Family Twist

About Family Twist

Welcome to Family Twist, the podcast that dives deep into the tangled webs of family secrets and DNA surprises. Each episode, hosts Corey and Kendall Austin Stulce explore the complex and challenging truths that come with discovering you are a non-parent expected (NPE) individual, someone whose familial origins aren't what they seemed. Through candid interviews with people from the NPE, adoptee, and donor-conceived communities, Family Twist offers a platform for stories of unexpected parentage, family secrets, and the quest for identity. From the joyful to the heartbreaking, our guests share their journeys of discovery, acceptance, and healing. Why subscribe? Family Twist isn’t just another family history podcast. It’s a support network, a place for healing, and a beacon for anyone navigating the emotional landscape of familial discoveries. Whether you’re directly impacted by these issues or just fascinated by the profound effects of family secrets, this podcast provides insights and company as you journey through the often-unspoken parts of family life. Join us as we unravel the hidden threads of the past, bringing them into the light to foster understanding and connection. Hit subscribe to never miss an episode of Family Twist — where family stories are heard, secrets are revealed, and healing begins. And remember, family secrets are the ultimate plot twist!

Publisher

Corey and Kendall Stulce

Category

history · kids & family · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Apr 2022

Latest episode

2 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

259 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   2 Dec 2025

   How a Nurse Practitioner Survived a Second DNA Discovery

   In Part One, Lisa shared her extraordinary adoption reunion story. A closed adoption, a lifetime of questions, a birth family who lived down the street, and the shocking discovery that she likely cared for her own biological grandfather in the ICU. It was a story about caregiving, identity, and the power of finally finding your roots.Part Two takes us into a very different kind of discovery.This episode explores the emotional fallout of her paternal DNA match. What begins with hopeful emails and a powerful moment of genetic mirroring turns into years of confusion, mixed narratives, addiction, emotional manipulation, and the painful truth adoptees often live with. Reunion does not guarantee safety. Sometimes it brings an entirely new wave of grief.Lisa walks us through the relationship with her biological father, the intense early connection, the unraveling that followed, the trauma she and her daughter endured, and the strength it took to reclaim her voice again. It is an honest, vulnerable look at what happens when the fantasy of family meets the reality of human complexity.And throughout it all, Lisa continues to ground herself in caregiving, advocacy, and her work as a nurse practitioner. As nursing faces new threats on the national stage, her story is a reminder of how much nurses carry for the rest of us and why their voices matter.This is Part Two of Lisa’s story. If you missed Part One, we recommend listening in order.Her book, The Adopted Nurse, expands on this journey with even more insight and compassion.How a Nurse Practitioner Survived a Second DNA DiscoveryWhat Listeners Will Hear• The first phone call with her biological father.• How hope and longing shaped her early trust.• The intense bond that formed during their first visit.• Signs that something was not right.• The unraveling of the relationship.• The impact on her daughter.• The yearslong cycle of addiction, apologies, and emotional confusion.• The night she and her daughter were kicked out with nowhere to go.• How therapy and reflection helped her make sense of the narrative she was given.• Why she will never know the full truth about her birth parents.• How this experience deepened her work as an adoptee advocate and nurse practitioner.• What she wants other adoptees to know before they take a DNA test.• Her message of healing, strength, and reclaiming your own story.Link to Lisa’s Book: The Adopted Nurse (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3QY832C)If Lisa’s story resonates with you, or if you have your own Family Twist, we would love to hear from you. Your story matters. Your truth matters. And your voice deserves to be heard.

2. 

   25 Nov 2025

   How a Nurse Practitioner Discovered Her Real Roots

   With the Trump administration moving to reclassify nursing so it no longer counts as a professional degree for federal student aid, this episode couldn’t land at a more urgent moment. Nursing organizations warn that limiting access to funding threatens the very foundation of patient care, and in our household, where nurses are family, this news hits hard.Today’s guest, Lisa, is a nurse practitioner, an adoptee, and someone who has lived through more than one life-changing twist thanks to DNA testing. Her story blends caregiving, identity, trauma, reunion, and that beautiful mix of nature and nurture we explore so often on Family Twist.Lisa grew up in a loving adoptive home, always knowing she was adopted but never knowing the medical history she desperately needed. As a nurse practitioner and later a mother, the absence of that information became impossible to ignore. When she finally began searching for answers, she uncovered a story that feels like fate.If you want to go even deeper into Lisa’s story, you can find her book here:The Adopted Nurse (Amazon):https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+adopted+nurse (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=the+adopted+nurse)How a Nurse Practitioner Discovered Her Real RootsHer journey includes:• A neighbor who recognizes her immediately• A grandfather she may have unknowingly cared for as an ICU nurse• A birth family who lived down the street from her adoptive parents• Birth aunts who welcome her with warmth, memory, and long-held truthsThis episode explores the way caregivers are shaped by their histories, how adoptees carry both gratitude and grief, and how discovering your roots can transform everything.Next week, Part Two goes even deeper with a second DNA discovery that completely reframes Lisa’s understanding of identity and safety. But first, this is where her story begins.

3. 

   18 Nov 2025

   What If the Donor’s Kids Have No Idea You Exist

   What happens when you discover a whole set of siblings who grew up in the donor’s home, but you are not sure they even know you existIn part one, a simple birthday DNA kit rewrote everything Nick thought he knew about his identity. He learned he was donor conceived at thirty-six, discovered fourteen half siblings, and realized his parents had carried the truth for decades.But nothing prepared him for what came next.In this episode, Nick talks about the two siblings who were raised by the donor, and the complicated question that hangs over many donor conceived adults:Do they know about usAnd if they do not, should someone tell themPart Two explores the unsettling space between biological connection and total silence, and what it means to live with questions you cannot safely or ethically answer.Nick also shares how he transformed his experience into a book and a podcast, giving other donor conceived people a place to speak honestly, without shame or editing. His story is both deeply personal and universally familiar to anyone navigating DNA surprises.What We Talk About• What it feels like to discover donor raised siblings who may be unaware of you• The ethics of reaching out when the consequences are unknown• How donor conceived adults become detectives whether they want to or not• The ongoing challenges of incomplete medical histories• Writing as a way to process identity shifts• Why Nick created a podcast for donor conceived voices• How openness can protect mental and emotional health• The growing need for reform and transparency in the fertility industry• How music helped Nick work through identity questionsTakeaways• Donor conceived people often live with unanswered questions that affect identity, medical decisions, and relationships• The donor’s raised children may be unaware of their genetic siblings, creating an emotional and ethical dilemma• Stories and conversation help break isolation and build community• The fertility industry still offers little guidance to the adults created through these methods• Honesty and visibility remain the strongest tools for changeReflection Questions for Listeners• How would you feel if you learned you had siblings who did not know you existed• What responsibility, if any, do donor conceived people have toward the donor’s raised children• What part of your story have you been afraid to speak out loud• How might telling your truth change your relationships or your sense of self

Who has been a guest on Family Twist

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

• Chris
• Lisa MM Butler
• Lisa
• Peter
• Australian adoptee

Reach and audience

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

YouTube views

5,839

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

86 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 89 / 100

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

Quality

97

Social presence

100

YouTube

68

Engagement

85

Pitching Family Twist

Guest appearances

Books guests

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

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Questions about Family Twist