Best Adoptee Lisa Ann Podcasts (2025)

1
Geraldine Hunt 33:26

5d ago33:26

33:26

Today’s guest is Geraldine Hunt, whose story offers a deeply personal and layered look into the experience of being adopted. Born in Melbourne in 1974, Geraldine spent her early weeks in foster care before being adopted at around eight weeks old. Her journey has since led her to reconnect with both her biological mother and father, as well as with …

1
Melanie Dunstan - DNA 101 17:45

19d ago17:45

17:45

Today we're joined by Melanie Dunstan, founder of The DNA Connection. Melanie is a trained Genetic Genealogist, Private Investigator, and Skip Tracer, with an extensive background in Nursing—who has five university degrees including a Master of Nurse Practitioner. She is passionate about using DNA to help solve mysteries, rebuild connections, and b…

1
Nadia Levett - Part One 46:27

27d ago46:27

46:27

In this episode, we're joined by someone whose story weaves through early foster care, complex family connections, and the enduring search for belonging and identity. Nadia Levett was born in 1982 and adopted at the age of five after spending her early years moving between foster homes and biological family members. Her story is unique, layered, an…

1
Nadia Levett - Part Two 58:22

27d ago58:22

58:22

In Part Two, Nadia Levett continues her story. Nadia's experience weaves through early foster care, complex family connections, and the enduring search for belonging and identity. She was born in 1982 and adopted at the age of five after spending her early years moving between foster homes and biological family members. Her story is unique, layered…

1
Across Oceans, Through Time: Lisa Preston's Reunion Revisited 46:51

2M ago46:51

46:51

Lisa Preston returns to Adopt Perspective with the next chapter of her extraordinary adoption journey — including her recent solo trip to the UK to spend time with her father, Richard. You can also catch Lisa on SBS Insight tonight (13 May 2025 at 8.30pm) in the episode 'DNA Doesn’t Lie', or watch on replay via SBS On Demand. Born in England in 197…

1
Bill Esman 23:31

2M ago23:31

23:31

One of the voices we hear from least often on Adopt Perspective is that of fathers who lost children to adoption. It’s a perspective that is vital but often left untold, and so we are deeply grateful whenever a father feels ready to step forward and share his experience. In this episode, we are joined by Bill Esman, who is the father of Tracy Shand…

1
Tracy Shand - Sequel 36:33

3M ago36:33

36:33

You’ll often hear us at Jigsaw Queensland speaking about the lifelong issues of adoption. How we feel about our experience or where we find ourselves in our lives can vary greatly over the passage of time. Today’s guest, Tracy Shand, is an adopted person who has undergone many transitions in her adoption story and her life since we last spoke to he…

1
12th Anniversary of the National Apology - Online Training 43:50

3M ago43:50

43:50

On March 21, 2013, Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered a formal apology on behalf of the Australian Government to people affected by forced adoption. At the 10th anniversary commemoration in Canberra in 2023, The Hon. Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Social Services, announced $700,000 in funding to strengthen support services for those impacted b…

1
Dorothy (Dot) Peel 28:54

4M ago28:54

28:54

Dorothy Peel or Dot as she likes to be known, was just 18 years old when she lost her daughter to adoption in Perth in 1973. At the time, she was sent from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia to an unmarried mother’s home in Perth, just six weeks before giving birth. Since then, Dot has struggled with memory gaps regarding her experience, particularly su…

1
Sharlene Vonhoff 59:37

4M ago59:37

59:37

Sharlene Vonhoff was born and adopted in Brisbane in 1977. She was the first of two girls adopted into a farming family in regional Queensland. Today, she continues to farm with her husband, a third-generation farmer on the Darling Downs, where they have raised four children. Growing up adopted in a close-knit farming community has shaped Sharlene’…

1
Overcoming Negative Self-Talk and Learning Self-Compassion 20:21

5M ago20:21

20:21

At Jigsaw Queensland, we have some really exciting plans for this year, and we’re kicking things off with something especially designed for people impacted by forced adoption. We’ve teamed up with Axis Clinic to offer an 8-week program called Overcoming Negative Self-Talk and Learning Self-Compassion. To tell us all about it and how you can get inv…

