DNA Discoveries - podcast cover

DNA Discoveries

Did you do your DNA test to find out if you’re Irish? If you are like the host, Edward Looney, that’s why he spit in a tube and sent it off to the lab. He ended up finding family he never knew he had. This is a podcast about people who discovered family– parents, brothers, cousins. Listen for heart warming and tear jerking stories about DNA Discoveries that have changed lives.
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Episodes

Episode 38: Teresa's Story Has a Twist 20 Years Later...

In this heartfelt episode of DNA Discoveries, Teresa opens up about her decades-long journey to uncover the truth about her biological roots. Adopted as an infant and raised in a loving home, she began searching for her birthmother in her 20s with very little to go on. A chance encounter with a private investigator set in motion a chain of events no one could have predicted. From emotional first meetings to DNA results that raised more questions than answers, Teresa’s story is a powerful reminde...

Apr 14, 202539 min

Episode 37: Jeremy Considers His DNA Discovery a Love Story

In this deeply moving episode of DNA Discoveries, we unpack an incredible story of childhood trauma, resilience, and unexpected family reunions. Our guest grew up with an absent father, a struggling single mother, and no siblings—always “bracing for impact.” But everything changed in 2019 when his daughters uncovered long-lost siblings in minutes. Through DNA testing, cyber-sleuthing, and a chance encounter at a wedding, he took the leap to connect with his biological family. What started as a s...

Mar 24, 202558 min

Episode 36: The Secret of Mike's Dad Didn't Go to the Grave

In this compelling episode of DNA Discoveries, Mike shares his life-changing journey of uncovering a family secret that didn’t go to the grave. Through an autosomal DNA test, he discovered that the man listed on his birth certificate wasn’t his biological father. Mike opens up about the shock, the emotional impact of untold family history, and the bittersweet realization that he could have met his real father if he had known sooner. Listen as he recounts the surprising connections he found withi...

Feb 03, 202533 min

Episode 35: Duane Found His Unwed Mother

Many decades ago, unwed mothers were sent away to boarding homes and hospitals and ultimately would give their child up for adoption. Duane knew that his biological mother was one of those unwed mothers. In this episode of DNA Discoveries, Duane shares how he went about finding her, the reactions of his adoptive family, and other discoveries he found along the way. Contact Edward and express your interest in sharing your story on an episode: E-mail: dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com Facebook: face...

Jan 06, 202541 min

Episode 33: Lisa Was a Super Sleuth and Found An Uncle

In this episode, Lisa shares her story of how she came to know about a new family member, and how she went about searching and finding information. She figured it out and has been in touch with the new found family and was able to confirm all the facts surrounding the story.

Mar 15, 20241 hr 37 min

Episode 32: Bryan and Sandra Share How, As a Couple, They Welcomed and Accepted Bryan's Daughter

Bryan and Sandra enjoyed watching tv shows about finding family. Little did they know that one day they would have a story to tell. In a joint conversation, they together share the story of Bryan finding out he had a daughter from his younger days and how as a husband and wife they accepted her into their family. Get ready for a beautiful and inspiring story! Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on ...

Feb 13, 202441 min

Episode 31: Barbara Lane's Quest to Find Her Long Lost Sisters Separated in Childhood after Abandonment

Barbara has a story that you won't believe. Her mother abandoned her and her sibling in their house. Child services became involved, and several of the children were separated from each other. In her memoir "Broken Water" she shares how she searched for her ten sisters and in this episode she shares many details of her life story. It's a story of finding family! Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Water-Extraordinary-True-Story/dp/B0BYVFQTCR/ Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespo...

Jan 04, 202446 min

Episode 30: Robert Found a Nephew...Or Did He?

I've known Robert for years since I worked in his community. He reached out on Facebook to tell me he had his own DNA Discovery and would be happy to share it on the podcast. He shares about his adoption and how he happened upon his nephew. Or did he? Today's episode is sponosred by Magic Mind: https://magicmind.com/dnadisco Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...

Dec 07, 202337 min

Episode 29: Robin Schepper Found Her Way and the Identity of Her Bio Dad

Robin Schepper grew up not knowing who her biological father was, though her mother wanted her to lie and tell people her step-father was. Different names circulated as to who her brith father was, from the name of the birth certificate to another name suggested by her grandmother. Robin shares her story of identifying her biological father on this episode of DNA Discoveries. Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-My-Way-Identity-Political/dp/195485496X Visit her website: https://robinfsch...

Nov 08, 202344 min

Episode 28: Bridget Found Family That Looked Like Her

Bridget discovered she was an NPE and shares with listeners what that meant for her, her family, how she coped, how she met her new relatives, and how she moved on after the news. Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DNADiscoveriesPod/

Oct 04, 202340 min

Episode 27: Carmen Rita Wong Asks the Question "Why Didn't You Tell Me?"

Carmen Rita Wong is an American writer, former radio, television and online journalist, and personal finance expert at CNBC who also has been on quite the family roller coaster wide related to the identity of her father. Raised by a Chinese a father, she presumed he was her father, only to be told someone else was, and then had that rug pulled out from under her feet one day by surprise. Carmen offers profound insights into her journey that are sure to inspire others in a similar situation. Buy ...

