Although born and adopted in London in 1967, Anne-Grete is a Norwegian adoptee. Her birth mother happened to be there when she gave birth, and her adoptive dad was stationed at the Norwegian Embassy at the time. She had two siblings, both adopted from different cities in Norway. After moving around the world with her family, she came back to Norway for good when she was 16. After finishing her studies and moving between jobs and homes several times, she finally settled in Mandal with her husband and their cat.
Anne-Grete was a "happy adoptee" until she reached her fifties, and had always associated her lack of roots and connection with her nomadic life in the foreign service. After being reunited with her birth mother for nine years in her twenties and early thirties, the reunion ended. It took 24 years and a better understanding of the consequences of adoption for her to try to reconnect with her. At the same time, she finally felt the need to find the other half and has connected with siblings on her birth father's side. She is still a secret in her biological family, but hopes that will change over time.
Finding the organization Adopterte played a large part in her coming out of the fog, and after being a member for two years, she was elected to the board. Adopterte is a non-profit organization working to raise awareness about the repercussions of adoption and spread information about the history and practice of adoption in Norway. They arrange meetups two to three times a year and also have a closed Facebook group where members can share their experiences and find adoptees in their area. Their website is <a href="http://www.adopterte.no/">www.adopterte.no</a>
<a href="https://youtu.be/tCO36fLiJK8">Anne-Grete on YouTube</a>
<a href="https://www.talexblum.com/">Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para</a><a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">dox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-friends-in-minneapolis-sept-11th-13th-tickets-1991597492713">Eventbrite Link: Live Podcast Event in Minneapolis, MN, Sept. 11th-13th</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list!</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, July 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;Although born and adopted in London in 1967, Anne-Grete is a Norwegian adoptee. Her birth mother happened to be there when she gave birth, and her adoptive dad was stationed at the Norwegian Embassy at the time. She had two siblings, both adopted from different cities in Norway. After moving around the world with her family, she came back to Norway for good when she was 16. After finishing her studies and moving between jobs and homes several times, she finally settled in Mandal with her husband and their cat.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Anne-Grete was a "happy adoptee" until she reached her fifties, and had always associated her lack of roots and connection with her nomadic life in the foreign service. After being reunited with her birth mother for nine years in her twenties and early thirties, the reunion ended. It took 24 years and a better understanding of the consequences of adoption for her to try to reconnect with her. At the same time, she finally felt the need to find the other half and has connected with siblings on her birth father's side. She is still a secret in her biological family, but hopes that will change over time.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Finding the organization Adopterte played a large part in her coming out of the fog, and after being a member for two years, she was elected to the board. Adopterte is a non-profit organization working to raise awareness about the repercussions of adoption and spread information about the history and practice of adoption in Norway. They arrange meetups two to three times a year and also have a closed Facebook group where members can share their experiences and find adoptees in their area. Their website is &lt;a href="http://www.adopterte.no/"&gt;www.adopterte.no&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://youtu.be/tCO36fLiJK8"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Anne-Grete on YouTube&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.talexblum.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;dox by Jean Kelly Widner&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-event-with-atmom-friends-in-minneapolis-sept-11th-13th-tickets-1991597492713"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Eventbrite Link: Live Podcast Event in Minneapolis, MN, Sept. 11th-13th&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!&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, July 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;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&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 London and adopted from Norway in 1967, Anne-Grete spent much of her life moving around the world before settling in Norway, where she eventually began exploring the deeper impact of adoption on her identity and sense of belonging. Her journey through reunion, reconnection with biological family, and involvement with Adopterte helped her come out of the fog and become an advocate for adoption awareness and adoptee support in Norway.


Anne-Grete: The Long Journey Home

Samantha (Sam) Shields was born in San Francisco in 1970 and adopted from foster care as an infant. She grew up in nearby Napa knowing she was adopted, and provided many of the same platitudes as a lot of other adopted people: She wanted you to have a better life. She did what was best for you because she loved you. But Sam was certain something was wrong with her. Why else had she been placed for adoption? Failure to bond with her adoptive mom and her adoptive dad's death when she was seven meant that Sam often fantasized about meeting her original mom. After a years-long search, Sam finally located her original mom in 1997 at the age of twenty-seven and was reunited with her until her mother's death in 2020. The relationship was both challenging and rewarding. Both she and her original mom carried the shame of what happened, making self-acceptance hard. Studies back this up: many adoption reunions break down within the first few years after making contact, and after eight years nearly half of those in an adoption reunion have abandoned the relationship altogether. Ultimately, what allowed Sam to find acceptance in herself was by facing her father, the man who had sexually violated her mother. Sam is currently at work on a memoir about her experience of reuniting with her original mother.
<a href="https://www.talexblum.com/">Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para</a><a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">dox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list!</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, July 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;Samantha (Sam) Shields was born in San Francisco in 1970 and adopted from foster care as an infant. She grew up in nearby Napa knowing she was adopted, and provided many of the same platitudes as a lot of other adopted people: &lt;i&gt;She wanted you to have a better life. She did what was best for you because she loved you. &lt;/i&gt;But Sam was certain something was wrong with her. Why else had she been placed for adoption? Failure to bond with her adoptive mom and her adoptive dad's death when she was seven meant that Sam often fantasized about meeting her original mom. After a years-long search, Sam finally located her original mom in 1997 at the age of twenty-seven and was reunited with her until her mother's death in 2020. The relationship was both challenging and rewarding. Both she and her original mom carried the shame of what happened, making self-acceptance hard. Studies back this up: many adoption reunions break down within the first few years after making contact, and after eight years nearly half of those in an adoption reunion have abandoned the relationship altogether. Ultimately, what allowed Sam to find acceptance in herself was by facing her father, the man who had sexually violated her mother. Sam is currently at work on a memoir about her experience of reuniting with her original mother.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.talexblum.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;dox by Jean Kelly Widner&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!&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, July 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;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&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 San Francisco in 1970 and adopted from foster care as an infant, Samantha (Sam) Shields spent years searching for answers about her origins and the feelings of loss and disconnection that shaped her life. After reuniting with her original mother at age 27, Sam navigated a complex and deeply meaningful relationship that ultimately helped her confront family trauma, find self-acceptance, and begin writing a memoir about her reunion journey.

Samantha: Reunion, Loss, and Self-Acceptance

Originally from Chicago, Gabriel is an adult adoptee, street dancer, reconnecting P’urhépecha native, founder of MoFundamentals - the only foster-adoptee-led dance program in the U.S.- and artivist dedicated to highlighting the resiliency of the foster-adoptee community in Los Angeles. His work includes visibilizing powerful narratives rooted in foster care memory while honoring P’urhépecha and street dance culture in conversation with lessons of manhood; experiencing houselessness; being his own financial safety net; and, through dance healing, processing the loss of his little sister. 
Across 14 years, his contributions at the intersection of dance artivism, healing practices, and foster youth advocacy have led to: training at intensives hosted by Rennie Harris (founder of the first and longest running hip-hop dance touring company), hosting the first foster-adoptee dance festival in the U.S., representing LA City District 1 as an ACTIVATE Cultural Policy Fellow, recruitment to pilot re-entry through performing arts programs, and being a 2022 DanceUSA Fellow, and being a 2024-2025 MAP Grantee to visibilize P’urhépecha, foster-adoptee, street dance narratives.
Check out our <a href="https://mofundamentals.wixsite.com/welcome" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MoFundamentals website here</a>
<a href="https://linktr.ee/mofundamentals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out our work here!</a>
<a href="https://www.talexblum.com/">Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para</a><a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">dox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list!</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, July 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;Originally from Chicago, &lt;span&gt;Gabriel&lt;/span&gt; is an adult adoptee, street dancer, reconnecting P’urhépecha native, founder of MoFundamentals - the only foster-adoptee-led dance program in the U.S.- and artivist dedicated to highlighting the resiliency of the foster-adoptee community in Los Angeles. His work includes visibilizing powerful narratives rooted in foster care memory while honoring P’urhépecha and street dance culture in conversation with lessons of manhood; experiencing houselessness; being his own financial safety net; and, through dance healing, processing the loss of his little sister.&lt;br /&gt;
Across 14 years, his contributions at the intersection of dance artivism, healing practices, and foster youth advocacy have led to: training at intensives hosted by Rennie Harris (founder of the first and longest running hip-hop dance touring company), hosting the first foster-adoptee dance festival in the U.S., representing LA City District 1 as an ACTIVATE Cultural Policy Fellow, recruitment to pilot re-entry through performing arts programs, and being a 2022 DanceUSA Fellow, and being a 2024-2025 MAP Grantee to visibilize P’urhépecha, foster-adoptee, street dance narratives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;Check out our &lt;a href="https://mofundamentals.wixsite.com/welcome" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;MoFundamentals website here&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;a href="https://linktr.ee/mofundamentals" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Check out our work here!&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.talexblum.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;dox by Jean Kelly Widner&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!&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, July 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;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&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>

