Conversations About Adoption

Fellow adoptee Lisa Elaine Scott reached out to come back to the podcast to give us all an update on her work on the film "All You Have is Love: Demand, Deception, and the Infant Adoption Industry". www.allyouhaveislove.com On June 14th there will be a fundraising event Lisa is hosting through Eventbrite where she will be showing some previously unseen footage, and have general discussion about the film. You can register to attend through Eventbrite. Minimum donation to attend is $10, but please give more if you can! She needs the support of our community! Additional links All You Have is Love Youtube Channel Saving Our Sisters Adoption Family Preservation Project --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Katie is a mother of loss to adoption. When she found out she was pregnant she was doing ok, and a freak accident changed everything in an instant for her and her child. Listen as we discuss her story, her projects, and get to know each other. The Family Preservation Project TFPP on Facebook TFPP on Instagram TFPP on TikTok Saving Our Sisters Adoption All You Have is Love film project --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

**Trigger warning** We do talk about some triggering subjects such as sexual assault and child abuse, please be aware of that in case these subjects will trigger you. I had a delightful conversation with Brian an adoptee I met at the Untangling Our Roots Summit in Kentucky last year. He was the emcee at the 2024 summit which just happened in Denver last weekend! He is an actor and he writes plays. His solo show play "Blank" referred to the space on his original birth certificate where he didn't have a name. He performed it all around the country. Just before the pandemic hit he was supposed to premier his second play @atghostkingdom, but alas that was put to a stop when lock down happened, so he got creative again and turned it into a film he recorded on his iPhone! He showed that film at the summit last year, and I was so moved by it. I believe any adoptee can find something to relate to in it. I asked him about possibly doing a zoom event where we show the film, and do a Q & A with him after, (TBA). You can watch Brian's film @atghostkingdom here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/ghostkingdom He can be found on Facebook as Brian Stanton And Instagram @thebrianstanton @atghostkingdom If you are interested in being a guest on the podcast, please send me an email to info@conversationsaboutadoption.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Lori is a Jewish first mother who relinquished in the 1990s. Lori is also a speaker and the author of her book 'From Mistakes to Miracles: A Jewish birth mother's story of Redemption, Hope and Healing' You can find links to her social media, books, and articles on her website: https://loriprashkerthomas.com If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story info@conversationsaboutadoption.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Cynthia is a mental health clinician with 10 years of experience and a fellow adoptee. We had a great time talking despite a couple interruptions. Our stories are kind of parallel as we are both Gen X but raised by silent generation parents. Parents that teach you to stuff your emotions away, and definitely do not display the negative ones. I hope you enjoy this conversation! If you want to be on the podcast email me info@conversationsaboutadoption.com And you can learn a little more about Cynthia at on her profile on Psychology today. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Please be advised with this episode there is a trigger warning. Alicia talks about domestic violence, rape, child abuse, infant loss, and more. If you are sensitive to these topics, please be advised and practice self-care when listening. She does jump right into it. Alicia was already the mother to one son and landed in a horribly abusive relationship. She lost one baby, and a short time later was pregnant again, this time with twins. While in a severe post-partum depression she reached out to an adoption agency thinking that might be the one way to keep her new babies safe.... She ended up being severely coerced. She ended up losing her boys to adoption. You can find Alicia on: Tiktok YouTube Linktree The other organizations I was talking about. https://concernedunitedbirthparents.org https://naapunited.org If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Welcome to the 40th episode!!! It's heard to believe! In this episode I speak with Kristal who is also an adoptee. She lives in Canada with her husband and their three children. Her adoptive parents had sons and always wanted a little girl, and when Kristal was born she filled that space in their family. She has 2 adoptive brothers who are much older than her, she said it was almost like growing up with four parents. Her parents were very supportive regarding reunion, and you will have to watch the film to see exactly how supportive they were, and why. (avoiding spoilers) Kristal went on a journey to reunite with her indigenous roots and reconnect with her culture and took a film crew along with her resulting in 'Because She's adopted' Trailer You can find Kristal at the links below! Social Media: Instagram @becauseshesadopted Facebook @BecauseShesAdopted TikTok @becauseshesadopted YouTube @becauseshesadopted If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Curt is a fellow baby scoop adoptee. We had a great time talking, and I enjoyed hearing his story. Here is a little bit about Curt in his own words. Quick bio    I was a very spirited youth.  I started a family at a very young age. I spent the majority of my life in Virginia. I have two daughters and two granddaughters. Currently I live in Las Vegas and have been here for almost nine years. I spend my free time working with a few different charities that I sit on the boards of. I have a love of hot rods and cool cars and I am in a few different clubs. This is my generic story.   My story is like many others and is very odd for me to even tell knowing what I know now. I feel like the deep voice narrator that knows the entire plot from the beginning. The odd part of that is the memory of not knowing and living with the fog of adoption so to speak.    Curt    Curt can be found on Facebook and Instagram.   If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Jenny Trudeau is a mother of loss to adoption, having lost her child through standard coercive industry practices with an agency that was later closed for fraudulent adoptions. Jenny is a 23 year veteran to adoption loss and has studied the industry and its effects on mothers and children for 8 years. Jenny's passion for family preservation comes from her loss, the awareness of the loss of so many others, and the understanding of a toxic culture that sets up family failures in this way. The objectives of her organization include supporting children by facilitating partnerships with parents and reducing crisis-based decision-making for women facing unplanned pregnancies.  She currently lives outside of Charleston, SC with her husband, two younger children, and backyard chickens. Links! Www.parentspartnership.org  Facebook  LinkedIn page for Parents partnership If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Welcome to 2024 and the beginning of season 4! Thank you for your patience while I took a break over the holidays. Hopefully in the coming weeks I will put up episodes with: a first mom starting another family preservation organization, an indigenous adoptee who made a film that should be released this year, a first mom from the UK, and many more. In this episode I had a conversation with Brad. He is a fellow baby scoop adoptee that I came across on TikTok. He will tell his story, and we talk about relationships, our attachments styles, came up with a fun new nick name for the town he grew up in, substance abuse, mental health and much more. You can find Brad on Tiktok here. https://www.tiktok.com/@mucifous If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Happy holidays from me --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Liliana is a very valuable voice in indigenous and adoption communities as she has experienced multiple facets of the child-welfare system in the United States. She was adopted from Ecuador to the America into a white adoptive family as a toddler. Her adoptive father was abusive, and she ended up in foster care... You will have to listen to see how the rest of her story pans out. In keeping with the theme this month, Lilian is of indigenous roots. She comes from the Quechua people. You can learn more about them here. You can find her on Tiktok here. If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

It's NAAM, which means I ranted a little in the intro to this episode... I did it in one take, so please be gentle. :) This episode features Jenny a domestic infant adoptee born in the USA who immigrated to Germany to live with her husband, and raise their family. She is the eldest of 4 adopted kids. (All from different families.) She recently went viral when she shared a beautiful video of meeting her (first) mom for the second time when they took a trip together. (warning I got emotional about that topic.) Jenny is a beautiful blend of Korean, Polish, and Puerto Rican which includes the indigenous Taino people. You can learn more about them here and here. For the month of November my plan is to have guests who have indigenous roots in order to uplift their voices and stories. Jenny has also been extremely passionate and vocal about ICWA on social media and I have learned quite a bit from her. You can find her content here: TikTok Twitter or X Instagram YouTube If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

In the last episode I spoke with Rich about his story, and his advocacy work, in this episode we will talk about his creative endeavor, his musical "For the Record(s)" Rich introduced everyone at the summit to this project, and when he played testify, it blew us away. In this episode we listen to and talk about the songs, and he fills in some context about the songs. And when I say my episodes are unedited, I am serious... partway during our conversation the national test happened and our devices went off, so that's in here too. :/ From the website https://www.ftrmusical.com/Rich Uhrlaub, M.Ed.Rich is a longtime member of Denver's Lighthouse Writers Workshop and a member of the Musical Writers Academy and New Musicals Inc. The NMI  Core Curriculum honed and showcased his skills as a book writer for the 15 Minute Musical "For the Good of Humanity," performed at the Broadwater Main Stage in Hollywood. Rich studied piano under the (then) Denver Symphony Orchestra's Kathleen Joiner and had his first piano lesson at age five when, after washing the dinner dishes, his adoptive mother asked, "Who wants to learn to play the piano?" Relinquished and adopted shortly after birth, Rich has been a volunteer leader in the adoption search, support and advocacy community for over twenty years. This project is born of that passion.  ​Vocals Michelle Bort, Angela Parrish, Marcello Vieira​ Arrangement and Vocals Dan Sander Wells​ Orchestration and Sound Engineering Keaton Viavattine To support this project you can join the Patreon here. https://www.patreon.com/FTRMusical --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

In this conversation I spoke with Rich. He is a fellow baby-scoop adoptee and very involved in advocating for better laws around access to adoption records for adoptees among other things. In this episode we will talk a little about his history, and a lot about adoption in general, as well as talk about his work in advocacy. Rich serves as president of the Coalition for Truth and Transparency in Adoption (CTTA) and Adoption Search Resource Connection (ASRC). ⁠https://www.adoptiontruthandtransparency.org/ He is part of an advocacy team that has seen over 15 Colorado bills signed into law since 2014 to the benefit of adult adoptees, foster youth, birth/first parents, and donor conceived persons. A frequent presenter at digital and in-person conferences, Rich's interviews and writings have appeared in various news outlets. Rich is a contributing author of Finding Our Place: 100 Memorable Adoptees, Fostered Persons and Orphanage Alumni; and Adoption and Mothering.  Most recently, Rich is the creator of the new musical For the Record(s) www.ftrmusical.com which we will talk about in the next episode. My group "I found a grave" https://m.facebook.com/groups/ifoundagrave --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Originally published 12/3/2021 **reposted because I realized I had accidentally uploaded the raw podcast with no intro.** This is a great conversation I had with a fellow baby scoop era adoptee Ruth who I met through TikTok and we had a lot to talk about. This was recorded through zoom and is not edited at all.  You can find the video version of this conversation on YouTube. There maybe adult language so may not be appropriate for all listeners.  If you would like to be a guest on a future episode, please click here. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

This is the continuation of of the conversation with adoptees about why they chose to cut or extremely limit contact with their adoptive parents. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

This conversation was inspired by some conversations happening on TikTok involving a younger adoptive mom who was saying a lot of harmful things to adult adoptees including, that she owns her child. **cringe** Adult adoptees were saying they imagine she has the type of attitude that causes adoptees to cut ties with the parent. I made posts on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok asking for adoptees who want to talk about this topic and got a pretty large response. I plan things pretty spontaneously sometimes, and not everyone who wanted to participate was able to. I am going to try to figure out a way to collect the voices of more adoptees in regard to this topic. We talked for quite a while, so I broke the episode up into 2 parts. The second part will be uploaded next week. I hope you enjoy this conversation, and make sure you are subscribed so you get notified about the other part. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Emma Stevens is a U.S. domestic adoptee from birth and has survived layers of trauma that have put her on multiple journeys. She developed the inner strength and courage to surmount the many struggles she faced. Her traumas were born from first being relinquished and then becoming an adoptee who struggled with being forced to wear an impossible mask of playing the part of the “good adopted child.” Her childhood upbringing of an authoritative, cult-like family, predisposed Emma to several more struggles. One of them was falling prey to an exploitative therapist where she unknowingly entered a cultic, one-on-one relationship with her psychologist. Someone who was to help, support, and provide healing – instead, held Emma captive in a psychological nightmare.  Because of these past traumas, it's Emma's desire to be part of the movement that is dedicated to help bring forth change to the way our world views the needs and support of adopted individuals, as well as bring awareness of the exploitation that can occur by the hands of counselors, therapists, and other healthcare professionals. By sharing her experience of being exploited by her abusive psychologist/social worker, Emma feels strongly to expose and bring light to what an unethical, boundaryless, professional therapy situation may look like.  This memoir is Emma Stevens' second book. Her first was The Gathering Place: An Adoptee's Story. She has an undergraduate degree in journalism and has completed Master's level course work in psychology, specializing in Marriage, Family, and Child counseling. She has two adult children and two cat children who she adores. Links to her books:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59417316-the-gathering-place   https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86031724-a-fire-is-coming  socials are: FB, IG, & TikTok -- @EmmaStevensWriter  Twitter: @EmmaStevensWrtr Leave me a voice message https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoptionhttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Natalie is an adoptee who was born in Colombia and adopted out to Norway when she was 9 months old. She just went through reunion, and will disclose some interesting details in our conversation. (I don't want to spill the beans.) Here is the link to her GoFundMe we talked about in the episode in case anyone wants to help her get to meet her family. https://gofund.me/84c55282.  She found her family in a way, that I thought was kind of unlikely! A Facebook group! Apparently there are a lot of Colombian people looking for each other. You can find it here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/356415144461053/?ref=share Natalie also suggested this site as a good resource for Colombian adoptees. https://www.healingpuentes.com The following is information she sent me after our conversation, from when she was having trouble thinking of the term.

