Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast, In today's episode, I sit down with Mariela Andersen, a fellow Colombian adoptee, and we talk about her book "Home Sweet Casa".  Mariela grew up always knowing she was adopted, and even though hers is what she calls a positive and happy adoption story, she always had a longing to find her first mother, and to know where she came from.  Her book came out of the journaling she did while in reunion, and during her trip back to Colombia, to meet her first family. In this episode, we talk about the process of writing her book, some challenges, and highlights, and we get to hear Mariela read out loud part of the book.  To get in touch with and follow Mariela, you can find her here: Email: marielaandersen@yahoo.com Instagram: @marielaandersenn Website: www.marielaandersen.com Book link: https://www.amazon.com/Home-Sweet-Casa-Journey-Universal-ebook/dp/B08L34KQXF _____________________________________________________________________________________ Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experiences, and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook This Adoptee Life on Instagram and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. _______________________________________ To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. __________________________________ Please, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review to help other people find us and hear our stories. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast, In today's episode, I sit down with Emma Stevens, a fellow adoptee and published author. In her own words, Emma Stevens is a U.S. domestic adoptee from birth and has survived layers of trauma that have put her on multiple journeys. She developed the inner strength and courage to surmount the many struggles she faced. Her traumas were born from being an adoptee who struggled with being forced to wear an impossible mask of playing the part of the “good adopted child.” Because being relinquished and adopted has colored her life, it’s Emma’s desire to be part of the movement that is dedicated to helping bring forth change to the way our world views the needs and support of adopted individuals. She believes strongly in adoptees finding their voice and discovering their truth to have a solid sense of self and reclaim their identities. Through telling her story, Emma is dedicated to helping redefine the narrative of adoption to include the entire complex truth. Please, find and connect with Emma in the following ways: Linktree FB & Instagram @emmastevensthegatheringplace Twitter & TikTok @emmastevensTGP _____________________________________________________________________________________ Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experiences, and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website (New website to launch 12/1/2022 Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook This Adoptee Life on Instagram and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. _______________________________________ To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. __________________________________ Please, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review to help other people find us and hear our stories. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast, In today's episode, I sit down with Lara Leon, a fellow adoptee from the UK.  In her own words, Lara is "out of the fog, out of the reunion, helping to spread the word on how to help adoptees with their journey to adjustment." We talk about adoptee well-being, a topic Lara feels strongly about and has worked on for quite some time.  In addition to being a coach, educator, and supporter, Lara has done research on the topic of adoptee wellbeing. She collaborates with fellow adoptees in the UK, via webinars, her blog, youtube channel, and social media, to bring awareness for non-adoptees, and support for fellow adoptees. Please, follow the link below, to find out more about Lara, her work, and how to connect with her. https://linktr.ee/iamlaraleon _____________________________________________________________________________________ This episode marks the final one for season one, and when we return with season two, there will be much more in store. We will hear from adoptee authors and we will expand on the different voices we'll hear from. We will always have adoption at the center and the purpose remains to offer support and validation for fellow adoptees while spreading awareness for those who are listening in as non-adoptees.  _____________________________________________________________________________________ Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experiences, and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook This Adoptee Life on Instagram and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. _______________________________________ To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. __________________________________ Please, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review to help other people find us and hear our stories. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast, Please, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review to help other people find us and hear our stories. _____________________________________________________________________________ Amy Hansen is my guest on today's episode. She reached out to me, wanting to share her adoptee story on This Adoptee Life Podcast. I can't thank her enough for her patience, as she has waited from recording to the release of the episode.  We talk about common themes for adoptees, such as loss and coming out of the fog. We also touch on the fact that Amy is not the only adoptee in her family, and how coming out of the fog is shaping her perspective on wanting to be of guidance to fellow adoptees, including those in her family. Amy shares some thoughts on opening the door to some of those tough conversations as adoptive parents and how recognizing loss can help build the ground for understanding one another.  If you wish to connect with Amy, you can find her on social media via the following links: FaceBook   Instragram   Twitter ______________________________________________________________________________ Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experiences and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook This Adoptee Life on Instagram and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. _______________________________________ To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast, Heather Marshall, fellow adoptee, shares her story with us on This Adoptee Life Podcast. We talk about navigating life as an adoptee, the guilt born out of not having a voice as children, the mask we wear to fit in as adoptees, the fear of everything falling apart, motherhood as an adoptee, and what honoring our feelings might look like while working towards the rocky road of healing. It was a wonderful conversation and I hope you will love listening to it as much as I did recording it. Please, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review to help other people find us and hear our stories. _____________________________________________________________________________ Heather Marshall is an adoptee, author, teacher, and coach whose classes, workshops, and coaching focus primarily on helping people access their own stories. This might be to process the past, establish a vision forward or be fully present in the moment. Heather uses a combination of yoga, meditation, and movement to deepen her own writing practice as well as her students'. Her fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction are published in a variety of periodicals and anthologies in the US and the UK. Her novel, The Thorn Tree, was released in 2014. She’s currently on the hunt for a publisher for her recently completed novel manuscript, When the Ocean Flies, a story of longing and love that spans oceans and generations, exploring the hidden past of women, the adoptee experience, abuse and survival, and finding the strength to uncover your authentic self. When she isn’t writing, reading, or teaching, you can find her hiking, traveling, or playing bass drum in a bagpipe band. You can find and connect with Heather via the following outlets: Facebook Instagram Website Ted Talk  ______________________________________________________________________________ Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experience and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook This Adoptee Life on Instagram and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. _______________________________________ To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast. Fellow adoptee Cassie Davis and I talk about sibling relationships as an adoptee, both with adoptive siblings and biological siblings. There is a unique dynamic in her experience that she shares with us. We also talk about unpacking our past, connecting dots, and how we have worked through several common adoption/adoptee-related struggles. Birth trauma, hyper-vigilance, and empowerment are all topics that are part of this conversation.  If you wish to connect with Cassie, she is on social media HERE ______________________________________________________________________________ Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experience and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook This Adoptee Life on Instagram and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. _______________________________________ To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast. In this episode, I talk with Patrick Armstrong, a fellow transnational/transracial adoptee. We dig into several adoptee-related topics, such as language in adoption, reclaiming yourself and your story as an adoptee, and having tough conversations with your adoptive family.  Please, find and connect with Patrick and his work in the following places: Website: Patrick in the World - https://www.patrickintheworld.me Podcast - The Janchi Show Instagram - @patrickintheworld ________________________________________________________________________________ Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experience and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website thisadopteelife.com Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook facebook.com/thisadopteelife This Adoptee Life on Instagram instagram.com/thisadopteelife and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEj9OJIrZ65y8nC4NeKDQKA For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast. In this episode, we get to hear from Cassandra. She is a domestic adoptee and she shares her story with us. We ask the question, who has a right to what? You can find and connect with Cassandra on social media here: Twitter @cassielafasto Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experience and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website thisadopteelife.com Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook facebook.com/thisadopteelife This Adoptee Life on Instagram instagram.com/thisadopteelife and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEj9OJIrZ65y8nC4NeKDQKA For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. To all my fellow adoptees, PS. We are all in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

