Join co-hosts, adoption coaches, and triad members Kim Noeth, Sally Ankerfelt and Sharon Butler Obazee, as they welcome this month's special guest, adoptive mom and author, Linda R. Sexton. Linda's greatest joy in life remains the parenting and adoption of her two children in 1994 and 1998, both in open arrangements. Back in those days, Linda was a pioneer in handling an open adoption since guidance on the "how to" was unavailable. Yet she and her husband defined a path to stay in contact with all four of her children's birth parents throughout their lives. Her greatest desire now is to help those who are embarking on this same wonderful and sometimes frightening, unnerving commitment.

Listen to Linda and our hosts succuss the joys and challenges that an open adoption can bring to adoptive parents, their adopted children, and their children's first family.

*Learn more about Linda R. Sexton: https://www.lindarsexton.com/about

*Learn more about your ADOPTION MATTERS' hosts at www.giftfamilyservices.com

Join co-hosts, adoption coaches, and triad members Kim Noeth, Sally Ankerfelt and Sharon Butler Obazee, as they welcome this month's special guest, adult adoptee and adoption coach, Simon Benn. Mr. Benn is also the driving force behind the "Thriving Adoptees Podcast." A warm, delightful United Kingdom native, he's an informative guest with helpful positive insight into living life beyond adoption as he shares his own personal journey from anger to acceptance to joy. As an adoption coach, he has assisted adoptive parents and adoptees live life beyond adoption's trauma. As Simon says, his work with others is "Trauma Informed. Healing Focused. Thriving Obsessed."

Simon Benn was adopted at 5 weeks old and told so young that he doesn't ever remember not knowing. All went well until at age 40 he found out that his teddy bear was a gift from his birth mother. He recalls that that knowledge unleashed feelings of anger, rejection, and being unloved. Yet it kickstarted a profound healing journey for him, finding the amazing truth about Ted and interviewing over 500 people in the adoption world, and helping others thrive.

*Learn more about Simon Benn: https://thrivingadoptees.com/

*Listen to his podcast, Thriving Adoptees: https://thrivingadoptees.com/page-057p-1pst

*Learn more about your ADOPTION MATTERS' hosts at www.giftfamilyservices.com

Join co-hosts, adoption coaches, and triad members Kim Noeth, Sally Ankerfelt and Sharon Butler Obazee, as they welcome this month's special guest, adopted person and author, Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao. A warm, delightful guest with great insight into adoption from her own personal experience as well as many years of professional practice. Dr. Pavao shares with her hosts her personal story, one that pushed her forward into advocacy for ethical adoption practices and better training for professionals to become adoption competent.

From Dr. Pavao's website: "Dr. Maguire Pavao began her adoption journey 78 years ago when she was born and placed for adoption. Growing up in the secretive atmosphere of the 1940s and 50s, she developed a relentless curiosity about her origins, which later inspired her to pursue legal avenues to uncover her birth records—an unusual success story for the era.

Transitioning from a potential medical career, Dr. Maguire Pavao chose to specialize in psychology at Harvard, focusing on adoption and foster care. She pioneered clinics that dealt exclusively with adoption-related issues, advocating for ethical practices and training professionals to be adoption-competent. Her clinics were unique for not being affiliated with adoption agencies, avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

She has also been an influential advocate for changing adoption laws, particularly concerning access to original birth certificates. Her efforts contributed to policy changes that aim to improve the transparency and ethical handling of adoption processes."

*Learn more about Dr. Maguire Pavao: https://www.pavaoconsulting.com/about

*Listen to her podcast: https://familytwistpodcast.com/joyce-maguire-pavao/

*Learn more about your hosts at www.giftfamilyservices.com