Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Cormac was born into a mother-and-baby home in Ireland, which was known to be exceptionally cruel to both mother and child. He was adopted at five months old. He's always known he was adopted but it was never spoken about. Ever. He did not look for his biological family until his adoptive parents died. He re-connected with his birth mother just before his fiftieth birthday. Sadly that didn't work out. He's just recently found out about his birth father, who is deceased.  He found this podcast by chance and is devouring it daily. He would like to send his gratitude to Louise and Sarah for their brilliant and insightful podcast. Each episode just shouts out something he never knew but knew all along.

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss Damon Davis's Who Am I Really.

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here:  Who Am I Really by Damon Davis

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino,  Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald and Robin Wells.

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Shari was adopted at the age of four. She spent the first year in a hospital. Then went to several foster homes after that. When she met her adopted family, there was always an open conversation about her beginnings. She always knew her story from her past, so she never had many questions. Later on in life, she began a spiritual quest to heal from journey, as a young girl. This brought her to meet a spiritual teacher, and become a healer. This powerful work helped others as well and grounded Shari into a bigger version of herself. A true, successful, story of the wounded healer.

ShariDreamCatcher blog and page

To join Shari's free meditations on YouTube

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss Damon Davis's Who Am I Really.

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here:  Who Am I Really by Damon Davis

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino,  Colleen McCall, Janet MacDonald and Robin Wells.

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Greg was born California in 1969 and placed in a closed adoption as an infant after spending 6 weeks in foster care, which was a common practice with Baby Scoop Era adoptions. Growing up, he sensed a certain ill-fit with his family, and found out about his adoption when he was 10. In 2006, at age 37, he finally discovered and made contact with his biological maternal side, and has experienced all the attendant ups-and-downs that so often accompany reunion. He was able to connect with his paternal family in late 2021, and is currently navigating the landscape and complexities of those newly-emerging relationships. Since coming out of the fog in 2021, Greg has been an active member of the online and in-person adoptee communities.

To find Greg: Fireside Adoptees & Adoptees Connect

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss Damon Davis's Who Am I Really.

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here:  Who Am I Really by Damon Davis

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino,  Colleen McCall and Janet MacDonald.

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Charity Elliott was born in 1969 and after spending 3.5 months in foster care was placed for adoption with the State of California.  Growing up in Missouri, Charity was a happy adoptee and found great comfort in her faith and in the sport of basketball.  After a collegiate career that ended with her team making it to the Final Four, Charity entered the college coaching ranks where she has spent the last 25 years.  Despite being located and contacted by her birth mother in college, Charity never realized the impact her adoption had on her until she lost her adopted father and shortly after met her birth father for the first time.  Over the last two years, the realization of the impact of her adoption has been brought to the forefront and she's been processing all the changes that have occurred in her life.  Charity has been married to her best friend and most patient husband ever, Chris Elliott, for 24 years and is the proud "mama" to a Jack Russell named Daxton Prince and all of her current and former players.  She is now in her 2nd year as the head women's basketball coach at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California.

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss Damon Davis's Who Am I Really

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here:  Who Am I Really by Damon Davis

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino,  Colleen McCall and Janet MacDonald.

Support the show

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Jim Serrano's origins as a domestic adoptee started on January 22nd, 1962 in San Jose, California. Being adopted at 6 months of age, his journey has had many ups and downs. From childhood to his search for his biological family 23 years ago, Jim continues to heal from the trauma that is still so present in his life.

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss what's upcoming for Season Three.

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino,  Colleen McCall and Janet MacDonald.

Support the show

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Emily Sinagra was born and relinquished, in 1958, at a Salvation Army Hospital for Unwed Mothers. After four months of foster care, she was placed in a closed adoption. Thirty years later, she found her birth parents and has been trying to put herself back together ever since. Writing, theatre, improv, clowning, painting, these are the tools she wields to patch and paste. Her memoir, How I got Born, is nearing completion, and she hopes her voice will collaborate with others to change assumptions about adoption and provide impetus for change. Most importantly, she is the mother of three adult children and one granddaughter. Miracles, all. Emily presently lives in Portugal.

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise wrap up their first memoir of Season Three with a discussion of A.M. Homes' "The Mistress's Daughter".

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino and Colleen McCall.

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Adam Anthony is a same-race, black adoptee and blogger on the platform "Onward & Upward," which explores his motivation for persona development, mental health awareness, and his adoption discovery experience. Adam is a doctoral student, writer, and podcast host of two shows, "Curiously Becoming" and "Mentorship Mondays." Some of his featured writing on his perspectives on being an adoptee has been shown in online mediums like "Love What Matters" and "Severance Magazine."

Onward & Upward 
https://inspire-explore-promote.blog

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M. Homes' The Mistress's Daughter

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino and Colleen McCall.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast

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Ruth Bendig is a “Baby Scoop Era” domestic adoptee. The oldest of her adoptive
parents' three children, she and her brothers were all relinquished as infants and raised in the Midwest.

Becoming a mother jump-started a desire to learn more about her biological history.
WIth the support and encouragement of her adoptive parents she began to search, first through the state, then, when that proved to be a dead end, through DNA testing. She is now in reunion with siblings and cousins on both sides of her biological family.

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M Homes' The Mistress's Daughter.

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket , Robert Perrino and Colleen McCall.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast

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Given up at birth, placed in foster care, then adopted by a military family, Garth Garrett grew up always knowing he was adopted. He thought being adopted was no big deal - like being left-handed in a right-handed family and that his lingering sense of longing stemmed from the nomadic life of an Army brat. Only upon starting therapy in mid-life did he discover that adoption was actually the central issue of his life, including his own alienation from his own feelings. His multiple searches for each biological parent yielded information, more heartbreak, two more rejections by his biological mother, and ultimately a deep, happy connection with his biological sisters and a renewed sense of family with his adoptive sisters. Garth recently retired after 31 years with L.A. Metro.

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M. Homes' The Mistress's Daughter.

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes

Thank you to our sponsor S12F.

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  
Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket and Robert Perrino.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast

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Daphne Keys is a BSE adoptee born and raised in Maryland as the middle child between two brothers who are the biological children of her adoptive parents. Daphne always knew she was adopted, had access to the minimal non-identifying information provided at her adoption hearing, and always searched the faces of her community for a connection to her biological family.

Married for forty years, Daphne is the mother of four adult children and grandmother of eleven. Daphne did not realize the impact her adoption had on her ability to bond with and parent her own children until coming out of the fog after beginning a reunion with her biological family at age fifty-six.

Daphne’s reunion with her birth mother’s family has been a wild ride from the pinnacle of happiness to the depths of despair. An avid reader, Daphne turned to the experts such as Betty Jean Lifton and Nancy Verrier to help her along her reunion journey. At the suggestion of her biological Aunt, Daphne turned to writing to help her process her feelings and is still working on a memoir. Along the way, Daphne
also began quilting and has found this very therapeutic. After all, she has been putting her pieces back together in various patterns, her entire life.

Also in this episode, Sarah and Louise discuss A.M. Homes' The Mistress's Daughter.

If you'd like to read along with Sarah and Louise, go here: The Mistress's Daughter by A.M. Homes

If you want to support our show, you can go to our Patreon Page.

Thank you to our current Patreon donors for their support.  

Our Patrons are:  Laura Christensen, Barbara Frank, Ramona Evans, Linda Pevac, Blonde Records, Denise Cruz-Castino, Daphne Keys, Denise Hewitt, Michelle Styles, Emily Sinagra, Linda David, John Frey, Eric David, Beth Figuls, Ron Schneider, Tony Corsentino, Kristi Reed,  Kristen Steinhilber, Jane Bofenkamp, Kelley Brickfield, Sandra de Quesada, The Harpy, 
Kristan Higgin, Lisa Thompson,  Michelle Goodwine, Jesper Laursen, Julie Malone, Rivi Shocket and Robert Perrino.

If you'd like to support the show, you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast

Support the show

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Support the show

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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.