Welcome to Adoptee Thoughts, where each week, we dive deep into the nuanced world of adoption—unpacking challenges, perspectives, and the tough conversations that too often go unspoken. Whether you're an adoptee, an adoptive parent, or simply curious about the realities beyond the mainstream narrative, this is a space for raw, thought-provoking discussions. In this powerful episode, we dive into the world of adoption blogging with one of the key figures from the documentary An Update on the Fami...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Welcome to our latest episode of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast! In this thought-provoking discussion, I delve into the complexities surrounding the decisions made by birth mothers and pregnant individuals to place children for adoption in the United States with Gretchen Sisson, PhD. She is a sociologist with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco, and the author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhoo...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 3Ep. 7
On Season 3, Episode 6 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Christian Aragon and host Melissa Guida-Richards discuss the shocking story of his illegal adoption and reunion with his biological family. You may recognize some of his story from his viral video with "Put a Finger Down" challenge. About the Adoptee: Christian Matthew Aragon was illegally adopted and raised by a woman who claimed to be my birth mother. He found his biological family at 36 and is just now getting to start his life with them...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Season 3Ep. 6
On Season 3, Episode 5 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Scott McCreary, Leigh Ann Baglin, Katie Ares, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss the siblings reunion journey, including the ups and downs. About the Adoptees: Scott McCreary is a 39-year old adoptee from South Korea. He grew up in Oklahoma and presently lives in Missouri with his wife. Currently working at a local hospital and extremely happy to experience life with my siblings and catch up on all the time passed by. Leigh Ann Baglin...
Feb 06, 2023•51 min•Ep. 14
On Season 3, Episode 4 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Molly McLaurin , and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss their upcoming Transracial Adoption 101 course and Molly's experience as a transracial adoptee. They dig into how the course came to be, connecting via social media, and the impact of educating on adoption. About Molly McLaurin: Molly E. McLaurin is an adoptee, twin, wife, mom and business owner. Molly founded Monarch Connections to bring people together, find what’s missing and to m...
Oct 28, 2022•58 min•Ep. 13
On Season 3, Episode 3 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Lynn Woo Mykytyn, MA LPCC LADC, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss Paige's experience as an adoptee and her role as a therapist. They dig into the nuance of this work, how it felt to grow up in a white majority family, and how she advocates for adoptees and birth parents. About Lynn Woo Mykytyn, MA LPCC LADC: Lynn Woo Mykytyn, MA LPCC LADC, is the founder of Sando Wellness & Counseling in Minnesota and works as a counselor supporting ...
Sep 20, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 3
On Season 3, Episode 2 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Paige Knipfer, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss Paige's experience as an adoptive mother and her role as an adoption consultant. They dig into the nuance of this work, what she does to make sure her business is ethical, and how she advocates for adoptees and birth parents. About Paige Knipfer: She is the owner of Love Grown Adoption Consulting to assist prospective families through the adoption journey. She is an adoption educator a...
Sep 06, 2022•58 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Hi Friends! Thank you so much for your wonderful support, I am so excited to share this episode with you. It was recorded in 2020, but due to my father's passing around that time I didn't have a chance to edit it until now. I hope you enjoy, and check out Alessia's work. On Season 3, Episode 1 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Alessia Petrolito, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss Alessia's experience as a Black adoptee from the United States and what it was like growing up in Italy and late...
Jun 29, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 1
On Season 2, Episode 5 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Astrid Castro, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss Astrid’s work in the adoption community, reunion, as well as the nuances of learning our language from our birth culture. About Astrid Castro: Astrid has a degree in sociology with an emphasis in adoption. For twenty plus years, she has traveled the country to lead youth groups, present workshops on transracial parenting, talking with children about adoption and various other workshops...
Aug 23, 2021•56 min•Season 2Ep. 5
On Season 2, Episode 4 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Annie Goodchild, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss Annie's new video project, "I Used to Be Sam." This project will use interviews of fellow adoptees to an EP and audio visual project series discussing transracial adoptee experiences in addition to the one that is unique to her own. Anyone interested in participating can submit to: [email protected] Deadline: May 15, 2021 6:59 am (EST) About Annie Goodchild: On the day Annie Goo...
May 14, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 4
On Season 2, Episode 3 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Jenny Heijun Wills, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss Jenny's Memoir Older Sister, Not Necessarily Related (now available in paperback) and the intricacies of reunion with birth family. Jenny Heijun Wills is the author of Older Sister, Not Necessarily Related (McClelland & Stewart, Penguin Random House Canada, 2019), which won the 2019 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize and the 2020 Eileen McTavish Sykes Best First Book A...
Feb 25, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 3
On Season 2, Episode 2 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Christine Heimann, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss their experience as international adoptees and the complexities of searching for birth family. Christine discusses why she created Adoptee Bridge and a little about her work with adoptees and adoptive families. Christine's Bio: Christine Heimann 정주빈 is a Korean American, transracial adoptee who has volunteered or worked with adoptees and adoptive families for over 15 years. In 2017...
Jan 26, 2021•51 min•Season 2Ep. 2
On Season 2, Episode 1 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Nicole Chung, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss their experience with losing a loved one as an adoptee, as well as their writing process. Nicole shares some of her story as an adoptee, and advice for adoptees looking to get into writing. Nicole’s Bio: Nicole Chung is the author of the nationally bestselling memoir All You Can Ever Know (Catapult, US; Pushkin Press, UK). Named a Best Book of the Year by two dozen publications, All You...
Jan 04, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 12
On Episode 11 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Louise, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss the unique experience as an international adoptee who grew up in an open adoption, coming out of the fog, and more. Louise's Bio: Louise Shepherd was born as “Fenny” on the island of Java, in Indonesia in 1982. At 6 months old she was adopted by a white Australian family. It was then her name was changed to Louise. The family consisted of mum, dad, two biological sons, and then Louise. Two and half ye...
Oct 17, 2020•53 min•Season 1Ep. 11
On Episode 10 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Shelley, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss the intricacies of being an international adoptee, the benefits of having an adopted sibling, and the experience of being raised by a single mom. Shelley's Bio: My name is Shelley Rottenberg and I'm a Chinese adoptee. I was adopted from Zhejiang province when I was 8 months old and I now live in Southern Ontario. I have a Masters in Human Geography and am really interested in exploring the connection...
Sep 10, 2020•43 min•Season 1Ep. 10
On Episode 9 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Maria, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss how they handled finding birth family during a pandemic, the nuances of sharing the journey with adoptive parents, and how being adopted has impacted their parenting. My name is Maria Fernanda. I am a Transracial Adoptee. I was born in Quito, Ecuador, South America. I was adopted at age 2 and brought to the United States where I have lived ever since. I have always known I was adopted, but it was not re...
Aug 18, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 9
On Episode 8 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Aliyah, and host, Melissa Guida-Richards discuss her experience growing up in a predominantly white community, racism, and her experience working in foster care after seeing the flaws in the system. Aliyah Santos is a TRA, writer, podcaster, and single mother of 4. After finally leaving the fog at the age of 30, Aliyah set out to heal the trauma of growing up adopted in an abusive home through world travel with her kids. Now she's made a temporary ho...
Aug 11, 2020•51 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Episode 7: An Interview with Lauren Sharkey, adoptee & author of 'Inconvenient Daughter' In Episode 7 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Lauren and host, Melissa Guida-Richards have a chat about her debut book that reflects some of her experiences as an adoptee, how being an adoptee impacts other relationships in our lives, and her thoughts on the industry of adoption. Lauren J. Sharkey is a writer, teacher, and transracial adoptee. After her birth in South Korea, she was adopted by Irish Catholic...
Jul 31, 2020•59 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Episode 6: An Interview with Anissa Druesedow Anissa E. Druesedow, mother, adoptee, activist, and deportee. In episode 6, she shares her story of family separation and deportation as an adoptee without citizenship. Adoptees for Justice Ways to Help -------- To read more of the work by your host Melissa Guida-Richards, check out guida-richards.com , or the podcast's website adopteethoughts.com . My book is now available for preorder and in stores on October 5th! 📖 What White Parents Should Know ...
Jul 24, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 6
On Episode 5 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, Guida-Richards talks with Jessica and discusses her experience finding and reuniting with her birth family, her work in mentoring fellow Adoptees, and helpful advice for adoptive parents. Mentorship at Spence-Chapin: NYC based Mentorship All Together Now: Brooklyn based Mentorship Bio: Based in New York, Jessica M. Luciere (she/hers), is a mother, photographer, transracial adoptee, and adoptee advocate who has spent 15+ years working with adoptive fa...
Jul 15, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 5
On Episode 4 of the Adoptee Thoughts Podcast, I have the honor of interviewing fellow transracial adoptee, Kylie Peterson. She talks about growing up as a Black TRA with white adoptive parents and how she has been discussing race and BLM with her family during this time. Kylie also shares some great tips for fellow transracial adoptees and we delve into some great insights that are essential for adoptive parents. Find Kylie on Instagram here ! -------- To read more of the work by your host Melis...
Jun 30, 2020•54 min•Season 1Ep. 4
In episode 3 we discuss adoption influencer, Myka Stauffer, and the practice of rehoming adopted children. As an adoptee with disabilities I share my opinion on Adoption influencers and why it is problematic. For more information about Stauffer and her son Huxley, check out my article on Insider- 'I was adopted outside of the US and have disabilities. I'm tired of the savior narrative among white adoptive parents.' -------- To read more of the work by your host Melissa Guida-Richards, check out ...
Jun 15, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 3
In this episode, we are delving into why adoptees search for birth family. I explain my reasons for genetic testing, why I wanted to search, and the importance of taking the time to prepare yourself before searching. This episode also includes a little behind the scenes of my recent HuffPo article, " My Half Siblings Found Me on 23andMe. I Wasn't Prepared for What Happened Next ." -------- To read more of the work by your host Melissa Guida-Richards, check out guida-richards.com , or the podcast...
May 28, 2020•38 min•Season 1Ep. 2
This is an introductory episode for Adoptee Thoughts. Your host, Melissa Guida-Richards, introduces herself and why she decided to start an adoptee centric podcast. She delves into her qualifications as a transracial adoptee, author, and mom. As well as discusses a bit her late-discovery adoption story. -------- To read more of the work by your host Melissa Guida-Richards, check out guida-richards.com , or the podcast's website adopteethoughts.com . My book is now available for preorder and in s...
May 19, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 1
