The Adoption Files

Please join me and Adriana Rockefeller as we talk about what has happened in her fight to be recognized as a person since we spoke early last year in a two part interview here on the podcast. Adriana is still fighting to be recognized by Romania and Canada as a legal person. You can be a part of making that happen, as her court case continues. Adriana was raised as Roxana Pamela. Two years ago, she discovered that she had been adopted to Canada from Romania using another infants birth certificate. She subsequently discovered that this invalidates her own legal identity, leaving her in limbo, and without a state. You can help Adriana achieve personhood by purchasing her book and by donating to her fundraiser for legal funds. In a time where we often feel powerless, this is an opportunity to do something concrete for a victim of human trafficking. Her book Ne M'appelez pas Roxana:https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/ne-mappelez-pasroxana/9782897612764.html Instagram: @adriana.citizenofnowheregofundme.com/f/Help-Adriana-Reclaim-Her-Identitytiktok: @adriana.citizenofnowherehttps://www.journaldemontreal.com/2024/12/07/adoption-et-trafic-denfants-en-roumanie-une-quebecoise-part-a-la-recherche-de-sa-veritable-identiteTVA JE Episode: Adoption ou Trafique Humain? Available in Canada or if you have a VPN

Just a short episode sharing some of what came up for me after talking with mom Cindy Shultz. Reconciling the reality of how the adoption industry uses coercion to separate families with the stereotypes and the myth of Rescue that is presented to adopted people is an ongoing struggle for me. As my (now retired) therapist used to ask: How is that story serving you?The opinion of the host is just that, their opinion. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for listening! Please rate and review, as this helps to make the podcast more visible.

Please join me as I talk with mom Cindy Shultz about her experience with open adoption. Cindy Shultz is a mother of church-coerced child loss who transforms lived experience into advocacy. Raised in the shadow of poverty and stigma, Cindy was a mother in crisis when Catholic Charities pressured her into relinquishing her son in a process she felt powerless to stop. This experience of unnecessary child loss is the foundation of her mission to support the systematically oppressed. As the founder of Cindy's Family Preservation Alliance and a volunteer for Saving Our Sisters, she provides pregnant women the education and resource navigation she was once denied. Professionally, Cindy serves as a Wellness and Services coordinator at two local shelters, providing holistic case management for unhoused women. She is a certified Holistic Life Coach, Recovery Coach and Laughter Yoga Leader creating healing centered environments that honor the intersections of trauma, substance use, and family separation. Her work is a living testament that healing is possible and that family preservation is a fundamental human right that must be protected. If you are interested in Coaching or the healing power of Laughter Yoga, join her free Skool community Love Our Laughter. https://www.facebook.com/familypreservationalliance/https://www.skool.com/love-our-laughter-wellness-5520/abouthttps://savingoursistersadoption.org/The opinions of the host and their guest(s) are just that, our opinions. The host is not a lawyer, therapist or adoption professional. All resources shared are shared as a courtesy to the podcasts guests. The host encourages everyone to vet resources for themselves. Thank you for listening!

Please join mom, adoptee advocate, writer and homesteader Dani Joy and me as we continue to explore the intersection of spiritual trauma and adoption through our conversation with the book Holy Hurt, Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L McBride PhD.https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://www.healthcentral.com/mental-health/get-help-mental-healthThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, our opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional.

Please join me as I speak with the board of Adoptees for Family Preservation. AdopteesFFP.org was formed with the goal of supporting advocacy and education about the way that the adoption industry functions today and to promote family preservation rather than family dissolution. The board members all bring their own lived experience as adopted people to the conversation, along with their skills as professionals in a range of career fields. Please check out their bios at the non-profits website for more information about Sullivan Summer, Lora Alegria and Lilly Anspach. Please share the links to adopteesffp.org with everyone you know! Be a part of something powerful. https://www.adopteesffp.org/Find them on Instagram @adopteesffpCheck out Haley Radke at: https://onadoption.net/https://www.adopteeson.com/aboutDonate and be a part of creating healthier communities at: https://www.adopteesffp.org/donationsThe opinions of the host and their guests are just that, our opinions. The host is not a therapist, lawyer or adoption professional

First mom Dani Joy joins me as we discuss spiritual trauma through the lens of adoption. We are reading and discussing the book Holy Hurt, by Hillary L McBride PhD. We hope the listeners will join us in this journey to understand and to navigate adoption related spiritual and religious trauma. https://medium.com/@danijoyhttps://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&cjevent=acd48c2d0b8111f1804e00550a1eba24&cm_mmc=CJ-_-100357191-_-5250933-_-Evergreen+Link+for+Mayo+Clinic+Diet&utm_source=cj&utm_content=100357191&utm_capaign=3-monthshttps://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/complex_ptsd_assessment.asphttps://www.nicabm.com/program/a1-brain-trauma-fb2/?del=bing.1718.ptsd&network=o&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=530620131&ad_group_id=1351302280065123&utm_term=traumatic%20stress&utm_content=&del=bing530620131&msclkid=bee2c579db9c177b015bacea48f39198https://www.mhanational.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/MHM-2025-Resource-List.pdfhttps://rainn.org/https://www.thetrevorproject.org/https://health.clevelandclinic.org/vagus-nerve-resethttps://health.clevelandclinic.org/box-breathing-benefitsThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, our opinions. The host is not a therapist, a lawyer or an adoption professional.

Dani Joy, first mom, birthmothers rights advocate, adoptee ally. amazing friend joins me in reviewing the book Holy Hurt Understanding Spiritual Trauma and the Process of Healing by Hillary L Mc Bride PhD. https://hillarylmcbride.com/holy-hurt-book/We are reviewing the book from the perspectives of a mother of loss to adoption and a person lost to adoption. Religion contributed a great deal to the trauma we have both experienced and informs the family severance narrative to this day. We hope you will join us in this journey. Please be aware that the episodes will discuss things that may be triggering to many of our listeners. Please take care of yourself. The host and their guest are not adoption professionals, lawyers or mental health professionals. Our opinions are just that, our opinions. They are informed by our respective educations and lived experiences.

This episode is the conclusion to my trip to Georgia, hoping to meet maternal family, and walk in circles for a lot of hours just in case no one showed up.

Day two here. My day to stretch out after traveling. One of my free time days that I hoped to meet family. I deliberately included a week day and a weekend day, because, timing? Have you ever thought about the way you move? How some, any of your gestures may mirror those of a family member? How seeing them in yourself may make for a sense of belonging? I would love to experience that. Have you?

This is a messy episode. I recorded this at the end of a very long day where i woke up at 2 am, drove an hour to an airport and then wore an itchy mask for ten hours to get to a place I am not sure I want to be in order to do one thing I want to do and feel conflicted about another thing I am not sure is going to happen or if I want it to happen if it does. I am in Georgia for an Ultra. I am in Georgia to maybe, finally, meet my mom. And maybe my maternal siblings. And also, the Ultra, which is put on by a group called Yeti Trail Runners and is called The Dark Anchor. If you have never done an endurance event-think about participating. Training to complete a marathon or an ultra or a century or, well, there are lots of options, teaches you a lot about yourself and about other people.

Listen to learn about Californias new bill designed to restore unrestricted access to original birth certificates for people adopted in California. You can be a part of making history and restoring equality!The bill: CA SB 381 2026 (this number was assigned to a housing bill for last legislative session. This will change when session for this year opens)Sponsor: Author Senator Aisha WahabThe bill restores unrestricted access to original birth certificates for adult people who were adopted as minors in the state of Californiahttps://caallianceforadopteerights.org/legislative-updates/https://concernedunitedbirthparents.org/how-we-can-helphttps://bastards.org/https://savingoursistersadoption.org/https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/https://registertovote.ca.gov/https://www.adopteerightscoalition.com/The opinions of the host are just that, their opinion. The host is not a lawyer or an adoption professional.

The road to hell is paved in good intentions. What might this have to do with adoption? Listen to this conversation with embodiment instructor and adoptee rights advocate Lorah Gerald, also known as The Adopted Chameleon on social media. Information about Lorah and links to her social media can be found at https://lorahgerald.com/Mentioned in the episodehttp://kathrynjoyce.com/books/the-child-catchers/https://www.relinquishedbook.com/https://thefamilypreservationproject.com/https://adopteerightslaw.com/https://adopteesunited.org/https://www.adopteesforjustice.org/https://savingoursistersadoption.org/The host is not a lawyer or a therapist. The opinions of the host and their guests are just that, our opinions.

Mary Kae Kelsch was adopted in 1970 in North Dakota, but was she born there? Where is her birth certificate located? Please join as we talk about the laws in North Dakota and Minnesota, about reunion, and about the importance of every voice. Mentioned in the episode:https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/vitalrecords/adoption.htmlhttps://adopteerightslaw.com/north-dakota/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057773/The opinions of the host and their guest(s) are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for listening!

Please join us for the conclusion of my conversation with Adriana, a Romanian person fraudulently adopted to Canada as an infant in 1991. Adriana can be found on social media @adriana.citizenornowhere on ig and TikTok.More of Adrianas story can be found using the links below. Adriana was the subject of a documentary in French, as well as several news aritcles. A link to an English translation is included below. https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2024/12/07/adoption-et-trafic-denfants-en-roumanie-une-quebecoise-part-a-la-recherche-de-sa-veritable-identitehttp://database.againstchildtrafficking.org/node/203240http://database.againstchildtrafficking.org/node/203241You can support the work of Echoes From Home by donating to their efforts to provide DNA testing for Romanian and Roma adopted people and their families. Please use the link below to visit their page on FBhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562822742468&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=Y1Sywgo8oI2TBW2Z&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1F9LtvsUd9%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr#You can also help Adriana with her mounting expenses by donating to her gofundme. The podcast always encourages listeners to research and confirm information whenever making donations to any fundraiser or organization. https://www.gofundme.com/f/adriana-sapproprie-sa-vrai-identite?attribution_id=sl:52b49f82-71bd-4128-a568-069984fe5967&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_linkThe Never Forgotten Children group was instrumental in helping Adriana. They may be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/373713406098147IThe opinions of the host and their guest(s) are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for listening! If you enjoy the podcast, please take a moment to rate the show. This will help make the podcast easier for others to find and enjoy. Thank you.

Please join us for Part 3 of my conversation with Adriana, a Romanian person trafficked to Canada for the purpose of adoption, who only recently discovered she was adopted under another persons name. This was meant to be the conclusion to the three part series, but we experienced a technical difficulty. The conclusion to the series will be up soon. Adriana can be found on social media on Ig and Tiktok @adriana.citizenofnowhereFor people interested in helping support Adriana in her efforts to establish an identity secure her citizenship rights, and begin her life as her own person (at 35!), here is a link to the gofundme set up to help her. https://www.gofundme.com/f/adriana-sapproprie-sa-vrai-identite?attribution_id=sl:52b49f82-71bd-4128-a568-069984fe5967&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_linkAdriana has also set up a foundation to help others in similar situations to herself. DNA has become a vital resource help reunite families. By supporting Echoes From Home, you support the purchase of DNA test kits to make reunion possible. https://www.facebook.com/people/Echoes-From-Home/61562822742468/The opinions of the host and their guest(s) are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for listening!

Please join us for part two of my conversation with Adriana, a Romanian person fraudulently transported to Canada for adoption under another persons name. She only recently discovered her true identity and status, while also learning that Canada has known since 2015. Adriana can be found at: @adriana.citizenofnowhere on both TikTok and InstagramMentioned in the episode and related information:https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2024/12/07/adoption-et-trafic-denfants-en-roumanie-jamais-je-nai-remis-en-question-la-legalite-de-ladoption-confie-la-maman-adoptive-dune-enfant-roumainehttps://www.tvaplus.ca/tva/j-e/saison-32/episode-936-adoption-ou-trafic-humain-1590008641http://database.againstchildtrafficking.org/node/203240https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562822742468&mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=q1XnOGVu7FEm83PW&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2F1F9LtvsUd9%2F%3Fmibextid%3DwwXIfr#http://database.againstchildtrafficking.org/node/203241If you would like to help Adriana continue in her efforts , please donate to her GoFundMe. The podcast always encourages everyone to verify for themselves information prior to making donations. https://www.gofundme.com/f/adriana-sapproprie-sa-vrai-identite?attribution_id=sl:52b49f82-71bd-4128-a568-069984fe5967&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_linkThe host and their guest(s) opinions are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional.

In 1991, Adriana was trafficked to Canada from Romania . Hers was the last private adoption allowed before the changing of laws governing children internationally adopted from Romania. Please join us as we talk about how she discovered the reality of her adoption as a person raised with a fraudulent origin story. Mentioned in the episode:https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2024/12/07/adoption-et-trafic-denfants-en-roumanie-une-quebecoise-part-a-la-recherche-de-sa-veritable-identite-1https://gettotext.com/quebec-government-aware-of-adoption-irregularities-in-romanian-child-case-for-nine-years/https://adoptedfromromania.ro/https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/canadians/adopt-child-abroad/processes.htmlhttps://www.quebec.ca/en/family-and-support-for-individuals/pregnancy-parenthood/adoption/international-adoptionhttps://www.rferl.org/a/32213639.htmlThe opinions of the host and their guest(s) are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for listening!

