Feeling free to be our authentic selves. Being accepted as we are. What does that mean for you? How can you help the people you love feel that? Listen is as adoptive mom and adoption professional Ligia shares what she's learned - and continues to learn - on two big topics. Especially as they relate to race. An eye opening episode. https://www.instagram.com/ligiaspeaks/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

What if we were to stop searching for happiness outside us? How would that be? How would that feel? Listen in as Amanda and I dive into what she calls emotional self sufficiency. Have you heard of that? I certainly hadn't. And it lead to a profoundly empowering conversation. We both loved it and hope that you do too. https://www.theanchorfamily.com/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Truths can be elusive for us adoptees. Fantasies or nightmares may fill in the blanks.  And truths can shift when we re-visit the past and ask others for their truth - their versions of events. This can lead to profound realisations. Listen in as Julie and I explore shifting truths, changes of mind and more. Julie Ryan McGue is an author, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. She writes extensively about finding out who you are, where you belong, and making sense of it. Here are links to previous interviews https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/julie-i4j2iwqo https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/julie Her new book is Twice The Family: From the award-winning author of Twice a Daughter comes the much- anticipated prequel. In this coming-of-age memoir–set in Chicago’s western suburbs between the 1960s and 80s–adopted twins, Julie and Jenny, provide their parents with an instant family. The twins’ sisterly bond holds tight as the two strive for independence, individuality, and belonging. But as Julie’s parents continue adding children to their family, several painful and tragic experiences test family values, parental relationships, and sibling bonds.   Faced with these hurdles, Julie questions everything—who she is, how she fits in, and even her adoption circumstances. She understands her adoptive family is held together by love, faith, support, and her parents’ commitment to each other and their children.  And yet, the life her parents have constructed is not one Julie wants for herself. As she matures, she chooses her own unique path. In the process, she realizes how the experiences that formed her have provide a road map for the person and mother she wants to be. More at https://juliemcgueauthor.com/twice-the-family/ Julie’s debut award winning memoir Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (https://juliemcgueauthor.com/books/) (She Writes Press) came out in May 2021. It is the story of her five-year search for birth relatives. Her weekly blogs That Girl, This Life (https://juliemcgueauthor.com/blog/) and monthly column at The Beacher focus on identity, family, and life’s quirky moments.  Born in Chicago, Illinois, Julie received a BA from Indiana University in Psychology. She earned a MM in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Northwestern University. She has served multiple terms on the Board of the Midwest Adoption Center and is an active member of the American Adoption Congress. Julie splits her time between Northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida. She is the mother of four adult children and has three grandsons. If she’s not at her computer, she’s on the tennis court, or out exploring with her Nikon. Julie is currently working on a collection of personal essays. https://juliemcgueauthor.com/ https://www.facebook.com/juliemcguewrites/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-ryan-mcgue-a246b841/ https://www.instagram.com/julieryanmcgue/ https://twitter.com/juliermcgue Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

How does trauma impact us?

Do you find yourself grappling with painful questions about your worth, identity and belonging? Does the grief of relinquishment and adoption resurface in ways that feel overwhelming or unresolved? Healing accelerates with acceptance and understanding - and the healing journey is one you don’t have to face alone. Join us for Healing The Primal Wound, a deeply restorative webinar for adoptees. Together, we’ll discover ways to move forward with compassion and resilience. What You’ll Gain 🔹 Tend to the unresolved grief and profound impacts of relinquishment and adoption. 🔹 Cleanse lingering pain and emotional wound to make space for healing. 🔹 Soothe the ache of loss and find pathways toward acceptance and peace. 🔹 Mend the emotional scars left by trauma and rebuild your sense of self. 🔹 Protect yourself from re-traumatization, especially in the complexities of reunion. Who This Is For This webinar is for adult adoptees wanting to ease the grief of their primal wound and work toward acceptance and wholeness. Whether you’ve just come out of the fog or you’ve been aching to heal for years, this event offers guidance rooted in compassion and insight. Why Watch?? Because wounds, no matter how deep, can heal when cared for with compassion and intention. By tending to your grief, accepting where you’re at and protecting yourself from further harm, you can begin to rediscover the wholeness that has always been within you buried under trauma ✨ Take the first step toward cleansing, soothing, mending, and protecting your Self.✨ Your speaker: Simon Benn was adopted at 5 weeks old and told so young he doesn't ever remember not knowing. He was totally oblivious to any adoption trauma until he found out that his teddy bear was from his birth mother at 40. That unleashed an eruption of anger, feeling rejected and unloved. That led to a quest to heal, healing and a desire to help others just like Jude. His sole purpose is to understand what helps adoptees thrive and share that as widely as possible.

What helps us blossom? What gets in the way? How do we overcome those obstacles? Listen in as we explore big questions with grace and depth. Brad stretched me out of my comfort zone into new insights. I hope this interview catalyses sparks insights in you. Foster parent Brad Brooks serves as the Executive Director of Southeastern Children’s Home and Counseling Center. Brad is an avid San Francisco 49ers fan and a running enthusiast. He has previously served as both a Case Manager, Education Instructor, and Director of Social Services for Southeastern Children’s Home. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University and a Master’s Degree from Converse College. He and his wife, Katie, have four children:  Reese, Ellie, Hattie, and Will. Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Shame. Not being enough. Trauma. Listen in as birth mother Janelle shares insights on what helps us thrive and what gets in the way of thriving. She also shares how shifts in perspectives help us overcome those obstacles. Powerful. Impactful. Love this. Connect and find out more at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janellebasham/ https://www.bravelove.org/stories/meet-the-team-janelle-basham/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Born without arms in Romania and unwanted, George went straight from the hospital to an orphanage where he stayed until being adopted at 18 months. Relentlessly bullied at school he felt ashamed, full of resentment, mad at the world and God. Listen in as he shares his insights on the journey to thriving. An incredibly powerful interview. You're going to love this. Find out more: @ThatArmlessGuy Www.thatarmlessguy.com (http://www.thatarmlessguy.com/) “UndeFEETed” Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.

Lacking knowledge of our history can impact our confidence. So what do we do? How can we be more confidence whatever the uncertainty of our roots? Listen in as Jen and I dive deep into overcoming some of our essential challenges as adoptees. From Laguna Beach (Orange County), California, Jennifer Bao Yu "Precious Jade" Jue-Steuck is an author, screenwriter, children's novelist, adoption researcher, and adoption columnist. Adopted from Taipei (by an American family from Los Angeles), Jennifer is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and Harvard University, where she was a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Scholar. She is the founder of Chinese Adoptee Links (CAL) International — Global Generations, the first global group created by and for the more than 150,000 Chinese adoptees growing up in 26+ countries around the world. She currently serves as the co-founder of Harvardwood Vancouver-Seattle (for Harvard alumni in the Arts & Entertainment), and is the West Coast Brand Ambassador for Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HAE) Canada. Jennifer has given more than 100+ adoption talks in 8 countries, including several Keynote Speeches, on behalf of the international adoption community. A contributor to St. Martin’s Press, Oxford University Press, MIT Press, Conde Nast and more, Jennifer was recently awarded a runner-up prize by International Thriller Writers (ITW). She won her first writing competition at age 9, and has been writing ever since. The Stepmother's Project is Jennifer's first Canadian global media project ("EVERY MOTHER MATTERS"). https://www.gofundme.com/f/Stepmother-Project https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-jue-steuck/ Guests and the host are not (unless mentioned) licensed pscyho-therapists and speak from their own opinion only. Seek qualified advice if you need help.