Speaking of Adoption

Yvonne Johansen & Mandy Coon
  • 5.0 (2)
  • KIDS & FAMILY

NEW EPISODES EVERY 2 WEEKS! We are diving into the heart of adoption—sharing real stories, breaking down myths, and shining a light on how adoption can be done with love, integrity, and respect. Whether you're a birth parent, an adoptive family, adoptee, or just someone who wants to learn more, this is a safe space for honest conversations and meaningful connections. Join us while we explore the beautiful, complex, and life-changing world of ethical adoption.

Episodes

  1. 2D AGO

    Adoptees: Elijah and Kelly

    Happy Holidays from Speaking of Adoption!  We have a true gift for you in this episode—two amazing men, Elijah Johanson (son of our wonderful Yvonne) and Kelly DeHaan (a good friend), who come from contrasting life stories, sit down to discuss all the many ways adoption has affected and continues to affect their lives. Although adoption can be so similar in many ways, these two men prove that no two stories will ever be the same.  From generational adoption differences to reactions from their birth families and everything in between, Kelly and Elijah truly embody the heartache, joy, and many varied emotions that come with having adoption as part of their life's tapestry.  Please join us in giving them a huge THANK YOU for opening their hearts and being vulnerable so that we can all have a better understanding of what adoption looks like in a more profound way. Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    46 min

  2. DEC 12

    Yvonne's Christmas Message + Adoption Updates

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Speaking of Adoption! Yvonne is our host today wishing us all a wonderful holiday season with a sweet message to all our adoption world friends!  CALLING ALL FRIENDS OF ADOPTION!! Yvonne also updates us on a potentially harmful bill that will go before law makers next month. There is also a lot going on in the adoption world both nationally and here in our state of Utah regarding adoption laws, birth mother rights, and how these bills (if they pass) will negatively affect the adoption world in general and more specifically the negative impacts it will have on birth mothers and their children, as well as adoptive families.  We need your help right now! In a few short weeks law makers will vote on this bill and if they do it could put many amazing agencies (including A Guardian Angel Adoptions) out of business. So many birth mothers rely on AGAA and their services to help them during a scary and often lonely time in their lives.  Right now these women are given a choice to travel to any state they would like to spend their pregnancy as well as place their baby for adoption. This bill would prohibit this behavior, taking away the rights of a woman who is already in a vulnerable position.   Visit law makers today to voice your opinion about this bill being voted on in January! Please click here to JOIN THE FIGHT!  Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    46 min

  3. NOV 25

    Adoptee Markeeda

    Markeeda’s story is just as incredible as it is unique—being allowed visitation with her birth family until she was 11 years old. Today she talks us through how the trauma and pain of her childhood shaped the woman, wife, mother, and community advocate that she has become. Her example of resiliency will touch your hearts as it did ours. Learn more about Markeeda's non-profit UROR: https://www.uror.org/ Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    53 min

  4. NOV 11

    Adoptive Family: Birth Mom Serenity & Adoptive Mom Andie

    Today our guests just might be the most perfect example of what an “open adoption” can look like. Birth mom Serenity and adoptive mother Andie walk us through how they have shaped the relationship between birth mother and adoptive parents to expand their family and prove that adoption isn't about loss, it's about building connections. From the very beginning both Serenity and Andie desired a unique openness to their adoption experience, knowing that they wanted to give the twins that Serenity gave birth to as much access to her, she has become a great addition to their family. Hear how they work together to successfully support each other and the twin girls they both love.  Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    1h 1m

  5. OCT 28

    Birth Mom Heidi

    Today we sit down with an incredible woman whose experience with adoption is not only relatable but inspiring. From having that hard conversation with her loved ones and the birth father all the way to making a strong connection with the adoptive family, Heidi's story is a beautiful example of how adoption is all about increasing love not dividing families.  We are so excited for you to meet her!  Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    56 min

  6. OCT 14

    Jodie: Former Adoptive Family Case Manager

    Today we welcome the amazing Jodie to the podcast! After nearly 20 years at A Guardian Angel Adoptions as an Adoptive Family Case Manager, Jodie has seen adoption from every imaginable angel. From the pure love and sacrifice it takes to be a birth mother to the heartache and resiliency it requires from each person involved.  In today's episode, Jodie shares her insights into the world of adoption that not everyone has the chance to see. Along with her wonderful sense of humor and immeasurable heart Jodie is offering a rare glimpse into the heart of adoption and helps all of us see what a beautiful gift adoption truly is. Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    49 min

  7. SEP 30

    Johnny and Tony with Special Guest Katie from AGAA

    We can't wait for you to meet our guests on today's episode. Johnny and Tony have adopted not one but two beautiful children through A Guardian Angel Adoptions and truly embrace what it means to be adoptive parents. As a couple they have faced many hardships when it comes to starting their family but they have handled every curve ball and stressful moment with grace and resiliency.  Through all the chaos they became forever friends with our very own Katie Carr who has walked them through many challenges and been the very definition of support that A Guardian Angel Adoptions has come to be known for.  Today Johnny and Tony walk us through the many facets of adoption, including a very painful and stressful failed adoption. They have come to share their experience as well as their advice on adoption through the eyes of those who fully embrace the adoption world with open hearts.  Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    58 min

  8. SEP 16

    Birth Mom Alli

    Today we are honored to sit down with a vibrant and beautiful birth mother who walks us through her own experience with adoption. She walks us through what brought her to A Guardian Angel Adoptions, her hopes and dreams for her baby, finding the right family who would love and care for her sweet boy when she wasn't in the position to and everything in between. We know you are going to love her as much as we do!  Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    35 min

  9. SEP 2

    Yvonne Responds to Inaccurate Claims

    Yvonne is back this week and in today's episode she's ready to set the record straight.  In the Spring of this year (2025), a small online publication named AGAA as one of the offending adoption agencies in UT, allegedly guilty of many harmful practices exploiting birth mothers and their babies. The only problem with this article is none of the claims they made regarding A Guardian Angel Adoptions are true and if that wasn't bad enough they didn't call for a comment or rebuttal regarding the claims they were making to give AGAA a chance to refute the inaccuracies.  So instead of letting false narratives take hold, we decided to have Yvonne Johanson (A Guardian Angel Adoptions founder and Director) respond and react to the article directly.  As promised in today's episode we have provided all the links to the articles in question. Please use the following to read more: Article from "The Times"https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/utah-human-marketplace-adoption-agencies-zbfjv9930 AGAA's Press Release Submitted in July of 2025https://finance.yahoo.com/news/utah-adoption-agencies-under-attack-143000020.html Yvonne's Letter to the Adoption Communityhttps://aguardianangel.com/a-letter-in-response-to-the-times-article/ Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    47 min

  10. AUG 19

    AGA Social Workers

    Today we sit down with two incredible women, both Licensed Social Workers from the A Guardian Angel Adoption Agency, who walk alongside our birth moms during some of the most emotional, complex, and courageous moments of their lives. They aren't just professionals, they are compassionate listeners, fierce advocates, and steady hands in the storm.  In this episode we will talk about what it truly means to support birth moms, the moments that have stayed with them over the years, and how their work shapes both the lives of the women they serve as well as their own.  We are excited for you to get to know and love them like we do.  Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    54 min

  11. AUG 3

    Yvonne

    Welcome to our debut podcast episode! We've been wanting to start a podcast for a long time and we are thrilled you are here to support our first-ever conversation about adoption. Today we are sitting down with A Guardian Angel Adoptions founder and Executive Director, Yvonne Johanson. Over 3 decades ago Yvonne was touched by a documentary about orphans in a third-world country—little did she know that this one moment would transform her own life and inspire her to change the community of adoption forever.  Join us as we hear about the valuable lessons Yvonne learned that not only changed the way she saw adoption but inspired her to create an agency whose focus is adoption through love, respect, and integrity. Through the love, guidance, and support of our caring staff we advocate for expectant mothers seeking to give their unborn child a life and help them to connect with loving couples seeking to grow their family through adoption. Experiencing an unplanned pregnancy? Know all of your options: Call: 855-402-6435 Text Only: 206-360-0020 Visit us online at: aguardianangel.com

    40 min
  • 11 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
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About

NEW EPISODES EVERY 2 WEEKS! We are diving into the heart of adoption—sharing real stories, breaking down myths, and shining a light on how adoption can be done with love, integrity, and respect. Whether you're a birth parent, an adoptive family, adoptee, or just someone who wants to learn more, this is a safe space for honest conversations and meaningful connections. Join us while we explore the beautiful, complex, and life-changing world of ethical adoption.

Information

  • Creator
    Yvonne Johansen & Mandy Coon
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Speaking of Adoption
  • Show Website
    Speaking of Adoption