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As the calendar turns from August into September, back-to-school season brings fresh sneakers, bustling hallways, and clean slates. Yet beneath the excitement, children separated from their birth families often wrestle with a quiet, persistent question: "Do I belong anywhere?" In this special August/September double episode of Calendar Conversations, host April Dinwoodie dives into the complex intersections of back-to-school transitions, identity, and transracial adoption. Drawing from her own lived experience growing up Black and biracial in a 96% white town, April reveals the invisible toll of overperforming to fit in. She candidly shares how varsity cheerleading became armor, how the desperate desire for acceptance led her to unsafe spaces, and how an underlying fear of being "sent back" made her test the very family that loved her. With September marking Suicide Prevention Month and Adoptee Suicide Prevention Awareness, April addresses the sobering reality behind adoptee mental health statistics and offers parents four concrete, proactive practices to build psychological safety at home. Featuring insights inspired by Colin Kaepernick's journey growing up as an adopted Black youth in Turlock, California, this episode serves as an urgent reminder for caregivers: hold your children close at home so they never have to bargain for belonging out in the world. Support & Resources Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988 (Free, confidential, available 24/7). Adoptee Mental Health: September is Adoptee Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Featured Reference: Colin Kaepernick's story of identity, family, and transracial adoption.

In this episode, April discusses the profound impact of adoption on identity, the importance of openness and reform, and how adoptive parents can foster a supportive environment for their children's lifelong journey of self-discovery. Takeaways     •    Adoption is a lifelong relationship, not a one-time transaction.     •    Most states still seal original birth certificates, limiting access.     •    Advocacy for openness should start with adoptive parents.     •    Human identity is not fixed at the moment of adoption.     •    Creating a culture of questions and openness benefits children. Connect with April & The Community:     •    Website: juneinapril.com     •    Instagram/Social Media: @juneinapril     •    Transform Your Family: Learn more about TRJ Family Camp (Together on the Journey)—a warm, supportive, and transformative space for families connected by transracial adoption.

In this episode, April begins by exploring the profound theme of naming and claiming in adoption. June also invites us to notice, name, and claim the fathers and father-figures in our lives, whether they are present, tenderly remembered, deeply complicated, or still questions. This Episode Covers: The Texture of a Namesake Month: How birth names hold an entire universe of history, mystery, and origin for adopted persons. Expanding the Definition of Fathering: Moving past traditional boxes to embrace birth, adoptive, chosen, and elder father-figures. Questions for the Inner House: Honest reflections for adoptive parents on the language used surrounding fathers of origin. June Calendar Practices: Practical, physical ways to anchor your reflections, circle your truth, and use symbols to honor those who have shaped your child's journey. Connect with April & The Community: Website: juneinapril.com Instagram/Social Media: @juneinapril Transform Your Family: Learn more about TRJ Family Camp (Together on the Journey)—a warm, supportive, and transformative space for families connected by transracial adoption.

"I simply would not exist without one, and I can't imagine existing without the other." In this episode of Calendar Conversations, host April Dinwoodie leans into the profound emotional tension of May—a month often defined by Mother's Day and National Foster Care Month. For adoptive and foster families, May isn't just about flowers and brunch; it is a complex landscape of "disenfranchised grief," curiosity, and deep connection. April shares her personal journey as an adoptee named June by her mother of origin and April by her adoptive parents. She explores why the "April showers" of original mother loss are necessary for the "May flowers" of a new family to bloom. This conversation provides adoptive parents with a vital "toolbox" to help their children navigate the questions they may be too afraid to ask. In this episode, we discuss: Disenfranchised Grief: Understanding the loss that society often fails to acknowledge. Managing the Mothering Landscape: Why parents must heal their own mother wounds to hold space for their child's grief. The Bridge of Curiosity: Practical ways to validate a child's wonder about their mother of origin. National Foster Care Month: The role of foster parents as stewards of original connections. Managing Expectations: How to celebrate Mother's Day without placing the burden of emotional validation on your child. Join us as we practice this month's mantra: Care comes from many hands. Key Takeaways  Acknowledge the Sadness: It is okay to feel grief even in a month of celebration. Be the Bridge: Ask the questions your child might be too afraid to voice. Self-Care is Child-Care: Manage your own emotional needs on Mother's Day so your child doesn't have to. Celebrate the Blend: Recognition for the original mother, the foster mother, and the mother raising the child today. Links: Learn more about April's work and book a parent coaching session https://aprildinwoodie.com/ Learn more about TRJ Family Camp at Ohio University July 30-Aug 2 https://www.togetheronthejourney.org/ Learn about Disenfranchised Grief in Adoption from Dr. Gregory Manning https://youtu.be/UYfAcHGkRLs?si=mbwcJgfSiouawB-0

