Thriving Adoptees - Let's Thrive

I Want Me With Lisa Stellinga

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you fear rejection? Many of us are on high alert scanning what other people do and say for signs of potential rejection. We're desperate to avoid b...

Comfortable In Our Own Skin AJ Bialo

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you ever feel uncomfortable? AJ grew up in a very toxic environment that left her grieving the loss of what her life might have looked like if she ...

Unstuck With Terri Decker

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you stuck with beliefs that stop you from loving you? That make you feel less than? Beliefs that keep you small? Listen in as Terri shares her ins...

Busting Beliefs With Jean Provance

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you suspect your beliefs may be holding you back? Are you sure that you're getting in your own way? Listen in as Jean shares how our beliefs form, ...

Loveability Woo Ae Yi

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are looking for love from others because you don't love yourself? Shame can drive us to do that. And in some cases we take that to extremes. Yi’s lo...

Attachment With Emelia Thygesen

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our relationships are fundamental to our happiness. And attachments are fundamental to our relationships. So how can we have healthier attachments? An...

How To Heal With Isaac Etter

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you frustrated on your healing journey? How can you heal faster? Listen with big ears as Isaac goes deep to share his ongoing insights on healing ...

Ending Mother Hunger With Candi Byrne

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us feel there's something missing from us. Perhaps a hole only our birth mother can fill. Or something else that will make us whole. We've fel...

Healing After Reunion Breaks Down With Reenie Robertson

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does rejection haunt you? Feeling you were rejected as an infant is one thing. Being rejected as an adult takes rejection to a whole new level and can...

Healing & Reunion With Heather G Marshall

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At some level, often unconscious, many of us believe that a good reunion will make us whole again. But that reunion might not even happen. And even if...

The Glorification Of Trauma Maya With Fleischmann

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trauma can keep us mired. Or help us grow. So how do we make sure it helps us grow? So we harness it to live our best lives? Listen in as Maya dives d...

Securing Our Sense Of Self With Jo North

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ruptured attachment with our birth mothers often weakens our sense of self. So what do we do? Jo shares her top insights as a psychotherapist who's wo...

What's RIGHT With Us? Lynn Woo Mykytyn

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us share the belief that there's something wrong with us. What would happen if we were to focus on what's right with us? Wouldn't that help us...

Growing With Cosette & Zoe

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you want to grow? Listen in as transracial adoptees Cosette and Zoe share what helped - and continues to help them - grow so they can overcome adve...

Loved & Loveable Nancy McCaughey

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you long to belong? To feel loved and loveable? Late discovery adoptee Nancy didn't find out she was adopted until she was 37. She was devastated. ...

A Stronger Sense of Self With Shelley Rottenberg

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can you get a stronger sense of your own identity? Whether it's a full blown identity crisis or a vague lack of clarity on who we are, most of us ...

Understanding Is The Genesis Of Growth With Cristina Uribe

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we become more than our trauma? Through the epiphanies that help us see, understand and heal. Adoptee and psychotherapist Cristina goes deep on...

Reconstructing My Identity With RoderickE

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us feel that we've lost our identity. How do we get it back? Listen in a Rod shares how he as constructed and reconstructed his identity to li...

Processing Trauma With Shelby Redfield Kilgore

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we process trauma so it no longer hurts so much so often? For many of us this a lifetime's journey. Adoptee from South Korea Shelby shares 35 y...

Smoother Reunions With Birth Mom D Yvonne Rivers

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Want a smoother reunion?Reunion is often an emotional rollercoaster and we can get thrown off the ride. How do we get back on again? Yvonne  placed h...

Out Of The Fog & Beyond With Becca Wellington

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you wish your healing was faster?Did your world fall apart when you came out of the fog? Are you wondering what comes now you're consciously aware ...

Understanding Healing With Jack Rocco

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If your truth has been shattered this episode is one for you. Jack opens up about how we get through the challenges life throws at us adoptees. Jack h...

A Clearer Sense Of Self With Jill Uchiyama

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Feeling like a victim of circumstances - poor little me - is totally normal for us. But we don't want to feel like that. So how do stop feeling that w...

There's Nothing Wrong With Us Joanne Bagshaw

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our feeling of loss somehow turns into the belief that there's something wrong with us. It's central to our lives. But what if it's not true? Join ado...

An Adoptee's Return To Jesus With Jane Blasio

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you're a Christian then you're going to love our very first unashamedly Christian interview. Jane goes deep into healing through Christ and I try t...

Reconstructing Our View Of Adoption With Marcella Moslow

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Coming out of the fog is often a painful experience. Trauma threatens to engulf us. The narrative from society or our adoptive parents is revealed to ...

Adoptees & Addiction With Miguel Caballero

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Here's the link to Pamela's interview:https://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/finding-happiness-within-with-pamela-karanovaHere's the link t...

Aha Moments With Abby Hasberry

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Time is not the greatest healer. So what is? Aha moments. Those moments when we see something new for ourselves. Insights. Quite literally sights from...

Unstuck With Ellianna Javed

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

So many of us feel stuck. Unable to move on. Frustrated. Aching. Suffering. Our trauma is preverbal - so we have no words for it. How can we talk abou...

Advocating For Our Health With Elaine Schulte, Ramya Gruneisen and Julia Small

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For adopted individuals to be empowered to advocate for their healthcare needs, medical providers must know how to interact in an adoption identity af...

Breaking The Trauma Loop With Julie Lopez

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trauma goes round and round in a loop for so many of us. So how do we try stop it? Many of us try talk therapy. But much of our trauma is preverbal - ...

Unwoundable???

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Primal Wound is, for so many of us, the 'bible' because it describes our experience so well. It's so many ways it's the perfect diagnosis. But wha...

Genetic Validation With Elliott Driscoll

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

So many of us felt like a fish out of water growing up. And feel more comfortable around people we share DNA with. Why is that? What is genetic valida...

Self Leadership With Rachel Forbes

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Working so hard to counter shame and the belief that that we are inherently bad is exhausting.  Transracial and transcultural adoptee and licensed cl...

How We Find Ourselves With Corissa Saint Laurent

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Transracial Adoptee Corissa suffered in the deep darkness of depression and addiction. She'd been asking herself who she was all her life. Listen in a...

A Solid Identity With Mike Trupiano

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Growing up in a hostile and toxic environment adds a dense layer of trauma to the trauma of being relinquished by our birth mother. We feel insecure a...

Broadening Our Perspective With Lora Keleher

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some say that when we see better, we do better. I think that seeing better helps us we feel better too. More comfortable in ourselves. More at peace w...

Fog, Mist & Brilliant Sunshine With Greg Gentry

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Coming out of the fog reveals our trauma. We become conscious of what was subconscious. But who we really are remains shrouded in mist. We just can't ...

Adoptee Growth With Sun Mee Martin

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we grow? Become comfortable in ourselves? Feel whole? Listen in as transracial adoptee Sun Mee shares her personal growth story. She brings me ...

How Adoptees Can Sell More Books & Get More Speaking Gigs With Michelle Vandepas

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Contact Michelle: [email protected] Make sure your book is on: http://adopteereading.com/Check out podcasts you want to be a guest on...

Stick-to-it-ness with John Saintignon

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Keep going. Even when the search for your roots is like looking for a needle in a haystack. John shares profound insights from his journey with modest...

Perspective With Eric Mueller

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

"When I was forty-five, I received a photograph of my birth mother in the mail—the first time I ever saw someone who looked like me. Seeing myself i...

Positivity With Ryan Anderson

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan found out that he was adopted just before he turned 18. It rocked his world. And not in a good way! Listen in as Ryan shares what he's learned - ...

The Feelings Of Healing With Simon Benn

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Healing is a word that's bandied about a lot in adoptee circles. But what does it mean? How do we heal? Listen in as I run through David Hawkins' Map ...

Getting Clear On Who You Are With Simon Benn

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Benn was adopted at 5 weeks old and told so young he doesn’t ever remember not knowing. He didn't experience any conscious adoption trauma un...

Freedom With Trauma With Sarah Audsley

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you spent a lot of your life trying to be free from trauma? I know I have! What if you could be free with trauma? Poetry can take where we've nev...

After The Fog With Sharon Stein McNamara

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Boom! Many of us adoptees come out of the fog with a painful explosion. Adoptee and Developmental Psychologist Sharon goes deep on understanding repre...

We Are Not Our Trauma With Liz DeBetta

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Liz's nightmares used to be so vividly terrifying that they took her all day or to get over. And depression and anxiety marred her waking hours. We go...

Mindfluid With Catie Samantha Peck

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Catie's watershed moment came when shame shifted for her. Listen in as we go deep on shifting shame through tenacity and curiosity - being mindfluid r...

A Journey To Self With Jeff Forney

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With our life story missing chapter 1, it's no wonder identity can be tricky or a complete mystery for us adoptees. How can we feel good enough if we ...

There's Nothing Wrong With Us With Dr Joyce Maguire Pavao

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We adoptees often believe there is something wrong with us. This is known as pathologising ourselves. Adoptee Joyce has been working in the adoption w...

