Adoptees On

Today we’re talking with Lisette Austin, who is going to have a very special role here at Adoptees On, but we won’t spoil exactly what that is, yet. Lisette is an award-winning podcaster, passionate about travel, and also happens to be one of Haley’s good friends. We discuss what it’s meant for Lisette to learn more about her biological family using DNA testing and genealogical research and we share why this particular episode is a milestone marker in the life of the Adoptees On podcast. Please join us in welcoming Lisette Austin to Adoptees On, in her new role as … well, you’ll hear very soon! Full Show Notes Here Show Notes Recommended Resources Adoptee Literary Festival live for free on April 9, 2022! Follow on Instagram: @adopteelitfest The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland Connect With Us Lisette Austin: Twitter | Instagram | travelingmyroots.com | The Globetrotter Lounge Podcast Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Today we are honoured to introduce you to Mike Trupiano. Mike shares about his painful childhood, marred by violence and a feeling of being fully unwanted.  We talk about adoptee healing, about searching for his biological family, which included a literal doorstop visit where he dressed up as a delivery driver. He’s a skilled storyteller, actor and comedian, also a sober coach. Now living in Germany, Mike’s worked so hard at self-care and reclaiming identity, we think you’ll join us in being in awe of the skills he’s built up.  Full Show Notes Here   Recommended Resources Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal by Jeanette Winterson The Bourne Identity - 2002 Film Mind over Matter - Jeanette Winterson’s newsletter on Substack Connect With Us Mike Trupiano: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | miketrupiano.com Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Today we are joined by Melissa Guida-Richards, author of What White Parents Should Know about Transracial Adoption: An Adoptee's Perspective on Its History, Nuances, and Practices. Melissa is a late discovery adoptee, accidentally finding out at age 19 that she was adopted. She shares with us how she’s since reconciled with her adoptive mother and how they now navigate open conversations about race and adoption. Melissa also tells us about how and why she decided to educate and engage with adoptive parents both in print through her words, and in online discussions. Full Show Notes Here Show Notes Recommended Resources What White Parents Should Know about Transracial Adoption: An Adoptee's Perspective on Its History, Nuances, and Practices By Melissa Guida-Richards Adoptee Thoughts - Melissa Guida-Richards’s podcast Adoption Mosaic (Hear more about Adoption Mosaic: Astrid Castro’s appearance on Adoptees On - Episode 156) Connect With Us Melissa Guida-Richards: Twitter | Instagram | www.adopteethoughts.com Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Today I’m talking with Jan Beatty, poet, professor, and the author of the recently released memoir, American Bastard. We talk about how Jan wants to disrupt the traditional narrative, what she calls the “whitewashed” view of adoption. What happens when you publicly name your hockey-famous biological father, even after he denies your paternity claim? We even get to hear a reading from American Bastard, and it is so powerful it certainly made me tear up. Full Show Notes Here Show Notes Recommended Resources American Bastard by Jan Beatty The Body Wars by Jan Beatty (and other books of poetry) Journey of the Adopted Self by B.J. Lifton The West Pole by Diane Glancy Connect With Us Jan Beatty: Twitter | Email beattyjp [at] aol [dot] com | www.janbeatty.com Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

I’m honoured to introduce you to Lisa Olivera today, one of my favourite therapists to follow on Instagram. Her gentle and compassionate presence feels like just what we need in this time. The title of Lisa’s new book, Already Enough: A Path to Self Acceptance, is the perfect description of the message she wants to share with us today: we’re already enough. Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated. Show Notes Recommended Resources Already Enough: A Path to Self Acceptance by Lisa Olivera, MFT Make sure to follow Lisa’s encouraging Instagram account No Bad Parts: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with the Internal Family Systems Model by Richard C. Schwartz, PHD Connect With Us Lisa Olivera, MFT: Instagram | lisaolivera.com Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note

