Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

What if we were to stop searching for happiness outside us? How would that be? How would that feel? Listen in as Amanda and I dive into what she calls emotional self sufficiency. Have you heard of that? I certainly hadn't. And it lead to a profoundly empowering conversation. We both loved it and hope that you do too.

https://www.theanchorfamily.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Truths can be elusive for us adoptees. Fantasies or nightmares may fill in the blanks.  And truths can shift when we re-visit the past and ask others for their truth - their versions of events. This can lead to profound realisations. Listen in as Julie and I explore shifting truths, changes of mind and more.

Julie Ryan McGue is an author, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. She writes extensively about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it.

Here are links to previous interviews

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/julie-i4j2iwqo

https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/julie

Her new book is Twice The Family:

From the award-winning author of Twice a Daughter comes the much- anticipated prequel. In this coming-of-age memoir–set in Chicago’s western suburbs between the 1960s and 80s–adopted twins, Julie and Jenny, provide their parents with an instant family. The twins’ sisterly bond holds tight as the two strive for independence, individuality, and belonging. But as Julie’s parents continue adding children to their family, several painful and tragic experiences test family values, parental relationships, and sibling bonds.  

Faced with these hurdles, Julie questions everything—who she is, how she fits in, and even her adoption circumstances. She understands her adoptive family is held together by love, faith, support, and her parents’ commitment to each other and their children. 

And yet, the life her parents have constructed is not one Julie wants for herself. As she matures, she chooses her own unique path. In the process, she realizes how the experiences that formed her have provide a road map for the person and mother she wants to be.

More at https://juliemcgueauthor.com/twice-the-family/

Julie’s debut award winning memoir Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (She Writes Press) came out in May 2021. It is the story of her five-year search for birth relatives. Her weekly blogs That Girl, This Life and monthly column at The Beacher focus on identity, family, and life’s quirky moments. 

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Julie received a BA from Indiana University in Psychology. She earned a MM in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University. She has served multiple terms on the Board of the Midwest Adoption Center and is an active member of the American Adoption Congress.

Julie splits her time between Northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida. She is the mother of four adult children and has three grandsons. If she’s not at her computer, she’s on the tennis court, or out exploring with her Nikon. Julie is currently working on a collection of personal essays.

https://juliemcgueauthor.com/

https://www.facebook.com/juliemcguewrites/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-ryan-mcgue-a246b841/

https://www.instagram.com/julieryanmcgue/

https://twitter.com/juliermcgue

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What helps us blossom? What gets in the way? How do we overcome those obstacles? Listen in as we explore big questions with grace and depth. Brad stretched me out of my comfort zone into new insights. I hope this interview catalyses sparks insights in you.

Foster parent Brad Brooks serves as the Executive Director of Southeastern Children’s Home and Counseling Center. Brad is an avid San Francisco 49ers fan and a running enthusiast. He has previously served as both a Case Manager, Education Instructor, and Director of Social Services for Southeastern Children’s Home. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University and a Master’s Degree from Converse College. He and his wife, Katie, have four children:  Reese, Ellie, Hattie, and Will.

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Shame. Not being enough. Trauma. Listen in as birth mother Janelle shares insights on what helps us thrive and what gets in the way of thriving. She also shares how shifts in perspectives help us overcome those obstacles. Powerful. Impactful. Love this.

Connect and find out more at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/janellebasham/

https://www.bravelove.org/stories/meet-the-team-janelle-basham/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Born without arms in Romania and unwanted, George went straight from the hospital to an orphanage where he stayed until being adopted at 18 months. Relentlessly bullied at school he felt ashamed, full of resentment, mad at the world and God. Listen in as he shares his insights on the journey to thriving. An incredibly powerful interview. You're going to love this.

Find out more:

@ThatArmlessGuy

Www.thatarmlessguy.com

“UndeFEETed”

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Lacking knowledge of our history can impact our confidence. So what do we do? How can we be more confidence whatever the uncertainty of our roots? Listen in as Jen and I dive deep into overcoming some of our essential challenges as adoptees.

From Laguna Beach (Orange County), California, Jennifer Bao Yu "Precious Jade" Jue-Steuck is an author, screenwriter, children's novelist, adoption researcher, and adoption columnist. Adopted from Taipei (by an American family from Los Angeles), Jennifer is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and Harvard University, where she was a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Scholar.

