Who Am I Really?

I'm back for season 11 of the, who am I really podcast. It's going to be another moving season of open heartfelt discussions about the adoption experience from people from all walks of life. But before we get to the season, I want to update you on my own journey. Some of, you may know that I lost my adoptive mother Veronica on Friday, September 2nd, 2022. It was the end of a long road for her as mental illness had taken such a toll on both her mind and her body. This is another part of my journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) TuneIn - http://tun.in/piyg9 (http://tun.in/piyg9) Stitcher - http://bit.ly/2Ds

Bryan Elliott, writer, director, producer, grew up in Southern California feeling under prioritized by his adoptive mother. At an early age, he had ambitions of finding his birth family. After extensive research Bryan called a long list of women only to realize she was among those who had repeatedly told him, "sorry, it's not me." when he called. Maternal secondary rejection was solidified with the threat of legal action, but later legal correspondence clarified his birth father's identity in the search for a man Bryan had searched for for decades. It took some coaxing, but Bryan was finally granted full access to his paternal family. This is Bryan's journey https://www.podcastone.com/pd/Living-in-Adoptionland-with-Bryan-Elliott (Living In Adoptionland podcast) Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple

Lisa, my guest from episode 168, "A Vein of Gratitude" is back to share how her reunion has been in the year since we spoke. Lisa and I chatted the night before Lisa met her birth mother for the first time. The COVID-19 pandemic had kept them apart, so the moment was imminent that they would finally meet. The reunion went well, even though some discussion topics were closed for exploration. Afterwards, Lisa struggled with her birth mother's expressions of love and the woman's intense desire to connect Lisa to her half-brother. Lisa had an array of reunion, emotions and experiences in the year, since we first spoke. Now it's time for an update on Lisa's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jc

Mike, from SoCo, Maine was cruising through childhood until he was told he was adopted. The news shook Mike's confidence in relationships and the aftermath lingered in self doubt, creeping through his personal and professional life. When he found his maternal family, Mike was welcomed in as his sister lamented that they missed so much time apart. Now Mike serves as Chairman of the Board of the National Council for Adoption (NCFA). He coaches others on bringing their best selves to every relationship through a process of building personal trust communities. This is Mike's journey Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) TuneIn

Singer/song writer Jenni Alpert, aka Cami, my guest from episode 96, is back to share an update on her life with her birth father, Don. Recall Jenni took on her birth nickname Cami and went under cover in the streets of Los Angeles to locate Don who was hiding from the law, using drugs, and living outside. Using the tools in her belt that she'd accumulated throughout her life, Jenni became Don's advocate and introduced him to alternatives to life in the streets. When she revealed she was a musician, a creative partnership blossomed and they began performing together at non-profit homeless advocacy events, adoption and fostering events, and touring around the country. Don is no longer with us, but Jenni is honoring her birth father by making her life's purpose to uplift others. This is an update on Jenni's journey. Go back and listen to: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/096-the-safe-space-thats-dons-place/id1223841587?i=1000447685072 (Episode 096 - The Safe Place That's Don's Place) Music with Don: U

Singer Song writer Jenni Alpert, commonly referred to by her birth name, Cami had a wonderful life supported by her adoptive parents as she pursued the performing arts. After her adoptive father passed away, she learned that her biological mother had too. Her maternal connections went well over time, but her paternal side remained a mystery. Locating her birth father was one thing… doing reconnaissance, ensuring her safety, and tapping into over a decade of her various volunteer experiences with people who’s lives were in the streets was something different. In their story you’ll hear the dedication of a daughter who found her birth father down and out, accepted him as he was , and worked hard to find a pathway for them to reunite and share their love of music. This is Jenni’s journey. Photo:Cami (aka Jenni Alpert) and her birth father Don Photo credit: Jeff Fasano  Here’s a link to the news story I referenced: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/father-and-daughter-duo-reunited-in-song-

Alyssa, from Jacksonville, Florida, is a biracial woman who was adopted into a white family in a white community. Living without racial mirrors. She realized in her youth, she was missing a connection to the black community. With identifying information, Alyssa was able to locate her biological parents quickly, but Alyssa is eternally grateful that her maternal aunt was the cherished person she connected with first. Alyssa's relationships with her biological parents are strained for now, but she holds out hope that her birth mother will come to understand how she feels, appreciate that she's doing the work to maintain her own happiness, and that they can reconnect one day. This is Alyssa's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.

Shannon, from Hazel Green, Alabama, stood out from her adoptive family in looks and some personality traits. So there was a natural curiosity about her birth family. She assumed she'd be able to locate them, her whole story would be laid out with clear facts about her conception, and everything would make sense. Instead, Shannon found a birth mother who had very little recollection of that time in her life, she was given misleading information, and she spent many years in a reunion with the wrong guy. This is Shannon's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) TuneIn - http://tun.in/piyg9 (http://tun.in/piyg9) Sti

Larry, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, talks about his life as a transracial adoptee in a predominantly white community where many white parents adopted black children. In a desperate search for role models he latched on to some undesirable stereotypes of what a black man should be including stories he heard about his birth father. After a near death experience in the streets, Larry located his birth mother who eventually wrote the letter he needed to read to release the pressure he was under. This is Larry's journey "https://www.amazon.com/White-Confused-Black-Christian-Autobiography/dp/1096363186/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&coliid=I2JJFGK1U5TRL7&colid=2OFTHNWSIEPL8&qid=&sr= (White, Confused, Black and Christian)", by Larry Yff https://larryyff.com/ (LarryYff.com) Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts&n

