Who Am I Really?

Gloria called me from Texas where she grew up with Mexican parents. In younger days she tried to find the ways she looked like her family. In adulthood, following the whim of some co-workers, Gloria did a DNA test naive to what it could possibly reveal. In a matter of months she was plunged into the deep end as a late discovery adoptee. She began drinking to cope, accidentally pushed away her paternal sister, but managed to hang onto her relationship with her biological mother. This is Gloria's journey. Support this podcast

Darryl, from Australia, admits he had a challenging childhood from his relationship with his adoptive father, to their family's need to move around a lot because they were so poor, and his experience learning he is a late discovery adoptee. Darryl describes himself as a person for whom the truth is very important, so as an adult he discharged his adoption setting his personal record straight. This is Darryl's journey. Support this podcast

Wendy, from Minnesota, had a lot of information about her natural mother and assumed the woman would want to know her, but that wasn't the case. They corresponded once, solely for her natural mother to share clinical information, then the door closed. Wendy said finding her paternal sister Jen, a woman she could have met years earlier at church, has been a redemptive blessing that's brought Wendy peace. This is Wendy's journey.  Support this podcast

Nicole was adopted into a military family, the structure of which ran against her freewheeling nature. She’s an interracial woman with interracial adopted parents, so they looked like a natural family. In reunion, Nicole is facing secondary rejection from her birth mother, but her maternal grandparents and uncle have accepted her with open arms. She’s learned that her birth father wanted to keep her, and her paternal family feels so natural, Nicole feels like she’s found her tribe. Read Full TranscriptNicole:                         00:05               I feel like I’ve found my tribe. These are, these are the people that like I fit. I feel like I’ve found peace within myself because it’s not who am I really? It’s it’s I am me and I’m who I’m always supposed to have been. It was just put in a differ

Stephanie grew up in a very wealthy family in South Carolina and you’ll hear discuss the family’s fortune, but pause before you pass judgment on how easy life must have been. Her story is filled with manipulative behavior, malicious intentions, and a foundation created from lies. You’ll also hear Stephanie’s intelligence and tenacity to get her through the tough times as she learned the truth about her adopted family’s feelings towards her, the story of how she arrived in her aunt’s care, and the tough road to connect with her sister. Read Full TranscriptDamon:                       00:04               I’m going to say at the time I really didn’t want to meet her. My life was pretty torn up as it was, but the reason I said yes is I thought, what if this is the only chance I have? What if? What if this is it? There’s n

Listen, I can’t even pretend it was easy to podcast during what has been an absolutely crazy year. Before I sign off season 7 I need to cover a few things.   I’m grateful to be able to say thank you to some wonder folks who’ve committed to supporting the Who Am I Really podcast this year. I have to say I’ve been inspired to hear from some of you who are thinking of launching podcasts of your own.  If it’s in your heart to support The Gift of Adoption Fund please visit http://giftofadoption.org/ (giftofadoption.org) I gotta say I’m excited for season 8 of the Who Am I Really podcast, but it's time for a break. I’ll see you in 2021. Stay safe, and spread some love…  Support this podcast

To date, I’ve only interviewed a few guests who weren't adoptees, and this will be another one. Today you're going to meet Anne-Marie from Southern California who drafted an impassioned submission to be on the Who Am I Really podcast. At first I wanted to stay true to the focus of the show, sharing adoptee voices. But I quickly realized there is no place, that I know of, for natural mothers to tell their stories and Anne-Marie was trusting me with hers.  When she got pregnant in her teen years, she placed her daughter for adoption despite every fiber of her being wanting to keep her baby. When she turned 18 years old, Anne-Marie’s daughter Alex found her and they reunited. When Alex went to college she slipped out of her studies and into rehab where Anne-Marie was part of her and many other rehabbing adoptees recoveries. In the end Anne-Marie lost Alex twice, feels lucky to have known her at all, and wants every adoptee to know that we are loved. This is Anne-Marie

Liz, from Michigan, grew up in a neighborhood full of adoptees, so it wasn’t until years later in the Dominican Republic teaching a class with a lot of adoptees in it that her own adoption sunk in. After finding her natural mother through an intermediary they reunited during a sleepover in a hotel room where they stayed up all night. Their bond solidified when Liz’s daughter was born bringing them closer as they marveled at the next generation of their family before them. After more than a decade in reunion, Liz played an emotional farewell to her mother on her viola to say goodbye. This is Liz’s journey. Support this podcast

