Family Twist: A Podcast Exploring DNA Surprises and Family Secrets

This week on Family Twist, we’re celebrating a major milestone—three years of storytelling, surprise DNA discoveries, and untangling family secrets. And to mark the occasion, we’re bringing you a brand-new edit of one of our most meaningful conversations: a full, uncut interview with Brian Stanton, an acclaimed playwright and adoptee whose solo show, Blank, explores identity, origin, and the emotional terrain of adoption.

When we first released our conversation with Brian, time constraints meant cutting things short. But we always knew his full story deserved to be heard. Now, for our third anniversary, we’re setting the record straight—sharing the complete, powerful dialogue about how art can be a lifeline through family trauma, confusion, and healing.

Brian’s story runs parallel to Kendall’s in striking and emotional ways. Both experienced the complexity of growing up with missing pieces and found strength by stepping into the light of their truth—Kendall through podcasting, Brian through theater. In fact, theater is what first brought Corey and Kendall together, making this conversation feel full circle.

Brian Stanton is a Los Angeles-based actor, writer, and adoptee whose acclaimed solo show Blank explores his personal journey to uncover the truth about his identity. Through raw storytelling and theatrical vulnerability, Brian brings to light the emotional complexity of adoption and the universal search for belonging. He has performed Blank across the U.S. and internationally, sparking important conversations about family, secrecy, and self-discovery. Brian believes in the transformative power of theater—and uses the stage as a space for healing, both for himself and for others navigating similar journeys.

🎭 In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Brian’s deeply personal journey of writing and performing his solo show Blank
• Why adoption stories are never truly finished—and how that fuels Brian’s creative process
• Kendall reflecting on seeing Blank and the emotions it stirred in his own search for identity
• The therapeutic, transformative nature of storytelling—onstage and off
• A behind-the-scenes look at how Corey and Kendall’s love story began with theater

Whether you’re part of the adoption, NPE, or donor-conceived community—or simply drawn to stories of identity and transformation—this episode is a heartfelt tribute to the power of performance, memory, and finding your voice.

🎧 Listen if you love:

• True stories of adoption and DNA surprises
• Theater as a tool for healing
• Conversations that go deep, fast
• Real-life plot twists and reconnection
• Honest dialogue about family trauma and growth

🔗 Mentioned in this episode:

• Brian Stanton’s solo show Blank
• Previous Family Twist episodes about Kendall’s story (for new listeners!)
• Our anniversary shoutout to the Family Twist community

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

In the continuation of Jeremy’s deeply moving story, everything changes with one message: “We discovered we have a brother.” After a lifetime of being the family secret—unwanted by a mother who abused him, erased by a father who walked away—Jeremy took the risk of opening the door. And what came through was nothing short of transformational.

In Part 2 of this powerful two-part episode, Jeremy walks us through:

• Reaching out to the man who abandoned him—and the cold reply he didn’t expect
• The email from his siblings that knocked him to his knees
• Holding a cousin’s hand for the first time and realizing, this is my family
• The lifelong wounds of rejection—and how healing begins with being seen
• The joy, awkwardness, and grace of building real relationships with newfound siblings
• Why a “Gotcha Day” means more when you’ve never been claimed before
• How love, when it’s real, doesn’t flinch

This is not a fairy tale. It’s better. Because it’s earned.

Through tears, therapy, and unflinching vulnerability, Jeremy built something stronger than a reunion—he built a family.

If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to finally belong, this episode is for you.

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

When Jeremy first reached out to Family Twist, his email stopped us in our tracks. The pain, the longing, the strength—it was all there in his words. In this raw and unforgettable episode, Jeremy shares the first part of his life story: a childhood marked by instability, abuse, and the aching absence of family identity.

Born from an affair, Jeremy was raised by a mother struggling with addiction and severe mental health issues. He endured emotional and physical abuse, neglect, and an ever-changing last name as men cycled in and out of their lives. With no father in sight, and a mother who viewed him more as a weapon than a son, Jeremy’s early years were filled with fear and confusion.

But even in the darkest corners, Jeremy found light. Music became his refuge. His innate charm became a survival tool. And while he spent his teenage years couch-hopping and navigating life without consistent love or safety, the dream of finding his real family—the people who looked like him, sounded like him, belonged to him—never truly disappeared.

