Because She's Adopted Podcast

Episode 12 | Kim & Emma In this episode of Because She's Adopted, hosts Kristal Parke, Kim, and Emma explore the complexities of adoption, personal stories, and the importance of community. Kim shares her adoption journey, including her reunion with her birth mother and the emotional challenges that come with it. Emma provides her perspective as a partner supporting Kim through her experiences. Together, they discuss the significance of connecting with other adoptees and the impact of their relationships on their identities. Guest Bios Emma is an editor and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. Her background is in visual art and museum education, where she's created audio guides, wall texts, and podcasts.  Kim is a visual artist and designer based in Brooklyn, New York. Kim enjoys beach detritus, Halloween decorations, and their dog, Nova.  Connect with Kim Emma's Mom's Memoir - Waiting to Forget by Margaret Moorman https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/916335.Waiting_to_Forget Socials: https://www.instagram.com/wildbod?igsh=N3V4ZHRscmticWpq Website: http://Wildernessbodies.com Kim's Art Show https://www.wassaicproject.org/exhibitions/this-must-be-the-place Connect with Kristal Website: https://kristalparke.net/ Merch | Voices Collection: https://kristalparke.net/merch/ Email: kristal@becauseshesadopted.com Socials: @kristalparkeofficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristalparkeofficial/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KristalParkeOfficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristalparkeofficial Support the Show If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help more people discover these powerful stories of healing and identity.  

Episode 11 | Chris Williams Host Kristal Parke welcomes fellow adoptee and comedian, Chris Williams to recap a week in The Big Apple where Kristal's film, Because She's Adopted, was the official selection for The Adoptee Film Festival and had its New York City Premiere at the Caveat Theatre in Manhattan. From Central Park to Broadway, hotdogs to hamburgers, they cover it all in this lighthearted episode. Guest Bio Chris Williams is a stand-up comedian and producer from Los Angeles, currently based in Santa Barbara. Audiences are drawn to his intelligent, relatable, and irreverent style of humor, which is anchored around his own life experiences, including his adoption story. Chris prefers the term "thrifted" rather than adopted. Connect with Chris Website: https://crwspeaks.com/aboutme Email: chris@crwspeaks.com Socials: https://www.instagram.com/crwspeaks/ Connect with Kristal Website: https://kristalparke.net/ Merch | Voices Collection: https://kristalparke.net/merch/ Email: kristal@becauseshesadopted.com Socials @kristalparkeofficial Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristalparkeofficial/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KristalParkeOfficial TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristalparkeofficial Support the Show If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help more people discover these powerful stories of healing and identity.  

Episode 10 | Christy Gilvear Host Kristal Parke welcomes fellow adoptee Christy Gilvear for a powerful conversation about adoption, faith, and growing up in a high-control religious environment. Together, they unpack how those experiences shaped their identity, relationships, and journey toward healing. This episode of Because She's Adopted offers an honest look at self-discovery, resilience, and finding freedom beyond the beliefs we were raised in. Guest Bio Christy Gilvear is the creator of The Rooted Petal and host of the upcoming Green Alchemy Podcast. Through plants, storytelling, and remembrance, she helps others reconnect to their roots and rediscover healing through nature. An adoptee and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Christy interweaves her personal healing journey with teachings on Earth wisdom, ritual, and conscious living. Her work invites others to see plant care as self-care — a living practice of balance, presence, and transformation. She lives in Utah with her husband, four kids, dog Luna, and two cockatiels — in a home filled with light, love, and a thriving indoor jungle. Connect with Christy Email: christy@therootedpetal.com Socials:  @therootedpetal @greenalchemypodcast  @adopteealchemy Connect with Kristal Website: https://kristalparke.net/ Email: kristal@becauseshesadopted.com YouTube | Instagram | TikTok @kristalparkeofficial Support the Show If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help more people discover these powerful stories of healing and identity.  

Episode 9 | Dr.Richard Wenzel Dr. Richard Wenzel shares a riveting NPE journey that began with an at-home DNA test and unfolded into the discovery that his father was not his genetic father. The conversation traces childhood memories surrounding a sibling's secret adoption, a pediatrician who "knew and lied," and a later-in-life reckoning with identity, family history, and medical ethics. Richard explains why genetic secrets harm patients, how falsified family histories misdirect care, and why he advocates for clinician candor: "Just tell the truth." Guest Bio For three decades, Dr. Richard Wenzel, PharmD, CPPS, has been an accomplished educator, practitioner, researcher, and mentor in the realm of health care.  He has authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications in medical journals and given more than 100 presentations at national, state, or local-level professional meetings.  He received the American Pharmacists Association's One-to-One Patient Counseling award, given annually to five pharmacists nationally, and is a two-time nominee for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's Master Preceptor award.   In 2020, an at-home DNA test revealed that his father was not his genetic father, a result that helped explain why Richard has always felt 'out of place' within his own family.  Unfortunately, both his mother and genetic father are long deceased, but available information substantiates that his conception was the result of a sexual assault of his at-the-time teenage mother.  Moreover, evidence indicates that Richard's pediatrician knew of, and lied about, the facts of his paternity.  Since his DNA discovery, Richard has published several articles in medical journals calling for health care professionals to improve their management of genetic secrets and has on-going projects aimed at improving public awareness about medical professionals' roles in propagating genetic secrets.     Connect with Richard Email: lone.tree.npe@gmail.com Links: Misattributed paternity discovery: A critique of medical organizations' recommendations - PubMed Buying my existence. Just $49, free shipping included - Wenzel - 2023 - Journal of Genetic Counseling - Wiley Online Library To be or not to be (honest): The persistent problem of misattributed paternity - Hercher - 2023 - Journal of Genetic Counseling - Wiley Online Library Connect with Kristal Website: https://kristalparke.net/ Email: kristal@becauseshesadopted.com YouTube | Instagram | TikTok @kristalparkeofficial Support the Show If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help more people discover these powerful stories of healing and identity.  

Episode 8 | Erin In this heartfelt conversation, host Kristal Parke sits down with Erin, co-founder of Hiraeth Hope and Healing, Inc., to explore what it means to discover you're an NPE (Not Parent Expected) and how she turned that revelation into one of purpose by creating community spaces for NPE's, adoptees, and donor-conceived individuals. Guest Bio In 2017, Erin unexpectedly discovered that she is an NPE (Not Parent Expected) while delving into her family history. Since then, she has devoted much of her time to assisting others in their quests to find family connections, serving as a search angel. Her dedication to service extends beyond her academic pursuits. Erin has established a supportive online community for NPEs on Facebook and facilitates Zoom meetings and a weekly book club tailored to adoptees, donor-conceived individuals, late discovery adoptees, and fellow NPEs. At Hiraeth Hope and Healing, Inc., a 501(c)(3), she helps host three annual retreats across the U.S. Erin also serves as the Board President for the Toms River Education Foundation and volunteers at a local food pantry. A passionate advocate for social justice, Erin is a high school special educator focused on supporting students through trauma-informed approaches and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in schools. She's a certified Reiki practitioner, a 500 RYT yoga teacher through Breathe for Change, and is currently pursuing her MSW at Rutgers School of Social Work. Residing at the Jersey Shore with her husband, three sons, and their beloved pup, Cooper, Erin enjoys reading, yoga, meditation, and a good binge of crime TV. Connect with Erin Website: www.hiraethhopeandhealing.com Email: info@hiraethhopeandhealing.com Facebook: Hiraeth Hope and Healing Instagram: @hiraethhopeandhealing Connect with Kristal Website: https://kristalparke.net/ Email: kristal@becauseshesadopted.com YouTube | Instagram | TikTok @kristalparkeofficial Support the Show If this conversation resonated with you, please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help more people discover these powerful stories of healing and identity.