Julie, from Humboldt County, California, had a wonderful reunion with her birth mother and has learned how a woman operates, which has helped Julie managed some of her own feelings in their reunion. But when Julie's birth mother admitted she'd had a one night stand, Julie thought she'd never find her birth father. DNA testing helped her figure out that her birth father was one of two brothers and one of them was so much like her. He had to be the guy. But was he. When the truth was discovered, Julie was left to maintain the family secret. This is Julie's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) TuneIn - http://tun

After years of struggling to get along with her adoptive mother, who struggled as a World War II survivor, Danielle finally figured out the reasons for their differences. She's a late discovery adoptee, but hers was less of a discovery, more of a revelation that overcame her in the middle of the night. She found her birth mother who wondered why it took so long for them to finally connect. Then the magic died and their reunion was over. Later Danielle did a DNA test connecting to a distant paternal relative, and it was just in time to meet her birth father. This is Danielle's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) T

Jonathan's admits adoption was always part of his story and he was never made to feel special or different. But after his adopted sister sought out her biological family for medical information, Jonathan decided it was time for his search to begin to. What he found was such a great likeness to his paternal side, that it worked against him in meeting his biological mother who might not have been mentally strong enough to see the face of the young man she used to know appearing again on her adult, biological son. This is Jonathan's journey. Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) TuneIn - http://tun.in/piyg9 (http://tun.in

Mike who called me from Berlin, Germany was born in St. Louis, Missouri. It's a place he ultimately fought hard to try to get away from because of its association with his adoptive family. After years traveling the country, then moving abroad to Germany Mike found himself in reunion with his birth mother back in St. Louis. Mike says that out of everyone, he looks the most like the one person he really wanted to find. And that these days he's turning some challenging experiences in his life into positivity for others. This is mike's journey Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) TuneIn - http://tun.in/piyg9

Rebecca called me from outside of Richmond, Virginia. She has lived a life in adoption from the formation of her family, with her adoption to becoming a birth mother, dedicating her professional life to adoption and experiencing reunion with her birth mother birth father and her son. Her reunions have been a mix of denial and near rejection to full acceptance after years of anticipation and surprise to be found by the parents of her own child. You're going to be amazed to hear how much adoption can be woven throughout one adoptee's life. This is Rebecca's journey Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/) Share Your Story - http://bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share (bit.ly/2imgrtv_Share) Listen On Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/2oOd25m (http://apple.co/2oOd25m) Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB (https://spoti.fi/2RN3jcB)  Google Play - http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH (http://bit.ly/2oEU7bH) TuneIn - http://t

When Lisa and I chatted, she was in a hotel in South Dakota, but she normally resides in Tennessee. She was in town for the momentous occasion of reuniting with her birth mother the next day. We agreed to chat ahead of time because Lisa knew she would be a different person after reunion. Lisa led a quiet life, surrounded by family she loved and felt deeply connected to. Her adoption was never kept a secret from her and played a constant theme in her life. Guided by gratitude and the question, "where do I come from?" Lisa's journey started with a DNA test, which opened the doors to help her answer that nagging question. Lisa mapped out generations of her family tree, discovered she was a secret to some in her family and a sequestered fact to others. The path of Lisa's reunion still has a winding road ahead so, this is Lisa's journey so far... (part 2 of Lisa's journey will be ep. 181 - Wandering Tree) Who Am I Really? Who Am I Really? Website - http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/ (http://www.whoamireally

Today my guest is Micheleana who lives outside of Kansas city in Lawrence, Kansas. Micheleana's early life was tumultuous after her parents divorced. Her adoptive mother passed away suddenly, and she was abandoned by her adoptive family. Incredibly her birth father walked right into her life twice and she didn't even recognize him. Unfortunately, she got an unexpectedly awkward introduction to her birth mother that may have set the stage of continued uneasiness between them when it comes to really getting to know one another. This is Micheleana's journey Support this podcast

Today you're going to meet Michael who called me from Atlanta, Georgia. Michael grew up with adoptive parents who were functional alcoholics which meant they had a dysfunctional home with a narcissistic mother and a detached father. When DNA testing linked Michael with his maternal family he learned that his siblings knew about him but his birth mother was kept in the dark that her secret had been revealed. In reunion, Michael's eyes were opened to the meaning of nature versus nurture when he found shared physical traits and common interests in athletics, music and more. Now Michael helps run an Adoptees Connect group in Atlanta for adopted people to link up and support one another. This is Michael's journey. Support this podcast

Elisa lives outside of Philadelphia. She shares her story of the DNA test. She completed to learn more about her heritage that surprisingly linked her to her birth mother. The woman was lifelong friends with Elisa's birth father's family, but the man never knew that Elisa existed until her birth mother helped connect them at her own home. Elisa's birth mother has met her adoptive parents which filled an unrecognized void in her parents' lives this is Elisa's journey Support this podcast

Simon from the United Kingdom, knew he was adopted from as early as he can remember. When he finally decided to search for his birth mother, he had a flash of anger about the toy. The woman left him. But when he learned of her situation and heard another birth mother's perspective, that his anger was likely misguided, he quickly changed course to empathizing with his birth mother. Listen to Simon's efforts to support other adoptees and his desire to change prevailing narratives in adoption. This is simon's journey Support this podcast

Debbie lives outside of Portland, Oregon. Her parents adopted her and her brother too soon after tragedy struck their family. Debbie found her roots in Kansas, in a small town where the grape vine unexpectedly spread news fast that she was in town. Uh, sad loss. Oddly gave Debbie a chance to connect more deeply with her birth mother. But her birth father only told half of his family about Debbie creating a minefield of secrets in this era of consumer DNA testing. This is Debbie's journey Support this podcast