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Can horror movies actually help us heal?
In this special crossover episode with Horror Heals, Corey sits down for a conversation that might surprise Family Twist listeners. While one podcast explores DNA surprises, adoption, and identity, and the other celebrates horror, both are ultimately about the same thing: how people make sense of difficult experiences and find connection through storytelling.
Whether you've never watched a horror movie in your life or you're a lifelong fan, this episode explores why scary stories resonate so deeply with so many people. From grief and trauma to anxiety and resilience, horror can offer something unexpected: comfort, catharsis, and community.
If you've ever found healing in an unlikely place, this conversation is for you.
And if you enjoy what you hear, check out Horror Heals, where Corey and Kendall welcome actors, filmmakers, authors, therapists, and fellow horror fans every Friday to explore why horror is good for our mental wellness.
About Horror Heals
Hosted by Corey and Kendall Stulce, Horror Heals explores the surprising connection between horror and mental wellness. Through conversations with guests from inside and outside the horror world, the show examines how fear, grief, trauma, and resilience are reflected in the stories we loveâand why so many people find comfort in the macabre.
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Julie Ann Brumley expected a DNA test to answer a few questions.
She didn't expect to find a sister, a 100% Italian biological father, or an entire family where she could finally see herself reflected in someone else's face.
In part one of our conversation, Julie and Kendall compare reunion stories and talk about the moments that don't always make it into the movies: sitting through family stories you weren't there for, wondering what you missed, and discovering that joy and grief can show up at the same dinner table.
Along the way, they discuss:
Finding biological family through DNA The first time you realize you actually look like someone Walking into a family that already has decades of shared memories Why reunion is a beginning, not an ending Building relationships with biological siblings later in lifeJulie is an adoptee, trauma-informed coach, speaker, and creator of the Belonging Blueprint, helping adoptees reconnect with themselves through self-belonging and body-based healing.
Next week: Julie explains why she believes adoptees carry their stories in their bodies, and Kendall opens up about the health, anxiety, and identity struggles that finally started making sense after reunion.
About Julie Ann Brumley
Julie Ann Brumley is an adoptee, trauma-informed coach, speaker, and founder of Coming Home to Self. After finding her biological family through DNA, she shifted her work to helping adoptees understand identity, belonging, and the lasting effects of early separation through somatic and self-belonging practices.
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What happens when a mental health professional finds herself navigating a DNA surprise of her own?
In this deeply personal episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall sit down with Angie Miller, licensed mental health therapist, wellness coach, speaker, and host of the Strong Mind, Strong Body podcast, for a conversation about identity, family secrets, and the emotional chaos that can follow a late-in-life DNA discovery.
Angie opens up about learning through DNA testing that the man she believed was her biological father likely wasnât. What followed was a complicated emotional journey filled with grief, curiosity, guilt, fear, and unanswered questions. As someone trained in mental health and Internal Family Systems therapy, Angie brings a unique perspective to the conversation, explaining how different âpartsâ of ourselves can battle for control during moments of trauma and identity disruption.
The conversation dives into:
The emotional shock of unexpected DNA test results Feeling protective of family members while searching for the truth The fear of rejection from newly discovered biological relatives How Internal Family Systems therapy applies to DNA surprises and NPE experiences Why so many people suppress these discoveries instead of talking about them The complicated mix of hope, grief, anger, and curiosity that comes with family secretsAngie also shares how sheâs actively searching for answers right now, including preparing to potentially meet biological relatives in person for the first time. This isnât a story being told years later with neat conclusions. Itâs happening in real time.
If youâve experienced a DNA surprise, are part of the adoption, NPE, or donor-conceived communities, or have ever questioned where you truly belong, this episode will hit home.
About Angie Miller
Angie Miller, M.S., LCMHC, CWC, is a licensed clinical mental health therapist, certified wellness coach, international speaker, author, and fitness expert specializing in the connection between emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. She hosts the Strong Mind, Strong Body podcast and is a professional development educator for the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Angie also speaks internationally on stress management, resilience, and mental agility.
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Nicole thought TikTok was being ridiculous. After posting wedding videos online, strangers flooded the comments insisting there was âno wayâ she was half white like sheâd always believed. Some people were curious. Others were cruel. But the comments kept coming.
DNA surprises and NPE discoveriesViral TikTok DNA storiesRace and identity revelationsLate discovery biological familyReunion with a biological fatherFamily secrets and emotional healingNature versus nurtureAdoption-adjacent identity journeysThe impact of ancestry DNA testing
âYou look Black.â
âThatâs not your dad.â
âYou should take a DNA test.â
So she did. What Nicole expected would be a funny way to shut down internet trolls turned into a complete rewriting of her identity, family history, and understanding of herself.
In this unforgettable episode of Family Twist, Nicole shares how a viral TikTok video led to the shocking discovery that the father who raised her was not her biological father. Raised in Maui in a conservative Christian household, Nicole never seriously questioned the story sheâd been told about her background. But one DNA test uncovered an entirely different reality, including a biological father in Texas who never knew she existed.
What follows is one of the most emotional and hopeful reunion stories weâve heard on the podcast.
Nicole opens up about confronting her mother, finding her biological father through an obituary and Facebook search, and the overwhelming moment of realizing she finally saw herself in someone else. Corey and Kendall also explore the complicated emotions that come with DNA surprises, race and identity, reunion, loyalty to the parent who raised you, and the emotional whiplash of discovering a whole new side of your family overnight.
This episode covers:
Somehow, this story also includes one of the sweetest father-daughter reunions imaginable. -
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What happens when you spend more than 40 years sensing something about your life doesnât add up⌠only to discover you were right all along?
In this deeply emotional and unforgettable episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall sit down with Dr. Syb, a late discovery adoptee whose world changed forever just before her 42nd birthday. What began as a lifetime of unanswered questions became a journey through adoption secrecy, grief, rage, identity, reunion, and ultimately, healing.
Dr. Syb shares the shocking moment she learned she was adopted after decades of feeling different from everyone around her. She opens up about discovering that nearly everyone in her family already knew the truth, the emotional fallout of uncovering long-buried secrets, and the devastating reality that both of her biological parents had already passed away before she found them.
But this conversation goes far beyond DNA tests and paperwork.
Together, they explore the emotional impact of adoption trauma, the pressure adoptees often face to âjust be grateful,â and the importance of allowing adoptees, NPEs, and donor-conceived people to fully process their anger, grief, and confusion without judgment.
Dr. Syb also discusses:
The healing power of adoptee community and therapy How music, movement, and dancing helped her process trauma Why adoptees deserve agency over their own stories The dangers of family secrecy and hidden truths Reunion experiences with both maternal and paternal relatives Why telling the truth matters before itâs too lateThis is one of the rawest and most honest conversations weâve ever had on Family Twist, and Dr. Sybâs voice is one that will stay with listeners long after the episode ends.
If youâre navigating adoption, a DNA surprise, NPE discovery, donor conception, or complicated family secrets, this episode will make you feel seen.
And remember, family secrets are the ultimate plot twist.
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What happens when your search for family stretches across decades, dead ends, sealed records, and fading hope?
In part two of this deeply personal conversation, Corey and Kendall continue their discussion with author and journalist Paul T. O'Connor. Together, they explore the emotional realities of adoption, foster care, identity, and the lifelong impact of family secrecy.
Kendall shares stories from his years-long search for his biological family, including placing newspaper ads in Arkansas long before consumer DNA testing existed, petitioning courts for records, and trying to piece together his origins from fragments of information. The conversation also dives into the strange experience of finally meeting biological relatives and seeing physical similarities reflected back for the first time.
Paul opens up further about his motherâs history in foster care, the disappearance of critical records, and how secrecy and stigma shaped generations of families. Itâs an honest conversation about grief, resilience, truth, and the complicated reality that love for adoptive family and curiosity about biological roots can exist at the same time.
Paulâs new book, The Missing Child: The Life She Lived and the Life She Missed, published by Torchflame Books, is available beginning May 26 through bookstores and online retailers.
If youâre part of the adoptee, NPE, donor-conceived, or DNA surprise community, this episode will likely feel very familiar.
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What would you do if, on the day you buried your mother, you discovered a hidden bundle of records labeled with one clear instruction: Please destroy these?
