234 episodes
Who Am I Really? Damon L. Davis
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- Education
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4.9 • 234 Ratings
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Adoptees telling their own stories of life in adoption, their search for their birth family, and how their reunion attempt turned out. Stories that make you laugh, cry, or simply say "wow".
This podcast has two purposes:
1) To help you explore your own feelings about your adoption, accept your desire understand your own personal history, and decide for yourself whether reunification with your biological relatives is right for you. It will help you understand how others have dealt with issues related to protecting the feelings of their adopted families who may be supportive of your search, or question your motives and present challenges.
2) For non-adoptees, this podcast will help you understand some of what is in the minds of your friends, family members, or others who are adopted. Perhaps you had questions for them but you didn’t know if you should ask.
The stories will make you smile or bring you to tears, but they’re all true as told by the people who lived them. In them, I hope you’ll find something that inspires you, validates your feelings about wanting to search, or motivates you to have the strength along your journey to learn “Who Am I Really?”
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226 - The First Free Man Hug
Brad, from McKinney, Texas, just outside of Dallas grew up thinking something was off in his family. But Brad internalized his differences from his parents as his own inability to adapt to their personality traits and abilities.
As an adult DNA testing revealed that something far more foundational to his being was the reason for their differences. The revelation set off a series of forced confrontations, unexpected sibling introductions, and being face to face with an incarcerated man Brad had no intention of bonding with... until he did.
Make sure you to listen until the end to hear how Brad's paternal reunion played out. It is heartwarming for sure.
This is Brad's journey.
Who Am I Really?
Who Am I Really? Website Share Your StoryDamon's story
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227 - I Knew She Never Forgot Me
Jane, from outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, grew up knowing she was adopted, comfortable with the fact, and even knowing her birth name from a young age.
After her adoptive parents passed away, Jane obtained as much identifying information as possible and submitted two DNA tests. The amalgamation of resources all provided supporting clues to her maternal and paternal sides.
In reunion, Jane found a man who didn't even know she existed, but wanted to get as much information about what transpired behind his back when he was a teenager as possible.
Listen at the end for the touching moment where Jane took her birth father to a special place.
This is Jane's journey.
Who Am I Really?
Who Am I Really? WebsiteShare Your StoryDamon's story
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228 - You Should Be Grateful
Angela, from Seattle Washington, grew up in a home full of adoptees whose adoptions were prioritized because of perceived medical needs, including her own. Angela pursued reunion, expecting she would search for and find her birth mother and they would look just the like,
Instead, Angela first found a man who was loved by his community and when she appeared there in his town where she was born, everyone knew exactly who she was because of her close. paternal resemblance.
Angela's maternal reunion started with a jarring introduction that initiated with what she thought would be a reunion rejection, but eventually evolved into a maternal connection. Angela is the author of "You Should Be Grateful: Stories of race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption".
AngelaTucker.com
This is Angela's journey.Who Am I Really?
Who Am I Really? WebsiteShare Your StoryDamon's story
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210 - Not Begging, Just Moving On
Trish from Arlington, Texas had open access to her adoption records which provided the information she needed to find her birth mother. But just because she was found didn't mean the woman wanted to talk.
When her birth mother's reluctance to meet Trish softened, they formed a relationship that lasted many years until suddenly it was over. Trish has tried to put the adoption reunion rejection behind her.
She focuses more on trying to build a relationship with her birth father and hopes to put her training as an adoption competent therapist to use for other adoptees.
This is Trisha's journey.
Who Am I Really?
Who Am I Really? Website Share Your StoryDamon's story
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211 - The Gift He Gave Me
Kamina called me from Dubai, but she grew up in Texas. Kamina said she was always confused about why she didn't look like her adoptive family and no one would ever admit she was adopted.
Turmoil between her adoptive parents led both of them to alcoholism, poor judgment, and an awful love triangle that got Kamina kicked out of her home at a tender age.
After years on the street, then time in the military Kamina decided part of ending her years of self-sabotage was to finally face the truth about her adoption she seemed to be running from.
This is Kamina's journey.
Who Am I Really?
Who Am I Really? Website Share Your StoryDamon's story
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212 - Forbidden Roots
Fred called me from outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, near lake Michigan. Fred grew up an only child loved and supported by his parents, but sometimes feeling out of place and misdirected by them when he tried to pursue some of his interests.
As an adult, a slip of the tongue of one of his relatives revealed something he had never suspected. That he was adopted.
In reunion with his birth mother, Fred found a woman so deeply traumatized that she wanted to maintain her secrets after her death.
Fred is now on a quest to remove adoption stigma while fighting for open records in adoption.
This is Fred's journey.
This is Fred's Book: Forbidden Roots
Who Am I Really?
Who Am I Really? Website Share Your StoryDamon's story
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Customer Reviews
Salve for the adoptee soul
Hearing all these other adoptee stories makes me feel less alone in this world of adoption. There is nothing like community to heal. Thank you for creating this space for us.
I'm an adoptive mother learning so much from this podcast.
I've really enjoyed going back and listening to so many of these episodes in hopes that it will help keep my mind open to any struggles my daughter may have in the future. She's only a year old, but knows her bio mom and will know anything she wants to know.
What a gift!
Thank you, Damon, and everyone who shares their stories. You have given me a great gift. Listening to you has given me a deeper understanding of the struggles my daughter may be experiencing. This understanding allows me to view the anger my daughter directs towards me, or at least some of it, not as a personal attack but as an outgrowth of the pain/trauma she suffered because of our separation and not that she doesn’t want me in her life. Which, in turn, allows me to view her actions with more empathy and gives me the strength to stay on the “reunion rollercoaster ride.”
Again, thank you. It is long overdue for society to understand the trauma caused by the separation of mother and child.
Respectfully,
Lynn