When They Were Young: Amplifying Voices of Adoptees

I just wanted to check in with you on all the things happening in my life, and give you some tricks to overcome even the deepest sorrow. It's summer time in Chicago and I churn this heat into opportunity, here's how! Support the show CONNECT WITH HOST: @youngadoptee @lantoines www.laniseantoineshelley.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE Here ! MERCH here "I am my Hero" and "Courage, my l...

Today’s interview is a testament a perseverance. I connected with Obakeng Beddny three times because of technical difficulties.  Obakeng is a natural orator who will spur you to stand up, no matter what your beliefs may be, and invite you to recognize the love  that already resides in you. He is such a brilliant mind and radiant force in this world. GUEST: Obakeng Beddny @Obakengbeddny Support the...

  This episode Jamie-Lyn Richartz returns to chat with me about how she felt the convo with her mother went. See episode 28 for part 2. We are modeling how to have a conversation about adoption with a loved one. You’d think that it was easy, but let me tell you—I have friends who’ve never talked to their husbands or adoptive families about their adoption. Again, I’m not saying that you need to tal...

We are modeling how to have a conversation about adoption with a loved one. You’d think that it was easy, but let me tell you—I have friends who’ve never talked to their husbands or adoptive families about their adoption. Again, I’m not saying that you need to talk about adoption all the time, or ever-- for that matter.  I am simply examining why aren’t we talking about? Is it because of fear?  Th...

I share what I do while in self-preservation mode, and how I get back into a space where I can feel the full spectrum of my emotions--without it consuming me. And of course, we talk about mothers and what that means to me as an adoptee this Mother's Day weekend.  Material: Poem by William Butler Yeats "Heaven's Embroidered Cloths" Support the show CONNECT WITH HOST: @youngadopt...

My guest, Kevin Barhydt is the author of “Dear Stephen Micheal’s Mother” and the host of an  educative youtube channel. His wisdom is astounding. The depth of his vulnerability and authenticity truly inspired me. Kevin shares how he pivoted out of fear into faith by building a foundation of courage. ** Please note that this episode mentions sexual assault, abuse, and addiction but doesn't go...

Today’s guest has a blog called The Adoptee In Me. She speaks so beautifully about her connection to her son and father. Like me, she came from a single parent household. It’s rare that we have adoptees raised by just a father. Lionel in season one episode 14 is the only other adoptee I know. She and I connected instantly over the topics of family, worthiness and belonging.  GUEST: Nicole Koharik...

We will be back this month! I have been on hiatus but preparing to go live with some exciting new conversations. Thank you for your continued support.  Thanks for writing an itunes review :) Missed you! Support the show CONNECT WITH HOST: @youngadoptee @lantoines www.laniseantoineshelley.com WATCH ON YOUTUBE Here ! MERCH here "I am my Hero" and "Courage, my love" Tees SPONSORSH...

Hey loves! This week I just want to give you three books that have helped me create more than I ever have before this past year. Even though the sky was falling outside I continued to flourish in my artistic life. I want to share with you ways you can set, accomplish and hold fast to anything you set out to do. This is going to be a triumphant year! Let's fly!  REFERENCES: Podcast "Don&a...

Merry Holidays! We check in with Dr. Juliana Olson-Deans to see how she feels last week's convo with her husband went. She's been married for 20 years! I had to find out her advice on enduring partnerships and figure out what it was like for her dating as an adoptee. Whether we know it or not our adoption impacts every relationship. It's up to you as to whether that impact is good o...

Dr. Juliana Olson Deans is back! She is a licensed professional counselor, mental health counselor, and national certified counselor who imparted great wisdom in episode 5 and co-founded the Interracial Adoptee Panel series with me this past summer. Juliana is here with her husband Derek.  As I said before, these familial chats are the most challenging conversations to have yet these conversations...

Today I chat with Christine Heimann who is the co-founder and executive director of Adoptee Bridge where they offer education, mentorships and support for international adoptees and their families from any age.  GUEST: Christine Heimann  Organization "Adoptee Bridge": https://www.adopteebridge.org/ Support the show CONNECT WITH HOST: @youngadoptee @lantoines www.laniseantoineshelley.com...

