Adoptees On

We are celebrating highlighting adoptee voices for over four years, 144+ countries, and 500,000 downloads of the podcast. As Reshma McClintock (our special guest co-host of today's show) shares, "I am not going to allow the world to speak for me any longer". Join us as we continue to acknowledge that adoptee voices matter and need to be heard! Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us Reshma McClintock...

Welcome Lauren J. Sharkey, author of Inconvenient Daughter! Lauren and I talk about how her memoir morphed into a novel and how searching for biological family wasn't really something she thought about until it felt necessary as research for her novel. We also discuss how Lauren discovered the online adoptee community. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us Lauren J. Sharkey: ljsharks.com | Twitter...

Today we welcome the creator of How To Be Adopted, Claire! Claire shares about experiencing postnatal depression when she had her first child, which was wrapped up in her process of coming out of the fog. We examine a certain popular adoptee reunion tv show for their inaccurate portrayal of reunions. Claire teaches us about the state of care in the UK and the various ways of contact she is allowed...

Matthew Salesses is here today and I'm so thrilled to share our conversation with you. He has a ton of insightful things to share with us. We talk about how coming out of the fog is an act of radicalization, we discuss issues of race, and why he's chosen to be so open and vulnerable on Twitter. We also touch on Dad jokes, and why adoptees often have a darker sense of humour. Full Show Notes Here C...

It's a great honour to bring to you the creative powerhouse JS Lee. We talk about racism, dealing with multiple complex traumas, and the challenge of how we attribute our resilience as adopted people. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Monthly N...

We finish our conversation with Stephanie Oyler, MSW, LSW and Amanda Transue-Woolston, MSS, LSW about the recent losses of their mothers. This is part two of a two-part series where we hear from Stephanie and Amanda about the loss of first mothers and adoptive mothers, both in the practical sense and about the psychological impacts. Learn from their wisdom about a topic that often gets avoided: lo...

Mother loss. Doesn't that say it all? We get the extraordinary honour of hearing from Stephanie Oyler, MSW, LSW and Amanda Transue-Woolston, MSS, LSW about the recent deaths that have impacted them in tremendous ways. This is part one of a two-part series where we learn from Stephanie and Amanda about the loss of first mothers and adoptive mothers, both in the practical sense and about the psychol...

Today we welcome Julayne Lee, author of Not My White Savior. Julayne shares what drew her to visit Korea for the first time in her thirties and later how she spent three years there, working, traveling, and writing. We also discuss adoptee activism and the role anger can play in our work. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube...

On the latest episode of Adoptees On, we bring you some critical information about thousands of adoptees who are shockingly without citizenship. You will hear Anissa Druesedow's powerful story of being adopted and brought to the United States, finding out she doesn't have citizenship, and what lead to her deportation. Kristopher Larsen, Executive Director of Adoptees For Justice, also joins us to...

Today we meet Abby Forero-Hilty, a Colombian adoptee now living in Canada. We talk about the importance of decolonization, the impact of finding yourself prior to searching for first family, and she shares her thoughts on connecting with other adoptees on a healing journey. Next, we shift into discussing the film Mum's The Word, and we even have an interview with the Director and Executive Produce...

I've been quiet as I've watched things unfold (we've been in the middle of moving during the pandemic, what timing). In searching for the perfect words to say, I'm obviously failing. So I'm trying to do the next right thing, which is to point you towards my fellow podcasters and adoptees who are BIPOC to listen and learn from, as I am. This is not to put the onus on them to teach us - this is to p...

Today we welcome Karri of The Invisible Threads Blog. Karri and I talk about reunion with biological parents and siblings, what her relationships really look like right now. We also talk about some personal struggles with maintaining relationships and how we've both built chosen community into our lives. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Sti...

Today we are talking with Sara Easterly about her memoir Searching for Mom. Sara shares how her relationship with her adoptive mother changed over the years, how adoption shaped her view of what motherhood means, and what that looks like for her today. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation...

Janet Nordine, MS, LMFT is back on the podcast and we are talking about an issue I've heard about from many adoptees, especially during this unprecedented time. We talk about using food as a comfort, feeling scared or anxious that there won't be enough, and how this time is bringing back memories of food hoarding from childhood. Janet teaches us about the "belly brain", why many of us struggle wit...

Nelle Doux shares her story of becoming her own advocate and, as she calls it, a private investigator to find her biological father and the truth about her origins. We discuss her experiences of racism even from a young age and the complete bewilderment Doux had from not knowing her racial identity. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher...

Kevin Barhydt shares that it wasn't until unpacking the multiple traumas of his addiction and childhood sexual abuse, that he uncovered adoption trauma that was there since his relinquishment. Kevin and I also talk about how community support has helped him thrive and grow. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptee...

Alison Malee shares her story of being adopted in the nineties, and how she has been processing her recent discoveries via DNA testing. These have brought about great shifts in identity and also allowed her to connect with members of her first family. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation...

Jennifer Dyan Ghoston is here to share her story with us. Jennifer tells us about the moment she opened her original birth certificate, her search for her biological family, and what reunion with extended family really looks like for her today.

Pam Cordano, MFT is here to share some insights from her brand new book, 10 Foundations For a Meaningful Life (No Matter What's Happened). Pam reveals some personal stories to teach us about how to find and understand our true worth. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret...

Pam Cordano, MFT is here to share some insights from her brand new book, 10 Foundations For a Meaningful Life (No Matter What's Happened). Pam reveals some personal stories to teach us about how to find and understand our true worth. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret...

Marta Isabella Sierra Drachenberg, LMHC is back on the Healing Series sharing more intimate moments from her reunion with her family in Colombia. She teaches us about how Internal Family Systems saved her relationship with her mother. You don't want to miss this very personal episode with some brilliant insights from Marta. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us Marta Isabella Sierra Drachenberg, LM...

Marta Isabella Sierra Drachenberg, LMHC is back on the Healing Series! Marta recently returned from a year-long trip to Columbia, her country of origin. She shares some intimate moments of what cross-cultural reunion/reunification looks like and she teaches us about some common barriers in reunion we need to be on alert for. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us Marta Isabella Sierra Drachenberg, L...

Jenny Heijun Wills is our guest today, the author of the memoir Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related. We talk about adoption in literature, why it's so important to elevate the adoptee voice and Jenny explains what does it really mean when someone asks us "what do your adoptive parents think about all this". You can listen right here (turn up your sound 🔊🔊🔊) or search Adoptees On in any podcas...

Melanie Chung-Sherman, LCSW-S is back with us on the Healing Series sharing her wisdom. Melanie and Haley continue the conversation about safety in advocacy and activism, holding boundaries, and the cost of our emotional labour.

I can't wait to share my discussion with Melanie Chung-Sherman, LCSW-S with you. Melanie teaches us about responding to microaggressions while keeping ourselves safe. This is critical listening, especially for anyone working in adoptee advocacy. Full Show Notes Here Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Mont...