How clear on you on what heals you? The clearer we get, the better we heal. Listen in as adoptee, birth mother and adoption professional Rebecca shares how lightbulb moments in and after her darkest moments have brought clarity to her healing journey. Connect with Rebecca here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-ricardo-6766318/ https://www.facebook.com/rebecca.ricardo.9/ Find out more about adoptee advocacy in Michigan here: https://www.adopteeadvocatesofmichigan.com/ Guests and the host are n...
Feb 29, 2024•44 min•Ep. 446
Are you conflicted? Caught between your biological and adoptive mothers, fathers or broader families? Seeking peace, love or something else that you can't get? Eva's story is very different to most adoptees' stories and yet many of the feelings are the same. That different story gives us a fresh perspective to reflect on our own emotional and the shared emotions give us permission to learn. ‘Eva Asprakis was raised in South London by her American mother and Cypriot stepfather, who subsequently a...
Feb 28, 2024•48 min•Ep. 445
How's your healing? If you're looking for more healing then a broader, holistic, view may help you jump the barriers on your journey. Listen in as adoptee and holistic healer for adoptees Sarah goes wide (and deep) to speed you along. Here's a bit about Sarah "I am 53 yrs old adoptee, English/Indian and a mom to two teenage boys. As a fully qualified Bowen Therapist and Reiki Master my goal is to unify the mind, body and soul for healing and recovery. I work from my own space in Silves, Portugal...
Feb 27, 2024•57 min•Ep. 444
Are your feelings sometimes unbearable? No wonder we try to stuff them down! But that doesn't work does it? So what are we to do? Listen in as Ferera shares her take on healing and feeling less hurt by the hurt. Trigger warning: mention of suicide ideation. Bridging music and activism for adoptee rights, social change, and collective healing, Ferera has channeled her trauma into a creative and personal rebirth. “Some of our greatest gifts can be found in our deepest pain. Explore what hurts, and...
Feb 26, 2024•46 min•Ep. 443
So many of us spent so long pushing tough emotions like loss away. So much of that has been unconscious. What if we can welcome loss in like a friend? So it loses its power over us? Jen shares her learnings from the loss of two mothers. From Laguna Beach (Orange County), California, Jennifer Bao Yu "Precious Jade" Jue-Steuck is an author, screenwriter, children's novelist, adoption researcher, and adoption columnist. Adopted from Taipei (by an American family from Los Angeles), Jennifer is a gra...
Feb 23, 2024•57 min•Ep. 442
Would you like a better relationship with yourself? Less anxiety? Less anger? Listen in as we talk about forgiving ourselves, grace and much more. I don't usually swear on the podcast but I do so for emphasis. Sorry for any offence caused. Would you like a better relationship with yourself? Less anxiety? Less anger? Listen in as we talk about forgiving ourselves, grace and much more. I don't usually swear on the podcast but I do so for emphasis. Sorry for any offence caused. Louise Browne is a b...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 441
One of the strongest themes in our conversations on healing is that it's an ongoing process. So what do learn over that process that helps us along that process? Listen in as Paige shares what she's done and continues to do to help her along the process. Paige Adams Strickland (1961- ) was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and adopted at 13 months. In 1987 she began a search for her biological family members. She has a BA from Florida State University in Spanish Education. She has 30 years experience in ...
Feb 20, 2024•58 min•Ep. 439
How do you feel when say that you should be grateful for having been adopted? Angry? Frustrated? Invalidated? Feeling grateful is totally different to being told to feel grateful. Listen in as Josee shares a lifetime's of insights on gratitude and much more. https://www.facebook.com/JoseeBraultofficial Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help....
Feb 19, 2024•50 min•Ep. 438
Does trauma sometimes keep you locked up?Listen in as transracial adoptee shares Suni powerful insights about breaking free from our trauma to find the freedom that sets us free. Here's a link to Suni's previous interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/lightbulb-moments-with-adoptee-suni-zmich Here's a bit about Suni and her book: After ignoring her own adoption story for 50 years, SUNI MILLER ZMICH journeyed alongside the interviewees as they described their stories, connecti...
Feb 01, 2024•45 min•Ep. 437
Peace. Isn't that what all want? Or maybe just a bit more peace would be nice. A bit more well, peaceful. Triggered less of the time. Trigger for shorter periods of time. How do we find peace when our nervous systems have been shot to pieces? When we are constantly hyped up and hyper-vigilant. Adoptee and therapist Gill shares 25 years of learnings and what's really worked for her. https://www.facebook.com/gilli.bruce https://www.lara-leon.com/first-retreat-for-adopted-adults-june-2023/ https://...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 436
Most of us aren't choosing how we feel most of the time. Most of us aren't choosing what we think most of the time. Our trauma is choosing our thoughts and feelings for us. So how DO we choose? Listen in as neuroanatomist Dr Jill Bolte Taylor dives deep into learning to choose. Fascinating and empowering. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained and published neuroanatomist whose research specialized in understanding how our brain creates our perception of reality. She was interested in this s...
Jan 30, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 435
Whilst we are consumed with our trauma, we miss our potential. Listen in as therapist Anneke points us towards hope, the future and healing. Profound and empowering. Here's a bit about Anneke Vinke from her website: " I studied orthopedagogy in Nijmegen, specializing in educational and behavioral problems in young children. I then worked as a scientific researcher at Utrecht University. I received my PhD there in 1999 with a dissertation on adoption. I am a Certified Advanced Practitioner Sensor...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 434
How do we grow? What stops us growing? How do we remove those barriers? Emma shares hard won insights to empower us along our life-long healing journey. Her first interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/freedom-with-emma-stevens Her second interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/becoming-our-own-guru-with-emma-stevens Her third interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/healing-change Linda Pevac aka Emma Stevens is a U.S. domestic adoptee...
Jan 23, 2024•52 min•Ep. 433
How do we move forward on our healing journey given the complexities around adoption. Remaining open seems to be one of Fiona's key drivers. Listen in as she shares insights from navigating her ongoing healing process. https://www.fionamylesauthor.com/books https://www.facebook.com/fionamylesauthor https://www.instagram.com/fionamylesauthor/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-myles-960470226/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinio...
Jan 19, 2024•57 min•Ep. 432
How many reunions are still going over 2 decades later? How does reunion help healing? Listen in as birth mother Melisha and her daughter Lizz talk about what they have learned through reunion. Melisha also talks about Barrack Obama and his role supporting her change adoption law in Illinois. Connect with Melisha here https://www.facebook.com/melisha.mitchell.5/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice ...
Jan 18, 2024•37 min•Ep. 431
Do you want to feel more connected? Listen in as transnational adoptee Sara shares how she found that feeling of connection with her birth family. You're going to want to listen to the very end. She touches on profound and surprising insights that will touch you even if you're not a transnational adoptee. Sara Docan-Morgan (PhD, University of Washington) is Professor of Communication Studies. Dr. Docan-Morgan's work has been published in Adoption Quarterly, the Journal of Family Communication, t...
Jan 17, 2024•59 min•Ep. 430
If you're stuck on your healing journey it may be because you're not seeing clearly. I know I've done that. But we don't know what we don't know. So grace for ourselves is really important. Vin turns the tables on me to explore some of what I've learned from my own experience and over 400 interviews.. Connect with him here: https://www.facebook.com/vinadopteejarrod https://www.instagram.com/Vinadoptee Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their ...
Jan 16, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 429
Being stuck in the abyss hurts like hell. So how did Lisa Ann find a ladder out? Listen in for a deep exploration of healing through self reflection and discovery. Adoptee Lisa Ann is the engaging host of Wandering Tree Podcast connecting with her guests on thought-provoking discussions focused on the adoption journey; and spoken with each person’s unique perspectives. Guests show their resilience, personal growth, and the power of positivity. Known for her empathetic interview style, insightful...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 428
Do you yearn to feel whole? Understanding the really tough stuff birth mothers went (and are still going through) has profound effects on how us adoptees feel. Candace lost her son. Twice. The first time to adoption and the second not long after their reunion twenty years later. She also suffered abuse and by being adopted by her stepfather. A whole lot of trauma to heal from. And a whole lot of learning to help you on your journey to feeling whole. https://candacecahill.com/ https://twitter.com...
Jan 11, 2024•58 min•Ep. 427
We have to feel it to heal it. So how do we do that? Listen in as Liz sets out how the creative process that helps her process trauma. We dive into granular detail to catalyse you to your own insights and shifts in perspective. Find out more about Liz: https://www.instagram.com/lizdebetta/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-debetta-ph-d-7b4ba953 https://www.facebook.com/liz.debetta https://www.lizdebetta.com Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from th...