In rural New England, we're taught that "April showers bring May flowers"—the idea that hardship eventually leads to joy. But for adopted and foster youth, the "showers" of grief, identity confusion, and ambiguous loss don't follow a simple weather pattern. In this episode, April Dinwoodie explores why adopted children are often labeled as "dramatic" or "attention-seeking" when they are actually navigating profound emotional pain. April shares her own journey as a transracially adopted person and dives into the data from C.A.S.E. that highlights the unique mental health needs of the adoption community.  Visit C.A.S.E to learn more https://adoptionsupport.org/stateofpractice/#survey-highlights

March is filled with symbols of luck—four-leaf clovers, leprechauns, and pots of gold. But for many adopted people, the idea of being "lucky" can feel far more complicated. In this episode of Calendar Conversations with June in April, April Dinwoodie explores the powerful narratives that often surround adoption—especially the message that adopted children should feel "lucky." While often well-intended, this narrative can unintentionally silence the very real experiences of loss, grief, curiosity, and identity that many adopted people carry. April shares research on openness in adoption, explains the concept of genetic bewilderment, and introduces the L.U.C.K.Y. framework—a practical guide to help parents navigate difficult moments with empathy, honesty, and connection.

February holds Valentine's Day and Black History Month — tenderness and truth, celebration and resistance. In this powerful February episode of Calendar Conversations with June in April, April Dinwoodie explores the gap between loving and protecting transracially adopted children. As a Black woman raised in a white adoptive family, April reflects on growing up deeply loved — and yet not always protected from racism in extended family spaces, schools, and the broader culture. She shares how children absorb what adults interrupt… and what they allow. In a moment when racism is more explicit and family separation is visible in public life, transracially adopted children are navigating layers of identity, belonging, grief, and racialized harm — often without adults realizing what is landing in their bodies. This episode invites white adoptive parents to examine: Do you love Blackness beyond your child? Have you confronted racism within your own family systems? Have you built authentic relationships in communities that reflect your child's identity? Have you chosen your child's dignity over your own comfort? Because loving the child entrusted to you through adoption is not the same as being prepared to protect them. This conversation is about activist love — love that interrupts harm, aligns publicly, builds community, and stands between a child and the world. Transracially adopted children deserve more than affection. They deserve protection.

Belonging is a fundamental human need, yet for adopted persons, it is often a persistent challenge. While not everyone can fully grasp the lived experience of navigating adoption, separation, and dual belonging, everyone understands the rhythm of the calendar. In this episode, April Dinwoodie (June in April) introduces the calendar as a universal, practical parenting tool for planning and ongoing practice. By "Mapping What Matters," families can move beyond the silence of grief and "color-blind" parenting and begin to name the realities of identity and origin. April shares how her own history—being named June by her parent of origin and April by her adoptive family—taught her that multiple truths can exist side-by-side on the same calendar. Learn how to use this shared rhythm to create a brighter path to belonging for the children entrusted to you.

In this episode of Calendar Conversations – A Guide for Adoptive Parents, host April Dinwoodie explores how adoptive families can rethink holiday traditions with intention and openness. Rather than following rituals simply because "we've always done it that way," April invites listeners to consider which traditions truly foster connection, honor a child's full identity, and create a sense of belonging. From embracing meaningful new rituals to letting go of those that no longer fit, this episode encourages families to celebrate difference and build traditions that reflect their unique stories. April also offers reflection questions to help guide conversations at home as the year comes to a close. A thoughtful, grounding way to close out the year—and to step into the next one with clarity and heart.

In this November episode of Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, host April Dinwoodie invites listeners to reflect on what it means to set the holiday table with intention in complex times. Thanksgiving is often framed as a celebration of gratitude and togetherness—but for many, including adoptive and transracial families, it also stirs deeper emotions and difficult truths. April explores how this tension mirrors the complexity of adoption itself: the beauty of connection intertwined with loss, absence, and identity. With honesty and heart, April offers practical ways to approach the holidays with greater reflection and care—creating space for grief, gratitude, and the full story of family. This episode reminds us that the most meaningful traditions aren't about perfection; they're about truth, inclusion, and belonging. Key themes:  • Honoring the complexity of Thanksgiving and adoption stories  • Setting the table with intention and awareness  • Inviting family of origin and multiple truths into your celebrations  • Practicing narrative equity and making space for the whole story

This October, host April Dinwoodie explores the masks we wear — the ones we put on to belong, to stay safe, or to make others comfortable — and what happens when we start to take them off. Through the lens of adoption and identity, April reflects on how masking often begins as a form of protection and survival, especially for adopted persons navigating complex narratives about family and belonging. She also invites adoptive parents to look at their own patterns of masking and how curiosity, honesty, and empathy can help everyone in the family feel seen and safe enough to be real. With a special focus on transracial adoption, this episode examines the cultural tensions of the Halloween season — from costumes to cultural appropriation — and offers reflective questions to help families unmask with courage and compassion. Belonging begins with truth — and every time we unmask, we make it a little easier for someone else to do the same.

In this September episode of Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, April Dinwoodie reflects on what's surfacing for children a few weeks into the school year—feelings of belonging, othering, and the silent weight many carry. April shares why parents must do their own work around belonging, avoid the pitfall of assuming silence means "everything's fine," and lean into the messy middle of conversations about adoption, identity, and friendship. This episode sets the stage for October's theme: The Masks We Wear.

In this August episode of Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, April Dinwoodie reflects on the realities of back-to-school season today versus her own childhood. While her school days were filled with questions of identity and belonging as a transracially adopted person, she never had to face active shooter drills or the fears that weigh on students now. Against the backdrop of political rollbacks in DEI, curriculum bans, and underfunded support systems, April shares how these shifts impact children—especially those navigating adoption and complex identities. She also lifts up a story of a Black father's conversation with his son about their family name and connects it to the layers of meaning names hold in adoption. This episode offers practical ways parents can stay plugged in, advocate for their children, and create cultural safety nets at home. Above all, it is a reminder that back-to-school is not just for kids—we are all always learning, always growing.

In this July episode, host April Dinwoodie explores what freedom really means in adoption - personally, politically, and emotionally. Through four powerful lessons, she unpacks the complexitites of identity access, parental responsibility, grief, and the impact of systemic injustice. As July's national celebrations unfold, this episode challenges listeners to think beyond fireworks and flags - and instead, reflect on how freedom is experienced, denied, and protected in the lives of adopted people and the families who love them.

In this heartfelt June episode of Calendar Conversations, host April Dinwoodie continues her two-part series exploring expansive definitions of family. With Father's Day as our guidepost, we honor the many forms of fathering that show up in the lives of adopted persons — from fathers of origin and adoptive dads to mentors, uncles, grandfathers, and beyond. April shares personal reflections on the joy and ache of Father's Day, shines a light on the systemic erasure of fathers (especially Black fathers), and offers tangible ways adoptive parents and caregivers can foster healing, identity, and connection during this emotionally complex season. Whether through naming, ritual, or brave conversation, this episode is an invitation to hold space for all the hands and hearts that shape a child's life — and to offer them the gift of wholeness.