Unraveling Adoption

Reimagining Culture's Adoption Narratives with Gayle Swift "What our children need is our common ground, our empathy, our support. They need us to step into their lens and understand their pain and feelings."- Gayle Swift What if the prevailing mindset surrounding adoption isn't as positive as we think? In this eye-opening conversation between Beth and adoption expert Gayle Swift, the US culture's...

Challenging the Adoption System with Chester Jackson "The journey is more about being on the path more than off... The hardest part about being an adoptive parent is you're almost guaranteed to be disappointed because your motivation and your drive and everything you're thinking is involved around some fantasy child. It's not about that real human." -- Chester Jackson Discovering the truth can be...

Investigating Adoption's Fault Lines with Birth Mother Lorraine Dusky "Women today realize that giving up a child entails much more angst and long-term grief, and there's so many issues involved." - Lorraine Dusky An intrepid birth mother from the 1960s who faced disapproval and secrecy now fights for adoptee rights. Lorraine Dusky shares her personal journey and advocates for change in the comple...

Reevaluating Beliefs and Exposing Racism in Evangelical Christianity with Harrison Mooney Growing up in an evangelical family, Harrison Mooney's life seemed like a carefully crafted script of faith and devotion. But beneath the surface, there was an unexpected twist that would send him spiraling into a world of self-discovery. As the only black child in a white family, Harrison's struggle to fit i...

Coming Out of the Fog with Melissa Brunetti "As an adoptee, you want to be wanted. I thought, well, shoot, if I don't take this guy, I don't know if anyone else is going to come along." - Melissa Brunetti Even though Melissa was an adoptee with a FABULOUS adoptive family, she realized that she was "in the fog" of adoption trauma in mid-life. In this episode, we delve into Melissa's heart-wrenching...

A Transgender Birthmom's Complex Journey with Jack MacCarthy Amidst the backdrop of their conservative upbringing, Jack's path of self-discovery and acceptance unfolds, revealing the profound impact of a chance encounter with a queer girl at a Catholic youth group retreat. From exploring gender through the lens of art to navigating the complexities of their identity within the adoption community,...

A Transgender Birthmom's Complex Journey with Jack MacCarthy Amidst the backdrop of their conservative upbringing, Jack's path of self-discovery and acceptance unfolds, revealing the profound impact of a chance encounter with a queer girl at a Catholic youth group retreat. From exploring gender through the lens of art to navigating the complexities of their identity within the adoption community,...

Breaking the Cycle: Addressing the Needs of Foster Children - Jenell Jones "Love isn't enough. We can't just love these kids out of the abuse and neglect." - Jenell Jones Jenell Jones, a mother of seven, had faced her fair share of challenges as a foster and adoptive parent. But when she welcomed eight-year-old Mercy into her family, little did she know the unexpected twists that awaited her. As s...

The Lifelong Impact of Adoption with Michael Grenfell "When we receive or find new information, we have to then reorient ourselves with that information, with a new foundation or a new guidepost. It's deep identity structure stuff that we're continually renegotiating all the time throughout this journey." - Michael Grenfell In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, guest Michael Grenfell opens up ab...

How To Be an Anti-Racist in Adoptive Families with Lanise Antoine Shelley "It's vital to feel a sense of connectivity to your name, to your environment, and to the people that you choose to love." - Lanise Antoine Shelley If you're an adoptee who's feeling a constant sense of disconnection and confusion as you try to fit into a world that doesn't fully understand or appreciate your unique transrac...

Navigating Adoption's Complexities as an Adoptee and an Adoptive Parent with Damon Davis In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, guest Damon Davis shares his personal journey both as an adoptee and as an adoptive parent, shedding light on the complexities and challenges faced by adoptees and their families. Don't miss this gripping episode that explores the highs and lows of adoption and the power...

Brainspotting in Adoption Therapy Does this sound familiar? You've been told to simply provide love and support to your adopted child, but despite your best efforts, they still struggle with emotional trauma. Or maybe you're an adult adoptee and struggling with ongoing distress from your relinquishment. The pain of watching your child - or yourself - suffer and feeling helpless can be overwhelming...

