The Absolute Love Podcast

Absolute Love Adoptions, Inc

Storytelling is a way we teach, learn and ultimately build community. This podcast was intended to open the dialogue around adoption so that we can learn from one another and make choices in the adoption space that are ethical, honest and always centering the children who are most affected by adoption. Adoption is complex; let's talk about it.

  1. 05/05/2024

    Katie and Jim

    Katie (Birth Mom) returns for a follow up episode! In our last episode, (S3 E3), Katie shared her story of being a teenager and placing her son for adoption. She went 50 years before sharing her story out loud. Many of her closest friends and family first heard about her experience as a birth mother via The Absolute Love podcast episode! After sharing her story, Katie FOUND HER SON! The two were reunited and have joined the podcast today TOGETHER to talk about their different experiences with their shared adoption story. Listen today to hear about Katie's (Kate) search for her son and the months since the reunion with Jim!

    Katie and Jim

  2. 03/02/2024

    Katie, Birth Mother

    Meet Katie, who surrendered a child when she was just 16 years old. Now Katie reflects on who her son might be as a 50 year old adult. Katie would love to meet her son and know that he is OK after all of these years. She kept this secret most of her life now and has only recently given her pain words and allowed the universe to receive it. Katie shares with deep emotion how she recalls the experience of her pregnancy, the circumstances that led to her being sent away to relinquish her beloved child and the weight of keeping the secret for the majority of her life. Send out hope that Katie's son finds his way to her. She is ready. To understand Katie's experience further, please read The Girls Who Went Away by Ann Fessler and American Baby by Gabrielle Glaser. The historical context helps understand what Katie went through.

    Katie, Birth Mother

  3. 11/02/2023

    Jess, Birth Mom

    Jess is a birth mom who placed a child for adoption...twice. Her first experience with adoption resulted in a closed adoption due to the adoptive parent's choice. Her second placement after an assault has led to an open adoption with her daughter's adoptive family. Jess is a Michigan native with part of her heart in Louisiana. She is an adoption professional, dog mom of 2, coffee and wine lover and a Disney super fan! In this episode we discuss: Mental health and counseling/therapy and the work of Ashley Mitchell. Living normal life after placement. The PACA Ethics “Failed adoptions” Fetal memory.

    Jess, Birth Mom

  4. 06/01/2023

    Courtney, Birth Mom

    Courtney Tiera is an adult educator, speaker, birth mother and author. In this episode, we discuss: The concept of worthiness and how it influenced her unexpected pregnancy and her choice for adoption for her now adult son. Adoption as a parenting decision. Ambiguous loss in adoption. Choosing adoption as a black woman, and the nuances in the African American community. Courtney says, "I didn't meet another birth mom until my son was 18. So that was 18 years of 'I know other people do this, but I'm alone' so now to be in this world where birth moms are supported and loved...it has made me a better person being able to hear the stories of what other people are dealing with. It allows empathy." Find more from Courtney: ⁠⁠Worthy!: A Book for Kids of All Ages by Courtney Tierra Cook | BookBaby Bookshop⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The Worthy Reminders (@theworthyreminders) • Instagram photos and videos⁠⁠

    Courtney, Birth Mom

  5. 12/12/2022

    Lori, Birth Mother

    Lori joins us to share her experience as a Freshman in college finding out she was 22 weeks pregnant and ultimately choosing adoption for her daughter.  Lori's experience was driven by the grief and shame of "unwed motherhood" that dominated culturally during the time she experienced her unplanned pregnancy. She was offered only a closed relationship with her daughter as that was the norm at the time. For many years, her pregnancy and adoption choice were kept a secret. In this episode, Lori talks about years of feeling deep shame and unworthiness of relationship with her daughter.  She is now a social worker and an adoption professional who coordinates retreats for birth mothers because of her own experience having her life changed by her first Birth Mom retreat experience nearly 22 years after placement. Lori says: "I went to a retreat and for the first time in all of those years I felt completely comfortable, completely safe, talking about my adoption without having to filter my words to protect the feelings of other people, because I knew that everybody else in that room when I started talking about it they were going to understand because they were like me."  "The world expects great moms to analyze the needs of their children, figure out the best plan for meeting their needs and execute that plan. And that’s what I did. So if other women did that through parenting their children and making good parenting decisions and they were great moms…then I was a great mom too because I had done the same thing just on a different path." In this episode we discuss: Disenfranchised grief in adoption SOLACE boxes Post Placement Support for birth parents The power dynamic between Birth Moms and Adoptive Moms Gatekeeping Find more from ALA www.absoluteloveadoptions.com Find more from Lori

  6. 10/24/2022

    Tammy, Adoptive Mom

    Tammy and her husband began as foster parents with no intention on adopting. That is, until they met their daughter Taylor (Season 2, Episode 3) and her 2 younger siblings. In this episode, Tammy re-lives the time in her life when she met Taylor and the highs and lows of parenting children from hard places.

  7. 05/18/2022

    Paige, Adoptive Mother

    On Today's episode we are chatting with Paige who is an adoptive mother of two. Her children, both adopted transracially and domestically are in open adoptions with their Birth Parents. Paige is the owner or Love Grown Adoption Consulting and has a passion for educating families who are preparing to adopt. On this episode, we talk about:  Identity  Family and racial culture  Conspicuous families The "checklist" adoptive parents are asked to complete As mentioned, the voice of transracial adoptees are the most valuable in learning about transracial adoption. Here are some of our favorites: Melissa Guida-Richards and her book, What White Parents Should Know About Transracial Adoption Hannah J Matthews Torie DiMartile  April Dinwoodie: Born in June, Raised in April Podcast Angela Tucker Resources mentioned in this episode:  History of Transracial Adoption:  Somebody's Children- the Politics of Transracial and Transnational Adoption by Laura Briggs  "The Checklist" blog by ALA

  8. 03/18/2022

    Michelle, Birth Mother

    Michelle is a Birth Mother and author of Delivered: My Harrowing Journey As A Birthmother, two journals for birth mothers, and two nonfiction books part of a Both/And series: Both Darkness and Light, and Both Then And Now. Her new book Both Cleaving and Cleaving will be released April 25, 2022! Michelle is also the author of this birth mom manifesto that is now being included in our SOLACE gift boxes for Birth Mothers. Michelle placed her son for adoption as an infant. They had no contact until recently, largely stemming from Michelle's feelings like she didn't deserve a relationship with him (which she talks about in this episode). After placing her son, Michelle spent much of her career working as an Adoption Specialist and providing Options Counseling to expectant mothers. As an adult, Michelle's son is now an active part of her family and together they have nurtured a beautiful relationship. In this episode we discuss: Support Groups and what birth mothers need post placement. Resentment and feeling someone made you place your child for adoption.  Guilt and shame when choosing adoption. OPTIONS COUNSELING! Absolute Love is launching a course for professionals  about Options Counseling, and Michelle conducts Options Counseling regularly as part of her job. Much of our discussing is about how to do this well and some of the challenges and experiences encountered when working with women considering adoption.  Resources mentioned: Bill for options counseling On Your Feet Foundation @fromanothamotha  @hopeobaker

See All (19)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Storytelling is a way we teach, learn and ultimately build community. This podcast was intended to open the dialogue around adoption so that we can learn from one another and make choices in the adoption space that are ethical, honest and always centering the children who are most affected by adoption. Adoption is complex; let's talk about it.

Information

  • Creator
    Absolute Love Adoptions, Inc
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2024
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Absolute Love Adoptions, Inc
  • Show Website
    The Absolute Love Podcast