• Michelle: A Mohawk Adoptee Advocates for All
    Nov 26 2024

    Michelle Rice-Gauvreau is a native Mohawk woman born in 1969 in Canada and raised in Connecticut via an illegal adoption, which was commonplace for many Indian babies throughout many years across North America. She is the author of Who Am I? Native American Child Taken From A Reservation And Raised In White America. Michelle is a compassionate advocate for all adoptees looking for their own truth, peace, and hope. She hopes to instill her strength to any adoptee struggling to find their way.

    Michelle now works as a legal professional for a prestigious law firm. She resides in Connecticut with her husband of many years and her two senior cats. She enjoys traveling and learning more about native cultures far and wide.

    To find Michelle:

    Powwows.com
    Medium.com / authority-magazine
    Awesomegang.com/michelle-gauvreau
    Womensjournal.com
    Booknerdection.com

    You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker
    Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.

    Magic Mind Adoptee 20 Link
    USE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
    magicmind.com/adoptee20

    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
    Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
    Hiraeth Hope & Healing
    Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate
    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
    Unraveling Adoption with Beth Syverson
    Adoptees Connect with Pamela Karanova

    Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. This is an adoptee-only space. We do appreciate all of our patrons. The next meeting is December 7th @ 1 pm ET

    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    57 mins
  • Rebecca: Who Is a Worthy Mother?
    Nov 19 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.

    To find Becca: https://www.rebeccawellington.com/

    You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker
    Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.

    Magic Mind Adoptee 20 Link
    USE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
    magicmind.com/adoptee20

    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
    Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
    Hiraeth Hope & Healing
    Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate
    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
    Unraveling Adoption with Beth Syverson
    Adoptees Connect with Pamela Karanova

    Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. This is an adoptee-only space. We do appreciate all of our patrons. The next meeting is December 7th @ 1 pm ET

    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Ann Fessler: The Girls Who Went Away. S8, Finale.
    Nov 12 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.

    Website: annfessler.com
    Instagram:
    @annfessler_artist
    Film by Ann Fessler: A Girl Like Her

    The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

    Exciting News!
    We will be reading and discussing: You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identify, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker in Season 9.
    Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.

    Magic Mind Adoptee 20 Link
    USE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
    magicmind.com/adoptee20

    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
    Hiraeth Hope & Healing
    Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate
    Unraveling Adoption with Beth Syverson
    Adoptees Connect with Pamela Karanova

    Thank you to our Patreons! Join at t

    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Julie: For this Adoptee, Belonging Comes from Within
    Nov 5 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 master's in counseling to help other adult adoptees find their way out of their own trauma and into a life of radical self-belonging.

    The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

    Exciting News!
    We will be reading and discussing: You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identify, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker in Season 9.
    Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.

    Magic Mind Adoptee 20 Link
    USE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
    magicmind.com/adoptee20

    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
    Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
    Hiraeth Hope & Healing
    Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate
    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
    Unraveling Adoption with Beth Syverson
    Adoptees Connect with Pamela Karanova

    To connect with Julie:
    https://www.instagram.com/juliebrumley_/
    https://www.facebook.com/julierasbrum/
    https://www.facebook.com/groups/theresilienceprojectforadoptees

    Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. This is an adoptee-only space. We do appreciate all of our Patreons. The next meeting is November 9th @ 1pm ET









    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Ann: For This Adoptee, A Long Wait for Answers
    Oct 29 2024

    Ann Haralambie is an award-winning author and a trial and appellate attorney (a Certified Family Law Specialist and a Certified Child Welfare Law Specialist). She has a BA in Creative Writing, an MA in English Literature, and a JD in law. Her first book was a poetry chapbook published in 1976 by Desert First Works while she was in law school. Her three-volume Thomson Reuters legal treatise, "Handling Child Custody, Abuse and Adoption Cases 3d" is supplemented annually. Her three other major law books are written primarily for a legal and multi-disciplinary professional audience.

    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.

    The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler
    Exciting News!
    We will read and discuss: You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identify, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker in Season 9.


    Magic Mind Adoptee 20 Link
    USE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
    magicmind.com/adoptee20

    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
    Unraveling Adoption with Beth Syverson
    Adoptees Connect with Pamela Karanova

    Join at the $10 level and be part of our

    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 39 mins
  • Lena: For This Adoptee, Reunion is Complicated
    Oct 22 2024

    Lena Rosenbloom is a domestic, closed-adopted person from New Jersey. She was adopted in the 80s 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 has 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 nonprofit 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.

    The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

    Exciting News!
    We will be reading and discussing: You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identify, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker in Season 9.
    Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.

    Magic Mind Adoptee 20 Link
    USE THE CODE AND LINK TO RECEIVE 20% OFF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION
    magicmind.com/adoptee20

    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
    Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
    Hiraeth Hope & Healing
    Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate
    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
    Unraveling Adoption with Beth Syverson
    Adoptees Connect with Pamela Karanova

    Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. This is an adoptee-only space. We do appreciate all of our Patreons. The next meeting is November 9th @ 1pm ET


    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Stephen: For This Adoptee, Reunion Led to Surprises
    Oct 15 2024

    Stephen Grochol 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 was adopted and the
    youngest was not.

    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 bipolar. 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.

    His parents were amazingly supportive throughout the entire search for
    reunion. This just made things okay. 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. Two weeks
    after he was born the birth parents broke up and she joined a church that
    had some “cult-like” qualities. In 2017, Stephen and his birth father used
    Ancestry DNA to narrow the search for her. It worked! 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 on Halloween of all dates.

    The reunion with both parents and the 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….

    The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

    Exciting News!
    We will be reading and discussing: You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identify, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker in Season 9.
    Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.

    Magic Mind/ADOPTIONTRIAL: USE CODE: ADOPTEETRIAL
    USE THE CODE AND LINK TO: receive a 3-sample pack for free.


    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
    Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Li

    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 4 mins
  • Jennifer: An Adoptee Investigator Turns to Herself
    Oct 8 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.

    Website to find Jennifer: http://www.jenniferdyanghoston.com
    Website to Jennifer's Podcast: www.Onceuponatimeinadopteeland.com

    The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler

    Exciting News!
    We will be reading and discussing:You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identify, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker in Season 9.
    Here is a link to order her book: bookshop link.

    RESOURCES for Adoptees
    S12F Helping Adoptees
    Gregory Luce and Adoptees Rights Law
    Joe Soll & other adoptee resources
    Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group
    Reckoning with the Primal Wound Documentary
    Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement
    Hiraeth Hope & Healing
    Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate
    National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.
    Unraveling Adoption with Beth Syverson
    Adoptees Connect with Pamela Karanova

    Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly Zoom /ADOPTEE CAFE community. This is an adoptee-only space. We do appreciate all of our Patreons. The next meeting is Oct. 19th @ 1pm ET


    Support the show

    To support the show - Patreon.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins