My guest today is a trans-racially adopted person (April is Black/bi-racial, adopted into a white family) and was raised in a predominantly white, New England community.

Through her lived experience, April has become a prominent leader in the world of adoption and liaison in situations related to differences of race, class, and culture.

She is a writer, podcaster, speaker, trainer, coach, and consultant. She has spent the last 10+ years dedicated to helping others adopted people/families develop healthy identities, building stronger relationships, and elevate the collective ability to navigate differences of race, class, and culture.

Her podcast, Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, is incredibly informative, empathetic, and entertaining, and I HIGHLY suggest you take a listen. <3

She is also the host of another pod, Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, where she gives adoptive parents valuable insights into inclusive parenting through personal stories and in-depth discussions.

On today's episode, Tess sits down with the lovely and effortlessly expert Christine Tangel (definitely an IT GIRL in her own right) to siphon through the psychology of adoption and non-parental events. Christine is a licensed social worker and the Director of Family & Community Support at Spence-Chapin, a renowned adoption agency based in New York City. The conversation covers attachment styles, grief and loss for all parties within the scope of adoption situations, and some DO's and DON'Ts of basic parenting. We hope you enjoy this one.

Bobby, a sharp-witted provocateur and archetypal New Yorker, grew up as an only child with a single mother. His father, who lived in Morocco, was always an elusive figure, and when Bobby was 13, he was told that his father had died. Nearly a decade passed before he came to find out that the man he believed to be deceased was actually alive... Get ready, people.

This episode is our first "New York IT GIRL" spotlight, featuring the very talented Jorge Carrión Alvarez, a New York based actor and educator, who gives us a behind-the-scenes look into the underbelly of the theater world in New York City.

Andrew grew up the oldest of four boys, and always knew he was adopted. He recollects the distant, unyielding goal to learn more about his biological parents from a young age, but it wasn't until the death of his younger brother, who was also adopted, and a series of other significant life events (including having children of his own) that his curiosity turned into an active excavation into his own origin story.

One afternoon at a family barbecue, nonchalant party conversation led to talks of 23andMe DNA tests. When Kaylyn voiced interest in ordering a kit, she noticed her mom's unusually averse reaction. This launched a fateful tailspin of events, which prompted Kaylyn to uncover a 30-year family secret that revolved around her own identity: she was sperm-donor conceived, which meant her dad wasn't her biological father.

Mary Fran grew up with a peculiar and intricate identity that was tied to an awareness that her father, Terry, was also her uncle.

In today's episode, we explore her experience as a sort of "beloved interloper" within the family, and the nuanced dynamics between her dad, her mother, and her mother's sister.