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PODCAST

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Louise Browne & Sarah Reinhardt

Two adult adoptees, Sarah Reinhardt and Louise Browne, delve into all things adoption - from their perspectives as adult adoptees. Each season Sarah and Louise recap a chapter from a book centered on adoption and then interview a guest. Sarah and Louise come out of the "fog" in real-time through Seasons One and Two and are advocating for change in the adoption industry. They want to give voice to all adoptees. Adoptee stories are needed to reframe the narrative around adoption.Sarah and Louise, two

kids & family parenting

All Episodes

00:55:16

Laura: Finding Family, Finding Truth

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/12/30

Laura was born to teen parents in South Carolina in May 1984 and was adopted through Catholic Charities by a wonderful and loving couple who could not have biological children. An adopted brother joined the family seven years later. She always knew she was adopted, and while adoption was spoken about openly and positively, it was understood by both siblings that searching for biological family would not be supported.The birth of Laura’s second child sparked a curiosity to begin the search through

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01:06:31

Alana: Finding Home in the Truth

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/12/23

Alana Godin, born in 1966 in Vancouver, British Columbia, is an adoptee raised in a family whose mother, after three sons, had longed for a daughter. Growing up, Alana struggled to fit the role imagined for her but remained deeply grateful to her adoptive parents, whose support later allowed her to keep and raise her own child.As a teenager, Alana had to navigate adulthood early, becoming pregnant and marrying young, but it was the birth of her second child that created a strong pull to understand

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00:49:03

Annette: A Fragile Beginning

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/12/16

Annette started her life as part of the baby scoop era. Annette’s first six days of life were spent in the hospital while she awaited a decision by her biological mother about whether or not she should keep her baby. Annette was placed with a foster mother under the name of Sara.It is challenging to obtain birth records from the State of Wisconsin, but Annette was able to obtain some of the records of her first three months of life. Little Sara did not have an easy time during her first seven

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00:54:24

Jane: The Wound Beneath the Joy

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/12/09

Jane’s adoptive parents had only two weeks' notice of her arrival! At twelve days old, Jane was taken to her new family who lived on the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England.The children’s social worker was not best pleased when a file landed on her desk informing her of a privately arranged adoption, a ‘fait accompli’ of which she was openly very critical. The year was 1964, and Jane reports always having felt very grateful that fate brought her and her wonderful parents

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01:00:21

Mary: Turning Questions into Advocacy

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/12/02

Mary is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee born in 1965. She was not adopted until she was almost 8 months old, after being moved to a couple of foster homes. She was told she wasn’t “doing well” at the first, likely because they had too many children there. Raised in a small town by a conservative Catholic family with her brother—also adopted two years later—Mary and her brother always knew they were adopted.She always felt a sense of disconnection—the “weird kid” who didn’t fit in—so searching was a

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01:02:00

Jodi: Art, Identity, and Reunion

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/11/25

Jodi is a Baby Scoop Era adoptee, born in Los Angeles, California, in 1966. For her, adoption has never been a single event but a lifelong journey of searching, questioning, and seeking understanding. She is now in reunion with her father, and both share a deep connection as artists. Jodi lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her story reflects the complexities of identity, family, and belonging, and she continues to honor both the losses and the connections that have shaped who she is today.Season

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00:41:03

Mike: Comedy Born from Truth

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/11/18

Mike Knox is a Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, writer, actor, and performing artist whose work blends personal storytelling with observational humor. Originally from Pasadena, California, he was adopted at birth from White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles.Mike Knox is the author of the books Vivien’s Rain, written about his daughter’s experience with epilepsy, and Straight Fish, and Isla Vista Halloween. In addition to stand-up comedy, Mike Knox is a retired Parole Agent now pursuing his

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01:00:18

Recinda: From Orphanage to Art

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/11/11

Recinda is an artist, writer, and TikTok creator. The chasm between Recinda now andthe baby dropped off at an orphanage based in Beirut, Lebanon, is large. She was profoundly changed by her adoption from an American family stationed in Izmir, Turkey, after a seven-year span of life at the orphanage. She had to become adaptive to a new language, an American way of living, as well as the many schools and locations that are an elementary part of military life. Survival is the key component to

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00:57:16

Stephanie: Breaking Silence, Building Connection

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/11/04

Stephanie was born in the Chicago suburbs in June 1983 and adopted 4 days after birth. Her birth mother was 19 years old and was an employee of an attorney associate of her adoptive father's. Through a private adoption arranged by the attorney, Stephanie was placed into a loving adoptive family with two biological children (and later one adopted sister and one biological brother), both of whom were affected by Canavan Disease and passed away when she was still a child—an experience that shaped her

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01:04:01

Doug: Digging for Truth, Finding Belonging

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/10/28

Douglas Shaver was born at Florence Crittenton's Home for Unwed Mothers in Kansas City in 1968. He was adopted five weeks after birth. Though adopted into a loving and supportive family, he struggled with identity and with his place in the world. During middle school, his family moved to Saudi Arabia. It was during that time in the Middle East that he developed a passion and understanding of different cultures and the communities of people within those cultures. This passion–combined with a

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00:39:27

Elena: Through Adopted Eyes

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/10/21

Elena S. Hall is a Russian adoptee, author, social worker, and the voice behind the Instagram page @ThroughAdoptedEyes. She is passionate about her faith, finding joy amidst grief, and loves ice cream! Adopted at a year and a half into a family that was always open about adoption, Elena brings a unique blend of personal experience and professional insight to her work. She began writing Through Adopted Eyes in 2016—a collection of memoirs from adoptees reflecting on their journeys. She later created

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00:55:45

Charlotte: From Secrets to Self

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/10/14

Charlotte Angeles was conceived during an affair that her biological father was having with her biological mother. She was born in Pasadena, CA, in 1987, and was held in her adoptive parents’ arms that same day. She knew from an early age that she was adopted - that her birth mother was very young and didn’t have the means to raise her alone - and her adoptive parents always offered a safe space to ask questions. But Charlotte didn’t decide to dive deeper until she gave birth to her first child in

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00:43:59

Kim: Adoption and the Power of Story

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/10/07

Award-winning author and journalist Kim Orendor was adopted at three months old. Her parents told her about the day she joined their family, along with other stories at bedtime. Kim continues to share her own story with others and has authored an adoption-themed young adult novel. She lives in Northern California.Kim's YA fiction story "To Whom It May Concern" with an adoption theme, won the NextGen INDIE gold medal. Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order: Practically Still a Virgin

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01:04:12

Tim: From Hidden Wounds to Wholeness

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/09/30

Tim Perdion was born in 1969 and relinquished for adoption at birth. Around two months later, he was adopted into a loving family in Ohio. Though surrounded by care and support, he carried a quiet ache beneath the surface—a longing to understand his identity and a sense of not fully belonging. These hidden wounds, rooted in adoption, shame, and early emotional neglect, followed him into adulthood.At 46, Tim reunited with both of his biological parents. While the experience offered long-awaited

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00:51:08

Abby: Live Podcast from Washington, D.C.

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/09/23

Dr. Abigail Hasberry is an author, speaker, and educator. She is also a certified executiveleadership coach, licensed clinical marriage and family therapist, and holds a school superintendent certification. With a background in education as a former teacher and founding school principal, she has experience in private, traditional public, and charter schools. Dr. Hasberry holds a Bachelor of Science degree in African American studies and sociology, a Master of Arts in teaching, K-12, a Master of

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00:46:26

Susie:A 35-Year Journey to Belonging

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/09/16

Susie DeTitta was born in California in 1965 and adopted at three months old by a family unableto have children due to infertility. Her parents had previously adopted two other children. Shortly after her adoption, the family relocated to Arizona, where Susie spent her childhood and later attended university. While in college, a spontaneous call with a friend to the adoption agency proved to be a dead end in her search for her biological roots. Years later, after moving to Portland, Oregon, a

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01:02:54

Dave: From Separation to Self

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/09/09

Born in Long Island in 1966, Dave Verrone’s life began with separation — just five days after birth, he was placed with a foster family. For the next 14 months, he bonded deeply with his foster parents and three siblings. In October 1967, he joined the Verrone family, adjusting to his third mother, his father, and a new sister, also adopted.Childhood brought both love and challenge. Though his adoptive parents cared for him deeply, their “clean slate” approach left Dave hesitant to ask about his

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00:55:12

Karen: From Reunion to Healing

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/09/02

Karen was adopted domestically at birth, and found by her birth family at 29, and entered reunion soon after. The experience of merging her past and present was both transformational and complex, bringing up emotions and questions she hadn’t fully confronted before. During this time, Karen sought therapy but struggled to find someone who truly understood the adoptee experience. Many available therapists were adoptive parents—well-intentioned, but not individuals she felt safe opening up to. This gap

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00:59:46

Pete: A Mother Lost, A Self Discovered

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/08/26

Pete Droge is a critically acclaimed singer/songwriter based in Seattle, WA who rocketed to early stardom on the strength of his 1994 debut Necktie Second. The Los Angeles Times compared his songwriting to Bob Dylan and Neil Young while also earning similar praise from Rolling Stone and Boston Globe among many others, and within a year he was on the road supporting Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He has since released a series of well-received solo albums, composed a variety of works for film and

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01:00:18

Bob: Unsealing the Past and Embracing the Present

Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of... ·

2025/08/19

Bob Wilson an adoptee born in the early 1970s at the end of the Baby Scoop Era. During his childhood and young adulthood, he thought little about the fact that he was adopted. But after reading Ann Fessler’s groundbreaking book The Girls Who Went Away (2007) about adoption in mid-twentieth century America, he began the legal process of unsealing his adoption records and attempting to find his birthmother. He located and contacted his birthmother nearly two decades ago and has had a close

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199 results

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