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 <a href="http://23andme.com/">23andme</a> in 2017. Immersive exploration led to ancestral revelations, and meetings with aunts and cousins led to some big surprises.
Season 12 Book: <a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl">EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp; 4/18 2206!</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! </a>
Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and <a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink">be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE</a> community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.
RESOURCES for Adoptees:
<a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/">Adoptees Connect</a>
<a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/">Adoptee Mentoring Society</a>
<a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/">Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law</a> 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/">Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group</a> 
<a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/">Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement</a> 
<a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/">Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate</a> 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
<a href="https://kristalparke.net/">Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted</a> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;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 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;a href="http://23andme.com/"&gt;&lt;span&gt;23andme&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;span&gt; in 2017. Immersive exploration led to ancestral revelations, and meetings with aunts and cousins led to some big surprises.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: &lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp;amp; 4/18 2206!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/"&gt;Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp;amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and &lt;a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink"&gt;be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE&lt;/a&gt; community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESOURCES for Adoptees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/"&gt;Adoptees Connect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/"&gt;Adoptee Mentoring Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/"&gt;Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://kristalparke.net/"&gt;Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Jeff was born in San Francisco in 1962, relinquished at birth, and raised in a loving adoptive family that openly discussed adoption—yet he still struggled with identity, shame, and substance use, shaped in part by a “chameleon” coping mechanism. Years later, learning about adoption-related trauma and exploring his origins through DNA testing led to powerful revelations, unexpected family connections, and a deeper understanding of his story.

Jeff: Behind the Chameleon Mask

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: <a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl">EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp; 4/18 2206!</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! </a>
Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and <a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink">be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE</a> community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.
RESOURCES for Adoptees:
<a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/">Adoptees Connect</a>
<a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/">Adoptee Mentoring Society</a>
<a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/">Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law</a> 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/">Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group</a> 
<a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/">Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement</a> 
<a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/">Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate</a> 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
<a href="https://kristalparke.net/">Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted</a> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;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 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;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.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;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.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: &lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp;amp; 4/18 2206!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/"&gt;Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp;amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and &lt;a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink"&gt;be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE&lt;/a&gt; community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESOURCES for Adoptees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/"&gt;Adoptees Connect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/"&gt;Adoptee Mentoring Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/"&gt;Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://kristalparke.net/"&gt;Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Greta, born during the Baby Scoop Era, grew up in silence and disconnection, carrying deep loneliness and questions about her origins while finding refuge in basketball, creativity, and a self-made “Ghost Kingdom.” After a complex reunion with her biological family and years of searching for belonging, she continues to heal through connection, recovery, and storytelling, reclaiming her voice and sense of self.

Greta: The Road from Loneliness to Self

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: <a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl">EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp; 4/18 2206!</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! </a>
Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and <a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink">be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE</a> community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.
RESOURCES for Adoptees:
<a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/">Adoptees Connect</a>
<a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/">Adoptee Mentoring Society</a>
<a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/">Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law</a> 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/">Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group</a> 
<a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/">Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement</a> 
<a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/">Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate</a> 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
<a href="https://kristalparke.net/">Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted</a> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Raised in Balboa, CA, she always knew she was adopted because she was told her mother had died, giving birth to her.&lt;br /&gt;
This story left Raven anxious, guilty, and fearful throughout her growing-up years- that others would die, and she would be alone.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;This news left her in shock and numb… talk about being thrown into a deep fog!&lt;br /&gt;
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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: &lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp;amp; 4/18 2206!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/"&gt;Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp;amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and &lt;a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink"&gt;be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE&lt;/a&gt; community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESOURCES for Adoptees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/"&gt;Adoptees Connect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/"&gt;Adoptee Mentoring Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/"&gt;Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://kristalparke.net/"&gt;Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Raven was born in 1949 in North Hollywood, California, and was adopted as a newborn under the belief that her biological mother had died in childbirth—a story that shaped her childhood with anxiety, guilt, and fear of loss. After a difficult upbringing and later learning the truth about her origins, she found purpose later in life supporting the dying and now, at 77, works in home health and hospice, a role she deeply loves.

Raven: Living Beyond The Lies

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: <a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl">EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp; 4/18 2206!</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! </a>
Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and <a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink">be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE</a> community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.
RESOURCES for Adoptees:
<a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/">Adoptees Connect</a>
<a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/">Adoptee Mentoring Society</a>
<a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/">Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law</a> 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/">Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group</a> 
<a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/">Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement</a> 
<a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/">Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate</a> 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
<a href="https://kristalparke.net/">Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted</a> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: &lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp;amp; 4/18 2206!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/"&gt;Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp;amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and &lt;a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink"&gt;be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE&lt;/a&gt; community. The next meeting will be Saturday, April 11th, at 1 pm ET.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESOURCES for Adoptees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/"&gt;Adoptees Connect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/"&gt;Adoptee Mentoring Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/"&gt;Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://kristalparke.net/"&gt;Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Born in New Jersey and relinquished at birth, Valorie faced a difficult childhood marked by challenges with attachment, school, and addiction before finding sobriety at a young age and beginning her healing journey. Years later, after long wondering about her biological family, she found both sides in one remarkable weekend and has been in reunion since 2024 — discovering that for her, the fairytale came later, like a rainbow after the storm.

Valorie: The Long Road to Family

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: <a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl">EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp; 4/18 2206!</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! </a>
Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and <a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink">be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE</a> community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET.
RESOURCES for Adoptees:
<a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/">Adoptees Connect</a>
<a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/">Adoptee Mentoring Society</a>
<a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/">Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law</a> 
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/">Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group</a> 
<a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/">Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement</a> 
<a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/">Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate</a> 
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
<a href="https://kristalparke.net/">Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted</a> Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

<description>&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;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.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: &lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;The Adoption Paradox by Jean Kelly Widner&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-special-guests-in-austin-texas-tickets-1976521553172?utm-campaign=social&amp;utm-content=attendeeshare&amp;utm-medium=discovery&amp;utm-term=listing&amp;utm-source=cp&amp;aff=ebdsshcopyurl"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 &amp;amp; 4/18 2206!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/"&gt;Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th &amp;amp; 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas! &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and &lt;a href="https://patreon.com/themakingofmepodcast?utm_medium=unknown&amp;utm_source=join_link&amp;utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&amp;utm_content=copyLink"&gt;be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE&lt;/a&gt; community. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 7th, at 1 pm ET.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESOURCES for Adoptees:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteesconnect.com/"&gt;Adoptees Connect&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.adopteementorship.org/"&gt;Adoptee Mentoring Society&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://adopteerightslaw.com/"&gt;Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://kristalparke.net/"&gt;Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See &lt;a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com"&gt;pcm.adswizz.com&lt;/a&gt; for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Born in Tennessee in 1989 and flown home on Valentine’s Day, Emma grew up in rural Western Massachusetts in a loving, creative family, where her adoption once felt more like a fairytale than a lived experience — even as anxiety and depression quietly took root. Meeting her birth mother at twenty sparked a fifteen-year reckoning, unraveling the “chosen baby” narrative and leading her to confront the hard truths at the heart of her story.

Emma: The Truth Beneath "Chosen"

Two adult adoptees, Sarah Reinhardt and Louise Browne, delve into all things adoption - from their perspectives as adult adoptees. Each season Sarah and Louise recap a chapter from a book centered on adoption and then interview a guest.  Sarah and Louise come out of the 'fog' in real-time through Seasons One and Two and are advocating for change in the adoption industry. They want to give voice to all adoptees. Adoptee stories are needed to reframe the narrative around adoption.Sarah and Louise, two former business partners who had a successful ice cream truck in Los Angeles, team up again - this time in frank and honest conversations about all things adoption from the adoptee perspective. Both were adopted shortly after birth, but they had very different experiences. These will be intimate conversations, but also fun - because Sarah and Louise know how to lighten things up and have a good time. They also have an uncanny ability to get to the heart of a subject with anyone who crosses their path - so conversations will take many turns.

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

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