176 – I’m Glad I Opened Pandora’s Box

Shannon, from Hazel Green, Alabama, stood out from her adoptive family in looks and some personality traits. So there was a natural curiosity about her birth family. She assumed she’d be able to locate them, her whole story would be laid out with clear facts about her conception, and everything would make sense. Instead, Shannon … Read more

 175 – The Thing I Needed To Forgive Myself

Kristen, from Minnesota, was a multi-sport athlete in high school, even competing while pregnant with her daughter. She tells the story of giving birth, placing her daughter, then needing years to get her life back on track. In one incredible year, Kristen learned that her birth parents were looking for her, her daughter wanted to … Read more

174 – It Wasn’t You

Larry, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, talks about his life as a transracial adoptee in a predominantly white community where many white parents adopted black children. In a desperate search for role models he latched on to some undesirable stereotypes of what a black man should be including stories he heard about his birth father. After … Read more

173 – The Best Thing That’s Ever Happened To Him

Julie, from Humboldt County, California, had a wonderful reunion with her birth mother and has learned how a woman operates, which has helped Julie managed some of her own feelings in their reunion. But when Julie’s birth mother admitted she’d had a one night stand, Julie thought she’d never find her birth father. DNA testing … Read more

172 – I Died To Who I Had Been

After years of struggling to get along with her adoptive mother, who struggled as a World War II survivor, Danielle finally figured out the reasons for their differences. She’s a late discovery adoptee, but hers was less of a discovery, more of a revelation that overcame her in the middle of the night. She found … Read more

171 – Looking Like Him Might Be Too Much

Jonathan’s admits adoption was always part of his story and he was never made to feel special or different. But after his adopted sister sought out her biological family for medical information, Jonathan decided it was time for his search to begin to. What he found was such a great likeness to his paternal side, … Read more

170 – Something Good From The Misery

Mike who called me from Berlin, Germany was born in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s a place he ultimately fought hard to try to get away from because of its association with his adoptive family. After years traveling the country, then moving abroad to Germany Mike found himself in reunion with his birth mother back in … Read more

169 – The Constellation In One Woman

Rebecca called me from outside of Richmond, Virginia. She has lived a life in adoption from the formation of her family, with her adoption to becoming a birth mother, dedicating her professional life to adoption and experiencing reunion with her birth mother birth father and her son. Her reunions have been a mix of denial … Read more

168 – A Vein Of Gratitude

When Lisa and I chatted, she was in a hotel in South Dakota, but she normally resides in Tennessee. She was in town for the momentous occasion of reuniting with her birth mother the next day. We agreed to chat ahead of time because Lisa knew she would be a different person after reunion. Lisa … Read more

167 – We Had Two Close Encounters

Today my guest is Micheleana who lives outside of Kansas city in Lawrence, Kansas. Micheleana’s early life was tumultuous after her parents divorced. Her adoptive mother passed away suddenly, and she was abandoned by her adoptive family. Incredibly her birth father walked right into her life twice and she didn’t even recognize him. Unfortunately, she … Read more