All Relative: Defining Diego

About All Relative: Defining Diego

Defining Diego is the story of one Guatemalan adoptee and his mother, a reporter who documented their journey from his earliest steps, as they try to understand how international adoption boomed and busted, and what it all means for families like theirs, with feet in two worlds. When Laurie Stern set out to adopt a baby from Guatemala in 1999, she thought the process would be pretty straightforward. Lots of people were doing it. But the adoption was held up just as she went to Guatemala to get her son, Diego. That began a journey of discovery. What unfolds is the story of why international adoption peaked — and then collapsed — in Guatemala. It is also the story of how Diego, now 24, learned to be a Maya man with deep roots both in his birth village and Minnesota, where he still lives. Now, Diego has questions about his adoption, too — like why tiny Guatemala was such a popular choice for many adoptive parents in the U.S. and Europe in the early 2000s. As one of more than 50,000 Guatemalan adoptees, Diego’s still figuring out what it means to be Guatemalan, American, indigenous Tzutujil, and an adoptee raised by white parents in St. Paul, Minnesota. At its heart, Defining Diego is a deeply personal narrative: of a mother and son grappling with big questions about identity and health, and the meaning of home and family. Using 20+ years of the family’s archive recordings, we hear Diego grow up — and begin his own journey of self-discovery Defining Diego is part of The Binge - subscribe to listen to all episodes, all at once, ad-free right now. From serial killer nurses to psychic scammers – The Binge is your home for true crime stories that pull you in and never let go. Follow The Binge Crimes and The Binge Cases wherever you get your podcasts to get new stories on the first of the month, every month. Hit ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Defining Diego show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com. The Binge – feed your true crime obsession. A Sony Music Entertainment production. Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts.

Publisher

Somethin' Else / Sony Music Entertainment

Category

kids & family · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

26 Jan 2022

Latest episode

22 Apr 2025

Latest episodes

2 of 29 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   22 Apr 2025TRANSCRIPT

   The Dark Trail of Sandra Bridewell - Dead Husbands & Stolen Identities

   She had a million-dollar smile and a trail of dead men behind her— who was Sandra Bridewell? Host and investigative report Cooper Moll exposes the secrets of the 'black widow' on Fatal Beauty - the latest true crime series to drop on The Binge. Search for Fatal Beauty wherever you get your podcasts to start listening today. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes right now, completely ad-free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2. 

   17 Jun 2024

   The Truth about Ruby Franke

   Listen on Infamous to the story about stay-at-home mom Ruby Franke breaking bad. She starts a YouTube channel, joining a popular niche of Mormon women sharing their lives online as mommy vloggers. Bu she’s then accused of child abuse and more, alongside a controversial female therapist with whom she begins sharing a bed. Hear The Truth about Ruby Franke on Infamous - available now wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes right now, completely ad-free Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3. 

   5 Mar 2024TRANSCRIPT

   Poisoned Letters & a Frantic Investigation - The Untold Story of the Anthrax Attacks

   In 2001, a series of letters laced with a deadly powder called anthrax appeared on the desks of prominent journalists and politicians in New York City and Washington D.C causing a national panic. But what started as an unprecedented case soon turned into an unsettling mystery. Who had sent these letters? And why? Join us as we trace the FBI’s costly investigation into the attacks, all with an eye toward the question that remains today: Did the FBI identify the true killer, or is this case still unresolved? Unravel the story the played out behind closed doors on Cover Up: The Anthrax Threat, listen now wherever you get your podcasts Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes of Cover Up: The Anthrax Threat right now, completely ad-free. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside a recent episode

The Dark Trail of Sandra Bridewell - Dead Husbands & Stolen Identities

Published 22 Apr 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] The officers ran the license plate. The car belonged to Norman, Alan Rarig. He was 30 and lived in Dallas, Texas, about 200 miles away. The police rapidly concluded this guy was probably killed in Dallas. Then the next clues. There was no weapon at the scene. No wallet. And here's the strangest part. No car keys. From the initial scene, I think it was pretty apparent that he came from somewhere away, and then he'd been bumped there and staged to look like that. Was this a robbery gone wrong? Still, something wasn't tracking. If he'd been robbed in Dallas. Why would the culprit bother pushing him out of the driver's seat and then driving his dead body all the way to Oklahoma City? […]

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.3 / 5

533 ratings

Spotify

4.7 / 5

265 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 27 / 100

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

Quality

15

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

98

Contact All Relative: Defining Diego

Guest appearances

Books guests

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

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