Sonia Morgan is a late discovery adoptee born in Pennsylvania. She searched for her biological family and is currently appreciating reunion/contact with them.

Music by Corey Quinn

Anna Bryant is a transracial adoptee from Iowa. She grew up in a multiracial household with White parents and international adoptee sisters from South Korea. She has been in reunion with her family of origin for 8 years which has brought both joys and heartbreaks. She is currently working on her memoir Cultural Fraud which explores her reunion journey and her search for Black identity. She currently resides in the Black Mecca of Atlanta with her husband and loves to travel, spend time with friends, and occasionally review new snacks.

Music by Corey Quinn

Koko is a same-race Black adoptee with 15 years of experience in community behavioral health. She holds a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and is a Professional Clinical Counselor. A mother and a healer, Koko brings a trauma-informed, liberation-focused lens to her work with individuals and communities impacted by adoption. Her insights have made her a frequent guest on podcasts, and she has spoken at major gatherings, including the BIPOC Adoptee Conference.

She is the founder and CEO of BADAN, the Black African Diaspora Adoptee Network—a global community committed to connection, care, and collective truth-telling for Black adoptees across the diaspora. Through community organizing, mental health advocacy, and storytelling. She creates space for Black adoptees to name grief, reclaim identity, and move toward embodied belonging. Her work centers the lived experiences of same-race adoptees while pushing for accountability and change within adoption and mental health systems. As stated, she can be found spilling adoption truths on Instagram @theblackadoptea.  https://www.instagram.com/badancommunity/

References: https://untanglingourroots.org/schedule/

Music by Corey Quinn

Garrett Lee is a same race domestic adoptee residing in Orlando, FL. He is in reunion with DNA family members and the journey continues putting the pieces together about his relinquishment/adoption story.

Website: https://www.oldskoolcakes.com/

Music by Corey Quinn

Janeen Jackson is an adoptee, children's book author, and powerful advocate for adult adoptees—especially those who discover the truth about their adoption later in life. Through her blog Mixed Up Diary and her book Hello, Sweet Baby!, Janeen creates space for honest conversations about identity, race, and healing. Her mission is to provide comfort and understanding to others facing similar revelations and to help families navigate the emotional complexities of adoption with empathy and truth.

In 2017, Janeen took a DNA test out of curiosity. What followed was a life-altering discovery: she was adopted, had been in foster care, and was biracial. She uncovered this truth in her 40s, a revelation that completely redefined her sense of self and understanding of her past. This experience launched her into a journey of emotional excavation, family redefinition, and self-empowerment. 

Janeen’s late discovery of her adoption brought with it many emotional and psychological challenges, including grief, anger, confusion, and a profound identity crisis. She wrestled with issues of trust, colorism, belonging, and depression. Learning how to set healthy boundaries, confront painful family secrets, and process her biracial identity has been central to her personal transformation.

Websites: https://mixedupdiary.com/ https://janeenjackson.com/

Music by Corey Quinn

Eric Shaw in Southern California is an educator (Elementary School PE and High School basketball coach), adopted at birth by same race and adopted siblings with Koko, @TheBlackAdoptea on IG.

Resource: https://adoptionmosaic.com/adoptee-beacon

Music by Corey Quinn

Kevin Hodge-Niblack Barnett Sr. is a retired Army veteran and a product of the foster care/adoption system. He is the author of two books: Living My Shadows: Dreams Do Come True and Shadows of Emotion: Life After the Dream, which outline his experiences as an adoptee and person who lived in foster care.

Website: https://www.livingmyshadows.org/

Resources: https://www.adoptionknowledge.org/registration-2025.html

Music by Corey Quinn

Jasmin, a New York adoptee, host of the Once an Orphan podcast kept the story of her adoption to herself until she was in her 30’s. Today, she’ll talk about why the silence for so long and what finally brought about the change. 

https://www.youtube.com/@OnceanOrphan

https://www.blackadopteesmeetup.org/

Recommended Resource: https://events.adoptionmosaic.com/launch-land

Music by Corey Quinn

Katie is an adoptee who has always known she was adopted. Abuse and neglect by adoptive parents growing up led her to feeling unloved or unwanted by them. As a younger person, Katie felt so broken and joined Al-Anon and (ACA) Adult Children of Alcoholics for healing. She still felt like something was missing in her recovery. A friend gave Katie the book, The Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier, and she then sought out podcasts about adoptees which all proved to be great resources.

Katie never had the desire to look for her birth parents, but an acquaintance insisted, and found maternal and paternal birth parents within days in 1996. She has met both birth families and have different relationships with them today.

Music by Corey Quinn

Jennifer Hiltebeitel (HILL-ta-bite-el) is a returning guest.

Jennifer is an adopted person on a lifelong healing journey. As an Enneagram Coach, she loves talking with other adoptees about how this tool for growth builds understanding and compassion for our whole selves. She believes healing happens in community and through the telling of our stories. You can connect with Jennifer on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/throughyourlensenneagram/, through email: [email protected] or set up a free 30-minute Enneagram Coaching consultation with her at https://calendly.com/jhiltebeitel

Music by Corey Quinn