On Family Secrets with Dani Shapiro

Imagine opening an email that contains a revelation that rocks your world to the core, forcing you to completely rethink your origin and your identity- this is exactly what happened to my guest on today's On Health Podcast episode, Dani Shapiro.

Every family has secrets. Some are buried and never spoken about, some are maturely disclosed, and others are inconveniently discovered. These discoveries have the ability to shake us to the core and shatter our entire world, especially when related to something as serious as our identity. With the most recent advancements in at-home genetic testing kits like 23andMe and Ancestry.com, these earth-shaking stories are becoming the norm, and the reality of anonymous sperm donors and shady fertility clinics of the past are finally being exposed, creating a painful realization for those coming to learn the truth about who they really are.

My guest today is no stranger to this particular kind of pain. With 11 critically acclaimed books under her belt and a hit podcast, Dani Shapiro has dedicated her entire adult life to the exploration of family secrets, weaving personal experience into her work and shining a light on what's been left in the dark. After a test result from a random at-home ancestry.com kit revealed the truth about her father, her entire world was turned upside down at the age of 54, and today, she’s sharing her story.

Join us as we discuss:

The truth of my own family secret and how it affected me as a young girl

How increased access to DNA tests and ancestry kits is unraveling some deep mysteries and secrets for many but few were even looking for

The history of assisted reproductive medicine and the shame around male infertility, especially in the 60s

Dani's insights on healing and forgiveness, both how they can happen and when it just seems they can’t happen

Healing the mother wound - even and especially if we have a rocky relationship with our own mothers

Anonymous sperm donors and how it may be essential to our health to know where we come from

The ultimate question- do family secrets need to be brought to light or can they remain secrets?

and so much more!

Thank you so much for taking the time to tune in to your body, yourself, and this podcast! Please share the love by sending this to someone in your life who could benefit from the kinds of things we talk about in this space. Make sure to follow your host on Instagram @dr.avivaromm and go to avivaromm.com to join the conversation. Follow Dani @daniwriter and grab a copy of her books at danishapiro.com