Adopt Perspective

About Adopt Perspective

Honest conversations about adoption, identity, trauma and belonging - told by the people who live it. Adopt Perspective is a podcast for anyone affected by adoption, especially adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption and their families. We explore adoption trauma, adoption loss, identity, belonging and reunion through lived experience. Featuring personal stories and expert conversations, we examine late discovery adoption, forced adoption, intercountry adoption, searching, reunion and healing. Listener discretion advised.

Publisher

Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow for Jigsaw Queensland

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Apr 2020

Latest episode

22 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

129 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   22 Sept 2026

   Forced Adoption: “I Became a Chameleon” – Elaine McKenna’s Story

   In 1967, 21-year-old Elaine McKenna entered the Presbyterian Sisterhood home in North Fitzroy, pregnant with twins and believing she would stay there only until the babies' father returned. Instead, she spent six months largely isolated, subjected to shame and pressure to surrender her sons for adoption. After giving birth, Elaine tried to revoke the adoption, but says she was told she was selfish for wanting her babies back. One of her sons died at five months old. She would not meet her surviving son again until he was 27. For decades, Elaine buried what had happened. She describes becoming a “chameleon”, constantly adapting herself to keep others happy and avoid being abandoned again. It was only much later in life, through counselling, that she began to understand how profoundly the experience had shaped her identity, relationships and emotional wellbeing. Now approaching 80, Elaine is telling her story because she wants other mothers who have carried shame and grief in silence to know they have nothing to be ashamed of - and because she believes the experiences of the babies separated from their mothers must also be heard. This is Elaine's story of loss, survival, reunion and, almost 60 years later, finally feeling heard. Keywords adoption, maternal trauma, forced adoption, healing, mental health, personal story, Australia, mother’s journey, trauma recovery, adoption laws Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Elaine McKenna’s story 02:05 Elaine’s life before pregnancy and the discovery of her pregnancy 04:02 The shock and trauma of her six months in the sisterhood home 07:03 The birth of her twins and the hospital experience 10:05 The aftermath of giving up her babies and the emotional impact 15:02 Reconnecting with her son Brendan after 27 years 19:53 The legal battle and the fight for justice 25:09 The ongoing effects of trauma and the importance of being heard 29:58 Reflections on societal attitudes and the need for change 40:05 Advice for mothers who have experienced loss to adoption 43:01 Closing thoughts and the importance of sharing stories This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠⁠⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠ (http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast) To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website. Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠⁠⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠⁠⁠ (http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/)) Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

2. 

   1 Sept 2026

   20 Years Searching for My Biological Family - Erika Gitsham

   What happens when an adopted person discovers that the story they were told about their beginnings wasn’t true? In this episode of Jigsaw Queensland’s Adopt Perspective, Jo speaks with Brazilian-born adoptee Erika Gitsham about her extraordinary search for her biological family - a search spanning more than 20 years, two countries, DNA testing, family trees, Facebook groups, lawyers, a private investigator, a police officer and countless dead ends. Adopted at birth in Brazil, Erika grew up believing that her biological mother had died during childbirth. It wasn’t until adulthood, as Erika began thinking about having children of her own, that her adoptive mother revealed the truth: her mother had not died and there was a document containing her name. That revelation began a search that would test Erika’s persistence and take an enormous emotional toll. Along the way, she confronted missing adoption records, misinformation, failed leads and even the heartbreak of believing she had found her mother, only for DNA testing to prove otherwise. Then, after decades of searching, everything changed. Erika finally received DNA confirmation connecting her to both sides of her biological family and travelled to Brazil, where she met her mother, siblings and extended family. This deeply personal conversation explores international adoption, identity and belonging, adoption search and reunion, DNA testing, the emotional cost of searching for biological family, relationships with adoptive parents, and what it means to finally see yourself reflected in the faces of people to whom you are biologically related. It is also a remarkable story of persistence, human kindness and Erika’s determination to answer one of the most fundamental questions many adopted people carry: Where do I come from? Keywords: adoption, reunion, DNA testing, intercountry adoption, family search, perseverance, identity, emotional journey Key topics: Intercountry adoption challenges, DNA testing and family confirmation, Emotional impact of reunion Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Erica's Journey 04:31 Childhood and Early Adoption Experiences 08:47 The Complex Search for Biological Family 13:18 The Emotional Toll of Searching 17:19 DNA Confirmation and Family Connections 22:36 Reunion with Biological Family 29:45 Reflections on Identity and Belonging 32:31 A New Chapter Begins This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠⁠⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠ (http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast) To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website. Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠⁠⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠⁠⁠ (http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/)) Connect with us: Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

3. 

   11 Aug 2026

   Unlocking Inner Wealth: Helen Harrison on Adoption and Identity

   In this episode, Jo speaks with Helen Harrison, a New Zealand-born adopted person whose story is one of identity, loss, grief and the long journey towards finding a sense of self. Helen grew up as one of ten children in a large, multicultural family, with seven of the children adopted from different cultural backgrounds. As she grew older, she became increasingly aware of feeling disconnected from herself and learned to adapt, people-please and become what she describes as a "chameleon" in order to feel safe and accepted. Helen shares her experience of searching for her biological mother, being prevented from accessing identifying information for almost a decade, and the profound impact of later experiencing rejection in reunion. She also reflects on motherhood, relationships, hypervigilance, addiction and the devastating loss of two of her siblings to suicide. Through years of personal work, Helen came to understand that what she had spent much of her life searching for outside herself was something she ultimately needed to find within. It's a deeply reflective conversation about adoption, grief, belonging, self-trust and what it can mean to finally cone home to yourself. Keywords: adoption, identity, loss, resilience, self-trust, multicultural family, personal growth, emotional well-being, reunion, grief Chapters 00:00 Childhood in a Multicultural Family 02:24 The Impact of Scarcity and Survival 05:03 Adoption Dynamics and Family Changes 07:58 The Journey of Self-Discovery 10:43 Understanding Grief Through Adoption 13:17 Searching for Biological Roots 15:33 Navigating Rejection and Loss 18:19 Motherhood and Its Challenges 20:33 Connecting with Biological Family 23:36 Coping with Profound Loss 25:55 Unpacking Anger and Emotional Regulation 27:28 The Impact of Adoption on Relationships 31:07 Grappling with Addictions 34:16 Searching for Biological Roots 38:08 Reconnecting with the Adoptive Mother 42:44 Finding Self and Belonging 48:24 Empowerment and Self-Awareness Helen wrote a book about her experience titled, "Inner Wealth: From Pain to Purpose". You can purchase it here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Inner-Wealth-Purpose-Helen-Harrison-ebook/dp/B0DLLKKJHR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0 This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠⁠ (http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast) To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website. Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠⁠ (http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/)) Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

Who has been a guest on Adopt Perspective

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Brett Kable
• Professor Nahum Mushin AM
• Helen Angela Taylor
• Anna Lanyon
• Tash Hope

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

1,591

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

18 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 72 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

84

Social presence

0

YouTube

68

Engagement

85

Contact Adopt Perspective

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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