Jan 09, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 426
Do you sometimes feel you're getting nowhere fast? Like you're treading water instead of making progress? I don't know about you but I've gotten stuck a lot of times on my healing journey. So what's the catalyst that moves us on? A shift in our perspective. Seeing the bigger picture. Spotting things we haven't noticed before. Kelly explores how curiosity on what he's NOT seeing has driven progression. Connect with Kelly on https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552376577563 Guests and the hos...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 425
Wave after wave of powerful emotions threaten to engulf us as trauma blows like a force 10 gale. Anxiety, insecurity and fear feel like they can drown us. So how do we ride the waves rather than fighting them? Because we know that's futile right? Listen in as we take a deep dive into the storm that is adoption trauma. Here's the link to the Ministry of Inspiration https://www.theministryofinspiration.com/ Janeen Jackson was a longtime resident of Santa Monica, CA, and in 2022 moved to Evanston, ...
Jan 04, 2024•58 min•Ep. 424
In this podcast, Guy Gray walks us through dealing with anger that has come up as a result of abandonment. Guy was placed for adoption at birth and was in a foster home until he was 10 weeks old. Guy feels that his adopted parents were loving and nurturing. Yet the feelings of the initial wound, being abandoned at birth, does flare up, sometimes with explosive anger. As Guy indicates, this has become more in control by talking to another birth mother, challenging Guy's false assumptions, and by ...
Dec 18, 2023•44 min•Ep. 423
So many of us have felt wounded so long. So what would it feel like to be whole? Listen in as we explore experiencing wholeness and what get in its way. Profound and enlightening. Just how we like our conversations on Thriving Adoptees. Find out more about Dawn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-tracz-37700516/ Read about her research here: https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2462/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek q...
Dec 15, 2023•56 min•Ep. 422
Many of us - myself included have sought to fix our trauma only to find it exhausting and ineffective. So what we do instead? Listen in as adoptee and therapist Joyce shares 55 years of experience on creating a new relationship with trauma to bring us peace. Here's the link to Joyce's previous interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/theres-nothing-wrong-with-us-with-joyce-maguire-pavao Here's the link to the interview with Leon https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episode...
Dec 14, 2023•56 min•Ep. 421
We can't talk ourselves out of our pre-verbal trauma. Our intellect can't heal pre-intellectual trauma. So what on earth do we do? Listen in as we dive into healing as an experience with adoptee and therapist Nicolle. Find out more about her at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolle-a-tremitiere-lcsw-79199a25/ https://www.facebook.com/TtraumaR/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help....
Dec 13, 2023•57 min•Ep. 420
How does our pain become resilience? Filmmaker and transracial adoptee Glenn has, with his wife, interviewed 100 Korean adoptees for their Side by Side project. Having compartmentalized his own pain, he was surprised about the amount of pain he heard. What he's learned from his fellow adoptees has, and continues to be, vital on his journey to resilience. Listen in as we dive into the profound learnings on that journey. Glenn and Julie Morey are a husband/wife filmmaking team. Glenn (AKA Kim Kang...
Dec 12, 2023•51 min•Ep. 419
What helps you heal? Other people's perspectives continues to be a huge catalyst on my healing journey. Whether it's validating our feelings or showing us something new, we heal. Their truths can shift our truth. Insights from others in the adoption constellation can be particularly potent. This episode brings you not one, but three perspectives so listen in and let their healing insights and highlights from their new book, heal you. Adoption Unfiltered is presented by adoptee Sara Easterly , bi...
Dec 08, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 421
I've been getting in my own way!!! As I reflected on David's words it struck me that I've TOTALLY over-estimated my openness to change. It's time for me to really open up. I'd encourage you to listen to this episode. It might reveals new insights to help you on your healing journey. Here's a link to David's previous interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/who-am-i-with-david-enker Here's a bit about David and his book David Enker (Amsterdam, 1970) is a Dutch writer and artist...
Dec 07, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 420
Mindset is rarely talked about in adoptee circles, it's trauma all the way. And yet it's a big part of what helps us heal according to Damon who's interviewed over 200 adoptees for his podcast. Listen in as he shares what he's learned through his own experience and listening to all those other fellow adoptees. Here's the link to Damon's previous episode: https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/with-damon-davis Here's a link to the Adoptee Therapist Directory: https://growbeyondwords.co...
Dec 06, 2023•54 min•Ep. 419