1
Dr. Alison Ingram 50:04

5M ago50:04

50:04

Dr. Alison Ingram is an actor, theatre director, aresearcher of adult adoptees’ lived experience and an adopted person. She recently completed her doctorate in theatre and performance at Monash University in Melbourne, focusing her research on a group of adult adoptees working as a performing ensemble—that is, actors telling their own stories. In 2…

1
S6:E2 Healing and Transformation Beyond Trauma with Thriving Adoptees Host Simon Benn 35:30

6M ago35:30

35:30

What if the very essence of who you are could remain untouched, even in the face of profound rejection and trauma? Join us for an insightful conversation with Simon Benn, the creative force behind the Thriving Adoptees Podcast, who courageously shares his personal journey of reaching out to his biological father. Despite facing rejection once again…

1
S6:E1 Swimming Back to Shore: Melissa Brunetti's Journey Healing in Adoption 39:15

6M ago39:15

39:15

What if reclaiming your true identity felt like swimming back to shore after being adrift in the ocean? Join us for a heartfelt conversation with Melissa Brunetti, host of Mind Your Own Karma, the Adoption Chronicles, as she shares her own transformative journey as a domestic adoptee from the baby scoop era. Melissa opens up about the emotional com…

1
S5:E4 Birthmothers and Adoptees Healing Through Honest Conversations 1:20:47

7M ago1:20:47

1:20:47

The Wandering Tree Podcast is peeling back the layers of adoption narratives in a heartfelt roundtable featuring adoptees and birth mothers who are bravely sharing their stories. Join Jenny Becknell as she sheds light on the complexities of open adoption and Amy Seek as she reflects on her 24-year journey in the adoption world. Together with guests…

1
Helen Angela Taylor - CEO Jigsaw Qld 49:14

7M ago49:14

49:14

In the final episode of Season 5, 2024, we have the pleasure of introducing Jigsaw Qld's CEO, Helen Angela Taylor. Helen has been in the CEO seat since July and has been an absolute gift. She is an adoptee who discovered Jigsaw in 1991 following a move to Brisbane from Sydney. A few years later, she reunited with her mother and father and attended …

1
S5:E3 Jenny Becknell's Story of Resilience and Hope Series 3 of 3: Balancing Boundaries and Honest Conversation on Adoption 42:40

8M ago42:40

42:40

Join us with our esteemed guest Jenny Becknell as she offers an intimate look into the emotional aftermath of the next two decades of the open adoptions journey, from the touching creation of a heartfelt video for her daughters' 18th birthday to the raw emotions stirred by an unexpected request from Anna's adoptive mother. This episode promises a h…

1
Phil Kenward 30:41

8M ago30:41

30:41

We often receive feedback from people who have listened to a particular episode that has deeply resonated with them, changed the trajectory of their experience or helped them stay the course. Today’s guest, Phil Kenward contacted us after listening to Alan Hill’s episode of the 31 August 2022. Phil is a Brisbane father who lost a daughter to adopti…

1
Support people & intergenerational impacts - Baden and Sam 28:55

9M ago28:55

28:55

When people affected by adoption embark on an exploration of their experience and perhaps find their biological relatives, the support network around them plays a crucial role in navigating this deeply emotional process. Family members, including partners, children, siblings, extended relatives and even friends often experience a complex mix of emo…

1
S5:E2 Jenny Becknell's Story of Resilience and Hope Series 2 of 3: The Open Adoptions Experience from a Birthmother. 44:35

9M ago44:35

44:35

What would you do if you had to make one of the toughest decisions of your life? Join us on the Wandering Tree Podcast as we explore the heartfelt and emotional journeys of a birth mother navigating the experience of open adoption. In this episode, Jenny Becknell candidly shares her lived journey, from the moment she went into labor with her daught…