In today’s episode, I sit down in a conversation with fellow adoptee Lorah Gerald. We talk about aspects that are tied to our adoptee experience and reflect on healing, the process, the concept, and share how we are working with healing our primal wound. Lorah is passionate about supporting fellow adoptees and has a few fundraising projects going on such as yoga classes, a recent t-shirt design competition where the winning design has been printed on shirts that are for sale, and proceeds will go to the organization Adoptees Connect Inc. A few words on this from Lorah herself: My website, https://lorahgerald.com/ has my class schedule link on the home page. It is the first thing on there. I added another donation-based class and may add more this month. The presale store for t-shirts is open https://lorahgerald.com/adoptee-tshirt-presale The shirt was designed by artist and author Shirley Mackenzie. https://www.shirleymackenzie.com/ Shirley’s art hangs in museums and private collections. Her book Orphan Sage was published in 2010. You can see her illustrations in her book and many others. Shirley has spent her life working in the arts. A huge thanks to her for sharing her art with us. The proceeds from the sale of the shirt will go to Adoptees Connect. https://adopteesconnect.com/ Adoptees Connect. With the purchase of each shirt, we hope to plant the seeds of change with more of these groups around the world where adoptees are expanding their voices. I wanted to share the link for the local shop in Tulsa that is helping make everything happen. http://www.flashfloodprint.com/ Please help us spread the word. Thank You! Listen in, and please, don't forget to follow the podcast, leave a review and consider donating to This Adoptee Life via the website, so that we can release more episodes, more often, help more adoptees and get more voices and perspectives out into the world. To sign up for This Adoptee Life Monthly Newsletter, please, visit https://thisadopteelife.com To connect with me, send me a message via this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/contact-us/ If you would like to submit your written story to be featured on This Adoptee Life Blog, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/adopteeform/ And, if you would like to submit an application to be a guest on This Adoptee Life podcast, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/podcast/podcast-form/ Last, but not least, if you would like to donate to the work I do with This Adoptee Life, and thereby help me do more of it, the link for that is here: https://thisadopteelife.com/donate/ Thank you so much for being here, spending time with me, and This Adoptee Life. I appreciate you so much. To all my fellow adoptees, PS. Let's be in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

