I love learning and gaining new information. I also love to hear people’s stories. I want all the information and all the details. As a young mom of 3 littles, sometimes feeding my brain isn’t easy. One way I have found that I can learn new things and hear people’s stories is through podcasts. I have found in the last few years of motherhood that there is a podcast for everything. Adoption is no exception to this in the podcast world. One of the first podcasts I ever discovered was Who Am I Really? Hosted by Damon Davis. Damon is an adoptee and adoptive father. He started a podcast where he interviews other adoptees and discusses the adoption experience and the experience of searching for and reuniting with a birth family.
I have listened to every single podcast Damon has put out. His podcasts and the stories from it, it gave me the courage to eventually reunite with my birth family. I had the opportunity to reach out to my biological mother almost three years ago. We met in person shortly after, and I have had a great relationship with her and my two half brothers ever since. I have also had the opportunity to meet all of my first cousins on her side, my uncle, a few second cousins, and my biological grandparents. My reunion has been a blessing in the life of my three children and, of course, my life.
Ever since I was a teenager, I struggled with identity issues related to my adoption. I knew that I needed to help other people who were touched by adoption. Even if it was just to tell other adoptees that they weren’t alone in their hard feelings. I never knew where my outlet would be, or if I could provide any help; but a couple of years ago, the opportunity to write for Adoption.com came across my path. I was hesitant and nervous, but I took the offer. It has been an honor and a joy to contribute to their amazing library of resources. And even if only one adoptee, birth parent, or adoptive parent reads a single article that I have written, I would be glad. If I can contribute comfort, advice, or support to another member of the triad, I will have fulfilled my calling as an adoptee.
In listening to the several hundred episodes of adoption podcasts, Damon’s and others’, I never thought I would be a featured story. I always thought that my story was too simple or too boring, but after writing dozens of articles for Adoption.com, I realized my story has a lot of interesting parts. I decided to take the leap and submit my story to ‘Who Am I Really?’
I almost canceled my interview. When I tell you I was nervous, I was nervous. I have never liked speaking in front of a crowd. And although Damon’s podcast isn’t live, I knew that the words I was speaking aloud would be recorded and broadcast to his audience. Anyone who wanted to listen could listen to little old me tell the details of my life. Damon’s podcast is listened to around the world—he has listed several different countries that tune into his podcast—it is amazing! The funny thing about my nerves for speaking is that I am a member of the worship team at my church. Most Sundays I am on stage in front of 200+ people singing and leading the congregation in song. For some reason, that doesn’t phase me in the slightest. Speaking, however, freaks me out.
In the days leading up to my interview, I prepped by writing out my life’s story (the summarized version). I wrote out major events related to my adoption in order of their occurrence. About 5 minutes before my interview was set to happen, I misplaced the paper with my life on it. Funnily enough, I didn’t need the paper once during my interview. Damon is just that good at his job. He knows all the right questions to ask and he is very good at keeping things on track. When I called Damon to start the interview, I was shaking. I was just praying “Please let me be able to speak and not sound like a dummy!”. But as soon as Damon picked up the phone, it just felt like I was talking to a friend. I guess when you listen to every episode of a podcast, the host feels like a friend.
I left the interview feeling amazing. I talked on the phone with Damon for a little over an hour. It basically felt like a really great therapy session. It is really neat to talk to someone who holds two places in the triad: adoptee and adoptive father. I have not had very many adopted people in my life, so to talk at length about my adoption with someone who really gets it was awesome. It made me want to join a bigger community of adoptees. It is really wonderful to know that the person you are talking to understands all the complexities of your own personal experiences. Adoption is complex. Adoption is always born of loss. It is a hard thing to experience and then try to explain to others. Who Am I Really? Does a great job of getting the details about the adoption experience out of adoptees. I really felt like I was able to share all the important parts of my story during my interview.
If you are adopted, an adoptive parent, or a birth parent, there is a podcast for you. Adoption Now, hosted by April Fallon, is an amazing podcast for adoptive parents. I had the honor of interviewing April for Adoption.com. Birth Mom’s Real Talk hosted by D. Ivonne Rivers is a great resource for birth mothers. And Who Am I Really? Hosted by Damon Davis is a great resource for adoptees thinking about reunion. I enjoyed my interview with Damon so much that I decided to submit my story to another adoptee-centered podcast, Adoption: The Making of Me. I had the honor of interviewing both Sarah and Louise for Adoption.com. Being part of this adoption community has been one of my favorite parts of being adopted. I love sharing my story with others. And I love hearing other members of the triad’s stories, too!
