Advertise on podcast: Stories That Mend

Description

Stories That Mend is a five-part narrative podcast miniseries about adoption, intergenerational trauma, secrecy, and the healing power of sharing our stories. Narrated and produced by Lynette, the series begins with a phone call to her grandmother, Joan. This phone call, and the story that follows, unlocks a family history hidden for over 60 years. Joan shares the devastating story of being forced to give up her baby for adoption in 1955, after being sent to a maternity home for unwed mothers. Her story exposes the shame, coercion, and lifelong consequences faced by women whose choices were taken from them. As the series unfolds, Stories That Mend weaves together Joan’s journey through addiction, mental health struggles, motherhood, music, and recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous, with Lynette’s own path of searching for connection and authenticity. Lynette reflects on growing up in a rigid religious community, being excommunicated from her church, surviving abusive relationships, and slowly learning to recognize consent, autonomy, and self-trust. Her search for her grandmother becomes a way to understand her own life, patterns of silence, and inherited trauma. Across five intimate episodes, the series explores closed and forced adoption in mid- 20th century America; the long shadow of shame placed on unwed mothers; religious control, gender roles, and excommunication; addiction, recovery, and intergenerational healing; reconnection between a grandmother and granddaughter separated by secrecy; and how sharing our stories can break cycles of silence. The final episode brings Lynette and Joan together in reflection on motherhood, birth, loss, love, and the radical act of speaking openly about what was once held in silent shame. Their conversations reveal how healing can unfold through listening, honesty, and relationship. Stories That Mend is for listeners drawn to deeply personal storytelling, adoption narratives, family secrets, recovery stories, and podcasts about trauma, resilience, and reconnection. It’s an invitation to anyone carrying untold stories, especially women, to believe that sharing them can change not only the past, but the future.