This podcast is about connecting. It's about growing. It's about stretching. In society nowadays, it's easy to fall into echo chambers. This is not an echo chamber. Open Adoption Project is a community dedicated to listening and learning, and building relationships based on healthy respect and communication.
The Open Adoption Project focuses on improving adoptee experiences by encouraging open communication between all members of the adoption constellation, nurturing ongoing open adoption relationships and promoting ethical adoption practices. Follow us on Instagram @OpenAdoptionProject and at our website, openadoptionproject.org (http://openadoptionproject.org).
Everyone is welcome here. Considering adopting? Adoptive parents tune in as we listen and learn from adoptees first and foremost. Adopted individuals share a wide spectrum of experiences, including search and reunion. This podcast is a safe space for any perspectives and experiences adoptees and first parents share, while adopters and those wanting to adopt listen and learn. Academics and others also share with us.
This podcast is a passion project. No one here is connected to any adoption agencies. We do not profit from this podcast. It is a volunteer project we embrace to better enable adoptees and birth parents / biological parents to share their stories.
In this episode of our National Adoption Month series, we hear from Leah Outten, a birth mom who consults with prospective adoptive parents, about her top tips for building an adoption profile with expectant parents in mind.
Sara Jane Schenk is a birth mom of about 16 years and has had a very open adoption the entire time. She talks about the importance of communication within the adoption community, destigmatizing adoption, and the supporting village that helped her through placement.
In this episode, foster care trainer Liz Rivera shares key takeaways from the book, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce D. Perry. Her experience working at Utah Foster Care for more than 2 decades shines in this conversation about childhood trauma and finding peace and healing.
In this episode of our National Adoption Month series, our Director of Communications, Alisha Gallagher, interviews Anna Maria DiDio, an author and adoptive parent. Anna Maria shares her experience of realizing the importance of nurturing cultural connections and helping individuals who were adopted preserve their cultural identities.
This episode dives into the history of orphan trains in the United States. The orphan trains operated from 1854 through 1929, relocating from about 200,000 children. In this episode, we discuss the orphan train using accounts from a historical nonfiction book called “Orphan Train Rider” by Andrea Warren. This book primarily follows the memories of Lee Nailling, who rode an orphan train in 1926 as a nine-year-old child. In this episode, we discuss some long-term impacts of orphan trains and the p...
Christelle was adopted at 10 year old from Madagascar to France after her mother passed away. She shares about her experience as a black adoptee growing up in a white community, about the challenges of being an International adoptee with very little knowledge about her story, and the cultural changes in her life. Learn more on her website christellepellecuer.com
In this episode of our National Adoption Month series, we hear from Leah Outten, a birth mom who placed her daughter for adoption as a teenage mother, and maintained a very open adoption throughout her daughter’s childhood and on into adulthood.
In this episode we recap the third season of the show, remembering some experiences we heard about regarding open adoption over the past 15 months and discussing how the adoption community can better support adoptees and birth parents through openness in both adoption and dialogues.
Doctor Abbie Goldberg is a professor at Clark University in Massachusetts. As a professor of psychology, her research regarding adoptive and diverse families, open adoption, transracial adoption, and foster care have immense importance in the adoption community. In this episode, she shares pieces of her extensive knowledge, including the importance of both structural and communicative openness. She also discusses the importance of accepting and embracing the uniqueness of the children in our fam...
Stevoni Doyle and Aymee Condie are mothers connected initially through shared love for their children. In this episode, these strong women share their story, beginning with Stevoni’s children being cared for by Aymee. Over the years, they have built a beautiful family and strong friendship, where they support one another in their roles as mothers. This episode discusses the challenges of foster care, drug addiction, and maintaining connections, as well as the power of vulnerability, forgiveness,...
In this episode we hear from Robert Reese. Robert was adopted from South Korea as an infant, and was raised in the United States. When he was 16, he began searching for his birth mom. He shares what searching was like for him, and how his adoptive parents supported him in that endeavor. He also discusses racial and cultural mirrors and thoughts regarding how the adoption community can support adoptees in their different experiences.
In this episode, we hear from Professor Michael Grand, the father of the term “adoption constellation.” Professor Grand shares highlights from his academic career as a psychology professor in and researcher who spent years studying a myriad of aspects relating to adoption. He discusses his professional research and his personal experience as a step-adoptee, and the importance of openness and connection. He also discusses the importance of adoptees’ constellations, including grandparents, friends...
Joanna Pace, a teacher and adoptive parent, shares lessons she’s learned about helping children set boundaries, and what led her to write the “ Setting Boundaries ” song with her musician husband and partner at Hopscotch Songs. She talks about how parents can help children advocate for their safety and why boundaries matter, both in the adoption world and beyond.
Adoptee Allison Olson, author of the children’s book “ Surrounded by Love ,” discusses the impact of the “lucky adoptee” narrative and adoptee wellness. The vast spectrum of what “open adoption” means and how openness impacts experiences across the adoption constellation are subjects Allison is well-versed in. She discusses the importance of adoptee access to their own original birth certificates, the differences she’s seen on adoptee wellness when open adoption is practiced. Allison is now also...
In this episode we hear from Eileen Skahill, an adoptee and academic who studies adoption. She shares her experiences and perspectives and also discusses a current research project she’s working on. Are you and adoptee that is interested in participating in Eileen's current research? If so, please contact her at [email protected]
This is a conversation that we shared last year, 2022, for Juneteenth. In this episode, you'll hear several members of the adoption community share thoughts on race, and multicultural and transracial adoption.
Lauren Eisenhauer is a birth mom who placed her daughter for adoption 18 years ago, and maintained contact throughout her daughter’s childhood. She talks about her experience choosing adoption as a teenager, and what that looked like, including naming her daughter with the adoptive parents and making choices about what she wanted things to look like. She talks about shame and stigma as well as the importance of therapy. She shares thoughts on open adoption relationships transitioning into adulth...
Patrick Hawes, an adoptee raised in a multicultural home, shares his experience being adopted as an infant and reuniting with his biological mom later in life. He shares different struggles that came with not talking about adoption in the home and the healing that came with finding his family. Sign up for our newsletter here , apply for free assistance using DNA to find your biological family here ....
In this episode, we discuss some of the complexities of adoptee reunion with Heather Rodriguez. Heather Rodriguez is an adoptee as well as a foster and adoptive parent. She shares raw experiences and emotions from her reunion experiences and her thoughts on adoptees’ need to connect with and understand their ancestry.
In this episode, we hear thoughts about searching for one’s biological family from five adoptees– Sara Odacio, John Saintignon, Amanda Justice, Devanie Roberts, and Amy Wilkerson– including thoughts on preparing for potential outcomes, support, self-care, and connecting. Devanie Roberts, an adoptee who we talked to on the show in March, is going to select a few adoptees to help in the search for their biological families for upcoming episodes. If you know of someone who would like to apply to be...
Ellie Wynn was adopted at birth and reconnected with her biological family at 14 years old. In this episode, Ellie shares her personal experiences as an adoptee, the benefits of having an open adoption, and experiences to help the community better understand the nuances of open adoption.
In this episode, we hear from Brady Murray of RODS Heroes , a nonprofit organization aspiring to give voices to children in foster homes and institutions in international countries. Brady and his wife Andrea became parents of a son with Down syndrome in 2007. Over the following months and years, they discovered what a blessing it is to experience life with someone who has Down syndrome. When Brady and Andrea learned it is common practice in many countries for special needs children to be abandon...
Devanie grew up in a very open adoption during a time when open adoption was so rare that a Seattle news station flew into California, where she grew up, and did a special about her open adoption when she was a baby. While she grew up with a very open adoption and visited her biological mother and her side of the family, Devanie did not know her biological father as a child. Devanie loves family history, and shares how she used Genetic Genealogy to search for her biological father as she grew ol...
Sara was adopted at birth during a time when open adoption was nearly unheard of, but she grew up in a very open adoption. In today’s episode, she shares her thoughts regarding her experiences, talking about many of the complexities of adoption and relationships. She talks about creating psychological safety for individuals to share their feelings openly, and the importance of truly listening to these individuals with the goal of learning. She also discusses how her thoughts have evolved as she ...
We continue our Adoption in the Media series in this episode, where foster parents Alisha and Shane lead a discussion of themes in the movie “Instant Family.” They answer questions from listeners regarding expectations and realities of being foster care providers, and discuss how supporting and continuing relationships with first families enriches the lives of the children they care for.
“Goodbye Again” author Candace Cahill shares her story of placing her son for adoption, reuniting with him 18 years later, and then tragically losing him again shortly after. She shares how she and the adoptive father of her son have grieved and supported each other together since her son’s passing, and how their relationship has supported them both through immense struggles. She talks about the complex emotions of adoption, and the elements of coercion, deceit, secrecy, and money that taint it....
What does open adoption look like in practice? What are some of the challenges for adoptees, biological, and adoptive family members in these relationships? How can parents (both adoptive and biological) build better relationships with and for their children? We include thoughts from adult adoptees who grew up in both open and closed adoptions.
If you’re new to our podcast, this is a great place to start! In this episode, we discuss what open adoption is, why it matters, and what we can do to build better open adoption relationships with the ultimate goal of empowering adoptees with a more complete portrait of their identity. We discuss answers to listener-submitted questions, like whether it’s possible to have too much openness, and how to navigate fears and insecurities.
Coach John Saintignon shares his story and perspectives on the podcast this week. John is an adoptee who was born in Mexico and raised in Arizona. Basketball has been part of his life since he was a child. He was the leading scorer in country when playing college basketball, and went on to play professionally. He currently lives in Japan where he coaches basketball. In John’s discussion with Shaun, John shares about his search for his bio family starting when he was 50 years old and his reunion ...
We are excited to introduce a new, special “Adoption in the Media” series on the podcast. In this episode we host a live discussion led by our friend, adoptee Melaina Rogers . We're starting the series off with a holiday-themed discussion, about the movie "Elf" and the portrayal of adoption in that film. Questions and themes discussed include submissions from our listeners and Instagram followers. We’ll post about our next Adoption in Media recording at openadoptionproject.org . Happy holidays f...