In this gripping first part of Corey and Kendallâs conversation with retired journalist and author Paul OâConnor, a lifetime of hidden family history begins to unravel through DNA testing, courthouse archives, old birth records, and one relentless search for the truth.
Paul shares how a mystery surrounding his motherâs identity turned into a years-long investigation that ultimately became his new book, The Missing Child: The Life She Lost and the Life She Led, releasing May 26. Pre-orders are available now.
What begins as curiosity about his motherâs background evolves into something much deeper: an emotional exploration of shame, secrecy, adoption-era stigma, and the devastating weight family secrets can carry across generations.
Using AncestryDNA, 23andMe, historical records, and help from newly discovered cousins, Paul uncovers shocking truths about infidelity, hidden relatives, and the biological grandfather his family never knew existed. Along the way, he and Kendall discuss the emotional complexity of adoption, identity, DNA surprises, and one question that lingers throughout the episode:
Is knowing the truth always better?
In this episode:
Paul discovers hidden family records after his motherâs death A DNA test reveals unexpected biological connections The emotional fallout of long-buried family secrets Adoption stigma and shame in the early 1900s How genealogy research helped uncover the truth Why Paul wrote The Missing Child The complicated emotional legacy of secrecy Kendall reflects on growing up adopted without secrecyIf youâve ever searched for biological family, uncovered a DNA surprise, wrestled with identity, or wondered how hidden truths shape generations, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.
Pre-order Paul OâConnorâs new book, The Missing Child: The Life She Lost and the Life She Led, ahead of its May 26 release, and subscribe to Family Twist for more stories about DNA surprises, adoption, NPE discoveries, donor conception, and the secrets families keep.
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What happens when a sperm donor from the 1990s suddenly discovers he has children decades later?
This is one of those stories that could only happen right now.
A decision made in the early â90s, when anonymity was expected and protected, collides with modern DNA testing, where secrets donât stay buried.
In Part 1 of this conversation around the documentary Dad Genes, we sit down with Aaron and Jess to unpack how their lives became connected in a way neither of them could have predicted.
Aaron donated sperm in 1994, thinking it was a closed chapter. Jess built her family years later, carefully choosing a donor based on what felt right at the time.
Neither of them expected that decades later, a simple DNA test would connect them, and open the door to a network of biological children, siblings, and relationships that were never supposed to exist.
This episode focuses on the moment everything changes. The discovery. The realization. The first steps into something completely unknown.
If youâve taken a DNA test, are thinking about it, or are navigating a family discovery of your own, this episode will hit home.
Because this isnât just about donor conception.
Itâs about how technology is reshaping identity, how past decisions donât stay in the past, and how people are left to figure it out in real time without a roadmap.
Stories like this are becoming more common, and the questions they raise donât have easy answers.
What Youâll Take Away
A clear look at how donor conception worked before DNA testing changed everythingInsight into how families made decisions without knowing what the future would bringA grounded, human perspective on what it feels like when identity and biology suddenly collideListen now to hear how one decision in 1994 turned into a life-changing discovery decades later.
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What happens when a sperm donor from the 1990s suddenly discovers he has children decades later?
This is one of those stories that could only happen right now.
A decision made in the early â90s, when anonymity was expected and protected, collides with modern DNA testing, where secrets donât stay buried.
In Part 1 of this conversation around the documentary Dad Genes, we sit down with Aaron and Jess to unpack how their lives became connected in a way neither of them could have predicted.
Aaron donated sperm in 1994, thinking it was a closed chapter. Jess built her family years later, carefully choosing a donor based on what felt right at the time.
Neither of them expected that decades later, a simple DNA test would connect them, and open the door to a network of biological children, siblings, and relationships that were never supposed to exist.
This episode focuses on the moment everything changes. The discovery. The realization. The first steps into something completely unknown.
Why This Episode Matters
If youâve taken a DNA test, are thinking about it, or are navigating a family discovery of your own, this episode will hit home.
Because this isnât just about donor conception.
Itâs about how technology is reshaping identity, how past decisions donât stay in the past, and how people are left to figure it out in real time without a roadmap.
Stories like this are becoming more common, and the questions they raise donât have easy answers.
