Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law
Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.

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Mioara: The Long Thread Home

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 7 Apr 2026 04:08:00 +0000

Born into Roma heritage and adopted at just six weeks old, Mioara was raised by a Canadian/New Zealand family, growing up between cultures while carrying a quiet curiosity about her own origins.

In 2018, with the help of her father-in-law, she reconnected with her biological parents—an experience that reshaped her understanding of identity, belonging, and the unseen threads that connect us. Through that journey, Mioara discovered she had a younger sister who had also been relinquished at birth and adopted to Canada. This is when the search for her baby bio sister began.

In 2025, she and her sister found their way to each other. What began as a virtual meeting quickly became something far more profound—they met in person just two weeks later. What could have felt unfamiliar instead felt immediate and deeply known, an unexplainable sense of recognition that defied time and circumstance.

Mioraa’s story is one of duality—of being both rooted and searching, of loss and reconnection, and of discovering that identity is not defined by a single path, but by the courage to embrace every part of it.

Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner

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Jeff: Behind the Chameleon Mask

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:45:00 +0000

Jeff was born in San Francisco in October 1962. He was relinquished at birth and placed with his adoptive family three months later, in January 1963. His family moved from the Bay Area to Southern California when he was five years old. His older sister was also adopted, and both children grew up in a caring, loving home. They were informed of their adoptions at an early age, and the topic was always discussed positively anytime afterward. Nevertheless, specific challenges often faced by adopted children led to behavioral issues for Jeff as a teen. Chameleon syndrome's survival mechanism existed strongly in Jeff, and his self-perceived failure to replicate the behaviors, emotions, and interests of those around him led to struggles with shame and substance abuse. Years later, a conversation with a colleague who had an adopted child enlightened Jeff to the PTSD associated with adoption and helped him reconcile his conflicted adolescence. Discovery of legal adoption documents and non-identifying information following his adoptive mother's death in 2004 piqued Jeff’s interest in his biological family. Research went slowly at first, but took off quickly after another colleague introduced him to 23andme in 2017. Immersive exploration led to ancestral revelations, and meetings with aunts and cousins led to some big surprises.

Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.

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Greta: The Road from Loneliness to Self

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:05:00 +0000

Born in 1968 in Fargo, ND, during the Baby Scoop Era, Greta spent a month in foster care before being adopted. She was never touched or held by her first mother. Greta was raised in a dysfunctional family, which contributed to her pain and the deep loss she felt, wondering who her first mother was and why she didn't want her. Shrouded in secrecy, adoption was never discussed, and Greta retreated into the Ghost Kingdom — finding refuge in basketball and creativity. Greta received a full-ride college basketball scholarship and majored in theatre, people-pleasing, and perfectionism. She was plagued by feelings of loneliness. She found her first mother and father in 1989 and learned her first mother had had her at 16 and had been sent to a home for unwed mothers. Greta has two full-blood siblings and two half-brothers.

Reunion was initially a fairytale, and although that ended abruptly, she stayed in reunion for over 30 years. She is currently estranged from her first mother and her sister. Greta has worked as an actor in Los Angeles and Phoenix and spent many years in the public defender system as a paralegal. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and rescue dog, Gilda, and credits the connection with other adoptees as lifesaving. Greta has been in recovery from anorexia since 2022. She has written and performed her one-woman show, “Searching for Me in All the Wrong Places,” in Los Angeles and is currently writing a new solo play about her adoption journey.

Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.

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Raven: Living Beyond The Lies

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:07:00 +0000

Raven was born in 1949 in North Hollywood, CA. Released at five days old to the delivering doctor and his wife, she has no idea where she went or when her adoptive parents got her.

Raised in Balboa, CA, she always knew she was adopted because she was told her mother had died, giving birth to her.
This story left Raven anxious, guilty, and fearful throughout her growing-up years- that others would die, and she would be alone.

Her adoption into the family was difficult, unloving, and emotionally abusive by her adoptive mother. Though her dad loved her, being 47 years old, his generation didn’t really know how to show love.

At 16, Raven was sent away to an island in British Columbia to live with strangers for 13 months and to attend 11th grade. Out of sight, out of mind.

When she was in her early 30s, her oldest adoptive brother shared with her that her biological mother hadn’t died when she was born.

This news left her in shock and numb… talk about being thrown into a deep fog!
Though Raven’s whole life history was about death, lies, abandonment, lack of trust, she’s gone on to find she has a deep desire, after the death of her husband, to sit with the dying.~ that it’s important and a gift, that we make death as meaningful as birth.

At 77, she’s still learning who she is and works at Home Health and Hospice as a Remote Patient Monitoring Technician. A job she loves.

Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Valorie: The Long Road to Family

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:05:00 +0000

Valorie was born in New Jersey, she was relinquished at birth and placed with her adopted family at 2 months old. There were many difficulties and challenges growing up, it certainly was not a fairytale childhood. Some of the challenges included not bonding with her adopted mother, problems at school with other children and authority figures, drug and alcohol addiction in her teen years. Despite these difficulties she found sobriety at an early age, moved out at the age of 19 and started the journey of healing. Although she did not actively search in her younger years, her biological family was often on her mind, and she desired to search but did not know how to go about it. After feeling more urgency to search in later years she finally had an amazing break and found both sides of her biological family in one weekend by totally different avenues. She has been in reunion with both her birth mother and birth father along with many other members of his side of the family since 2024, which although scary at first, has been an incredible journey that is still unfolding. For Valorie the fairytale came later, the rainbow after the storm.

Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Emma: The Truth Beneath "Chosen"

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 3 Mar 2026 05:04:00 +0000

Emma was born in Tennessee in 1989 and flown home just two days later — on Valentine’s Day. As a child, her adoption seemed more like a fairytale than a lived experience. Growing up in the country in an old farm house in the rolling blue hills of Western Massachusetts, she spent most days drawing, writing or exploring the fields and woods. Despite her home and her loving and creative family, she began to experience persistent anxiety and depression that worsened with age.

Meeting her birth mother at around twenty set off a cascade of often severe mental health challenges and a long search for understanding. Over the fifteen years that followed, she unraveled defenses and began to face the hard truths inherent in her story — the hard truths the “chosen baby” narrative had so neatly disguised.

Season 12 Book: The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET.

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Season 11 Finale: Monica Hall, Jesse Scott & Liz Harvie

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 05:05:00 +0000

Season 11 concludes with Monica Hall, Jesse Scott, and Liz Harvie discussing their powerful books - Practically Still a Virgin, You Can’t Get Rid of Me, and Unspoken - and exploring the many layers of the adoptee experience. In a deep and honest conversation with hosts Sarah Reinhardt and Louise Browne, themes of identity, belonging, truth, and voice are thoughtfully examined.

Each book offers a distinct and compelling adoptee perspective, contributing meaningfully to the broader adoption narrative.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET.

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Maria: The Long Road to Knowing

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 05:04:00 +0000

Maria was born and raised in the SF Bay Area in a hippie town full of diversity and freedom. Her journey began in a temporary foster home until she was adopted at about four months old from the Children's Home Society to parents who already had three older kids, all boys. Her adoptive parents divorced when she was three, but co-parented as best they could. She had a lifelong interest in her creation story, specifically why her olive skin was so different from her adoptive brothers. She always felt distinctly different. When she was seven, her father gave her the "adoption" speech, "we chose you, you're not biologically ours, etc.. It never felt like enough information. Her search took many twists and turns, considering it was before the internet, so the journey was a bit longer, but determination prevailed. She never stopped looking in every corner for clues. Many years later, she fit the puzzle together. While she still struggles with identity, the answered curiosities proved to calm some of the anxiety. She now devotes time to discovering all about adoption and how it has formed her life. Maria still resides in the Bay Area with her three adult kids and two grandkids.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET.

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Jan: Hidden in Plain Sight

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 05:04:00 +0000

In 1954, Jan was born in a Quaker unwed mother's home. She was relinquished at birth, and her adoptive parents and brother became her world. When Jan turned 38, she was inundated with what she calls "nudges" to locate birth mother. Meeting her birth mother and biological family led to a complex and incredible balancing act because both adoptive and biological families lived in the same city, She considers it a journey worth taking.

After retiring from her years of working in a classroom setting with children dealing with a variety of complex emotional and behavior issues, she decided to organize all the journals she enjoyed writing as a youngster growing up in northwest Ohio. Jan's passion for researching the details of her story heightened the desire to write her adoption story in the memoir, Finding the Rest of Me.

Jan's book details her journey to uncover her roots and discover her true identity. It's also a captivating exploration of the Friends Rescue Home, where she was born. It delves into the home's rich history and fascinating evolution, shedding light on a little-known aspect of the past. A vivid picture is composed of this providential institution and the women who found shelter within its walls, beginning in 1905.

She resides in her country home on the cliff above the Kentucky River in central Kentucky, surrounded by her husband, animals, and nature. When she's not writing, she enjoys being in the woods, hiking or on the water, kayaking.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Neshia: Carrying Truth, Creating Safety

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 3 Feb 2026 05:07:00 +0000

Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles; if you or someone you know needs help, please call/text 988 in the US and Canada.

Neshia, short for Teneshia, is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was apprehended from her biological mother due to neglect and entered the child welfare system as a Crown ward in the late 1980s. After being adopted in the early 1990s, she was later remade a Crown ward again in the mid to late 1990s. The systems meant to protect her did not simply fail—they turned away.

Neshia is of mixed race and identifies as Black. Her story lives at the intersection of race, silence, and survival. Within child welfare systems that lacked cultural safety, accountability, and care, she learned early what it meant to endure rather than be protected. What happened to her was not a series of unfortunate moments—it was systemic abandonment.

For years, Neshia carried her truth quietly, holding pain that was never hers to hold. Listening to others speak their stories helped her understand that her own voice mattered and that healing could begin with being heard.

Now almost 40, Neshia is a mother of four and a foster mother by choice. She is raising children while healing herself, rooted in trauma-informed therapy and intentional care. Her life’s work is breaking cycles, reclaiming her voice, and becoming the safety she once searched for.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Kelly: From Disappearing to Becoming

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:03:00 +0000

Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles; if you or someone you know needs help, please call/text 988 in the US and Canada.

Kelly Jean Torres is an author, singer-songwriter, and trauma-informed storyteller whose work explores what it means to survive and heal. Raised in a web of foster care, domestic violence, addiction, and emotional neglect, Kelly grew up learning how to disappear in order to stay safe.

Born in Illinois and now based in Nashville, Tennessee, Kelly’s early life was shaped by instability and fear, but also by a fierce internal will to survive. Removed from her biological parents as an infant and raised in by volatile foster parents who ultimately adopted her, she learned early that love was conditional and safety was fragile.

After decades of therapy, self-inquiry, and spiritual exploration, Kelly began to revisit the memories she spent a lifetime keeping at arm’s length. Saving the Lost Girl is her first memoir, written with the belief that facing the past is the only way to reclaim the future.

In addition to her writing, Kelly is a musician and lives with her husband and two children. Through her work, she hopes to remind others that no matter how our story began, we get to write our own ending.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Jackie: A Life of Loss and Reclamation

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:05:00 +0000

Jackie’s life and work are rooted in the profound belief that every individual deserves a "brave space" to show up authentically, fully, and without judgment. As the Executive Director of a Hospice Home and the founder of Lega-C Healing by Jackie, she dedicates her days to guiding others through life’s most delicate transitions with grace, intuition, and deep compassion.

Her professional path is inextricably linked to her extraordinary personal journey. A survivor of orphan trafficking from the Dominican Republic under the guise of international adoption, Jackie was brought to the United States as a child, after the death of her mother, separated from her twin and everything she knew. She spent years navigating the complexities of identity and belonging, a quest that eventually led to a series of powerful reunions: first with her U.S.-based siblings at age nineteen, and later with her twin, her biological father, and her remaining siblings at thirty-two.

These experiences of loss and reclamation shaped her into a gifted Community Builder, Death Doula, and intuitive healer. Jackie understands the weight of being "un-homed" and has turned that history into a sanctuary for others, helping them find peace and presence even in the face of the unknown.
Beyond her clinical and spiritual leadership, Jackie is a mother of three, a wife, and a dedicated artist. She finds her own healing and inspiration in nature, whether she is exploring the outdoors or translating the beauty of the world into her creative work. Her life is a living testament to the power of resilience and the enduring legacy of healing.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas!

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Dean: Adopted, Reunited, Moving Forward

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 05:15:00 +0000

Born in England, to a young American Mother, Dean was adopted by a loving English couple who already had another, separately adopted son. Fully aware of being adopted from an early age, both siblings struggled for a sense of identity, and tension was ever-present in the family. Eventually, aged 33, Dean decided to attempt to find and connect with his birth mother and was eventually able to do so, aged 42. Reunification went very well for a few years, but eventually their relationship became toxic, and Dean decided to move on.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

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Mindy: From Relinquished to Rooted

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 6 Jan 2026 05:05:00 +0000

Relinquished at birth, Mindy was the only girl and the oldest child in her family, learning at age five that she had been adopted. Her childhood was marked by serious anxiety and feelings of being an outsider while also losing herself in the role she fulfilled as “Mindy”.

Finding her maternal bio-family in her mid-thirties helped her to solve some of the mystery behind her abandonment. After the tragic passing of both of her adoptive parents when she was forty-three, Mindy began coming to terms with her origins, experiences, and losses.

As age fifty approached, she began connecting with online adoption communities, asking questions, and coming out of the fog. Finding and connecting with her paternal half-siblings during this time has helped her know what it feels like to belong. While there has been a lot of pain in her life, Mindy believes that practicing gratitude has been key to where she is on her journey toward healing.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Laura: Finding Family, Finding Truth

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Laura was born to teen parents in South Carolina in May 1984 and was adopted through Catholic Charities by a wonderful and loving couple who could not have biological children. An adopted brother joined the family seven years later. She always knew she was adopted, and while adoption was spoken about openly and positively, it was understood by both siblings that searching for biological family would not be supported.

The birth of Laura’s second child sparked a curiosity to begin the search through an ancestry kit. With the help of a search angel, she was able to identify her biological parents and connect with aunts and an uncle on both sides of her biological family. Reunion has brought answers to many questions, healing, and a continuing unpacking of issues that have always been nagging but not understood.

Today, Laura lives with her husband and three children and is a child welfare attorney.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, at 1 pm ET.

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Alana: Finding Home in the Truth

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Alana Godin, born in 1966 in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an adoptee raised in a family whose mother, after three sons, had longed for a daughter. Growing up, Alana struggled to fit the role imagined for her but remained deeply grateful to her adoptive parents, whose support later allowed her to keep and raise her own child.

As a teenager, Alana had to navigate adulthood early, becoming pregnant and marrying young, but it was the birth of her second child that created a strong pull to understand her origins. Without the internet or DNA testing, she spent five years searching through parent registries, census records, and newspaper ads, ultimately reuniting with her birth mother and, a year later, locating her birth father as well, both of whom welcomed her immediately. In her search for her family, Alana gained seven sisters and three additional brothers - an expanded family that helped complete her sense of identity, feeling of being home, and finally, with her tribe. And although her instant newfound connection was profound for her, like many adoptees after reunion, she struggles with guilt and the need to protect her adopted family, for also loving her newly discovered family.

Alana has confronted her own struggles with depression, suicidal ideation, and chronic illness, traits common among adoptees, and is now learning to heal through understanding and meeting other adoptees with similar experiences. As well, recently, Alana has learned more via a freedom of information request of her adoption documents of what her biological mother endured as a young, unwed mother in 1960’s - the rigid social stigma of the times that would push someone to relinquish their child.

Alana’s story is one of resilience, truth-seeking, and healing - a testament to identity, motherhood and the enduring human need and RIGHT to know where we come from.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Annette: A Fragile Beginning

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Annette started her life as part of the baby scoop era. Annette’s first six days of life were spent in the hospital while she awaited a decision by her biological mother about whether or not she should keep her baby. Annette was placed with a foster mother under the name of Sara.

It is challenging to obtain birth records from the State of Wisconsin, but Annette was able to obtain some of the records of her first three months of life. Little Sara did not have an easy time during her first seven weeks. Her foster mother described Sara as a difficult baby. Sara had physical distress from digestive and respiratory issues and needed frequent medical care. Her foster mother regularly complained that Sara showed very little interest in the world around her. During a hospital stay when she was seven weeks old, neither the doctors, nurses, nor social worker noticed the same behaviors described by Sara’s foster mother. In addition, Sara was not meeting healthy growth or emotional milestones, and it was determined that she was failing to thrive. Sara was placed in a new foster family where she demonstrated herself to be a different baby. Over the next five weeks in this new family, Sara was described as happy and alert. Exactly three months after she was born, Annette was adopted by her forever family.

Today, Annette is a recent retiree after 35 years of teaching. She is actively engaged in her community and is beginning to write her first book. In addition, and most importantly, Annette is deep in the process of adopting an older child. This change to her family could happen at any time. Becoming an adoptive parent is an exciting journey as Annette adds to her own story as an adoptee.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

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Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 3rd, at 1 pm ET.

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Jane: The Wound Beneath the Joy

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 9 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Jane’s adoptive parents had only two weeks' notice of her arrival! At twelve days old, Jane was taken to her new family who lived on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England.

The children’s social worker was not best pleased when a file landed on her desk informing her of a privately arranged adoption, a ‘fait accompli’ of which she was openly very critical.

The year was 1964, and Jane reports always having felt very grateful that fate brought her and her wonderful parents together. Infertility following a bout of polio, which left her dad disabled and a paraplegic, had seemingly put paid to the couple’s dreams of having a family.

With very limited income and precarious health, the couple nevertheless provided a stable and loving home for Jane, sharing their faith, values, and commitment to always supporting each other through whatever life threw at them.

Jane was a quiet and unassuming child who enjoyed learning and was able to self-occupy. She enjoyed the uniqueness of her family setup but always yearned for a ‘ co- conspirator’ or playmate to get up to mischief with and unleash her playful side.

She married her childhood sweetheart, and they went on to have five children, enjoying the closeness of a busy family life with much support from Jane's adopted parents, who were very much adored and influential grandparents.

An unexpected health scare and major operation shortly before her 60th birthday prompted Jane to embark on a journey of therapy and an exploration and understanding of the wounds that the trauma of relinquishment leaves, with the lifelong impact of this on the adoptee's life.

Although Jane has had a very happy, blessed, and fulfilled life, these wounds are an integral part of who she is, and there will always be a sadness just underneath the surface, which rears its head at odd times but especially on Jane’s birthday.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

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Mary: Turning Questions into Advocacy

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 2 Dec 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Mary is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee born in 1965. She was not adopted until she was almost 8 months old, after being moved to a couple of foster homes. She was told she wasn’t “doing well” at the first, likely because they had too many children there. Raised in a small town by a conservative Catholic family with her brother—also adopted two years later—Mary and her brother always knew they were adopted.

She always felt a sense of disconnection—the “weird kid” who didn’t fit in—so searching was a natural byproduct of that. She began trying to find avenues to learn about her birth family as early as elementary school. She spent hours in libraries, scouring old newspapers and yearbooks. After trying every path she could over the years, thanks to DNA testing, social media, and stubbornness, she was finally able to find them and gain access to her original birth certificate and adoption papers in 2014, with mixed results. She began to realize how ingrained the sense of secrecy and shame still is 50 years later.

Understanding the trauma of adoption and inspired by Ann Fessler’s The Girls Who Went Away, Mary went on to make the Baby Scoop Era the topic of her doctoral dissertation, digging through archives and interviewing birth mothers, case workers, and others who had been involved in the process at the time. She has also been involved in drafting a bill and testifying in front of her state legislature, advocating for access of adult adoptees to their original birth certificates. Mary remains committed to advocating for adoptees and birth parents through research, education, and reform.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas!

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Jodi: Art, Identity, and Reunion

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Jodi is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee, born in Los Angeles, California, in 1966. For her, adoption has never been a single event but a lifelong journey of searching, questioning, and seeking understanding. She is now in reunion with her father, and both share a deep connection as artists. Jodi lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her story reflects the complexities of identity, family, and belonging, and she continues to honor both the losses and the connections that have shaped who she is today.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

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Mike: Comedy Born from Truth

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 18 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Mike Knox is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and performing artist whose work blends personal storytelling with observational humor. Originally from Pasadena, California, he was adopted at birth from White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.

Mike Knox is the author of the books Vivien’s Rain, written about his daughter’s experience with epilepsy, and Straight Fish, and Isla Vista Halloween.

In addition to stand-up comedy, Mike Knox is a retired Parole Agent now pursuing his passion for acting, improv, and clowning.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET.

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Recinda: From Orphanage to Art

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Recinda is an artist, writer, and TikTok creator. The chasm between Recinda now and
the baby dropped off at an orphanage based in Beirut, Lebanon, is large. She was profoundly
changed by her adoption from an American family stationed in Izmir, Turkey, after a seven-year
span of life at the orphanage. She had to become adaptive to a new language, an American
way of living, as well as the many schools and locations that are an elementary part of military
life.

Survival is the key component to Recinda’s life, even after leaving her adoptive family,
as she was not prepared mentally for an enlarged world view or life. She struggled with the
echos of the mental, physical, and sexual abuse of both the orphanage and her adoptive family.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET.

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Stephanie: Breaking Silence, Building Connection

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 4 Nov 2025 06:00:00 +0000

Stephanie was born in the Chicago suburbs in June 1983 and adopted 4 days after birth. Her birth mother was 19 years old and was an employee of an attorney associate of her adoptive father's. Through a private adoption arranged by the attorney, Stephanie was placed into a loving adoptive family with two biological children (and later one adopted sister and one biological brother), both of whom were affected by Canavan Disease and passed away when she was still a child—an experience that shaped her deep sense of empathy but also her perspective on family, belonging, and loss.

Today, Stephanie is a mother of two girls and a family law attorney, and the founder of her own practice, where she helps individuals and families navigate the often-complicated transitions of divorce, parenting, and rebuilding. She serves as a Guardian Ad Litem advocating for children and assisting adopted children whose parents are going through the divorce process.

Stephanie is now reunited with her birth mother and her two half-brothers—an experience that has profoundly impacted her and brought her "out of the fog" while also presenting complexities in her relationship with her adoptive family.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, December 6th, at 1 PM ET.

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Doug: Digging for Truth, Finding Belonging

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Douglas Shaver was born at Florence Crittenton's Home for Unwed Mothers in Kansas City in 1968. He was adopted five weeks after birth. Though adopted into a loving and supportive family, he struggled with identity and with his place in the world. During middle school, his family moved to Saudi Arabia. It was during that time in the Middle East that he developed a passion and understanding of different cultures and the communities of people within those cultures. This passion–combined with a constant evaluation of his place in the world as an adoptee– may be what inspired his eventual career in Archaeology. That said, the timeline between the Douglas of Saudi Arabia and the Archaeologist-Douglas of today is punctuated by a series of significant events familiar, but profoundly affecting to many adoptees.

Suffice to say, as an adoptee, reunion and the effects of adoption trauma have played a significant role in the success and challenges in relationships throughout his life.

Through his own work on his adoption journey, Douglas has focused his energies on understanding adoption-related trauma within the adoption triad. And as mentioned previously, the interest spurred by always seeking to understand relationships played in part in his career in later years. Douglas currently works as an Archaeologist, traveling extensively throughout the United States for work. Two of his three children spend half their time with him, and his oldest lives with him full time. He decides his time between his work, travels, his children, and his partner.

This episode was sponsored by The Adoptee Mentoring Society.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, November 1st, at 11am ET.

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Elena: Through Adopted Eyes

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Elena S. Hall is a Russian adoptee, author, social worker, and the voice behind the Instagram page @ThroughAdoptedEyes. She is passionate about her faith, finding joy amidst grief, and loves ice cream! Adopted at a year and a half into a family that was always open about adoption, Elena brings a unique blend of personal experience and professional insight to her work. She began writing Through Adopted Eyes in 2016—a collection of memoirs from adoptees reflecting on their journeys. She later created Through Adopted Hearts to offer a fuller picture of the adoption constellation.

Elena is also the author of the children’s books Adoption Is Both and My Adoptee Voice, designed to help families talk about adoption in ways that are honest, age-appropriate, and empowering. Through storytelling, education, and advocacy, she uses her platform to challenge simplified adoption narratives and create space for real, nuanced conversations. Whether you’re an adoptee, adoptive parent, or someone eager to learn, Elena’s work invites you to see adoption through a more thoughtful, empathetic lens—one that centers lived experience.

To find Elena on Instagram: @ThroughAdoptedEyes

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, November 1st, at 11am ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Charlotte: From Secrets to Self

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Charlotte Angeles was conceived during an affair that her biological father was having with her biological mother. She was born in Pasadena, CA, in 1987, and was held in her adoptive parents’ arms that same day. She knew from an early age that she was adopted - that her birth mother was very young and didn’t have the means to raise her alone - and her adoptive parents always offered a safe space to ask questions. But Charlotte didn’t decide to dive deeper until she gave birth to her first child in 2017. By that time, she had learned of the tragic way in which her birth mother had passed away just a few years prior.

She was, however, able to find and connect with her biological father in 2018. She has also met her biological half-sister and one half-brother. Additionally, she has connected with several of her birth mother’s siblings. Just this year, she received a very sentimental package from one of her birth mother’s sisters - an original sonogram that her birth mother had saved. Through all of these connections, many important questions have been answered, and she has gained so much insight into where a lot of her own behaviors and personality traits have come from.

Today, Charlotte works as a dental hygienist and continues to live in Los Angeles, where she was raised her whole life. One of her biggest dreams was to have her own biological children, and after multiple rounds of IVF, she and her husband have a beautiful son and daughter. She is confident in her identity now and has become more comfortable sharing her story over the past few years.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

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Kim: Adoption and the Power of Story

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 7 Oct 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Award-winning author and journalist Kim Orendor was adopted at three months old. Her parents told her about the day she joined their family, along with other stories at bedtime. Kim continues to share her own story with others and has authored an adoption-themed young adult novel. She lives in Northern California.

Kim's YA fiction story "To Whom It May Concern" with an adoption theme, won the NextGen INDIE gold medal.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, October 11th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Tim: From Hidden Wounds to Wholeness

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Tim Perdion was born in 1969 and relinquished for adoption at birth. Around two months later, he was adopted into a loving family in Ohio. Though surrounded by care and support, he carried a quiet ache beneath the surface—a longing to understand his identity and a sense of not fully belonging. These hidden wounds, rooted in adoption, shame, and early emotional neglect, followed him into adulthood.

At 46, Tim reunited with both of his biological parents. While the experience offered long-awaited answers, it also opened the door to secondary rejection and a deeper unraveling of his story. This turning point led to a season of intense self-reflection, healing, and transformation—moving from a life driven by performance and self-protection into one anchored in vulnerability, purpose, and connection.

Today, Tim is a senior leader in a private equity-backed professional services firm. Outside of work, he serves as a life coach, speaker, and mentor, walking alongside high-achieving men who look successful on the outside but feel lost or empty on the inside. He facilitates men’s groups focused on accountability, emotional honesty, and growth—creating spaces where men can be fully seen, supported, and known.

Tim’s journey is a story of healing, hope, and rediscovery. He’s passionate about helping others break generational cycles, find clarity in who they are, and live with greater intention, freedom, and wholeness.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, October 11th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Abby: Live Podcast from Washington, D.C.

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Dr. Abigail Hasberry is an author, speaker, and educator. She is also a certified executive
leadership coach, licensed clinical marriage and family therapist, and holds a school
superintendent certification. With a background in education as a former teacher and
founding school principal, she has experience in private, traditional public, and charter
schools.

Dr. Hasberry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in African American studies and sociology,
a Master of Arts in teaching, K-12, a Master of Education in counseling and development, a
Master of Science degree in industrial/organizational psychology, and a Ph.D. in curriculum
& instruction.

She is the author of The R3 Framework, a workbook for healing difficult relationships, Living
Life on Purpose, for a Purpose, and with a Purpose: 15 Identity Affirming Lessons, and her
memoir, Adopting Privilege. She has also authored research on identity development.
Abby is currently serving as a board member for Adoption Knowledge Affiliates and as an
Ad Hoc Reviewer for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy’s Minority
Fellowship Program.

Dr. Hasberry's research and publications focus on identity development, diversity, and the
experiences of black teachers in private, affluent, and predominantly white schools. As a
therapist, her practice predominantly serves adoptees and birth parents. She is also
actively involved in training therapists on adoption-informed practices and has been a
speaker on adoption, identity development, parenting, and trauma in various keynotes,
panels, podcasts, workshops, conferences, and webinars.

In addition to working as a therapist, Abby has a thriving executive leadership coaching
and consulting practice. Her clients are primarily BIPOC founders and leaders of startup
organizations. She pairs her experiences as a coach and a therapist when presenting on
workplace wellness, founder challenges and solutions, finding and aligning to your
purpose, and more.

Beyond her professional achievements, Dr. Hasberry is married and has raised three
children. Her personal journey as a transracial adoptee and birth mom fuels her dedication
to support adult adoptees and birth mothers in their own paths of healing and growth.

To find Dr. Hasberry: https://adoptingprivilege.com/

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Friday, September 26th, at 6:30 PM ET (a one-off Adoptee Happy Hour).

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

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Susie:A 35-Year Journey to Belonging

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Susie DeTitta was born in California in 1965 and adopted at three months old by a family unable
to have children due to infertility. Her parents had previously adopted two other children. Shortly
after her adoption, the family relocated to Arizona, where Susie spent her childhood and later
attended university.

While in college, a spontaneous call with a friend to the adoption agency proved to be a dead
end in her search for her biological roots. Years later, after moving to Portland, Oregon, a letter
from the same agency reignited her curiosity—this time, it seemed someone might be looking
for her. That intuition proved true: within months, Susie was reunited with her biological family.
This marked the beginning of a 35-year journey of connection, discovery, and relationship-
building. Throughout it all, Susie has maintained strong ties with both her adoptive and
biological families, weaving together a rich and meaningful tapestry of identity—while continuing
her personal search for belonging between two separate worlds and within herself.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Friday, September 26th, at 6:30 PM ET (a one-off Adoptee Happy Hour).

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Adoptee Mentoring Society
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

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Dave: From Separation to Self

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 9 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Born in Long Island in 1966, Dave Verrone’s life began with separation — just five days after birth, he was placed with a foster family. For the next 14 months, he bonded deeply with his foster parents and three siblings. In October 1967, he joined the Verrone family, adjusting to his third mother, his father, and a new sister, also adopted.

Childhood brought both love and challenge. Though his adoptive parents cared for him deeply, their “clean slate” approach left Dave hesitant to ask about his origins, shaping him into a quiet “pleaser” who avoided rocking the boat. Separation anxiety, shyness, and self-doubt followed him, but so did perseverance.

Through life’s ups and downs - successes, losses, and moments of self-discovery - Dave built his own family and, in time, reconnected with his biological relatives. His journey is one of resilience, acceptance, and the enduring search for identity.

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be determined in September (we are working around our live event and extra work travel).

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Adoptee Mentoring Society
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

Support The Show

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Karen: From Reunion to Healing

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 2 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Karen was adopted domestically at birth, and found by her birth family at 29, and entered reunion soon after. The experience of merging her past and present was both transformational and complex, bringing up emotions and questions she hadn’t fully confronted before. During this time, Karen sought therapy but struggled to find someone who truly understood the adoptee experience. Many available therapists were adoptive parents—well-intentioned, but not individuals she felt safe opening up to. This gap in adoptee-centered care inspired Karen to return to graduate school in her 40s to become the kind of therapist she needed: someone with lived experience, deep empathy, and the tools to support others navigating the lifelong journey of adoption. Now, as an adoptee-competent therapist, Karen is committed to holding space for fellow adoptees as they explore identity, grief, belonging, and connection on their own terms.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Adoptee Mentoring Society
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

Support The Show

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Pete: A Mother Lost, A Self Discovered

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Pete Droge is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter based in Seattle, WA who rocketed to early stardom on the strength of his 1994 debut Necktie Second. The Los Angeles Times compared his songwriting to Bob Dylan and Neil Young while also earning similar praise from Rolling Stone and Boston Globe among many others, and within a year he was on the road supporting Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He has since released a series of well-received solo albums, composed a variety of works for film and television, and even appeared in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous.

Sixteen years ago, Pete Droge went looking for his birth mother; instead, he found her obituary. But rather than marking the end of the story, the discovery ultimately led him to reconnect with his surviving relatives and started a journey that would forever change his life and career. He explores it all with poetic grace on Fade Away Blue, a rich, revelatory sonic memoir that faces down doubt and despair with love, resilience, and commitment at every turn. The songs are bittersweet, balancing longing and gratitude in equal measure, and the arrangements are warm and inviting to match, with Droge's tender, comforting lyrics and easygoing, understated delivery.

Pete Droge

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Adoptee Mentoring Society
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

Support The Show

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Bob: Unsealing the Past and Embracing the Present

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Bob Wilson an adoptee born in the early 1970s at the end of the Baby Scoop Era. During his childhood and young adulthood, he thought little about the fact that he was adopted. But after reading Ann Fessler’s groundbreaking book The Girls Who Went Away (2007) about adoption in mid-twentieth century America, he began the legal process of unsealing his adoption records and attempting to find his birthmother. He located and contacted his birthmother nearly two decades ago and has had a close relationship with her since then. In 2020, GeoHumanities published his essay “Relinquished,” a narrative of his birthmother’s fraught journey to surrender him for adoption and the legacy of that decision. “Relinquished” is a story of a birthmother and adoptee, but it also illuminates the history of adoption, abortion, and unplanned pregnancies in the decades before Roe v. Wade. He is currently associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, where he teaches courses in historical geography, environmental history, and the environmental humanities.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

This episode of the Making of Me Podcast is brought to you by the Adoptee Mentoring Society - a virtual community built by adoptees, for adoptees. They offer adoptee-centric mentorship for adopted persons 12 and up, led by trained adoptee mentors. Whether you’re navigating identity, searching for the words, or simply wondering how adoption has shaped you, they get it.

Listeners of The Making of Me Pod get 25% off their first session with code: PRO-TMMPOD

AMS offers free mentorship to adoptees in Washington State and Oregon, as well as scholarships for those facing financial barriers. Learn more at adopteementorship.org or email them at: info@adopteementorship.org

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

Support The Show

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mee Ok: A Curious Soul Turns to Healing

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Mee Ok Icaro (pronounced “Mee Oak Ee-car-oh”), is a unique and powerful voice in the world of visionary medicine and personal growth. As a Sacred Medicine Advisor and Integration Specialist, Life Purpose Coach and Guide, Writer and Book Doula Mee Ok is dedicated to helping individuals heal and find their path in life. She integrates many teachings from a variety of traditions, from ancient to modern.

With a passion for writing and a talent for prose, Mee Ok is an award-winning stylist and poet. Her work has appeared in notable publications like the LA Times, Boston Globe Magazine, and Michael Pollan’s Trips Worth Telling anthology. She was even featured in Gabor Maté’s New York Times bestseller The Myth of Normal and the Netflix docuseries [Un]Well. With over a decade of experience working with ayahuasca and dieting seven master plants, Mee Ok is curing a near-fatal autoimmune disease, scleroderma, and is dedicated to helping others heal and recover their birthright of authenticity and truth.

Mee Ok holds a BA in Philosophy from Boston University and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, and has studied the history of sexuality and medicine at Harvard. She currently partners with Shipibo healers to offer ayahuasca retreats in Peru. With a diverse set of passions, including racial and disability equity, adoptee advocacy, social justice, film, literature, doggies, and drag, Mee Ok is a curious soul with a wealth of knowledge and experience she loves to share. HoldingCompassionate.space

Mee Ok (pronounced "Mee Oak")

Stay Current: Substack Newsletter
Professional Offerings: HoldingCompassionate.space
Personal Writing: Mee-ok.com

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Listeners of The Making of Me Pod get 25% off their first session with code: PRO-TMMPOD

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

Support The Show

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Simon: Reforming Adoption in Kenya

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Thu, 7 Aug 2025 17:46:00 +0000

Simon Njoroge is an adopted person from Kenya. He has been involved in the child care reform agenda in Kenya in various capacities for more than a decade, including coordinating an adopted persons support group.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be on Saturday, August 9th, @ 1 PM ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

Support The Show

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Barbara: The Clues that Led to Self-Discovery

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Thu, 7 Aug 2025 17:30:00 +0000

Barbara was born in 1964 and although given up within the first week of life, she wasn’t ultimately adopted until she was 16 months old. She was never told why or where she was that first 16 months. While growing up Barbara occasionally asked about her biological mother. Her adoptive mother told her that she would never be able to find her, as the records in New York State were sealed. Barbara accepted that as fact, and never sought to look further. She lived with her adopted family until she was 18 years old and then her adoptive parents abruptly moved 1000 miles away. She had always had trouble fitting in at home and struggled socially, but when her adoptive parents left, those issues magnified and she was left wondering more and more about her past. Until she married at 28 years old and contemplated having children did she really begin to question her identity.

Working for a financial firm in a Human Resources Department, Barbara managed her company’s blood drive. It was that day when she gave serious thought about her own bloodlines. She found the adoption agency and the representative shared a list of non-identifying information. And so began the long search for her biological mother. When she found her 2 years later, Barbara discovered that they lived only 20 blocks away from each other when she was growing up and only a town apart when she found her. That was the beginning of a long relationship they still have today. She has met her biological father, as well as extended family.

Barbara considers herself blessed and has written a manuscript about the search, and her mother has edited the work. They both feel that they were meant to reunite after all those years apart, and live less than a mile apart today.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be on Saturday, August 9th, @ 1 PM ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect
Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted
Reckoning With The Primal Wound

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Katherine: A Trauma Therapist Shares Her Insights

themakingofmepodcast@gmail.com (Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt) — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 05:00:00 +0000

Katherine Allen McNally is an adoptee and a licensed therapist who specializes in working with adoptees and their adoptive families. She transitioned from a career in graphic design and advertising to pursue this path, driven by a deep personal commitment to supporting this unique population. Over the course of her work, she has encountered a wide spectrum of adoption narratives, including various forms of conception, gestation, birth, relinquishment, adoption, and survival. These experiences led her, along with a colleague, to develop a trauma healing model known as The TAG Method for Trauma Reprocessing and Integration.

At the heart of The TAG Method lies the adoption experience. Katherine is passionate about sharing this model and its insights with broader audiences. She believes that adoption represents a significant and often overlooked trauma—one that is visible yet rarely acknowledged. In her work, she explores how adoptees navigate attachment loss, the silent fear of being “not chosen” again, and the emotional impact often referred to as "the cloud." She also discusses the "three As" and how these themes influence the adoptee experience.

Katherine shares how clients access these deep-seated pains and begin the process of healing, ultimately freeing themselves from a trauma they never asked to carry. She also offers personal reflections from her own healing journey, enriching her professional insights with lived experience.

To find Katherine: http://www.ktherapy.com/

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: