Between Cultures: One Transcultural Adoptive Family's Story

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What is it like to be the only biological child in a large transracial adoptive family? Our guest, Elaine Duncan, shares her story of how transcultural adoption impacted her identity and resilience. She is a writer, speaker, and strategist whose work bridges storytelling, healing, and social change. She has a passion for improving outcomes for underserved young people and is currently working on a memoir of her life journey.

In this episode, we discuss:

• What did your home look like growing up, and what was it like for you to be the only biological child in a transracial/transcultural adoptive family?
• Families who adopt across race or culture often wonder how to bring all of those differences together under one roof.
• How did your family handle conversations about race, culture, and identity? Were these things openly acknowledged, celebrated, or avoided?
• How did your parents support (or struggle to support) you in building your own sense of identity — not just as their child, but as an individual?
• Did you ever feel overlooked or lost in the mix? How could parents avoid that happening for their kids?
• What were some of the biggest challenges you carried from growing up in this transracial/transcultural adoptive family?
  • How have those challenges shaped your adult life, relationships, or even your current work?
• What are the gifts or strengths you gained from growing up in such a diverse family?
• Are there ways your unique upbringing has given you perspective, resilience, or empathy that you now value?

Additional Resources:

• Intergenerational Trauma (podcast)
• The Impact of Fostering & Adoption on Kids Already in the Family (free on-demand course)
• Raising a Transracial or Multicultural Child (resource page)

Support the show

Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by www.CreatingaFamily.org. We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them.

Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content:

• Weekly podcasts
• Weekly articles/blog posts
• Resource pages on all aspects of family building