How open to change are you? How willing and curious to new ways to heal? Listen in as we go deep on how a method that initially felt a little weird helped Trish to feel better on the inside and enjoying better relationships on the outside. And there's the matter of being adopted back by her birth mother...Trish doesn't do social media, but is open to talking with others email me simon@thrivingadoptees.com and I will put you in touch  Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

The more fellow adoptees I speak with, the more I see a broader view of healing. On one side there's the logic of getting answers to questions we've been asking ourselves forever. On the other side there's the mystery of what happens often when we are with others. Tapping into both sides help us heal. Listen in as Kit describes four of his key healing moments. They might well spark some ideas in you.Kit Myers is an assistant professor in the Department of History & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies. He was previously a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at UC Merced. His teaching interests include the study of race as a social, relational, and intersectional category of difference and power. His forthcoming book, The Violence of Love: Race, Adoption, and Family in the United States, with University of California Press (2024), uses interdisciplinary methods of archival, legal, and discursive analysis to argue that while adoption is imbued with love, violence is attached to adoption in complex ways. The book comparatively examines the transracial and transnational adoption of Asian, Black, and Native American children by White families to understand how race has been constructed relationally to mark certain homes, families, and nations as spaces of love, freedom, and better futures against others that not. Myers has also published journal articles in Adoption Quarterly, Critical Discourse Studies, Adoption & Culture, and Amerasia. He serves as on the executive committee for the Alliance for the Study of Adoption and Culture. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. from the University of California, San Diego in ethnic studies and his B.S. in ethnic studies and journalism from the University of Oregon.https://www.linkedin.com/in/kit-myers-21463417/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Is your trauma eating you up from the inside? That's how it felt to Becca. Writing her book and talking about it openly is helping her shift to thriving with the help of a great therapist, energy work and some fab people lining up behind to support her. Great insights on seeing our connectedness, authenticity and vulnerability.Here's a bit about Becca's previous interview:Do you wish your healing was faster?Did your world fall apart when you came out of the fog? Are you wondering what comes now you're consciously aware of your trauma? Listen in as Becca shares how she came out of the fog after tragedy and what's helping her heal. An incredibly vulnerable and empowering episode.Becca was born in 1975, adopted at 2 years old and lives in Seattle.Here's a link to  Becca's that interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/out-of-the-fog-beyond-with-becca-wellingtonHere's a link to the Kubler Ross curve https://www.ekrfoundation.org/5-stages-of-grief/change-curve/https://www.rebeccawellington.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccawellington/https://www.instagram.com/_rebecca_wellington/https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085186204263 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Chris yearned to meet her birth mother to heal. But meeting her didn't heal Chris. Because as she realised, healing is an inside job. So how come Chris doesn't feel traumatised anymore? Listen in with big ears.Contact Chris here https://www.facebook.com/christine.giles.758Here are the books I mentioned:https://sydbanks.com/onlinereading/https://www.amazon.com/Its-Not-Your-Fault-Choosing-ebook/dp/B07957XB9T Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What if love is the ultimate healer? Love for ourselves? Seeing that we ARE love? Listen in as Dottie goes big and I try to keep up. An epic conversation. I think you're going to love this. Pun intended.Dot Todman is a talented Canadian-Jamaican singer/songwriter and highly regarded celebrity vocal empowerment coach. Despite facing challenges in her journey, Dot’s optimism and positive outlook shine through in all that she does.She spent her early life in foster care before being adopted by an interracial couple. Growing up as the only Black girl her age in a small town of 32,000, Dot often felt disconnected from her cultural heritage. Raised by a single White mother, she faced unique challenges in navigating her identity and finding a sense of belonging...Read on....https://singwdot.com/epk/Find out more about Dottie here:https://corevocalpower.com/https://www.instagram.com/corevocalpower/https://www.youtube.com/@corevocalpowerhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dottie-todman-3803054/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Many of us feel that we were brought up in a false narrative. Many of us feel that the current narrative around adoption is still false. But what about OUR narrative? The narrative that sums up how we see our life? The narrative that changes. The narrative that's meant to change. Stephen shares routes to a more empowered narrative. Fascinating. Empowering. And very, very different. Different in a GOOD way.Stephen Rowley, Ph.D., is an adoptee, adoptive