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270 | Sara Easterly Sara Easterly is back with us, she’s the author of Searching for Mom and the founder of Adoptee Voices. Today we’re talking about how Sara became friends with an adoptive mother and a birth mother in order to write a book called Adoption Unfiltered. It’s a hard conversation because when Haley got asked to endorse this book she had to say no, to a friend, who we value and deeply appreciate for her contributions to the adoptee community. So we got together to talk about it. We address the power dynamics when interacting with adoptive parents, we talk about whether or not adoption really is always going to be around, and what adoptive parents need to be doing now that they know they participated in a terrible system.   Full Show Notes Here   Join our community on Patreon here   Check out our upcoming live events here! This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal a

269 | Dr. Liz DeBetta Today we welcome back Dr. Liz DeBetta, author of Adult Adoptees and Writing to Heal: Migrating Toward Wholeness. Liz shares some reunion updates with us, including some very sad news about her sister. We discuss what lead her to choose to remain childfree. And of course, we talk about how writing, re-writing and examining the stories that have been placed upon us can help reconnect us to ourselves. Today’s episode has mentions of sudden death, abuse and abortion. Join our community on Patreon here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

268 | Kimberly McKee, Ph.D. We are so excited to host critical adoption studies scholar, Dr. Kimberly McKee. She’s the author of the impactful book Disrupting Kinship, and her brand new release is Adoption Fantasies: The Fetishization of Asian Adoptees from Girlhood to Womanhood. We talk about Kim’s reunion with her family in Korea, where she’s currently living with her young son, and what it’s like parenting through reunification and reculturation. We talk about adoption in pop culture, and how preserving adoptee history and acknowledging the work of those who’ve come before us is vital to community building.

267 | Jessica Hairston Today our guest is poet Jessica Hairston, author of Power of Our Wombs. Jessica shares her complex origin story, where both of her biological parents were struggling with addiction when she was born, apprehended and adopted soon after. We talk about “the traveling trauma” that has impacted her family system and the power of the word womb which features prominently in her poetry collection.

266 | Susan Kiyo Ito Today’s guest is the indomitable Susan Kiyo Ito. She has been writing, advocating, and leading in the adoptee community for decades and we are all the richer for it. Susan’s brand new memoir, I Would Meet You Anywhere, has just been released and it is fantastic. We talk about how Susan first discovered an adoptee memoir at her local library at age 13, and how that changed the course of her life. We’ve got adoptee activism history, relatable reunion problems, and the power of sharing our adoptee experiences in community all throughout this conversation. Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise st

265 | Louise & Sarah You might know today’s guests and recognize their voices from their podcast, Adoption: The Making of Me. Louise Browne and Sarah Reinhardt are here! Today we hear about how their friendship started, they dish about some of the fights they’ve had and how they’ve sustained their close friendship. We also talk about all the books they’ve read in community with their audience, and which ones have been most impactful on their understanding of the impact of adoption. *TW: We mention death by suicide in this episode so please take care when listening.

264 | Healing Series: Adoptee Remembrance Day Adoptee Remembrance Day was first commemorated on October 30, 2020. We’ve done a variety of episodes over the last few years beginning in 2020 with an interview with the founder of Adoptee Remembrance Day, Pamela Karanova. We’ve had listeners submit recordings of their thoughts, their poetry and prose. In deciding what to do this year, we were considering what would be most impactful for our community and we chose to do a healing series episode about suicide. This is the thing that we whisper about, we hide, we allude to, we are ashamed of, and we’re getting braver about discussing. We’ve invited Lina Vanegas, MSW, to talk to us about suicide.

263 | Stefany Valentine - When We Become Ours Today’s episode is a celebration for When We Become Ours: A YA Adoptee Anthology which releases on October 24, 2023. The first of its kind, edited by Shannon Gibney and Nicole Chung, with fifteen adoptee authors is cause for celebration. We’re going to hear from an emerging author, Stefany Valentine, who shares her story of being adopted at age twelve, while her biological father had a terminal illness. She is the first step-parent adoptee we’ve had on the show. We talk about the lack of consent to her adoption, the cultural losses Stefany suffered, and how it wasn’t until her mid-twenties that she realized her biological mother had been removed from her birth certificate. Next we’re going to hear from five more contributing authors who share about their stories in the collection and what it’s meant for them to be a part of this project.  Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts

262 Healing Series: Difficult Relationships This is a special episode in our healing series where we talk to adoptees who are also therapists. We’re going to call this episode a sort of “tune-up” for anyone who is in a period of estrangement or separation from a close relationship, whether it's adoptive parents, bio parents, somebody close in your life. We’re talking through some of the things people don't talk about publicly and some things to consider that might be impacting your life and you just don't even realize it till you hear Marta say it out loud! It’s a through-provoking episode and we hope it’ll be helpful for you. Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions

261 | Lanise Antoine Shelley Today’s guest is actor, director, playwright and podcaster, Lanise Antoine Shelley. Lanise shares about being adopted from a Haitian orphanage at age 4 by her single white adoptive mother and how exploring the impact of adoption over the last three years has challenged her connections with her adoptive family. Lanise also tells us about when she realized that her removal from Haiti left a huge hole for her entire biological family that was left behind, including her mother and father.   Full Show Notes Here   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

260 Mike Hoyt Today’s guest is Mike Hoyt, a remarkable artist and author of the graphic memoir of Hanabata Days. We discuss his reunion and subsequent reunification process with his first father. Mike also shares how reunification has impacted his own identity and that of his daughters’. Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Welcome back! Our first episode of Fall 2023 is a sampling of great advice from some of our favourite adoptee therapists about planning a first meeting with biological family, grieving the loss of an adoptive parent, and some relationship topics. Pam Cordano, MFT, Marta Isabella Sierra, LMHC, and Lesli A. Johnson, MFT are some of the therapists we’ve hosted on Ask an Adoptee Therapist events for Patreon supporters. We also don’t want you to miss our September book club, we’ll be hosting Mary Gauthier to discuss her book Saved by A Song (September 25, 2023). Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

258 | Nicole Chung We are so thrilled to welcome Nicole Chung back to the podcast. Nicole’s new memoir, A Living Remedy, is a heartbreaking pilgrimage where we walk with her through her grief in losing both of her adoptive parents within a few short years of each other. We talk a lot about grieving today: depression, avoidance, grief rituals, how our loved ones can show up for us, the joy pets can bring us in the worst of times. As an adoptee, Nicole has been one of the stalwart leaders in our community and you’ll know why when you listen to the compassion and vulnerability she shares in our conversation.   Full Show Notes Here   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organizatio

257 | Sarah Myer We are so excited to introduce you to Sarah Myer, author of the forthcoming graphic memoir, Monstrous. Today Sarah and I talk about their love of comics, anime, and cosplay and how it lead them to explore their own identity as a Korean adoptee and comic artist. We also talk about anger and violence and how it can be incredibly scary when it’s erupting out of ourselves.   Full Show Notes Here   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

256 Kira Omans We are so thrilled to talk with actor, audiobook narrator, and adoptee advocate, Kira Omans today. Kira shares how looking deeply at adoption over the past decade has changed her perspective. We talk about what it’s like to audition as an adoptee and to embody a new character and identity during a performance. Of course, we get to chat about adoptee representation in Hollywood and the media, including how watching just one documentary upended what Kira thought was her origin story.   Full Show Notes Here   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

255 Sarah Audsley We are thrilled to introduce you to Sarah Audsley today! Sarah’s debut poetry collection Landlock X is our June Adoptees On(ly) Book Club pick. Today Sarah shares about how a reunion with genetic family in Korea only opened up more questions for her. We talk about cultural differences, context that can be lost in translation, and how she may be an anomaly with accurate records from the adoption agency. We talk through several of Sarah’s poems and our excitement surrounding the growing body of adoptee literature.   Full Show Notes Here   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

254 [Healing Series] Adoptee Superpowers Today we are talking with Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker about adoptee superpowers. Don’t worry, we’re not going to express gratitude for a traumatic experience over here, it’s more about understanding what are some common traits we hold and how can we embrace and make use of them to our advantage. We talk about perfectionism, empathy, people-pleasing, control, attachment, independence and more. We know you’re going to find something you relate to in today’s episode!   Full Show Notes Here   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

253 Dr. Sam and Sandria We are thrilled to bring you two fellow podcasters today! Dr. Samantha Coleman and Sandria Washington are our guests from Black to the Beginning. They share their stories of being friends who just coincidentally found out a few years apart in adulthood that they also were both adopted. We talk about the lack of resources for same race black adoptees and how Dr. Sam and Sandria are working to build the community and supports they wish they had when they first found out they were adopted.   Full Show Notes Here   This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

252 Anne Elise Today’s guest is our friend, Anne Elise. Anne lives abroad and we talk about some of the intersections she sees between living as an American expat and being an adopted person. Anne shares what it’s like growing up with an adopted brother who was keen to live out the defiant “acting out” adoptee stereotype. We also talk about our love of reading adoptee-authored work and rejection from our birthmothers. Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

251 Cam Lee Small, MS, LPCC Full Show Notes Here This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.