Tired Of Being Mad With Dr Syb

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Late Discovery Adoptee Dr Syb got tired of being mad. At times she felt she didn't want to be here - in this place or lifetime. So what did she do? Li...

Self Love With Rebeccah Carlson

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Here's the links I mention towards the end of the interviewhttps://thriving-adoptees.simplecast.com/episodes/self-love-for-adopteeshttps://www.youtube...

Awareness With Kayla & Ashley

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

 So many of our feelings come from subconscious thoughts. That's a challenge because we can't deal with what we aren't aware of. Listen in as we expl...

Becoming Our Own Guru With Emma Stevens

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Working with a therapist involves making ourselves vulnerable. Putting ourselves in their hands. Accepting their authority. Emma's therapist abused he...

What Stops Us Thriving? With Vin

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our motivation away from pain is far stronger than our motivation toward pleasure. That's why painkillers outsell vitamins. But what if we are - compl...

Growth With Andres Berman

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've been through tough stuff so how do we adoptees grow? How do we learn from our mistakes? Listen in as Andres shares some of his learnings from bo...

Off The Approval Treadmill With Daryn Watson

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Like many of us, Daryn was underprepared for the emotional upheaval of reunion. Listen in as he shares learnings from reuniting with his birth mother ...

Finding Peace With Abby Forero-Hilty

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

So many of us adoptees feel so many painful feelings. Suppressing them leads to explosions later on. Numbing them through alcohol and drugs often lead...

Painfully Beautiful With Donna Joseph

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There's pain and beauty in adoption. Donna like she's been healing her whole life. But coming out of the fog was a shock to her system. Listen in as s...

How We Heal With Cindy McQuay

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How do we heal is one of those inevitable questions that come up after we come out of the fog. Listen in as Cindy and I explore practical steps to hea...

Navigating Reunion For International Adoptees With Yael Adler

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We adoptees have so many questions! And international adoptions often throw up so many more especially when records are so sadly lacking or non-existe...

Finding Happiness Within With Pamela Karanova

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fighting abandonment, grief and loss is for many of us, a deeply ingrained habit. Pamela's 27 year relationship with alcohol was a big part of her fig...

Goodbye Guilt With VL Brunskill

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

VL felt, as so many of us adoptees do, like an outsider. She was also adopted into abuse. Listen in as she shares what's helped move past this to forg...

Clarity With Transracial Adoptee Gina Samuels

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Transracial adoptee Gina grew up in a very white part of the USA. Racism was part of her daily life. Listen is she shares her insights into getting cl...

Unwoundable With Doug Dubrish

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Doug almost died when he was 5. When he found out he was adopted at 6 he took that in his stride. What on earth do these two things have to do with on...

Discovering Who I Am With Fred Nicora

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Identity is tricky - to say the least - for many of us adoptees. For late discovery adoptees it can be a complete nightmare. LDA Fred's identity was s...

Hypervigilance With Jools Jackson

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hypervigilance — the elevated state of constantly assessing potential threats around you — is often the result of a trauma. No wonder it's so comm...

Healing The Inner Child With Carolyn Parker

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our volcanic eruptions of anger threatens to burn us alive. Gut wrenching shame threatens to engulf and drown us. So how do we survive this rollercoas...

Acceptance With Jennifer Dyan Ghoston

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The powerful emotions we adoptees feel can sometimes threaten to overwhelm us. So how do we get past those feelings? Listen in as fellow adoptee and p...

Loving Ourselves With Ron Levi

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can we love ourselves when we don't know who we are. Listen in as adoptee Ron shares what he's learned about his genetic identity and history to g...

Finding Our Value With Elena Hall

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Finding our own worth can be tough for us adoptees. And yet it's vital for self esteem. Listen in as adoptee Elena and I explore this vital topic from...

Self Sabotage V Protection With Chaitra Wirta-Leiker

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What's the difference between sabotaging ourselves and protecting ourselves? How do we stop sabotaging ourselves? Adoptee, adoptive parent and psychol...

Mindblowing With Cathryn Vogeley

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Birthmother Cathryn Vogeley went through hell. PTSD messed up her mind. Listen in as she tells how that mind got blown. In a good way. To help her hea...

Conscious Parenting With Bob Saul

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Saul was born in Chicago, IL and grew up in the Chicago area and later moved to Colorado. A graduate of Colorado College and the University of Col...

Goodby Shame With Birth Mother Laura Engel

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shame is toxic. So how do we let it go? Laura shares some of her story and insights to help us heal through an understanding of what birth mothers go ...