parent and psychotherapist practicing in Bainbridge Island, Washington. His professional past includes serving as an elementary school teacher and principal, and a school district superintendent in Washington and California. He has been a college professor at three universities, teaching courses in educational administration and organizational theory. He holds a Ph.D. in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University. His new book is: The Lost Coin: A Memoir of Adoption and Destiny (Chiron Publications, Sept. 2023). Learn more at stephenrowley108.com/memoir/https://stephenrowley108.comhttps://www.facebook.com/srowley108https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-rowley-ma-lmhc-phd-b83ab811/https://www.instagram.com/stephenrowley108/https://twitter.com/srowley108 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How does healing help us advocate? How does advocacy help us heal? Listen in as we explore how the intersection of two crucial parts of our lives.Here's the link to Joyce's previous interviewshttps://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/joyce https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/theres-nothing-wrong-with-us-with-joyce-maguire-pavaoHere's a link to a replay of Advancing Your Advocacy For Adoptees https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y-8Id3NajIDr. Pavao has done extensive training, both nationally and internationally.  She is a lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and she has consulted to various public and private child welfare agencies, adoption agencies, schools, and community groups, as well as probate and family court judges, lawyers, and clergy.  Additionally, she has worked closely with individuals and families touched by adoption, foster care, and other complex blended family constructions.She has developed models for treatment and for training using her systemic, intergenerational, and developmental framework, The Normative Crises in the Development of the Adoptive Family, and her book, The Family of Adoption (Beacon Press), has received high acclaim.Dr. Pavao has received many awards and honors, including the Children’s Bureau/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Adoption Excellence Award for Family Contribution (2003) and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption award for Angels in Adoption (2000).http://www.pavaoconsulting.com/https://www.facebook.com/Dr.JoyceMaguirePavaohttps://twitter.com/GetKinnectedhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kinnect/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How do you feel about your wounds? Do they scare you? Do you just want them gone? Do you yearn to feel whole? What if you had a different relationship with them? Saw them as gifts. The cracks that let the light in. Listen in as we go deep to new perspectives on trauma. And peace.Here's an interview with the Headless way guy https://dramyjohnson.com/2024/04/ep298-the-headless-way-with-richard-lang/Here's a link to his website https://headless.org/There's pain and beauty in adoption. Donna like she's been healing her whole life. But coming out of the fog was a shock to her system. Listen in as she shares her insights on an expanding awareness of her self. That's where the most profound shifts are happening that are powering on to a better life.Listen to her first interview at https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/painfully-beautiful-with-donna-josephhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-joseph-6a277a6/https://www.facebook.com/donna.joseph123https://www.instagram.com/iamdonnajosephhttps://www.facebook.com/HealingAdoptee/https://www.youtube.com/@donnamariejoseph Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Feeling unloved hurts like hell. And most of us have felt that way. I know i've felt that my birth mother didn't love me enough to keep me. But what if we feel are adoptive parents didn't want us? Reading about some doubt her parents had in adopting her  turned Patti's life upside down. Listen in as we go deep on feeling loved, wanted and enough.Patti Eddington is a newspaper and magazine journalist whose favorite job ever  was interviewing the famous authors who came through town on book tours. She never dreamed of writing about her life because she was too busy helping build her husband’s veterinary practice, caring for her animal obsessed daughter—whose favorite childhood toy was an inflatable tick—and learning to tap dance. Then fate, and a DNA test, led her to a story she felt compelled to tell. Today, the mid-century modern design enthusiast and dance fitness teacher enjoys being dragged on walks by her ridiculous three-legged dog, David, reading with her Siamese cat Symon Francis O’Toole on her lap and watching the egrets and bald eagles from her deck on a beautiful bayou in Spring Lake, Michigan. https://pattieddington.com/https://www.instagram.com/pattieddingtonauthorhttps://www.facebook.com/people/Patti-Eddington-Author/100091516900287https://www.amazon.com/Girl-Three-Birthdays-Adopted-Daughters/dp/1647426502 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do you struggle with your desperate parts? Do you yearn to feel whole? Listen in as Mee Ok shares her learnings on healing body, mind and soul. A particularly dramatic episode - she was given just 5 years to live.Born in Korea, Mee Ok Icaro (pronounced “mēˈōk i’kä’rō”) was renamed “Mandy” by her white, evangelical parents who adopted and raised her in California and Arkansas. After narrowly escaping conversion therapy but unable to avoid sitting next to Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Spanish class, she attended Boston University to study philosophy and the classics, but ended up majoring in partying, sleep, and girls. Ten years later she graduated and worked at Harvard as a research assistant in an office next to Timothy Leary’s old digs, while taking courses in history, film, medicine, literature, and German.After being diagnosed with scleroderma and given five years to live, Mee Ok was bedridden for three years until she began drinking ayahuasca, a shamanic brew from the Amazonian jungle, which gave her back her legs. She eventually obtained her MFA in Creative Writing, studying poetry, prose, and drama. Since then, she has been writing, pursuing the path of earth medicines, and trying to become the person she was meant to be.https://www.facebook.com/dasmeeokhttps://twitter.com/dasmeeokhttps://www.instagram.com/dasmeeokHoldingCompassionate.spaceMee-ok.com Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

If we're ok with not feeling ok, we're always ok. Listen in as we dive into healing, coping, peace and more. You'll love Alice's honesty and humour.Here's a bit about Alice's last interview.Listen on as Alice shares how she found the patience and persistence on her quest to find and meet her birth mother. There are bags of insights, realisations, twists and turns. Buckle up for a rollercoaster of a ride.Listen to it here https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/patience-persistence-with-adoptee-alice-diverHere is a link to the publication Alice mentions https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2nqk1B6XrYH1qRez_tryDW34Yv0qSmd/view?usp=sharingHere is a link to her profile and researchhttps://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/alice-diver/publications/Here's a link to the webinar video I mention https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnz7I7V_IOQ&t=224sHere's a link the webinar on another podcast episode https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/whole-healing-my-primal-wound-webinar-recordingConnect with Alice on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-diver-b6939545 Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Join Fireside Adoptees so you can join our free taster event on 11th May 2024 and the mini course on 18th and 19th May 2024: https://www.facebook.com/groups/firesideadopteesLink to the book I mention:https://www.amazon.com/Power-Force-David-Hawkins-M-D/dp/1401945074Here's the link to Jude's blog post about gratitude and frequency using David Hawkins' scale of consciousness.https://fhwithjude.com/gratitude-3-0/Connect with Judehttps://www.facebook.com/jude.a.hunghttps://www.instagram.com/finding_home_with_judehttps://fhwithjude.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

We didn't choose to be adopted. We had no power over what happened to us. So how do we take the power back? What can do to    develop our identity on our terms? Powerful stuff from Diego.Here's a bit about Diego from his website:Hi, my name is Diego; I am an adoptee from Colombia, S.A. (5ish years old) who is a relationship and family therapist in the state of Washington. I am an adoptee-focused therapist, centering on adoptee voices and their adoptee identity development through their lived experiences; pre and post-adoption. I am also passionate about relationships regardless of their structure (hetero, consensual non-monogamy - CNM, polyamory, and LGBTQIA+); I believe all individuals in a relationship deserve to be heard and witnessed, opening avenues for a broader understanding of others and ultimately, deeper connections.As a systemically trained relationship therapist, I am also intrigued by how relationships function and how they can be bettered through a greater understanding of the larger and smaller contexts connected to those in a relationship(s). I lean heavily on racial and feminist theory in working with relationships; owning white and male privilege is vital to the better understanding of those who hold less power; it creates pathways to empathy & connection.It is a privilege to sit alongside those willing to be vulnerable in the name of personal growth. I offer virtual sessions for clients in Washington State; I look forward to the opportunity to work with you if you feel we would be a good fit and begin the journey to an improved sense of self.Find out more at:adopteefocusedtherapy.comhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1498807549https://www.instagram.com/diego.vitelli/https://www.linkedin.com/in/diegovitelli/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Do you feel wounded? Do you yearn to feel whole? Tifin started searching for her biological family at 19. Listen in to what she's learned about wholeness since then including insights from coaching and astro-coaching.https://www.tifindillon.com/https://www.facebook.com/groups/1776536339297503https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVkdPPGv968-oUSl-NUKsCw  Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

No-one asks a bereaved person if they've healed from the trauma of their loss. So why should others ask us if we're over the trauma of the loss of our birth family. What if we explored processing trauma rather than healing it? That's Tony's take. Listen in to a different take on relinquishment. It'll get you thinking. And processing.Here's a link to Tony's previous interview on belonging.  Listen in to Tony's learnings on  feeling and creating that sense of belonging with insights on being comfortable in the uncomfortable, exploring culture, communication and much more. Fascinating.  https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/belonging-with-tony-hynes-interracial-adoptee-training-specialistTony, a former foster youth and adoptee, was adopted by a same sex couple in the mid 1990’s. He writes about his experiences growing up as both an interracial adoptee and as a child growing up in a same sex headed household in his memoir “The Son With Two Moms.”Connect with Tony:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthony-hynes-283aa941/https://www.facebook.com/TonyHyness/https://www.instagram.com/tony_hy/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Some moments on healing journeys are HUGE - Transformational. They don't come any bigger than what Sarah experienced during labour. Listen in as she shares her lessons from this transformational moment and beyond.  Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What's wrong with me? Perhaps our most fundamental question. One we can answer intellectually 'nothing'. Or we can see that we are perfect - in theory. But how do we get to that place in our soul, gut or bones. How do we transcend cellular shame to love ourselves unconditionally? Listen into Lilly's learnings on healing. Profound and empowering, just like we like our interviews on Thriving Adoptees. We're still a niche but boy do we go deep to share catalysts. We heal together.https://www.instagram.com/anspach_https://www.linkedin.com/in/lilly-anspach-097a294/https://www.facebook.com/carrie.anspach Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Trigger warning: mention of suicidal ideation. Sometimes we have to break down to break through. Our biggest insights come in our lowest moments. So what's the biggest insight? The insight with infinite levels: there's nothing wrong with us. All is, in fact, right with us. We are perfect with our imperfections. Listen in as Sue, adopted in the 1950's, shares her breakthrough healing moments. Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Have the most popular ways to heal left you still feeling wounded? Perhaps it's time for a different approach. Listen in as Zhen shares what has helped her feel whole. A conversation full of healing nuggets.Here's a bit about Zhen's first interview:Are you a transracial/transnational adoptee with a complex relationship to your birth country/culture? Listen in as Zhen shares what she's learned navigating that complexity. Highly empowering.Here's  a link to Zhen's first interview https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/zhen-rammelsbergZhen E Rammelsberg is a Korean American adoptee and new playwright and has had her Heuer Play Canst Thou Hearest Thee Now produced and performed in multiple states. She has traveled to a few of these states to see the productions. Her newest play loosely based upon her adoption story called Black Box: An Adoption Choreopoem is yet unpublished but has been performed in Chicago at an all Asian American Playwiting festival and was most recently performed in Cedar Rapids Iowa at the Underground Playwriting Festival where it won 3 awards Best Youth Performer, Best Ensemble and Runner Up for Best New Play. Zhen E resides in Marion Iowa with the Spock to her Kirk of a husband Robert and her 2 cats Toulouse and Pip. The Rammelsbergs split their time traveling from Iowa to Milwaukee to visit their son and also to Korea. As well as being a part time playwright, Zhen E is a part time massage therapist, part time Wedding Official, part time wig and make up technician for several local theatre and opera companies, and Full Time lover of Hello Kitty and a Student of Life and Philanthropist.https://www.facebook.com/zhen.e.rammelsberghttps://www.instagram.com/zhenerammelsberghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/zhen-e-rammelsberg-03448021/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Does trauma feel dark to you? Does that darkness take you down? I know it has that effect on me. So how do we find more lightness? Listen in as Jennifer points us to toward a lighter life.Here's a link to the interview with Jill Bolte Taylor https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/with-jill-bolte-taylorHere's a bit about Jennifer's first interview:The powerful emotions we adoptees feel can sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. So how do we get past those feelings? Listen in as fellow adoptee and podcaster Jennifer and I explore trauma, deceit, identity, mindful awareness and much more. Here's a link so you can listen to it https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/acceptance-with-jennifer-dyan-ghostonHere's a bit about Jennifer from her website:Hi, I'm Jennifer who is an adoptee in reunion with both sides of my birth family. I have been connected with the adoption community for over a decade and am always interested in hearing the personal stories of adoptees from all over the globe. I was born and raised in Chicago, IL. and in foster care for two years before my adoption. Prior to my 48th birthday, I set the intention to search for my birth family. The Truth So Far… is a memoir of my willingness to be open, honest and public about my adoption experience.Once Upon A Time...In Adopteeland, the podcast is another way for me to hopefully add a valuable resource to the adoption community from the perspective of the adoptee.https://www.jenniferdyanghoston.com/https://www.instagram.com/jenniferdyanghostonhttps://www.facebook.com/Onceuponatimeinadopteeland/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.