Episodios

  • Every Voice: A conversation with North Dakota Adoptee Mary Kae Kelsch
    Mar 7 2025

    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.html

    https://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!

    Más Menos
    1 h y 3 m
  • a Stolen Identity, a Fraudulent Adoption; Part 4 of Adriana's Story
    Mar 3 2025

    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-identite

    http://database.againstchildtrafficking.org/node/203240

    http://database.againstchildtrafficking.org/node/203241

    You 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 FB

    https://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_link

    The Never Forgotten Children group was instrumental in helping Adriana. They may be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/373713406098147

    I

    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! 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.

    Más Menos
    33 m
  • A Stolen Identity, a Fraudulent Adoption: Part 3(ish) of Adriana's story
    Mar 3 2025

    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.citizenofnowhere

    For 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_link

    Adriana 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!


    Más Menos
    26 m
  • A Stolen Identity, a Fraudulent Adoption: Part 2 of Adriana's story
    Mar 3 2025

    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 Instagram

    Mentioned 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-roumaine

    https://www.tvaplus.ca/tva/j-e/saison-32/episode-936-adoption-ou-trafic-humain-1590008641

    http://database.againstchildtrafficking.org/node/203240

    https://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/203241

    If 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_link

    The host and their guest(s) opinions are just that, their opinions. The host is not a lawyer, a therapist or an adoption professional.

    Más Menos
    50 m
  • A Stolen Identity, a fraudulent adoption: Part One of Adriana's story
    Mar 3 2025

    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-1

    https://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.html

    https://www.quebec.ca/en/family-and-support-for-individuals/pregnancy-parenthood/adoption/international-adoption

    https://www.rferl.org/a/32213639.html


    The 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!

    Más Menos
    52 m
  • Love is not enough: a conversation with Lorah Gerald about the National Adoption Competence Mental Health Training Initiative
    Feb 18 2025

    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!

    Más Menos
    57 m
  • Sacred Information: Partnering with your Partner during their Search
    Feb 11 2025

    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.pdf

    The host and their guests' opinions are just that, our opinions. The host is not a lawyer, therapist or adoption professional.

    Más Menos
    1 h y 2 m
  • The Marketing of Open Adoption: a Lived Experience, with Connor Howe
    Nov 26 2024

    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!

    Más Menos
    59 m