What Youâll Take Away
A clear look at how donor conception worked before DNA testing changed everything
Insight into how families made decisions without knowing what the future would bring
A grounded, human perspective on what it feels like when identity and biology suddenly collide.
Listen now to hear how one decision in 1994 turned into a life-changing discovery decades later.
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What happens when your story starts with secrecy⌠and ends with a global family?
In this milestone Episode 200 of Family Twist, Kendall sits down with author, musician, and adoptee Zara, whose life began in England during the forced adoption era of the 1960s, a time when young, unmarried mothers were often given no choice but to relinquish their children.
Zara always knew she was adopted. What she didnât know was how deeply that truth would shape her identity, her relationships, and her lifelong search for connection.
From quietly wondering if she might recognize her birth mother on the street⌠to becoming her own detective in a pre-internet world⌠to finally using DNA testing decades later to uncover her father and a web of siblings across continents, Zaraâs story is a powerful look at what it means to search for where you come from.
But as anyone in this community knows, reunion is only the beginning.
Zara opens up about:
The emotional weight of growing up adopted in a time of secrecy Searching for her birth mother before the digital age Using DNA to finally find her biological father Navigating complicated sibling relationships and loyalty dynamics Losing her father just two and a half years after finding him Turning her story into music, writing, and advocacyThis conversation is about identity, truth, and the reality that family discovery doesnât follow a script. Itâs messy, beautiful, and deeply human.
If youâve ever wondered where you come from⌠or how DNA discoveries reshape a life⌠this episode will stay with you.
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What happens when a life-altering DNA discovery becomes a feature film⌠and then gets unpacked in a room full of people who truly understand it?
In this special live episode of Family Twist, Corey sits down with filmmaker, actor, and storyteller Lisa Brenner at Untangling Our Roots.
Lisa shares the real story behind her film One Big Happy Family, inspired by discovering at age 40 that the father who raised her was not her biological father. But this conversation goes beyond the screen.
Together, they dive into:
The difference between real life and what made it into the film The emotional impact of late discovery and identity shifts Family dynamics, secrecy, and the question so many people ask, who am I now? Nature vs nurture, and what we carry from bothThen the conversation opens up to the audience, and this is where things get powerful.
Members of the adoption, NPE, and donor-conceived communities share their own questions, reflections, and lived experiences, turning this episode into something bigger than an interview. It becomes a shared moment of recognition, honesty, and connection.
Because when youâre in a room like this, you realize something important. Your story may be unique, but you are not alone.
If youâve experienced a DNA surprise, questioned your identity, or are navigating new family relationships, this episode will hit home.
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What happens when you go from being an only child⌠to one of twelve overnight?
In this episode of Family Twist, and Kendall sits down with Elizabeth Barbour, an adoptee, adoptive mom, and reunion expert who has spent more than two decades living the reality so many are just beginning to face.
Elizabeth shares her story of searching in a pre-DNA era, making that life-changing phone call, and hearing the words many adoptees dream of: âIâve hoped and prayed for this day.â
But this conversation goes far beyond the moment of discovery.
Together, they explore what happens after reunion. The emotional complexity. The shifting identities. The joy that exists right alongside grief. And what it really means to build relationships with people who are suddenly family.
Kendall opens up about his own ongoing experience with rejection from his birth mother, leading to one of the most honest and emotional conversations weâve had on the show.
Elizabeth brings a rare perspective. She has lived reunion as an adoptee and as a parent. Through her work as a coach and practitioner, she helps others navigate this exact terrain with intention, care, and grounding.
This episode is about more than finding family.
It is about what comes next.
WHAT YOUâLL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE
The moment Elizabeth found her birth mother and how it changed everything What it was like discovering 11 siblings after growing up as an only child The emotional reality of reunion after the initial excitement fades How Kendall continues to process rejection from his birth mother Why âfamily is additionâ is more than just a comforting phrase What adoptees, NPEs, and donor-conceived people need most in reunion How to navigate identity, belonging, and grief all at the same timeWHY THIS EPISODE MATTERS
With more people discovering DNA surprises every day, reunion is no longer rare. But understanding how to navigate it still is.
