Voices of Adoption

Julie Brumley thought her same-race domestic adoption was trauma-free until mysterious "flashbacks to nothing" began paralyzing her during intimate moments. Despite loving adoptive parents, she carried cellular memories from surviving two abortion attempts and four different caregivers in her first seven weeks of life.OriginsA professor's blunt warning that unresolved adoption issues would "harm people" sent Julie on a decade-long quest to uncover trauma stored in her nervous system. She reveals

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam welcome Laurie James, author and somatic relationship coach, who shares her transformation story chronicled in her memoir "Sandwiched" about overcoming a lifetime of feeling like an outsider.Guarded Hearts Growing up, Laurie sensed an unexplained distance between herself and her adoptive mother despite clear signs of love. This puzzling dynamic remained a mystery until a car ride conversation with her aging father in her

In episode of Voices of Adoption, Anthony Akerman, the acclaimed South African playwright and author, dives deeper into his adoption journey and the meaning behind his memoir title "Lucky Bastard." Anthony shares the remarkable coincidences that surrounded him long before his adoption reunion - from university classmates to teachers married to his cousins and paths unknowingly crossed with biological relatives throughout his life. He reveals how adoption shaped his relationships, leading to

When South African playwright Anthony Akerman discovered he was adopted at age 10, his adoption journey took a dramatic turn. For nearly three decades, sealed adoption records kept him from knowing his birth name was actually Peter Farnham or that his birth father was heir to a famous wine dynasty. At 38, Anthony finally gained access to identifying information, leading to an emotional adoption reunion with his birth mother at 40. But their relationship became a rollercoaster of connection and

Dr. Abigail Hasberry lived two versions of her adoption story: the one her parents told her, and the one she discovered later. As a Black child raised in a white Irish Catholic family, she spent her childhood moving from country to country, watching Black culture through a TV screen she couldn't step into. In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam sit down with Dr. Hasberry, a therapist specializing in adoption trauma, who reveals why adoptive parents must fall in

International adoptions have collapsed from 21,000 to just 1,200 per year. Over 100,000 children in foster care are waiting for families right now. In this inaugural episode, co-hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam expose the harsh realities behind these numbers. Donna has facilitated thousands of adoptions over 26 years and raised three adopted sons, while Nathan founded adoption.com and ran it for decades. Together, they tackle the issues that others avoid discussing - the devastating impact of

Voices of Adoption amplifies authentic stories from across the adoption triad - birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive families - along with adoption service providers. Host Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart To Heart Adoptions and Clinical Mental Health Counselor and her co-host Nathan Gwilliam, founder & former CEO of Adoption.com, create a safe space for honest conversations about the complexities of adoption. Birth parents share their journeys of love, loss, and healing. Adoptees discuss