Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Latest Episodes:

Stacie: For This Adoptee, the Longing Tugged at her Heart Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

Stacie is a Canadian born and an adoptee to same race and religion parents in 1991-1992. She is part of a mixed family of adopted and “home-made” siblings, all boys, and is the second oldest. She grew up mostly outdoors in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah. Traveling to Canada every summer fostered loving bonds with both of her grandmas and many cousins. Living further away from them, though, meant she had to create her group of “family” as she grew up. She’s maintained supportive friendships spanning over 25 years that have involved a lot of skiing, hiking, traveling, education, football games, collecting dogs, significant others, and now nieces and nephews.
Reading and music have always been crucial in her life allowing her to think beyond the mountains enclosing the valley she grew up in. Her parents couldn’t contain her independence early on as she studied abroad in Costa Rica and then Spain. After the initial culture shock, she thrives in solitude; searching for something untouched by her conscious mind, a longing that always tugged at her heart. Learning about and experiencing other cultures has been a way to fill the void of her unknown lineage. She isn’t afraid to show her gratitude in any setting: thankfulness, every moment, every experience, and every person who has contributed to that
sense of fullness.
Regardless of the reason for “searching” for a first family, Stacie believes in adoptees. should always feel free and empowered to do so. She doesn’t believe there is a “right” way to do it as adoptees never signed a legal form to be in this position so they shouldn’t be held to the standards are adoptive parents agreed to. The World Wide Web is our friend!
Stacie hopes to finish her memoir at some point in the future and maintain healthy
relationships with all the family involved in her birth and upbringing. You can find her only on Instagram @stacegrier or in the mountains. Sending so much love to all the adoptees finding their way or already there
Update: We are not able to attend Chicago Foglift - to attend: Foglift Early Bird Link: Chicago: May 17th & 18th
LIVE PODCAST GUEST: If you would like to be the guest on the LIVE podcast by Sarah & Louise, please send an email to: themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (make sure you are free to be in Chicago and you would be comfortable in front of a live audience and being filmed/recorded). We will choose one adoptee.
I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito. Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary

If you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.
Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom adoptee community.

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Ken: The Unknown Led to Answers Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

Ken DeStefano is a domestic adoptee born in the late 1960's and raised in a caring and loving home. As an adoptee, he has had a largely happy life, but always wondered about the unknown. That curiosity led to a search for his birth mother and a reunification with her. His debut novel, "I Will See You Again...Hearts Will Sing," tells the story of two people whose past, present, and future lives are inexplicably linked.
Update: We are not able to attend Chicago Foglift - to attend: Foglift Early Bird Link: Chicago: May 17th & 18th
LIVE PODCAST GUEST: If you would like to be the guest on the LIVE podcast by Sarah & Louise, please send an email to: themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (make sure you are free to be in Chicago and you would be comfortable in front of a live audience and being filmed/recorded). We will choose one adoptee.
I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptee 501c3 organizations.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Victoria: A Change in the Law Led to Search and Reunion Mar 05, 2024

Show notes

Victoria Rich never expected to search for her biological family. Always curious about her origins, she did a photography project at the infant home where she was born but did not pursue any personal searching. Then she read The Girls Who Went Away and was struck that so many of the women interviewed said they thought about and worried about their babies all the time. She had grown up hearing the message that you should never look because it would be too painful to open up the old wounds for the birth mother. After about a decade of debating whether or not to search, New York State opened its adoption records in 2020. She first spoke to her birth mother the week before the pandemic shutdown. Their reunion was the subject of a PBS Self-Evident Episode.

Link for The Infant Home Project: Infant Home project
Update: We are not able to attend Chicago Foglift - to attend: Foglift Early Bird Link: Chicago: May 17th & 18th
LIVE PODCAST GUEST: If you would like to be the guest on the LIVE podcast by Sarah & Louise, please send an email to: themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (make sure you are free to be in Chicago and you would be comfortable in front of a live audience and being filmed/recorded). We will choose one adoptee.
I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptee 501c3 organizations.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

John: Operation Baby Lift and the Erasure of Culture Feb 27, 2024

Show notes

John Frey was born in Vietnam and brought to the United States as part of Operation Babylift when he was a year-and-a-half old. John often struggled with his identity, having been adopted and raised by a White American family while not having any connection to his birth country or culture.

