Episodes – DNA Surprises

Doe’s DNA Surprise

What never fails to surprise me is how innocently DNA surprises begin. In this episode, we hear from Doe – yes, that’s a pseudonym – who uncovered her DNA surprise in 2021. A skillful genealogist, Doe bought a DNA test for her husband, who was curious about his family history. As it just so happened, she purchased the test during a buy one, get one free sale, so she decided to take a test herself. When she received her results, she learned that not only was her birth certificate father not her biological father, but that the story she’d always believed about her mother was false. In this episode, she shares how the discovery and the continued secrecy have affected her, and how she uses her experience to help others. Thank you for sharing your story, Doe. Thanks again to Doe for sharing her story and be on the lookout for her podcast, Decoded: Secrets of the Family. Join the DNA Surprises Patreon community! Listen to ad-free episodes one week early, gain access to exclusive content, use merch discounts, and more. Episode Transcript Transcripts are AI-generated and may not reflect the final published episodes. [00:00:00] Doe: I also was, I was scared for my mother because she, you know, told me, if your father finds this out, he will disown you and divorce me. [00:00:09] Doe: This is the reason they got married 50 years ago, was because she told him I was his child. So he married her because

September 10, 2024

Bonus Episode | Write to Heal

Welcome to a bonus episode of DNA Surprises. Christine Wolf is a Chicago-based author and writing coach whose focus is on memoir and biography. Her award-winning work is regularly featured in national newspapers, magazines, and on live storytelling stages.

Through her compassionate and trauma-informed approach, Wolf empowers writers and non-writers alike to find their authentic voices. In 2018, Wolf lost a younger sister suddenly; in 2022, thanks to a home DNA kit, she discovered an older sister they never knew existed. Christine will facilitate a session at DNA Surprise Retreat – “Write-to-Heal” is an empowering, flexible, and compassionate exploration of therapeutic (cathartic) journaling as a tool to help document your story and aid true healing. In this episode, we discuss Christine’s personal experience with DNA surprises, how writing is a proven healing tool, and why you don’t have to be a “good writer” to reap its benefits. My conversation with Christine inspired me to get started on my own story–I hope it moves you to do the same. We all have stories to tell!

March 16, 2023

Angie’s DNA Surprise

Sometimes DNA surprises lead to flourishing relationships with newfound family, but sometimes they do not. In this week’s episode, Angie shares how a comment from her birth certificate father’s wife revealed a non-paternal event. She discusses how she identified her biological father with the help of DNAngels and her disappointment at his unwillingness to build a relationship. Angie also shares how she reached a place of compassion for him and his family, as well as her mother.

March 14, 2023

Bonus Episode | Let It Rain

Welcome to a bonus episode of DNA surprises. In this episode, I’m joined by Lindsay Johnson, a registered nurse, board-certified nurse coach, and integrative health coach who cares for the caregiver through stress, burnout, and trauma healing. She utilizes various methodologies in her practice, including mindful listening, transformative coaching, somatic experience and trauma healing, mindfulness, HeartMath, and gentle accountability.

Lindsay helps her clients reconnect to themselves and their bodies, become more aware and mindful of their coping mechanisms, access their courage and inner wisdom, and shed old habits in order to make way for more self-compassion and love. In her session, “Let it RAIN: Recognize, Allow, Investigate, and Nurture,” Lindsay will teach us how self-compassion is a vital portion of the healing process for DNA surprises

March 9, 2023

Stacy W’s DNA Surprise

DNA surprises can cause major disruptions to our interpersonal relationships, particularly the bonds we have with our raised parents. But often what most affects those relationships isn’t the surprises themselves, but how people act afterward.

In this episode, Stacy shares how she uncovered not one, but two NPEs throughout her life. She shares how she’s built amazing relationships with her newfound family and how things have unfortunately deteriorated with her mother. At the very end of this episode, Stacy graciously shares the letter that she wrote her mother in its entirety–and her mother’s response.

March 7, 2023

Aly’s DNA Surprise

When people experience DNA surprises, the range of emotions they feel can be wide. There’s sadness. There’s confusion. There’s happiness, sometimes. And often, there is anger. In this week’s episode, Aly shares how she felt when she learned that her birth certificate father isn’t her biological father and that she was born after a years-long affair between her mother and a colleague. She discusses how it’s been difficult to get the truth from her mother, how her relationship with her biological father isn’t want she hoped it would be, and how she discovered that her birth certificate father also knew the truth for decades.

February 28, 2023