Dr. Syb Brown, affectionately called Dr. Syb is a Vanderbilt-educated, Harvard trained, two-time Emmy award-winning multimedia journalist, author, international speaker and lecturer. Currently Dr. Syb is a tenured professor of journalism at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. References: Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier, Coming Home to Self by Nancy Verrier, Adoption Healing by Joe Soll, LCSW, Journey of the Adopted Self by Betty Jean Lifton Paul Sunderland YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/wa...
Oct 11, 2022•48 min
Melissa Corkum and Lisa host the podcast, "The Adoption Connection". She is a Certified Enneagram Coach and helps members of the constellation. Her bio states: "M any adoptees struggle with issues of identity and belonging. Some have never met another adoptee or may have been the only person of color in their town. As an adoptee and adoptive mom, she is passionate about giving the adoption community the words that help them make sense of their experiences. Melissa and her husband, Patrick having...
Oct 04, 2022•52 min
Adopted at birth, Edward Di Gangi was born and raised in New York City. Although he knew for most of his life that he was adopted, it wasn’t until he approached his 70th birthday that he began to search for the identity of his birth mother. His journey and the many surprising discoveries he made as he searched are recounted in his memoir, The Gift Best Given . Edward and his wife now live in Hillsborough, North Carolina. He is a popular book club presenter and podcast guest. The Gift Best Given ...
Sep 27, 2022•37 min
In conclusion, Tina graciously hosts this episode and asks thoughtful questions of Jennifer. As friends, they often have great exchanges and decided others might benefit from what they learn in conversation about each other as adoptees. Music by Corey Quinn
Sep 20, 2022•27 min
Gail L. Taylor-Tubbs, 71 years of age and Birth Mom to Andrew Joseph Berry Gail married Johnny Tubbs in 1993, with a blended family of six Children (first-born son, my second-born/deceased son, four step children, 17-Grand Children, 1-Great Grandson and Twins on the way in October 2022. In 1977, when Gail's deceased son Christopher was an infant, she discovered that Massage was good for infants and toddlers. This is also when she began the search for her first-born. Massage as a profession staye...
Sep 20, 2022•51 min
Lynn Grubb returns to the podcast to give us an update on her adoption journey as a published author of her memoir, "Hidden Identity" on the Adoption Experience podcast. https://theadoptedgenealogist.podbean.com/ Lynn is a Peruvian American adoptee as well as a parent by birth and adoption. She has published multiple essays at her blog, No Apologies For Being Me and in various adoption anthologies. In 2015, she created and self-published The Adoptee Survival Guide: Adoptees Share Their Wisdom an...
Sep 13, 2022•59 min
Bio-Melinda is a baby scoop era adoptee - meaning her adoption was done in secret, by The Cradle Adoption Agency in Evanston, Ill. in 1947. Her true identity was sealed by law for 99 years. Her secret journey to find her biomother began in 1970 and in 1980 was finally found. In the course of forty years she became an activist and advocate for adoptee rights; wrote articles for adopters Sandra Hanks and Lisa Shahar for the blog Adoption Under One Roof, wrote her memoir in 2012 and started her own...
Sep 06, 2022•46 min
Patrick McMahon is an artist, writer and musician. Born in Chicago, he has lived most of his life in the Midwest and California, where he currently resides in San Diego. His book, Becoming Patrick, a memoir of adoption, was a San Diego Book Awards Finalist and is currently available worldwide. He’s been active in adoption education and reform since 1999 and has conducted expressive arts seminars nationally for people involved in adoption. His photography has been exhibited nationally for over 25...
Aug 30, 2022•37 min
Janet Nordine, MS, LMFT, RPT-S is an Adoption Compassionate and Competent Therapist working with all members of the Adoption Constellation (adoptee, adoptive parent, birth parent and family members), and their supporters. Janet has advanced training to meet the needs of the Adopted Child and Family. She is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, a Trust Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI) Practitioner and she is trained in Level I Theraplay. Janet is attachment-focused and has a clinical found...
Aug 23, 2022•31 min
Danielle Orr is a writer, painter and animal lover. She resides in California and is currently working on publishing her memoir. References mentioned in this episode: The Adoptee Voices Writing Group created by Sara Easterly; adoptee-voices.com http://www.jeanhouston.com/Jean-Houston/ ervinlaszlo.com https://www.ramdass.org/ https://pemachodronfoundation.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX2Vm18TYwg&t=168s Paul Sunderland https://angelaasatrian.com/media/ https://www.ekrfoundation.org/eli...
Aug 16, 2022•51 min
Recommended resources by adoptee podcasters, Lisa Ann and Jennifer Dyan Books: Ann Fessler “The Girls Who Went Away” "The Gathering Place" - Emma Stevens "The Lies that Bind" - Laureen Pitman "Tree of Strangers" - Barbara Sumner "Searching for Mom: A Memoir" - Sara Easterly @Because Adoption (Mary Herbert) on Instagram Adoptee Voices Writing Group founded by Sara Easterly (Co-facilitators; Ridghaus, Alice Stephens, Kate Murphy and Jennifer Dyan Ghoston) www.adoptee-voices.com Betty Jean Lifton “...
Aug 09, 2022•53 min
Julian Washio-Collette is a baby scoop era domestic double-adoptee, relinquished and adopted as an infant, and relinquished and adopted a second time at the age of nine. His life spans a diverse range of experiences, including extensive touring of the United States by bicycle, living in Buddhist and Catholic monasteries and other intentional communities, and a lifelong commitment to healing and growth. He holds a master’s degree in theology with a focus on monastic studies. Julian currently live...
Aug 02, 2022•48 min
Julian Washio-Collette is a baby scoop era domestic double-adoptee, relinquished and adopted as an infant, and relinquished and adopted a second time at the age of nine. His life spans a diverse range of experiences, including extensive touring of the United States by bicycle, living in Buddhist and Catholic monasteries and other intentional communities, and a lifelong commitment to healing and growth. He holds a master’s degree in theology with a focus on monastic studies. Julian currently live...
Jul 26, 2022•52 min
Adam Anthony is a current resident of Murfreesboro, TN. He is the son of two parents and a brother of one sister in his immediate adoptive family. He has Adam has a Master of Organizational Leadership degree, Bachelor of Science in communications, and is a newly accepted Doctoral of Education in Leadership candidate. He is a communications administrator for Vanderbilt University. Adam volunteers currently in the Nashville and Murfreesboro area in music therapy services for at-risk children, comm...
Jul 19, 2022•28 min
Sandi C. is an international adoptee from Panama. Most of her life has been in the midwest but she returned to the DMV area about a year & a half ago. She is a social worker whose 30-year career has included time in mental health, adoption, and foster care. She has been in reunion with her birthmother and maternal family for 18 years. Music by Corey Quinn
Jul 12, 2022•52 min
Mary Herbert as a mom of four biological children, has walked through parenthood as an adoptee trying to understand more about her own childhood through raising children of my own. Each chapter of Mary's life has brought new questions and curiosities that many will never understand. Walking through parenthood, or young adulthood or even your later in life chapters learning about where you came from can be alarming and frankly disconcerting. Pairing with someone who has been through the wringer a...
Jul 05, 2022•32 min
D. Yvonne Rivers, Host, Birth Moms Real Talk Podcast Since 1988, D. Yvonne Rivers Aka Phoebe has been a champion of a cause, from business success, domestic violence, re-entry, and adoption community. One facet of this global business expert is an esteemed speaker, facilitator, and trainer across the globe on four continents. Another facet of this woman started in 1973 with the birth of her son who she championed for family assistance for support to raise as an unwed mother at age 19. Life chang...
Jun 28, 2022•53 min
Jessica was born and raised in California. She is the mother of two kids 10 & 4. Jessica worked in high level dementia and Alzheimer’s care since 18 years of age due to her love for seniors. She's new to being a part of the adoption support community and can’t wait to experience more. Jessica's recommendation of a Facebook group is called Search Angels for Adoptees https://www.facebook.com/groups/418960975230884 Music by Corey Quinn...
Jun 21, 2022•36 min
Zhen E (Jenny) grew up in a small Iowa town where she was the only non-white person. Before the Pandemic, she was a massage therapist, a published playwright, wedding official and event planner and Cat-Mom of 2 cats who loved traveling and being a foodie with her husband Robert. She, her husband Robert, their son Jordan and his wife Skylar traveled to her place of birth in South Korea. Zhen E wrote an multi-award winning play loosely based upon her adoption story called “Black Box: An Adoption S...
Jun 14, 2022•51 min
Laureen Pittman is a paralegal by profession and worked for lawyers and law firms large and small for over 20 years after graduating from college with a degree in political science. She also happens to be adopted. Laureen started blogging about her journey to discover her identity in 2013. As her own story began to evolve, she realized that there was a much larger truth that needed to be explored and shared. She wanted to bring her story to life—not just for herself and her family, but for other...
Jun 07, 2022•35 min
Tina graciously hosts this episode and asks thoughtful questions of Jennifer. As friends, they often have great exchanges and decided others might benefit from what they learn in conversation about each other as adoptees. Music by Corey Quinn
May 31, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Pam was born in the early 1940s in New York City. She grew to age 5 in Manhattan and Connecticut, and by the time she reached junior high school, her family settled in Barrington, Illinois. Her mother died when she was 12 of a massive heart attack. Fast forward to 1959, Pam's first year at college. When she signed up for creative writing, she had no idea she would be opening a door to thinking about her origins when the professor assigned students an essay imagining where they would be, and what...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Like many children adopted in the postwar era in which she grew up, Julie Wetherby has carried the burden of relinquishment and family secrets right through her life. When a powerful call to arms commands her to finally take action, she is faced with a life-changing challenge. Can Julie put off what she always intended to do: investigate her roots? Wheels set in motion, she embarks on a journey that radically alters not only her present life but the way she has viewed the past.Julie’s memoir rec...
May 24, 2022•40 min
Craig S. Hyman honors a lifelong calling to service in the areas of adoption education, healing & growth. Craig has been in reunion with all members of his biological families since 1987. As an adopted person, he has experienced the depth of separation trauma from blood relatives, as well as the transformative, healing process of the mind, body, and spirit. Craig is the creator and facilitator of Inside Out: The Expressive Arts Adoption Healing Seminar, which helps to identify deep wounds, c...
May 17, 2022•54 min
Veronica graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and later went on to earn a master's degree in mental health counseling from Webster University. Veronica is currently a registered intern counselor with the state of Florida. She hopes that she can help educate adoptive parents and others in the counseling profession on adoption-related trauma and be an advocate for adoptees. Veronica believes no one should be denied the right to know who he or she is. Veronica's recommendations inc...
May 10, 2022•37 min
Paige Adams Strickland is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee from Cincinnati, Ohio. She researched and found biological family in 1987-88 before modern technologies. Her state records were open although her adoption was considered “closed” at the time. She is a wife, mom of 2 daughters, grandmother of 2, a teacher and fitness instructor. She loves reading, gardening, writing and spending time with family and friends. She writes book, play and film reviews for the NAAP newsletter and for her blog at: https...
May 03, 2022•58 min
David Bynum was born and adopted at birth in Columbus, Oh. He began his search in 2018 and is currently in reunion with both sides of his biological family. He is a married father of three and grandfather of six. He is a U.S. Army Veteran and Retired Correctional Officer. David Recently retired from coaching High School Football at Reynoldsburg High School due to the Coved – 19 pandemic. David and his wife Marie own ByDam Multimedia, which is the parent company to Star107fm.com https://www.star1...
Apr 26, 2022•35 min
Michele Kriegman born Suzanne Gilbert is a storyteller by nature but she was missing her own backstory well into adulthood. Finding her birth-father helped complete it. She worked for many years in U.S. and Japanese journalism, including ABC News, iVillage.com, Lilith, Maine Public Radio, NYT Nippon TV's morning show, . More recent journalism has been for cybersecurity publications such as Info Security Professional. Michele is an adoptee who searched successfully for her birth-father in New Yor...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Author and entrepreneur Joi R. Fisher-Griffin is an experienced educator, a passionate adoption advocate and a patron of the arts. After going through her own struggles as an adoptee, Joi wrote her memoir, Finding Joi: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Love . She shared her story so that she could help others who sit in silence about their struggles, and she continues to find ways to be open about adoption, not only with adults but with young people, too. She is the author of two best selling c...
Apr 12, 2022•45 min
Emma Stevens is a U.S. domestic adoptee from birth and has survived layers of trauma that have put her on multiple journeys. She developed the inner strength and courage to surmount the many struggles she faced. Her traumas were born from being an adoptee who struggled with being forced to wear an impossible mask of playing the part of the “good adopted child.” Because being relinquished and adopted has colored her life, it’s Emma’s desire to be part of the movement that is dedicated to helping ...
Apr 05, 2022•32 min