I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptees 501c3 organizations.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kristal: Because She's Adopted Feb 20, 2024

Show notes

Kristal Parke is a talented Cree filmmaker, producer, podcast host, and adoptee, whose personal journey has driven her to explore themes of identity, belonging, and family in her work. Born and raised on the West Coast of Canada, Kristal was adopted into a non-indigenous family as an infant. This experience profoundly shaped her perspective on life, and she has used her creative prowess to shed light on the complexities of adoption and its impact on individuals and communities. In her highly anticipated debut feature documentary, titled "Because She's Adopted," Kristal delves deep into her own life story while also weaving together the narratives of other adoptees from diverse backgrounds. Through heartfelt interviews, poignant storytelling, and powerful visuals, the film offers a touching and introspective exploration of what it truly means to belong, and the universal longing for a sense of connection and acceptance. The “Because She’s Adopted Podcast” will also be making its way onto the podcast stage Fall of 2024. Kristal Parke cements herself as a compassionate and insightful filmmaker and host, encouraging audiences to reflect on their own stories of identity and belonging.
You can find Kristal @Because She's Adopted on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook & YouTube.

I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Thank you S12F for our past support and support of Adoptees 501c3 organizations.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Lorah: The Adopted Chameleon Feb 13, 2024

Show notes

Lorah Gerald is a same race, domestic, Baby Scoop Era, preRoe adoptee. She posts as The Adopted Chameleon on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Patreon, and Pinterest. She co-facilitates Adoptees Connect Tulsa and has a private Facebook group for adoptees and all MPEs called The Adopted Chameleons. She started her social media pages after her reunion with her biological family.

She was raised as an only child in her adoptive family. This was the first time in her life she had ever seen or been in contact with anyone in her biological family. Her birth mother ignored her and rejected her attempts at reunion. She was a secret to her whole family. Reunion was a rollercoaster of emotions. It opened up feelings she had suppressed. She found writing, being creative, and telling her story was therapeutic. Her pages connected her with others who are experiencing adoption trauma. Since that time she has been educating people on the trauma of adoption and how we can help heal ourselves. To better deal with her trauma, she became a certified kundalini yoga instructor, TIYT-Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy instructor, and Reiki Master. With her training in trauma, yoga therapy, and energy healing, she shares these tools online and in person in her weekly yoga classes and workshops. Working with these techniques, she now better understands her trauma and how to help others on their path to being their best and authentic selves.

All of her social media accounts, articles, podcast interviews, classes, workshops, and more can be found on her website.

The Adopted Chameleons group link.
Adoptees Connect Tulsa

I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Thank you for our past support: S12F.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sarah: An International Adoptee Gives Back by Writing Feb 06, 2024

Show notes

Sarah D. Shearer is a writer, wife, and mother. She was adopted from Russia as a baby but has spent her life in Thomasville, Georgia. She is passionate about encouraging people to overcome and maintain a positive perspective.

Sarah is married with two beautiful children. She and her family live on a sprawling rural farm, which gives her, as L.M. Montgomery says in Sarah’s favorite childhood novel Anne of Green Gables, great “scope for the imagination.”

Sarah also enjoys writing for local magazines, reading, and celebrating her friends and family.

I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™
You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:
https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofme
CODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off.
Thank you to our sponsor S12F.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Roy: For this Neurodiverse Adoptee, Art and Music Helped Him Heal Jan 30, 2024

Show notes

Born in Edinburgh in 1963, Roy grew up an only child and always knew he was adopted, or as his adoptive mother, Mollie, would tell him, “chosen”. Whilst loved unconditionally by Mollie and her husband Peter, the stigma of being an adopted teenager in 1970s Scotland resulted in Roy being bullied and spat on in school.

At sixteen, he left Mollie a note asking if she had any information about his blood parents. She supplied a form his birth mother had filled in at the adoption agency that gave some details but omitted others, including his father’s name.

Roy became a father himself in his mid-forties, his newborn son being the first blood relation he had consciously laid eyes on. In his early fifties, having had his full adoption papers opened, Roy discovered his mother had made a Transatlantic trip to give birth to him before swiftly returning to her home in Toronto, keeping her pregnancy a lifelong secret. Within a few months, he had found the identity of his father and traveled to Canada, meeting close family on both sides he’d never known he had.

Roy has since published a series of poems, Be My Baby, and released a CD, Songs from Be My Baby, relating to his adoption and experiences of neurodiversity which further marked him out as "different" at school and continue to impact his life. Writing and performing help him feel closer to both sets of parents and to understanding himself.
I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™
You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:
https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofme
CODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to a 75% off. This only lasts until the end of January, so hurry up before it goes away.
Available in all Sprouts in January 2024
Thank you to our sponsor S12F.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Pam: A Rare Diagnosis Led This Adoptee on a Search Jan 23, 2024

Show notes

Pam Uzzell is a documentary filmmaker and podcaster currently living in Oakland, CA. She is the director and producer of four independent documentaries and the host and producer of the podcast, Art Heals All Wounds.
Her adoptive parents were loving but saw her as the “oddball” of her family, resulting in a profound sense of loneliness. She turned to reading as a way to find a sense of belonging, which led her to gravitate towards storytelling as a career. She’d often been curious about both of her biological parents, but when she was diagnosed with a rare disease at age 30, it felt more crucial to find answers.
After making a connection with her birth mother and her extended family years later, no one on that side of the family appears to have this disease. She discovered that her biological father had passed away two years before she found out his name. In all probability, he was the parent who passed this disease down and he had no other children besides her. However, there are unexplained DNA connections on Ancestry that suggest a mystery behind her father’s origins. Despite attempts to connect with these connections and get more information, she still has more questions than answers about her father’s ancestry and whether there are more biological family members who share this disease.
I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™
You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:
https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofme
CODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to a 75% off. This only lasts until the end of January, so hurry up before it goes away.
Available in all Sprouts in January 2024
Thank you to our sponsor S12F.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook Page

If you want to support our show, visit our Patreon Page.
Our Patrons: Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed, Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson, Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino, Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald, Robin Wells, Lynn Grubb, Mikki Jackson-Brown, Sharon Katzmann, Carol Levitt, Elizabeth McDonald, Diane Moore, Darra Robinson, Jen Arave, Thomas Stevenson, Michael Berman, Cindy Turgeon, Monica Hall, Allison Olson , Lenora Carey, Sandra de Quesada, Noreen Hartigan, Heidi Binnewies, Kathryn Haddad, April Dury,

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sally: For This Adoptee, Hard Life Lessons Are Paying Off Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

Sally King is an adult adoptee from the foster system. Growing up she knew she did not seem to fit anywhere and just accepted that that was who she was. After marrying and having two biological children a little girl came to her and her husband through the foster care system. This had her embark on a journey of self-discovery and acknowledgment and through the later adoption of her daughter and dealing with social services once again she realized the impact her foster and adoption had on her.

Sally has never looked back on her decision and knows full well the impact adoption can have on a person. Good and bad - there is still an impact. She details this journey through many speaking engagements and the writing of her book, "In Search of Serenity".
I Would Meet You Anywhere by Susan Kiyo Ito.
Use Discount MAKINGOF for 30% off.
Magic Mind - The World’s First Productivity Shot™
You get 1 month for free when you’re subscribing for 3 months at:
https://www.magicmind.com/JANmakingofme
CODE: ADOPTION20: It’s an extra 20% off, which gets you to a 75% off. This only lasts until the end of January, so hurry up before it goes away.
Available in all Sprouts in January 2024
Thank you to our sponsor S12F.
Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
To learn more about: CAAR visit the Facebook Page

Support the show

To support the show - Patreon.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected