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

Dr. Lisa Chism is the Clinical Director of the Oakland Macomb Center for Breast Health. She holds four specialty certifications, including Menopause Practitioner through The Menopause Society, Sexuality Counselor through the American Association of Sexuality Therapists, Counselors and Therapists, and Breast Care certification through the Oncology Nursing Society after 15 years of caring for breast cancer survivors and patients at high risk for breast cancer. This past year, she also earned certification as a trauma-informed care practitioner. Dr. Chism has established a dedicated menopause and sexual health clinic, caring for the menopausal and sexual health needs of women with a history of breast cancer or those at elevated risk. She has authored numerous publications in women’s healthcare, including serving as lead author of The Menopause Society’s 2023 non-hormonal position statement. She guest lectures at universities across the country, and her textbook, The Doctor of Nursing Practice: A Guidebook for Role Development and Professional Issues, is now in its fifth edition. Dr. Chism is a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and was named Menopause Practitioner of the Year in 2011. She previously served on the Board of Directors for the North American Menopause Society and on a federal advisory committee with the CDC focused on breast cancer in young women. In October 2021, she was inducted as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. Most recently, Dr. Chism published her memoir, The Adopted Nurse, and remains passionate about the care of adoptees through a healthcare professional lens. Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, May 16th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born into Roma heritage and adopted at just six weeks old, Mioara was raised by a Canadian/New Zealand family, growing up between cultures while carrying a quiet curiosity about her own origins. In 2018, with the help of her father-in-law, she reconnected with her biological parents—an experience that reshaped her understanding of identity, belonging, and the unseen threads that connect us. Through that journey, Mioara discovered she had a younger sister who had also been relinquished at birth and adopted to Canada. This is when the search for her baby bio sister began. In 2025, she and her sister found their way to each other. What began as a virtual meeting quickly became something far more profound—they met in person just two weeks later. What could have felt unfamiliar instead felt immediate and deeply known, an unexplainable sense of recognition that defied time and circumstance. Mioraa’s story is one of duality—of being both rooted and searching, of loss and reconnection, and of discovering that identity is not defined by a single path, but by the courage to embrace every part of it. Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jeff was born in San Francisco in October 1962. He was relinquished at birth and placed with his adoptive family three months later, in January 1963. His family moved from the Bay Area to Southern California when he was five years old. His older sister was also adopted, and both children grew up in a caring, loving home. They were informed of their adoptions at an early age, and the topic was always discussed positively anytime afterward. Nevertheless, specific challenges often faced by adopted children led to behavioral issues for Jeff as a teen. Chameleon syndrome's survival mechanism existed strongly in Jeff, and his self-perceived failure to replicate the behaviors, emotions, and interests of those around him led to struggles with shame and substance abuse. Years later, a conversation with a colleague who had an adopted child enlightened Jeff to the PTSD associated with adoption and helped him reconcile his conflicted adolescence. Discovery of legal adoption documents and non-identifying information following his adoptive mother's death in 2004 piqued Jeff’s interest in his biological family. Research went slowly at first, but took off quickly after another colleague introduced him to 23andme in 2017. Immersive exploration led to ancestral revelations, and meetings with aunts and cousins led to some big surprises. Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born in 1968 in Fargo, ND, during the Baby Scoop Era, Greta spent a month in foster care before being adopted. She was never touched or held by her first mother. Greta was raised in a dysfunctional family, which contributed to her pain and the deep loss she felt, wondering who her first mother was and why she didn't want her. Shrouded in secrecy, adoption was never discussed, and Greta retreated into the Ghost Kingdom — finding refuge in basketball and creativity. Greta received a full-ride college basketball scholarship and majored in theatre, people-pleasing, and perfectionism. She was plagued by feelings of loneliness. She found her first mother and father in 1989 and learned her first mother had had her at 16 and had been sent to a home for unwed mothers. Greta has two full-blood siblings and two half-brothers. Reunion was initially a fairytale, and although that ended abruptly, she stayed in reunion for over 30 years. She is currently estranged from her first mother and her sister. Greta has worked as an actor in Los Angeles and Phoenix and spent many years in the public defender system as a paralegal. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and rescue dog, Gilda, and credits the connection with other adoptees as lifesaving. Greta has been in recovery from anorexia since 2022. She has written and performed her one-woman show, “Searching for Me in All the Wrong Places,” in Los Angeles and is currently writing a new solo play about her adoption journey. Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Raven was born in 1949 in North Hollywood, CA. Released at five days old to the delivering doctor and his wife, she has no idea where she went or when her adoptive parents got her. Raised in Balboa, CA, she always knew she was adopted because she was told her mother had died, giving birth to her. This story left Raven anxious, guilty, and fearful throughout her growing-up years- that others would die, and she would be alone. Her adoption into the family was difficult, unloving, and emotionally abusive by her adoptive mother. Though her dad loved her, being 47 years old, his generation didn’t really know how to show love. At 16, Raven was sent away to an island in British Columbia to live with strangers for 13 months and to attend 11th grade. Out of sight, out of mind. When she was in her early 30s, her oldest adoptive brother shared with her that her biological mother hadn’t died when she was born. This news left her in shock and numb… talk about being thrown into a deep fog! Though Raven’s whole life history was about death, lies, abandonment, lack of trust, she’s gone on to find she has a deep desire, after the death of her husband, to sit with the dying.~ that it’s important and a gift, that we make death as meaningful as birth. At 77, she’s still learning who she is and works at Home Health and Hospice as a Remote Patient Monitoring Technician. A job she loves. Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Valorie was born in New Jersey, she was relinquished at birth and placed with her adopted family at 2 months old. There were many difficulties and challenges growing up, it certainly was not a fairytale childhood. Some of the challenges included not bonding with her adopted mother, problems at school with other children and authority figures, drug and alcohol addiction in her teen years. Despite these difficulties she found sobriety at an early age, moved out at the age of 19 and started the journey of healing. Although she did not actively search in her younger years, her biological family was often on her mind, and she desired to search but did not know how to go about it. After feeling more urgency to search in later years she finally had an amazing break and found both sides of her biological family in one weekend by totally different avenues. She has been in reunion with both her birth mother and birth father along with many other members of his side of the family since 2024, which although scary at first, has been an incredible journey that is still unfolding. For Valorie the fairytale came later, the rainbow after the storm. Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Emma was born in Tennessee in 1989 and flown home just two days later — on Valentine’s Day. As a child, her adoption seemed more like a fairytale than a lived experience. Growing up in the country in an old farm house in the rolling blue hills of Western Massachusetts, she spent most days drawing, writing or exploring the fields and woods. Despite her home and her loving and creative family, she began to experience persistent anxiety and depression that worsened with age. Meeting her birth mother at around twenty set off a cascade of often severe mental health challenges and a long search for understanding. Over the fifteen years that followed, she unraveled defenses and began to face the hard truths inherent in her story — the hard truths the “chosen baby” narrative had so neatly disguised. Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Season 11 concludes with Monica Hall, Jesse Scott, and Liz Harvie discussing their powerful books - Practically Still a Virgin, You Can’t Get Rid of Me, and Unspoken - and exploring the many layers of the adoptee experience. In a deep and honest conversation with hosts Sarah Reinhardt and Louise Browne, themes of identity, belonging, truth, and voice are thoughtfully examined. Each book offers a distinct and compelling adoptee perspective, contributing meaningfully to the broader adoption narrative. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Maria was born and raised in the SF Bay Area in a hippie town full of diversity and freedom. Her journey began in a temporary foster home until she was adopted at about four months old from the Children's Home Society to parents who already had three older kids, all boys. Her adoptive parents divorced when she was three, but co-parented as best they could. She had a lifelong interest in her creation story, specifically why her olive skin was so different from her adoptive brothers. She always felt distinctly different. When she was seven, her father gave her the "adoption" speech, "we chose you, you're not biologically ours, etc.. It never felt like enough information. Her search took many twists and turns, considering it was before the internet, so the journey was a bit longer, but determination prevailed. She never stopped looking in every corner for clues. Many years later, she fit the puzzle together. While she still struggles with identity, the answered curiosities proved to calm some of the anxiety. She now devotes time to discovering all about adoption and how it has formed her life. Maria still resides in the Bay Area with her three adult kids and two grandkids. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In 1954, Jan was born in a Quaker unwed mother's home. She was relinquished at birth, and her adoptive parents and brother became her world. When Jan turned 38, she was inundated with what she calls "nudges" to locate birth mother. Meeting her birth mother and biological family led to a complex and incredible balancing act because both adoptive and biological families lived in the same city, She considers it a journey worth taking. After retiring from her years of working in a classroom setting with children dealing with a variety of complex emotional and behavior issues, she decided to organize all the journals she enjoyed writing as a youngster growing up in northwest Ohio. Jan's passion for researching the details of her story heightened the desire to write her adoption story in the memoir, Finding the Rest of Me. Jan's book details her journey to uncover her roots and discover her true identity. It's also a captivating exploration of the Friends Rescue Home, where she was born. It delves into the home's rich history and fascinating evolution, shedding light on a little-known aspect of the past. A vivid picture is composed of this providential institution and the women who found shelter within its walls, beginning in 1905. She resides in her country home on the cliff above the Kentucky River in central Kentucky, surrounded by her husband, animals, and nature. When she's not writing, she enjoys being in the woods, hiking or on the water, kayaking. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Neshia, short for Teneshia, is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was apprehended from her biological mother due to neglect and entered the child welfare system as a Crown ward in the late 1980s. After being adopted in the early 1990s, she was later remade a Crown ward again in the mid to late 1990s. The systems meant to protect her did not simply fail—they turned away. Neshia is of mixed race and identifies as Black. Her story lives at the intersection of race, silence, and survival. Within child welfare systems that lacked cultural safety, accountability, and care, she learned early what it meant to endure rather than be protected. What happened to her was not a series of unfortunate moments—it was systemic abandonment. For years, Neshia carried her truth quietly, holding pain that was never hers to hold. Listening to others speak their stories helped her understand that her own voice mattered and that healing could begin with being heard. Now almost 40, Neshia is a mother of four and a foster mother by choice. She is raising children while healing herself, rooted in trauma-informed therapy and intentional care. Her life’s work is breaking cycles, reclaiming her voice, and becoming the safety she once searched for. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles; if you or someone you know needs help, please call/text 988 in the US and Canada. Kelly Jean Torres is an author, singer-songwriter, and trauma-informed storyteller whose work explores what it means to survive and heal. Raised in a web of foster care, domestic violence, addiction, and emotional neglect, Kelly grew up learning how to disappear in order to stay safe. Born in Illinois and now based in Nashville, Tennessee, Kelly’s early life was shaped by instability and fear, but also by a fierce internal will to survive. Removed from her biological parents as an infant and raised in by volatile foster parents who ultimately adopted her, she learned early that love was conditional and safety was fragile. After decades of therapy, self-inquiry, and spiritual exploration, Kelly began to revisit the memories she spent a lifetime keeping at arm’s length. Saving the Lost Girl is her first memoir, written with the belief that facing the past is the only way to reclaim the future. In addition to her writing, Kelly is a musician and lives with her husband and two children. Through her work, she hopes to remind others that no matter how our story began, we get to write our own ending. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jackie’s life and work are rooted in the profound belief that every individual deserves a "brave space" to show up authentically, fully, and without judgment. As the Executive Director of a Hospice Home and the founder of Lega-C Healing by Jackie, she dedicates her days to guiding others through life’s most delicate transitions with grace, intuition, and deep compassion. Her professional path is inextricably linked to her extraordinary personal journey. A survivor of orphan trafficking from the Dominican Republic under the guise of international adoption, Jackie was brought to the United States as a child, after the death of her mother, separated from her twin and everything she knew. She spent years navigating the complexities of identity and belonging, a quest that eventually led to a series of powerful reunions: first with her U.S.-based siblings at age nineteen, and later with her twin, her biological father, and her remaining siblings at thirty-two. These experiences of loss and reclamation shaped her into a gifted Community Builder, Death Doula, and intuitive healer. Jackie understands the weight of being "un-homed" and has turned that history into a sanctuary for others, helping them find peace and presence even in the face of the unknown. Beyond her clinical and spiritual leadership, Jackie is a mother of three, a wife, and a dedicated artist. She finds her own healing and inspiration in nature, whether she is exploring the outdoors or translating the beauty of the world into her creative work. Her life is a living testament to the power of resilience and the enduring legacy of healing. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born in England, to a young American Mother, Dean was adopted by a loving English couple who already had another, separately adopted son. Fully aware of being adopted from an early age, both siblings struggled for a sense of identity, and tension was ever-present in the family. Eventually, aged 33, Dean decided to attempt to find and connect with his birth mother and was eventually able to do so, aged 42. Reunification went very well for a few years, but eventually their relationship became toxic, and Dean decided to move on. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Relinquished at birth, Mindy was the only girl and the oldest child in her family, learning at age five that she had been adopted. Her childhood was marked by serious anxiety and feelings of being an outsider while also losing herself in the role she fulfilled as “Mindy”. Finding her maternal bio-family in her mid-thirties helped her to solve some of the mystery behind her abandonment. After the tragic passing of both of her adoptive parents when she was forty-three, Mindy began coming to terms with her origins, experiences, and losses. As age fifty approached, she began connecting with online adoption communities, asking questions, and coming out of the fog. Finding and connecting with her paternal half-siblings during this time has helped her know what it feels like to belong. While there has been a lot of pain in her life, Mindy believes that practicing gratitude has been key to where she is on her journey toward healing. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Laura was born to teen parents in South Carolina in May 1984 and was adopted through Catholic Charities by a wonderful and loving couple who could not have biological children. An adopted brother joined the family seven years later. She always knew she was adopted, and while adoption was spoken about openly and positively, it was understood by both siblings that searching for biological family would not be supported. The birth of Laura’s second child sparked a curiosity to begin the search through an ancestry kit. With the help of a search angel, she was able to identify her biological parents and connect with aunts and an uncle on both sides of her biological family. Reunion has brought answers to many questions, healing, and a continuing unpacking of issues that have always been nagging but not understood. Today, Laura lives with her husband and three children and is a child welfare attorney. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alana Godin, born in 1966 in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an adoptee raised in a family whose mother, after three sons, had longed for a daughter. Growing up, Alana struggled to fit the role imagined for her but remained deeply grateful to her adoptive parents, whose support later allowed her to keep and raise her own child. As a teenager, Alana had to navigate adulthood early, becoming pregnant and marrying young, but it was the birth of her second child that created a strong pull to understand her origins. Without the internet or DNA testing, she spent five years searching through parent registries, census records, and newspaper ads, ultimately reuniting with her birth mother and, a year later, locating her birth father as well, both of whom welcomed her immediately. In her search for her family, Alana gained seven sisters and three additional brothers - an expanded family that helped complete her sense of identity, feeling of being home, and finally, with her tribe. And although her instant newfound connection was profound for her, like many adoptees after reunion, she struggles with guilt and the need to protect her adopted family, for also loving her newly discovered family. Alana has confronted her own struggles with depression, suicidal ideation, and chronic illness, traits common among adoptees, and is now learning to heal through understanding and meeting other adoptees with similar experiences. As well, recently, Alana has learned more via a freedom of information request of her adoption documents of what her biological mother endured as a young, unwed mother in 1960’s - the rigid social stigma of the times that would push someone to relinquish their child. Alana’s story is one of resilience, truth-seeking, and healing - a testament to identity, motherhood and the enduring human need and RIGHT to know where we come from. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Annette started her life as part of the baby scoop era. Annette’s first six days of life were spent in the hospital while she awaited a decision by her biological mother about whether or not she should keep her baby. Annette was placed with a foster mother under the name of Sara. It is challenging to obtain birth records from the State of Wisconsin, but Annette was able to obtain some of the records of her first three months of life. Little Sara did not have an easy time during her first seven weeks. Her foster mother described Sara as a difficult baby. Sara had physical distress from digestive and respiratory issues and needed frequent medical care. Her foster mother regularly complained that Sara showed very little interest in the world around her. During a hospital stay when she was seven weeks old, neither the doctors, nurses, nor social worker noticed the same behaviors described by Sara’s foster mother. In addition, Sara was not meeting healthy growth or emotional milestones, and it was determined that she was failing to thrive. Sara was placed in a new foster family where she demonstrated herself to be a different baby. Over the next five weeks in this new family, Sara was described as happy and alert. Exactly three months after she was born, Annette was adopted by her forever family. Today, Annette is a recent retiree after 35 years of teaching. She is actively engaged in her community and is beginning to write her first book. In addition, and most importantly, Annette is deep in the process of adopting an older child. This change to her family could happen at any time. Becoming an adoptive parent is an exciting journey as Annette adds to her own story as an adoptee. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jane’s adoptive parents had only two weeks' notice of her arrival! At twelve days old, Jane was taken to her new family who lived on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. The children’s social worker was not best pleased when a file landed on her desk informing her of a privately arranged adoption, a ‘fait accompli’ of which she was openly very critical. The year was 1964, and Jane reports always having felt very grateful that fate brought her and her wonderful parents together. Infertility following a bout of polio, which left her dad disabled and a paraplegic, had seemingly put paid to the couple’s dreams of having a family. With very limited income and precarious health, the couple nevertheless provided a stable and loving home for Jane, sharing their faith, values, and commitment to always supporting each other through whatever life threw at them. Jane was a quiet and unassuming child who enjoyed learning and was able to self-occupy. She enjoyed the uniqueness of her family setup but always yearned for a ‘ co- conspirator’ or playmate to get up to mischief with and unleash her playful side. She married her childhood sweetheart, and they went on to have five children, enjoying the closeness of a busy family life with much support from Jane's adopted parents, who were very much adored and influential grandparents. An unexpected health scare and major operation shortly before her 60th birthday prompted Jane to embark on a journey of therapy and an exploration and understanding of the wounds that the trauma of relinquishment leaves, with the lifelong impact of this on the adoptee's life. Although Jane has had a very happy, blessed, and fulfilled life, these wounds are an integral part of who she is, and there will always be a sadness just underneath the surface, which rears its head at odd times but especially on Jane’s birthday. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, at 1 pm ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mary is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee born in 1965. She was not adopted until she was almost 8 months old, after being moved to a couple of foster homes. She was told she wasn’t “doing well” at the first, likely because they had too many children there. Raised in a small town by a conservative Catholic family with her brother—also adopted two years later—Mary and her brother always knew they were adopted. She always felt a sense of disconnection—the “weird kid” who didn’t fit in—so searching was a natural byproduct of that. She began trying to find avenues to learn about her birth family as early as elementary school. She spent hours in libraries, scouring old newspapers and yearbooks. After trying every path she could over the years, thanks to DNA testing, social media, and stubbornness, she was finally able to find them and gain access to her original birth certificate and adoption papers in 2014, with mixed results. She began to realize how ingrained the sense of secrecy and shame still is 50 years later. Understanding the trauma of adoption and inspired by Ann Fessler’s The Girls Who Went Away, Mary went on to make the Baby Scoop Era the topic of her doctoral dissertation, digging through archives and interviewing birth mothers, case workers, and others who had been involved in the process at the time. She has also been involved in drafting a bill and testifying in front of her state legislature, advocating for access of adult adoptees to their original birth certificates. Mary remains committed to advocating for adoptees and birth parents through research, education, and reform. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault Unspoken by Liz Harvie EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206! Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET. RESOURCES for Adoptees: Adoptees Connect Adoptee Mentoring Society Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988. Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.