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.
This is Part 2 of our conversation with Lorah Gerald, "The Adopted Chameleon," from Voices of Adoption. If you missed Part 1, where she shared her baby scoop era story and the electric shock of finding her siblings at 53, be sure to check it out first.
Continuing with our conversation on the Voices of Adoption with host Donna Pope, Lorah Gerald, focuses on her healing journey and practical strategies for adoptees and families navigating baby scoop era trauma. After meeting her biological siblings at 53 and experiencing the "electric shock" of connection, Lorah developed evidence-based approaches to recovery that she now shares through her advocacy work.
Healing Modalities
Lorah discusses her journey through trauma-informed yoga therapy, Kundalini practices, and energy healing work that helped her process decades of suppressed emotions. She explains how movement-based therapies can help adoptees reconnect with their bodies after early separation trauma and provides specific techniques for nervous system regulation.
Family Communication Strategies
This episode explores practical approaches for adoptive families to create authentic dialogue about adoption without triggering defensive responses. Lorah shares specific language and timing strategies that help families move beyond "Don't you know we love you?" conversations toward genuine understanding and support.
Advocacy and Community Building
Lorah explains how her personal healing led to community organizing and support group facilitation. She discusses the importance of adoptee-led spaces and how sharing lived experiences helps transform adoption practices for future generations while supporting current families in crisis.
Don't miss our upcoming episodes featuring more adoptee advocates working to improve adoption outcomes through education, policy change, and family support services.
Subscribe to Voices of Adoption for more stories of search, reunion, and healing.
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#BabyScoopEra #AdoptionHealing #AdoptionTrauma #AdopteeVoice #TraumaInformedYoga #AdoptionRecovery #LorahGerald #AdoptedChameleon #AdoptionAdvocacy #HealingJourney #AdopteeSupport #VoicesofAdoption #AdoptionCommunity #EmbodimentHealing #AdoptionWisdom
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.