She is the founder of Chinese Adoptee Links (CAL) International — Global Generations, the first global group created by and for the more than 150,000 Chinese adoptees growing up in 26+ countries around the world. She currently serves as the co-founder of Harvardwood Vancouver-Seattle (for Harvard alumni in the Arts & Entertainment), and is the West Coast Brand Ambassador for Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE) Canada.

Jennifer has given more than 100+ adoption talks in 8 countries, including several Keynote Speeches, on behalf of the international adoption community. A contributor to St. Martin’s Press, Oxford University Press, MIT Press, Conde Nast and more, Jennifer was recently awarded a runner-up prize by International Thriller Writers (ITW). She won her first writing competition at age 9, and has been writing ever since. The Stepmother's Project is Jennifer's first Canadian global media project ("EVERY MOTHER MATTERS").

https://www.gofundme.com/f/Stepmother-Project

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jue-steuck/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Many of us adoptees have been asking questions for as long as we can remember. Who are we? Where did we come from? Why were we adopted? What drives our questions? What drives your questions? Listen in as adoptee and therapist Kim shares the fierce curiosity that drives her, coming through the toughest of times and more. Rich and deep. Just like we love these interviews.

Find out about where Kim works here https://www.cffde.org/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

"The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence." A great quote from Roy T. Bennett. As adoptees we talk a lot about the past, our stories and more. This episode is all about the future. Creating our own future. Listen in as Carol shares insights and learnings on potentiality - unlocking our potential. But it's not all about us, it's about helping others unlock their potential too.

Here's the link to listen to the interview I mention. It's with Anthony Lynch and it's called Different, Not Wrong:

  https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/different-not-wrong-with-anthony-lynch

Connect with Carol here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-carol-homden-cbe-39413918/?originalSubdomain=uk

https://www.coram.org.uk/

https://x.com/Coram

https://www.facebook.com/Coramsince1739

https://www.instagram.com/coram.uk/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do you yearn to belong? To feel a deeper sense of belonging? To feel you belong with others? With yourself? What would that mean to you? Listen in as Jude and I dive deep into this profound topic.

Find out about Jude's book here https://www.amazon.com/Girl-without-Tribe-Between-Adoptees/dp/B0DJK4XS9F/

https://www.facebook.com/jude.a.hung

https://www.instagram.com/finding_home_with_jude

https://fhwithjude.com/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

So many of us feel broken. And that hurts like hell. How would it feel to be whole? A whole lot better. Listen in as Daryn shares his learnings from a very counter-cultural take on wholeness from adoptee Sydney Banks. Daryn really stretched me - in a good way - and that helped me to new insights. We both hope it catalyzes new insights for you.

Here's a bit about Daryn from his website:

Hello! My name is  Daryn Watson, and I am a reunited adoptee. My adoption reunion journey began in 1995 at the age of twenty-five when I began searching for my maternal family. Less than eight short weeks later, I found my birth/first mother.

Our first telephone call was on October 9th, 1995, which happened to be Canadian Thanksgiving Day. I will never forget that phone call. For the first time in my life, I felt truly whole and complete!

Despite reading several books on adoption, I wasn’t prepared for the overwhelming emotions and experiences reunion encompasses.I would be full of joy one minutes and the next I would feel grief, overwhelmed or angry the next moment. 

Adoption Reunions are often referred to as riding on an emotional roller coaster. These emotional up and down swings can last for weeks, months or even years.

Going through my adoption reunion journey made me realize that it’s too much to deal with it by yourself and too difficult to do it alone. Thankfully, I was able to find a support system to help me navigate the emotional upheaval that occurs within adoption reunions.

That is why I started Adoption Reunion Coaching. I really want to be that support system for others who are going through the same journey that I did. I went through this journey, I lived through it, I’ve learned how to navigate the journey and I can teach other people how to do so and make it less traumatic.

I am a contributing author to two books. “The Adoptee Survival Guide” and “Adult Adoptees Anthology: Flip the Script” I was also published in an article for “Adoption Today.” I use my experiences as a reunited adoptee to guide others through their Adoption Reunion Journey. 

https://www.adoptionreunioncoaching.com/

https://www.facebook.com/AdoptionReunionCoaching

 https://www.instagram.com/theadopteemind/

Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.