1
Kathryn Blake 1:05:45

9M ago1:05:45

1:05:45

Today’s guest is an adopted person and photographer from Newcastle in New South Wales. Kathryn Blake was born and adopted in Bathurst in 1970 as the eldest of two adopted girls. She has since gone on to connect with her brother, who was also placed for adoption, and more recently with her father. Her reunion stories are filled with incredible near …

1
S5:E1 Jenny Becknell's Story of Resilience and Hope Series 1 of 3: Navigating Teenage Pregnancy and Adoption 38:37

9M ago38:37

38:37

What happens when your world is turned upside down at 18? Jenny Becknell knows firsthand the whirlwind of emotions that come with an unexpected pregnancy during college and the life-altering decision of adoption. Join us as Jenny, a birth mother, shares her intimate story, beginning with her shock and initial excitement upon discovering she was pre…

1
Rosemary Brooks - A Mother's Story 48:23

10M ago48:23

48:23

Today’s guest is a mother who lost her son to adoption in Melbourne in 1967. Rosemary Brooks is also an artist who walks to her own beat and at 51 was able to finish the university qualification that was interrupted when she was a teenager navigating the forced adoption era. Rosemary has reunited with her son and from experience understands that re…

1
Alison Willoughby 58:07

11M ago58:07

58:07

Alison Willoughby was born at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Carlton, Melbourne in 1965. She was the first of four children adopted by her adoptive parents, who were unable to conceive naturally. Alison has since connected with her mother, father and biological siblings and has written a book about her experience called Forced Adoption, A Memoir. Yo…

1
Arie Baker - Finding Mary Jane 30:32

12M ago30:32

30:32

Arie Baker was born in Brisbane in 1974 at the Corinda Private Hospital where she was adopted at 3 weeks of age. In this episode of Jigsaw Queensland's Adopt Perspective Podcast, Arie will share with us her experience of adoption and searching for her biological family and how her desire to make sense of that experience led her to write a book that…

1
Gemma Chudzinski - Researcher in intercountry adoptee mental health 11:54

1y ago11:54

11:54

Today’s guest, Gemma Chudzinski is an Australian Intercountry adoptee and PhD candidate from the School of Health Sciences and Social Work at Griffith University, who is undertaking important research in the area of the mental health of intercountry adoptees and is calling for participants. To find out more about the research, email gemma.chudzinsk…

1
Brendan Watkins - 'Tell No One' 1:00:40

1y ago1:00:40

1:00:40

Brendan Watkins was eight years old when his parents told him he was adopted. When he was in his late twenties, he started searching for his biological parents and eventually discovered the identity of his mother: he was later told that following his birth, she’d become a Catholic nun, and she wanted nothing to do with him. For the next thirty year…

1
S4:E9 Theater as a Catalyst for Change in the Adoption Community with Suzanne Bachner 49:16

1y ago49:16

49:16

Art meets advocacy when the transformative power of storytelling takes the spotlight. As a playwright, Suzanne Bachner channeled the raw emotions and experiences of the adoptee's pursuit into narratives that resonate beyond the stage, touching hearts and influencing legislative change. This episode doesn't merely trace Suzanne's path to discovering…

1
S4:E8 Unlocking Secrets of the Adoption Narrative with Lori Knisely 43:15

1y ago43:15

43:15

When Lori Knisely offers a window into her soul, revealing the intertwined paths of being an adoptee and storyteller, we're reminded that life is rich with complex patterns. Our hearts travel with Lori to the remnants of St. Anthony's Home for Infants, feeling the gravity of each stone and the stories they carry as we follow her quest for informati…

1
Jo Fraser - ARMS & MALA 47:37

1y ago47:37

47:37

Jo Fraser is a mother who lost her son to adoption in 1971 and connected with him again almost two decades later. She is also the Convenor of the Victorian branch of the Association Representing Mothers Separated by adoption (better known as ARMS) - a not-for-profit organisation formed in 1982 out of a common need to support women who are living wi…