Valerie is an adoptee with a LOT of life experience, and I just don't mean age, which is a bit of a mystery. She's had a lot of adventures and shares some of them in our conversation! We talked about SO much! There was laughter and tears (On my end) and some silliness in this conversation. She wrote a book called Mystic Masquerade: An adoptee's search for truth, which should be out sometime in August. http://www.valerienaiman.com Instagram@valnaimanauthor  Facebook@valnaimanauthor --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Barbara Raymond is the author of one of the most important books (In my opinion) because it kept Georgia Tann from fading into history. If Barbara hadn't stumbled across Georgia's story while working on an article she thought was going to be about an adoption reunion in the 1990s, Georgia could very well have faded into obscurity. Thanks to her diligence and excellent investigative skills, she uncovered the truth behind Georgia Tann and her crimes. Georgia Tann was born and raised in Hickory, Mississippi. Her father was a judge. She wanted to be a lawyer, they wanted her to become a concert pianist. She learned law, but her father forbade her from attempting to become a lawyer as that wasn't suitable for a woman at the time, so instead she became a social worker. Georgia ran the Memphis branch of the Tennessee Children's home society from the 1920s-1950 when she died from cancer. During that time, she ran a massive black market child trafficking business. She saw wealthy people as above poor people, and decided that if you were poor you could not raise your children properly. She began stealing babies and children from the poor, selling them to the wealthy and famous, and using them to manipulate law-makers. She popularized adoption by running ads for children in papers all across the country. Approximately 500 babies and children died while in her "care". Unfortunately she died before she would face justice. Georgia Tann is the mother of modern adoption in the United States. Buy a copy of "The Baby Thief" for yourself to learn more about the mother of modern adoption. The podcast Criminal is one of my favorite podcasts, and they did an excellent episode about Georgia Tann with Barbara called "The Baby Snatcher". If you are interested in being a guest on the Conversations About Adoption podcast, email me with a very brief overview of your story ⁠⁠⁠⁠info@conversationsaboutadoption.com⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

What this podcast is about. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Free flow ADHD rambling thoughts about social media and our community --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Lisa Elaine Scott is a writer and filmmaker. She is a Baby Scoop Era California adoptee and the director of the upcoming film “All You Have Is Love: Demand, Deception and the Infant Adoption Industry. If you can, please support this incredibly important project with a donation. Seed & Spark Crowdfunding Campaign https://seedandspark.com/fund/allyouhaveislove#story If you can't donate, please share this podcast far and wide!

