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Open Adoption Project

Open Adoption Project

Written by: Lanette & Shaun Nelson
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About this listen

This podcast is about connecting. It's about growing. It's about stretching. In society nowadays, it's easy to fall into echo chambers. This is not an echo chamber. Open Adoption Project is a community dedicated to listening and learning, and building relationships based on healthy respect and communication.

The Open Adoption Project focuses on improving adoptee experiences by encouraging open communication between all members of the adoption constellation, nurturing ongoing open adoption relationships and promoting ethical adoption practices. Follow us on Instagram @OpenAdoptionProject and at our website, openadoptionproject.org (http://openadoptionproject.org).

Everyone is welcome here. Considering adopting? Adoptive parents tune in as we listen and learn from adoptees first and foremost. Adopted individuals share a wide spectrum of experiences, including search and reunion. This podcast is a safe space for any perspectives and experiences adoptees and first parents share, while adopters and those wanting to adopt listen and learn. Academics and others also share with us.

This podcast is a passion project. No one here is connected to any adoption agencies. We do not profit from this podcast. It is a volunteer project we embrace to better enable adoptees and birth parents / biological parents to share their stories.

March 2021 Parenting Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Book Club: The Baby Thief with Heather Rodriguez

    Book Club: The Baby Thief with Heather Rodriguez
    Dec 1 2025

    This National Adoption Month Book Club episode dives into the shocking true story of Georgia Tann, a once-celebrated American adoption pioneer who was, in fact, a baby trafficker. This book, written by Journalist Barbara Raymond, who uncovered this dark history, shares how Tann’s legacy continues to influence adoption laws and practices. We discuss Raymond’s book, “The Baby Thief: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption,” with adoptee Heather Rodriguez. Tann operated in Memphis from 1924 to 1950, and stole thousands of children—many from poor or unwed mothers—and sold them to wealthy families, all while being protected by powerful political allies. Her actions helped shape modern American adoption, introducing secrecy and falsified records that still impact adoptees today.
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    41 mins
  • Book Club: All You Can Ever Know with Anna Lehnardt

    Book Club: All You Can Ever Know with Anna Lehnardt
    Nov 24 2025

    In this special book club episode, we’re joined by adoptee Anna Lehnardt to discuss All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung—a powerful memoir about transracial adoption, identity, and the search for belonging. We explore themes of race, family, and truth as Nicole retraces her roots and confronts the myths she was told about her adoption. Anna offers her personal insights as an adoptee, and together we reflect on the emotional impact of Chung’s story and its relevance to the broader adoption community.

    Email Anna at: adoptionliterate@gmail.com
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    35 mins
  • Representation Matters with Allison Olson

    Representation Matters with Allison Olson
    Oct 17 2025

    In this episode, Allison Olson, an adoptee and adoptive parent, returns to the podcast, sharing her unique perspective from two sides of the adoption journey. She discusses her upcoming children’s books, which aim to offer authentic and balanced narratives for adoptees—especially those in LGBTQ+ families. Our conversation explores the representation of adoption in media, including books, movies, and television, and highlights the importance of creating sensitive, accurate content that resonates with and supports adoptees and children.

    Visit her website here: https://www.ouradoptionbooks.com/

    Visit her blogs here: https://www.ouradoptionbooks.com/blogs
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    29 mins
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