Five percent. That was her chance of survival.

A hard thought for most, if not for all of us, to swallow.

What would you do if you were told you had a five percent chance at life?

Would you be satisfied with the person you have become, the lessons you’ve passed on to others, and the amount of time you’ve spent with those you love?

But, Karin McHugh is different compared to others.

She developed a mindset that she wishes to pass on to others; to never give up, no matter how difficult the circumstances may be.

This mindset helped her overcome a difficult illness that prevented her from witnessing the birth of her son.

An illness that taught her a tough, but an important lesson: to not reason, but rather accept things for what they are. And most importantly, to choose to fight on.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On Adoption: Don’t tell your children they’re “different”

On Recovery: Take time to process your feelings

On Acceptance: Don’t try to find a reason, but rather accept things for what they are

On Experience: Yours may be different, but it is no less valid than anyone’s

On Finding Courage: Find your safe space

***

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It was humiliating.

Every time they left the household, whether it was to the grocery store or the mall, “My placement in the family was questioned.”

She said, “People wanted to know how much I cost, where I came from, how my parents found me and where my real parents were.”

Questions that made Reshma McClintock feel embarrassed.

Questions that made her feel unsafe.

Questions that ignited her current work, Dear Adoption.

I asked, “How and why did you create, Dear Adoption?”

She said, “I started talking about it with my family first… then I started writing about it… I wrote publicly about adoption… Then, a friend from high school whom I haven’t seen or spoken to for about 17 years contacted me. He contacted me… and asked if I have been back to Kolkata. I said, “I’ve been to India, but not Kolkata.” He said, “What if we filmed a documentary about your first return?”

Fast-forward a few years, Calcutta is My Mother, was born.

A documentary that triggered hundreds of responses from other adoptees.

Responses that led Reshma to create a space for other adoptees.

A space where adoptees can share their perspectives on adoption, whether they’re for it or not.

A space that makes them feel safe.

A space that makes them feel like they belong.

Help others elevate before you elevate yourself.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On Questioning: Think before you speak

On Grief: Don’t try to contain it

On Stereotypes/Racism: Have a pulse on the society/culture

On Sharing: Create a space for it

On Courage: Surround yourself with others who support you

Three principles to live by: Listen, persist, and have grace

***

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For information on how to join any of the upcoming, “Courageous Conversations”, please leave us a message via the “contact us” page on (https://www.overcomingodds.today/)


Interested in sponsoring any of our upcoming events? Please contact us via email ([email protected]) or website (https://www.overcomingodds.today/)


For more daily inspirational content, consider following us on:

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She felt unworthy.

Shame, combined with lack of belonging, began to take over her life.

A decision had to be made. It was either to find a way to overcome the obstacles in front of her or suffer for the rest of her life.

As most of us can relate, it is moments like these that define who we are.

Moments, filled with tragedy and pain that make us stop what we’re doing and reflect.

For Holly Lysne, an adoptee from the Baby Scoop Era and avid journaler, the healing process was no different.

She said, “I decided to fight back. I was not going to let that sense of shame win.”

I asked, “How did you do it?”

She said, “Mindfulness.”

A practice through which you face your deepest and darkest emotions.

A practice that will take you on a journey as you seek answers to questions such as, “What are my feelings? What are my emotions? And where do they stem from?”

A practice that has helped Holly develop a different perspective on suffering and pain.

A perspective, which made her realize that pain and suffering are temporary.

Remember: nothing lasts forever.

When life gets hard, know that a brighter day will follow!

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On Adoption: Listen to your heart

On Relationships: It’s always a work in progress

On Meditation: Take a walk in nature, find quiet time, focus on a single simple task

On Pain: It’s temporary

On Our Judgements of Others: They often reflect our own shortcomings

On Developing Trust: Take it one day at a time

She was afraid.

It was either to hide her sickness or never get called for another job in her industry.

For Jeanette, her job was much more than simply receiving another paycheck.

It’s a job, which also happens to be her hobby and passion.

A job that allows her to express how appreciative she is of her adoptive family.

A job that taught her some of the most important lessons in life, including this one: “Don’t take a day for granted.”

So, she hid it.

She said, “I was constantly trying to figure out when the shows were going to end, so I could time my surgeries and doctors apportionments. It was not easy”

It is times like these that would leave most, if not all, of us hopeless.

But, Jeanette Jolley was different.

She said, “It was either to quite this industry… or I need to snap out of this, and fix it and keep going with life.”

So, she decided to go with the second option, which ultimately led her to become an accomplished television producer, voice for other adoptees, mostly women, and especially those going through infertility.

I asked, “Do you have any advice for others who are going through similar experiences?”

She said, “Listen to yourself, embrace the emotions and find people that you can trust.”

Tune in as Jeanette shares tips and tricks for succeeding in the entertainment industry, what it means to be adopted, and how to find balance in your everyday life.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On Healing: It takes time

On Family: Make them proud of you

On Life: Live up to your values

On Interviewing: Make it a friendly conversation

On Work: Always leave a good impression

On Success: It takes a lot of determination and self-motivation

She was born without legs.

Later on, she was placed for adoption.

Two life-changing events that would leave most of us hopeless.

But, Jen Bricker was different.

She said, “I played softball, volleyball, and basketball with no wheelchair or prosthetics. At the time, I didn’t think it was out of the norm. I didn’t think it was amazing. I didn’t understand why everyone thought it was amazing. To me, I was just doing what I loved and what I was good at.”

Out of all of the sports, it was gymnastics that took her to places she had never been to before.

It was gymnastics that revealed one of the biggest secrets in her life.

She said, “I grew up in Southern Illinois. There really wasn’t much diversity… Nobody looked like me, and certainly, no one was Romanian… So, when I saw her, not only did she look like me, which no one looked like me, but she was Romanian, and she was doing my favorite sport.”

At 16, she began looking for answers in order to make sense of the similarities between Jen and her idol, Dominique Moceanu, Olympic gold medalist.

Her findings were mind-boggling.

Jen’s childhood idol was in fact her biological sister.

She said, “The person that I was drawn to as a kid... there is a reason why I was drawn to her.”

After several failed attempts, Jen and Dominique finally met.

For some, it may be just a story.

For Jen, it was a confirmation that you can achieve anything that you set your mind to.

The building blocks behind life and success can be found in her newly published book, “Everything Is Possible: Finding the Faith and Courage to Follow Your Dreams.”

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On self-development: Don’t compare yourself to others

On new opportunities: Have no expectations

On possibilities: You can achieve anything that you set your mind to

On self worth: We’re all on this planet for a different purpose. We all matter

It took her years to figure it out.

Her life was consumed by anxiety and relationship issues.

As many of us know, our personal experiences often dictate the actions we take in life.

For Lesli Johnson, it was no different.

She was adopted at a time when parents were advised to tell as few people as possible about their adoptions.

But, this way of doing things raised more questions than answers.

One question raised after she saw several therapists in college, was why none of them were able to help her. It may have had something to do with the fact that none of them ever asked her if she had been adopted, therefore never had a chance to deduce that separation trauma played a primary role in Lesli’s anxiety.

She said, “’Were you adopted?’ should be asked on all medical forms.”

It’s a question that appears simple on the outside, but remains truly complex and in dire need of attention when more closely examined.

It’s a question that helped determine her mission in life: To help other adoptees and foster youth process their trauma.

I asked, “Do you have any advice for others who are going through similar issues?”

She said, “First, recognize that it may be related to your early trauma. Then, seek help, whether it’s therapeutic help, educating yourself about the nervous system or sharing your story with someone.”

Leslie has had an incredible impact on adopted teens, as well as adoptive parents through her therapeutic work as well as her work in support groups such as AdoptCONNECT and Teen AdoptCONNECT. Both groups give participants the opportunity to relate to one another and realize that they are far from alone in any adoption-related struggle.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On healing: Acknowledge that it may be due to separation and transitions

On adoption: “Were you adopted?” A question that should be asked on all medical forms

On community: Unite yourself with people who have shared the same experiences

“You never know.”

A lesson Samantha learned early on from her family and work.

Adopted from South Korea and raised in New Jersey, she never knew what might be the connecting thread between her twin sister and herself.

I asked, “What was it like being raised in New Jersey? What was your relationship with your adoptive family?”

She said, “No one ever really looked like me or looked like they could be my family...”

“...Little did I know my identical twin sister would show up one day.”

A youtube video that Samantha starred in ended up being the connecting piece of the puzzle between the two sisters, as well as an instigator of their reunion.

