Who would I have been if I’d known the truth about my identity? This is a question people in the DNA surprise community often ask themselves. Where would I have lived? What choices would I have made? What about my life would be different from how it is today?

In the season 11 finale of DNA Surprises, Lori shares how much of her childhood, and who she is today, was shaped by her parents’ efforts to keep her donor conception and the truth about her ethnicity a secret.

If you have a DNA surprise that you’d like to share, please submit your story at dnasurprises.com. If you’d like to support the show, please rate and review the podcast on Apple and Spotify - it really helps!

We’re taking a short break for the summer, but we’ll be back soon with new DNA surprise stories. Thank you for listening.

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Hands down the best part of hosting this podcast is the relationships I’ve been able to build with people in this community. From keeping in touch with guests turned friends, to hosting the DNA surprise retreat, to the special group of folks who join our Third Thursday meetups, I’m so grateful for the connections I’ve formed here.

In this week’s special episode, I’m joined by Jill, who first appeared on the podcast in February of last year. She has since released her second memoir, focused on her DNA surprise, so she joined me to discuss all that’s happened since we first spoke. We discuss some of my burning questions about her book, When You Shake the Family Tree, as well as where she’s currently at with her biological family. You can find your copy of Jill’s book at justbeingjill.com.

Thanks for joining me Jill.

Oftentimes with DNA surprises, there is so much left unsaid. So many unasked questions. So many feelings are unspoken. In this week’s episode, Jennifer shares what life was like for her growing up without a father figure in her life, a fact she never really questioned throughout her childhood and adolescence.

After her mother passed, she decided to start asking questions. The first path to answering them was by taking a DNA test. Jennifer reveals what she uncovered after taking her DNA test, including a surprise ethnicity shift and a family who welcomed her with open arms.

Thank you for sharing your story, Jennifer.