Who Am I Really?

Cindy lives outside of Sacramento, California. She and her sister were placed in foster care where they learned to protect themselves and be tough. Cindy's search started with an abundance of identifiable information thanks to her adoptive parents. In reunion, she found a man she truly resembled, was bonded to, but who was forced to cut their relationship again until his final days. Cindy found the pieces that were missing in her personal puzzle and healing that she, and many other people involved in her adoption reunion, really needed. This is Cindy's journey. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PV31DFN/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i1 (Once In A Lullaby: My Journey Home) https://www.livinglightoasis.com/ (https://www.livinglightoasis.com/) Support this podcast

Kevin, from upstate New York, shares his journey to find his worthiness, to beat in this life. His search for his birth mother led him to the one woman who knew he existed and the unexpected sibling set that has fortified his own fight to carry on. Kevin continues his search for his paternal connections. All with his angel Roz on his shoulder. Loving him as she loved her own birth children. This is Kevin's journey. Check out Kevin's book: "Dear Stephen Michael's Mother" https://www.kevinbarhydt.com/ (https://www.kevinbarhydt.com) Support this podcast

Erika called me from outside of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Ericka and her older adopted brother were doing fine with their adoptive parents until the birth of their siblings created an unspoken split between the children. In reunion, Erika's mother was an open book about her experiences as one of the girls who went away, while her adoptive mother was closed to the fact that Erika was actually related to her birth mother, subscribing to the blank slate mentality of the baby scope era. Connecting with her birth father she found a man who always knew about her but didn't realize that he missed her until Erika returned. This is Erika's journey. Support this podcast

Today's adoptee story is Winnie's. She called me from Los Angeles, California. Growing up, Winnie's adoptive parents were closed to discussing her adoption, rejected her basic desire to socialize and left her to fend for herself in the name of creating an independent woman. But her treatment was unfairly different from that of her adopted sister. When he has an arduous road ahead seeking reunion with her birth mother in India in the face of information inaccuracies. And in the wake of massive COVID 19 casualties. Winnie is the creator of Indian Adoptees Connect, a community for Indian adopted people like herself. This is Winnie's journey Support this podcast

Pam called me from Lexington, Kentucky. Growing up in adoption she suffered in the care of her adoptive mother who was unable to be a to parent her children because she was barely holding on herself. In reunion Pam found two alcoholics and when she looked in the mirror she saw someone who needed to change her trajectory before she followed in their footsteps. Pam has done a lot of empathizing to heal herself, and focused her energy on creating Adoptees Connect to help other adopted people find support like what she needed in her darkest days. She also founded https://adopteeremembranceday.com/ (Adoptee Remembrance Day), October 30th, #adopteeremembranceday. It's a time to recognize Adoptee Suicide, Adoptee Abuse & Neglect, and Adoptee Loss. This is Pam's journey. Support this podcast

Ed called me from here in Maryland. He shared the sad, circumstances of his adoptive parents losing two children, but not really healing from the losses, feeling loyalty to his adoptive parents. Ed went on a clandestine search for his birth mother, found her then lost touch for years. All of which exacerbated his anxiety within him. Fortunately Ed reunited with his maternal and paternal sides and connected to his personal history in some unique ways. This is Ed's journey. Support this podcast

Jennifer, from Standardsville, Virginia, said growing up in New York, she had a very different childhood experience in her family than her sister, who was biological to their parents. Their mother suffered with substance abuse and deep down the woman probably knew she wasn't as good a mother to Jennifer as she could've been. In reunion Jennifer realized that secrets of the past were hard to overcome because they were ladened with stigma from her birth mother's pregnancy experience. Her paternal reunion was a surreal phone experience that you have to hear Jennifer tell to believe. Thankfully her aunt and younger sister made up for the shocking phone conversation she had with her birth father. This is jennifer's journey. Support this podcast

Honor described a childhood in isolation, so much so that it impacted her health when she started school. Wondering about her biological parents, she developed a romantic story in her mind that they were in love but simply couldn’t keep her. It took her many years to track down her real story which was far more complex, and at one point she thought that one of her worst fears was true. When she found her birth mother, they only had a passing anonymous introduction to one another and when they met again years later, the woman was unable to recognize who Honor was. When Honor tracked down her birth father, his actions indicated he was the right guy, even if he didn’t explicitly say so. Read Full TranscriptHonor:                         https://www.temi.com/editor/t/RoG91wfh3o-gEOEA1fC0ylca2hcg1crOOVLxAbyJ4O5gdoILr26QGgCC9CUFWxsOCYCjP-WafAKupT5LMjDH1No5zzg?loadFrom=Docu

As an interracial adoptee and musical artist, Ferera grew up feeling different from her adopted family. When her adoption was tearfully confirmed by her Mom, it created doubt within her about whether it was okay to be different? Ferera met her birth mother, and the woman’s twin sister, so their reunion was a shared experience that somewhat fractured the intimate connection Ferera would have liked to have developed. She’s in touch with her birth father, but they’ve never met b/c he lives in the Philipines. Stream Ferera’s song “Second Time” via: https://zoho.email-view.com/click.zt?linkDgs=312b824b113a3k16863ad1e85&mailDgs=312b824b113a2&ver=a78101656d9c1ed0bd939597d2d6a7c7b3700e87442b9ff704fac491dfbf0679 (Soundcloud) | https://open.spotify.com/album/4gjk5nJo8Zy84JqpVO8Pvv (Spotify) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nQEmTCGCi0 (Watch Acoustic Version on YouTube) Connect With Ferera: https://zoho.email-view.com/click.zt?linkDgs=312b824b113a6k16863ad1e85&mai

Adoptees have the ultimate voice about the adoption experience. Adoptee podcasters are offering fellow adoptees outlets for sharing their inner thoughts and deepest emotions about their adoption journeys -- the happy and sad, incredible experiences and the awful outcomes.  On Wednesday, November 4, 2020 @ 7pm ET the hosts of some of the leading adoptee hosted podcasts: "Adoptees On" with Haley Radke, "Born In June Raised In April" with April Dinwoodie and "Who Am I Really?" with Damon Davis shared some of their insights from several years and hundreds of episodes podcasting about adoption.  This was an open event for everyone to attend, ask questions, and hopefully leave with useful insights. * At 1:20:32 April and Haley very graciously supported the group through a Zoom bomb (a rude interruption in our online forum by uninvited participants). Just wanted to explain the odd transition in the content at that moment.  Support this podcast

Rachel is a Hispanic woman of Chilean descent, raised in a Jewish family. She shared her feelings of otherness trying to connect with other Spanish speaking children with her limited proficiency. Rachel describes her father’s blindness to her heritage, and her unbelievable luck to have strangers who went out of their way to help her meet her birth mother in Chile. Read Full TranscriptRachel:                        https://www.temi.com/editor/t/LBME0dE3afIEFIvJbItV31CTCnBlpS9lfkPL0gSyX-ak8eeoNBBhRsAyiwLQc1j7H4s3T-_oGOd0jNzRdTMrpNJj5B4?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=3.76 (00:03)               It took me a while to sort through it. I remember talking to my grandmother about it and she said, you know, Rachel, it’s not about how you get here, It’s about what you do with yourself once you’re here. So she was lik

Michelle says growing up she felt very different from her adoptive family because she looked completely different from them. When she was a teen she embarked on a voyage to reunite with her birth mother, traveling back to the UK where she was born. Seeking some of the basic answers to her identity and acceptance by her biological mother, her trip was going great, until the neighbor came over and asked who Michelle was. What happened next became a pivotal moment in Michelle’s quest to discover herself. But the acceptance and love that Michelle was looking for were still out there and they came from a person that she didn’t even know existed. She located her half brother in Spain, and was able to he relay the final emotions of their dying father, bringing some peace to Michelle. The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/020-dont-silence-julie-anymore/ (020 – I Don’t Silence Julie Anymore) appeared first on http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com (Who Am I...Really? Podcast). Mich

Kim is a Korean born adoptee raised in an all-white community. She shared how she always pushed down her desire to search for her birth mother until the recent political climate brought out the true colors of her adoptive mother. I’ve heard stories of Asian adoptees having trouble making connections overseas, but Kim’s connection was quick and easy. But building a relationship through a translator, secrecy, and secondary rejection have left Kim with a broken heart. Read Full Transcript Kim:                            https://www.temi.com/editor/t/wrwZIhSOdfssd9tgMoEoh1n9pvG9Z0DPwVv8msAPsvbj7qkSPHRG14B_hutTbadhe1JPrqU4X0Y7wGiWnzDW0cQSlds?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=6.24 (00:06)               And we look very, very much like really? That was very emotional for