Sep 15, 202341 min

Episode 26: John Found His Father-in-Law's Long Lost Brother and Doesn't Have a Happy Ending Yet

This episode is unique for a few reasons. First, John is sharing his wife's story. Second, the story doesn't have a happy ending of family uniting and relationships forming. This is a story that is left to speculation and waiting. But what is certain, is that he found the relative and no one wants to talk about. it. Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Sep 01, 202333 min

Episode 25: How Jon Baime Filled in the Blanks and Documented it Along the Way

Jon Baime has been helping people tell their stories about anything under the sun through his work in media. But after taking an autosomal DNA test, he now had a story to document and tell--he was donor conceived and discovered his biological dad and siblings. His documentary, Filling in the Blanks, is now available on streaming platforms. In this interview, you will hear parts of Jon's story, but you will want to stream the documentary for the full story. Watch it on Apple TV: https://tv.apple....

Aug 18, 202323 min

Episode 24: Kim Found Our Her Dad was the Brother of Her Mom's Best Friend

Kim's presumed father died before she was born. Years later she took her autosomal dna test and learned her father was her mother's best friend's brother. She shares her story of finding family in this episode of DNA Discoveries. Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Aug 01, 202333 min

Episode 23: Two Eds Meet Up in Chicago

Ed joined us back on episode 10 and shared his story. Since the interview back in 2021, Ed and Edward have stayed in touch, exchanging texts and messages about the DNA Discoveries podcast. In this update episode, the two Eds share a conversation from a hotel lobby and Ed provides updates about his genealogical vocation. Listen to Ed's first intervidew here: https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/familyresearch Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscov...

Jul 05, 202334 min

Episode 22: Gerard, You Have a Son!

In this episode, Gerard shares his story of discovering that he had a son and how he fostered a relationship as the time went on. Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

May 01, 202352 min

Episode 21: Bob Used to be Italian

After being gifted an autosomal DNA test kit, Bob was surprised to learn he wasn't Italian. He was even more surprised to find out that who he believed his father was, was in fact, not his father. He does come to learn the identity of his birth father and other very interesting stories about him. Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Apr 20, 202334 min

Episode 20: Oscar's Search to Clarify Misinformation and Find His Grandpa

Oscar shares his story about wanting to learn more about his grandfather. When parts of his mother's story didn't add up, he found his answers through an autosomal DNA test kit. Share your story by emailing dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Apr 07, 202340 min

Episode 19: Robert's Two Sons Gifted Him a New Family

Robert's DNA discovery and story of family is a thriller. He was told for many years about his father only to find out that wasn't the name of his father. But could it be that man was still his father, but he had assumed a different identity? It's a mystery that emerged after Robert's two sons gifted him autosomal dna test kits which gave him a new family. Follow on Facebook: Share your own story of finding family by emailing: dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com.

Mar 24, 202343 min

Episode 18: Beth Found Her Answers, a Brother, and Family

Beth was told lies from her mother about the name and identity of her father. With the help of an autosomal DNA test kid, Beth got closer to the answer, and one day, the greatest surprised happened, she matched with a brother. Her life has never been the same. This is Beth's story of finding family.

Feb 24, 202355 min

Episode 17: Beth Hired a Detective to Find Her Mom and Found Her Dad Through a DNA Test Kit

Today's episode is a joint episode with Beth and her biological dad. She shares her experience and disappointment in finding her birth mother but the great joy in finding her biological father after a few years of searching. Her dad shares how he reacted to and received the news that he had another child he didn't know about. Share your DNA story by email dnadiscoveriespodcast@gmail.com or by visiting dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm (dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm)

Jan 18, 202338 min

Episode 16: How Chrysta Bilton Processed Her Normal Family of 35+ Siblings

Chrysta Bilton recently penned her memoir titled "Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings" with Little, Brown and Company. She shares many stories of her life growing up and then the shocking realization that she had over 35 siblings from donor conception. At first resisting the new family, Chrysta eventually warms up to these siblings, who she now calls family. Hear her share about her life and experiences in this conversation with Edward Looney. Chrysta's website: (https://...

Oct 04, 202252 min

Episode 15: The Adoption Story of David Scotton

The adoption story of David Scotton will be told on the big screen on September 9th in the new movie Lifemark. David's story isn't one of an autosomal DNA test kit, but I thought it was a story worth sharing on DNA Discoveries because of the tagline, Stories of Finding Family. *This episode does address the topic of abortion. It is not the intention of DNA Discoveries to be political, it happens to be a part of his story.

Sep 06, 202232 min

Episode 14: Annette Introduces Us to Her Papa

In the first episode of DNA Discoveries, we met Annette and learned her story about finding her biological father. They forged a mother-father relationship, so much so, that Annette moved to be closer to him. Today on DNA Discoveries, Annette is back and she introduces us to her dad.

Aug 16, 202244 min

Episode 12: Mike's DNA Discovery in the 1990's, 2018, and still today

Mike knew from early on that he was adopted. Not knowing anything about his family health history, he looked for information about his biological family the old fashioned way in the 1990's. His discovery of information didn't stop then, because the technological advancements with DNA and its popularity, allowed him to discover much more in recent years.

Mar 08, 202230 min

Episode 11: Larecia is Making up for Lost Time after Finding Her Father

Larecia was on a quest to find her biological father. After many years, she finally found the answers she was looking for, and now is making up for lost time. You can read the Guardian article at: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/nov/21/i-took-a-dna-test-and-found-a-whole-new-family Follow Larecia on social media: https://www.tiktok.com/@beautybuttafly/ https://www.instagram.com/mrsbosslady26/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/larecia.whitehead To share your DNA Story on the podcast contact:...

Feb 22, 202253 min
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