In this episode Cheryl, the mother and our adoptee, is joined by her natural daughter Diahan from Washington state and South Florida respectively. Cheryl had an idyllic life growing up an athletic tomboy outside of Seattle.  When her daughters started having children she got concerned about the missing medical information she was unable to transfer down the family tree.  Fortunately there was no one better suited to usher Cheryl through her genealogy journey than Diahan, an early professional in the industry.  In reunion Cheryl has found welcoming siblings and a gigantic family that filled a hole she didn’t know was there.  This is Cheryl’s journey. Support this podcast

Adrian, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, has lived around the country and in different parts of the world, only to find himself right back in the town where everything started for him. An avid mountain biker, he nearly lost it all when the widow maker tried to tear him down. Adrian fought through recovery, vowed to love his family like he never had before, and follow the advice of the voice in his ear telling him to find his birth family. This is Adrian’s journey.  Support this podcast

Elissa, from Hilton Head, South Carolina, said never bonded with her adopted mother. She did find a second home with her horseback riding coach and the horses she adored.  Finding her biological mother gave Elissa a glimmer of hope that the woman stokes and extinguishes in a torturous cycle.  Speaking with her birth father only once, she confirmed the story of his own paternity, but Elissa never heard from him again.  Relying on her husband, the first person she’s shared real love with, Elissa wishes reunion didn’t leave her so confused and feeling broken. This is Elissa’s journey.  Elissa (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/m06Z3uf9j3E6kepKRwj2aLzMNVXJd9V9wZOhx_QXjuWT9GYiijlbQJusddgjFhBFivfAYPJP5Y2qLgVwrEs87fsWwMk?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=3.8 (00:03)): I am that 37 year old woman now who is dying to be hugged and held by their mother. Like, I need that moment in my life. I feel that I deserve it and I feel unbeknownst to her. She deserves it too. Beause I know that she's carr

Ed called me from Hillsborough, North Carolina, but his journey begins in New York City. He describes a wonderful life in the suburbs of the city with no real concerns for his adoption — even after carrying his original birth certificate around as a teenager. Sparked by reunion television shows Ed searched for his natural parents discovering that his mother had been a star performer. Thanks to the generosity of strangers Ed gratefully received gratefully the Gift Best Given. This is Ed’s journey. Support this podcast

Val called me from outside of Houston, Texas, but her story started in in Kansas. She had a great childhood with her parents until a neighbor revealed her adoption to her, rocking her world, sending her into rebellious phase in life. When Val searched for her biological father, because his name wouldn’t have changed over the years, she found her natural parents were together. He was frosty to her and they barely spoke because he probably believed she wasn’t his. He went to his grave not knowing the truth. This is Val’s journey  Support this podcast

Jennifer is a reunited adoptee from Pittsburgh. She’s a petite, white blonde of European descent whose adoptive parents are a Spanish man and a Mexican woman. Through her search, she found both of her natural parents are deceased, and she had half brothers on both sides, both named Tom. Unbeknownst to Jen, her maternal half-brother attended the same high school she did and bullied her! On her maternal side, she experienced secondary rejection which will never be resolved because her grandmother developed dementia and passed away. The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/046-i-am-adopted-it-is-who-i-am/ (046 – I Am Adopted, It Is Who I Am) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Jennifer (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/hqjB_-FZdmap-fdy_D1JQC9ngV-vfIh7u3jhDRWCz1YkRftRtdrOOSb6VERgyg29_UnC4tqevSSA93_Vh7E0Mqm18kE?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=4.31 (00:04)): She literally told me, she goes, you know, you focus too much on being adopted and you ask too m

Brenda was born in California, grew up on the east coast and lives in Texas. She’s the child of a military family that has lived all over. When a school project required her to ask her adoptive mother about her family tree at eight years old, she was shown her non-identifying information for the first time. While the offer was open to review her information anytime, Brenda felt like the topic of her adoption was stressful for her mother, so she never asked. After the birth of her first son, Brenda sought her birth parents, definitively identifying her birth father first. He was emotionally ready to welcome her in. Finding her birth mother, she saw the mirror image of her self. Unfortunately, the woman was so traumatized following her pregnancy and the adoption process, she wasn’t as open to Brenda’s return. But the door isn’t completely closed. Read Full TranscriptBrenda:         She just started crying and she just said, you know it,

Jenny journaled about her birth mother from an early age. She grew up in a loving family, but the urge to find her birth family was always there. When Ohio opened it birth records, she obtained some vital information that led her to her birth mother on Facebook and later to her birth father. But she never expected to learn she had a full sister! The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/033-sister-reunited-didnt-know/ (033 – My Sister Reunited Too, But Didn’t Know About Me) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Jenny (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/qJLYZBStNE14c_xfeh2rk1J--476DEoMmtOCCVj0W1GUgNPhBR6ST6SdsXbUZoTF0VsHMSUhSfi2u9L9cBtyp9CGF_I?loadFrom=SharedLink&ts=2.31 (00:02)): I called them and I told them who I was and I said, you know her name and he's like, Oh yeah, yeah, that's who I am. And I mean, he didn't try to act like that wasn't him. And um, he just told me a whole bunch of stuff and that, that was one of the things he told me was, Oh

As a child Denise’s family blamed her for a tragedy that took the life of her younger brother. They mistreated Denise and her tyrannical stepfather ultimately saw the children as a means to his own financial gain. She took drastic steps to get herself kicked out of the house on a path to her own independence. Today, Denise has found love in a supportive husband. Now she knows what love feels like, and has the experiences that come from a supportive extended family. But her own son, who didn’t know his own father growing up, now has a similar nagging feeling that Denise had to connect with her own family. She has resolved to surround herself with positivity and love in order to move on in a positive direction with her life. The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/007-denise-n/ (007 – I’m Great With My Family, They Love Me For Me) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Denise:          

Julie describes herself as very independent from her parents’ influences and drastically different than her older adopted brother. She tells the story of finding her birth mother thanks to open access legislation in Australia and the gentle influence of a psychic she visited for fun. When her birth mother shared that her birth father could only be one person because there were only two men in her life, it took a long time, a bit of disappointment, and some DNA investigation and luck to determine there had to be a third man. Listen as Julie tells her story of going back and forth across the globe from Los Angeles to Australia in search of answers. Read Full TranscriptJulie:                           https://www.temi.com/editor/t/7Cfm-MuexaTe6SKdoheqHhtDI-phDKfrb7yBqAtiPJkjVgWzm4oivIKkak1vWUiWCcH154d1FE-d5PaeiRgxugp5EGk?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=2.56 (

Megan says she put her adopted mother through the ringer emotionally when she was a teenager. She thinks that’s partially because of her anger with her birth mother over her relinquishment. Most adoptees have no clue whom they’re setting out to find when searching for biological relatives, but Megan knew precisely who her birth mother was and what she looked like. In reunion, she found her half-brother who knew Megan’s birth father’s identity, because they were friends. The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/051-2/ (051 – The Black Sheep Rocks The Boat) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Megan (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/pFpKuJ7KfDYifki0Uo20FOKBqAyfIthThPc4LUH521ZaH6dI_tvDkSzChRrDfmU4VaxeRvMPPDTgOPKwzWd1b-xUQ0A?loadFrom=SharedLink&ts=4.88 (00:04)): He was basically robbed. You know, I felt so terrible for him. He was robbed of a child. He was only 23 when I was born and he didn't have any other children after me. So I was only titled and I felt reall

Angie lived a split life as a child in small-town Mississippi. During the week her mother had her in all kinds of activities and her stepfather was her rock. On the weekends her dad exposed her to alcohol, drugs, and abuse. Through it all, she suspected that she was adopted but her mother lied about it for 19 years. In reunion, Angie learned that her birth mother had seen her several times as a little girl on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. She got healing from her birth mother who said she always loved Angie and developed a cherished bond with her paternal grandmother who helped her navigate her emotions over her biological father. The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/044-never-met-saw/ (044 – She Never Met Me, But She Saw Me) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Angie (https://www.temi.com/editor/t/0EFKtduZRuJzaQyqY00BbMMTs8sTkYjA3eQm7o6Ni4ddc3N4c5bcriU-Wnt5Jysapp-7qyeyShKWvHGieTwIOvk3keY?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=4.5 (00:04)): When we got to our ho