It was so inspiring to interview fellow adoptee Michelle McManus for Episode 17 of the Adopt Yourself Podcast! She shares her courageous story of how she went from thinking the rape of her birthmother was her fault to accepting it as it is while choosing to turn her pain into inspiration to help others

Michelle explains how she navigated her emotions learning she was adopted at 8 years old which led to childhood bullying for being adopted resulting self-bullying. As she became more curious about her origins she hired a private investigator to find her biological families when she was only in high school. She was then challenged with depression after learning she is the product of rape + that her birthmother did not desire to grow a relationship with her, yet through all of these circumstances she’s been able to find closure + love for herself through accepting it all just as it is

As many adoptees can relate, even though Michelle comes from a family that made her feel loved she still faced the feelings of not belonging, codependency, + people pleasing

We connected through social media earlier this year + bonded about our adoptee healing journeys. She is a passionate, determined, + courageous woman who I know will inspire so many fellow adoptees to find closure by learning to accept their circumstances + choose to find love for themselves just as they are

Her piece of advice for adoptees:

“It is absolutely ok to have mixed feelings about your adoption. You can be happy, sad, you can feel disconnected from your family but that doesn’t mean that you don’t love them. You have the right to search for your family without feeling like you’re betraying your adoptive family. There is no right or wrong way to feel. There are others around you, you have the right to answers + if you get answers that you don’t want you have to accept it + move on. Closure for me wasn’t finding love from my birthparents it was finding love for myself.”

And my favorite quote of hers on this episode:

“I thought me finding my birth family was going to be my closure but it wasn’t. My closure was me accepting what it was and finally loving myself and that’s when I found my true closure”

ACTIVATION WARNING: On this episode we discuss her birthmother’s rape + our experiences of suicidal thoughts

Connect with Michelle on Instagram @babybebrave_24

If you’re an adoptee, birthparent, or adoptive parent + you desire to share your story on the podcast about how adoption has impacted your life or how you’ve chosen to Adopt Yourself then fill out this form www.alijameson.com/podcast or contact Ali at [email protected].

Our Adoptee Healing + Support Group is open to any adoptee anywhere in the world, we meet via zoom every Tuesday at 5:30 pm PST, link to register is here https://www.alijameson.com/adopteecommunity. I'll be adding another time slot soon for European residents!

Thank you for listening + sharing with anyone you think will resonate!

Sending Mother Earth Blessings + All my love,

Ali

On this episode I share my thoughts + reflections on processing all that’s been coming up for me with National Adoption Awareness Month, World Adoption Day, + the next day being the 32nd anniversary of my Adoption Day. I talk about the insensitivity of the phrase ‘Gotcha Day’ + encourage all sides of the adoption triad to come together to heal in relationship

As I celebrate this life, this beautiful life that I share with so many amazing loved ones, I celebrate my adoption + at the same time I grieve for the family that are not part of my daily life, my biological family that I’ve always longed to have deeper more intimate relationships with

To my fellow adoptees:

It’s ok to have mixed feelings + polarizing emotions about being adopted, it’s ok to celebrate + grieve your adoption day, it’s ok to not know how you feel about it. Take your time + honor your process, honor yourself, honor your emotions. The more aware of your emotions you become the better you’ll be able to navigate them. Keep letting yourself feel + know that there is support here for you if you desire

I’m opening up my availability for more one-on-one adoptee clients + I’m also excited to have more conversations with adoptive parents around how to bring supportive resources to them + their families, as well as birthparents. I love that our adoption triad is coming together stronger than ever before for us to heal in relationships with one another

Our weekly Adoptee Healing + Support Group is held every Tuesday at 5:30 pm PST, more info here: https://www.alijameson.com/adopteecommunity

If you’ve been impacted by adoption + you’d like to share your story on the podcast I’d love to have you on! Fill out this form: https://www.alijameson.com/podcast

Thank you for being you

Thank you for being on this journey with me

I LOVE YOU

Mother Earth blessings + all my love,

Ali

🜂 🔥🜃 🌍🜁 🌬🜄 🌊

LISTEN HERE:

https://anchor.fm/adoptyourself

WATCH HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQw6CS0aPHSYsp0nutrZyzQ/

November is National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM) + I’m excited to announce Episode 15 of the Adopt Yourself Podcast is live where I share my Top Self-Healer Tips to support you in navigating anything regarding NAAM!

These tips will also assist you in moving through life in general, particularly with whatever unfolds regarding the results of this presidential election in the USA + the shifts all of us are experiencing on this earth plane right now. (Listen to pod at link in bio + YouTube uploading shortly!)

Although NAAM is a great opportunity for those impacted by adoption to share our stories it’s important to keep in mind that hearing others stories about adoption can potentially bring up many activations (especially for us adoptees) which is why it’s so important to be prepared, honor yourself first, + get the support you need

I started hosting a weekly Adoptee Healing + Support Group over a year ago because I didn’t find a space where adoptees were focused on the healing side of adoption so I created one + I knew I wasn’t alone in needing to connect with more adoptees who knew + understood the challenges I’ve faced/am facing.

Only adoptees know what it’s like to be adopted + to live life post-adoption.

Together, we’ve co-created + are growing a beautiful adoptee family of siblings committed to our healing journeys. With this container we all have more opportunities to feel seen, heard, loved, understood, + supported by fellow adoptees.

Our weekly Adoptee Healing + Support Group is held every Tuesday at 5:30 pm PST, more info here

If you’ve been impacted by adoption + you’d like to share your story on the podcast I’d love to have you on! Fill out this form

Remember fellow adoptees: You are loved. You are chosen. You are whole. You define you

SELF-HEALER TIPS:

MY PRAYERS FOR NOVEMBER:

May this month shine a brighter light on adoption through the lens of Adoptees’s eyes as we tend to be the ones left out of a lot of adoption-related conversations.

May more adoptees find the support they need by connecting with fellow adoptees

May more adoptive parents educate themselves on what it’s like to be adopted by talking to more adult adoptees, hearing their stories, + co-creating spaces for their adoptive children to feel seen, heard, loved, supported, + appreciated by fellow adoptees to support their growth + healing

May there be more spaces for all sides of our adoption triad to come together through healing as one family

May all humans be met with ease + grace as we learn + heal through love, joy, + laughter

May all humans everywhere embody a buoyant + healthy mental well-being + cosmic universal love

Thank you for being you

I LOVE YOU

Mother Earth blessings + all my love,

Ali

🜂 🔥🜃 🌍🜁 🌬🜄 🌊

This week’s share is themed Release To Receive, where I transparently shine a light on the continuous process I’ve been moving through of releasing control + letting go of who I thought I was or “should be” in order to step into being more of who I incarnated here to be

I started this podcast to explain the process of learning to fully embrace all aspects of one’s life. Initially it was going to have a large focus on the impact + trauma of adoption, + as I adopt more of myself, my role in this world shifts, I evolve, this podcast evolves, + my upcoming book Adopt Yourself evolves. (Note: Adoption specific episodes are airing in November in honor of Adoption Awareness month)

The intention of this podcast is to bring more self-healing tools + guidance to our world, as a healed world manifests by more individuals healing our inner worlds. Adopting Yourself means taking full responsibility for all aspects of your life, seen + unseen, conscious + unconscious, intentional + unintentional, healed + unhealed, wounded + scared, all parts of you… past you, present you, + future you. We first adopt ourselves by taking full responsibility for the self, we then adopt ourselves in our relationships, + we then adopt ourselves as stewards of our Earth

Bringing more conscious awareness of the self-blockages that have inhibited me from receiving what I desire to experience has guided me to shed more layers of who I am not in order to see, trust, + be more of who I truly am

Currently I’m being called to focus on + share more stories of the healing power of the earth through spirit’s eyes + as I may not entirely see or innerstand what that looks like yet I choose to surrender to the guidance of spirit as my calling.

Our lives are made up of mere moments, the more we’re able to live each moment for being sacred the richer our lives will become. Finding stillness to pray before consuming, taking a moment to stop + smell a flower, being fully present to experience the birds flying by, each of these moments is sacred so how can we embrace + enjoy the in-between moments of life more?

Remember…

Suggested earthing/grounding practices:

Suggested contemplations/journal prompts:

Much love to each of you, thank you for being part of my journey + thank you for being you! I love you!

Resources mentioned on this episode:

Compassionate acceptance of ourselves + others will bring us more love + unity amid a polarized world…

On this week’s episode of the ADOPT YOURSELF podcast I share how acceptance leads to unconditional love. Accepting ourselves allows us to accept others easier, bringing more love into our lives while freeing up our energy of no longer trying to change what we cannot control

I share challenges I faced in fully accepting myself, my body, + my choices as well as how I’ve been able to accept others as they choose to show up while learning to embrace what I am powerless over with navigating biological family relationships

This episode was in response to what I am witnessing among fellow Americans leading up to this dramatic presidential election… a lack of acceptance, a lack of compassion, a lack of respect, a lack of empathy, + a lack of honoring one another’s right to choose our own individual perspectives

Each word + action results in one of two outcomes:

We fuel hate or we AMPLIFY LOVE

People are ending relationships with loved ones over how they’re choosing to vote which fuels more hate, judgment, polarity, separateness, + repeating the same cycles of blame, finger pointing, + no growth

And for what? Because we aren’t willing to accept that someone else has the right to have their own opinion + choose their own perspective just as much as we do?

Just because someone votes differently than you does that mean you love them less? If so, what limits are you putting on love?

I AMPLIFY LOVE with a daily re-commitment to radical full acceptance for myself as I am, everyone as they are, + everything as it is without trying to change it because me wanting something changed is me thinking I know what is “best” when I don’t know + me seeking control when I am powerless

We are all powerless over the outcome, we only have a choice in accepting it for what it is while accepting + honoring our human brothers, sisters, + nonconforming siblings for choosing their own perspectives, even if that choice is different than ours

I ask you…

May we all learn to embody more ACCEPTANCE FOR WHAT IS by choosing to listen + learn from one another 🙏🏽

All my love,

Ali

.

If you desire to share your story about how adoption has impacted your life or how you've chosen to ADOPT YOURSELF, fill out this form

Weekly Adoptee Healing + Support Group via zoom on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM PST, register here.

The affirmation "you are the one you have been looking for" took Ali nearly five years to learn how to embody. On this episode she shares the tools that helped her do so by bringing awareness to her actions then asking herself what was the deeper reason behind her decisions for said actions. 

Her biggest transformation began 22 months ago when she began to date herself because she realized she was still looking outwardly to fill the holes she felt inwardly, 

She explains how she learned how to embrace her codependent behaviors and grow from them instead of fueling them, to eventually land in a place of sovereignty and joy filled from within.

REMEMBER YOU ARE THE ONE YOU HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR...

YOU ARE... your best healer, your own savior, your own guru, your best parent, your best friend, your best lover, your own god, your biggest fan, and your best teacher.

YOU ARE the only human being who will make you feel complete or whole. No other person + no information about your biological families will give you this completion, you must fill your “holes” yourself by loving up on YOU!

YOU ARE YOU

BE YOU

🌻

REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE LOVED

If you desire some more tips or if you're an adoptee who is desiring more support reach out to Ali on Instagram @ali.leigh.jameson or by email at [email protected]

Join our Adoptee Healing + Support Group via Zoom every Tuesday at 5:30 pm PST, link to register is here. 

If you'd like to share your story on the podcast about how adoption has impacted your life or how you've Adopted Yourself fill out this form!

Thank you for subscribing and sharing a review, it is much appreciated!

On this episode Ali shares about the challenges she’s faced + is facing with navigating relationships with her biological families + the tools she’s used to move through tiptoeing with her actions + communications careful to not offend anyone so that she can honor her journey more instead of investing energy on worrying about how others will act/react/respond

As she’s been diving deeper into family reunions she keeps reminding herself what she tells her adoptee clients:

For any adoptees who desire a safe space to talk about life as an adoptee, feel free to join our Adoptee Support Group, weekly zoom calls every Tuesday at 5:30 pm PST. Sign up here!

If you'd like to join the podcast and. share your story about how adoption has impacted your life or how you've chosen to Adopt Yourself then fill out this form

Connect with Ali on Instagram or email her at [email protected]

Ali is back after a five month hiatus + is recommitted to weekly podcasting, new episodes drop every Sunday!

On this open, unedited episode Ali shares about how the practices of gratitude, grieving, + connecting to a power greater than herself that have allowed for her to stay buoyant while riding the rollercoasters of life during the last 6 months of this pandemic.

She shares about how to unpack fear, offers a reframe on fear of abandonment, + shares what she does to move through fear. She also talks about the importance of mothering herself + the power of self-acceptance.

Thank you for listening!!

REMINDER TO YOU: YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE WORTHY, YOU ARE ENOUGH! 

For any adoptees who desire a safe space to talk about life as an adoptee, feel free to join our Adoptee Support Group, weekly zoom calls every Tuesday at 5:30 pm PST. Sign up here!

If you'd like to join the podcast and. share your story about how adoption has impacted your life or how you've chosen to Adopt Yourself then fill out this form 

Connect with Ali on Instagram or email her at [email protected] 

Ali is back podcasting after taking a break to focus on strengthening relationships with herself, her family, and clients during quarantine of COVID19 outbreak.

Mother's Day can feel challenging for adoptees (and non-adoptees), even if we have strong relationships with our mothers. 

Over the past two weeks Ali has received a lot of texts and calls from adoptees and non-adoptees asking for her advice on whether or not to reach out to their mothers or birthmothers or those they identify as mother figures to them

Ali shares her views and advice on how to handle Mother's Day and her story on how her relationship with her birthmom has taught her how to learn, practice, and embody more patience and acceptance.

reminder that just because someone isn’t there to support you physically or emotionally doesn’t mean they don’t love you. Each and every one of us are just showing up the best way we can in each given moment.

Part of the process and commitment to Adopt Yourself is to also mother yourself, to nurture, nourish, and love yourself for being and existing.

At the end of the episode Ali shares about Green Tara, the Mother of all Buddhas who is the mother of liberation and healing. Ali says her mantra 7 times every morning, before taking actions throughout her day, and before she rests in the evening.

Green Tara Mantra is 'om tare tuttare ture soha', say this while envisioning her and/or envisioning evolvement, liberation, and healing for yourself, your loved ones, and all sentient beings.

If you're an adoptee and would like to join the Adoptee Support Group, we have zoom calls every Tuesday at 5:30 PM PST, link to register is here

Thank you for listening friend!

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to Ali via email at [email protected]

Sending you so much love! May you be happy, healthy, safe, and live with ease!

On this share Ali gives a brief update on her quarantine situation due to the coronavirus outbreak and mentions different offerings to provide support as we all move through this experience together

Her offerings:

All info and updates on additional virtual playdates + wellness retreats found at www.alijameson.com 

Instagram is @alissajameson where Ali has an IG Highlight of "Quarantine Support" which includes tools that will aid in self-care and food support

***If you are a healer, teacher, therapist, coach or have an offering that will aid or support others through this quarantine and the aftermath please message Ali so she can promote you through her platforms and mailing list. Email is [email protected]

Thank you for listening!