In the year 7 season finale I was so excited to chat with B.K. Jackson (aka Kate), the incredible founder of Severance magazine and editor of the brilliant new essay collection, Relative Strangers. We had a great conversation into her incredibly complex discovery story which includes 9 siblings, and we spoke about the healing power of storytelling.

Resources Mentioned:

Relative Strangers edited by B.K. Jackson

Severance Magazine edited by B.K. Jackson

B.K. Jackson's ADHD Substack 

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

In this episode, Lily Wood sits down with Elizabeth, a trauma-informed yoga teacher who shares her traumatic story of surviving a chaotic childhood only to discover through a 23andMe test the devastating truth about her conception.

Elizabeth can be reached via email [email protected]

Resources Mentioned:

vipyoga-noco.com

DNAngels

DNA Surprises Podcast with Alexis Hourselt (3 part podcast)

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Danny's mother revealed that he was actually a Non-Paternity Event (NPE) child, and his biological father was a man from New York named Daniel. To honor his biological roots while acknowledging the man who raised him, he socially changed his name to Danny. 

Danny can be reached via instagram @javi__cito

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Harmful Content Warning: This episode contains raw language including racial slurs, as well as discussions of domestic violence and systemic trauma.

Alethia joins me to talk about a childhood defined by internal racism and the messy reality of growing up in a toxic home. We dive into the moment her world shifted when a DNA test completely dismantled her family’s origin story, replacing it with a hidden history she never saw coming. It’s an honest, sometimes uncomfortable look at the shame that follows a DNA surprise and the heavy emotional cost of carrying secrets you didn't even know existed.

Resources Mentioned:

Right to Know

DNAngels and Search Angels

One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life - A Story of Race and Family Secrets by Bliss Broyard

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

The Color of Water by James McBride

I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt

Reflections: A Window Into My Soul by Alethia Stern

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

In this episode, Becca Rothman, a comedian, activist, and mother shares the surprising story of discovering she was donor-conceived later in life. After years of living with a "clue" found by her sister, Becca finally used a DNA kit to uncover a biological father—a pediatrician—who shares her love of exclamation points. Becca discusses how she turned the entire journey into her 30-minute solo comedy show, Gifted.

You can follow Becca's stand-up and storytelling journey on Instagram @BeccaRothman

Resources Mentioned:

The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland

The Sunday Story Seven IG @storyseven.al

beccarothman.com

Untangling Our Roots Conference

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Growing up with a "normal" Midwestern upbringing, Mark never felt different or disconnected from his family. However, after his father's death, a quest to explore his Portuguese heritage through a DNA test led to the staggering discovery that he was 100% Iberian and had zero Polish blood. Now, he shares his journey of navigating this new reality, confronting a mother whose memories are fading, and connecting with a biological family he never knew existed.

Mark can be reached via email [email protected]

Resources Mentioned:

Right to Know 

Severance Magazine 

DNA Surprises with Alexis Hourselt

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Alex Frantz shares the life-altering discovery of being donor-conceived, a revelation triggered by a holiday DNA kit. They describe the shock of realizing they attended high school with their half-siblings. Alex recounts forming a deep, "seamless" bond with their biological father and half-brother over a shared love for music.

Alex can be reached via instagram @bedhead_babe

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling Our Roots

Alex's Band: The Eye Traps Instagram @theeyetrapsband

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Dawn grew up feeling a quiet sense that something didn’t quite fit, but it wasn’t until a search for her family’s past that everything she thought she knew began to shift. In this episode, she shares what it’s like to uncover the truth later in life—and how she’s finding her way forward, one piece at a time.

Dawn can be reached via email [email protected]

Thank you to Dawn's daughter Olivia Hendrix for creating the newest NPE Stories podcast logo and graphics. Her art can be found @shop_94art on Instagram

Resources Mentioned:

GEDmatch

The Stranger in My Genes by Bill Griffeth

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

In this episode, Lily sits down with Molly, who shares the complex layers of being both an adoptee and an NPE within a small-town dynamic where the adults knew the truth long before she did. Molly opens up about the "fairytale" highs and devastating lows of a reunion that ultimately didn't last, and how she has utilized EMDR therapy and her faith to process the profound grief and shame of those experiences.

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling Our Roots Summit

Leslie Pate Mackinnon

EMDR Therapy

Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story | Lifetime

The Kiss: A Memoir by Kathryn Harrison

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

This episode follows Stephanie’s journey from a stable, loving childhood into a shocking DNA discovery after her dad’s death revealed he wasn’t her biological father. What starts with family secrets, an Ancestry test, and a stepmom’s cryptic comment turns into a whirlwind of answers — including identifying her biological father, discovering new siblings, and realizing her daughter was unknowingly friends with her first cousin. Stephanie shares the emotional fallout, identity shift, grief, and healing resources that helped her navigate life as an NPE. 

Stephanie can be reached via email [email protected]

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling our Roots Summit Mar 19-22, 2026 Atlanta

DNAngels No Cost Search Angel Services

Who Even Am I Anymore? A Process Journal by Eve Sturges 

Before You Go by Stephanie Walker

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories