Twisted Sisterhood

01/07/2024

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview ⁠Gretchen Sisson⁠ for today’s episode. .sisson
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Gretchen Sisson is a sociologist who studies abortion and adoption in the United States. She is the author of ⁠Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood⁠, based on hundreds of in-depth interviews with women who have relinquished infants for domestic adoption over the past 60 years. Gretchen is a researcher, a mom, an ally to birth mothers in the adoption community, and so much more. Posing challenging thoughts that society, and even our community, has long hesitated to ponder, we valued this conversation with Gretchen and of course, this incredible book. FIVE stars for Relinquished from the Twisted Sisterhood Podcast. We hope to keep this conversation rolling in our community!
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You can listen on Spotify at the link in our bio!

09/01/2024

Happy New Year, sisterhood! This week is about the three R’s no one told you about: Roles, Rights, and Responsibilities. What is it that we owe our children? What role should we play in this arrangement, and will that change over time? What can we do to best support our kids and have a positive relationship over time? We cover so much about this complicated lifelong relationship. Tune in on Spotify or Apple!

24/12/2023

We hope you’re all having a lovely holiday season with loved ones. We know that the holidays can mean facing family members or loved ones that reject you, belittle you, or pretend that your motherhood isn’t valid. We hope you find time for moments of joy and peace this season. We hope you find warmth in community.
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To our sisterhood and faithful listeners, god we love ya. Of all the names you could be called, we are proud to call you our sisters. Be well, be safe, and we will see you in 2024. ❄️

13/12/2023

NEW EPISODE! We are so grateful that we got to sit with Lacy, a great birth mom friend of ours :) Lacy Shaw is a birth mom nearly 10 years post-placement, navigating life and parenthood with two littles in Southern California.
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There’s so many gems in this episode. We cover generational effects of our decision to relinquish, what life looks like after a decade of post-placement, how this decision affects us when we parent other children, and so much more. This episode will leave you thinking. Thank you , for stopping in and giving us your wisdom! We love ya!
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09/12/2023

Won’t they just!
Anyway… new episode coming Tuesday!

17/11/2023

Last night we had the privilege of being in New York together, to attend the opening of the Imagine boutique by
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Spence-Chapin is doing some really impactful things that we often hear are not possible… things like post-birth matching, interim care for 30 days by non-adoptive parents before consents are even signed, court-enforceable PACAs, and bolstering their parenting support. Ashley and Kelsey were able to say a few words at this event, speaking to the impact on moms who choose to place and moms who choose to parent.
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All moms deserve the support and protection in their decision. It’s encouraging when professionals decide to light the way forward and be a good example. Hopefully others will follow suit! The standards must be higher.

09/11/2023

Mercedes is a birth mother from St. Louis. At 20 years old, she pursued adoption for her daughter and dealt with the child welfare system in the process. Because of this experience, Mercedes is passionate about connecting foster youth to their biological families in every role she undertakes. Mercedes has over a decade of experience serving families engaged with the child welfare system, most recently as a Field Operation Specialist for Missouri Children’s Division, overseeing the St. Louis Region with the support of data for the implementation of legislation and improvement planning.
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She is passionate about gathering and analyzing data to impact policies for youth and families. Mercedes graduated from the Minority Professional Leadership Development Program (MPLD) with AdoptUSKids, where she developed a language resource group to address a language barrier that adoption recruiters faced when working towards permanency for their Hispanic youth. In short, Mercedes is an absolute rockstar.
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We were so thrilled for her to be on the podcast. She shared about her experience with the child welfare system both personally and professionally and her fears about opening her adoption. We hope you’ll tune in! Available on Spotify and Apple.

31/10/2023

Happy Halloween from the Twisted Sisterhood Podcast! 👻
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This concept was borrowed from - thanks Kenzi!

30/10/2023

October 30 is Adoptee Remembrance Day. Take time today to be in silence for the memory of adoptees we have lost. You are loved.

12/10/2023

No matter what struggles you’re coming to the table with, your story is valuable. Relinquishing a child is not Plan A, it’s not a dream we wanted to fulfill someday when we were little girls. This is an adverse experience. And no matter what brought you here, you deserve the support you need… before, during, and after the placement. Birth moms, you matter, your healing matters!! 💙✨

10/10/2023

We are back with the second episode of season 3 of the Twisted Sisterhood Podcast! Today we talk about stereotypes and stigmas... but it's not what you think. We have grown tired of the usual conversation surrounding stereotypes and stigmas and how this doesn't foster inclusivity or bring anyone closer to community, healing, or understanding. We reject the idea that there is a hierarchy within the lowest rung on the adoption ladder. We encourage you to listen to today's episode with an open mind and discover how to bring people into your circle.
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Let us know what you thought about today’s episode in the comments below!

21/08/2023

We’re back!! You can tune in for the first episode of season three on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Let us know what you think ⭐️

18/05/2023

Twisted Sisterhood RETURNS this August! We have huge plans for Season 3, and it’s been way too long! We can’t wait to get back on the mic and bring back this podcast.

16/11/2021

This week’s episode on Role Switching is dedicated to Peggy Stoll. Peggy is Kelsey’s grandmother, Jeff’s birth mother, and a strong woman who didn’t get what she needed after placing her son for adoption. May we do better going forward - for her and all the women who deserved so much more. 💙
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15/11/2021

New episode this week! (Yeah, that’s right! 2 weeks in a row!)
This is a topic that has been on our minds this season. Kelsey talks about the feelings she had when her grandmother passed away, and how it felt to watch her dad grieve his birth mother. We discuss how we have stood in the gap in our community and how our community has stood in the gap for us.
Don’t skip this episode. It’s too good! ✨
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10/11/2021

This week’s guest on the pod is Erika Gonzales! Erika is a birth mom from California. She is a little over 4 years post placement in an open adoption. Erika is a legal assistant in a law firm and practices real estate.
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We have been connected with Erika for a few years and we are always left with food for thought after our conversations. She is insightful, compassionate, and an all around incredible friend.
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Erika came on the podcast to talk about not feeling like she’s part of the “birth mom club” and classism in adoption. A truly thought-provoking conversation - we hope you tuned in!
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25/06/2021

24/06/2021

Link to register https://conta.cc/3xTMaEw (everyone who registers will get a link to the recording, in the event you are not able to join us live). We the Ex...

18/05/2021

We have a new episode for you this week! We are speaking to our birth mom guest, Chelsea Moore, about semi-open adoption. Chelsea discusses how agreeing to a semi-open adoption in 2013 has affected her, how the adoption has not evolved into a relationship, and what needs to change.
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This episode is truly eye opening for all who take a minute to listen. We hope you will find a piece of wisdom here to put in your pocket for your own open adoption relationships!
Click to listen: https://www.twistedsisterhoodpodcast.com/episodes

30/04/2021

We love hearing how the podcast is being incorporated into post-placement support. When we started the podcast, we never imagined how big the reach would actually be. Now that we are here, wow. We are so grateful for our listeners and we have more coming for you! 💙

12/04/2021

We know we said March 1... but can you really expect two birth moms to be on time? 😂
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Welcome back, sisters! We are so excited to be back in front of the mic for SEASON 2! We have sooo much mapped out for you this season. For this first episode, we just wanted to catch up with you and keep it light, because next time you hear from us we will be doing a deep dive.💙
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twistedsisterhoodpodcast.com/episodes

21/01/2021

Who doesn't love a good t-shirt?!

We love doing the Twisted Sisterhood Podcast and being able to bring community to you wherever you're listening. For us to continue the podcast, it takes a little dough!

We will be having a t-shirt fundraiser through the end of February that will hopefully cover the cost of our equipment and recording software! Snag a tee, and sport it around your living room to ride out the remainder of the pandemic while you're listening to the Twisted Sisterhood Podcast.

There are 3 different styles available that come in red, blue, gray, or white. We appreciate you, thanks for being a loyal listener!

Grab your limited edition Bring a Folding Chair merchandise before the campaign closes. Featuring Dark Heather Grey Premium Unisex Tees, professionally printed in the USA.

21/01/2021

20/01/2021

We are so excited to announce that we are coming back for Season TWO of Twisted Sisterhood!
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This is going to be a very special season. 2021 baby! We have both been working hard on some things behind the scenes that will hopefully bring good changes to adoption in the United States. This season is all about how we can keep progressing forward, and how you can help.
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Be on the lookout for a t-shirt campaign in the coming weeks. On March 1st, pull up a chair. We can’t wait to sit with you! 💙

01/09/2020

Jori is our guest this week! Jori is a transracial adoptee from foster care and a birth mom of 12 years. She grew up in Delaware and now lives with her husband and children in Utah. She found herself in an unplanned pregnancy as a student athlete in college, and found herself completely changed after placement. On this episode, Jori discusses her experiences with racial issues, how her spirituality was impacted during placement, and how important trauma therapy has been as an adoptee and a birth mom.

23/07/2020

We see you. We hear you. We stand with you. ALWAYS. 💙

14/07/2020

This episode, Kelsey and Ashley discuss how different it is to date after placement. Relationships have a new dynamic, there's more nuances to marriage and partnerships, and we seem to bring our good ol' suitcase full of adoption baggage everywhere we go. When do birth moms drop the "adoption bomb" on the new significant other? They discuss all the good, bad, and ugly about finding love after placement.
Listen here: twistedsisterhoodpodcast.com/episodes

25/06/2020

We asked Shonda what the biggest roadblock to her post-placement healing was... this is what she said:
“I think the biggest roadblock in my post placement healing was myself for a long time. I didn't allow myself to be vulnerable enough to admit i was not okay, and that I was allowed to be a mess. Others told me that I am so brave and selfless for what I did so I got this notion in my head that I had to be brave and selfless in my healing journey too. I was a mess and that was okay. When i finally allowed myself to break down and sit in those emotions, that's when I actually started to heal. Before, I was walking around numb with a fake smile on my face for all the others. I was thankfully allowed safe spaces and wonderful people in my life to support me though this period in my life, and that is why my heart is in to help support other birth parents and let them feel those emotions.”

23/06/2020

New episode with our honored guest, Shonda Larson! 💙
Shonda is a birth mom of almost 6 years, and is an adoptee from foster care. She is a full time nursing student, working two jobs, and living life as fully as she can. Her heart is focused on educating others on adoption and what role birth parents take in the whole spectrum of adoption. She speaks a local schools and events, started a support group in her Montana town to better support birth parents, as well as setting up and running events to bring all members of the triad together to share sacred space and stories. Take a listen to the latest episode! TwistedSisterhoodPodcast.com/episodes

18/06/2020

Did you catch our latest episode with Sarah? She talks about what it’s been like to watch her children’s parents go through a divorce, and how it has affected her open adoption relationship. Don’t miss it!