Pulled By The Root - Amplifying Adoption Issues

 Kevin Berthia’s journey as a suicide survivor, adoptee, advocate, and speaker encapsulates the human spirit's capacity for redemption and renewal. From enduring silent suffering through his youth to a very public suicide attempt at the Golden Gate Bridge, Kevin's narrative is one of profound transformation. Since 2013, he has shared his experiences with unwavering candor, captivating au...

Patti Eddington is a newspaper and magazine journalist whose favorite job ever was interviewing the famous authors who came through town on book tours. She never dreamed of writing about her life because she was too busy helping build her husband’s veterinary practice, caring for her animal obsessed daughter—whose favorite childhood toy was an inflatable tick—and learning to tap dance. Then fate,...

Sabrina is an adopted person with many questions, her story begins in Texas where she was born and adopted illegally. She was abused the entire time she was with her adopters. After years of therapy and healing Sabrina tried to reach out to the state of Texas to get her original birth certificate without success. Her story takes so many twists and turns, including an overnight runaway mission to k...

Jeff Forney is an adoptee and an LA based photographer focusing on advertising, music and celebrity. He is in reunion-currently working on a project in the adoptee world called the ‘Innocent People Project’ where he aims to share the adoptee experience. In this powerful episode, Jeff speaks to the issues surrounding adoption with deep compassion. He believes in the power of human stories and the h...

Monica Hall is an adoptee and birth mother. She is also the author of her memoir, "Practically Still a Virgin”, which will be released on Saturday March 23rd. Born in Canada, she was adopted by American parents and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, where she spent the first sixteen years of her life and had many of the foundational experiences that drive her writing. She is a business consultant a...

George is a filmmaker, writer/director living in Los Angeles.    One of the first questions he is frequently asked is "where is your accent from?"   Here it goes, George was born in 1974, in Russia (Soviet Union). He was adopted from an orphanage in 1976 and raised in Georgia (the country). In 2000, he migrated to Australia and was granted a gay refuge status. Since 2010 he splits his ti...

Lena Rosenbloom is a domestic closed adopted person from New Jersey New York. She was adopted in the 80’s and raised as an only child in an adoptive family that could not have children. She entered reunion in 2002 with her paternal biological family. Elena discovered her biologic family through the adoption.com website and message boards She has three half siblings on her paternal side. Lena has r...

Greg Gentry is a domestic baby scoop era adoptee, born in California in 1969. He spent the first 6 weeks of his life in foster care before going to live with his adoptive family. Greg has gone through the ups-and-downs of reunion with his maternal side since 2006. In 2021, a fellow adoptee helped him locate his paternal family. He has been in reunion with members of his late father’s side since ea...

In this episode, you will get the chance to get to know our team at PBTR.  Stephanie Joy Pipes/ Creative Director /Producer, Amy Hansen Co-Host/ Operations Manager/ Publicity , Elle Klassen Co-Host/Art Curator and Sean Farley Sound Engineer/Co-producer will be joining us today. The  definition of a team is a group of people working collaboratively towards a common goal pooling their skills and kno...

Michelle Madrid is a life coach and guidance mentor who is passionate about igniting the light within every adoptee. She seeks soulful modalities of healing to support clients in feeling a deeper connectedness with themselves and with others. Michelle is a former foster child from the United Kingdom and an international adoptee. She understands the nuances of the adoptee experience and considers i...

A special message from Heidi: With the tremendous support of my family, the PBTR team, and our adoption community, I am back to interviewing and embracing the work I am called to do. This week's solo episode is not just a reflection of my gratitude but also an exciting prelude to what's ahead. We are thrilled to be releasing future interviews soon with some remarkable guests, showcasing...

Christelle Pellecuer is a certified coach who helps adoptees to navigate their stories so they can find their authentic voices and identity.  She has have been on a journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance as her adoption journey, like for many adoptees, has not been straightforward. She  was adopted in South of France from Madagascar at the age of 10.  For a long time, she lived in denial an...

“Lora K. Joy is the progression of me. Lora was the name my biological mother gave me, but did not feel she had the right to put on my birth certificate. K. stands for her last name and for Kimberly. A name that is on my adoption record, but I am not sure who gave it to me. Joy was my adoptive name and how everyone knew me until January 2022 when I legally reclaimed the name Lora.  I am an adult a...

Jessica Pearson is a Certified Life and Health Coach, Co-Founder of Path Nutrition and Co-Host of Weight a Minute Podcast.  Her work dives deep into the world of anti-diet culture and self acceptance. She's on a mission to help people to break free from diet culture and develop a profound and compassionate relationship with both their bodies and food. Her holistic approach to well-being exten...

Betsy McCoach is a full professor in the Educational Psychology department at the University of Connecticut where she teaches quantitative research methods and conducts research in education and psychology. Born in 1970, Betsy was placed with her adoptive family at 7 weeks old. Betsy grew up in a stable family and has always known that she was adopted. Betsy has one older adoptive brother: he is o...

Julie Ryan McGue is an author, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. She writes extensively about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it. Julie’s debut award winning memoir Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging  (https://juliemcgueauthor.com/books/)(She Writes Press) came out in May 2021. It is the story of her five-year search for birth rel...

Joining us this week is returning guest from March, 2022  (episode 68) Linda Pevac where we learned about her adoption journey and discussed her first book, “The Gathering Place.” Linda has since released her second book, “A Fire is Coming,” available both on Amazon.com and audible. Linda,  “Emma Stevens,”  is a US domestic adoptee who was adopted at birth and has survived many layers of trauma. H...

Thank you for being part of this journey, as we celebrate this milestone of 100  episodes with you!   Pulled By The Root wishes to continue to shed light on the intricate journey of adoption, highlighting the resilience and strength of our community. In this episode, we are joined by Heidi Marble with a special message of hope and gratitude.  Click here to send us a text. Also, our book “Pulled By...

Dana Ozak is a full time preschool teacher, passionate adoptee advocate, and author of her soon to be released memoir, “A Girl and Her Four Families.” Dana was born at St. John’s Hospital in Cleveland in 1973. She was adopted through Catholic Charities in November of 1973. Her adoption was never kept a secret from her, but she still wondered where she came from. She was able to find her biological...

This week we are joined by author, late discovery adoptee, and adoptee advocate Fred Nicora. Fred discovered he was adopted at the age of 41 years old, through a slip of the tongue by an elderly aunt at a large family gathering, when Fred’s parents had already passed away. The subsequent revelation was the discovery that he had no legal right to learn his true identity. "Forbidden Roots"...

Jenny has a deep connection to the human spirit, and a lifelong passion for health and wellness. Over the span of her life and career she has worked with thousands of individuals in fitness, with special needs, education, and business communities. Jenny has 21 certifications in alternative health and fitness, and an extensive background in business leadership. Her experience and education extend f...

Ken is an adoptee who was always wondering. Wondering about what if? Wondering about why? Always wondering and feeling rudderless. Ken suspects many adoptees have experienced the same insecurities.  He decided that he needed to explore this further, examining his own journey and that of his birth mother on a deeper level. This examination inspired Ken to write his debut novel, "I Will See You...

Liz Brownell is a mother, wife, teacher, artist, and adoptee living in upstate NY. She and her husband Kurt live outside of Rochester with their teenagers. What started as a curiosity in an effort to thank her First mother let to the sad discovery that she would never have a chance to meet her. As she navigated the fog she found two half sisters and some other extended family along the way. She is...

Robert Ferraro is a pop culture journalist whose interviews include Jane Seymour, Melissa Etheridge, Paula Abdul and others. Robert is also founder of The Giving Arts, a website through which he helps public figures publicize their charitable causes. His essay sharing the challenges of his life as an adoptee - entitled 'My Love Is Stronger Than Your Disregard' - received considerable acc...

CARLYN MONTES DE OCA is a multi-award-winning author, an international speaker, and passionate animal advocate. A former film editor on such movies as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Three Men and a Little Lady , Carlyn holds a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University in communication arts and a master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine.  As a sought after speaker, Carlyn frequently t...