Adoption: The Making of Me Podcast

19/11/2024

Rebecca is an adoptee, mother, teacher, historian and award-winning author of the recently published ‘Who Is a Worthy Mother? An Intimate History of Adoption.’ Rebecca was driven to write a history of adoption in the United States from the perspective of an adoptee and to honor the memory of her older sister and the truth of brave women everywhere. Rebecca teaches in the School of Education at the University of Puget Sound and lives in Seattle with her husband and two daughters.

https://adoptionthemakingofme.buzzsprout.com/1756193/episodes/16109100-rebecca-who-is-a-worthy-mother

Rebecca Wellington

12/11/2024

Ann Fessler is an author, filmmaker, and installation artist. Her work addresses the gap between the authoritative history one learns in history books, and that same history as understood by those who lived it. She has spent more than thirty years bringing stories of ordinary people, and the first-person narratives of adoption, into the public sphere through her visual works and writing.

Fessler traveled the country to interview more than 100 women who lost children to adoption during the 28 years that followed WWII, when a perfect storm of circumstances led to an unprecedented 1.5 million non-family surrenders. With the support of a 2003-04 Radcliffe Fellowship at Harvard, Fessler researched the history of the era and later combined her research and interviews in a non-fiction book, The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Lost Children to Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade (The Penguin Press, 2006).

The book, which places the women’s stories within the social history of the time period and her own story as an adoptee, was called “wrenching, riveting” by the Chicago Tribune; “a remarkably well researched and accomplished book” by the New York Times; and “a blend of deeply moving personal tales, bolstered by solid sociological analysis—journalism of the first order” by the San Francisco Chronicle. The Girls Who Went Away was chosen as one of the top 5 non-fiction books of 2006 by the National Book Critics Circle, and was awarded the Ballard Book Prize, given annually to a female author who advances the dialogue about women’s rights. In 2011, The Girls Who Went Away was chosen by readers of Ms. magazine as one of the top 100 feminist books of all time.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1756193/episodes/16082389-ann-fessler-the-girls-who-went-away-s8-finale



Website: annfessler.com
Instagram:

08/11/2024

Thank you to the amazing people in the 47th Legislative District for your support. It's now time to get back to work in Olympia for all of the people. We cannot forget that we still have so much in common, all of us. Let's continue to contribute our talents to help the broader community and build a stronger union.

07/11/2024

!!!

There could have been as many 50,000 babies trafficked out of Chile between the 1950s and the 1990s.

07/11/2024

We are wrapping up The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler. Make sure to tune in next week when we have an intimate conversation with Ann about her book and the institution of adoption. This book is so important. If you haven’t read it, please do.

05/11/2024

Julie Brumley is a trauma-informed adoptee coach who has been coaching men and women for more than 15 years to overcome addictive behaviors and heal the primal trauma of abandonment. She is also the CEO of Coming Home to Self, a company dedicated to helping adoptees heal. After her own birth mother tried to abort her twice, she found herself frozen in an unconscious trauma response for decades until she found the power of somatic trauma healing. Now she uses somatics, nervous system regulation, personal experience and her masters in counseling to help other adult adoptees find their way out of their own trauma and into a life of radical self-belonging.

Find Julie at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theresilienceprojectforadoptees

04/11/2024

Season 9 begins on the 19th. Join us as we read and discuss “You Should Be Grateful” by the truly amazing, Angela Tucker.

We are wrapping up “The Girls Who Went Away” by Ann Fessler. You don’t want to miss the finale and our conversation on the 12th!

A lot to look forward to.


Angela Tucker

30/10/2024

30/10/2024

Remembering our fellow adoptees that are no longer with us and those that are suffering and have suffered.

29/10/2024

Ann is an adoptee who searched for her birth family for 35 years. Her award-winning book, “Not Nicholson: The Story of a First Daughter,” (2023) is an adoption search and reunion memoir. It has been called “a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring quest for self-understanding. . . a deeply moving read, one that resonates long after the final page is turned” (The Reading Bud), “universally inspiring, exemplifying an unwavering resolve that continues even in the face of numerous obstacles. . . an invaluable companion for those navigating the intricate paths of understanding and acceptance in the realms of adoption” (Literary Titan), and “a compelling read that balances personal narrative with broader social issues. . . . a book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, . . . a powerful reminder of the enduring human spirit and the profound impact of uncovering one’s past.” (Jeyran Main, Editor-in-chief, Review Tales Magazine).
Spending her time equally between Arizona and New Hampshire, in her spare time Ann loves singing all kinds of music from classical choral music to traditional Irish/Scottish songs to worship music, playing various fretted string instruments and the Irish bodhrán (a framed goatskin drum), Irish and ballroom dancing, and serving as the Loon Preservation Committee field volunteer for Silver Lake, NH.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1756193/episodes/16000709-ann-for-this-adoptee-a-long-wait-for-answers

28/10/2024

Important from Paul Sunderland.

Paul Sunderland has generously given his time to talk to a group of adoptees and has allowed us to record and share the session for the benefit of others. He...

22/10/2024

Lena Rosenbloom is a domestic closed adopted person from New Jersey. She was adopted in the 80’s and raised as an only child in an adoptive family that could not have children. She entered reunion in 2002 with her paternal biological family. Lena discovered her biological family through the adoption.com website and message boards in 2002. She has three half siblings on her paternal side. Lena has reached out to her biological mother two times in the past 20 years and been rejected.Lena is a licensed clinical social worker in Florida working with grief and loss as well as terminally ill clients. She helped start a non profit organization for first responder spouses in 2018. She has been married to her wonderful husband for 15 years and has two children. She loves to journal, make crafts and find healing through music and concerts.

15/10/2024

Listen to Stephen here.

Stephen Grochol is a Financial Planner in San Mateo, CA. He and his wifejust celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and they have two daughters.He is a post-Baby Scoop and post-Roe v. Wade adoptee. Born in Oakland,CA in 1974 he is the oldest of...

15/10/2024

Stephen is a Financial Planner in San Mateo, CA. He and his wife just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and they have two daughters. He is a post-Baby Scoop and post-Roe v. Wade adoptee. Born in Oakland, CA in 1974 he is the oldest of three. One brother, adopted, and one biological to his parents.

Stephen’s adoptive parents went through a private doctor for this process. He was relinquished immediately after birth and whisked home to Pacifica where he grew up. A stroke of luck occurred when his Aunt and Godmother procured the names of his birth parents during his delivery.

As time went on things within his family unit started to unravel. His younger brother, also adopted, started suffering mental health issues and was ultimately diagnosed as schizophrenic and bi-polar. The family was hamstrung by the fact his medical records were sealed by the state of California. This was the prompt that Stephen needed to start the reunion process, for real.

On his 28th birthday, armed with “the adoption file” he was able to quickly track down his birth father. They have been in reunion since 2003.

Tracking down his birth mother was a much more difficult task. In 2017, Stephen and his birth father used Ancestry DNA to narrow the search for her. It’s here where he met a half-sister on his mother’s side. From there he was able to finally track down their birth mother.

The reunion with both parents and siblings has been filled with joy and happiness. There have been several family reunions where Stephen finally feels like he’s “wearing the right uniform.” Of course no reunion is perfect but we are pretty close.

It’s after all this that Stephen has come out of the fog. Listening to Sarah and Louise, along with more specialized therapy are major factors for this. Stephen is quite familiar with fog as he grew up in Pacifica…. One of the foggiest towns in California. Sunny days lie ahead….

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1756193/episodes/15914963

08/10/2024

Jennifer Dyan Ghoston is a same race domestic foster alum and adoptee in reunion with both sides of her biological family. After a 27 year career in law enforcement with the Chicago Police Department, she retired in 2014 as a police detective. In 2015, she self-published her memoir, “The Truth So Far...a detective’s journey to reunite with her birth family”. She credits her spiritual journey that started over forty years ago for allowing her path to unfold in unexpected and meaningful ways. In 2021, Jennifer’s continued efforts to be open, honest and public about her lived experience while holding space for other members of the constellation (primarily adoptees) has led to hosting the podcast, “Once Upon A Time...In Adopteeland”. She currently co-facilitates the Adoptee Voices Writing Group created by Sara Easterly.

03/10/2024

Adoption: The Infinite Elephant in The Room: 🐘

"But here's the deal: pretending everything's okay when it's not is dangerous. Ignoring the infinite elephant won't make it go away. It just makes it grow more extensive and more toxic."

Read more:

https://open.substack.com/pub/therealadopteamoxie/p/adoption-the-infinite-elephant-in

Share the love, because understanding is 🩵

03/10/2024

Even though we had a moment of levity, The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler is anything but light. We are constantly struck by the similarities of adoptees and birth mothers. These are the voices that need to be heard in the public adoption narrative.