Open Adoption Project

Jamie Weiss shares some of her experiences as an adoptee in the 1970s, growing up in a closed adoption, never having conversations at home about adoption. She shares thoughts about her reunion experience and adoptee trauma. Jamie works with the Georgia Alliance for Adoptee Rights . You can also follow her adoption education efforts at signedsealedadopted.com . She and a fellow-adoptee just launche...

In this episode we discuss the history of different schools of thought regarding adoption language, including Positive Adoption Language and Honest Adoption Language. We also talk about following the adoptees’ leads and giving thought to circumstances. Words matter! Adoptive parents need to be cognizant of the preferred language of adoptees and biological parents in their lives. We advocate for ad...

Sara, a Chinese-born adoptee who was raised in Pennsylvania, is now a social worker who coaches teenage adoptees. In this episode, she shares her story and how she came to work with adoptees. She shares thoughts and advice for the adoption community to better help listen to and validate adoptees, in particular adopted youth. Learn more about Sara's professional work in the adoption community at ht...

Steph, a French adoptive dad, talks about his experience adopting his daughter. He highlights some of the differences between adoption in the United States and France, based on his experiences. We love how Steph highlighted the importance of taking care of first parents and the importance of prioritizing their care and control over their time and decisions post-birth. He also talks about the overt...

In this panel episode we hear from Keri, Dawn, and Regan, who are all either birth moms or adoptive moms. They share their thoughts and experiences regarding cultivating meaningful open adoption relationships. We hear thoughts from each of them regarding building and maintaining relationships over long-distances. The panel discusses lessons learned over the years and advice for building relationsh...

We're kicking off Season 3 of the Open Adoption Project with a conversation with Rachel Kramer . Rachel is an adoptee and a birth mom, who shares how her experience growing up in a semi-open adoption influenced her decision to place her twins in an open adoption last year. Rachel is from the southern United States and talks openly about the struggles and hardships of adoption.

This bonus episode is a special Juneteenth episode. Our friend DaKota with the Destiny Adoption Foundation hosted a Juneteenth Conference on June 17, 2022, with guest speakers Samantha Williams, a birth mom, and Jeena and Drue Wilder, adoptive parents. In celebration of Juneteenth we are so honored to share the audio from the conference with our listeners. A special thank you to DaKota and the Des...

This week we look back on some key takeaways from season 2. We’ll be back with season 3 beginning on July 11.

In this episode we revisit some of our conversations with adoptees during seasons one and two. Adoptee voices are key to understating adoption more deeply, so we really should listen to them. E11 - Sharolyn | "So Wanted & So Loved" E15 - Melaina | “A Journey to Discover Who I Was” E18 - DaKota | Growing Up with an Open Adoption E25 - Jori | My Experience as an Adoptee and Birth Mom E27 - Emily...

In this episode Michelle, a birth mom, shares her story of placing her son for adoption and reunifying with him, finally seeing each other in person during the pandemic. She shares her thoughts as an adoption professional about the importance of listening to adoptees, reiterating that we should hear adoptee experiences with open hearts. She said, “We should all be shutting up and listening to a lo...

Joanna and Matt are adoptive parents who have two sons, one who was adopted from a relative, and the other through an agency. Both of their adoptions are very open. In this episode, they share what they wish they’d known before adopting. Joanna and Matt talk also about different levels of openness in adoption, open communication agreements, and the responsibility adoptive parents have to ensure th...

We're honored to share another adoptee voice today. Adoptee Ana Katia shares some of her story of searching for her birth mom in Costa Rica. You can hear more of her story in her memoir, "Fourteen Days." Ana Katia loves to speak about creating change from within. Connect with Ana Katia on Instagram @adopted4change , or on Facebook .

In episode 47, we heard from Jared, a birth father. In this episode, we hear another side of the story from his wife, Shayla. Shayla and Jared are the parents of three boys, the first whom they placed for adoption. Shayla talks about the challenges of parenting her younger sons after placing her first, and about PTSD and trauma birth parents experience. She also talks about building a strong relat...

This is a really tender episode. We've heard from many birth moms on the podcast, but this is our first episode hearing from a birth dad. Jared talks about how placing his first son for adoption affected him, and what his experience was in that process and after, in building a relationship with his son and his adoptive family. Make sure to listen to this birth father’s story, and next week, tune i...

Molly, an adoptee from Colombia, talks about the importance of elevating adoptee voices and processing her own adoption story and trauma. She talks about “coming out of the fog,” reflecting on adoption policy, and the importance of having cultural and racial mirrors, honoring international adoptee’s cultures of origin. Molly works professionally as a social worker and shares how her thoughts regar...

Rebekkah was adopted by her stepfather as a child. She placed her daughter for adoption as a young adult. She talks about racism, the importance of education in adoption, adoption language, and other thoughts as a birth mom, and shares her story with raw vulnerability.

In this episode, we hear from Kim Perry (who we also interviewed in episodes 23 and 32, about her experiences as an adoption professional and adopting her daughters from Ecuador). This week we hear about Kim's experience as a gestational carrier, We love Kim's frank and honest thoughts. Follow her on Instagram @its.kimperry

Shane and Alisha are foster parents who have cultivated an open and loving relationship with their foster children's mother. We loved hearing their perspectives about caring for foster children and building relationships that are child-centric.

Have you ever wondered what the differences between domestic infant adoption and foster to adopt are? Joseph and Melissa are currently parenting 8 children! Among the children they are raising they have two kids adopted through domestic infant adoption, three biological children, and three foster children who they are on track to adopt. In this episode, they share advice for families considering...

Gina is a birth mom who placed her daughter for adoption in a semi-open adoption 21 years ago. She shares the feelings and struggles from her journey in this episode, and her jaw-dropping story of reunification with her daughter. Gina is the author of " A Seemingly Unfillable Heart: An Adoption Journey " which is a memoir about her adoption story. Find Gina on Instagram @ginacrottswriter

This week on the podcast we hear from Michael and Tony, an adoptive couple, who share their story of adopting their daughter and then becoming foster parents in the state of California.

In this episode, we hear from Sarah, a birth mom, who shares her story of placing two of her children for adoption in the same adoptive family. She discusses some of the challenges she's faced and the importance of education in adoption. Sarah runs the Instagram page @adoptioneducationkeys , which she created as a space to have hard conversations.

We are excited to share another adoptee voice in this week's episode. Mary from @becauseadoption  shares her story as an adoptee, including the heartache and challenges she's faced. The adoption community needs to hear adoptee voices. This vulnerable episode shares another valuable adoptee voice. We hope you feel growth while hearing Mary's story, thoughts, and struggles. Check out her website a...

In this episode, Nate and Kim share their story of adopting their son, and their experiences regarding special needs and adoption, including building open adoption relationships with birth parents who may have special needs.

Derek J. Williams is an adoption attorney in Utah. In this episode, he shares legal and ethical guidelines for the adoption community to consider. Derek discusses the importance of making ethical and educated decisions in adoption. He talks about the most common legal questions he is asked and shares insights and suggestions for the adoption community through a legal lens. An additional resou...