In this first part of Jeremy’s journey, we explore:

The lifelong effects of in utero and childhood trauma

How music and performance became lifelines

Surviving parental neglect and emotional abandonment

The deep yearning to know where—and who—you come from

How internalized fear of rejection shapes adult relationships

Jeremy’s story is heartbreaking, brave, and deeply human. It’s also just the beginning.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where a chance encounter at a wedding leads to a stunning discovery—and the beginning of a love story no one saw coming.

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

In this powerful and timely episode, Corey and Kendall sit down with Alexis Hourse;t, the creator and host of the DNA Surprises podcast — a show dedicated to exploring the emotional complexity of unexpected DNA discoveries. Alexis shares her own deeply personal story of finding out through a consumer DNA test that she was not who she thought she was—and how that revelation sent her on a journey of identity, belonging, and healing.

Alexis opens up about:

• Navigating the shock of discovering her African American heritage after being raised with a different understanding of her identity
• The emotional impact of losing connection to a culture she never got to fully claim growing up
• How starting DNA Surprises just months after her discovery became a crucial tool for healing
• The importance of community when family and identity are thrown into question
• How recent political efforts to erase history and the unexpected bankruptcy of 23andMe complicate DNA journeys today

This episode goes beyond the personal and dives into how larger societal forces—racism, history erasure, and privacy concerns—affect individuals finding their roots through DNA.

Whether you are part of the DNA surprise, adoption, NPE (Not Parent Expected), or donor-conceived communities, or simply someone interested in the power of personal storytelling and resilience, this episode will resonate.

Alexis Hourset is the creator and host of DNA Surprises, a podcast that shares the journeys of people who experience unexpected DNA discoveries, also known as DNA surprises. Since launching in 2021, Alexis has built a strong community, providing a platform for others navigating identity shifts, family complexities, and the emotional impact of uncovering hidden histories. She is also a writer, speaker, and advocate for those processing the often-complicated realities of DNA testing.

Alexis lives in Arizona with her family and is passionate about building spaces where people feel less alone on their journey to understanding themselves.

🎧 Listen to DNA Surprises: https://www.dnasurprises.com

📸 Instagram: @dnasurprises

✔ What it's like to discover you’ve been living with a hidden identity

✔ The healing power of community and podcasting

✔ Why history and identity matter more than ever right now

✔ Coping with the emotional weight of family secrets

✔ The unexpected ripple effect of 23andMe’s bankruptcy on DNA discovery journeys

Listen, Rate & Subscribe

Apple

Amazon

Spotify

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

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

What if your biological family—siblings, a mother, even potential fathers—had been living just a few towns away your entire life, and you never knew?

In this emotionally charged episode of Family Twist, we meet a mother-daughter duo who peel back the layers of a decades-old secret. The mother was adopted in the 1950s under a veil of societal shame. Decades later, her daughter took on the role of family detective, determined to uncover the truth about her mother’s origins—and what she discovered would shock even the most seasoned genealogy sleuth.

From anonymous letters and DNA testing to surprise wedding encounters and jaw-dropping family resemblances, this story unfolds like a mystery novel with real-life stakes: identity, legacy, and longing.

You’ll hear how:

• A chance obituary led to a massive family discovery
• A doppelgänger sister was hiding in plain sight—on Facebook
• A private investigator cracked open the story with information from an unexpected source
• Coincidences piled up: haunted mansions, sandwich shop sightings, even a Panera encounter
• The power of persistence brought long-lost relatives face to face

This is a tale of secrets kept, lives intertwined, and a daughter's relentless drive to give her mother the one thing she deserved all along: acknowledgment.

Whether you’re part of the adoption, NPE, or DNA surprise community—or simply love a gripping human story—you do not want to miss this episode.

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussions around adoption, familial rejection, and grief.

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

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

What happens when the country of your birth refuses to acknowledge where you really come from? For adoptees, proving their origins can be a legal nightmare—especially when official documents don’t tell the whole truth.

In this two-part Family Twist special, our guest shares his astonishing journey to uncover his heritage, navigate international red tape, and fight for his rightful place as an Irish citizen. Part 1 set the stage for his shocking discovery—now, in Part 2, we dig into the legal battle that changed everything.

