Roots and Branches Adoption Stories Podcast

Roots & Branches Podcast 🌳 Real Stories. Real Voices. Real Healing.

Every adoption story is like a tree. Its roots reach into the unseen places, carrying history, identity, and the love that set life into motion. From these roots grows a strong trunk—the life of the adoptee, built with resilience and discovery. From the trunk extend countless branches—birth parents, adoptive families, siblings, grandchildren, and the unexpected connections that appear when least expected. Each voice is a branch, each moment a ring in the trunk, each secret a seed waiting for light.

The Roots & Branches Podcast, hosted by Janet Munro, is a gathering place for these stories. Adoption is more than a process or a piece of paperwork—it is a living journey that unfolds over decades. Here, you’ll hear from adoptees who uncovered hidden truths about their beginnings, birth parents who made unimaginable choices, adoptive families who opened their hearts across borders, and relatives who discovered connections that changed everything. These conversations are at once heartbreaking and beautiful, heavy with truth yet filled with laughter, love, and hope.

✨ What you’ll hear:

Resilience: A woman who lived on her own at 15, built a 52-year marriage, and only later reconnected with her birth family.

Sacrifice: Parents who adopted across oceans, opening their hearts to children with medical needs, proving love knows no borders.

Truth-telling: A grandmother who became both parent and healer, helping her granddaughter reclaim her sense of worth.

Unexpected turns: A surrogate who became the adoptive mother of the baby she carried, weaving science and spirit into one family’s story.

Unflinching honesty: Families facing the lifelong realities of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, navigating challenges with courage and faith.

The father’s voice: Men who fought for their place in their child’s life, reshaping the conversation about what it means to be a parent.

Each episode is a reminder that adoption is not a single moment—it’s a lifetime. It’s the laughter of reunion calls, the silence of unanswered questions, the ache of absence, and the joy of belonging. It’s faith tested, families forged, and love that refuses to break. These are stories that hold both the ache of the past and the promise of the future.

For Janet, this podcast is more than hosting—it’s personal. Years ago, she made the difficult decision to place her son for adoption. For decades she wondered: Is he happy? Does he know why I chose this? Will we ever meet again? Then, one day, her phone rang. On the other end was the son she had prayed for. When they finally reunited, he looked at her and said three things she will never forget: “I want to get to know you.” “Thank you for giving me life.” “You have three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.”

That moment planted the seed that grew into Roots & Branches. It’s a space where stories are honored, voices are amplified, and healing is cultivated.

🌿 Adoption touches over 20 million lives in North America—adoptees, birth parents, adoptive families, and extended relatives. Too often these stories remain hidden. Roots & Branches exists so they can be spoken aloud, honored, and shared. This is a place where silence ends, and connection begins.

Whether you’re an adoptee searching for truth, a birth parent carrying both grief and love, an adoptive family navigating joy and complexity, or simply someone who believes in the power of human stories, this podcast offers you a seat at the table.

📌 New episodes every Friday. 🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Audible, Acast, and Rephonic.

Roots & Branches: Where every story grows, every voice matters, and every branch finds its place in the tree.

This podcast updates daily.

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.