Dirk, from Phoenix, Arizona, was raised as a Hispanic person and his documentation said he was Hispanic, but the world saw him differently. And DNA did too. Dirk found his birth mother, but at two separate times, he was forced to reckon with secondary rejection. Fortunately, he found his birth father acceptance from all, but … Read more
Joe is from Assonet, Massachusetts, just south of Boston. He shares his pride for being an adopted person, the challenge to make his way through his physical limitations as a kid, and the demons he removed from his life before attempting reunion. Facing secondary rejection. He had to overcome the anger and hurt to even … Read more
November is National Adoption Awareness Month (#NAAM), a time to bring awareness to all of the issues that adoption brings to adoptees, families formed through adoption, and natural families of adoptees. However one underrepresented voice in the adoption constellation is that of the male adoptee. On the “Who Am I Really?” podcast only 30% of … Read more
Ben, from Fannystelle, Manitoba Canada, had an extremely rough start in his first home with his biological family. He was abused at the hand of his step dad, so he was removed by child and family services for his safety. Bensen, or Ben was nursed back to health in foster care, and placed in a … Read more
Lisa Marie chatted with me via Skype from Lake Garda in the North of Italy. In her journey you’ll hear the impact of a transracial adoptee who grew up in a homogenous world that didn’t look like herself, and the serendipitous meeting that allowed Lisa to free herself from part of her past. Even though … Read more
Sherie said she sometimes thought about searching for her birth family, but even talking about it with her husband made her cry. She finally gathered the strength to search after voraciously reading “The Girls That Went Away”. It dramatically changed her perspective about her own adoption and the possibilities for what her birth mother might have endured. Unfortunately, when Sheri’s court-appointed investigator found her birth … Read more
When Kaitlin was nine years old she was ready to lobby for access to her original birth certificate. She attempted a reunion with her birth mother, who left clues that she wanted to be found. But when she was located she was surprised. Kaitlin’s excitement over finding her family led her to a misstep that soured the … Read more
When Anna was born, her adoption resulted in Anna and her mother living as siblings. Very early in her life she lost her birth mother and her adopted mother, so she was on her own. Anna shares how she survived those tragic losses, physical abuse by her stepmother, and a life few parental figures. Since she never had male … Read more
Jennifer was perfectly comfortable with her adoption until her teen years when her self-awareness was heightened, and her desire to learn more about who she is bloomed. Protecting her parents feelings, she pushed away her desire to search for decades until one day her curiosity exploded again. In the end, her residual drive from her experience as a detective … Read more
When I met Bill, summer 2017, and found out he was a genealogist, I was excited to hear everything he had to say. I wanted to hear more about his own personal history, how he got into genealogy, and the clients he’s helped. My birth mother was also a genealogist, but I never got to learn about her … Read more
