Family Twist: A Podcast Exploring DNA Surprises and Family Secrets

By Corey and Kendall StulceSociety & Culture History Parenting Kids & Family

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Family Twist: A Podcast Exploring DNA Surprises and Family Secrets episodes

June 24, 2025What Happens When a Transracial Adoptee Tells the Whole Truth?
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In Part 2 of our powerful conversation with Lisa MM Butler, we go deeper into what happens after the DNA tests, after the reunions, and after the losses. Lisa, an outspoken transracial adoptee, writer, illustrator, and library worker, shares how the death of her adoptive parents left her grappling with the question: Whose family am I part of now?
Lisa takes us inside her inner world of healing, through art, graphic memoirs, and workshops created by and for adoptees. We talk about chosen family, sibling distance, and what trust looks like when it’s been broken again and again. She also dives into the dangerous realities of international adoptees facing deportation, institutional erasure of Black history, and how reproductive control intersects with the adoption industry.
This episode is raw, nuanced, and filled with moments that will stick with you long after you hit stop. Lisa reminds us that art can hold grief, community can build safety, and sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is say it out loud.
What Happens When a Transracial Adoptee Tells the Whole Truth?“After my adoptive parents died, I had to decide, what does ‘family’ even mean now? And do I still belong?”
🧬 Featured Guest: Lisa MM Butler
Lisa MM Butler is a transracial adoptee, writer, illustrator, library worker, and advocate. Born and raised in Wyoming, Lisa was adopted out of foster care after being relinquished by her white mother due to her Black heritage. She is in reunion with members of her biological father’s family, though both birth parents have declined to meet her.
Lisa is a board member of VOICES: A BIPOC Adoptee Community, a grassroots nonprofit dedicated to supporting BIPOC adoptees through healing-centered programming, creative expression, and collective care. Her work focuses on amplifying adoptee voices through children’s literature, zines, graphic memoirs, and community workshops. Her passion lies in using storytelling as a tool for processing trauma, building identity, and making sure no adoptee feels alone in the fog.
Learn more about her work at: www.bipocadoptees.org
🔑 Topics Covered in This Episode:
🖼️ Reconstructing identity through art, illustration, and clown archetypes
📚 The lack of accurate children’s books from adoptee perspectives—and how Lisa’s changing that
🎨 Graphic memoirs, zines, and the role of creativity in processing trauma
🧠 Trust, attachment, and the slow work of letting people in
💔 Sibling disconnection and grief after the death of adoptive parents
🏠 Chosen family vs. biological or legal family—what connection actually means
🌎 Intercountry adoption and the terrifying reality of adoptees facing deportation due to lack of naturalization
South Korea’s admission of systemic child trafficking in international adoption
⚖️ Reproductive control, Freedom Farms, and the ethics of forced family separation
🎶 Soul music and R&B as healing modalities
🧩 The adoptee experience as uniquely powerful—and widely relatable

🛠️ Resources & Mentions:
VOICES: A BIPOC Adoptee Community – www.bipocadoptees.org
Adoptees for Justice – www.adopteesforjustice.org
Adoptees United – www.adopteesunited.org
Samm Henshaw – Soul/R&B musician Lisa recommends for healing
Tina Strawn’s Legacy Trips
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Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
25 min
June 17, 2025DNA Doesn’t Lie, But Families Do
Want more Corey and Kendall? Join us on Patreon for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus show with personal stories, behind-the-scenes conversations, family chaos, and plenty we wouldn't normally share on Family Twist.
Join us: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
In Part One of this powerful two-part episode, Corey and Kendall sit down with Lisa, who shares the beginning of her journey into the world of unexpected DNA discoveries. Lisa believed she understood her place in her family — until a test revealed otherwise. What follows is a story of emotional whiplash: from excitement and curiosity to confusion, rejection, and deep grief.
DNA Doesn’t Lie, But Families Do
Lisa bravely opens up about the shock of discovering her biological parentage, the resistance she’s faced from those who hold the keys to her history, and the emotional toll of being shut out by people who could help her heal. Her story will resonate with anyone who’s ever felt erased, unseen, or denied.
This is a raw and unfiltered look at the emotional complexity of identity, truth-telling, and the cost of silence.
Topics Covered:
The emotional shock of an NPE discovery
Family denial and gaslighting
Grief and anger in the face of rejection
The search for identity without cooperation
Early steps in Lisa’s healing process

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Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
29 min
June 10, 2025Team Red and the Ultimate Family Plot Twist
What happens when you pair a woman searching for her birth family with an uncle who’s all-in for the ride? You get Team Red: Kayli and Dan, standouts from Season 15 of BYUtv’s Relative Race, and this episode of Family Twist dives into every twist, turn, and tearjerking reunion from their epic 10-day journey.
Team Red and the Ultimate Family Plot Twist
Kayli, adopted at birth, had lingering questions about her origins. Dan, her biological uncle and instant teammate, helped chase those answers across the country—one challenge, one stranger-turned-relative, one emotional reckoning at a time. Together, they uncovered family secrets, rewrote narratives, and reminded us why DNA alone doesn't make a family—love, courage, and showing up do.
Whether you’re an adoptee, part of an NPE journey, or just someone who believes in the power of second chances, this episode will hit home.
What You’ll Hear:
How Kayli and Dan became Team Red on Relative Race
Behind-the-scenes insight from their 10-day trek
The most emotional moments (including the relatives they didn’t expect to meet)
What it’s like to experience real-time family discovery on national TV
How the experience changed their lives—and their family trees

Quote Highlights:
“I didn’t realize how much I needed this until I was in it.” – Kayli
“When Kayli asked me to join her, I didn’t hesitate. And I’m glad I didn’t.” – Dan
Resources & Links:
Watch Season 15 of Relative Race: BYUtv.org
Follow us for more stories of unexpected family: familytwistpodcast.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
30 min
June 03, 2025They Erased His Father. He Wrote Him Back In.
Peter’s story doesn’t end with a DNA test or a family reunion. It enters the courtroom.
In this gripping conclusion to our two-part conversation with Australia-based adoptee and advocate Peter, we follow his six-year legal fight to have his biological father’s name added to his original birth certificate—a document that, like so many issued in the wake of forced adoption, was incomplete by design.
Peter didn’t have lab-certified DNA proof. His father had died decades before. The system told him that wasn’t good enough. But Peter knew: identity isn’t about paperwork—it’s about truth. And that truth matters, not just to him, but to every adoptee whose history has been buried, silenced, or rewritten.
They Erased His Father. He Wrote Him Back In.
What You’ll Hear:
The crushing reality of receiving an “original” birth certificate with half your history missing
Why the state demanded proof that was literally impossible to obtain
The emotional weight of visiting his father’s grave in Italy—without ever meeting him
How Peter’s legal win became a beacon for other adoptees in Australia
The founding of Adoptee Rights Australia and his push for national reform
Why adoptee stories deserve to be heard in courtrooms, not just podcasts

Why It Matters:
This isn’t just Peter’s story. It’s the story of countless adoptees around the world—people still fighting for recognition, for justice, and for the basic dignity of being fully seen. Peter’s courage changes that narrative. He didn’t just reclaim a name—he reclaimed his place in the world.
Listen if You’ve Ever Wondered:
What it feels like to discover your identity was a legal fiction
How adoption systems hide behind outdated laws and cold policies
What it takes to stand up to a government that wants you to stay invisible
Why adding a name to a piece of paper can change a life—and a country

Trigger Warnings:
Adoption trauma, legal erasure, family betrayal, systemic injustice, and grief related to family separation.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
34 min
May 27, 2025Australia’s Adoption Scandal Hits Home and Hard
Imagine building out a detailed family tree… only to find out you’re not actually in it. That’s what happened to this guest from Australia, who took a casual DNA test at age 59—and uncovered a life-changing secret: he was adopted, and no one had ever told him.
In Part One of this deeply personal two-part conversation, we follow his journey from Aussie amateur genealogist to late-discovery adoptee facing a tidal wave of buried truths. And yes, he really did confront his adoptive parents the day before Mother’s Day.
Australia’s Adoption Scandal Hits Home and Hard
What’s Inside:
The shocking DNA result that unraveled six decades of belief
An Australian’s painful entry into the world of forced adoption
How “burned adoption papers” were meant to erase his truth
The first call with his birth mother—who had just broken a 59-year silence
A reunion with siblings who never knew he existed
A country’s legacy of secrecy—and one man’s refusal to stay silent

Why It Matters:
This isn’t just one man’s story—it’s part of a larger reckoning with Australia’s history of forced adoption, where thousands were stripped of their identities. And it’s a wake-up call for anyone who still believes their birth certificate tells the whole truth.
Heads-Up:
This episode discusses adoption trauma, family deception, and the emotional toll of late discovery. Please listen with care.
Coming Soon – Part Two:
The six-year legal battle to have his father’s name restored—and how he became one of Australia’s loudest voices fighting for adoptee rights.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
23 min
May 20, 2025Family Is Complicated, And We’re Not Done Talking About It
In this milestone episode, the hosts of Family Twist take a heartfelt, unfiltered look back on three years of storytelling, 150 episodes, and the ever-evolving journey of uncovering and healing from family secrets.
Family Is Complicated And We’re Not Done Talking About It
What began as a podcast to share one adoptee’s story has blossomed into a powerful platform amplifying voices from the adoption, donor-conceived, NPE (Not Parent Expected), and DNA discovery communities. With vulnerability, wit, and unwavering honesty, the hosts explore:
Why “family secrets are the ultimate plot twist” remains their most resonant theme
The ongoing emotional toll of being someone’s secret—and the healing that comes from being acknowledged
How guest stories have stirred deep empathy and fierce protectiveness
The complicated feelings around birth family rejection, even years after reunion
Why ethnic identity, once a background detail, now feels like a source of rooted pride
Evolving perspectives on adoption, kinship care, and what family should mean
Behind-the-scenes podcasting challenges: guest droughts, unexpected breakthroughs, and learning to let the story unfold in real time
Aspirations for a book, live events, and collaborations that blend heartbreak with humor

This episode isn’t just a reflection—it’s a recommitment. To the community. To truth-telling. To showing up, every week, with an open heart.
Whether you've been with the podcast since episode one or you're just discovering it now, this episode offers a deeply moving, occasionally hilarious, and always honest window into why stories like these matter—and why they need to be told.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
29 min
May 13, 2025The Pain We Carry, the Monsters We Love
🩸 Episode Summary:
In this hauntingly heartwarming bonus episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall open the crypt to their other podcast, Horror Heals—where trauma, grief, and found family intersect with creepy dolls, final girls, and haunted conventions.
You’ll hear from six remarkable guests who’ve turned fear and pain into art, community, and healing. These are the stories of a horror icon reclaiming her narrative, a PTSD plushie inventor, a veteran finding solace through eerie dioramas, and more. Through these voices, we’re reminded that healing doesn’t always come from a DNA match—sometimes it comes from horror movies, hot glue guns, and the weird, wonderful people who truly see us.
The Pain We Carry, the Monsters We Love
👥 Guests Featured:
Adrienne King, legendary final girl from Friday the 13th, shares how fan connection helped her overcome trauma from a real-life stalker.
Jennifer Ginty, creator of Moody, a monster doll for processing emotions, shows how PTSD inspired purpose.
Eerie Earl, a military veteran and miniatures artist, finds peace and camaraderie through eerie creations.
Andre Gower, star of The Monster Squad, shares how his film became a lifeline for a child with severe autism.
Catherine Bonetti, the mind behind Devil Eyed Dumplings, talks about how creepy dolls and horror conventions helped her overcome social anxiety.
Nate Gaik, actor and survivor of childhood abuse, reclaims power by playing a witch on screen—and confronting the shadows of his past.