1
S4:E7 The Intertwined Histories of Adoption, Loss and Hope with Author Rebecca Wellington 40:36

1y ago40:36

40:36

Have you ever pondered the threads of history of adoption and how it intertwines to shape lives? Rebecca Wellington joins us in a thought provoking conversation that reaches into the depths of her own adoption story, the heartache of losing her sister, and the impetus behind her touching book, "Who is a Worthy Mother? An Intimate History of Adoptio…

1
S4:E6: From Isolation to Understanding A Mother and Son's Adoption Story: Adoption and Addiction Insights with Joe and Beth 35:08

1y ago35:08

35:08

Sometimes the bonds of family and the fabric of our identities need mending, a truth that Joe Beth know all too well. On this episode of Wandering Tree Podcast, we hear their powerful journey through adoption, suicide and addiction. The conversation leads up down a path which involves unraveling the deep emotional complexities that come with Joe co…

1
Dr Giselle Newton - Researcher Donor Conception & DNA 28:20

1y ago28:20

28:20

Dr Giselle Newton, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Queensland. She’s a digital health sociologist whose research is focussed on understanding how reproductive and genetic technologies (re)shape personal and familial relationships and considers how people with lived experience participate and position themselves in research, poli…

1
S4:E5 The Emotional Odyssey of an Adoptee and Birth Mother 58:16

1+ y ago58:16

58:16

Have you ever stood at the crossroads of identity, where the past and present collide in a mosaic of loss and discovery? Monica Hall's life is a living embodiment of such a crossroads, as she gracefully carries the dual mantle of being both an adoptee and a birth parent. In this episode, Monica recounts her story of growing up in a Catholic family …

1
S4:E4 Bridging Two Worlds An Actress's Tale of Adoption and Self-Discovery 42:36

1+ y ago42:36

42:36

When Kira Omans opens up about her life as a transracial adoptee, you can't help but be drawn into her world. Her narrative is not just a story of adoption but a profound testament to the search for identity and belonging. In today's conversation, we navigate Kira's childhood and growth into a confident Chinese American, actress, and advocate for t…

1
Lisa Preston 54:27

1+ y ago54:27

54:27

Today’s guest was born in England in 1970 and was adopted at six weeks of age into a family who had already adopted a son. Lisa Preston’s family moved to Australia when she was two years old, and then grew to include a biological daughter. Lisa’s story of reunion spans decades, two continents, and is testament to courage, tenacity, and understandin…

1
S4:E3 A Journey to Wholeness for A Baby Scoop Era Adoptee with Mary Ellen Gambutti 49:46

1+ y ago49:46

49:46

Have you ever felt like a piece of your identity was missing? Mary Ellen Gambuti joins us to weave the heartfelt narrative of her life as an adoptee from the baby scoop era, a time when societal pressures and moral expectations often forced the hand of birth parents. Her candid recollection begins with the harrowing tale of her abandonment at birth…

1
James Vasilic 49:58

1+ y ago49:58

49:58

James Vasilic was born and adopted in Brisbane in 1985 and has an incredible story about his experience of being adopted and reunion to share with us. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notes Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Q…

1
S4:E2 Finding Her Wings: Dana Ozak's Touching Story of Adoption, Identity, and Family Reunion 24:59

1+ y ago24:59

24:59

When Ohio native Dana Ozak was brought home on her mother's birthday, little did she know that her life would unfold as a tale both profound and inspiring. Our latest Wandering Tree Podcast episode encapsulates Dana's journey as an adoptee, weaving through family dynamics, identity formation, and the ceaseless quest for belonging. Her narrative is …

1
S4:E1 A Tapestry of Belonging in the Complex World of Adoption with Adoptee Julie McGue 45:40

1+ y ago45:40

45:40

A Tapestry of Belonging in the Complex World of Adoption with Adoptee Julie McGue When the quest for identity entwines with the intricacies of adoption, it's a journey worth sharing. This is precisely what Julie McGue, the award-winning author of "Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family and Belonging," offers as she unfolds her narrative of…