If you are:
An adoptee An NPE (Not Parent Expected) Donor-conceived Or someone supporting a loved one through discoveryThis conversation will help you feel less alone and more prepared for what comes next.
Elizabeth Barbour, M.Ed. is an author, speaker, life coach, and shamanic practitioner who helps people navigate lifeâs most complex transitions with grounding and intention.
An adoptee reunited with her birth family for more than 26 years, Elizabeth is also an adoptive mother whose family is in reunion with their daughterâs birth family. Her lived experience, combined with her professional work, gives her a rare and deeply informed perspective on the emotional realities of adoption reunion.
Elizabeth supports individuals moving through grief, identity shifts, and relationship-building after discovery, using self-care, storytelling, and ritual as tools for healing.
She is the author of Smart Self-Care for Busy Women and Sacred Celebrations: Designing Rituals to Navigate Lifeâs Milestone Transitions, and is currently writing a book focused on adoption reunion.
She lives in Asheville, North Carolina with her daughter and two cats.
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What does adoption feel like for the person who never had a choice?
In this episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall talk with Leslie Pate Mackinnon, LCSW, a birth mother, therapist, and one of the most respected voices in the adoption and donor conception space.
As a teenager, Leslie placed her two firstborn sons for adoption during a time when young women were often given little say in the outcome. That experience didnât fade with time. It shaped the course of her life and her work.
For more than four decades, Leslie has maintained a private psychotherapy practice, helping adoptees, birth parents, and families navigate the lifelong emotional impact of adoption, identity, and family secrets. She presents nationally and internationally on issues affecting families formed through adoption and third-party reproduction.
Leslie has been featured on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts, appeared on CNN discussing the impact of the internet on adoption, and was part of Dan Ratherâs investigative report Adoption or Abduction. She also appeared on The Katie Couric Show alongside her oldest son, Pete. Her story is included in the book The Girls Who Went Away and the documentary A Girl Like Her.
This conversation goes where many donât.
Leslie shares what it was like to lose her children without having a real choice, how that experience stayed with her, and what sheâs learned after spending decades sitting with others navigating similar truths. She also talks about what therapists still misunderstand about adoption, and why education in this space matters more than ever.
This is a conversation about adoption stories, family secrets, and the emotional reality behind DNA discovery and identity.
If youâve ever been part of an adoption story, an NPE discovery, or a donor-conceived family, this episode will hit close to home.
Listen now to hear Leslieâs story, and the truth sheâs spent a lifetime helping others understand.
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What would you do if a simple DNA test revealed that the man you believed was your father wasnât your biological parent?
In this episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall sit down with Laura Olmsted, founder of DNAngels, to talk about the moment a family history project turned into a life-changing DNA discovery. What began as a curiosity-driven test while building a genealogy scrapbook for her grandchildren quickly unraveled everything Laura thought she knew about her identity.
Laura shares the emotional journey of uncovering the truth about her biological father, confronting long-held family secrets, and learning that the answers sometimes come too late. But from that painful discovery came something remarkable. Determined to help others navigate the same confusing and emotional terrain, Laura founded DNAngels, a nonprofit that helps adoptees, NPEs, donor-conceived people, and others identify their biological families through genetic genealogy.
Today, DNAngels has helped solve thousands of cases around the world, reuniting people with their biological relatives and helping many finally understand where they come from.
Laura also shares practical insights about the DNA search process, why messaging your DNA matches matters more than you might think, and the steps people should take before beginning a search.
For anyone who has taken a DNA test and found unexpected results, this conversation offers both perspective and hope.
Learn more about DNAngels:
https://www.dnangels.orgAbout Laura Olmsted
Laura Olmsted is a world-renowned genetic genealogist and the Founder and Executive Director of DNAngels, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reuniting individuals with their biological families through the power of DNA. Since launching DNAngels in 2019, Laura has led the organization to remarkable success, with over 7,000 cases solved to date and thousands more people receiving answers about their origins.
Lauraâs passion for genealogy began as a family project inspired by her Aunt Shirley. While creating a heritage book for her grandchildren, she took a DNA test and discovered a life-altering truth: the man she believed to be her father was not her biological parent. Determined to uncover her origins, Laura immersed herself in genetic genealogy. Within two weeks, she identified her biological father, gaining firsthand insight into the emotional complexities faced by adoptees, NPEs, and donor-conceived individuals.
