Born Adopted: Paige Strickland on Searching Before the Internet, a Birth Father's Secret, and Telling Her Story in Verse

Paige Strickland was born in Ohio in 1961 and adopted as a baby, at a time when records were sealed and adoptees were expected to be grateful and never look back. She loved her adoptive family. She also grew up feeling like being adopted was a Scarlet Letter A, a secret she didn't tell her college friends, her coworkers, or anyone but the man she was about to marry. Then in 1987, a morning talk show changed everything. Paige learned her Ohio records were open, sent in two forms of ID and $20, and spent a summer going back and forth between the courthouse and the public library with microfiche and crisscross directories, "beating the system one record at a time." Julie and Paige talk about what that search took and what it gave back. They talk about a birth mother she never got to meet, a birth father who sat with her for three hours at a Denny's and then backed away, and what she learned after his death that helped her understand why. And they talk about her third book, Born Adopted: And Finding My Truth, a memoir in verse written for middle schoolers and up, so the next generation of adoptees doesn't have to search as long to find the words. In This Episode Paige's work as a special education aide, and the synchronicity of finding sisters who do the same work The wave of adoptee voices between 2010 and 2015, and marching with newly searching adoptees to Ohio's Vital Statistics building in the pouring rain Growing up with adoption as a Scarlet Letter A, and why "you're so lucky" comes from lack of knowledge "I don't believe my adoptive parents lied. I believe they got lied to." The 1987 talk show, the VHS tape, and the envelope from Columbus Searching before the internet: courthouses, libraries, northern Kentucky records, and the energy of finally getting answers Her adoptive mom's support and her adoptive dad's own struggles during the search Her birth mother's story, the Appalachian migration north for factory work, and grieving someone she never met Meeting her birth father, his pulling away, and the understanding that came later Sisters, "girl power," and a 30th reunion anniversary trip to Disneyland Why she rewrote her story as a book in verse, and what she hopes adopted and non-adopted kids each take from it Adoption, middle school, and the fear of being bullied for it Resources & Links Mentioned The Refuge, Julie's monthly community for adult adoptees. This episode's thread is already open. Born Adopted: And Finding My Truth by Paige Strickland (Kindle out now; paperback released October 5) Akin to the Truth: A Memoir of Adoption and Identity and After the Truth by Paige Strickland  Paige's Substack The Adoptee Survival Guide, the anthology edited by Lynn Grubb that includes Paige's writing Un-M-Othered: A Revolution in Adoptee Healing, Julie and Dr. Liz DeBetta's in-person retreat, December 4–6, 2026, Highland, Michigan Call to Action If something in this conversation stirred something in you, don't rush past it. If it feels supportive, put a hand where you feel it and breathe for a moment. Then come talk about it with us in The Refuge, where this episode's thread is already open. You don't have to carry it alone. If this podcast has meant something to you, a five-star review, or even a few written words, helps more adoptees and the people who love them find their way here. Stop outsourcing belonging - insource it! Website Instagram: @juliebrumley_ Facebook: julierasbrum TikTok: @juliebrumley_ Click to Join My Free Adoptee Facebook Group You Tube: @julie_brumley