Voices of Adoption amplifies authentic stories from across the adoption triad - birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive families - along with adoption service providers. Host Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart To Heart Adoptions and Clinical Mental Health Counselor and her co-host Nathan Gwilliam, founder & former CEO of Adoption.com, create a safe space for honest conversations about the complexities of adoption. Birth parents share their journeys of love, loss, and healing. Adoptees discuss identity, belonging, and their lived experiences. Adoptive families open up about challenges and beautiful moments. Adoption service providers offer insights from their professional experience supporting families throughout the process. Each episode bridges different perspectives within the adoption community, helping listeners understand that every adoption story is unique yet connected by common threads of resilience and hope. These conversations don't shy away from difficult emotions or complex questions. Instead, they honor the full spectrum of adoption experiences with empathy and respect. Join us for stories that educate, inspire understanding, and remind us that every voice in the adoption community matters.
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Voices of Adoption amplifies authentic stories from across the adoption triad - birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive families - along with adoption service providers. Host Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart To Heart Adoptions and Clinical Mental Health Counselor and her co-host Nathan Gwilliam, founder & former CEO of Adoption.com, create a safe space for honest conversations about the complexities of adoption. Birth parents share their journeys of love, loss, and healing. Adoptees discuss identity, belonging, and their lived experiences. Adoptive families open up about challenges and beautiful moments. Adoption service providers offer insights from their professional experience supporting families throughout the process. Each episode bridges different perspectives within the adoption community, helping listeners understand that every adoption story is unique yet connected by common threads of resilience and hope. These conversations don't shy away from difficult emotions or complex questions. Instead, they honor the full spectrum of adoption experiences with empathy and respect. Join us for stories that educate, inspire understanding, and remind us that every voice in the adoption community matters.
In Part One of this two-part series on Voices of Adoption, host Donna Pope speaks with Lorah Gerald, known as "The Adopted Chameleon," whose baby scoop era story reveals how four million families were separated by societal shame between 1945-1972.
Historical Trauma
Lorah's father served his country overseas while that same country violated his parental rights by never informing him of her birth. Her capable mother was deemed unfit simply for being unwed, reflecting systematic practices that separated families based on shame rather than child welfare. This historical context illuminates how past adoption practices continue to impact families today.
Electric Connection
At 53, Lorah experienced what she describes as an "electric shock" when first touching her biological sisters - a physical and emotional jolt that unleashed decades of suppressed grief, joy, and recognition. The reunion revealed shared mannerisms and synchronicities that validated the deep energetic bonds that transcend physical separation.
Communication Barriers
Despite loving adoptive parents, Lorah discovered that declarations of love can inadvertently shut down essential conversations about identity and belonging. Her experience reveals how well-meaning families can create communication barriers when trauma responses meet unprocessed grief, and why professional support helps navigate these complex dynamics.
This episode demonstrates how understanding adoption's historical context and emotional complexity can help families build authentic relationships where difficult conversations become pathways to healing.
Don't miss Part Two, where Lorah shares her healing strategies and advocacy work transforming adoption practices for future generations.
Subscribe to Voices of Adoption for more stories of search, reunion, and healing.
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Voices of Adoption
Voices of Adoption amplifies authentic stories from across the adoption triad - birth parents, adoptees, and adoptive families - along with adoption service providers. Host Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart To Heart Adoptions and Clinical Mental Health Counselor and her co-host Nathan Gwilliam, founder & former CEO of Adoption.com, create a safe space for honest conversations about the complexities of adoption. Birth parents share their journeys of love, loss, and healing. Adoptees discuss identity, belonging, and their lived experiences. Adoptive families open up about challenges and beautiful moments. Adoption service providers offer insights from their professional experience supporting families throughout the process. Each episode bridges different perspectives within the adoption community, helping listeners understand that every adoption story is unique yet connected by common threads of resilience and hope. These conversations don't shy away from difficult emotions or complex questions. Instead, they honor the full spectrum of adoption experiences with empathy and respect. Join us for stories that educate, inspire understanding, and remind us that every voice in the adoption community matters.