Today Leah Cooper shares how listening to hours and hours and hours of adoptees, birth families, and adoptive parents sharing their stories lead her to what she calls her “volcano of grief”. Leah was a part of a team that created a play called In My Heart: The Adoption Play Project, which has been transformed into a graphic novel. We discuss how the impact of unpacking her adoption experience has been transformational. Full Show Notes Here Show Notes Recommended Resources In My Heart: The Adoption Story Project - Created by Alan Berks & Leah Cooper, Illustrated by Becca Hart The somatic approach - using meditation, yoga, & ASMR The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk Connect With Us Leah Cooper, Wonderlust Productions: Instagram | Facebook | wlproductions.org Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Free preview Patreon episode with all the details of our 2022 Book Club: Adoptees On(ly) Book Club 2022 Announcements Check out our Adoptees On(ly) Book Club picks to add to your TBR pile: https://www.adopteeson.com/bookclub Join our private community: https://www.adopteeson.com/community Connect With Us Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Today we are talking about celebrations with Pam Cordano, MFT because we are celebrating 200 episodes of the Adoptees On Podcast! Pam and Haley talk about how celebrations can often feel scary for us as adopted people because feeling joy or happiness can be disorienting (upper limit problem anyone?). Pam shares a few different reasons why we may feel that way, teaches us steps towards feeling happiness, and how to hold space for both good things and challenging things simultaneously. Full Show Notes Here Show Notes Recommended Resources 10 Foundations for a Meaningful Life (No Matter What's Happened) by Pam Cordano, MFT Read more about the “Upper Limit Problem” in The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks Connect With Us Pam Cordano, MFT: pamcordano.com | yourmeaningful.life | Twitter | Instagram | Email pcordano(at)comcast(dot)net Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Today we welcome back to Adoptees On, Brian Stanton. Brian shares with us how the pandemic morphed his script for a play into his fantastic new film @GhostKingdom. We talk about how relationships can shift for us as adopted people: building relationships with people we may believe are genetic relatives until it’s confirmed they aren’t, and how his conception story that Brian and his mother believed for decades got upended. Full Show Notes Here Show Notes Recommended Resources Brian Stanton’s film @GhostKingdom www.atghostkingdom.com and find a screening here Adoption Truth and Transparency Worldwide Network The Search for Mother Missing: A Peek Inside International Adoption by Janine Vance Journey Of The Adopted Self: A Quest For Wholeness by Betty Jean Lifton Connect With Us Brian Stanton: Instagram | Facebook | thebrianstanton.com | @GhostKingdom Instagram | www.atghostkingdom.com Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

I’m thrilled to bring you today’s guest, Andrea Ross, author of Unnatural Selection: A Memoir of Adoption and Wilderness. Andrea shares how a health crisis lead her outdoors, and how a decade of spending time in the wilderness brought her a feeling of groundedness. We discuss the loneliness that adopted people can face and how we’ve both seen this theme of reconnecting with ancestral landscapes popping up more and more frequently. Full Show Notes Here Show Notes Recommended Resources Unnatural Selection: A Memoir of Adoption and Wilderness by Andrea Ross The Wisdom of Wilderness: Experiencing the Healing Power of Nature by Gerald G. May Adoption: The Making of Me podcast - Andrea’s episode Notes for Colorado adoptees from a fellow adoptee, Anne: The Colorado Department of Human Services can give you your adoption file "If your adoption was handled by the state or a county, or the licensed child placement agency (LPCA) that handled your adoption has closed.“ I was able to receive this information even though I was not physically in Colorado. I just had to send a picture of my ID via email to confirm who I was. This service was free of charge. Colorado adoptees who want to get their OBC and Report of an Adoption (which is basically like an integrated birth certificate and lists your names pre- and post-adoption, your adoptive parents, your birth parents, the date, time and place of your birth, and the attorney who filed the court documents for the adoption), need to contact the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment or go to their website. There is a form to fill out and a fee to pay for this service. One piece of information regarding sealed adoption information in Colorado is that circa 1990 all of the paper files were collected from the county courthouses to be microfiched and held centrally. So be prepared to receive copies of microfiche film that is potentially difficult to decipher. More info and links available here from Adoption Search Resource Connection (based in Colorado): www.asrconline.org/get-records Connect With Us Andrea Ross: www.andrearosswriter.com | Twitter | Instagram | Personal Facebook | Facebook Page Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher | YouTube Support Adoptees On One Time Donation | Monthly | Secret Facebook Group Connect Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.