I want to highlight one of my favorite films, the light hearted comedic French film “He even has your eyes” available on Netflix. It’s about a Congolese couple who want to adopt and end up with a Caucasian blue eyed baby. If you were shocked by that image, that's exactly why they made the film to address the double standards and prejudices in interracial adoption. The way they highlight the s...

Part of the Adoptive parent conversation series! We are back withe Schai who graced us in episode 4  with her poetry.  This is the conclusion of Schai’s conversation with her brothers Manny and Jaccen. They go in about their own individual adoption journeys and give us some advice on how we can do adoption better. At the very end I check in with Schai to see how she thought the interview went, so...

Part of Adoptive parent conversation series!  We are back with sister soldier Schai, who interviews her two brothers; one is biological and the other is adopted. She leads them through a conversation on how she met her twin in adulthood, how they think adoption could be improved and what it means to have them all get along within this complicated familial web. What a beautiful model of a whole hea...

Part of Adoptive parent conversation series!  Interracial Adoptee Panelist, Laurie Nordahl  chats with her parents about how the family received her when they brought her home from Colombia, ethics behind adoption and the importance of consent when someone needs space to process their feelings. I gave Laurie core questions and she created her own powerful conversations that surprised even her. Suc...

Part of Adoptive parent conversation series!  This is the conclusion of a conversation with Richard and Lionel Boisvert tackles the efficacy of adoption support groups and how one prepares a black child for the black community and the police.  At the very end,  I check-in with Lionel to see how it went for him. Lionel Boivert is a Haitian adoptee who came from the same orphanage as me, "Haiti...

Part of Adoptive parent conversation series!  In this compelling conversation a white father and black son discuss growing up in South Carolina in an all white community, their support systems and what prompted the father to adopt as a single parent.  GUEST: Lionel Boisvert (Adoptee) & Richard Boisvert (Father) Support the show CONNECT WITH HOST: @youngadoptee @lantoines www.laniseantoineshell...

This week  performer and artist Indigo Ciochetti and I chat about the book My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me by  German adoptee, Jennifer Teege. Teege  discovers that she has an ancestral connection to the Nazi’s, most specifically Amon Goeth, an infamous commander of a concentration camp featured in Schindler's List.  She, of course, is distraught by this revelation considering that she is a...

This week I give reflections of my journey into the adoption community. October 17th is my birthday, so I am celebrating it in different ways. Many adoptees (including myself) find it hard to truly celebrate themselves, birthdays and holidays. These things can trigger scarcity and shame. I'd like to invite you to celebrate your worthy existence. If you take note of the bad, why not celebrate...

Kim Noonan is a filmmaker and the host of the podcast "Multi-Racial White Boy." Kim and I talk about the idea of “whiteness” which is pervasive in the interracial adoptee community. Some adoptees grow up wanting to “be white” in order to fit in. I was lucky enough to have black role models in the dance world who encouraged me to love my skin. James Baldwin wrote an exquisite short essay...

Warning! This episode mentions sexual violence. This episode unpacks the healing powers of the blog "The Lost Daughters." Amanda created the blog, whose group of adoptee contributors is ever growing, to propagate her mission of empowerment and peace. I found the blog on facebook and submitted a piece on racism. Amanda is a licensed master social worker, a therapist, an author, a speaker,...

This week I spend time with my dear friend, Canadian actress Brigit Wilson. She and I played witches in stratford Shakespeare Festival's 2016 production of Macbeth. This week we examine the definition of "orphan" and how it has been depicted throughout our favorite plays in Shakespeare and stories like Anne of Green Gables. Brigit graced the boards of stratford for 14 years in accla...

I sit down with William Uhrlaub, a Haitian adoptee who has taught himself Creole after reunifying with his biological family. He was a panelist on the Interracial Adoptee Panel Series: Biological Family where he shared his reunification story and how he managed to assimilate into Haitian culture. William encapsulates the power of finding your "people" and merging your life with a culture...

Dr Borda, PHD, LMFT, LMHC, ACC, CHT joined us as an expert for the third panel: Myth Busters. She returns to give us an in-depth view of her work in the adoption realm, combating “compassion fatigue” for doctors, the re-traumatizing nature of “re-homing” children who’ve been adopted into the wrong family and grief counseling for parents who’ve struggled having a child biologically. Dr. Borda found...