Adoption and Identity in Adulthood

When Leigh Mitchell was three months old, she was given up for adoption. Her adopted parents divorced when she was only a year hold, causing disruption to the stability she felt from an early age. In school, Leigh struggled to find her stability, suffering from learning disabilities and constantly moving from place to place. Eventually after finding her footing in high school, Leigh watched her father buy a resort and suffer from a nervous breakdown that changed the course of his life. As a business owner herself today, Leigh has spent years helping both herself and others heal from similar traumas. In adulthood, Leigh managed to reconnect with her biological parents, putting together estranged pieces of her identity and began counselling to better understand how her traumas had affected her life. Today, Leigh is a thriving entrepreneur as the founder of Women in Business Network, a group of 30K+ women created to support female business owners.

1.41 - Leigh’s adoption and childhood

4.30 - Leigh moves back in with her mom

5.10 - Leigh’s learning disabilities

6.20 - Leigh’s stepfather has a car accident, family moves to Mississauga

7.20 - Leigh’s relationship with her biological parents

8.05 - Leigh starts hanging out with older crowd

9.10 - Leigh’s weekends with her adoptive father

10.14 - Leigh’s adoptive father buys a resort, sees her father have a nervous breakdown

11.52 - How Leigh’s trauma affected her

12.57 - Amy’s reflection on Leigh’s story

13.57 - Leigh goes to college instead of university

14.44 - Leigh gets her driver’s license

16.21 - How Leigh found and met her biological parents

18.55 - Leigh gets an explanation for her adoption from her father

21.55 - Leigh experiences postpartum depression after having her first child

22.17 - Amy’s second reflection

23.17 - Leigh starts seeing a psychiatrist

24.59 - How Women in Business Network was born

25.42 - How our businesses are often reflections of ourselves

26.21 - How to deal with rough days in business

29.58 - Self care for entrepreneurs

32.50 - Making decisions

33.56 - Leigh’s dedication

35.21 - Amy’s takeaways

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