Meet Laura Callen, the founder of the Adoption Museum Project. Laura gives the most vivid recounting of a triggering situation that only another adopted person could understand and we talk about that really simple topic of dignity and justice in adoption. With our theme of healing through creativity, Laura explains some of the different experimental ways she and her team are exploring the topic of adoption through arts and culture.

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Today I welcome Kristen Garaffo to share her story. Kristen discovered adoption had a deeper impact on her life than she originally realized. She shares some incredible moments of clarity she’s had along the way and about the impact acting, singing and yoga have had on her healing journey. We also chat about her one-woman show, Hi My Name is Kristen.

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Meet Gareth Price, a magical realism artist from New Zealand. We talk a lot about what being an adoptee feels like and the accompanying anger that Gareth tells me he’s dealt with all his life. Gareth and I chat about his art, his twin sister, and his reunion with his birth mother.

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Shannon Peck, a conceptual artist, shares her story. Adopted at 11 days old, she had an “idyllic childhood” and yet something was amiss in her life. In her forties, Shannon discovered attachment theory and began to realize the loss she had first experienced at birth. “Your Daughter is in Good Hands” is an exhibit documenting Shannon’s “search for her true identity.”

Cover photo and title provided by Shannon Peck

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This is a special episode where I bring you some recordings I made when attending the Concerned United Birthparents Retreat in Carlsbad, CA. I talked with adoptees, first mothers, and a grandmother of loss. We discuss what they learned at the retreat, and what they wish society knew about adoption. If you’d like to hear some of my reporting directly from the event, check out the Adoptees On Facebook page for the live videos I did after each of the sessions I attended.

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Today we discuss what happens when you search for your origins and find out you’re too late. Tracy also shares some painful stories about what her childhood experience of growing up with a narcissistic mother was like. Tracy explains her inspiration and the symbolism behind the broken heart adoption pendant. We wrap up with a great discussion about fostering creativity in ourselves and how that can lead to resilience and move us towards healing.

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Derek Frank tells his story about how the movie Philomena brought his desire, to know where he came from, to the surface. We talk about his reunion with his birth father and siblings and what’s holding him back from connecting with his birth mother. We tackle some deep topics including feeling like "culturally cousins" instead of like siblings, grief, and the importance of art therapy. Ridghaus (from season 3 episode 1) returns and, together with Derek, they share behind-the-scenes of the Six Word Adoption Memoir Project.

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Ridghaus shares about relinquishing a son at age 19, and then moving ahead to age 35, he is surprised to learn he too is adopted. We discuss the crisis of identity caused by late discovery and how he managed to establish and ground himself during a two-year healing period. Ridghaus also shares an intimate conversation between himself and his son, processing adoption loss and what he would do if he could go back in time.

This is part one of the two-part premiere of season 3! Next week we meet Derek Frank. Derek and Ridghaus are the creators of the Six Word Adoption Memoir Project.

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Jessenia Parmer of I Am Adopted shares her incredible journey from being abandoned as a baby, her challenges within her adoptive family, to becoming an advocate and voice for adoptees. She is incredibly candid about her personal adoption trauma experiences which include abuse, identity issues, and suicide attempts. As a Christian, Jessenia is open with her faith yet struggles with how the church presents adoption. We discuss the things we’ve learned from our work with adoptee advocacy and wrap up with some new and some familiar recommended resources.

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Lesli and I answer a listener question from Kate: How do we talk to significant others or friends about your feelings about being adopted? Any advice on how to teach a non-adopted partner or friend to be an ally?

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