📌 In this episode, you’ll hear:

✅ Why Ireland’s citizenship laws left adoptees in legal limbo

✅ How a DNA expert became the key to proving the truth

✅ The years-long legal fight that almost ended in defeat

✅ A surprising twist that opened the door for other adoptees

✅ What it feels like to finally hold an Irish passport after a lifetime of uncertainty

This is a story about resilience, justice, and the power of DNA to rewrite history. If you’ve ever questioned the meaning of identity, this episode is a must-listen.

🔊 Don’t miss Part 1! If you haven’t heard the first half of this conversation, go back and listen before diving in.

🎧 Subscribe, share, and join us for this unforgettable journey on Family Twist!

#FamilyTwistPodcast #AdoptionStory #DNAChangesEverything #LostAndFound #IdentityMatters #AdopteeRights #IrishCitizenship

4o

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

In this intimate and reflective solo-hosted episode, Kendall dives deep into a powerful conversation with guest John Portmann, exploring themes of family, identity, adoption secrecy, and the life-changing power of DNA discoveries.

Key Highlights:

• Growing Up Adopted:
• John shares parallels with Kendall in their early experiences of adoption, highlighting the profound role their adoptive parents played in creating a sense of security through openness and religious narratives.
• The adoption narrative instilled by John's religious parents: "God chose our family."

Family Dynamics and Adoption:

• Both Kendall and John experienced early awareness of their adoption but had distinctly different emotional journeys.
• John discusses his upbringing, his adoption in Arizona, and childhood relocation to Pennsylvania.
• Reflections from John on suppressing curiosity about biological origins during childhood versus the persistent desire for answers later in life.

Health History & Identity:

• John addresses the challenges adoptees face when asked about family medical history by doctors or financial planners.
• John explains how practical considerations, like retirement planning, sparked his curiosity about personal origins.

DNA as a Gateway:

• The transformative moment when John received DNA test results from Ancestry.
• John's shock, confusion, and excitement upon discovering he was 100% Irish and connecting with potential family members.

Searching and Finding Biological Family:

• John recounts his initial, confusing interactions with DNA matches and the struggle to interpret results.
• Introduction to the DNA detective who significantly impacted John's search—a Canadian university professor who provided empathetic, professional, and effective assistance.
• John discusses overcoming initial fears and vulnerability about trusting strangers with deeply personal information.

The Deep Impact of Adoption Secrets:

• The emotional complexities surrounding adoption secrecy, societal attitudes, and the powerful longing for identity validation.
• Insights from John into how societal shame and religious beliefs influenced the adoption process historically, especially within Catholic communities.

Fighting for Identity and Citizenship:

• John shares his challenging journey toward proving his Irish ancestry and gaining Irish citizenship despite legal and bureaucratic hurdles.
• Advocacy, resilience, and perseverance as John navigated complex international bureaucracy.
• The crucial role DNA evidence played in breaking down barriers in adoption and identity recognition, both in the U.S. and internationally.

Reflective Insights:

• Kendall and John share mutual understanding as adoptees, reflecting on the lifelong impact adoption can have on identity, belonging, and self-discovery.
• Discussion on how revealing hidden truths can heal generational wounds and empower adoptees.

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

In this episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall sit down with Connor, who is in the process of writing a memoir about his experience with open adoption. Connor pulls back the curtain on the often-glossed-over complexities of open adoption, sharing how the promises made to birth parents, adoptive families, and adoptees themselves are often more marketing than reality.

Connor shares his journey of navigating two families—his adoptive family and his biological family—yet still feeling like he doesn’t fully belong in either. He delves into how open adoption is often sold as a healing mechanism for all parties, but without enforceable mechanisms, it can leave lasting scars.

A standout moment in the episode is Connor’s story about being just around the corner from his birth father while on a trip to Ireland. He had the opportunity to meet him but hesitated, a decision he now deeply reflects on. This moment underscores the internal conflict many adoptees face—the fear of rejection, the hesitation to disrupt someone else’s life, and the ever-present quest for answers.

The episode also dives into how society often misunderstands adoption, with Connor addressing the harsh feedback he sometimes receives when he shares his truth on social media. He discusses the idea of "adoption as addition, not replacement," emphasizing that the goal shouldn’t be to erase a child’s history but to enrich their sense of identity.

