Gina Vance is a hypnotherapist, mind-body coach, and the developer of the powerful protocol of Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery®. She guides individuals and groups on inner journeys of self exploration, discovery She’s trained with medical doctors, shamans, and many healers—some grounded in scientific research, others profoundly intuitive. Gina created SMGI®, or Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery®, from some of the most effective protocols, practices and modalities, along with her own unique discoveri...
Jan 11, 2024•45 min•Season 3Ep. 2
SEASON 3 IS HERE! Linguistics can be important to adoptees for several reasons, especially when it comes to understanding and navigating issues related to identity, culture, and communication. But what about how we speak affects us on the inside, how it feels in our bodies, and how it can either empower us or deflate us? In this episode, I talk about how making a simple switch in how we talk to ourselves and others can make a huge shift in our authenticity and creating a life that we love. If yo...
Jan 03, 2024•18 min•Season 3Ep. 1
*** To watch on your PC , click on the episode then click on the 'full screen' icon at the bottom right of you screen. If you listened to the audio version of this episode and wondered which one of my guests was talking or what episode it was from, watch this video (available on mobile). There are many adoptees who struggle this time of year for many different reasons and that was the purpose of this video. I asked almost all my interviewees this question: What do you want struggling adoptees to...
Dec 28, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 95
Wow! It has been another whole year, you guys! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for joining me here and giving voice to the experiences on all sides of adoption. Next season I'm going to continue educating the world about the realities of adoption, but first, GIVE THIS EPISODE A MOMENT OF YOUR DAY. You won't regret it. I asked almost all my interviewees this question: What do you want struggling adoptees to know? So, adoptees, this help comes from your peers. It's a unique encapsulation of ...
Dec 26, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 95
Join me in this powerful episode as I delve into the often- overlooked, profound impact of stress on a fetus during the birthmother's journey in adoption. This episode reflects the topic of my latest blog. With a lack of support for birth mothers, and at a critical time in her life when stress is at a high point, what kinds of chemicals are making their way through her body and into the bloodstream that she shares with the fetus? How does this affect the child? I talk about this on a scientific ...
Dec 23, 2023•17 min•Season 2Ep. 94
Katie was adopted by extended family, but it was kept a secret until life in a small town caught up with them, and when the secret was out, it was dropped in her lap. Katie is a project manager by day and an author by night. That is, when she’s also not being a full-time mom and wife. She considers herself lucky to have so many people in her life that care about her, both adoptive and biological. She channels themes of abandonment and found family into her writing as a tool for self-healing, and...
Dec 12, 2023•41 min•Season 2Ep. 93
When birthmother Barbara found herself pregnant, she gave her daughter Vicky up for adoption and tried to forget it ever happened. Despite having loving adoptive parents, Vicky struggled to bury the shame and rejection she felt as an adoptee; she was not good enough for her first mother’s love. Thirty years later, Barbara found Vicky and their reunion experience began. Through this difficult journey, they found healing in growing an authentic and honest connection. They share lessons learned thr...
Dec 05, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 92
Jacky Harner is a transnational, transgender adoptee. He was adopted from Chisinau, Moldova at 2 years of age to USA. He enjoys ice hockey and skateboarding as hobbies and loves drawing and music as well. Thank you, Jacky, for sharing your life with us at Mind Your Own Karma! If you or someone you know would like to tell their adoption story on the podcast (anyone in the adoptee constellation), please send an email to mindyourownkarma@gmail.com, and your story will be considered for the podcast....
Nov 28, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 91
Meet Jacquelin Taybron, who is an adoptee 30 years post reunion with her biological mother and her siblings. She was born in Landstuhl, Germany, and her adoptive family was handpicked within the military community by her birth mom. At 15 months old, her adoption was finalized, and the very next day she relocated to the States with her adoptive family. Follow along with all the twists and turns of this episode as Jacquelin's story interweaves with practical information that most may not know abou...
Nov 21, 2023•57 min•Season 2Ep. 90
Elizabeth was born in the ‘60s in Washington, DC and relinquished to social services immediately thereafter. Her first family was Japanese, and she stayed with them as a foster baby for three and a half months. Her adopted family welcomed her, along with their adopted son, into the family. The few details told to her parents and then to Elizabeth were that her mother was Greek, and so was her father, who was a chauffeur to the Greek Ambassador. Her father was older, and her mother in her 20s at ...
Nov 14, 2023•52 min•Season 2Ep. 89
Michele Sickler was born and relinquished on Staten Island, NY in 1962. She was placed with her adoptive family at 3 weeks of age after being in foster care. She grew up in Queens, NY. Michele found her natural family almost 13 years ago, when she was 48. At that time, she found out her mother was African American, which wasn't disclosed in her adoption papers. She describes her reunion as difficult, as many adoptees do. Her natural mother died in 2015. She has been married for almost 40 years a...
Nov 08, 2023•39 min•Season 2Ep. 88
Jack Rocco, M.D. has more than 30 years as a practicing orthopedic and cosmetic surgeon. His work has taken him to many countries and cultures, including to Japan, where he served in the U.S. Air Force, and to Madagascar, where, through a nonprofit organization he established, he helped treat hundreds of children with devastating orthopedic deformities, predominantly including club foot. Recycled, his first book, chronicles the behind-the-scenes, reluctant, and subconscious journey exploring the...
Oct 31, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 87
It was in the '90s when Carlos Munez was brought to the UK at 8 months old. As a transracial adoptee, he's experienced a loving home and a happy childhood, despite some big identity challenges. His relationship with adoption has been one of acceptance and growth from a child to adulthood. He's on a journey now to share his own story about being proud of who you are and making the best out of what life has dealt you. He hopes you will take something from his story, even if it's only a small part,...
Oct 24, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 86
** Warning: This episode does mention criminal sexual aggression and may be triggering. Please listen responsibly, including choosing not to listen to this content. Seek professional help if you are struggling with emotions that surface from the content in this podcast. About Gigi: Born in 1969. Left in the hospital at birth. The name they gave her, Ann Malone. Three days later, she was added to the foster care system, and at age 7 she found out she was adopted. Now feeling like a square peg in ...
Oct 20, 2023•44 min•Season 2Ep. 85
Jean-Pierre Weingarten has led a rich, challenging and exciting life—beginning with showing up on the planet in Paris, France. At six years old, his parents divorced and his mother remarried to an American diplomat who whisked his family around the world. And at twelve years of age, he was adopted by his stepfather. Once out of high school, Jean-Pierre planted his roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, immersing himself in the hospitality industry in restaurant and catering kitchens. He’s also a b...
Oct 10, 2023•56 min•Season 2Ep. 84
Melissa is a domestic infant adoptee, adopted by her foster family when she was 1 year old. Melissa Ulven is a project coach and death planning educator based in Eugene, Oregon. When she's not busy with work, she embraces her eclectic interests, which have included--but are not limited to--longsword fencing, roller derby, and participating in dog sports with her majestic 7-year-old rough collie. In addition to her collection of hobbies, Melissa dedicates a larger portion of her time to writing a...
Oct 03, 2023•46 min•Season 2Ep. 83
Jean was born in 1965 in Spokane, WA at a Salvation Army hospital. Her birth mother came from North Dakota. Jean had a mostly good adoptee experience, and her parents were really wonderful, good people. Her dad was an educator and her mother a nurse. Not to say there weren’t challenges growing up, as Jean's mother was addicted to prescription drugs and alcohol by the time Jean came into their lives. Today, Jean is a professional writer and business owner of a small-town media outlet, BoulderCity...
Sep 26, 2023•53 min•Season 2Ep. 82
Danielle Gaudette is a Body & Brain coach and author of Healing Tree: An Adoptee’s Story About Hurting, Healing and Letting the Light Shine Through. (This episode aired 9/19/23, so workshop information is outdated. However, see her link to her website in the notes below.) After her reunion with her birth mother 24 years ago, she began an energy practice to process the unraveling of her primal wound. She is now a 20-year senior trainer and seeks to share those healing principles and practices...
Sep 19, 2023•38 min•Season 2Ep. 81
** Warning: This episode mentions non-consensual intercourse at the 3-minute mark. If you may be sensitive to that please forward past 3:00 on the audio. Please seek professional help if you find yourself struggling with some of the realizations that you may experience during this episode.** This week's interview is with Rodger Tellefson. Rodger was born in Sacramento, California at the Sutter Memorial Hospital and was adopted at 3 days old. Rodger recalls that at 9 years old, his adopted parent...
Sep 12, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Barbara Jean Liguori was born November 17, 1971 in the baby scoop era and adopted at 4 months old March 25, 1972. She currently lives in Branford, CT, but was raised in the New Haven area most of her life. She has been married for 27 years and is a mother of 2 biological sons and a stepmother of one daughter who has lived with Barbara since she was 3 years old. She has been in reunion with her biological mom and dad since she was 18, and she has one full biological brother. Barbara has been the ...
Sep 05, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 79
Ryan Anderson was born in Morocco and raised from 6 months old in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is a transracial, transnational foundling and an LDA (Late Discovery Adoptee). He traveled the world for a decade in an attempt to escape the challenges of being an adopted person. Now he is more passionate than ever about raising awareness about mental health by sharing his lived experience. RYAN'S LINKS: 15-minute life story YouTube video: "Me Opening Up - My Life Story” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C...
Aug 29, 2023•47 min•Season 2Ep. 78
Have you noticed a sense of heightened tension among the adoptee community? It's time we come together to make positive changes. Let's make a choice to allow our triggers to be treasures. An opportunity to look within and live a life that we love! If you or someone you know would like to tell their adoption story on the podcast (anyone in the adoptee constellation), please send an email to mindyourownkarma@gmail.com, and your story will be considered for the podcast. _________ Due to the LONG-LA...
Aug 22, 2023•21 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Being given up for adoption at 3 years old, Corissa moved to the United States to be raised by a new family who didn’t look, sound, or act anything like what she was used to. This led to a deep sense of abandonment and uncertainty about her identity. Corissa adapted. She had to. And in the process, she locked all of her needs, hurts, and traumas away where they wouldn’t interfere with the success of her life. Other childhood traumas piled upon the already shaky foundation. There were some dark t...
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 2Ep. 76
Nicole is a domestic, transracial adoptee born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She grew up knowing she was adopted. Her father, a decorated Marine turned Catholic priest, adopted her after she had been left with him when she was three years old. Mother’s Day has always been particularly difficult for Nicole, despite being a mother herself. Having been raised by a single father, it defined the fact that she did not fit in. Early in her marketing career, Nicole joined the adoption community through...
Aug 08, 2023•58 min•Season 2Ep. 75
**WARNING!! This episode has multiple references to childhood trauma. You may choose not to listen. Please seek professional assistance if you find yourself struggling.** It was fall of 1964, and Sharon, Christy’s biological mother, was 16 years old and pregnant. Sharon made her way to a home for unwed mothers while her husband was in prison. On July 29, 1965, Christy entered the world. At Christy’s foster home, she was growing into a toddler and at 2, she was a “Momma’s Girl” to her foster pare...
Aug 01, 2023•51 min•Season 2Ep. 74
Paige Adams Strickland is a teacher and writer from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is an adoptee in reunion from the Baby-Scoop-Era who searched and found her biological family in the 1980s. Paige has written books and also film and play reviews, found on her WordPress blog, as a way to elevate the voices and talents of members of the adoption constellation. Her two memoirs about being adopted are AKIN TO THE TRUTH and AFTER THE TRUTH. She has a work in progress with a working title of BORN ADOPTED &...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 73
This is the perfect episode for adoptees who have faced dead ends in their search! Valerie Naiman is such a great storyteller, and she brought a story to the studio that you need to hear. She also wants you to believe in yourself, and don't give up. Valerie is an author, singer, songwriter, ontologist, environmentalist, ecovillage founder, travel and spiritual guide, beekeeper, and a mama to her dwarf goats. She's probably a Gemini, although her birth date is unknown. Valerie holds a Master of A...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 2Ep. 72
In this episode, I interview two adoptees who are connected and who have larger-than-life adoption stories. Meet Kelli and Linda. Kelli was the product of a pre-arranged adoption through a local church and her biological mother’s doctor. Her adoptive parents waited for notification of her birth and brought her home at 3 days old. She had a happy life, and she says her adoptive mom was the absolute best woman ever. Unfortunately, since her adoptive mother’s death, she no longer has a relationship...
Jul 11, 2023•43 min•Season 2Ep. 71
It's here! I'm finally sharing my own story on the podcast!! I'm closing in on 100 episodes (can you believe it??) So, what took me so long? You have to listen to find out! Join me for this very personal episode, where I turn the mic and the questions on myself :) If you or someone you know would like to tell their adoption story on the podcast (anyone in the adoptee constellation), please send an email to mindyourownkarma@gmail.com, and your story will be considered for the podcast. _________ D...
Jul 04, 2023•42 min•Season 2Ep. 70
DISCLAIMER: LISTEN AFTER DARK AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG LISTENERS. STORY LOCATION: MODESTO, CA WHEN: 2009 Welcome to Maribel's nightmare. In 2009, Maribel was a single parent and student living alone with her son. One night when she was studying she sensed a strange presence. _______________ Due to the LONG-LASTING EMOTIONAL FALLOUT that can be part of adoption, I highly support the GENTLE HEALING SUPPORT of SMGI: Somatic Mindful Guided Imagery. For more information on th...
Jul 03, 2023•10 min•Season 2Ep. 69