Please join me as I talk with Lorah Gerald about her experience taking course modules presented by the NTI as well as working as a presenter and collaborator as they increase their knowledge base. Lorah can be found as The Adopted Chameleon on Facebook, Tiktok, and Instagram. Mentioned in the episode:NTI Training: Expert Adoption Support for Professionals | C.A.S.E.Prioritizing trauma-informed careAccess to Adoption Records - Oklahoma | Child Welfare Information GatewayMaternal-infant bonding by Marshall H. Klaus | Open LibraryEmbodiment: A Conceptual Deep Dive | Meridian University(PDF) The psychobiology of early attachmentMother-infant cosleeping, breastfeeding and sudden infant death syndrome: What biological anthropology has discovered about normal infant sleep and pediatric sleep medicineThe opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions. The host is not a therapist, a lawer or an adoption professional. List of Hotlines for Mental Health HelpThank you for listening!

Please join me as I speak with non-adoptee Andrea Coates and adoptee Greg Gentry as we discuss Greg's pursuit of his non-identifying information from the state of California. Andreas experience as a Search Angel informs how she goes about helping. Greg and Andrea are romantic partners, which brings a layer of complexity to the search. How might non-adopted people be present for adopted people as they pursue their documents?Mentioned in the episode:California adoption law: Adoption RecordsCalifornia Department of Social Services: Home | California Dept. of Social ServicesSome resources for people interested in learning more about how adoption affects the adopted person:Adoptees OnAdoptee Reading: An Adoption Book Catalog - Books Written & Recommended By Adoptees(2) InterCountry Adoption News | Facebook(2) Adoption: Facing Realities | FacebookAdoptees United | Identity, Citizenship, EqualityAdoptee Rights Law Center PLLCAdoptees on Tiktok, IG, Bluesky.There are so many.mhcc_Trauma-IRL-Tips_A4-2.pdfThe host and their guests' opinions are just that, our opinions. The host is not a lawyer, therapist or adoption professional.

Please join me as I speak with Connor Howe, a California(but also an Irish!) adopted person who has grown up as one of the first generation of "Open" adoptees. After the birth of his child, Connor began to deconstruct from the adoption narrative. As a marketing professional, Connor brings both his lived experience as a young adoptee in open adoption and his education and work experience to the conversation. Connor is known as Adopted Connor on social media and can be found at: Adopted Connor (@adopted_connor) • Instagram photos and videos Adopted Connor - YouTube (7) Facebook @adoptedconnor.bsky.social Mentioned in the episode: Georgia Tann: Georgia Tann - Wikipedia Agency price lists: Every agency, public and private, keeps price lists, usually referred to as fee listings. I found a large number of articles the discuss the fees and fee structures but am not interested in posting them here. If you want to subject yourself to the experience, just google average costs to adopt. Financial reports for non-profits: all non-profits are required by the IRS to report their financials each year and make them publicly available. Note: just because an organization calls themselves a non-profit does not mean money is not being made. Take note of monies spent on advertising, legal fees, home studies, employee payroll, etc. You may find that many of the people hired by the non-profits are affiliated in some way with the org itself-in-laws, board members, other family members, etc. Many are affiliated with churches as well. Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica History of sealed birth certificates in the United States: BB: A History of Sealed Records in the United States | Bastard Nation Adoption Law: Adoptee Rights Law Center PLLC California adoption law: California | Adoptee Rights Law Center Irish Citizenship: Citizenship | Department Of Foreign Affairs | Ireland.ie | Ireland.ie Catholic Church and forced adoption: For Decades, Churches Forced Unwed Mothers Into Adoptions | Sojourners Ireland’s shame: reforming an adoption system marked by secrecy and trauma The Adoption Machine: The Dark History of Ireland's Mother and Baby Homes and the Inside Story of How 'Tuam 800' Became a Global Scandal: Redmond, Paul Jude, Daly, Clare: 9781785371776: Amazon.com: Books The opinions of the host and their guest are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional. Thank you for listening!