NPE Stories

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

DJ grew up believing he knew exactly where he came from—named after his father, raised in a working-class family shaped by absence, anger, and long stretches of silence. From childhood jokes about not looking like his dad to being told his parents stayed together “for him,” this episode sits with the doubts he learned to carry without ever questioning out loud.

DJ can be found on social media: Facebook and Instagram @radiodjthedj

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling our Roots Summit Held in Atlanta Mar 19-22 2026

Thank you to Olivia Mesnard Hendrix for working on the new upcoming logo for NPE Stories. Her work can be found on Instagram @shop_94art  

NPE Stories Patreon

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

In this deeply personal conversation (and crossover episode), Stacy opens up about discovering she’s a double NPE, confronting painful family truths, and grieving a father she never had the chance to know. She reflects on healing, chosen family, and how community, therapy, and self-compassion helped her rebuild her sense of identity.

Stacy is the host of Mothers, Lies, and DNA Surprises and recently recorded Lily's Story on her podcast.  

Stacy can be reached on Facebook Stacy Porter Williams, or her email [email protected]

Resources Mentioned:

Hiraeth Hope & Healing Retreats

Stacy's podcast Mothers, Lies, and DNA Surprises

Togetherness Heals NPE private group on Facebook

Book: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

NPE Stories Patreon

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

Constance grew up believing she shared the same father as her siblings, though she always sensed something was off. Decades later, an AncestryDNA test and unexpected messages from strangers unraveled the truth—leading her to her biological father living just 20 minutes away. Their emotional first meeting, the highs and lows of building a relationship at midlife, and Constance’s journey toward grace, understanding, and identity make this a deeply meaningful NPE story.

Constance can be reached via email [email protected]

NPE Stories Patreon

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

Krissy shares her decades-long journey from an offhand comment in her teens to the life-changing discovery that she is an NPE, uncovering hidden family truths on both her maternal and paternal sides.

She can be reached via email [email protected]

NPE Stories Patreon

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

In this episode, Traci Grant shares her profound NPE journey, uncovering a hidden truth about her biological father after a lifetime of painful family dynamics and secrecy. 

Traci can be reached at tracigrant.com or [email protected]

Resources Mentioned:

After the Rotting by Traci Grant

NPE Stories Patreon

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