The conversation wraps with a discussion of how music has helped Connor process his emotions, particularly through the song "Father of Mine" by Everclear. Corey and Kendall add their own experiences, including how music helped Kendall bond with his birth father.

Key Themes:

• The Misleading Marketing of Open Adoption: Connor explains how open adoption is often marketed with promises of continued contact and healing, but the reality is rarely so clear-cut.
• Identity and Belonging: The episode explores the struggle of adoptees who have connections with both adoptive and biological families yet still feel out of place.
• Family Secrets and Guilt: Connor and Kendall both share experiences of feeling guilty for wanting to connect with their biological families and how family secrets can perpetuate this feeling.
• Missed Opportunities and Self-Preservation: Connor's story of nearly meeting his birth father in Ireland but holding back out of fear is a powerful example of how difficult these decisions can be.
• The Need for a New Adoption Narrative: The episode calls for a shift in how adoption is discussed, focusing on honesty and the real challenges faced by adoptees.

If this episode resonated with you or if you have your own adoption story to share, connect with us on social media or visit our website. And if you know someone who might benefit from this conversation, please share this episode.

Subscribe to Family Twist wherever you get your podcasts, and stay tuned for more stories that reveal the true twists of family life.

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

What happens when the life you’ve always known changes in an instant? For Natalie, a single conversation just before her 18th birthday unraveled everything she thought she knew about herself. She grew up believing she was the biological child of her Filipino immigrant parents—until they sat her and her triplet siblings down and revealed a shocking truth: they were conceived using an egg donor.

In this eye-opening episode of Family Twist, we dive into Natalie’s incredible journey of identity, family, and self-discovery. From learning that her biological mother was actually her mom’s best friend, to realizing she had half-siblings she’d known her whole life, Natalie takes us through the emotional rollercoaster of reconciling her past with her present.

She shares how this revelation impacted her relationships, how she processed her new reality, and how she’s found healing through community, humor, and self-reflection. We also discuss the challenges within the donor-conceived community, the ethics of anonymous donations, and what it truly means to define family.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

✔️ The Moment of Truth – How Natalie’s parents revealed the secret and why they waited until she was almost 18.

✔️ Growing Up in the Dark – How Natalie’s Filipino heritage shaped her identity, and what changed when she learned she wasn’t biologically connected to her mother.

✔️ Meeting Her “New” Family – The shocking realization that her mom’s best friend was actually her biological mother and that her childhood friends were actually half-siblings.

✔️ Processing Identity Shifts – The emotional and psychological impact of learning the truth and how she navigated the complexity of relationships after the revelation.

✔️ The Power of Community – How connecting with other donor-conceived individuals helped her process her experience and find a sense of belonging.

✔️ The Ethics of Donor Conception – The complicated reality of anonymous donations, medical history concerns, and the hidden industry behind assisted reproduction.

✔️ Healing Through Humor – How Natalie has used humor and storytelling as a tool for resilience and self-acceptance.

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

What would you do if a DNA test revealed a biological parent you never knew existed—who also happened to be serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison? That’s exactly what happened to our guest, Brad Ewell. In this powerful three-part series, Brad shares his incredible journey from uncovering a decades-old family secret to standing face-to-face with his biological father inside Angola State Penitentiary.

In this final installment, Brad takes us through the moment he met his father, how that eight-hour visit shattered his expectations, and the complicated emotions that followed. What started as a plan to “check the box” on meeting his only living biological parent turned into something far more profound. Brad also walks us through the fight for his father’s parole, the complex feelings surrounding justice and redemption, and how this discovery reshaped his understanding of family.

Join us for an emotional and eye-opening conversation about identity, resilience, and the unexpected twists of fate that shape our lives.

✅ Brad’s initial reluctance to meet his biological father

✅ Visiting Angola State Penitentiary and his shocking first impression

✅ The unexpected honesty from his father—and how it changed everything

✅ The complicated emotions of balancing two families

✅ Fighting for his father’s parole and what it taught him about justice

✅ Finding closure and redefining what family means

🎧 Tune in now for an unforgettable conclusion to Brad’s story!

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