Advertise on podcast: Adoptees On

332 | Danna Schmidt Today's guest is Danna Schmidt, a writer and celebrant. At eighteen, Danna found herself working in a courthouse with her own sealed adoption file within reach and began plotting how to read it. She shares her story of searching, reunion, and estrangement, and how she's making room for the grief that runs through those experiences. We also explore what it means to reclaim a story that's been told about us by other people, and how writing, meaningful objects, and personal rituals can help us honour our losses and ourselves.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

331 | Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello Today's guest is poet Marci Calabretta Cancio-Bello. Marci shares about growing up in a deeply religious adoptive family. We talk about finding room in her writing for questions about her origins that may never have answers, how translation can echo the adoptee experience, and why creating spaces for adoptee writers matters. There is a mention of abuse in this episode so please take care when listening.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

330 | Deanna Shrodes, D.Min. Today, Deanna Shrodes returns to share the remarkable story behind her new book, Finding Mr. Greek, about searching for, finding, and reuniting with her biological father, Gus, when he was 91 years old. We talk about the precious time they spent together, the peace she found in finally learning the truth, and why she felt called to return to writing and adoptee advocacy.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

329 | Alex Blum  Today's guest is Alex Blum, author of An Accident of Birth. Alex shares his story of how he reconnected with his three full biological brothers through DNA testing. We also talk about seeing yourself reflected in biological family for the first time, nature versus nurture, and what Alex has come to believe about adoption in recent years.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

328 | 10 Years of Adoptees On with Haley Radke, Sullivan Summer, and Kristal Parke I'm the creator and host of this show, which aired it's first episode on July 1, 2016, a full decade ago! When I started Adoptees On all those years ago, my teens were a toddler and a preschooler and I podcasted in a corner of my basement with a laundry rack behind me that I'd toss a quilt overtop of for better sound quality. I had met a few adoptees on twitter and I wanted to have more in depth conversations about reunion, grief, mental health, identity and healing. I just didn't know that thousands of you wanted that too. Thank you for building this show with me. This milestone moment is for every single guest who trusted me with their stories, every listener who felt seen while listening, and all the folks who have supported the show via Patreon, sharing episodes with a friend, or leaving me comments or reviews. I am so honoured to be in community with all of you. Thank you! Today I've invited a couple of friends to turn the microphone on me, and we run the gauntlet of tears to laughter in a very short time, I hope you enjoy! Sullivan Summer and Kristal Parke of Adoption Pop! are here to celebrate ten incredible years with us today!   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

327 | Beth Yu Simpson, MSW, LICSW On today's episode I'm in conversation with Beth Yu Simpson: a therapist, educator, and founder of AIRE Roots. Beth shares how mentorship, community-building, and her own lived experience as a Korean adoptee have shaped her work, including her focus on ancestral healing and adoptee-centered care. We also dig into the gaps in social work education around adoption and what meaningful change could look like.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

326 | Sun Yung Shin My guest today is Sun Yung Shin, poet and author of the new book Heart Eater: A Memoir of Immigration, Belonging, and How We Find Ourselves in Language. Sun Yung's work examines the complexities of transracial and transnational adoption, identity, and the limits of what some adoptees can ever truly know about their origins. We discuss some of the pressures adoptees carry to make sense of their stories, and why we need to move beyond the expected search-and-reunion narrative.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

325 | [Healing Series] Narcissism in Adoptive Parents with Katy Perkins, LICSW-S This is a special episode in our healing series where I interview therapists who are also adoptees themselves, so they know from personal experience what it feels like to be an adoptee. Today we are joined by Katy Perkins to talk about a hot topic in our community, narcissism in adoptive parents. We talk about what it would have looked like to grow up in a family with a narcissistic parent or one with narcissistic tendencies, the impact it could have had on us as kids and now into adulthood. I was fascinated by everything Katy had to share in this conversation and I hope it's helpful for you!   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

324 | Diana On today's episode we are welcoming Diana to the show to share her story of being adopted from Russia at age two. Diana unpacks how early separation, institutional care and adoption shaped her mental health and sense of identity. This episode has mentions of childhood sexual assault, suicidal ideation and disordered eating. Please take care when deciding to listen.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

323 | Lisa Olivera, MFT So honoured to welcome back Lisa Olivera, MFT to explore her new book When the Ache Remains. Lisa shares how becoming a mother has brought up new layers of both loss and connection, and we both open up about recent, painful relationship ruptures.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

322 | Monique Pangari, MEd, SEP I'm so excited to introduce you to today's guest, Australian adoptee and somatic psychotherapist, Monique Pangari. Monique shares about her experiences as a teen mom, what lead her to search for her origins, and how she discovered the man she believed was her father was not biologically related to her. She also reflects on how her lived experience shapes her work supporting adoptees including the concept of personal sovereignty. - I apologize, I inadvertently left off a verbal content warning; this episode has mentions of suicidal ideation, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. Please take care when deciding to listen. *   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

321 | David McCarty-Caplan, Ph.D. Today's guest is Dr. David McCarty-Caplan, a researcher, consultant and a Colombian-born adoptee. After becoming a father himself, David began searching for his biological family, leading to a reunion with his mother and siblings in Colombia — an experience that deepened both his personal journey and his professional research. We talk about his scholarship, including how families and communities can better support adoptees in developing a stronger sense of belonging. Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

320 | Erick Wolfmeyer Today's guest is Erick Wolfmeyer, a contemporary quilt artist known for his bold, large-scale textile works. Erick shares his experiences of being relinquished twice by his mother, their fraught reunion, and the DNA discovery that upended his identity yet again.   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

319 | Kristina Richie Today's guest is Kristina Richie, TikTokker and author of Unraveling Adoption: Weaving Between Two Worlds. She shares some of her story with us, including how her birth mother gained custody of her when Kristina was 16 years old. We talk about how the secrets in her adoptive home shaped her identity, future romantic relationships and attachment patterns.  We do mention suicidal ideation and suicide at a few different points during this conversation so please take care when listening   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.

318 | Diego Vitelli, LMFT Today I'm joined by Diego Vitelli, a Colombian adoptee and adoptee-focused therapist. Diego shares his own adoption story with us, including what it has looked like for him to have been assigned an artificial date of birth. We also talk about the accuracy of using terms like "reunion" and "adoption trauma".   Full Show Notes and Transcript Here   Join our adoptee community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here!   Find out more about Adoptees for Family Preservation here!   Support Haley's new podcast 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.