1
S3:E18 Her Ice Skating Dreams and My Adoption with Edward Di Gangi 40:18

1+ y ago40:18

40:18

When Edward Di Gangi sat down with us, we knew we were about to embark on a journey unlike any other—a quest for identity that turns the pages of the past to illuminate the present. He mesmerizes us with his narrative, one that began with his adoption during a time known as the baby scoop era and flourished into an idyllic upbringing by his loving …

1
S3:E17 Portrait of Resilience, Adaptation and Adoption: The Miracle of Life with Matt 48:36

1+ y ago48:36

48:36

As your host, I'm thrilled to welcome our guest, Matt, a beacon of hope and resilience who brings us an extraordinary tale of adoption, medical adversity, and the quest to find, define and anchor to his family roots. Born as a premature baby with an array of health complications, Matt's story begins with a life-threatening situation, taken under th…

1
S3:E16 Adoption - Nurture, nature and free will with Jack F. Rocco, MD 35:37

1+ y ago35:37

35:37

Ever wonder how it feels to grow up feeling chosen, only to discover that your life's narrative was built on a web of half-truths? Get ready for an adoptee rollercoaster as we sit down with Jack Rocco MD, author of "Recycled." Jack takes us through his adoption journey from his loving upbringing in a tight-knit Italian family to his path of self-di…

1
Thomas Graham - Part 2 43:22

1+ y ago43:22

43:22

Thomas Graham is a South African born adoptee, who migrated to Australia 25 years ago and in 2009 started the Australian Journal of Adoption (AJA) , an online journal providing an independent, open access forum for people affected by or involved in adoption. He published 16 volumes focusing on adoptee experiences before hanging up his hat. After AJ…

1
S3:E15 A Hidden Identity Revealed: Fred Nicora Path to Self-Understanding 40:40

1+ y ago40:40

40:40

Imagine being 41 years old and discovering at a family gathering that you were adopted. That's exactly what happened with our guest, author and adoptee, Fred Nicora. A unintentional disclosure sparked a massive transformation in Fred's understanding of his identity and started him on an ongoing journey of self-discovery and healing. He offers an in…

1
Thomas Graham - Part 1 43:59

1+ y ago43:59

43:59

Thomas Graham is a South African born adoptee, who migrated to Australia 25 years ago and in 2009 started the Australian Journal of Adoption (AJA) , an online journal providing an independent, open access forum for people affected by or involved in adoption. He published 16 volumes focusing on adoptee experiences before hanging up his hat. After AJ…

1
S3: E14 Running Towards Mental Health and Self-Discovery in Adoption - Andy Wallis 29:25

1+ y ago29:25

29:25

Have you ever wondered about the deeper psychological impacts of adoption? Join us as we plunge into the emotionally charged story of Andy Wallis, a man adopted in 1973 who has grappled with undiscovered impacts of adoption trauma for over a decade. Andy's unique and poignant tale navigates through his experiences with attachment and detachment in …

1
Adoption Literary Festival 2023 16:47

1+ y ago16:47

16:47

In today's episode we speak to Sarah Burns, Manager of the Benevolent Society's Post Adoption Resource Centre (PARC) about the first Australian Adoption Literary Festival; Stories Stranger than Fiction to be held on Saturday, 4 November 2023 from 9.30am to 2.30pm. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more info…

1
S3:E13 Ryan Anderson's Unabated Pursuit of Family;The Threefold Connection 35:18

1+ y ago35:18

35:18

Ryan Anderson, who imparts his moving journey of self-discovery and acceptance take us on an unforgettable journey of discovery and growth. Born and raised as an outsider in Scotland, Ryan opens up about his unique experience of grappling with various socio-cultural and economic factors that set him apart from the crowd. His narrative takes a surpr…

1
Diana Jackson 43:29

1+ y ago43:29

43:29

Today’s guest was born in the Boothville Salvation Army Hospital in Brisbane in 1960 and was adopted one week later. Diana Jackson, has since gone on to make contact with both her mother and her father and knows from personal experience that adoption reunions can be complex and don’t always run a straightforward trajectory. This episode discusses a…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Adoptee Lisa Ann Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide