Baggage Check: Mental Health Talk and Advice - DNA Surprises, Biological Roots, and the Meaning of "Family": A Conversation with Genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn

DNA Surprises, Biological Roots, and the Meaning of "Family": A Conversation with Genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn

12/06/22 • 39 min

Baggage Check: Mental Health Talk and Advice

The number of people doing DNA tests and charting their family trees online has skyrocketed over recent years. And it can be an incredibly meaningful journey-- and also one that is shocking and upsetting. This week we speak with renowned genealogist and journalist Jennifer Mendelsohn about all kinds of stories, from the heartwarming to the stomach-churning, and explore what to keep in mind if you start on the search yourself. What's the meaning of "family"? Does our DNA tell us anything about who we really are? Why is the draw toward finding out our ancestry so powerful? We talk about all of it, in today's Baggage Check.

For more on Jennifer Mendelsohn's recently announced collaboration with the Center for Jewish History, to provide free DNA kits to Holocaust survivors and their children, check out the DNA Reunion Project.

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Here's more on Dr. Andrea Bonior and her book Detox Your Thoughts.

Here's more on this podcast, which somehow you already found (thank you!)

Credits: Beautiful cover art by Danielle Merity, exquisitely lounge-y original music by Jordan Cooper

Here's more on Dr. Andrea Bonior and her book Detox Your Thoughts.

Here's more on this podcast, which somehow you already found (thank you!)

Credits: Beautiful cover art by Danielle Merity, exquisitely lounge-y original music by Jordan Cooper

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Listener Q&A: A Showdown with a Toxic Boss

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Here's more on Dr. Andrea Bonior and her book Detox Your Thoughts.

Here's more on this podcast, which somehow you already found (thank you!)

Credits: Beautiful cover art by Danielle Merity, exquisitely lounge-y original music by Jordan Cooper

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Here's more on Dr. Andrea Bonior and her book Detox Your Thoughts.

Here's more on this podcast, which somehow you already found (thank you!)

Credits: Beautiful cover art by Danielle Merity, exquisitely lounge-y original music by Jordan Cooper

Baggage Check: Mental Health Talk and Advice - DNA Surprises, Biological Roots, and the Meaning of "Family": A Conversation with Genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn

Transcript

Dr. Andrea Bonior: How do we define where we came from? Can it be found in a DNA test? Why is the pull of knowing our biological roots so powerful? And what happens when they're not what we expected? Today we'll talk with genealogist Jennifer Mendelsohn, who has been involved loved in some of the most fascinating and high-profile searches for biological family, and also some accidental findings that are, shall we say, unexpected. We'll explore some beautiful stories and also some that didn't g