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PODCAST

The Adoption Files

The Adoption files seeks to provide a place for adoptees and allies to discuss the laws preventing adoptees from accessing their identities, and the emotional and physical challenges adoptees face in the process of dealing with the obstacles we face. We recognize the need to expose the problematic aspects of the adoption industry and the narrative they perpetuate. We will not only talk about the laws and the challenges they create, but also the ways that the mythology around adoption impacts the way

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All Episodes

01:11:55

System Erasure; Ecological Systems Theory and...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/05/14

Please join Dani Joy and me as we continue our conversation on spiritual trauma using the book Holy Hurt: understandin spiritual trauma and the process of healing by Hillary McBride, PhDDani can be found at https://medium.com/@danijoyHoly Hurt: https://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://scienceinsights.org/what-is-ecological-systems-theory-and-why-it-matters/https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthIf you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, please contact

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00:23:24

Happy Mother's Day?

The Adoption Files ·

2026/05/10

Hi! This is me, stream-of-thought-ing my way through a monologue on one of my least favorite days of the year. Enjoy!The host is not a therapist, a lawyer or an adoption professional. The opinions of the host are just that, their opinions. Thank you for listening.

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01:17:21

Feeling naked: continuing the conversation about...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/05/05

Please join me as Dani and I talk about the journey so far, in our conversation about spiritual trauma and how we got here. Dani can be found at: https://medium.com/@danijoyIf you are in crisis and need to talk, please reach out to one (or more) of the helplines listed in the link. You matter. https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions.The host is not a therapist, a lawyer or an adoption professionalThank

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01:17:56

Codependency, yuck.

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/26

Please join Dani and I as we continue our conversation using the book Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L McBride as a guide to exploring how spiritual trauma and adoption intersect in our lives as a mother of loss and as an adopted person. Dani can be found at: https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://mhanational.org/resources/co-dependency/https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthThe

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00:54:02

The Same , Even if it Seems Different: a conversation...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/22

Please join me for a conversation with Toronto Canada stepparent adopted person Craig Wallace.https://www.ontario.ca/page/search-adoption-recordsPeople who are adopted, even by stepparents, are legally barred from accessing a certified copy of their original birth certificate. Some places allow an adopted person to access a noncertified copy at a specified age. The opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions.The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption

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00:53:33

Consequences and Compliance : continuing our...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/19

Please join me and Dani Joy as we explore the next two Cs of spiritual trauma: Consequences and Compliance. We continue to explore how spiritual trauma plays out in our lives as a mother of loss to adoption and as an adopted person. We are reading the book Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L McBride, PhDhttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthThe opinions of

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00:54:22

To Be Real: a conversation with Elizabeth Barbour,...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/16

Please join me as I talk with New York adoptee, Elizabeth BarbourElizabeth Barbour (she/her) is an adoptee and adoptive mom with 27 years of reunion experience. In 1999, she found her birthmom, birthdad and eleven (!) brothers and sisters. An adoption reunion coach, speaker and author of two books, she’s currently writing her third about building healthy relationships in adoption reunions. Elizabeth helps people find grace and grounding amidst the grief and complexity of the reunion process through

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00:33:12

Catching up with Paige Strickland, pt 2

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/12

Please join me for part 2 of my conversation with Ohio adoptee and author Paige L Adams StricklandPaige can be found places online, including:@paigestricklanddomhttps://paigestrickland.substack.com/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7263308.Paige_L_Adams_Stricklandhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-talk-about-the-different-types-of-adoption/id1598023322?i=1000585139950https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/interview-with-paige-l-adams-strickland/id1598023322?i=1000543557873Mentioned in this

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00:33:46

Catching up with Paige Strickland: Pt 1 of a...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/12

Please join me as I talk with Paige L Adams Strickland, Ohio adoptee and authorPaige has been a guest on the podcast in the past. This two episode talks a bit more about just what is included when an Ohio adopted person requests their adoption file. Paige can be found at numerous places online,

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01:02:04

Coping Strategies; Finding Ways to Live with Loss Pt...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/05

Please join me as I continue my conversation with mother of loss to adoption Cindy Shultz. We talk about how the loss of a child can lead to substance use, and how the love of a child can lead to sobriety. Cindy Shultz is a mother of church-coerced child loss who transforms lived experience into advocacy. Raised in the shadow of poverty and stigma, Cindy was a mother in crisis when Catholic Charities pressured her into relinquishing her son in a process she felt powerless to stop. This experience of

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01:20:54

Control: figuring out how spiritual forms of control...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/04/02

Please join Dani and I as we continue to grapple with how spiritual and religious trauma have impacted our lives both through the lens of adoption and in our lives in general. Our conversation is being guided by the book Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healinghttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/Dani can be found at: https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://www.apa.org/topics/crisis-hotlinesThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, our opinons. The host is

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01:06:16

All Tied Up: Spiritual and Religious Trauma

The Adoption Files ·

2026/03/23

Join Dani Joy and I as we talk about what we have learned so far as we finish Chaper 2 of Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L McBride PhDDani Joy can be found at: https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinionsThe host is not a therapist, a lawyer or an adoption professional

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01:16:07

Tiny, Little Happy Bows: How Trauma Lives in the...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/03/19

Please join Dani Joy and I as we continue to talk about spiritual trauma and adoption, using the book Holy Hurt: Understadning Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L McBride, PhDDani Joy can be found at: https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank

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01:35:21

Beyond the Band-Aid: going Deeper into the...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/03/12

Please join Dani Joy and I as we continue our conversation about spiritual trauma and adoption, using the book Holy Hurt: Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing, by Hillary L McBride, PhD. We have reached page 28, and are talking about McBrides' lists of the physical, social, relational and spiritual symptoms of spiritual trauma.Dani Joy can be found at: https://medium.com/@danijoyHoly Hurt:

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01:41:53

Finding Our Way: Continuing the Conversation...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/03/08

Please join Dani and I as we continue to explore the intersection of adoption and spiritual trauma. We continue to use the book Holy Hurt: Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L McBride, PhD as a framework for our conversation. Today we cover material from pages 37-48 Dani Joy is a first mom. She can be found at https://medium.com/@danijoyI am a Late Discovery, Intercountry, Former Foster Child adopted and brought to the USA when I was a

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01:20:42

Adriana Calin is still fighting to be recognized as a...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/03/04

Please join me and Adriana Rockefeller as we talk about what has happened in her fight to be recognized as a person since we spoke early last year in a two part interview here on the podcast. Adriana is still fighting to be recognized by Romania and Canada as a legal person. You can be a part of making that happen, as her court case continues. Adriana was raised as Roxana Pamela. Two years ago, she discovered that she had been adopted to Canada from Romania using another infants birth certificate

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00:18:19

The Mom Myth: thoughts on my conversation with Cindy...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/03/01

Just a short episode sharing some of what came up for me after talking with mom Cindy Shultz. Reconciling the reality of how the adoption industry uses coercion to separate families with the stereotypes and the myth of Rescue that is presented to adopted people is an ongoing struggle for me. As my (now retired) therapist used to ask: How is that story serving you?The opinion of the host is just that, their opinion. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for

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01:06:55

Open Adoption is Not the Answer: a conversation with...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/03/01

Please join me as I talk with mom Cindy Shultz about her experience with open adoption. Cindy Shultz is a mother of church-coerced child loss who transforms lived experience into advocacy. Raised in the shadow of poverty and stigma, Cindy was a mother in crisis when Catholic Charities pressured her into relinquishing her son in a process she felt powerless to stop. This experience of unnecessary child loss is the foundation of her mission to support the systematically oppressed. As the founder of

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01:34:47

Fragmentation: continuing the conversation . Holy...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/02/24

Please join mom, adoptee advocate, writer and homesteader Dani Joy and me as we continue to explore the intersection of spiritual trauma and adoption through our conversation with the book Holy Hurt, Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L McBride PhD.https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, our opinions. The host is not

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00:47:23

Be a Partner in Something Powerful: a conversation...

The Adoption Files ·

2026/02/20

Please join me as I speak with the board of Adoptees for Family Preservation. AdopteesFFP.org was formed with the goal of supporting advocacy and education about the way that the adoption industry functions today and to promote family preservation rather than family dissolution. The board members all bring their own lived experience as adopted people to the conversation, along with their skills as professionals in a range of career fields. Please check out their bios at the non-profits website for

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