Santo, from Redding, PA, grew up knowing he was adopted, and that his family could have also adopted his siblings from Italy.

As an adult, when a friend's wedding took him to Spain, he arrived early to make the long drive across Europe to northern Italy to be face to face with his birth mother.

 Santo and his team made a documentary about his life is called Il Mio Posto a Tavola, or My Place at the Table where he uncovers research about his thread in the mosaic of European children adopted into the United States. This is Santo's journey.

Who Am I Really?

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Jeff, from southern California,   grew up with the knowledge of and separation anxiety about his adoption. In reunion, he found his birth mother who mirrored his looks, but who has pushed the boundaries of their relationship, and a birth father who is simply not his type of guy.

Jeff is the inspirational photographer behind the adoptee focused innocent People Project.

This is Jeff's journey.

Jeff Forney.com/Innocent People

IG: @JeffForney

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 Julie from Chicago, Illinois is rare in the world of adoption because she wasn't adopted alone. She and her identical twin sister were placed together, secure in their sense of family. The twins never sought adoption reunion until health concerns emerged for Julie in adulthood.

Julie describes the initial rejection of her first mother, the misidentification of her birth father, and the eventual softening of the feelings of a mother of twins who finally needed to know that her girls were okay.

This is Julie and Jenny's journey.

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Melissa, who called me from Harrison, Arkansas, says she always felt chosen and grateful for her adoption. But after decades of peace with her origin story, something shifted. A small-town newspaper article, a newborn daughter, and an aging parent all conspired to push her toward a search.

When the time was finally right—when a DNA match opened the door to her paternal family—she stepped forward in grace, only to be met with silence on her maternal side. Melissa took a clandestine trip to see the woman her half-sisters had been blocking access to.

This is Melissa’s journey.

The Adoptee Experience

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Ryan, from Edinburgh, Scotland, grew up ashamed of his Moroccan heritage and faced bullying due to his background and religion. At 18, a letter from his mother revealed his adoption, shaking his world and leading him to hide the truth for 13 years. Ryan struggled with depression, substance abuse, and a pervasive sense of otherness. Eventually Ryan confronted his adoption trauma, seeking therapy and connecting with the adoptee community. Ryan's continues his relentless search for his birth family in Morocco.

This is Ryan's journey.

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Katie was adopted from China as a baby and raised in a predominantly white suburb south of Boston. Her adoptive family gave her a life full of opportunity—but as she grew older, the distance between who she was and the world around her only deepened. In this episode, Katie shares how her search for identity has expanded beyond finding her birth parents. She opens up about being raised without cultural mirrors, navigating the silence around her story, and reclaiming pieces of herself that were left behind.

This is Katie's journey.

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George grew up in Soviet Georgia knowing he was different—both visibly and emotionally—in a society where adoption and his sexuality were dangerous secrets. He spent his early life navigating fear, hiding truths, and surviving systems designed to silence him.

When a search angel from Russia responded to a single Facebook post, everything changed. George embarked on a digital trail of late-night texts, uncovering the truth of his birth, a sister who had been searching for him for 50 years, and a family that thought he was lost forever.

George shares how he’s learning to trust again—reclaiming a birthday, a name, and a history that had been buried for decades.

This is George’s journey.

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 Forrest's life began in chaos, abuse, and danger at home and in the foster care system. Forest says he joined the military to make an honorable exit from this life and shares the moment he found his calling as a tattoo artist to his brothers in Iraq.

But when Fort decided to get his passport, the process revealed that he had been adopted by a devious woman who had taken him in, but had never told him her plans.

Today he has transformed his life into one of purpose and healing.

This is Forrest's journey.

Angel Blue - A Song of Redemption, by Forrest Lang

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 Raised in the mountains of the midwest, Misty endured neglect and abuse when she was a child. She took matters into her own hands to separate from her family, survived a period in foster care, then was adopted by her extended family. Misty, was forced to learn what life should be like in a properly functioning family while unlearning what she had experienced in her first family. Today Misty uses lessons from her past to maintain stoicism to move forward in life.

This is Misty's journey.

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Dr. Amy Geller, from Wykoff New Jersey, had had an idyllic adopted life as the youngest child and the only girl in her family.  But an accidental discovery put her in front of her adoptive parents facing an uncomfortable situation and feelings she chose to bury. As a young adult, Amy was found by her birth mother, found herself angered by the intrusion, but had the presence of mind to pause to gather herself in order to enter reunion with caution.

 Today, Amy is a therapist and adoption researcher with an exciting new online resource called Adult-Adoptees.com.

Ride with us on Peloton: #AdopteeVoices

This is Amy's journey.

Who Am I Really?

• **New Book: The Adoptee Experience **
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