In this episode, Ben Straker shares his journey of self-discovery as an adopted person. He reflects on his childhood, the complexities of family dynamics, and the impact of adoption on his identity. Ben discusses the trauma associated with his birth experience and how it resurfaced during the birth of his own child. He explores the concept of the primal wound and the emotional turmoil of searching for his biological family. Despite facing rejection and unanswered questions, Ben emphasises the importance of finding peace and connection within himself and his family through ritual.

Chapters

00:00 Ben's Adoption Journey

09:00 The Impact of Adoption on Identity

18:34 Trauma and the Birth Experience

22:10 Discovering the Primal Wound

28:15 Searching for Roots and Original Identity

30:53 Unpacking Identity and Adoption

33:37 Discovering Birth Family: The Search

37:31 The Emotional Impact of Discovery & Using ritual for healing

40:19 Navigating Silence and Rejection

50:12 The Search for Father: Challenges and Obstacles

56:08 Finding Peace in Unanswered Questions

This episode will resonate with adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption, siblings, adoptive parents, practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper, more honest understanding of the lifelong impacts of adoption. 

If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. 

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.  

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠) 

Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast 

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. 

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.  

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

Jeannot Farmer is from Glasgow, Scotland, although she is joining us today from Melbourne Australia where she is holidaying with family. In 1978 she lost her son to forced adoption. Thirty-one years later they were reunited. In more recent years, Jeannot has become a powerful advocate in Scotland’s forced adoption space.

Jigsaw Qld first connected with Jeannot in 2023 when she reached out while undertaking a Churchill Fellowship. Her research explored what happened in Australia following our 2013 National Apology for Forced Adoptions so that Scotland could learn from our experience after its own national apology, delivered a decade later in the Scottish Parliament on 22 March 2023.

Jeannot travelled to Australia in September 2023, meeting with advocates, support organisations and stakeholders across Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, including Jigsaw, and published her findings in 2024.

In this episode she shares her personal story of losing her son to forced adoption and their reunion and how it led to her to stepping into the advocacy space, and what she learned about Australia's post national apology response.

This episode will resonate with adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption, siblings, adoptive parents, practitioners, policy makers, and anyone seeking a deeper, more honest understanding of the lifelong impacts of adoption. 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Jeannot Farmer's Journey

04:58 The Birth Experience and Hospital Treatment

10:34 The Aftermath of Birth and Adoption Process

15:42 Reunion After 31 Years

34:58 The Journey of Connection

41:56 Isolation and the Power of Shared Stories

47:54 Advocacy and the Path to Apology

55:41 Insights from Australia: Adoption Policies and Support

🎧 If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. 

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.  (scroll down)

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠) 

Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast 

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. 

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.  

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

Felicity Lawson is an adopted person born at Hornsby Hospital, NSW in 1975. Over the past 32 years, she has searched for and reunited with both her mother and father - a long and complex journey marked by hope, heartbreak, and identity shifts.

In this episode of Adopt Perspective, Felicity shares her lived experience of adoption reunion in Australia, reflecting on growing up adopted, navigating adoptive family dynamics, and the emotional realities of searching for biological parents.

We also explore the broader legacy of the Forced Adoption Era (1940s–1980s) and the ripple effects of reunion - not just for adopted people, but for mothers, fathers, adoptive parents, siblings, partners and extended family members.

Felicity is currently writing a resource book focused on adoption reunion in Australia, documenting lived experiences across the adoption community. In this conversation, she shares what reunion has taught her and how others can contribute to this important project. To find out more, you can email Felicity at [email protected].

If you are an adopted person, parent of loss, adoptive parent, sibling or child of an adopted person, or someone navigating search and reunion, this episode offers insight, validation and practical wisdom.

Chapters

 00:00 Felicity Lawson's Adoption Journey

08:57 The Impact of Reunion on Identity

15:51 Navigating Relationships with Birth Parents

22:51 Understanding the Forced Adoption Era

30:53 The Importance of Documenting Experiences

🎧 If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. 

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.  

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠) 

Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast 

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. 

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.  

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

Paul Sunderland is a renowned addiction specialist and psychotherapist. With over 35 years of experience, Paul's groundbreaking work has illuminated the deep and often-overlooked links between adoption, trauma, and addiction. His powerful presentations, shared widely by the adoption community, have resonated with thousands around the world. In this episode, we explore the lifelong impact of early maternal separation, how adoption shapes identity and mental health, and why adopted people may face a heightened vulnerability to addiction. Whether you're an adopted person, a parent of loss, an adoptive parent, or a professional working in the therapeutic or community services space, Paul's wisdom offers invaluable understanding and hope.

This episode will resonate with adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption, siblings, adoptive parents, practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper, more honest understanding of the lifelong impacts of adoption. 

🎧 If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. 

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.  

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠) 

Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast 

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. 

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.  

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

Titles

Understanding Adoption and Addiction

The Intersection of Trauma and Addiction

Chapters

00:00 Meet Paul Sunderland: Addiction Specialist

01:25 Exploring Adoption, Trauma, and Addiction

07:24 The Impact of Adoption on Mental Health

11:10 Understanding PTSD and Complex PTSD

14:26 The Primal Wound and Addiction Vulnerability

18:01 Coping Mechanisms and Self-Soothing Patterns

23:10 The Role of Shame in Adoption Experiences

26:16 Types of Addiction Beyond Substance Abuse

32:05 Understanding Codependency in Adoption

39:19 Identity and Emotional Regulation Challenges

43:39 The Importance of Psychoeducation

47:49 Effective Therapy for Adopted Individuals

53:53 Self-Help Strategies for Adopted People

58:49 Supporting Adopted Individuals: The Role of Families

01:01:10 Professional Support for Adopted People

01:02:55 Final Thoughts on Recovery and Healing

In this episode of Adopt Perspective, Jo Sparrow speaks with Phil Kenwood, a father who shares his deeply personal story of losing a daughter to forced adoption in 1970. The conversation explores the emotional impact of adoption on fathers, the stigma surrounding men's mental health, and the importance of support groups. Phil discusses his journey of healing, the challenges of reconnecting with his daughter after many years, and the need for men to share their stories and seek help. The episode highlights the often unheard voices of fathers in the adoption narrative and emphasises the significance of empathy and support in the healing process.

This episode will resonate with adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption, siblings, adoptive parents, practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper, more honest understanding of the lifelong impacts of adoption. 

Takeaways

• Jigsaw Queensland has launched a men's support group for those affected by forced adoption.
• Phil Kenwood emphasizes the stigma that prevents many fathers from sharing their experiences.
• The coercive nature of the adoption process in the past left lasting emotional scars.
• Phil's experience illustrates the profound impact of losing a child to adoption.
• The reunion with his daughter brought both joy and emotional turmoil for Phil.
• Phil's journey highlights the importance of mental health support for fathers.
• Yoga and therapy have been crucial in Phil's healing process.
• The need for men to openly discuss their grief and experiences is vital.
• Phil believes that just one supportive person could have changed many adoption outcomes.
• The episode aims to raise awareness about the emotional struggles faced by fathers in adoption.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Men's Mental Health and Support Groups

02:03 Phil Kenwood's Journey: A Father's Perspective on Adoption

10:35 The Impact of Forced Adoption on Lives

18:07 Reunion and Its Emotional Toll

21:13 Healing and Support: Finding Peace

27:46 The Unheard Stories of Fathers in Adoption

"If just one person had been supportive..."

"I suffered from anxiety for years."

"Men need to talk and not hold onto grief."

🎧 If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. 

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.  

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠) 

Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast 

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. 

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.  

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

In this episode, Jo Sparrow speaks with Tracy Graham, an adopted adult who shares her lived experience of adoption trauma, identity and reunion across the lifespan. Tracy reflects on growing up in her adoptive family, the silence and emotional harm she experienced, and how adoption loss shaped her sense of self. The conversation explores adoption identity, motherhood, and the emotional labour often carried by adopted adults, as well as the realities of adoption reunion. Tracy’s story highlights the power of truth-telling, reconnection, and the role of narrative in healing and meaning-making.

 00:00 Tracy's Early Life and Adoption Experience

08:16 The Impact of Adoption on Identity

16:34 Moving to Australia: A New Beginning

18:34 Navigating Motherhood and Family Expectations

22:03 The Search for Biological Family

33:57 Discovering the Truth About Her Origins

36:10 The Impact of Early Separation

37:52 Navigating Relationships with Biological Family

40:15 Understanding Silence and Emotional Barriers

42:52 The Risk of Asking About the Past

45:22 Serendipity in Family Connections

49:53 Building Relationships with Siblings

52:34 The Complexity of Family Dynamics

58:30 Releasing Emotional Burdens

01:02:27 Leaving a Legacy for Future Generations

This episode will resonate with adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption, siblings, adoptive parents, practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper, more honest understanding of the lifelong impacts of adoption. 

🎧 If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. 

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.  

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠) 

Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast 

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. 

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.  

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

Adoption trauma, adoption identity, and adoption reunion are lifelong experiences for many adopted adults. 

In this episode of Adopt Perspective, Clare Cochrane shares her lived experience of adoption, reunion, and dual belonging. 

Clare was born in Perth in 1966 and adopted at just two weeks of age. She grew up knowing she was adopted and describes her experience as a “good adoption.” Yet, like many adopted adults, Clare has come to understand that good does not mean uncomplicated - and it does not mean without cost. 

Raised as the youngest of four children and the only adopted child in her family, Clare speaks about growing up feeling different, living across continents and cultures, and carrying both belonging and loss. As an adult, Clare experienced adoption reunion with her biological parents, who had married and raised other children...revealing the complex reality of biological connection without shared history, and shared history without biology. 

This conversation explores adoption trauma beyond simplified narratives, the shaping of adoption identity across the lifespan, and why reunion is a process rather than a moment. Clare reflects on guilt, divided loyalties, emotional walls built for survival, and the deep work of learning later in life to feel safe enough to be vulnerable. 

This episode will resonate with adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption, siblings, adoptive parents, practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper, more honest understanding of the lifelong impacts of adoption. 

Episode Chapters: 

00:00 The Journey of Adoption and Identity 

10:02 Navigating Dual Belonging and Family Dynamics 

20:10 Reunion and the Complexity of Relationships 

29:55 The Emotional Landscape of Adoption 

40:09 Finding Self and Healing Through Vulnerability  

🎧 If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. 

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast

To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website.  

Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com) 

Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast 

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. 

A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music.  

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

Welcome to Adopt Perspective, a podcast for anyone affected by adoption. This podcast is a production of Jigsaw Queensland Inc., however the views expressed are those of the people participating, and not necessarily Jigsaw Queensland. The podcast discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. 

 Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland 

 If you'd like to find out more, go to the podcast page on www.jigsawqueensland.com and you'll find a wealth of information and resources. To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form on the podcast page of the website.  

If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 33 58 66 66. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service number and your call will be answered by the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from.

 In every other state, Relationships Australia operates this service. A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music. 

 We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

 Connect with us

Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland

Today’s conversation is one that takes us across continents, cultures, and the complex search for identity that so many adopted people navigate. Ryan Anderson is an intercountry adoptee who now lives in Scotland. Ryan was born in Morocco and adopted at six months old after being found on the streets of El Jadida. He was fostered by a Moroccan family prior to being adopted at 3 months of age and came to live in Scotland with his adoptive parents in 1990 when he was 6 months old—but it wasn’t until he was 18 that Ryan even learned he was adopted. For 13 years, he kept that secret to himself, carrying the weight of shame, confusion, and longing.

Today, Ryan is an advocate for adoptees and mental health awareness. His journey has taken him around the world—literally walking the streets of Morocco, appearing on Moroccan television in hopes of finding his biological family, and facing some very precarious situations along the way. Ryan is open about his struggles with identity, mental health, and substance use, and the steps he’s taken to heal.

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notes

 Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com)

 Connect with us

Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland

 We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing. 

Born in 1972 in Toowoomba and adopted into a family in Boonah, Tammy Richie’s story is one of heartbreak, resilience and rediscovery. In this episode, Tammy shares her remarkable journey — from learning she’d lost her twin at birth to finding her biological family decades later.

A veteran of the Australian military, mother and advocate, Tammy speaks with depth and honesty about trauma, love, and the spiritual threads that connect us across time and loss.

This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notes

 Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com)

 Connect with us

Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast

Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland

 We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.