Dallas remembers being told he was adopted at five years old. And at 19, he had a life-shattering realization about his adoption. Struggling with anger issues and feeling disconnected from his family, he spiralled into self-destructive patterns with drugs and alcohol to cope with his pain. Now, Dallas is on a journey of self-discovery and growth, using some unconventional tools to help him cope wi...

Magnifying Adoptee Voices with Jennifer Dyan Ghoston In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, fellow podcaster Jennifer Dyan Ghoston shares her experiences as an adoptee and advocate. She raises up the importance of amplifying adoptee voices, particularly for Black same-race adoptees. But as the conversation comes to an end, a thought-provoking question lingers: are adoptive parents and allies doin...

Discover how late discovery adoptee (LDA) Greg Rostron exposes the danger of secrets and lies for adoptees' mental health in this compelling and emotional episode. =============== 📆 Community Calendar: UnravelingAdoption.com/Calendar 💌Sign up for our Unraveling Adoption email list: http://eepurl.com/hVIAVX =============== In this episode, you will be able to: Discover the crucial role honesty pl...

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, trauma expert Beth Tyson discusses the often overlooked and misdiagnosed effects of ambiguous loss on children in foster care and adoptive families, calling for greater awareness and emphasis on connection to mitigate the impacts of trauma. =============== 📆 Community Calendar: UnravelingAdoption.com/Calendar 💌Sign up for our Unraveling Adoption email list...

In this episode, filmmaker and adoptee Glenn Morey discusses the painful experiences and anger felt by Asian American adoptees like him. In this thought-provoking podcast episode, he delves into the realities of growing up in a homogeneously white environment and the damaging effects of negative media portrayals of Asian boys and men. If you are the adoptive or foster parent of an Asian child, do...

Sandy White Hawk's heartbreaking story of being taken from her Native American family at a young age is a familiar tale, but her unexpected twist of reconnection will leave you in tears. From feelings of isolation to the overwhelming emotions of meeting her birth family, Sandy's journey is a powerful reminder of the importance of connection and the devastating impact of forced removal. Find out ho...

Are you an LGBTQ+ adoptive parent or adoptee in need of support and resources? Look no further! Tony Hynes has the solution for you to connect with a community and discover valuable resources to support your family. Join the growing network of LGBTQ+ adoptive families and find the resources you need to thrive. =============== 📆 Community Calendar: UnravelingAdoption.com/Calendar 💌Sign up for our...

If you're feeling the crushing disappointment and heartache of repeatedly hitting dead ends in your search for biological family despite exhaustive DNA testing and genealogy research, then you are not alone! In this episode, you will be able to: Witness Julie's heartwarming tale of finding and reconnecting with her birth family. Grasp the significance of genetic genealogy in uncovering one's herit...

After spending 15 years searching for answers, Rich Uhrlaub discovered that both his birth parents had passed away long before his quest had begun. This devastating realization fueled Rich's passion to become an advocate for truth and transparency in adoption, challenging an industry that had grown apathetic to the plight of those it served. In this episode, you will be able to: Gain insight into...

After spending 15 years searching for answers, Rich Uhrlaub discovered that both his birth parents had passed away long before his quest had begun. This devastating realization fueled Rich's passion to become an advocate for truth and transparency in adoption, challenging an industry that had grown apathetic to the plight of those it served. In this episode, you will be able to: Gain insight into...

In this week's Unraveling Adoption podcast, Beth talks with Astrid Castro, Founder and CEO of Adoption Mosaic. She's a transracial intercountry adoptee, coming from Colombia at the age of 4 along with her older sister. She has been in reunion with her birth family since 2012. Her organization, Adoption Mosaic, creates a strong community of people who can envision a new future of ethical and consci...

In this week's Unraveling Adoption podcast, Beth talks with Fred Nicora, a Late Discovery Adoptee, or LDA. Fred's memoir is called Forbidden Roots: A Memoir of Late-Discovery Adoption. Because of his life experience, he now speaks out about truth and transparency in adoption. He has 13 years in recovery from substance use disorder and he now runs a small hobby farm in Southeastern Wisconsin. =====...

In this week's Unraveling Adoption podcast, Beth talks with Amanda Baum, co-founder of Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group. They recently launched a sister site called Fireside Adoptees Constellation which is open to anyone touched by adoption.  Now living in North Carolina, she is an intercountry adoptee originally from Mexico but adopted into Utah. Amanda will be talking about how being a transraci...