24 episodes
Twisted Sisterhood Twisted Sisterhood
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- Kids & Family
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4.9 • 44 Ratings
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A podcast for birth moms, by birth moms. Ashley Mitchell and Kelsey Vander Vliet Ranyard have a decade between their adoption placements. They address raw and real emotions and experiences, and have other birth mom guests on the show to join in on the conversation.
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Roles, Rights, & Responsibilities
Happy New Year, sisterhood! This week is about the three R's no one told you about: Roles, Rights, and Responsibilities. What is it that we owe our children? What role should we play in this arrangement, and will that change over time? What can we do to best support our kids and have a positive relationship over time? We cover so much about this complicated lifelong relationship. Tune in!
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Guest Episode: Lacy Shaw
We are so grateful that we got to sit with Lacy, a great birth mom friend of ours :) Lacy Shaw is a birth mom nearly 10 years post-placement, navigating life and parenthood with two littles in Southern California.
There’s so many gems in this episode. We cover generational effects of our decision to relinquish, what life looks like after a decade of post-placement, how this decision affects us when we parent other children, and so much more. This episode will leave you thinking.
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Guest Episode: Mercedes O'Bryant Gruzeski
Mercedes is a birth mother from St. Louis. At 20 years old, she pursued adoption for her daughter and dealt with the child welfare system in the process. Because of this experience, Mercedes is passionate about connecting foster youth to their biological families in every role she undertakes. Mercedes has over a decade of experience serving families engaged with the child welfare system, most recently as a Field Operation Specialist for Missouri Children’s Division, overseeing the St. Louis Region with the support of data for the implementation of legislation and improvement planning.
She is passionate about gathering and analyzing data to impact policies for youth and families. Mercedes graduated from the Minority Professional Leadership Development Program (MPLD) with AdoptUSKids, where she developed a language resource group to address a language barrier that adoption recruiters faced when working towards permanency for their Hispanic youth. In short, Mercedes is an absolute rockstar.
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Flipping the Script on Stereotypes & Stigmas
We are back with the second episode of season 3 of the Twisted Sisterhood Podcast! Today, we talk about stereotypes and stigmas... but it's not what you think. We have grown tired of the usual conversation surrounding stereotypes and stigmas and how this doesn't foster inclusivity or bring anyone closer to community, healing, or understanding. We reject the idea of a hierarchy within the lowest rung on the adoption ladder. We encourage you to listen to today's episode with an open mind and discover how to bring people into your circle.
Show Notes:
Relinquished by Gretchen Sisson
Lifetime Healing Foundation - Find a support group near you!
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Welcome Back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back
Welcome to Season THREE of the Twisted Sisterhood Podcast! We have a great season lined up for you, you'll be hearing all about the projects that are happening in the adoption world, as well as policy changes, new books and documentaries, and hearing from more birth moms about their experiences.
Show Notes:
AdoptChange.org for the Adoption Provider Search, state law information, and more on how to get involved with change in adoption
Ethical Family Building
Lifetime Healing Foundation - Find a support group near you!
Adoption Unfiltered book, releasing December 1st! Pre-order on Amazon or Bookshop
Adoptees United - Stay updated on current legislation regarding open birth records for adoptees
Adoptee Rights Law Center - Greg Luce, Esq. - Find out more about open records and the steps to obtaining an original birth certificate in your state.
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Role Switching
In this episode, we address the curious event of switching roles in the adoption community and how we can stand in the gap for others. Kelsey talks about the loss of her grandmother, and what it felt like to watch her dad grieve his birth mom. Ashley and Kelsey dive deep into what experiences they have had where others have filled in the gap for them, and how they have filled in the gap for other people.
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Customer Reviews
Birth mom
I loved this episode and the light that it shines on the darker side of adoption. It’s absolutely not all sunshine and flowers. As a birth mom, with an open adoption, I can attest to the growing pangs that come with it- for all involved.
Well done!
Therapy in a podcast
Every week I feel like it’s therapy. Every episode is so relatable. I shake my head “yup” the whole time because I experience everything with every episode. Especially the birth father and dating episodes
Healing
Sometimes you just need to hear me too! Just to be reminded satan isn’t creative and made you a crazy person who has a struggle no one else struggles with. It feels good to be reminded I’m not alone and this is the freaking podcast to do it with! This is so rad and so healing