Isaac Etter grew up as a black boy surrounded by a loving but also primarily white family. It took him a long time to understand his full identity and how his race affected his place in the world. Over time, Isaac educated not only his adoptive family about race and adoption but also sought to inform other adoptive families. Isaac regularly speaks …

Katie Rose Noto always knew she wanted to adopt a child at some point in her life. She imagined a house full of children and dogs. As her life progressed she made the choice to dive into being a foster parent whether she felt fully ready or not. Little did she know that the boys she welcomed into her home had suffered abuse and neglect to the point…

When Susan Fedorko was growing up she was content with her life and felt secure and cared for. In the back of her mind, however, this adoptee always wondered about the family that had allowed her to be adopted and who they might be. When Susan reached adulthood she put out her information in the hopes that she would discover her first family. It wa…

Beth Syverson and her adopted son Joey Nakao have been on a difficult journey for a number of years. They have been facing the issues of addiction and suicidality. In light of these intense topics, some of you may prefer to pass on this episode and listen to a different one for today. If you find you are struggling with suicidal thoughts please dia…

There are many Christians in the world of adoption and many of them do wonderful work supporting foster families, and foster children, and making sure children outside of the country who need homes can access them. Some families within Evangelical Christianity have developed adoption practices that attracted the interest of investigative journalist…

Most of us have heard bits and pieces about how poorly America has treated the Native Tribes that have lived on this land. We may not understand fully how adoption was weaponized against tribes to raise children who were brought up without a memory of their heritage and culture. As journalist Trace Lara Hentz began to look into her own past as a Na…

Lynn Grubb felt fairly comfortable growing up as an adoptee. Then, when she became an adult she got curious and decided she wanted to find her birth family. The process wasn't smooth for her and she learned a lot along the way. Now that she has discovered where she came from she offers advice to others seeking their past. Lynn also gives back to ch…

Patricia Knight Meyer's story seems foreign compared to the happy renditions of adoptive families brought together for happy holiday photos. She was adopted quietly, without proper paperwork. This left her in a state of limbo for a good portion of her life, worried that if anyone looked hard enough she would not be able to prove her identity or her…

When Carlynne Hershberger found out she was pregnant at 19 she could never have known then how that experience would shape the rest of her life. Many women don't. In Carlynne's case she became a victim of the baby scoop era when young pregnant women were hidden away and their babies were taken from them with little consideration for their feelings …

Adoption is changing. Technology now makes it possible to adopt the embryos left over from couples who have attempted or succeeded in IVF treatments. Oversight and regulation of this transaction is in its infancy. The people adopting these embryos and those encouraging the idea of the personhood of these embryos are a select group. Where is this pr…

Nick Adam's King and his husband began their adoption journey years ago with the adoption of their son. Later they adopted again and their daughter joined the family. Nick helps me understand how adoptions in the UK differ from those in the US. We learn about the ups and downs of their journey and how Nick learned to find his place among the school…

The orphan trains were an early experiment in American history in which well meaning adults in large East Coast cities put children that didn't appear to be in the care of an adult on a train out west to be adopted by farm families . For some children this meant they traded a life of scrounging on the street for food and living out in the elements …

JeNae Goodrich was adopted into her own family as a child. Growing up surrounded by adopted siblings helped prepare her for her life of social work, but she couldn’t have predicted that she would have gotten involved with one of the toughest, most stressful and even controversial sides of adoption. JeNae heads up the KidTeen program at Wasatch Inte…

Nadia Levitt was adopted by her loving parents by the time she was seven years old in Australia. She grew up in a caring environment, but when teen angst caught up with her at age 15 she ran away. This traumatic event opened up a whole new side of her adoption story. Nadia has been working through the meaning of adoption for her over the course of …

Laura Orsini didn’t know her life was about to change, but the positive pregnancy test did for her what it has done for so many other women who aren’t expecting or ready for a child. It shocked her brain into planning mode to consider her options for this pregnancy. Once Laura decided on adoption choosing a family was challenging for her, but over …

You don’t have to adopt or be a foster parent to play an important role in helping children stay in stable homes. Lauren runs a ministry in her church that specifically supports foster families within her church and the wider community.

Adoptive Black Mom was busy working on her career and waiting to see if a traditional family would happen for her. This was not what the universe dealt her. As she moved through her life she began to evaluate whether motherhood would be something she would pursue on her own. She decided to move toward adoption and as she did it felt to her that oft…

We can learn how to change adoption from the stories of those who have been touched by it.

Join in learning about where adoption has come from and where it might go within the life and experience of Jynger Pleasant. Jynger is the Executive Director of Dillon International Adoption Agency based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When she was young she witnessed families meeting their adoptive children at the airport in the early days of adoption. Over t…

Hear Ashley's story. Discover what Respite Care is and how her family contributes to foster children's lives by stepping in when other foster families need help. See how Ashley's community comes through for her when she needs them.

Discover how Kathryn and her family navigated the foster care system. Find out what Kathryn has learned about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and its affect on her son and many adopted and foster children.