Lately, grief has been weighing heavy on my mind. On this episode, I share some of these thoughts as I try to make sense of the complex emotions surrounding grief, especially as they pertain to my journey as an adoptee.

After losing my father in April 2022, I found out he kept my ethnicity a secret which added layers of confusion and anger to my feelings of grief. I discuss how these revelations have reshaped my understanding of family, identity, and the significance of truth in our relationships.

Join me as I share my story and offer support to others navigating similar paths. Your feelings are valid, and you're not alone.

Helpful Resources:

• The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.) provides specialized adoption-competent therapy to children, teens and their families in the state of Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C. metro area through both in-person therapy and teletherapy.
• Beth Tyson is an early Childhood Trauma Expert, Speaker, and Facilitator who taught me about ambiguous loss. Beth empowers organizations with evidence-based guidance to prevent and heal early childhood trauma.
• Jonetta Moyo is the founder of My Inspiration Studio, journal-based experiences, designed to support, guide, and provide understanding throughout life's journey. Her proprietary framework, Engage the Page™, encourages situational awareness through journaling, helping individuals connect their inner thoughts and emotions to how they show up in different aspects of life. I was gifted a Jonetta journal to support my grief after my father died.

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The Adoptee Diaries is a safe space for adoptees navigating the complex emotions of identity, trauma, and healing. Join me as I share personal reflections, journal entries, and real-time learnings from our community, featuring insights from experts who help us understand genetic and birth trauma. Whether you're an adoptee or someone seeking understanding, this podcast is about finding strength, connection, and resilience in a world that can often feel overwhelming. Together, let's move from our heads into our hearts and support each other on this journey.

Episode Description:

In this episode, I open up about the struggles I've faced over the past six months—feeling cornered, rattled, and overwhelmed by the world around me. But/And - my community has been my anchor, providing a safe space to heal and connect.

I discuss the importance of resilience, protecting our emotional well-being, and moving from head to heart.

Whether you're feeling stuck or just need a reminder that you're not alone, this episode is about finding strength together and pushing through the noise of the world with compassion and support.

So cheers to finding strength through community, to finding self-awareness, to protecting our emotional well-being and resisting the negativity that can come from external sources.

If you're experiencing anything you'd like to share, please do feel free to reach out. You are not alone and I'm here to support.

In this bonus episode of The Adoptee Diaries, host Bethany Fraser offers listeners an intimate glimpse into an adoptee's journey to find her roots. This remarkable two-part conversation between Bethany and her birth father tackles the myriad complexities surrounding adoption—from the pain of intentional secrets, an unintended separation, and confronting uncomfortable truths to the joy of reconnecting with blood relatives, cultural ties, ancestry, and the truth.

The episode shines a light on the under-acknowledged narratives within the adoption industry and underscores the lack of adequate support systems for fragmented families.

Drawing from her personal experience, Bethany, with the help of her birth father, dive into their emotionally stirring journey to uncover the truth of her origins. This story of hope, healing, and reunion serves to inspire and comfort adoptees experiencing similar struggles.

This candid conversation also speaks to birth parents, Black fathers specifically, upon discovering the concealed identity of her birth father, who also empathetically conveys the regret and longing he’s experienced.

This unique episode brings to light a few things:

1. The often overlooked humanitarian aspect of adoption.
2. The vital need for empathy, transparency, and inclusivity.
3. Offers a powerful message of forgiveness and resilience.
4. The critical role of sharing experiences and seeking supportive communities in overcoming personal struggles.

Tune in to experience the transformative journey of an adoptee taking control of her narrative and discovering her true identity. Healing is available to you too.