Who Am I Really?

279 - An Accident of Birth

03 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Alex, whom I spoke with live in Los Angeles, California, said growing up, he could never quite pinpoint the out-of-place feeling he carried in his ado...

278 - Consciously Keeping Everyone Separated

27 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mikayla (alias), from Australia, never wanted to confront her adoption until she began thinking about starting a family of her own. Through DNA testin...

277 - Adopting Privilege

21 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Abby Hasberry spoke to me from Baltimore, Maryland. Transracially adopted, Abby was brought into a family that believed in racial harmony but didn...

276 - I Just Can't Make This Sh!t Up!

13 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Alejandra, who spoke to me from Tampa, Florida, said that growing up she towered over her Mexican parents as a blonde white woman. They loved her deep...

275 - That's The Girl Barbara Got

06 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yvette, from Memphis, TN, shared that In her childhood no one would say the word "adopted",. After a tense moment in the neighborhood and a series of ...

274 -  If Anything More Was Supposed To Happen, It Would've Happened

29 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lauren, from southwest England in the UK, grew up knowing she was adopted and was loyal to her family, but applying to university and thinking through...

273 - Allowing The Grief of Each Little Separation

22 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nicole, from outside London in the UK, grew up in Australia. As a teenager, Nicole struggled with her adoption, so after reaching out for help, her bi...

272 - Both Amazing and Bittersweet

15 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Greg, from Minneapolis, Minnesota, said when his son was born, he thought he could stroll into the D.C. adoption system to ask for his adoption record...

271 - The Blessing of Hardship is Perspective

08 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Christy, who called me from Utah, was deeply loved by her adoptive parents, who prayed she would be delivered to them. But throughout childhood, she ...

270 - Glimmers of Light The Little Girl In Me Needs

01 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Neshia, from outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, said her birth mother lived the street life and exposed her children to the full dark side of the ch...

269 - It's Amazing How It All Fell Into Place

25 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today is a special double adoptee episode with Noreen and Adrian. They both live in Massachusetts, but they were together in New Hampshire to meet som...

268 - I've Gained Peace With Every Piece

18 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lori, from Missouri, said that growing up she wondered who her birth mother was, but it wasn’t until she received her original birth certificate tha...

267 -Things Worked Out The Way They Were Supposed To

11 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Sharla, from West Texas, grew up never wanting to find her birth family. But in truth, she knows she was suppressing that feeling. After a DNA test...

266 - You Don't Have To Run Anymore

04 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elina, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was born in Russia. She spent her early years in her birth family’s care before moving into foster care. Then,...

265 - Captain of Her Ship

27 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Angie, from Southern Maryland. Growing up, Angie was frequently defined by her skin tone, as her relationship to her adoptive parents was questioned. ...

264 - Connected By Cousins

20 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Donna, from New Jersey, grew up questioning the origins of her looks. In college the uniqueness of her appearance sparked curiosity. Donna spent ye...

263 - I Know From Whence I Came

13 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Rosalyn spoke to me from the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. As a teenager, she learned the truth about her adoption at her adoptive mother’s funeral—...

262 - Un-M-Othered

06 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Liz Debetta spoke to me from Plymouth, Michigan. Growing up, adoption was an open topic until her younger brother's birth changed the family's foc...

142 - "American Baby", Gabrielle Glaser

23 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

David, and his birth mother Margaret's story of adoption relinquishment, lives lived apart but close to one another, and their brief emotional reunion...

115 – Shadows of the Night

16 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

DL called me from Manhattan, New York. He talks about his youth in a home with a mother addicted to prescription medications who probably wa...

147 - Please Don't Carry That Weight Anymore

09 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Marie chatted with me via Skype from Lake Garda in the North of Italy.In her journey you'll hear the impact of a transracial adoptee who grew up ...

135 – Something About This Tells Me We’re Family

02 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Isaac, from Hawaii, talks about himself as a boy who was loved, but struggled to connect with his adoptive parents in certain ways. Hav...

129 – Finding Him Brought Closure

26 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tracey called me from Nashville, TN. She was raised in a family with a genetic trait that deeply impacted her middle sister, driving her app...

175 - The Thing I Needed To Forgive Myself

19 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kristen, from Minnesota, was a multi-sport athlete in high school, even competing while pregnant with her daughter. She tells the story of giving birt...

101 – This Is About Everybody

12 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Debby’s home adoption was an open topic because she was fostered by her grandparents and adopted by their daughter. Unfortunately,...

106 – Beautiful Truth

05 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For Shelby, growing up as a Korean adoptee left her feeling “othered” as she didn’t quite fit into her community. The Korean school her par...

261 - Born Without A Race

28 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Sean from, Fishers, Indiana, grew up the only person of color in his entire rural town. Yet his ethnicity was hidden from him by his adoptive moth...

260 - Il Mio Posto a Tavola (My Place at the Table)

14 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Santo, from Redding, PA, grew up knowing he was adopted, and that his family could have also adopted his siblings from Italy. As an adult, when a frie...

259 - The Innocent People Project

07 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff, from southern California,   grew up with the knowledge of and separation anxiety about his adoption. In reunion, he found his birth mother who...

258 - Twice the Family

31 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Julie from Chicago, Illinois is rare in the world of adoption because she wasn't adopted alone. She and her identical twin sister were placed toget...

257 - Unjustified Rejection

24 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Melissa, who called me from Harrison, Arkansas, says she always felt chosen and grateful for her adoption. But after decades of peace with her origin ...

256 - I'm Not The Finished Package

17 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan, from Edinburgh, Scotland, grew up ashamed of his Moroccan heritage and faced bullying due to his background and religion. At 18, a letter from h...

255 -  This Is Me, But Why Is It Me?

10 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Katie was adopted from China as a baby and raised in a predominantly white suburb south of Boston. Her adoptive family gave her a life full of opportu...

254 - I Do Not Want My DNA In Their System

03 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

George grew up in Soviet Georgia knowing he was different—both visibly and emotionally—in a society where adoption and his sexuality were dangerou...

253 - The Veteran Community Helped Me Save Myself

26 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Forrest's life began in chaos, abuse, and danger at home and in the foster care system. Forest says he joined the military to make an honorable exi...

252 - Stoicism and Radical Acceptance

19 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 Raised in the mountains of the midwest, Misty endured neglect and abuse when she was a child. She took matters into her own hands to separate from ...

251 - Adult-Adoptees.com, Dr. Amy Geller

12 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Amy Geller, from Wykoff New Jersey, had had an idyllic adopted life as the youngest child and the only girl in her family.  But an accidental d...

119 – Refined By Fire

05 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tezita (te zi TA) called me from Sacramento, CA, but she tells a harrowing story that originates in Ethiopia. Tezita’s adopted family had many other...

113 – I Was Loved Everyday By People I Didn’t Know

29 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Carrie called me from Lynchburg, Virginia. In her journey you’ll hear her talk about the moment she realized she was found, and how she was in ...

103 – Fixing The Fates

15 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Diane called me from St. Petersburg, Florida, but her’s is a story that originated in Germany. Diane tells the story of her parents wanting to ...

108 – On The Outside Is Where I’ve Always Been

08 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Pam, from Emeryville, CA, told me her desire to search started when she was a kid, but it was Oregon’s laws that changed everything for he...

085 – A Bad Truth Is Better Than A Good Lie

01 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After the adoptive father she loved so much died, Alison learned her birth father, Tim, was looking for her and she took it as a good sign of things t...

126 – Welcome Home

22 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew lives in Murphy, Oregon, near Grant’s Pass but his is an east coast story. Andrew grew up kinda feeling like an odd man out in his famil...

110 – We’ve Wanted This Our Whole Lives

15 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jessica is a rare native, born and raised, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She shares how she found her biological relatives through DNA testing despite her bes...

095 – I Tested Her To See If She’d Give Up

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Laura called me via Skype, would you believe, from Falkirk Scotland. Laura told the story of her childhood knowledge that she might hav...

109 – You Can’t Change The Past

01 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dan has barely told anyone the his whole story until this episode. He shared that he was in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as an infant....

083 – An Unbelievable Emotional Roller Coaster For Me

25 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Before becoming an adoptee advocate Rich was searching for his own identity. As a child, his older adopted sister vengefully told him their ...

099 – We Were Both Missing Something In Our Lives

18 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Joseph is a really outdoorsy guy who lives in Edmonds, Washington, about 30 minutes north of Seattle. He likes mountain biking, trail running, camping...

089 – I’m Reconciling This Feeling of Hurt

11 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Steve, from London, Ontario, Canada shares his story of being adopted after his mother lost a child. Steve and his mother never connect...

070 – I Don’t Think She Can Move Forward From The Pain

14 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kyle tells the story of growing up, towering over his mother and sister and looking very different from them, but being loved. Locating his birth...

250 - In Search of a Salve: Memoir of a Sex Addict

07 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Katherin called me from Atlanta, Georgia. She grew up in a challenging environment with an adoptive mother on dialysis, an adoptive father who disenga...

249 -It Is So Good That This Is Real

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amy shared her story with me from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She learned about her adoption before her teen years—a revelation that left her in shock b...

248 - I Always Had a Hole in My Heart

23 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Virginia spoke to me from New York. When she was young, her single mother struggled to raise her and her two younger brothers, battling addiction and ...

247 - Devastated My Granny Endured What She Did

16 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bobbi, who lives in Montgomery County, Maryland, reached out as an ally to the adoptee community. After we chatted, she realized something important a...

246 - Everyone Is Doing The Best They Can With The Skills They Have

09 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jean, from Boulder City, Nevada, shared that her raising parents had their flaws, from addiction to enablement, but she knows they loved her and they ...

245 - Anybody Alive Is Off Limits

02 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Curt, from in Las Vegas, Nevada, felt like something was off in his family when he was a kid, so he he set out to find his own way. As an adult, Curt ...

244 - Love is Meant to Multiply

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Patrice, from Northern Virginia, said that in her house adoption was never discussed when she was a kid. So her curiosity led to a secret search as an...

243 - Out of the Turtle Shell

19 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sharon, from Springfield, Missouri, grew up in a small town as part of a large family. After leaving home, she became pregnant and was abandoned by th...

241 - Abandoned at Birth: Searching for the Arms that Once Held Me

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Janet spoke to me from her home in Nantucket, Massachusetts. She grew up with an adoptive mother who presented to the outside community as a saint who...

242 - Maintaining My Present Peace

12 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here is the edited version with improved grammar:Baya called me from Basking Ridge, New Jersey. She was raised in Germany by parents who grew up in po...

240 - I Was Hoping That Somebody Would Love Me

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jim, from Gilroy, California, Jim was born in the early 1960s in San Jose, California. His adoption story is complex, shaped by the trauma and loss hi...

239 - Stolen From My Homeland

21 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Moses is an adoption trauma educator and therapist, but his own personal journey as an adoptee is one of hardship and resilience. To use his words, Mo...

102 – It’s Always Maybe

14 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Breanna learned that she was fostered then adopted but for financial gain and she described her home as a hostile environment. Her adopted mother was ...

041 – I’ve Finally Gotten Myself To A Sense Of Peace

07 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After two years in foster care, Janet was adopted into the foster family. An interracial woman, she grew up in a white midwestern community in Oh...

122 – Deep Rooted Issues Of Shame And Guilt

31 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John called me from Charlotte, NC, but his story starts in Ontario Canada. He shares how he grew up in a strict home and how even though he was m...

138 - She Never Thought She Would See Me Again

24 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marilyn called me from Southeast Tennessee. When she met her natural mother, she finally learned the story of what the woman had been through as the p...

124 – I Didn’t Do Anything To Him

17 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gayla called me, with her best friend Lisa, from Georgia. Gayla said she was loved so much by her adopted parents that you never would have known...

087 – A Journey To Find Out Where I Came From

10 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When he was a kid, Bill saw clues here and there that he was adopted, but no one ever actually said it. It wasn’t until he called an uncle...

137 – Searching For Mom

03 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sara, from Seattle, Washington, was an over achiever adoptee who was secretly struggling and going off the rails. She intentionally avo...

104 – You’re Obviously One Of Us

27 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Karen is from Stratford, Ontario, Canada. She shares her story of growing up a woman of color who stood out in her family and community.Locating ...

114 – My Two Moms

20 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wendy, from Massachussetts, was adopted through Louise Wise, an agency with a notorious reputation. Separately, the tragic murder of Lisa Steinbe...

097 – You Gotta Forgive

13 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

James called me from right up the road in Laurel, Maryland and we have one degree of separation with one of my adoptive father, Willie’s, ...

053 – Seeing The Life That Could Have Been

06 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Meredith had enough adoptees around her growing up that adoption was no big deal. Yet, her parents never felt comfortable actually discussing adoption...

079 – There Are Wins And Losses

29 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Paul grew up in a family where he didn’t look like his parents, his father was Mexican and his mother was Japanese. In his childhood,...

238 - Life is Magic!

22 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Dorenbos, the Magic Man, contacted me from his home in Los Angeles. John grew up in a wonderful family until he was 12 years old, when he came h...

237 - Loved From The Moment She Was Conceived

15 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lynn retains a New York accent, but she called me from North Carolina. As a young girl, Lynn should have been a carefree time in Lynn's life, but her ...

236 - I Will See You Again

08 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ken grew up in a mixed home with both biological and adopted siblings. While Ken was loved and treated equally, when his son was born, he felt the urg...

235 - Adoption: The Unknown Blessing

01 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Regina spoke to me from her home in North Carolina. When Regina was a child, she learned she was adopted and how other kids cruelly viewed adoptees. S...

234 - The Lost Coin

25 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Steven, from Bainbridge Island, Washington—across the Puget Sound from Seattle—shared his that when he was a kid, it only took one incident to sol...

233 - Coming to a Place of Peace

18 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lena, from just north of Tampa, Florida grew up surrounded by adoptees. However, as she got older, Lena began to feel how different she was. While wor...

232 Birth Mother's Day 2024

11 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the important things to do when sharing adoptee stories is try to empathize with our birth mothers. This is a special presentation of the "Who...

231 - Dr. Bruce D. Perry, "What Happened To You?"

04 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When a child is in need of support to help navigate the traumatic experiences in their lives. Renowned psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and leading autho...

230 - The Goodness Far Outweighs the Sadness

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Doris, who lives between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, California, was adopted after her adoptive mother's repetitive attempts at pregnancy. Doris then h...

229 - So Many Blessings in the Darkness

20 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Monica, from outside of Sacramento, California, shares her double story as an adoptee and a birth mother. When Monica was a kid getting dumped by her ...

228 – You Should Be Grateful

13 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Angela, from Seattle Washington, grew up in a home full of adoptees whose adoptions were prioritized because of perceived medical needs, including her...

227 – I Knew She Never Forgot Me

06 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jane, from outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, grew up knowing she was adopted, comfortable with the fact, and even knowing her birth name from a y...

226 - The First Free Man Hug

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brad, from McKinney, Texas, just outside of Dallas grew up thinking something was off in his family. But Brad internalized his differences from his pa...

077 – I’m A Wounded Healer With My Father’s Eyes

23 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Linda’s childhood was tumultuous after her mother’s death as she was raised in what she thought was her grandmother’s home. When she l...

117 – Born In June Raised In April

16 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

April called me from New York, New York, but her story originated in New England. She is a transracial adoptee whose search took her to...

121 – Somebody’s Always Been Watching Over Me

02 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chris lives in Northern California outside of San Francisco. He shares how he selflessly discovered his adopted brother’s birth mother just in time ...

116 - ERROR 404: BIRTHDAY NOT FOUND

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle, from North Hollywood, California, is an Asian American, but her specific heritage is unclear, and she doesn’t think she’ll ever ful...

111 – This Is What I Hoped You’d Be Like

17 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ginger who lives in Los Angeles, began her reunion journey as a teenager who found her birth mother, saw her picture, emailed her, but never made the ...

107- From A Place Of Love

10 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

David from Columbus, Ohio said he was practically at the front door of reunion, but drove away. Years later he finally found some sibli...

098 – Trained In Trauma

03 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Julie Lopez lives and works in Washington, D.C. Julie’s early childhood was happy at home, but it was her circle of friends that made her q...

067 – Part Of The Gift Has Been The Work I’ve Done On Myself

20 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christie was a shy child who wanted to participate in activities but held herself back from engaging. It wasn't until she was an adult that her adopte...

225 - Damon Davis, Adoption: The Making of Me

06 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In collaboration with my friends, Louise Brown and Sarah Reinhardt I'm bringing you a conversation we had a while back when I appeared on their show "...

224 - Totally Worthy To Be Found

30 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deanna, from outside of Tampa, Florida, could see in her youth that she didn't look like her adoptive family. In elementary school she discovered her ...

223 - I Try To Move Toward Empathy

23 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nina, from Minnetrista, Minnesota felt nothing but love in her adoptive family so much so that she wore her adoption as a badge of honor. Early in Nin...

222 - They Built A Relationship Before I Was Born

16 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Margaret Jane lives right in the middle of rural Michigan, outside of Carson city. When Margaret Jane asked her mother if she was adopted it was an em...

221 - Chile's Children of Silence

09 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

John, from Bowling Green, Kentucky grew up in Houston, Texas questioning why he looked different from his parents. When he asked about himself as a b...