Adoptees On

How often have we joked about how expensive therapy is? What do we do when we’re overwhelmed, feeling lost and have limited resources? Today Dr. Julie Lopez, PhD, LICSW tells us about her new initiative, The Resilient Brain Project. Where else can you find a comprehensive library of free apps, videos, playlists, research, and more that have been vetted by expert adoption-competent mental health providers? Listen in as Dr. Julie gives us an overview of what you can find for free over at The...

Alice shares her experiences of secrets in an in-family adoption and also how her recent reunion with her biological father alerted her to some of the damaging ways her adoptive mother behaved. Alice and I talk about signs of narcissism and she walks us through some real-life examples of how this behaviour showed up in her life, and what she’s done to walk away from the toxicity. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us Send a note to the Adoptees On page and I will forward it...

Adoptees often struggle in intimate-partner relationships because we had our trust broken at a very early age. In this episode of the healing series, Marta Drachenberg, LMHC, and Haley discuss some personal examples of relationship issues that seem to keep repeating themselves. Marta teaches us what to look out for, how attachment styles affect our relationships, and how some disagreements with our partners can actually be caused by adoption-issues in disguise. Full Show Notes...

Today we talk about what happens when two adopted people get married to each other. Stephani is candid with us about some of what triggers her and her husband, and how that can escalate quickly. She also shares about how being in Internal Family Systems therapy together has been a game-changer for their relationship. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us FacebookTwitterInstagramFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Play | iHeart Radio | Spotify |...

Marta Drachenberg, LMHC, teaches us about the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, something she feels is particularly effective for adoptees. Marta explains that our best advocate and healer is found within ourselves! IFS helps us to discover the 8 Cs that come with self-leadership: calm, creativity, compassion, curiosity, courage, clarity, connectedness, and confidence. If traditional talk therapy has not been working for you, Internal Family Systems may be a good fit. Full Show Notes...

It’s an honour to bring you this mother/daughter duo, Fleurette and Amy, for an in-depth view of a long-term reunion. We talk about the unusual circumstances surrounding Amy’s adoption, the disappointment they both felt after their first official in-person meeting, how bringing grandkids into the equation shifted their relationship, and how many years it took them before they felt their reunion relationship was “normal”. Spoiler alert - it was a loooong time. Full Show Notes Here Connect...

Rebekah Henson and Mary Anna King give us an insider’s view of their reunion as two of seven siblings separated by adoption. Expect lots of laughter as we get invited into some inside jokes, and they share practical examples of how they maintain their relationships with each other even while living in seven different states across the country. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us TwitterInstagramMediumTwittermaryannaking.comTwitterInstagramFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebook...

Today you are invited into a conversation between Anne Heffron and her ex-husband Ryan Iwanaga. They tell us about their marriage, the things that pulled them apart, and we talk about what they’ve done since their divorce in order to co-parent well and have a peaceful relationship as friends. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us TwitterFacebook12anneheffron.comFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Play | iHeart Radio | Spotify |...

How many times have you thought, “I’m a mistake, I don’t belong here”? Pamela Cordano, MFT, tells us about how she first encountered MeaningWork and how it can help us access inspiration and joy in our lives. If you’ve ever felt disconnected, alone, or stuck, this conversation will inspire you to take a look at your life with a different lens. Pam teaches us about Viktor Frankl’s work and how it can align perfectly with an adoptee looking to build resilience and strength. Find full show...

Genetic Sexual Attraction (GSA) can be a controversial and uncomfortable subject to broach, but we are exploring the topic today. Today Jane shares her personal experience of a GSA relationship with a sibling and Leslie Pate Mackinnon, LCSW brings her professional expertise to the topic. Some estimates are up to half of all adoptees in reunion feel some sort of attraction to a genetic family member, which Leslie believes is likely a search for attachment. We recommend where to go for...

What do you do when you get triggered? Pamela Cordano, MFT gives us a few simple, yet powerful tools to stock in our triggered triage kit. This is a must-listen for anyone who has experienced the intensity of a triggering moment and felt helpless and stuck in overwhelm. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us www.pamelacordanomft.comTwitterInstagramFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebookTwitterInstagramFacebook Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Google Play | iHeart Radio | Spotify | Stitcher |...

Doug Umberger has spent hours and hours interviewing adoptees to find out how digital media has impacted their search and eventually their relationships with biological families. He shares his personal journey of searching for his birthmother through digital media channels, and how ultimately what convinced him to press pause on his search for now. Doug recounts a few of his participants’ experiences for us, and I want you to listen with me for both the benefits that relationships via...

Paige Adams Strickland shares with us about the complexity of building relationships in the workplace as an adopted person. Many years into her career, Paige has a unique vantage point to give us an overview of what it was like thirty years ago if you even broached the subject of adoption reunion with a colleague - all the way to present day and what it’s like for her now. We talk jobs, the difficulties some of us have building friendships and the extra layer of feeling inadequate that...

I want to invite you into a discussion about relationships with ourselves, through the lens of identity and race. April Dinwoodie shares her journey of growing up brown in a white family, navigating relationships with her adoptive family and how she has come to claim her own identity. We also touch on the recent closure of the Donaldson Adoption Institute and what April sees as the way forward in the advocacy movement. Full show notes here Connect With Us April Dinwoodie: Twitter |...

Caitríona Palmer’s bestselling memoir, “An Affair with My Mother” captivated my heart immediately. It’s an honour to bring her story to you. Caitríona shares what building a relationship with her mother was like, the heartbreak of being kept a secret and the high cost she’s paid for sharing her story publicly. Listen in and find out how you can join our book club with Caitríona! { Caitríona Palmer’s photo by Megan Witt Full show notes here Connect With Us Caitríona Palmer: Twitter |...

I interview my husband Nick about what it’s like to be married to an adopted person. He shares quite candidly about what it was like for him to walk through reunion with me TWICE! We also talk about what’s been the most helpful in building our relationship as we navigate adoptee triggers and coming out of the fog together. Full Show Notes Here Connect With Us Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Monthly Newsletter Send a Note or...

Jeanette Yoffe, MFT shares about what inspired her to begin a support group for adoptees. We cover how to start your own group and best practices for peer-facilitated groups. If starting or joining a support group feels too intimidating, don’t worry! Jeanette has a great idea for free support: find a listening partner. Full show notes here Connect With Us Jeanette Yoffe, MFT: Twitter | Groundbreaking Interventions: Working with Traumatized Children, Teens and Families in Foster...

Jeanette Yoffe, MFT addresses the psychological and emotional impacts of growing up in foster care, including multiple placements and the layers these can add to adoption trauma. She helps us understand complex trauma and gives us a variety of practical healing exercises. This episode is educational and full of tools you can start implementing today to move forward on your healing journey. Full Show Notes Available Here Connect With Us Jeanette Yoffe, MFT: Groundbreaking Interventions:...

Can we actually *heal* from adoption trauma or are we just building up a huge toolbox of coping strategies? My guests Pamela Cordano, MFT and Anne Heffron discuss creativity, why so many adoptees gravitate towards creative pursuits and why healing in community means magnified healing. https://www.adopteeson.com/newsletter https://www.adopteeson.com/partner

Nicole Rademacher is a multicultural adoptee and a professional contemporary artist. She tells us about her reunion with her biological parents and her two brothers, and how it has informed her creative practice. Nicole and I chat about some of her projects, including one that is still in the works, and I am still in awe of the brilliance of it. Nicole is passionate about connecting with other adopted and fostered people, and helping us to record and process our...