Open Adoption Project

This week on the podcast we are excited to share an interview with Kaytlin, a birth mom. Kaytlin wants to help empower women to make the best decisions for themselves as they weigh their options. We hope you enjoy hearing from her and her unique perspectives and story this week.

This week on the podcast we hear from teen and child adoptees. We hear from adoptees who have different kinds of adoptions and different feelings about their experiences. We hope we can always prioritize listening to adoptees, and we hope you enjoy our special holiday episode. In this episode, our oldest child moderates as the interviewer for eight different adoptee kids and teens. We are so thank...

This week we're so excited to hear from Kim Perry again. Kim is an adoption professional and a licensed social worker, as well as the mother of two children who were adopted from Ecuador. Kim shares about the process of adopting her daughters, and advice for adoptive parents about helping children address trauma and other challenges that stem from adoption. She talks about embracing our children's...

How do you strengthen your relationship with your partner when going through infertility? In this episode we hear advice from a panel of individuals who experience infertility and are at different points in their journeys. They share their perspectives on how to navigate challenges when struggling and give advice with to those who are struggling with infertility.

Katie, an adoptee and a birth mom of two, shares her story while relating the challenges she’s faced and the highs and lows in her adoption journey.

Cathy, a birth mom, shares her story of placing her daughter for adoption and eventually forming a very open adoption relationship with her and her adoptive parents. Cathy talks about letting love guide in relationships and how her family has supported her in the ups and downs of her journey. Follow Cathy on Instagram @chasingcrossnos

In this episode, we talk to a fourth-year medical student, Jeremy Stone, about medical information regarding NAS and other in-utero drug exposure. Jeremy started an informational website, adoptionmeded.com , as a resource for hopeful adoptive parents looking for reliable information when making decisions about prospective adoption situations.

Welcome back to the Open Adoption Project! We kick off Season 2 with an interview with Emily, who shares her personal adoption stories as both an adoptee and an adoptive mom. We loved hearing Emily’s story and thoughts and are excited to be back for another season of the Open Adoption Project. Bone Marrow Donation: bethematch.org

This is our final episode for Season 1. We will be back soon, with new episodes beginning on November 8, 2021. In this episode we wrap up sharing our family’s adoption story. Navigating adoption during a pandemic was a bit different. We talk about how we built a relationship with our fourth child’s birth family and what his pandemic placement looked like. We’re looking forward to returning in Seas...

This week we hear Jori’s story as both an adoptee and a birth mother. Jori was adopted from foster care at six months old by a biracial family. She talks about holding space for every part of adoption, including the traumatic parts. She shares thoughts about how placing her oldest daughter for adoption helped her better connect with her own birth mom, and what we as an adoption community can do to...

In this beautiful interview we hear about one family’s story involving many aspects of adoption that listeners often ask about--special needs adoption, foster-to-adopt, international adoption, and disrupted placements. In this episode, Burgandy, an adoptive mom, shares her family’s story of adopting internationally and through the foster system. She discusses her experiences adopting special needs...

In this episode we hear from Kim Perry, who has been an adoption professional since 2008. She shares thoughts about how the adoption triad can better support adoptees. She also discusses the pros and cons of private adoption, agency adoption and foster care. In addition, she shares thoughts on actionable ways adoptive parents should hold adoption professionals accountable and set a higher standard...

Alexa recently placed her daughter for adoption. In this episode she shares her story with so much tenderness, detailing her experiences and the emotional struggles she’s faced. She also talks about what her open adoption looks like. This reflection on a very recent placement illustrates some of the challenges and feelings birth mothers go through during those first weeks after placing their babie...

We return to sharing more about our family’s adoption experiences in this episode, talking about juggling multiple birth family relationships and the nuances of that. We also share our top five tips to create positive and meaningful relationships with members of the adoption triad.

In this heartfelt episode Tamra, a birth mom, shares her story of placement and reunification with her son. She shares specific and genuine advice for those considering adoption and talks about her journey through complicated emotions and challenges that are prevalent in the adoption world. Follow Tamra on Instagram @ramblintam Read her article, " When I Placed My Son for Adoption, I Had to KNOW I...

In this special mini episode of The Open Adoption Project, our kids interview some of their adoptee friends about their thoughts and experiences with adoption so far. Rocklyn, Kyson, Zack, Luke and Jace share their stories as adoptees.

In this episode DaKota, an adult adoptee, shares his experiences growing up with a very open adoption. He also talks about how the openness of his adoption contrasted with his siblings who were adopted and had different levels of openness. He discusses the shift of the responsibility of maintaining open adoption relationships from his parents to him as he moved into adulthood. DaKota is the founde...

What’s in a name? In this episode we talk about meeting expectant parents over an online video call and how that experience differed from face-to-face meetings. We also talk about different thoughts on naming adopted children. We conclude with a brief interview with our son, a five-year-old adoptee.

In this episode we hear from five teenage adoptees. They share their thoughts and experiences involving adoption in this special mini interview episode hosted by our oldest daughter. You’ll hear from Summer, Mishell, McCoy, James, and Gracie. They’ll talk about how their feelings toward their adoption stories have evolved up to this point, what they wish people understood about adoption, and their...

In this episode Melaina, an adoptee, shares her experiences and thoughts about life as a transracial international adoptee. She was born in Colombia and raised in the United States. She shares the struggles and joys she’s experienced and advice for loved ones supporting adoptees in their search for their first family. For more from Melaina, you can follow her on Instagram @melainakrogers where she...

We love talking about beautiful open adoption relationships and experiences, but it’s also important to talk about the questionable, unethical and unlawful aspects of adoption. In this episode we talk about the unethical treatment an expectant mom we became friends with experienced, and what hopeful adoptive parents can do to promote better practices in adoption.

In this episode we share about an IVF attempt after adopting our first two children, what IVF looked like for us, and the feelings we had when it didn’t work out. Follow us on Instagram @OpenAdoptionProject .

In this episode we hear from Crystal--an adoptive mom and a foster parent--and hear her thoughts on creating your own family culture as an adoptive parent as well as the joy that comes from being a foster parent and helping other families.

In this episode, Sharolyn, an adult adoptee, shares what her adoption experience was like growing up in an era where adoption was generally more secretive. In her own family, despite her adoption being closed, adoption wasn’t a secret. She felt empowered to search for her birth parents when she was older, and she shares her experiences with searching, and reuniting with her birth family. Follow us...

In this episode, we hear from Nicole, a birth mother who placed her daughter for adoption 22 years ago. Her adoption went from semi-open to open, and today she has a beautiful relationship with her daughter. Nicole shares her story and the emotions of adoption, as well as how the openness of her relationship has changed, and her hopes to connect with and support other women who find themselves in...