In this episode, I sit down with Julie Brumley, a trauma-informed adoptee coach whose own story is nothing short of courageous. For over 15 years, she has helped other adoptees overcome addiction, regulate their nervous systems, and find a sense of true belonging.
Julie Brumley - Trauma-Informed Adoptee Coach
The Resilience Project - Where Adoptees Find Belonging
As an adoptee herself, Julie survived unimaginable early life adversity—abandonment, attempted abortion, & multiple caregivers in the first 7 weeks of her life.
Julie weaves somatic therapy, community, and fierce self-compassion into everything she offers. Her wisdom speaks to the primal abandonment wounds many adoptees share, and her bravery in transforming pain into powerful purpose is inspiring.
If adoption has touched your life—or if you've ever felt out of place, struggled to belong, or wrestled with grief—you’ll resonate with the honesty and hope in this episode.
What we dive into:
-How adoption trauma and the “primal wound” can shape identity
-Julie’s survival story and journey to finding belonging within
-The role of somatic healing and nervous system work
-Radical self-acceptance as a path to wholeness
-Why processing grief is essential
-The unique set of challenges adoptees face in community and relationships
-How pain transforms into purpose
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:08 Meeting Julie and starting her journey
04:53 Naming adoption trauma
08:53 Julie’s calling to support adoptees
11:05 How addiction links to abandonment wounds
13:35 Finding birth family and the realities that followed
16:49 Loss, resilience, and adversity
19:31 Therapeutic tools for real healing
22:21 The impact of adoption on emotional intimacy
25:07 DNA, self-discovery, and identity
27:40 Connecting to biological and cultural lineage
29:45 Navigating relationships & emotional overwhelm
33:18 Slowing down and honoring the reunion process
36:55 Transmuting pain into purpose
40:57 Belonging—starting from within
44:03 Grief and living with loss
47:32 Setting boundaries in relationships
50:49 Emotional processing techniques
56:07 The ongoing journey to self-acceptance and belonging