They connected online after her sister saw Samantha’s Youtube video, which quickly led to them meeting in person.

I asked, “What was it like meeting your sister for the first time?”

She said, “You finally see each other in the same room and you really have to learn how to be together… I’ve never felt more in the moment my whole life.”

Samantha tells us how meeting her sister online, as life-changing as it was, was entirely different from meeting her in person.

A meeting, which created multiple new opportunities in Samantha’s life.

First, it was the documentary, Twinsters, in which the two documented their reunion with the purpose of sharing their perspective on adoption and reunions.

Then, it was the start of her non-profit, Kindred Adoption.

I asked, “Do you have any advice for aspiring film producers and actors?”

She said, “You have to represent what you believe in.”

Focus your efforts on contributing to meaningful societal conversations.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- On the entertainment industry: You never know what an opportunity will lead to

- On chasing dreams: “If you love it, you will keep trying”

- On passion: Be able to say, “I wouldn’t be as happy doing anything else in the world.”

- On failing: Allow yourself to fail! We all do it.

On acting: “It’s important to represent what you believe in, to take roles that are meaningful.”

- On mentorship:“A great mentor doesn’t have all the answers, but can help you find your own.”

It was painful.

18 years had passed before he saw her again.

He said, “We got in our family car. Drove to downtown Louisville, KY. Walked into a building we’ve never been to before.”

Reese Hoffa, along with his brother were playing in one room, while Diana was filling out paperwork in the other.

Everything seemed normal until him and his brother were separated.

Confused, he turned to his mother only to see her leave the place.

“Orphan,” a term that became a part of Reese’s identity.

His time at the orphanage included both sides of the spectrum. There were days when he was fed and cared for, and there were days when he was physically abused.

St. Thomas - St. Vincent orphanage, a place that taught Reese the unspoken lessons in life.

St. Thomas - St. Vincent orphanage, a place that’s with him everywhere he goes, including the Olympics.

In third grade, he threw his first shot.

In high school, he became a state champion.

In 2012, Reese won his first Olympic Games bronze medal.

A man who found ways to turn his dream into a reality.

A man who has finished in the top five at the USA Outdoor Championships for nine consecutive years.

I asked, “Do you have any advice for those who are thinking about going after their dreams?”

He said, “If you go after your dreams, you must believe in yourself and don't put ‘impossible’ on a pedestal.”

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On living in the orphanage: Don’t be afraid

On adoption: You should be given a choice to say, “No”

On language: Only say it, if you mean it

On finding birth family: Do it while you can

On success: Stay hungry

She couldn’t handle it.

At 12 years old, she became addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Later on, her stepbrother sexually abused her.

Her comfort zone quickly turned into a nightmare.

Hopeless. Not knowing who to ask for help. She turned to the person that knew her best: herself.

The recovery process began.

12-step program.

Therapy.

Anything or anyone who could offer advice was a fair game.

It was refreshing.

She questioned her existence. Reasons for why she was put on this earth. Got in touch with a higher spirit, God.

All, ultimately leading to her larger purpose, to help other adoptees who may be experiencing similar issues.

Focusing on areas such as:

- Why adoptees should reconnect with their roots

- Importance of adoptee community

- Accepting your past

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

- On healing: It takes time

- On community: Connect with others in-person

- On future: Trust your instincts

- On life: Don’t take yourself too seriously

It was hard to stay quiet.

Her body was constantly covered with bruises.

Her home was one of fear and abuse.

Her father was the man responsible for it all.

Others knew, but no one spoke up.

It left her no other option, but to speak up for herself.

During her sophomore year of high school, she was finally removed from her abusive household and placed into foster care.

“Foster kid”, a term that she could only imagine before, was now a part of her identity.

As most of us can relate, it is through hardship and adversity that we’re able to learn life’s toughest lessons.

Honoree Corder was no exception. Instead of dwelling on her grueling upbringing, she turned it to her advantage.

She has used her story to lift herself up.

She has used her story as inspiration for others to tell theirs.

As Honoree had mentioned, “Don’t be intimidated by the long process of book publishing. Start telling your story today.”

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:

On abuse: Talk to someone about it

On future: Figure out a way to work for yourself

On success: Practice behaviors of successful people

On opportunities: Be open-minded