💡 Why it matters to Family Twist listeners:
These stories reflect what our show is all about—resilience, identity, chosen family, and healing in unexpected places. If you’ve ever felt like an outsider, struggled with grief, or searched for a place to belong, this episode is for you.
🎧 Listen to the full Horror Heals episodes at: horrorheals.com
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
30 min
May 13, 2025 The Birth of the Donor Sibling Registry
In this powerful, first-time full release of our conversation with Wendy Kramer, co-founder of the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR), we explore the deeply personal and transformational story behind one of the most influential voices in the donor conception world. Originally thought to be partially lost due to a damaged audio file, this complete conversation captures every twist, turn, and truth.
The Birth of the Donor Sibling Registry
Wendy shares how her journey began in 1990 when her son Ryan was born via an anonymous sperm donor. What started as a personal experience quickly evolved into a mission to help other donor-conceived individuals and families find answers, medical information, and—most importantly—connection.
We talk candidly about:
How Wendy’s young son sparked a life-altering conversation at age two
The early challenges of seeking information in a pre-DNA testing world
Ryan becoming the first known donor-conceived person to identify his biological father through DNA testing
The emotional, profound first meeting between Ryan and his biological father
The ever-growing half-sibling group—now 28 and counting—and how they’ve built relationships
The founding of the Donor Sibling Registry and how it’s connected nearly 25,000 people
The unethical practices of sperm banks and the lack of industry accountability
The emotional toll of secrets, shame, and what happens when families choose fear over truth
Powerful parallels between donor conception and Kendall’s own adoption journey
Plus: You’ll hear about how Ryan’s story continues to impact new donor-conceived individuals as they discover unexpected half-siblings—and how Wendy has built a “soft landing” for them in a world still catching up to the reality of DNA, identity, and truth.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone touched by donor conception, adoption, or family secrets—and for anyone seeking to better understand the emotional power of being known.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
1 hr 8 min
May 06, 2025Why I’m Not Angry They Didn’t Tell Me She Was Dying
Listener Note: This episode contains sensitive content, including the death of a pet, home invasion, and terminal illness.
In this powerful continuation of Kendall’s adoption journey, we dive deep into one of the most defining and devastating chapters of his life: the years following his adoptive mother Betty’s terminal diagnosis.
Why I’m Not Angry They Didn’t Tell Me She Was Dying
Corey and Kendall reflect on the difficult balance Betty and Ruble struck — trying to give Kendall a joyful childhood filled with travel, birthdays, and laughter, even as Betty’s health declined. From cross-country road trips in a Monte Carlo to a handmade pool-shaped birthday cake, this episode paints a vivid picture of love under pressure.
But that love story is interrupted by tragedy: a break-in at their home while they were visiting Betty in the hospital. The burglars didn’t just ransack the house — they poisoned the family dog, creating a trauma that Kendall still dreams about decades later.
In a raw and emotionally honest conversation, Kendall opens up about what it felt like to be shielded from the truth, how much he admires his parents’ strength, and the complicated feelings he later developed about how he handled things with Ruble after Betty’s death.
If you’re part of the adoption community, dealing with grief, or curious about how family secrets shape our lives — this episode is essential listening.
Topics Covered:
Betty’s terminal illness and how the family kept it from Kendall
Summers filled with joy, despite looming loss
The emotional impact of childhood travel and adventure
The trauma of coming home to a burglarized house — and a poisoned pet
Grief, guilt, and coming to terms with how we treat our parents
What it means to be emotionally honest in hindsight

Have a question for Kendall about his adoptive parents? We’re taking listener questions for an upcoming follow-up episode. Email or send us a voice message — we’d love to include your question in a future show.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
30 min
April 29, 2025Embracing the Beautiful Mess of Surprise Family
In this episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall sit down with Eve Sturges, therapist, writer, and host of the podcast Everything’s Relative, to share her powerful journey through the twists and turns of family discovery. After taking a DNA test, Eve uncovered life-changing truths about her origins — and embarked on a heartfelt road trip across the country to meet three newly discovered half-siblings.
Embracing the Beautiful Mess of Surprise Family
Corey and Eve discuss the emotional complexity of finding new family later in life, the courage it takes to lean into truth instead of running from it, and how those unexpected revelations can simultaneously shatter and rebuild your sense of identity. Eve opens up about the vulnerability of meeting strangers who are somehow your closest relatives — and what it really means to redefine the word "family."
They also explore the deeply relatable moments of grief, anger, connection, and humor that come with uncovering hidden family secrets — a journey Corey and Kendall know all too well.
Topics Discussed:
Eve’s DNA discovery and cross-country sibling reunion trip
The emotional stages of a family twist: shock, grief, acceptance, and joy
Finding strength and resilience when your origin story is rewritten
The power of storytelling in healing and community building
Overlapping themes between Eve's journey and Kendall's family discovery
How 'Everything’s Relative' amplifies voices navigating the messy beauty of NPE, adoption, and donor-conceived experiences

Resources Mentioned:
Everything’s Relative Podcast: Listen Here
Eve’s Website: Visit Here
Support organizations for NPE, adoptees, and DNA surprise discoveries

Connect with Family Twist:
Family Twist Podcast
Instagram
Facebook

Eve Sturges is a therapist, writer, and host of the acclaimed podcast Everything’s Relative, where she shares real stories of DNA discoveries, surprise family revelations, and the evolving meaning of identity. After taking a DNA test, Eve uncovered a deeply personal family secret that propelled her into the growing community of NPE (Not Parent Expected) individuals, adoptees, and donor-conceived people.
With humor, heart, and honesty, Eve uses her platform to foster healing, connection, and empowerment for anyone navigating a new version of their family story. When she’s not podcasting or working with therapy clients, Eve loves writing, road-tripping, and embracing the unpredictable beauty of life’s unexpected turns.
Learn more at evesturges.la and everythingrelativepodcast.com.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Want more Corey and Kendall?
Join us for Family Twist After Hours, our weekly unfiltered bonus podcast featuring personal stories, family secrets, behind-the-scenes conversations and plenty we don't share on the regular show.
Your Patreon membership also helps cover the costs of keeping Family Twist going. Plus, subscribers get new Family Twist episodes a day early!
Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/FamilyTwistPodcastAfterHours
32 min