The best podcasts for Found Family, DNA Surprises and Adoption Stories

I knew from age 5 that I wanted to be a writer. My professional writing career started in 1997. I've authored two books, the bestselling “The Union of The State,” about the famed comedy troupe, The State, and “Laugh Lines,” featuring interviews with legendary comedians. While entertainment journalism has been the backbone of my writing career, I also produce content for a variety of industries on a myriad of subjects. I'm proud of my unique interviewing skills. Me and my partner, Kendall, moved our brood to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008, and then all the way across the country to New England in 2018, when we found Kendall's birth family on the paternal side. Kendall’s people skills and smarts make him one of those rare human resources experts that people actually like to talk to. While HR makes up Kendall’s M-F life, one of his greatest passions and pleasures are animals. He and 1 parent 5 dogs and 2 cats. Mr. Furley (a Chihuahua-Papillon rescue) is his favorite. Philanthropy is another of Kendall’s passions, specifically LGBTQ+ rights. He’s been active with the Human Rights Campaign and was a board member of the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco. We have a shared love of drag culture and horror movies. The impetus of the Family Twist podcast is the ongoing journey of Kendall and Corey as they navigate life with a brand-new family. Kendall went from an orphaned only child to having six siblings and living birth parents virtually overnight. (Thanks, DNA technology!) Kendall and Corey share their adventures (and misadventures) moving across the country to build relationships with Kendall’s newly-found family. They also interview other people with fascinating family stories - and hopefully help others maneuver their own family journeys. The first podcast episodes dig into Kendall and Corey’s story – including how they moved their entire family 2,700 miles to be close to the new family. Get ready for some jaw-dropping, pearl-clutching twists - and don’t forget the tissues. (There are laughs, too.) Now in season three, Family Twist features stories of people who identify as NPEs - also called not parent expected - others who found out they were donor-conceived and have surprise siblings and others with unique family twists.

Corey and Kendall started the Family Twist podcast to spotlight Kendall’s adoption story and his discovery of both sides of his biological family in 2017. But as the journey continues, we find more and more friends, family members, acquaintances and complete strangers with stories to share. We can all learn from these stories and perhaps telling them and hearing them can help better shape our journeys – and those who are just embarking on similar journeys. Kendall and I jumped in with all four feet and shared a parachute. We immediately packed up our critters and stuff and moved all the way across the country, from the Bay Area of California to New England. From the first day we met his clan to the day we moved was less than three months. Yes, we’re insane (and that’s not the first time we made a decision like that, but that’s another story.) Do we regret that hasty move? No. Sometimes, maybe. Sometimes, yes. Did we do everything the right way? Heck no! But who’s to say what’s “right” anyway? For some it may be the way we did it. For others, baby steps. That’s why we created this podcast. We want to share this found-family journey so you can learn what decisions we made and why. We’ll talk to other people on found-family journeys so we – and others like us – can learn from it. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has a crazy family story. Family isn’t always easy but is ultimately one of the greatest gifts we get. We love our found family, our old family, our chosen family and even our former family. They all helped shape who we are and who we’ll become. Plus, our podcast guests are amazing. The frank, important discussions we have with our guests continually impress Kendall and me. We enjoy the episodes even when they bring out extreme emotions for us. We can be sensitive people, but the effects of other people’s found-family stories touches us in ways we originally didn’t expect. Now, we anticipate my tears during every podcast episode recording. I chose some other wonderful family twist-related podcasts on the subjects of found family, DNA surprises and adoption.

My podcast playlist is family-themed, specifically family surprises and unexpected revelations. Whether someone discovered birth relatives through a DNA test, found out they were adopted or even were the result of a donor-conceived pregnancy, each of these podcasts are full of amazing stories from everyday people who made a discovery. There are laughs and tears, and like me, you might get goosebumps from some of the twists and turns.