Adoption: The Making of Me. An Oral History of Adoptee Stories

Neshia, short for Teneshia, is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was apprehended from her biological mother due to neglect and entered the child welfare system as a Crown ward in the late 1980s. After being adopted in the early 1990s, she was later remade a Crown ward again in the mid to late 1990s. The systems meant to protect her did not simply fail—they turned away.

Neshia is of mixed race and identifies as Black. Her story lives at the intersection of race, silence, and survival. Within child welfare systems that lacked cultural safety, accountability, and care, she learned early what it meant to endure rather than be protected. What happened to her was not a series of unfortunate moments—it was systemic abandonment.

For years, Neshia carried her truth quietly, holding pain that was never hers to hold. Listening to others speak their stories helped her understand that her own voice mattered and that healing could begin with being heard.

Now almost 40, Neshia is a mother of four and a foster mother by choice. She is raising children while healing herself, rooted in trauma-informed therapy and intentional care. Her life’s work is breaking cycles, reclaiming her voice, and becoming the safety she once searched for.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Unspoken by Liz Harvie

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas!

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect

Adoptee Mentoring Society

Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law

Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group

Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement

Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.

Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted

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Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide and mental health struggles; if you or someone you know needs help, please call/text 988 in the US and Canada.

Kelly Jean Torres is an author, singer-songwriter, and trauma-informed storyteller whose work explores what it means to survive and heal. Raised in a web of foster care, domestic violence, addiction, and emotional neglect, Kelly grew up learning how to disappear in order to stay safe.

Born in Illinois and now based in Nashville, Tennessee, Kelly’s early life was shaped by instability and fear, but also by a fierce internal will to survive. Removed from her biological parents as an infant and raised in by volatile foster parents who ultimately adopted her, she learned early that love was conditional and safety was fragile.

After decades of therapy, self-inquiry, and spiritual exploration, Kelly began to revisit the memories she spent a lifetime keeping at arm’s length. Saving the Lost Girl is her first memoir, written with the belief that facing the past is the only way to reclaim the future.

In addition to her writing, Kelly is a musician and lives with her husband and two children. Through her work, she hopes to remind others that no matter how our story began, we get to write our own ending.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Unspoken by Liz Harvie

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas!

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect

Adoptee Mentoring Society

Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law

Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group

Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement

Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.

Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jackie’s life and work are rooted in the profound belief that every individual deserves a "brave space" to show up authentically, fully, and without judgment. As the Executive Director of a Hospice Home and the founder of Lega-C Healing by Jackie, she dedicates her days to guiding others through life’s most delicate transitions with grace, intuition, and deep compassion.

Her professional path is inextricably linked to her extraordinary personal journey. A survivor of orphan trafficking from the Dominican Republic under the guise of international adoption, Jackie was brought to the United States as a child, after the death of her mother, separated from her twin and everything she knew. She spent years navigating the complexities of identity and belonging, a quest that eventually led to a series of powerful reunions: first with her U.S.-based siblings at age nineteen, and later with her twin, her biological father, and her remaining siblings at thirty-two.

These experiences of loss and reclamation shaped her into a gifted Community Builder, Death Doula, and intuitive healer. Jackie understands the weight of being "un-homed" and has turned that history into a sanctuary for others, helping them find peace and presence even in the face of the unknown.

Beyond her clinical and spiritual leadership, Jackie is a mother of three, a wife, and a dedicated artist. She finds her own healing and inspiration in nature, whether she is exploring the outdoors or translating the beauty of the world into her creative work. Her life is a living testament to the power of resilience and the enduring legacy of healing.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Unspoken by Liz Harvie

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas!

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect

Adoptee Mentoring Society

Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law

Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group

Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement

Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.

Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Born in England, to a young American Mother, Dean was adopted by a loving English couple who already had another, separately adopted son. Fully aware of being adopted from an early age, both siblings struggled for a sense of identity, and tension was ever-present in the family. Eventually, aged 33, Dean decided to attempt to find and connect with his birth mother and was eventually able to do so, aged 42. Reunification went very well for a few years, but eventually their relationship became toxic, and Dean decided to move on.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Unspoken by Liz Harvie

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas!

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect

Adoptee Mentoring Society

Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law

Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group

Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement

Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.

Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Relinquished at birth, Mindy was the only girl and the oldest child in her family, learning at age five that she had been adopted. Her childhood was marked by serious anxiety and feelings of being an outsider while also losing herself in the role she fulfilled as “Mindy”.

Finding her maternal bio-family in her mid-thirties helped her to solve some of the mystery behind her abandonment. After the tragic passing of both of her adoptive parents when she was forty-three, Mindy began coming to terms with her origins, experiences, and losses.

As age fifty approached, she began connecting with online adoption communities, asking questions, and coming out of the fog. Finding and connecting with her paternal half-siblings during this time has helped her know what it feels like to belong. While there has been a lot of pain in her life, Mindy believes that practicing gratitude has been key to where she is on her journey toward healing.

Season 11: Adoptee Memoirs - books in order:

Practically Still a Virgin by Monica Hall

You Can't Get Rid of Me by Jesse Scott and Keri Ault

Unspoken by Liz Harvie

EVENTBRITE LINK - AUSTIN, TEXAS - LIVE PODCAST EVENT: 4/17 & 4/18 2206!

Sign up to be part of our mailing list and receive upcoming details about our April 17th & 18th Live Podcast Event in Austin, Texas!

Thank you to our Patreons! Join at the $10 level and be part of our monthly ADOPTEE CAFE community. The next meeting will be Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm ET.

RESOURCES for Adoptees:

Adoptees Connect

Adoptee Mentoring Society

Gregory Luce and Adoptee Rights Law

Fireside Adoptees Facebook Group

Dr. Liz Debetta: Migrating Toward Wholeness Movement

Moses Farrow - Trauma therapist and advocate

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255 OR Dial or Text 988.

Kristal Parke Because She Is Adopted

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.