PODCAST

Voices of Adoption

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

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

Korean Adoptee Therapist Says Gratitude Should Not...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/12/23

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Rachel Forbes, a Korean American adoptee and licensed clinical social worker who specializes in trauma-informed therapy. Adopted from South Korea at three months old by white Jewish parents, Rachel's journey through depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts ultimately led her to become a therapist dedicated to helping other adoptees heal.Love and Loss CoexistRachel explains that an adopted child's grief has nothing to do with their

Building Bridges Between Adoptive and Biological...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/12/17

Colton was adopted at three months old into a family where four out of five children were adopted. Growing up black in a white family felt regular until others started pointing out the differences. External expectations about how he should act conflicted with who he actually was, creating years of identity crisis. In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope sits down with Colton Prestwich to explore the adoptee perspective on transracial adoption, identity formation, and maintaining

This Adoptee Doctor Proves No One Is Beyond Healing

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/12/12

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Dr. Brett Furst, a clinical psychologist and adoptee who specializes in treating adult adoptees struggling with substance abuse and personality disorders. Dr. Furst shares his personal adoption story and the specialized treatment programs he developed after noticing adoptees weren't responding to traditional interventions.Understanding the GapDr. Furst discovered that adoptees in treatment took longer to recover and responded

Families Without Borders: How Open Adoption Rewires...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/12/01

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam interview Linda Sexton, an adoptive mom who became an open adoption pioneer over 30 years ago when she and her husband were rejected by traditional agencies for being "too old" at 36 and 42.Building Connection Linda shares how she initially believed open adoption benefited birth parents most, only to discover the real winner is always the child. She reveals the defining moment at her son's birth mother's wedding when

Adoptee Reunites With Birth Mom Who Waited 40 Years

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/11/24

Liz DeBetta always carried a deep intuition that her birth mother loved her and was thinking about her. As a domestic infant adoptee who grew up in a loving family in New Jersey, she discovered at 14 that writing could help her process the big emotions she felt but couldn't name.ConnectionIn this episode of the Voices of Adoption with host Donna Pope, Liz shares the beautiful moment she received her birth certificate on her 40th birthday and reached out to her birth mother, who responded saying she

Chosen, Connected, Forever: A Life Shaped by Adoption...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/11/18

In this episode of Voices of Adoption with host Donna Pope, Gene Trowbridge shares his perspective as both an adoptee and adoptive parent. His multi-generational adoption story includes a childhood sister who mysteriously vanished, a 50-year wait to search for birth family, and lessons from both sides of adoption.Loss and SearchGene discusses receiving his adoption papers at 16 and waiting decades before searching, eventually discovering six half-siblings and a deceased birth mother. He opens up

Adoptee Life Coach Shares His 35-Year Reunion Journey...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/11/11

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope speaks with Craig S. Hyman, an adoption life coach with 35 years of experience helping adoptees and families. Craig shares his complete adoption journey from being placed at 11 months old into a loving extended family to his transformative reunion with his biological family in 1987.Growing Up Adopted Craig describes his vibrant childhood with an "angelic" adoptive mother who became the center of his universe, surrounded by extended family

An Adoptee’s Story on the Emotional Truth Behind...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/11/05

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interview Amy Geller, therapist, researcher, and adoptee born in 1970 during the peak year for domestic infant adoptions. As the only girl and only adoptee in a family with four biological sons, Amy shares perspective on adoption dynamics that help families thrive across generations.The Discovery That Changed Everything At 14, Amy discovered her adoption paperwork while searching for letterhead. Seeing herself listed as "Baby Girl" sparked

Chosen by Faith, Reunited by Grace: A Birth Mother’s...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/10/27

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Emily Meikle, who placed her daughter Beth for adoption at age 16 and reunited with her 17 years later. Emily's story demonstrates how faith, supportive parents, and divine guidance can transform an unplanned pregnancy into a journey of love, sacrifice, and eventual reunion that honors both birth and adoptive families.Choosing Through RevelationEmily shares how her mother's immediate embrace and unconditional support gave her the

Sixties Scoop Survivor Reclaims Indigenous Identity...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/10/24

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Christine Miskonoodinkwe-Smith, Indigenous writer and survivor of Canada's Sixties Scoop, a government policy that forcibly removed an estimated 20,000 Indigenous children from their families between the 1950s and 1980s. Taken from her mother at age three alongside her sister, Christine experienced abusive placement, foster care cycling, and complete disconnection from her Cree heritage and language.Finding Voice Through

Adoptee Chooses Purpose Over Bitterness After Birth...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/10/17

In this episode ofVoices of Adoption, host Donna Pope interviews Roderick Edwards, a prolific author of 50+ books who transforms his adoption story into advocacy. Left nameless at the hospital as a premature infant, Roderick's adoption at age four led to a brief three-year family experience before his adoptive parents divorced, shaping what he calls an "outsider perspective" that fueled his writing career.Finding Family After AmnesiaRoderick introduces the concept of "adoptee amnesia," where

How a Single Mom Created a Family Against All Odds

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/10/10

StartFragmentIn this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope interviews Mike Gaines, who was born with drugs in his system and adopted at 18 months by a 45-year-old single mother facing significant barriers. The state initially resisted the placement due to her age, marital status, and the child's medical challenges, but her faith and determination prevailed. Foundations of Trust and Care Mike shares how his adoptive mother carefully withheld sensitive information until he reached

The Hiltons' Adoption Journey: Nine Adoptions, Four...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/09/29

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam interview Brett and Bonnie Hilton about their decades-long adoption journey. After Bonnie learned at 14 she couldn't bear children, the couple explored surrogacy, adoption, and multiple paths to parenthood.Loss to AdoptionThe Hilton's experienced surrogacy that resulted in quadruplets born at 24 weeks. After losing all four babies, including their son Adam who lived 10.5 months, they pursued domestic adoption through LDS

The Hiltons' Adoption Journey: Nine Adoptions, Four...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/09/29

Birth Mother Search Leads to 100 Adoptee Story Project

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/09/22

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam interview Jeff Forney, whose creative approach to finding adoption records in 1991 led to a successful birth mother reunion and ultimately inspired a community-building photography project. His six-month search involved writing to hospitals using different strategies, including one breakthrough letter that provided the missing pieces to locate his birth mother in Portland, Oregon.Creative Search SuccessJeff shares his

A "Baby Scoop Era" Adoption Story | Part 2

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/09/15

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Lorah Gerald, "The Adopted Chameleon," from Voices of Adoption. If you missed Part 1, where she shared her baby scoop era story and the electric shock of finding her siblings at 53, be sure to check it out first.Continuing with our conversation on the Voices of Adoption with host Donna Pope, Lorah Gerald, focuses on her healing journey and practical strategies for adoptees and families navigating baby scoop era trauma. After meeting her biological siblings

A "Baby Scoop Era" Adoption Story

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/09/08

In Part One of this two-part series on Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope speaks with Lorah Gerald, known as "The Adopted Chameleon," whose baby scoop era story reveals how four million families were separated by societal shame between 1945-1972.Historical TraumaLorah's father served his country overseas while that same country violated his parental rights by never informing him of her birth. Her capable mother was deemed unfit simply for being unwed, reflecting systematic practices that

Adopted at 4, DNA Test Reveals Hidden Family Truth at 60

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/09/01

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam speak with Patti Eddington, whose life story reads like a mystery novel; three birthdays, multiple birth certificates, and a childhood disguise that lasted decades.Hidden IdentityAdopted at four after living in foster care, Patti grew up believing the version of her origins her loving parents shared. Patti discovered at 15 that her birth certificate showed November 15th while she'd been celebrating November 20th her entire

Twin Adoptee Uncovers Native American Heritage at 52

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/08/27

In this episode of Voices of Adoption, hosts Donna Pope and Nathan Gwilliam interview Julie Ryan McGue, whose medical needs at 52 sparked a transformative search journey with her identical twin sister. Their five-year quest through Illinois's evolving adoption system led to wonderful discoveries, including their Native American heritage and connections with half-siblings living nearby.A Journey of Growth Julie shares how she worked through the confidential intermediary system and navigated

Adoptee Discovers Hidden Trauma Living in Her Body...

Voices of Adoption ·

2025/08/13

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

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