Freedom WITH Trauma With Adoptee Molly McCaffrey

10 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trauma is scary. Of course we adoptees have been through trauma and experience it when triggered. So we desperately want it gone. We want to be FROM t...

The Superhero Inside With Amanda Baum

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you compare yourself to others? Then beat yourself up for doing it? Would you like to forgive yourself for that or being angry? Would you like to l...

With Christine Murphy

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Usually it's us adoptees that doing the searching for our birth mothers and fathers. But what if they find us? That's what happened to today's guest. ...

Realising Our True Selves With Adoptee Diane Bay

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We all want to love and accept ourselves. But how can we do that when we don't know who we are? What else gets in the way of us loving ourselves? List...

Seeing Our Own Self Worth With Adoptee Kay

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a bit different and experimental. Listening back to it, I'm a little hesitant and fumbling. I start by reading a poem about my diamond...

How Do We Get To Thrive With Adoptee & Adoptive Mom Maline Carroll

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Thriving can seem impossible given our trauma. So how DO we thrive? Maline and I dive into freeing ourselves up, re-configuring our brains and letting...

Riding The Emotional Rollercoaster Of Search & Reunion With Adoptee and Genetic Genealogist Gerri Berger

02 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Considering searching? Scared of rejection? Confused about the next step? Adoptee and Genetic Genealogist Gerri shares what she's learned riding her o...

Upping Our Empathy Game With Adoptee Danielle Gaudette

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Empathy helps us understand the important others in our lives - like our adoptive parents as well as people who may not be in our lives such as our bi...

Surviving Rejection With Adoptee Lori Jakiela

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many adoptees - myself included - delay the search for our birth mothers for fear of rejection. We don't believe we could handle it. We are still feel...

Rewriting Our Story With International Adoptee Oleg Loughheed

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Oleg became an orphan at 9. But he's NOT a prisoner of the past. How has re-written his story to serve him? What has he learned that helps him thrive....

Resolution With Transracial Adoptee Matthew Salesses

10 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Transracial adoptee Matthew shares how he's found clarity and resolved confusion about who he is to find peace. There are insights aplenty on shame, f...

Satisfying Skin Hunger With Adoptee Nicole J Burton

09 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole pledged to herself that she'd search for her birth mother at the tender age of 4. Now in 60's she has been in reunion for over half her life. L...

Finding Our True Self With Adoptee Melissa Brunetti

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen in as Melissa shares what she's learned after coming out of the fog and finding her true, authentic self. We go deep on higher self-esteem, spo...

God Hated Me With Adoptee Lorah Gerald

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is all about one of the most dramatic turnarounds we've ever heard on the podcast. Lorah used to think that God hated her. That she was a...

Unstuck With Adoptee Kirsten Weatherford

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kirsten never wanted to be stuck. So how did she become unstuck from her trauma? So she could heal, grow and move forward. How did she keep going when...

No Longer An Outsider With Adoptee Leah Cooper

05 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Feeling like an outsider. So many of us felt like that growing up. And that feeling has stayed with us into adulthood. Listen in as Leah shares her jo...

Beyond Shame With Birth Mother Patricia Florin

04 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Shame is incredibly toxic. Birth mothers suffer, adoptees suffer. Listen in as we go deep into shame from birth mother Patricia's perspective. Some th...

Patience & Persistence With Adoptee Alice Diver

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Listen on as Alice shares how she found the patience and persistence on her quest to find and meet her birth mother. There are bags of insights, reali...

Leaps in Wisdom With Adoptee Terrie Novak

02 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Wisdom is a lot quieter than the negative voice in our heads. Listen in as Terrie and I explore finding truth and peace in that quieter place. From th...

More Than Good Enough

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How can the anguish of losing our birth mothers become the belief that we are not good enough? Join Vin and me as we explore the origins and growth of...

Becoming Who We Want To Be With Adoptee Julia Brewer Daily

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Julia Brewer Daily is a Texan with a southern accent. She has a B.S. in English and a M.S. degree in Education from the University of Southern Mississ...

Treasures From The Tough Stuff With Karen Springs

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a break from the norm as we go into what Karen has learned hosting adoptive parents in Ukraine and interviewing 63 adoptive families b...

How To Prevent Bullies Upsetting Your Adopted Child With Amanda Angel

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There's nothing more upsetting than seeing your child upset. Adopted kids can be more sensitive and easily upset. I'm adopted and bullies often mad...

Personal Growth With Adoptive Mom Beth Syverson

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join us as we explore what adoptive mom Beth learned - and continues to learn - as her son struggles with addiction. It's raw, deep and profound.Here'...