planted, but then life took over.It was only when faced with the shock of an unplanned pregnancy, just before turning 36 in 2010, that Paula could fully empathise with what both her birth mother and adoptive mother must’ve gone through at the time she entered their lives. The seed started germinating at a frantic pace and, armed with the wisdom of age, Paula knew it was finally time to tell the story.Umbilicus is her debut novel.https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F23YFRShttps://www.facebook.com/paulagrubenauthorhttps://paulagruben.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Trees seal, people heal. Adoptee Kate helps us to self understanding and compassion in this profound episode. Sit back and drink this all in - especially her healing moments - they've got incredible healing power for us all.Here'a bit about Kate's story from her websiteI swore I'd never let my birthmother into my life, but then Mom died of ovarian cancer and my birthmother, Val, found me through my mom's obituary. Hard to argue with fate. Harder still to let go of childhood promises, even when you discover everything you dreamed of being is part of who you are.Find out more about her and her book athttps://www.amazon.com/Lost-Found-Kate-Vincent-Vogl-ebook/dp/B087NWGZXY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=292X5M3FI8N2Yhttps://www.facebook.com/katevoglhttps://twitter.com/katevoglhttps://www.instagram.com/kate_stvincent_vogl/https://www.linkedin.com/in/katevoglhttp://www.katevogl.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Love isn't finite. But what does that even mean? In a fantastic first for Thriving Adoptees an adoptee and her birth mother talk about this and much more in this profound conversation. You're going to love this one. It was released on 24th November 2022, the first Thanksgiving day that Cynthia has spent with both her adoptive mom and birth mom.Here's a bit about Cynthia - who was adopted as a child - from her website: I grew up in southeast Idaho, just outside the town of Idaho Falls. From as far back as I can remember, I loved books and reading, and wrote my first short story (about a fairy being born in a tulip) when I was around six years old—pretty much as soon as I could write. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Widdison, told me that I'd be an author some day, and I believed her. I kept writing stories all through grade school, most of them wildly fantastical musings on supernatural beings or creatures, none of which ever won the annual short story competition where the writer got to meet Kenneth Thomasma, the author of one of my very favorite books, Naya Nuki. I learned early on that if you wanted to win the writing contest, you should write stories about that time your parents got their car stuck in the snow on the side of a mountain just before dark. You should not write about a group of unicorns fighting to take over an island from an alien invasion. I kept writing about unicorns anyway The How & The Why is her novel about adoption...Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for. They’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world. She has everything she needs—except maybe the one thing she wants. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her.http://www.cynthiahandbooks.com/https://twitter.com/CynthiaHandhttps://www.facebook.com/writercynthiahand/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If we want our kids to grow, we need to grow. So how do we do that? Danny shares a wealth of insights into how we can grow based on a lifetime's experience working with kids and parents. It's wide-ranging, fascinating and empowering. Dr. Daniel Huerta oversees Focus’ initiatives that equip mothers and fathers with biblical principles and counsel for raising healthy, resilient children. A bilingual, licensed clinical social worker, Dr. Huerta addresses issues related to parenting such as communication, conflict resolution, spiritual growth, discipline, stress, anxiety, depression, media discernment and healthy sexuality.He has been interviewed by media outlets including Fox News, Fatherly, Christianity Today, WORLD Magazine, The Christian Post and CBN, and he regularly speaks on Christian radio stations across the United States. He’s also written for publications including The Washington Post on topics related to marriage and parenting.Dr. Huerta earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He’s currently working on his doctorate in psychology at California Southern University. He has maintained a private practice in Colorado Springs since 2003 and served as a board member on the El Paso County Mental Health Association for almost four years. He and his wife, Heather, have been married since 1997 and have two children, Alex and Lexi.Focus on the Family is a global Christian ministry dedicated to helping families thrive. We provide help and resources for couples to build healthy marriages that reflect God’s design, and for parents to raise their children according to morals and values grounded in biblical principles.We’re here to come alongside families with relevance and grace at each stage of their journey. We support families as they seek to teach their children about God and His beautiful design for the family, protect themselves from the harmful influences of culture and equip themselves to make a greater difference in the lives of those around them.No matter who you are, what you’re going through or what challenges your family may be facing, we’re here to help. With practical resources – like our 1-800 Family Help line, counseling and websites – we’re committed to providing trustworthy, biblical guidance and support.https://www.facebook.com/focusonthefamilyhttps://twitter.com/FocusFamilyhttps://www.instagram.com/focusonthefamily/https://www.youtube.com/user/FocusOnTheFamilyUSAhttps://www.focusonthefamily.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Coming out of the fog marks the start our healing journey not the end of it. Listen in as adoptee Lora shares what's turbo-charged her healing. We go deep because that's where the life changing epiphanies lie - under the trauma. These epiphanies are like priceless gems buried deep underneath many layers of soil, earth and rock. I really loved talking with Lora and bringing these epiphanies into the light to empower you to your own insights.Here's a bit about Lora from her website: Lora K. Joy is the progression of me. Lora was the name my biological mother gave me, but did not feel she had the right to put on my birth certificate. K. stands for her last name and for Kimberly. A name that is on my adoption record, but I am not sure who gave it to me. Joy was my adoptive name and how everyone knew me until January 2022 when I legally reclaimed the name Lora.I am an adult adoptee, born in 1979 and adopted through a religious organization in a closed adoption. The first time I remember knowing I was adopted was at 8 years old and my whole world shifted under my feet. The first 29 years of my life I was swirling in pain, not realizing it was caused by relinquishment. The reality of adoption trauma crashed over me and I began to heal through various therapy approaches. The journey has been long and difficult, but now I can stand on the other side, while continuing to grow and heal.Reunion happened with my biological mother and maternal half-brother in 2008 and my paternal, biological cousins and half siblings in 2020. The journey of reunion is terrifying, exhilarating and heart breaking all at once. This page is meant to represent all aspects of this journey so that others may find solace in knowing they are not alone.Upon healing my adoption trauma, I gained strength to live my truth. This led to an estrangement 30 years in the making from my adoptive parents. Estrangement is about both the unhealthy relationship with my adoptive parents from which I needed to remove myself and about rebuilding the life I should have always had. I was in the wrong place my whole life and it mattered that I was raised by strangers.I have taken the lessons from my life as an adoptee and tried to parent my children accordingly. I have 2 children - a son and a daughter who are teenagers as of this writing. I have been married to my husband since 2003. He has been on this journey and supported me every step of the way.I find peace in running, traveling, skiing and spending time alone.My hope for all adoptees is that they can look inside, find their truth, heal and live their most authentic life.https://www.facebook.com/myadopteetruthwww.myadopteetruth.com Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How many ex foster kids are professors? How many have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of children from hard places. Dr David Cross is uniquely placed to support you the adoptive parent and this episode is a gem. The paradox of helping your kids thrive is that it starts with you thriving. Listen in with big ears as David shares succinct and clear insights into how you can make that happen.Here's some more about David and the Institute he leads from their website:Dr. David Cross is the Rees-Jones Director of the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development and a Professor in the TCU Department of Psychology. He leads the KPICD in its triple mission of research, education, and outreach to improve the lives of children from hard places. Together with the late Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. Cross created Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, (TBRI®) a holistic, attachment-based, trauma-informed, and evidence-based intervention for children who have experienced relational trauma. The Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development strives to help children suffering from the effects of early trauma, abuse and/or neglect. We conduct research to deepen understanding about the complex needs of these children and how to help them overcome social, behavioral, and emotional challenges. Through various outreach initiatives, we train professionals in Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, a research-based, holistic model developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross. Please understand that we are not a service provider, and do not provide clinical services of any kind. https://www.facebook.com/child.tcuhttps://twitter.com/Child_TCUhttps://child.tcu.edu/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Doubt and insecurities are part and parcel of parenting. And deeper for those adopting given the potential complexities growing their families that way. Listen in as Nancy who adopted Sophie from China and raised her on her own shares her biggest insights along the way to prompt your own insights as you do all you can to ensure your family thrives.After years as a temporary college instructor with no real home—her family and longtime friends scattered—Nancy McCabe yearned to settle down, establish a place to call home, and rear a child there. A tough academic job market led her to accept a position at a church-connected college in the deep South, a move that felt like an uneasy return to the conservative environment of a childhood that she thought she’d left behind.Nancy had many reservations about rearing a child alone in this climate, but the desire to become a mother would not go away.Meeting Sophie tells the story of Nancy’s adopting a Chinese daughter and the many obstacles she faced during the adoption and adjustment process, renegotiating her role within her family and experiencing difficulties in her job. It tells the story of her struggle to bond with a sick, grieving baby while in a foreign country during political unrest, followed, upon her return to the U.S., by a devastating loss and a career crisis.https://www.nancymccabe.net/https://www.facebook.com/nancy.mccabe.92 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What's the journey from hardship, anxiety and grief to love, joy and hope. Lisa Ann explores our burdens, how they develop over the stages of our lives and how to relieve ourselves of our burdens...Adopted at the tail end of the Baby Scoop Era, Lisa Ann’s multiple decades of searching for family finally broke through with the submission of her DNA in 2018. She has learned over the past few years the importance of listening to others who are in the community, how more adoptees need to be heard, the benefits of changing the adoption narrative from all roses to reality, the impacts the journey has on all family and friends and how just talking it out can be one of the best forms of self-care available.Lisa Ann is very driven, can be an overthinker and works to find peace with the wins and losses of her journey. She strongly believes in the power of acceptance through connection with other people who are adopted; and genuinely hopes her experience can lift others up as they too go through the process. Influenced by many adoptees with prestigious blogs, podcasts and memoirs, Lisa Ann embarks on this endeavor by focusing on being open to other perspectives, direct about her path taken, honest about emotions experienced and now very public about her adoption experience.Wandering Tree Adoptee Blog and Podcast are powered by Lisa Ann. She is a writer and commentator focused on sharing her personal journey of adoption, searching for biological family and the nuances of reunion.https://wanderingtreeadoptee.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Adopted at 22, Tami's story is anything but typical. Neither is her transformation from surviving to thriving. So what has she learned on the way? What's she continuing to learn? What's changed her life? We go deep on healing is about seeing. As a mentor of mine says listen into this one like a rock with big ears for your own insights - see what you can see differently...Here's more about her book....A twenty-one year telemarketer, Tammy Schend has barely managed her life after aging out of the foster care system in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After an impulsive phone call, she quits her job, moves out of her apartment, and drives to Michigan to help take care of her paralyzed gramma. During her three month visit, she's told her mom’s buried secrets and makes a decision that destroys a family and shakes the community. Returning to Kenosha, a beautiful life of faith erupts, until she is arrested and extradited back to Michigan to pay for her criminality.Waiting to be sentenced, Tammy stays with members of her church--a family with five children and two parents who don't hit each other or yell or hit their kids. She is amazed and in love and uncomfortable. Can she trust them?https://www.amazon.com/Tami-Lowe/e/B07HKR8TS7https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Space-Me-Mormon-adoption/dp/1718065027https://twitter.com/tamiloweauthorhttps://www.tamilowe.comhttps://www.facebook.com/TamiLoweCoach Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Trauma can overwhelm our kids. So how do we help them transcend it? Adoptive mom Jenny Rose Asher and I go deep on allowing, validating and evaluating feelings on the road to healing. We also explore separating ourselves from the trauma to gain the perspective that helps us be the parents our kids need us to be to support them.Here's a bit about today's guest from her website.Jennifer Rose Asher is the proud mom of 3 wonderful children and lives with her family, dogs, and horses outside of Dallas, Texas.I have written a book called Journey To My Daughter. It is the story of how my husband Marc and I found and adopted our oldest chid, Hilary. It details my experience with miscarriage as well as everything we went through to find Hilary through adoption, from our first introduction to adoption, the mundane process of gathering paperwork and completing a homestudy, a failed adoption attempt that included a frenetic last-minute trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, through the placement of Hilary and actually bringing her home. Beyond the physical journey, however, is my spiritual journey of learning to listen to the universe and follow the signs which should have helped me to realize when I was following a path not meant for me. Journey To My Daughter is a memoir that reads like a novel. On the surface, it is the true story of my quest to become a mother. I describe my own experience of miscarriages and the adoption of my daughter, Hilary. No two journeys or adoptions themselves are the same. I’m sure some are quite unremarkable while others may be bizarre or extraordinary. My own experience was closer to the second type. It includes a whirlwind trip to Hanoi, Vietnam as well as an endless amount of mundane paperwork. I wrote about all of this. In writing and editing this book a more subtle but significant theme emerged. The other story told in this book is that of a shift in my own attitude. I began by not wanting children at all, progressed through a decision that I wanted to be a mother, and later became almost obsessed with this goal. I tried to do whatever I could to force the world to “give” me a child. I ignored the signals, both subtle and overt, when they showed me I was heading down the wrong path. By the end of the book, I was able to be more flexible and follow the signs leading me towards my goal of motherhood. I have a core belief that the universe will help us see what direction we should be headed. We can choose to ignore and fight these signs, as I did in the beginning of the story, or we can allow these clues to help guide us down an easier path, as I tried to do towards the end of the book.I originally wrote this story down to tell a story about adoption. I wanted to help other adoptive families to maintain faith and hope through the very difficult waiting time before finding their child. I definitely hope the story can help these families. However, I now see that many others may benefit from reading the story. Anyone struggling with a decision or direction may find some inspiration and an illustration of how the universe spoke to me. Still others may just be entertained by reading about a harrowing journey with a happy ending.This is the story as I remember it. Some of the names, places, details and exact conversations have been changed or omitted. In some cases this is to protect the identity of the people mentioned, and in others is simply because I don’t actually recall the details and did my best to create dialog or other details to be consistent with the story.More at https://www.journeytomydaughter.com/book​https://www.facebook.com/mjasherhttps://www.instagram.com/jenniferroseasher/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferroseasher/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If you are afraid you are definitely not alone. Fear is a familiar feeling for all parents but adoption can take it to another level. That's what adult adopted person and retired adoption professional Lynn Deiulis learned working in adoption for 25 years. In this fascinating and empowering episode we get to the very heart of that fear so you can parent with less of it, thrive and help your kids thrive too.Lynn Deiulis was placed on adoption at the age of nine months. Her adoptive parents were advised to raise her as their own and forget where she had come from. Her parents followed this advice, and adoption became an uncomfortable topic. Her mother would answer Lynn’s adoption questions, but the emotion in her mother’s eyes eventually made Lynn stop asking. Lynn grew up not knowing how or whom to ask her many questions. As an adult, Lynn found and met some of her paternal and maternal birth family members and was able to learn much about the genetic and familial information she grew up without. As a result, she has been able to piece together more of her story.Lynn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care and enjoyed a twenty-five year career in adoption services. Lynn has worked with many members of the adoption triad (children, birth parents, adoptive parents) as well as foster care and kinship families. She co-facilitated support groups where adult adopted persons, and birth parents, could freely share their unique stories and learn how and where to get some of their questions answered.​Her personal and professional journey sparked a passion to write a book that offers an opportunity for children to learn the unique details of their adoption or kinship stories, and helps adults talk to children about how they came to be living together as a family or living with another family. She also hopes the book will help professionals who work with children living through all phases of the adoption or kinship journey. Lynn resides in Northern Ontario, where she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, especially her grandchildren.The relationship between the author and the illustrator has a unique quality. Krista Donnelly and Lynn are birth half sisters who met each other as adults in 2018. Separated by the adoption process, Krista and her three full sisters grew up not knowing that two older half sisters existed. When Lynn decided to write this book, she reached out to her “new sister” who is a talented graphic designer. Krista brought the book’s characters to life while building a relationship with Lynn at the same time. Krista learned about the impact on Lynn of growing up as an adoptee, while Lynn learned about the impact on Krista of discovering she had two birth half sisters she never knew existed! Their new mutual understanding of the impact of adoption has enriched this book. Lynn and Krista hope this book will help children and families talk about these unique stories long before the children become adults.Links to buy the book and more: https://www.whatisyourstorybook.com/https://www.facebook.com/whatisyourstorybookhttps://twitter.com/AuthorLynnDhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCampCrQmQomhUskZ8-9fzcg/featuredhttps://www.instagram.com/authorlynnd/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Self worth is THE issue for us all. How we see ourselves determines how we see the world. Allison and I both had profound insights about self worth during our conversation. How we see ourselves shifted. So this is a must listen to episode for both adoptees and adoptive parents. If you're an adoptee you're going to want to listen for yourself. If you're an adoptive parent you're going to want to listen for yourself so you can deeper your own understanding. We can't share what we don't have. We can't teach what we don't understand. We can't point at what we haven't seen clearly for ourselves. Perhaps my favourite episode in over 200 so far.Being both an adoptee and an adoptive parent, Allison Olson has a unique perspective on the topic of adoption. Her goal is to build confidence and self-esteem in young adoptees by changing the adoption narrative from the “lucky" child to the “loved" child. Allison lives in Oregon with her husband, two daughters, and their cat named Howie Meowie.Her award winning book Surrounded by Love: An Open Adoption Stor https://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Love-Adoption-Story-Stories-ebook/dp/B0BFFBC2KG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10K696TQGNZIE&keywords=surrounded+by+love+an+open+adoption+story&qid=1664835693&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=surrounded+by+love%2Caps%2C428&sr=8-1Find out more at:www.ouradoptionbooks.com https://www.instagram.com/kidsbooksbyallisonolson/ https://www.facebook.com/KidsBooksbyAllisonOlson https://www.tiktok.com/@kidsbooksbyallisonolson?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCncFIED_AB5VjcFee7fEUhg Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

We adoptees have lots of thoughts about adoption. Those thoughts decide how we feel. But what if those thoughts are wrong? And what if being wrong helps us heal? Ed and I explore how his curiosity let him to new discoveries and the truth. He's a great guy with a huge heart for helping us all. Hope you learn as much as I did!Edward Di Gangi was adopted at birth in New York City. An only child, he made no effort to explore his heredity until, at age 69, a visit to a cemetery where members of his adoptive mother's family were buried stirred his interest.​Over the past three years, through extensive archival research and DNA testing, Ed has peeled back the layers of his once unknown family.Set in the 1940s, as America emerged from the Great Depression and went to war, Ed's book, The Gift Best Given, recounts the search for his family and tells the story of a young woman's courage as she overcame obstacles to achieve her dreams. Ed and his wife, Linda, live in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Their son, James and his fiancee, Renee, live in nearby Durham.https://www.digangiauthor.com/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052046681375https://www.instagram.com/digangiauthor/https://www.digangiauthor.com/copy-of-purchase-my-book Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Where do we find happiness? Is it nature or nurture? Adoptee Charlotte came through some very tricky times in her adoptive family including her mother's suicide. What's she learned along the way? How has she become who she is? How has focusing on others has helped her be happy. Listen in for a very empowering episode.Dr. Charlotte Laws is an author, columnist, and public speaker. She was the star of the NBC show, “The Filter” (4 years), a political pundit on BBC television (6 years), and a southern California politician (councilmember and city commissioner - 8 years). She has had over 30 different jobs, some quite unusual: lecturer at the FBI Academy in Quantico, private eye, director of a legal corporation, cab driver, actress, chip chatter, fashion designer, nurse, backup singer for an Elvis imitator, bodyguard, magazine cover girl, Realtor, stand-up comic, et al. She was an Atlanta debutante. She has never had a glass of alcohol, a cigarette, or tried an illegal drug. Laws was born in a car and adopted at birth. Her adoptive brother was killed at 16, her adoptive father was abusive, and her adoptive mom committed suicide. As an adult, Charlotte tracked down her natural family (mother, father, and two siblings) and enjoys a loving relationship with them to this day. Laws’ natural grandfather—a lawyer who planned to run for U.S. Senate—was murdered by a devil worshipper in the 1940s. She wrote the nonfiction novel, Devil in the Basement, about his life and death. Laws is listed as the fourth most notorious party crasher in the world, beating Bill Murray, Queen Elizabeth, Serena Williams, and Lady Gaga. Party crashing began as a hobby for Laws in her teens, but later became a creative way to snag facetime with business leaders, politicians, and A-list celebrities in order to lobby for legislation, attain business partners, get exclusive interviews, and recruit charity volunteers. Laws has crashed the Secret Service four times. Laws was voted “one of the 30 fiercest women in the world” by Buzzfeed and is the recipient of the Los Angeles Animal Humanitarian Award. She is a vegan and animal advocate. Her hen, Mae Poulet, was a write-in candidate in the 2012 presidential election and is the only chicken in the world who has run for political office. Laws authored the 2016 California ballot initiative, the “Intolerant Jackass Act,” to support LGBTQ+ rights and worked for Aids Project Los Angeles during the 1980s. Laws has a doctorate from USC (2000), two Masters Degrees from USC (1997 and 1986), and two BA degrees (1996 and 1985). She completed Post-Graduate Study at Oxford University, England (2003). Laws authored the following books: Meet the Stars, Rebel in High Heels, Armed for Ideological Warfare, Devil in the Basement, and Undercover Debutante. She contributed chapters to the following academic works: Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of Mother Earth, A Call to Compassion, Uncaged, and Animals and the Environment: Advocacy, activism and the quest for common ground. As a columnist, Laws’ articles (on news and current events) have appeared in the Huffington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the NY Daily News, the Washington Post, Newsweek, Special Report, E the Environmental Magazine, the L.A. Daily News, Gawker, the Daily Caller, Publisher’s Weekly, Jezebel, the Oakland Tribune, Salon, et al. Laws has appeared as a guest on dozens of television shows and networks, including “Larry King Live,” “Oprah,” MSNBC, CNN, “The Late Show,” BBC, TMZ, Fox News, “AM Los Angeles,” “Nightline,” “Dr. Drew,” and “Good Day L.A,” among others. After a topless photo of Laws’ daughter was hacked and posted on a revenge porn website, Laws worked tirelessly for two years to bring the website owner to justice. He eventually went to prison. Laws is known throughout the world as the “Erin Brockovich of revenge porn.” To date, she has helped over 500 victims of nonconsensual pornography, sextortion, and morphed porn. She has also assisted legislators in getting anti-revenge porn laws passed throughout the U.S. and hopes a federal law will be in place soon.Laws lives in Los Angeles with her husband, her two rescue dogs, and her seven rescue hens. She loves tennis, dead philosophers, collecting vintage clothes, nature, and animals. She tries to live her life in accordance with ahimsa: non-injury to all living beings. She believes persistence is the key to success and “othercentrism” (helping others) is the key to happiness.Check out her memoir athttp://rebelinhighheels.com/https://twitter.com/CharlotteLawshttps://www.instagram.com/drcharlottelawshttp://undercoverdebutante.com/https://charlottelaws.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.