That experience ultimately led her to create DNAngels, an organization that now helps people around the world uncover the truth about their biological families.
Topics in this episode
DNA surprise
NPE (Not Parent Expected) discovery
Genetic genealogy
Adoptee searches
DNA matches and family secrets
Finding biological parents
DNAngels nonprofit
Identity and family history -
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What happens when a family secret rewrites your identity?
In this episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall welcome author Gail Lukasik, whose work explores the powerful impact of hidden family histories and DNA discoveries.
Gail reads a moving excerpt from her book What They Never Told Us: True Stories of Family Secrets and Hidden Identities Revealed, inspired by the flood of personal stories she received after sharing her own family revelation. At the Untangling Our Roots Summit, one stranger approached her with a brand-new DNA shock. The man who raised her was not her biological father.
Gail knows this journey firsthand. While researching her family history in 1995, she uncovered documents revealing that her mother had been passing as white despite having African ancestry. For 17 years she kept the secret at her motherâs request. After her motherâs death, Gail told the story in her memoir White Like Her, which eventually led her to reconnect with relatives in New Orleans she never knew existed.
In this conversation, Gail shares why strangers trust her with their deepest family secrets and why storytelling can help people rebuild their sense of identity after a life-changing discovery.
If you have ever wondered how DNA surprises reshape identity, family, and belonging, this episode will resonate.
About Gail Lukasik
Gail Lukasik is an award-winning author and genealogist. Her memoir White Like Her chronicles her discovery that her mother had been passing as white despite having African ancestry. Her follow-up book, What They Never Told Us, shares true stories of people uncovering hidden family identities through genealogy and DNA testing.
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What happens when a child asks a question the adults in the room arenât ready to answer?
In this episode of Family Twist, Corey sits down with Dr. Vicki Sanders, a psychologist who has spent decades working with adopted and foster children, and the families raising them. Her work lives in the spaces most people avoid, the pauses, the deflections, the âwe donât need to talk about that right nowâ moments that shape identity in ways we donât always see.
This conversation focuses on what children carry.
Dr. Vicki shares what she has witnessed again and again in therapy rooms:
⢠The questions adopted and foster children want to ask but are afraid to
⢠How silence, even well-intentioned silence, shapes identity
⢠The difference between protecting a child and protecting adult comfort
⢠What ambiguous loss looks like in children and teens
⢠How shame and secrecy can quietly impact attachment
⢠What it sounds like when a child tests whether itâs safe to be curiousWe also talk about how adoptive and foster parents can respond differently, not perfectly, but openly. Dr. Vicki challenges the idea that love alone resolves identity tension. Instead, she offers practical ways to stay present when uncomfortable questions arise.
This is a conversation about courage, on both sides.
Catch Dr. Vicki at Untangling Our Roots
Dr. Vicki will be speaking at the upcoming Untangling Our Roots conference, where sheâll go deeper into:
⢠How to create emotional safety around hard conversations
⢠Supporting adopted and foster youth through identity exploration
⢠Recognizing trauma responses tied to secrecy and silence
⢠Practical language parents can use when biological family questions surfaceIf youâre attending UTOR, her session will offer tools you can take home immediately, whether youâre an adoptee, parent, clinician, or advocate.
If youâve ever sensed there were things you werenât allowed to ask, or if youâre raising a child who is beginning to ask them now, this episode is for you.
Family secrets are the ultimate plot twist.
About Dr. Vicki
Dr. Vicki is a licensed psychologist with decades of clinical experience working with adopted and foster children, adoptive families, and youth navigating attachment disruption and trauma. Her work centers on identity development, ambiguous loss, family systems, and helping children find language for experiences that often go unspoken.
She has supported foster youth transitioning into permanency, trained parents in trauma-informed care, and helped families move from silence and defensiveness to openness and emotional safety.
Through her clinical practice and public speaking, Dr. Vicki advocates for honest conversations that allow children to explore their origins without fear, shame, or secrecy.
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What does adoption feel like for the person who never had a choice?
In this episode of Family Twist, Corey and Kendall talk with Leslie Pate Mackinnon, LCSW, a birth mother, therapist, and one of the most respected voices in the adoption and donor conception space.
As a teenager, Leslie placed her two firstborn sons for adoption during a time when young women were often given little say in the outcome. That experience didnât fade with time. It shaped the course of her life and her work.
For more than four decades, Leslie has maintained a private psychotherapy practice, helping adoptees, birth parents, and families navigate the lifelong emotional impact of adoption, identity, and family secrets. She presents nationally and internationally on issues affecting families formed through adoption and third-party reproduction.
Leslie has been featured on Good Morning America with Robin Roberts, appeared on CNN discussing the impact of the internet on adoption, and was part of Dan Ratherâs investigative report Adoption or Abduction. She also appeared on The Katie Couric Show alongside her oldest son, Pete. Her story is included in the book The Girls Who Went Away and the documentary A Girl Like Her.
This conversation goes where many donât.
Leslie shares what it was like to lose her children without having a real choice, how that experience stayed with her, and what sheâs learned after spending decades sitting with others navigating similar truths. She also talks about what therapists still misunderstand about adoption, and why education in this space matters more than ever.
This is a conversation about adoption stories, family secrets, and the emotional reality behind DNA discovery and identity.
If youâve ever been part of an adoption story, an NPE discovery, or a donor-conceived family, this episode will hit close to home.
Listen now to hear Leslieâs story, and the truth sheâs spent a lifetime helping others understand.
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What if your fatherâs childhood was a handful of strange fragments, a âcastle,â a room with 25 beds, hunger, silence, and a single forbidden question.
Filmmaker David Quint grew up sensing his dad was different, but nobody explained why. His father, Urban, had been raised in a 700-year-old Swiss castle that served as an orphanage, then at age 12 received a letter that changed everything: âYouâre not an orphan. Iâm your mother. Youâre coming to America.â
He arrived in Philadelphia alone, not speaking English, looking for a woman in a pink scarf, and learning in real time what a mother even was. When he asked about his âreal father,â his mother shut it down, and the subject became off limits for life.
Decades later, David made one decision that changed his relationship with his father forever. He emailed the castle.
What came back was proof, records, a name, and a path that led David and his dad back to Switzerland, with an old iPhone recording every moment. The trip brought long-buried memories to the surface, reunited his father with the boy who slept in the bed next to his, and ultimately uncovered answers that no one saw coming.
Davidâs documentary, Father Unknown, will be screened at Untangling Our Roots, and in this conversation, he shares the real story behind the film, what it meant to watch his father become fully human in front of him, and how discovery can heal what decades of silence could not.
Also, full transparency, we recorded this episode during an emotional week at home. Our beloved 11-year-old mini Dachshund Frankie was hospitalized and undergoing two surgeries, he is deeply bonded with Corey, and youâll hear how tender this moment was. David met that reality with kindness and grace, and weâre grateful.
In this episode, we talk about
Growing up with âfragmentsâ of a parentâs past, and no contextA Swiss orphanage inside a 700-year-old castleThe letter that sent a 12-year-old alone to AmericaThe forbidden question, who is my fatherReturning to the place it all began, and what it unlockedReunion, revelation, and the relationship shift that followedWhy stories like these land so hard, even when you know the endingIf this episode hits home
Please share it with someone whoâs navigating adoption, donor conception, NPE discovery, or any kind of identity rupture. And if youâll be at Untangling Our Roots, add Davidâs screening to your must see list.Guest Bio: David Quint
David Quint has worked in the film industry for 30 years as a director, cinematographer, and aerial cameraman, filming projects for Netflix, MTV, NBC, ABC, CBS, and other networks, along with feature films, documentaries, and commercials. He discovered his passion for storytelling as a boy growing up in Western Colorado, and after decades of working with state-of-the-art motion picture cameras, he never imagined he would unintentionally capture his most personal film on an iPhone 3. That film became Father Unknown, a deeply human story of family, identity, reunion, and the questions that echo across generations.
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She thought she knew her story.
In 2021, a casual AncestryDNA test reopened questions Alicia had quietly carried her entire life. Why did she never see her original birth certificate? Why was her birthday often forgotten? Why did her brother feel like he belonged in a different way?
Then a first cousin match appeared.
And everything started to unravel.
In Part One of this three-part series, Alicia Sharon Denise Williams shares the early clues that something was off long before DNA confirmed it. From childhood inconsistencies to reopening her DNA results with new eyes, she walks us through the moment suspicion turned into action.
This episode ends at the turning point, when Alicia decides she has to start at the beginning and find out where she was really born.
What she discovers next will change her life.
Part Two takes us inside a government building in Detroit and the yellow card that confirmed the lie.
In This Episode
⢠Subtle childhood signs of secrecy
⢠Revisiting a DNA test with new perspective
⢠Birth certificate inconsistencies
⢠Spiritual wrestling and awakening
⢠The decision to search for the truth
⢠What late discovery adoptees often feel before they knowAbout Alicia Sharon Denise Williams
Alicia is a NAAP Board Member, speaker, storyteller, and adoption-truth advocate whose voice carries both compassion and courage. As the founder of From Hidden to Healed, she shares her late-discovery adoptee journey, one marked by silence, spiritual awakening, DNA revelation, and the sacred work of untangling identity after truth emerges.
With grace and faith as her compass, Alicia speaks to those navigating hidden histories, misattributed parentage, reunion, loss, and the lifelong impact of secrecy. Her message is not about blame, but about belonging. Not about shame, but about healing.
She reminds us that healing does not erase the past. It redeems it.
See Alicia Live at Untangling Our Roots
Alicia will be appearing at Untangling Our Roots, the national conference for adoptees, NPEs, donor-conceived individuals, and anyone navigating DNA surprises and identity discovery.
If this episode resonates, hearing her story in person will hit even deeper.
Learn more about Untangling Our Roots and how to attend at untanglingourroots.org.
This is Part One of a powerful three-part journey.
Part Two drops next.
If you have ever questioned your origin story, this conversation is for you.
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She logged back in.
After months of denial, after accusing AncestryDNA of switching samples, after trying to shove the results back into the box, Alicia Sharon Denise Williams opened her DNA account again.
The first cousin matches were still there.
This time, she did not look away.
In Part Two of this three-part late discovery adoptee story, Alicia takes us into the moment curiosity turns into confirmation. What starts as online research becomes a drive to Detroit. What feels like suspicion becomes documentation. What felt like a joke her whole life becomes a yellow card inside a government office that changes everything.
She was not who she thought she was.
This episode walks through:
⢠Reopening AncestryDNA results with new eyes
⢠Searching Michigan adoption and vital records
⢠Navigating Wayne County post-adoption services
⢠Discovering she was born under a different name
⢠Learning she had been placed in foster care
⢠Finding out her adoption records were sealed
⢠Calling her husband from the parking lot in shockBy the time Alicia leaves that building, she does not know how to get home. Not because she lost her car. Because she lost her identity.
She describes going home and staying in bed for three weeks.
Part Two is the emotional collapse. The unraveling. The moment when suspicion becomes documented truth.
And this is still not the end of the story.
In Part Three, Alicia begins the search for her biological parents and siblings. What she finds includes rejection, unexpected acceptance, and a family that had been waiting for her.
About Alicia Sharon Denise Williams
Alicia is a NAAP Board Member, speaker, storyteller, and adoption-truth advocate. As the founder of From Hidden to Healed, she shares her late-discovery adoptee journey, one marked by silence, spiritual awakening, DNA revelation, and the sacred work of untangling identity after truth emerges.
With compassion and faith at the center of her message, Alicia speaks to adoptees, NPEs, and anyone navigating misattributed parentage, reunion, and the lifelong impact of secrecy.
Her message is clear: what was hidden can be healed.
See Alicia at Untangling Our Roots
Alicia will be sharing her story live at Untangling Our Roots, the national conference for adoptees, NPEs, donor-conceived individuals, and families navigating DNA discoveries.
After hearing Part Two, you will understand why experiencing her story in person carries weight.
Learn more at untanglingourroots.org.
This is Part Two of a three-part series.
If you are a late discovery adoptee, questioning your identity, or sitting with unexplained childhood clues, this conversation will resonate.
Part Three drops next.
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