Gabriel Gutiérrez is an adult adoptee, street dancer, reconnecting P’urhépecha native, and founder of MoFundamentals, the only foster-adoptee-led dance program in the United States. Through dance, advocacy, and cultural storytelling, he uplifts foster and adoptee voices while exploring identity, healing, resilience, and the journey of reconnecting with his roots.

Gabriel: Dance, Identity, and Healing

Born &amp; adopted in 1970 as an infant, Lynn always knew she was adopted. Told the sweet stories of being chosen &amp; special. Lynn’s story later revealed many secrets &amp; lies. Lynn grew up in a middle-class family with both parents, teachers &amp; a brother 8 years older, biological to her adoptive parents. The secret revealed at 16 yrs old was that this was a kinship adoption &amp; she’d known her birth mother her whole life; only as a cousin, not her birth mother. So she didn’t have a reunion but more of a reintroduction to her BM.
Through DNA, she later found her BF in 2019 at age 49 &amp; the last puzzle piece she desired for many years. Only to bring more secrets &amp; lies revealed. This reunion started well, but has unfortunately faded. Both relationships with BM &amp; BF are broken with a second rejection. 
Lynn is also an adoptive parent with her husband of 37 years &amp; shares the journey with her daughter’s birth mother in an open adoption.
Lynn’s heart is for clear truth for adoptees &amp; education for adoptive parents before adopting. It’s not a blank slate.
 
<a href="https://www.talexblum.com/">Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para</a><a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">dox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list! </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, June 6th, 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;Born &amp;amp; adopted in 1970 as an infant, Lynn always knew she was adopted. Told the sweet stories of being chosen &amp;amp; special. Lynn’s story later revealed many secrets &amp;amp; lies. Lynn grew up in a middle-class family with both parents, teachers &amp;amp; a brother 8 years older, biological to her adoptive parents. The secret revealed at 16 yrs old was that this was a kinship adoption &amp;amp; she’d known her birth mother her whole life; only as a cousin, not her birth mother. So she didn’t have a reunion but more of a reintroduction to her BM.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Through DNA, she later found her BF in 2019 at age 49 &amp;amp; the last puzzle piece she desired for many years. Only to bring more secrets &amp;amp; lies revealed. This reunion started well, but has unfortunately faded. Both relationships with BM &amp;amp; BF are broken with a second rejection.&lt;br /&gt;
Lynn is also an adoptive parent with her husband of 37 years &amp;amp; shares the journey with her daughter’s birth mother in an open adoption.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Lynn’s heart is for clear truth for adoptees &amp;amp; education for adoptive parents before adopting. It’s not a blank slate.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.talexblum.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;dox by Jean Kelly Widner&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! &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, June 6th, 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;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&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 1970 and adopted as an infant, Lynn grew up believing the story that she was chosen and special, only to later discover that her adoption was a kinship adoption and that the woman she knew as her cousin was actually her birth mother. After finding her birth father through DNA at age 49, more family secrets and painful rejections surfaced, shaping Lynn’s passion for adoptee truth, openness, and educating adoptive parents that adoption is never a blank slate.

Lynn: Not a Blank Slate

Mary Lynn was born in March of 1966 and spent her first ten months in foster care before being adopted and brought to Pittsburgh as an infant. Her foster mother later sent a heartfelt letter to her adoptive parents, carefully recording early milestones—first steps, first words, favorite foods—clear signs that Mary Lynn was well loved from the very beginning. Still, one question stayed with her as she grew up: why hadn’t she gone home from the hospital with her adoptive family? The explanations she received never quite felt complete.
Decades later, with curiosity and a sense that time mattered, Mary Lynn decided to look for answers. Despite the challenges of closed adoption records, she began researching, taking DNA tests, joining online communities, and sharing her story publicly. For years, she followed leads with patience and persistence.
Then one evening, a simple online post changed everything—a birthmother searching for a daughter born in March 1966, with details that closely matched Mary Lynn’s own. With help from experienced search volunteers, connections were made, and DNA confirmed long-held questions about her biological parents.
Meeting her birthmother was meaningful and emotional, even as it revealed a complicated family history and long-kept misunderstandings. Over time, Mary Lynn chose balance and peace, carrying forward the clarity she had gained.
Most importantly, the journey gave her a new purpose. Guided by others who had helped her, today Mary Lynn is a search angel, paying forward the gift of truth, connection, and hope.
 
<a href="https://www.talexblum.com/">Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para</a><a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/">dox by Jean Kelly Widner</a>
<a href="https://www.adoptionthemakingofme.com/">Sign up to be part of our mailing list! </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, June 6th, 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;Mary Lynn&lt;/span&gt; was born in March of 1966 and spent her first ten months in foster care before being adopted and brought to Pittsburgh as an infant. Her foster mother later sent a heartfelt letter to her adoptive parents, carefully recording early milestones—first steps, first words, favorite foods—clear signs that &lt;span&gt;Mary Lynn&lt;/span&gt; was well loved from the very beginning. Still, one question stayed with her as she grew up: why hadn’t she gone home from the hospital with her adoptive family? The explanations she received never quite felt complete.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Decades later, with curiosity and a sense that time mattered, &lt;span&gt;Mary Lynn&lt;/span&gt; decided to look for answers. Despite the challenges of closed adoption records, she began researching, taking DNA tests, joining online communities, and sharing her story publicly. For years, she followed leads with patience and persistence.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Then one evening, a simple online post changed everything—a birthmother searching for a daughter born in March 1966, with details that closely matched &lt;span&gt;Mary Lynn&lt;/span&gt;’s own. With help from experienced search volunteers, connections were made, and DNA confirmed long-held questions about her biological parents.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Meeting her birthmother was meaningful and emotional, even as it revealed a complicated family history and long-kept misunderstandings. Over time, &lt;span&gt;Mary Lynn&lt;/span&gt; chose balance and peace, carrying forward the clarity she had gained.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Most importantly, the journey gave her a new purpose. Guided by others who had helped her, today &lt;span&gt;Mary Lynn&lt;/span&gt; is a search angel, paying forward the gift of truth, connection, and hope.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.talexblum.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Season 12 Book: The Adoption Para&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://adoptionparadox.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;dox by Jean Kelly Widner&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! &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, June 6th, 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;a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadoptees/"&gt;Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.lizdebetta.com/"&gt;Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement&lt;/a&gt;
&lt;a href="https://mosesfarrow.com/"&gt;Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate&lt;/a&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 1966 and adopted after spending her first ten months in foster care, Mary Lynn grew up questioning the incomplete answers surrounding her adoption and later began a years-long search for the truth about her origins. Through persistence, DNA testing, and the help of search volunteers, she reunited with her birthmother and now serves as a search angel herself, helping others find truth, connection, and hope.

Mary Lynn: From Hidden Story to Search Angel

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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