Dana received her original birth certificate and when her husband looked up her birth mother’s name they found her obituary. It took her two years to find an address for her surviving aunt and a year to find the courage to write to her. Her Aunt gave Dana a name for the man who could be her birth father, but he was also deceased. Luckily DNA testing told a different story. Read Full TranscriptDana:                          https://www.temi.com/editor/t/mSXMuvWojTzzYOJT-TPNFk15BWn7MbA_pBILR7SZEkpkfSML6KBhD4MVgqsXpRzZ26_U7g5hYPK4g4n8gh_zUaUut0g?loadFrom=DocumentDeeplink&ts=3.64 (00:03)               She never knew about me. She thought that she was an only child for her her entire life. So finding out that she has an older sister that came as kind of like shocks or she. So she just told me s

Renee searched for her mother literally her whole life. But her search predated the internet so she frequented the library and scoured local high school year books. with hopes of finding someone she felt she was related to. When she located her biological mother she refused to share any information about Renee’s biological father and forbade Renee for searching for her biological brother. The more you tell a person not to do something, the more they want to do that very thing and Renee swore to definitely search for her brother. Ultimately DNA testing unraveled the mystery. She takes a lot of comfort in knowing that her father was a pretty cool guy and someone she would’ve admired. Even after a tumultuous childhood, and severed ties to her biological mother, Renée said she has no regrets about searching for her biological family and she would do it again. The post http://www.whoamireallypodcast.com/017-renee-m/ (017 – He Is My Brother And I Will Find Him) appeared first on http://www.whoamireal

Adoptees have the ultimate voice about the adoption experience. Adoptee podcasters are offering fellow adoptees outlets for sharing their inner thoughts and deepest emotions about their adoption journeys -- the happy and sad, incredible experiences and the awful outcomes. On Wednesday, November 4, 2020 @ 7pm ET the hosts of some of the leading adoptee hosted podcasts: "Adoptees On" with Haley Radke, "Born In June Raised In April" with April Dinwoodie and "Who Am I Really?" with Damon Davis shared some of their insights from several years and hundreds of episodes podcasting about adoption. This was an open event for everyone to attend, ask questions, and hopefully leave with useful insights. Support this podcast

Yvonne called me from here in Washington, DC. She is a birth mother in reunion with her son after more than 40 years apart. She shares the loneliness of her pregnancy, her desire to keep her baby versus her inability to do so, the moment she came face to face with her son's adoptive mother and her search to find the man he grew up to be. Yvonne is launching a new podcast, "Birth Moms Real Talk" (https://www.birthmomsrealtalk.com (www.birthmomsrealtalk.com)) where other women like herself can share their stories openly in a safe place. But before we get to her podcast this is Yvonne's journey. Support this podcast

Sari, a self-proclaimed nomad, called me from New Mexico. When she was a girl the school science project on heredity ignited her desire to learn her truth. After decades of searching for her birth parents, she found her birth father first, or so she thought. When Sari confronted her birth mother about the man, she was stonewalled and lied to. Sari learned that her birth mother wasn't the woman she'd hoped she would be to her either. Ultimately, Sari decided she'd keep the relationship with her "birth father", because for the first time as an adoptee the choice was up to her who she got to call family. This is Sari's   Support this podcast

Roderick chatted with me from Ocala, Florida but he was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. Roderick was adopted into a family where he was the middle child, but he would become the parent to his younger siblings, forgoing his own high school graduation to care for his neglected brother and sister. Focusing on their wellbeing he sacrificed his own advancement.  In reunion, Roderick found siblings he had never thought of before. Then, experienced secondary rejection from an aunt in Indiana. That rejection came after Roderick found a full blood sibling in Florida and decided to move there to be closer to her. This is roderick's journey. Support this podcast

Dirk, from Phoenix, Arizona, was raised as a Hispanic person and his documentation said he was Hispanic, but the world saw him differently. And DNA did too. Dirk found his birth mother, but at two separate times, he was forced to reckon with secondary rejection. Fortunately, he found his birth father acceptance from all, but one of his siblings and the warm feeling inside from knowing He looks the most like their father out of all of his children. This is dirk's journey Support this podcast