For today's episode, I invited Moses Farrow, a fellow transnational, transracially adopted person. Moses was one of a few adoptees who stood out to me early on in my journey when starting This Adoptee Life, as a blog. We connected on Instagram, and Moses continuously showed up with support and encouragement as I was sharing from my life, and during the process of coming out of the fog.  I wanted to give fellow adoptees who find this podcast and who listen a chance to "meet" Moses, to find out about his work and to connect with him A survivor of suicide loss, Moses advocates awareness about suicide among adoptees, and the need for suicide prevention, specifically for adoptees. We have a deep and beautiful conversation, and please, listen to the end, where Moses shares his dream for adoptees, in the form of a statement.  Find Moses and connect with him and his work on transformadoption.com Download the FREE Adoption Trauma Factsheet. Follow Moses and support his campaign Truth is Louder on Instagram and Facebook. Listen in, and please, don't forget to follow the podcast, leave a review and consider donating to This Adoptee Life via the website, so that we can release more episodes, more often, help more adoptees and get more voices and perspectives out into the world. To sign up for This Adoptee Life Monthly Newsletter, please, visit https://thisadopteelife.com To connect with me, send me a message via this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/contact-us/ If you would like to submit your written story to be featured on This Adoptee Life Blog, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/adopteeform/ And, if you would like to submit an application to be a guest on This Adoptee Life podcast, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/podcast/podcast-form/ Last, but not least, if you would like to donate to the work I do with This Adoptee Life, and thereby help me do more of it, the link for that is here: https://thisadopteelife.com/donate/ Thank you so much for being here, spending time with me, and This Adoptee Life. I appreciate you so much. To all my fellow adoptees, PS. Let's be in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

In today's episode, I sit down to talk with Astrid Castro, fellow adoptee and founder of Adoption Mosaic. Astrid is someone who I look up to and who I am constantly learning from in the work that I do with This Adoptee Life.  Recently, I was one of four panelists on a monthly panel discussion called We The Experts, hosted and run by Adoption Mosaic.  Just like Pam, my last guest, Astrid is one of three adoptees I have invited to be my first guests, because of the support they have shown me. It's my way of recognizing and thanking them, and saying to fellow adoptees finding this podcast: "Hey, here are three adoptees I look up to. They have encouraged me and I would love for you to find them and connect with them and the work they do, as well." Listen in and please, follow This Adoptee Life Podcast and leave a review if you would like. Let's get our voices out into the world. To connect with Astrid Castro and Adoption Mosaic, please, follow the link to their website: https://adoptionmosaic.com/ For easy access to connecting with Adoption Mosiac, please, see a link to their contact form: https://adoptionmosaic.com/contact/ Adoption Mosaic offers resources of various kinds, all with the common factor of being adoptee-centered.  You can also find Astrid and Adoption Mosaic on social media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdoptionMosaic Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoptionmosaic/ Listen in, and please, don't forget to follow the podcast, leave a review and consider donating to This Adoptee Life via the website, so that we can release more episodes, more often, help more adoptees and get more voices and perspectives out into the world. To sign up for This Adoptee Life Monthly Newsletter, please, visit https://thisadopteelife.com To connect with me, send me a message via this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/contact-us/ If you would like to submit your written story to be featured on This Adoptee Life Blog, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/adopteeform/ And, if you would like to submit an application to be a guest on This Adoptee Life podcast, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/podcast/podcast-form/ Last, but not least, if you would like to donate to the work I do with This Adoptee Life, and thereby help me do more of it, the link for that is here: https://thisadopteelife.com/donate/ Thank you so much for being here, spending time with me, and This Adoptee Life. I appreciate you so much. To all my fellow adoptees, PS. Let's be in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

In today's episode, I have my first guest on the show. Pamela Karanova, a fellow adoptee and someone who showed up with support and encouragement for me when I started This Adoptee Life and has been a cheerleader this whole time. After three years of connecting via social media and emails, this is the first time we sit down for an actual one-on-one conversation. We talk about Adoptees Connect Inc. and Adoptee Remembrance Day.  Pam is one of three adoptees I have invited to be my first guests, because of the support they have shown me. It's my way of recognizing and thanking them, and saying to fellow adoptees finding this podcast: "Hey, here are three adoptees I look up to. They have encouraged me and I would love for you to find them and connect with them and the work they do, as well." Listen in and please, follow This Adoptee Life Podcast and leave a review if you would like.  Let's get our voices out into the world. Pam shares with you how to get in touch with her and get involved Adoptee Remembrance Day Website: www.adopteeremembranceday.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/adopteeremembranceday Instagram: @adopteeremembranceday How to get involved: Our latest newsletter (link below) https://mailchi.mp/2c8b0299cd6e/illuminating-adoptee-remembrance-day-october-3oth Adoptees Connect, Inc. Website: www.adopteesconnect.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/adopteesconnectgroups Instagram: @Adoptees Connect How to start an affiliate: https://adopteesconnect.com/start-an-affiliate/ Volunteer Application: https://adopteesconnect.com/volunteer/ Listen in, and please, don't forget to follow the podcast, leave a review and consider donating to This Adoptee Life via the website, so that we can release more episodes, more often, help more adoptees and get more voices and perspectives out into the world. To sign up for This Adoptee Life Monthly Newsletter, please, visit https://thisadopteelife.com To connect with me, send me a message via this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/contact-us/ If you would like to submit your written story to be featured on This Adoptee Life Blog, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/adopteeform/ And, if you would like to submit an application to be a guest on This Adoptee Life podcast, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/podcast/podcast-form/ Last, but not least, if you would like to donate to the work I do with This Adoptee Life, and thereby help me do more of it, the link for that is here: https://thisadopteelife.com/donate/ Thank you so much for being here, spending time with me, and This Adoptee Life. I appreciate you so much. To all my fellow adoptees, PS. Let's be in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

In today's episode, I read out loud, a piece I wrote recently and that will be published to the blog as we approach National Adoption Awareness Month, NAAM in November. This is my guide to you, any fellow adoptee who feels like you would like to write and share your story, but just don't know where to start or how to go about it.  This is the process I have been through, and in that process, I grew confident and I got to own my story, by telling it.  THAT is why I am sharing this with you today.  Listen in, and please, don't forget to follow the podcast, leave a review and consider donating to This Adoptee Life via the website, so that we can release more episodes, more often, help more adoptees and get more voices and perspectives out into the world.  To sign up for This Adoptee Life Monthly Newsletter, please, visit  https://thisadopteelife.com To connect with me, send me a message via this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/contact-us/ If you would like to submit your written story to be featured on This Adoptee Life Blog, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/adopteeform/ And, if you would like to submit an application to be a guest on This Adoptee Life podcast, please, follow this link: https://thisadopteelife.com/podcast/podcast-form/ Last, but not least, if you would like to donate to the work I do with This Adoptee Life, and thereby help me do more of it, the link for that is here: https://thisadopteelife.com/donate/ Thank you so much for being here, spending time with me, and This Adoptee Life. I appreciate you so much.  To all my fellow adoptees, PS. Let's be in this together.  --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

In this episode, I share part of my adoptee story with you and how This Adoptee Life started. I invite you, as a fellow adoptee, to get in touch with me if you would like to share your story on This Adoptee Life, blog, or podcast.  To share your story on the blog, please, see: Adoptee Form To come on the podcast as a guest, please, see: Podcast Form WELCOME to This Adoptee Life Podcast. Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experience and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world. This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person. Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website Follow us on social media at This Adoptee Life on Facebook This Adoptee Life on Instagram and join the community on This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel For comments and questions, please reach out via email to thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here. To all my fellow adoptees, PS. Let's be in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support

Welcome to This Adoptee Life Podcast. Hosted by Amanda, Adoptee & Founder of This Adoptee Life blog, this podcast is a place for adoptees to explore our stories, own our experience and share our truth, in support and community with fellow adoptees, and with the world.  This podcast is for anyone who is connected to adoption in any kind of way, so please, listen in and join the community online and in person.  Visit the blog and sign up for our monthly newsletter at This Adoptee Life Website thisadopteelife.com Follow us on social media at  This Adoptee Life on Facebook facebook.com/thisadopteelife This Adoptee Life on Instagram instagram.com/thisadopteelife and join the community on  This Adoptee Life Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEj9OJIrZ65y8nC4NeKDQKA For comments and questions, please reach out via email to  thisadopteelife84@gmail.com Thank you for being here.  To all my fellow adoptees,  PS. Let's be in this together. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thisadopteelife/support