An activist, comedian, director, and middle school theatre teacher, CJ Miller aspires to do everything he can to change the world for the better. A holder of degrees in both Theatre and Aerospace Technology, CJ is also a military veteran, an actor, and an outstanding dramaturg (even though no one knows what that is).  CJ can be found on Tiktok as @childlessparent speaking out against the legalized human trafficking system in the United States known as “adoption” in creative and entertaining ways.  Speaking of adoption, eight years ago CJ's daughter was adopted away from him against his wishes. A traumatic story steeped in racism and white supremacy, the ex-girlfriend and mother of CJ's child, a white Southern debutante, reached out to an adoption agency to help conceal her pregnancy and have the baby adopted out of the country. Why? Because she was afraid of losing her inheritance and being disowned by certain members of her family if they found out she had a child with a black man even though she had no problem letting her family know she was dating that black man.  . . . . White women are weird.  The adoption agency was more than willing to assist in separating a black man from his child for the sake of one white woman's selfishness and another one's infertility issues. And despite what feels like the entire country choosing not to acknowledge the cultural genocide of adoption, CJ is on a mission to be reunited with his daughter just like his heroes Bryan Mills and Bebe Chow. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Today I am reading this article. Families and adoption: the pediatrician's role in supporting communication. ABSTRACT: Each year, more children join families through adoption. Pediatricians have an important role in assisting adoptive families in the various challenges they may face with respect to adoption. The acceptance of the differences between families formed through birth and those formed through adoption is essential in promoting positive emotional growth within the family. It is important for pediatricians to be informed about adoption and to share this knowledge with adoptive families. Parents need ongoing advice with respect to adoption issues and need to be supported in their communication with their adopted children. References Borchers, D. (2003). Families and adoption: the pediatrician's role in supporting communication. Pediatrics, 112(6 Pt 1), 1437–1441. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.112.6.1437 Permalink (You may not be able to access it unless you are a student, or have access to the database via subscription. ) https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=mdc&AN=14654626&site=eds-live&scope=site&custid=wliberst --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Because Mother's day is complex when you are affected by adoption, and people in my groups had started talking about mother's day feels in various groups and other platforms, I decided to open up a zoom room and have a Mother's day chat. I invited people in from all the platforms that I remembered while spontaneously putting this together yesterday. (TikTok, FB groups, Instagram, and twitter.) I really didn't expect anyone to show up with such short notice, but there were 9 participants, and it was a nice mixture of perspectives from the adoption community. I may try to make this a yearly thing. We'll see if my ADHD brain remembers next year. (Hint, I might need reminded.) As always this is an unedited, raw, organic conversation about adoption. And typical to zoom, there were some minor connection issues here and there, and audio issues. I hope if you listen, you will get something out of this conversation. If people leave some feed back about this episode, I will do a mini episode where I read them all. I finally graduated from university, so I am going to be able to produce more episodes in a consistent way. I already have some planned for this week! If you are interested in being on the podcast, email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I have a Facebook group for all affected by adoption called Conversations about adoption. And a Facebook group for adoptees only as well. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Just an update from Louisville Kentucky where I've been attending the untangling our Roots summit --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Just an update to let everyone know I'll be attending the summit in Louisville KY March 30th- April 1st. And reminder on how to contact me. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

I spoke with Isabel a transracial adoptee who has been in reunion with her mother since she was 17. She is an example of another adoptee who acted out due to trauma, and was sent away. She talks about reunion, her siblings, her adoptive family, and how being racially ambiguous while growing up with a lack of genetic mirroring has affected her sense of identity. Hope you give it a listen! You can find Isabel on TikTok and Instagram I hope you give her a follow! And again the email address if you are interested in being on the podcast is info@conversationsaboutadoption.com Don't forget I have stickers available! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

In this conversation I am talking to Chelle, and our conversation hits many different points. She told me how her open started out as open, but her adopters closed it within the first few months of her life, how she was thrust into reunion when she was a teen because of issues at home, and eventually became a pert of the trouble teen industry when her adoptive parents decided they couldn't deal anymore, and she was sent to an all girls center for troubled teens. They were dehumanized, isolated even from each other, and made to work. We also talk about how she asked her birth dad to re-adopt her! And she told me how she is involved in the online adoption community today. You can find her on Instagram at @myalteredadoption She is part of a Facebook group called Exploring grief through art And she is a moderator for the Facebook group Adopted Chameleons If you are an adoptee or first parent who hasn't had the opportunity to share your story on a podcast and would like to, email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

This is a conversation I had with Suzanna, she tells me about her adoption, and the subsequent court battle that happened when her first mom tried to regain custody of her after her revocation period. We also discuss her search and reunion. We have something in common in that we are both Pennsylvania adoptees, and had to go through the same court system to access information about our families. We talk a lot about the awkwardness of reunion and the things we would've done differently knowing what we know now. If you are a first parent or adoptee who has not yet shared your story on a podcast and would like to, send me an email at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I have stickers available too! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

** TRIGGER WARNING** Vin talks briefly about sexual assault in this episode. This is a conversation with my very good friend Vin who is an international transracial adoptee who was born in India and raised on Australia. We have been friends for several years and we have a conversation up on my YouTube channel that is MUCH more in-depth, but I decided I wanted to include him here in podcast format as well. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost your child to adoption and are interested in being on the podcast please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I am doing a little fundraising by selling 2"x2" stickers, if you are interested you can email at the about address as well. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Sarah is a baby scoop era adoptee who recently started making tiktoks about her experiences as an adoptee. In this episode she discussed how she felt finding out the only knowledge she had about her first parents was incorrect, including her nationality. Her username on Tiktok is @higher7771 please give her a follow. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

In this special series for National Adoption/Adoptee Awareness month (November) I asked adoptees to call in and leave a message answering the question,  "What is the best advice you could give to an adoptee just learning about the primal wound, and just venturing out of the fog?" I obviously didn't do a good job with this... I need to start preparing before November.. also I was in school which made it difficult. I want to thank the people who called in to answer this question!  If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

In this conversation I talk with the film maker of "Reckoning with the Primal Wound" Rebecca Autumn Samson! Join us on the Struggle-bus and check out our conversation! She is a reunited adoptee who was inspired to make a film about her story incorporating the book called "The Primal Wound" by Nancy Verrier. This book has helped many adoptees recognize how adoption has affected them, however it should be noted that Nancy is an adoptive mother and this book is written from that perspective. Her film will be officially available to rent through Vimeo on October 15th, 2022! Links: Tiktok @RWtheprimalwound Website: https://reckoningwiththeprimalwound.com/ Vimeo channel: Blonde Records Twitter: @rwtpw_film Facebook page And I have a new website up! I still need to build it up, I am working on ideas for what I want to put on it. www.conversationsaboutadoption.com If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Thanks for joining us today! In this episode I talk with Marc who is an adoptee with quite a few labels. He is an international adoptee being born in Colombia. He is a transracial adoptee as his adopters (as he calls them) are mid-western white Americans. And Marc is also transgender. I came across Marc on Tiktok not long after he joined it, and began making videos about adoption. I am a fan of his content, as it is typically very artistic with a little humor and snarkiness. You can find his Instagram here. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

This is a special bonus episode where I have a quick chat with Paul Brian Tovey who is a UK adoptee and artist. He is active on some social media and has been working on collecting data about adoption via a survey project.  Please be sure to participate in his adoptee survey! He has a blog on Medium.  You also can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

In this episode originally posted on YouTube on October 7, 2020, Carrie tells us her story of how she lost her child to adoption. It is another story of a woman in a vulnerable situation being coerced into relinquishing her child. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

This was a totally spontaneous Conversation had with DezaRay who is a transracial adoptee. I have followed her for years on Instagram, but recently she has joined Adopteetok which is to say the adoption community on Tiktok of adoptees, foster care survivors, first parents, and other advocates who spend their time and energy to bring awareness to all the complexities and ethical issues of infant adoption, transracial adoption, foster to adopt, international adoption, kinship adoption, open adoptions, closed adoptions... and so on. DezaRay is the Outspoken adoptee and I am so glad she is. We talked about the video she made last week where someone complained about how much it costs to adopt a baby, being a transracial adoptee growing up in Utah, and so much more. Anytime an adoptee gets to talk with another adoptee, it is kind of like talking an old friend, talking to DezaRay was a lot like that for me especially since I see her face almost every day, and that's probably why this episode is over 2 hours long. oops. I hope you will listen to the whole episode even if it is in chunks. This was a great conversation about adoption. Thanks for listening! If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

This is a bonus episode originally posted on April 19, 2018 on Youtube. I asked adoptees and first parents to call in an answer the question, "How has adoption affected your intimate relationships?" If you like the idea of contributing, please subscribe so you can receive notifications about questions you can contribute answers too. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Hi! This is the VERY first episode I ever tried to make, so please bear with the editing job. (This is why I don't edit anymore. I am not an editor.) This was originally published in 2016. This is a conversation with my friend Joey who is also a baby scoop adoptee. He made a documentary film about obtaining his original birth certificate when Ohio made them available to adoptees in 2014. Who am I? is available on YouTube. Joey and I plan on recording a follow up episode to give an update on his story in the near future. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

**Trigger warning she talks about how babies and children were abused, and her brother's abuse.** This conversation is long but so important as the survivors of Georgia Tann are aging & it is so important that they tell their stories. If you are unfamiliar with Georgia Tann, she ran the Tennessee Children's home in Memphis (Which was very corrupt at the time.) from the 20s till 1950 when she died from cancer just 3 days before she was to be indicted. She stole over 5,000 babies and children from poor families in Tennessee only to sell them to people she deemed more worthy to be parents due to their wealth. Her business spanned the country with syndicated newspaper ads for "available" children being run from New York to California. I first learned of her in an episode of the Criminal podcast called "The Baby snatcher", and have since read the book by Barbara Raymond called "The Baby Thief". Barbara actually tracked down people and dug in the archives of court houses in libraries in order to tell the story of Georgia Tann. Judy and some of her siblings were children stolen by Georgia. Judy was fortunate that she was adopted by a doting couple, her brother was not as fortunate. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

This episode is a conversation with Renee Lynn Gellin lost her son through a perfect storm of financial struggles, and adoption coercion. This experience inspired her to want to prevent other mothers from losing their babies to adoption. She is a cofounder of Saving our sisters adoption. If you are unfamiliar with them, they are a family preservation organization. They and their many volunteers around the country work to support mothers in crisis so they do not feel the need to relinquish their baby for adoption. This episode was originally recorded in January of 2019 for my YouTube channel. There was a need for video editing, and I feel inept at editing videos, so it was put on the back burner, and kind of forgotten about. (I know that is crappy) Now that I am releasing episodes as podcast audio again, I reached out to Rene and asked if she would be ok with me releasing it as it is or would she want to rerecord, she said “Run with it!” So I am. I am very excited to finally present this episode to the public. Please bear in mind the information in this episode is dated because the conversation is 4 years old. There is no Youtube version of this episode. Links Saving Our Sisters website where you can donate, sign up to volunteer, or seek help. Facebook Page for S.O.S. Adoption S.O.S. On Twitter S.O.S. On Tiktok Family Preservation Project on TikTok If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Posted August 2, 2022 This is a conversation I had with Shyanne. She is the first mom featured in the Time magazine article called "The baby Brokers". This is an audio only version, now video on my YouTube channel due to technical difficulties. Shyanne's linktree which includes a link to the article. This conversation was recorded via zoom, which caused a slight delay and occasional overlap. Thanks for bearing with me through this stuff. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Originally published 4/29/2018 This is the conversation I had with Janet a Canadian first mother of the baby-scoop era. She has searched and found her daughter but there is very little contact between them at the time this was recorded. She has a great story to tell and we talk about a whole variety of adoption issues. This one is very long, but I think very worthwhile. Halfway through my dog started barking, I apologize, I hope you can tolerate it and get through the whole conversation. You can find the video version of this interview on YouTube here. If you are an adoptee or parent who lost a child to adoption and would like to be on the podcast, please email me at info@conversationsaboutadoption.com I also have stickers available! Email me to get some! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support

Originally published 4/21/2018 This episode was originally uploaded to YouTube in video format. Damon is a fellow adoptee and host of the podcast Who am I really? He shares his amazing story, and we talk about adoption, podcasting, life, and more. I apologize for the audio quality. If you would like to be a guest on a future episode, click here. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/convosaboutadoption/support