Ethiopian Adoptees | Unapologetically Unfiltered

In this second part of the interview, Rediet shares the jarring reality of being brought into a white American home that already felt "completed." She describes her arrival not as a smooth integration, but as a "disruption" to an seemingly established family dynamic, where she often felt like a guest in her own bedroom or a "puppy" whose initial novelty eventually wor...

In this episode (Part 1 of 3), I sit down with Rediet, a fellow Ethiopian adoptee, and we go back to the beginning of her story in Addis Ababa, where she was raised by loving, strong women and remember a childhood full of community and joy. We talk about losing her mother, the sudden move to an orphanage she didn’t understand was coming, and the survival instincts she developed at just four years...

INTERVIEW WITH BILLY - PART 2 I had the honor of sitting down with my dear friend Billy, also known as Billy Birhan Desalegn, in this deeply moving interview. Billy is a professional tour guide from Addis Ababa who unexpectedly began working in one of the most emotionally complex spaces in Ethiopia, the hidden reality of adoptee returns and reunification. After the crises of COVID-19 and the war i...

I had the honor of sitting down with my dear friend Billy, also known as Billy Birhan Desalegn, in this deeply moving interview. Billy is a professional tour guide from Addis Ababa who unexpectedly began working in one of the most emotionally complex spaces in Ethiopia, the hidden reality of adoptee returns and reunification. After the crises of COVID-19 and the war in northern Ethiopia disrupted...

Hey guyssss, this episode is me getting brutally honest with myself and with us as a community. It’s truthfully more of a crashout that I refuse to make palatable, because this is the reality of our lives, random crashouts as we start to metabolize what happened to us fifteen, twenty, thirty years ago. Like, let’s be real, most of us adoptees are NOT okay. And I don’t mean that in a “feel sorry fo...

Hey everyone! In this solo episode, I get real about something that’s been weighing heavy on my heart: the lie we’ve been told that adoption is always good, always safe, always “better.” The title says it all – You’re Not Crazy – The Odds Were Not In Our Favor . I walk through the reasons why so many Ethiopian adoptees feel isolated, gaslit, and unheard, and how our experiences have been erased or...

[SAME SUMMARY FROM PART I] In this first episode of 2025, I had the honor of virtually sitting down with Cosimo Naldi, an Ethiopian adoptee raised and living in Italy. This conversation was raw, emotional, and deeply eye-opening. Cosimo’s story goes beyond adoption—it’s about survival, identity, and the complex layers that shape adoptee experiences. It’s not defined by trauma alone; it’s also abou...

In this first episode of 2025, I had the honor of virtually sitting down with Cosimo Naldi, an Ethiopian adoptee raised and living in Italy. This conversation was raw, emotional, and deeply eye-opening. Cosimo’s story goes beyond adoption—it’s about survival, identity, and the complex layers that shape adoptee experiences. It’s not defined by trauma alone; it’s also about how love can be a solutio...

Heyy everyone! In this new episode, I am joined by Habtamu Isaacson who shares his powerful adoption story. Adopted at the age of 9 in 2010 by a family in Minnesota, Habtamu reveals the challenging realities behind his adoption, rooted in the corruption of the Ethiopian adoption system. His grandmother, whom he loved dearly, was coerced into giving him up under false pretenses—a heartbreaking trut...

Heyy everyone! In this new episode, I am joined by Habtamu Isaacson who shares his powerful adoption story. Adopted at the age of 9 in 2010 by a family in Minnesota, Habtamu reveals the challenging realities behind his adoption, rooted in the corruption of the Ethiopian adoption system. His grandmother, whom he loved dearly, was coerced into giving him up under false pretenses—a heartbreaking trut...

Hey everyone, meet our next guest Ashenafi (Ash) Stuart! Ashenafi is an 18-year-old Ethiopian adoptee from Maryland, who was adopted when he was just 5 months old. In this episode, Ash expresses his appreciation for adoption, his openness to adopt one day himself, and the many figures who have helped him become the black man he is today. We also discuss the importance of black role models, being s...

Hey heyy everyone and welcome to SEASON 2! I am so excited to kick off the new season with an amazing interview with the editors and contributors of,  Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees,  Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald and Aselefech Evans!!! These two  incredible Ethiopian adoptee women have  paved the way for political and social change in the many issues surrounding the t...

(Kassaye & Aselefetch - Interview Part 2) Hey heyy everyone and welcome to SEASON 2! I am so excited to kick off the new season with an amazing interview with the editors and contributors of,  Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees,  Kassaye Berhanu-MacDonald and Aselefech Evans!!! These two  incredible Ethiopian adoptee women have  paved the way for political and soci...

In this episode, we look at another way adoptee experiences are pushed to the margin. Specifically, we talk about the adoptee-to-parent dynamic and how the initial push to have adoptees refer to their adoptive parents as "mom" and "dad" may become problematic. We discuss how often adoptees have families comprised of parents, siblings, and relationships with their friends, food, and community. Stil...

In this shorter solo episode, I talk about the emotional complexities of an Ethiopian adoptee during the holidays. The holidays are a time that really emphasizes family in a very biological sense and it can be (unintentionally) an alienating time for adoptees. The holidays can further complicate our understanding of our place within our adoptive family, question what could have been with our biolo...

In this episode, I am lucky to have my brother Fekadu O'Connor on to talk about his experience as an Ethiopian adoptee. Now 19 years old and a freshman in college, Fekadu talks about his experience as an adoptee making friends, playing sports, and transitioning to college. He also touches on the conscious effort he now makes to connect with other Black individuals and how that's become an importan...

Our second guest is my good friend, Gediyon Prince! Gediyon is a 24-year-old Ethiopian adoptee. He was adopted in 2006, at the age of 7, after nearly two years at Wide Horizons orphanage, located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In this episode, Gediyon illuminates how adoption complicates notions of identity, family dynamics, biology, and the concept of choice, and how he coped with it all. We also chat...

Hey hey! In this episode, I touch on some of the questions listeners have sent to me. I tried my best to answer the questions to the best of my abilities and based on my experiences. Please remember that I do not speak for all adoptees; my story and perspective are only mine. Thank you to those who wrote in and I hope I answered your question. The questions around identity, loss of culture, and ra...

Hey everyone! I want to introduce you to my good friend and our first guest on the podcast - Behaylu Barry! Behaylu was adopted from Ethiopia in 2007 from Wide Horizons, located in the capital Addis, Ababa. During the interview, Behaylu takes the lead in being the first on the podcast to come on and unapologetically share his adoption story. He walks us through the process, which he perfectly desc...

Hey hey! In this episode I'll be talking about adoption as an illusion of choice for me, and for many of my Ethiopian adoptee friends. Since I was not able to interview someone in time for the second episode, this episode I'll fill you in a little bit more about the adoption process. I'll have you listeners join me in imagining what that experience might be like. This episode primarily challenges...

Hey hey hey! This quick episode is an introduction to the podcast and a little bit about me. I try to answer some questions you might have... Like "who the heck is this girl?", "what is this podcast about?", and "what can I expect moving forward?". Although this episode consists only of me talking to myself (haha), most of the future episodes will include a guest! I am so excited to go on this jou...