Family Twist: A Podcast Exploring DNA Surprises and Family Secrets

The Film Every Adoptee Should Know About

Send us Fan MailMost movies treat adoption, donor conception, or DNA discoveries as a plot twist. Then the credits roll. But for the people living these stories, that's when life actually begins.Writer and director Jason Mullis wanted to tell a different kind of story. Before writing Myth of the Ghost Kingdom, he spent months listening to adoptees, donor-conceived people, late-discovery adoptees, NPEs, and others whose lives had been shaped by family secrets and unexpected DNA discoveries.The result is a film that doesn't simply ask, "Who are your biological parents?"It asks the much harder question: Who are you after the truth changes everything?In this episode, Jason joins Corey and Kendall to discuss: Why authentic representation mattered from the very beginning  What he learned from the adoption and DNA-discovery communities  The responsibility of telling someone else's story  Why identity can be more powerful than any fictional plot twist  How family secrets continue to shape generations  What he hopes audiences take away from Myth of the Ghost KingdomWhether you're adopted, donor conceived, an NPE, or simply someone who's ever questioned where you belong, this conversation is a reminder that the most compelling stories are the true ones.About Jason MullisJason Mullis is the writer and director of Myth of the Ghost Kingdom, an independent feature film that follows a woman who discovers as an adult that she was adopted and begins searching for the truth about her identity. The film was developed with extensive input from members of the adoption and DNA-discovery communities, bringing an uncommon level of authenticity to a story about family, identity, and belonging.Support the show

When the Reporter Becomes the Story

Send us Fan MailFor years, Louise McLoughlin built her career telling other people's stories. Then she uncovered one she never expected: her own.After learning she was donor-conceived, Louise set out to understand not only her biological origins, but the larger world of donor conception, family secrets, and identity. That journey led her to create the acclaimed documentary podcast You Look Like Me, where she gave donor-conceived people a platform to tell the stories that so often go unheard.In this episode, Louise joins Corey and Kendall to discuss: Discovering she was donor-conceived  Finding her biological father and a growing number of half-siblings  Why donor-conceived people often feel the search is never truly over  The emotional reality behind DNA discoveries  Why media coverage of donor conception often misses the point  Balancing journalism with personal experience  The importance of transparency, identity, and the right to know where you come from This conversation is about much more than DNA. It's about what happens when the person asking the questions suddenly becomes the story.About Louise McLoughlinLouise McLoughlin is an award-winning journalist and creator of the documentary podcast You Look Like Me, which explores donor conception, identity, and family through deeply personal storytelling. Her work has helped bring greater visibility to donor-conceived voices while challenging how these stories are covered in the media. 

The Reunion No One Prepared Her For

Send us Fan MailFinding your birth family is often portrayed as the ending of the story. For many adoptees, it's actually the beginning.In this episode, Patricia Knight Meyer returns to talk about reunion with both of her birth parents, the remarkable relationship she built with her birth father, and the emotional challenges that no one prepared her to face.Together, we discuss:• Why reunion with each birth parent took a very different path• The grief experienced by birth fathers and why it deserves more attention• Genetic mirroring and finally seeing yourself in someone else• Why Patricia believes adoptees and birth families need better preparation before reunion• The inspiration behind her memoir, Wonderland: Memoir of a Black Market Adoption• The music that became the soundtrack to her journeyAnd then, right near the end of the conversation, something completely unexpected happens. Corey and Patricia realize they've shared a powerful moment before, they just didn't know it until now.The e-book edition of Wonderland is available for preorder now. The print edition and audiobook arrive this November, and Patricia will return to Family Twist for a special bonus episode after publication to share readers' reactions and what's happened since the book's release.

The Lawyer Who Sold Babies

Send us Fan MailWhat if you discovered your adoption was never legal?This week, Corey and Kendall welcome adoptee, author, advocate, and National Association of Adoptees and Parents (NAAP) board member Patricia Knight Meyer for one of the most extraordinary stories we've ever featured on Family Twist.Patricia always knew she was adopted. But at 13, she learned she had no original birth certificate. At 18, she discovered there had never been a legal adoption. The attorney who arranged her placement had orchestrated an illegal black-market adoption, leaving Patricia to spend decades searching for answers about her identity, her family, and even her true birthday.In this deeply personal conversation, Patricia shares what it was like growing up with unanswered questions, why she always feared someone might come to take her away, and how years of searching eventually led her to the truth.We also discuss her powerful upcoming memoir, Wonderland: Memoir of a Black Market Adoption, a story of identity, resilience, and the lifelong search for where we belong.This conversation is unforgettable. And somehow, it's only the beginning.Next week, Patricia returns to share what happened after the reunion with both of her birth parents, the remarkable relationship she built with her birth father, and a surprise ending that neither she nor Corey saw coming.Pre-order Wonderland now wherever books are sold.

She Didn't Tell Me We Were Jewish

Send us Fan MailShe didn't tell me we were Jewish.Those seven words changed everything.Author Joan Moran joins Corey and Kendall to discuss her remarkable memoir, Suddenly Jewish, a story that spans generations, continents, and one life-changing family secret.Joan grew up believing she knew her family's story. Then, just before marrying into a Jewish family, her mother revealed something she had kept hidden for decades. Their family was Jewish.The secret was not rooted in shame. It was rooted in survival.Joan shares her mother's journey from Odesa to London, Montreal, New York, and San Francisco, explaining how antisemitism shaped the choices her family made. Along the way, Corey and Kendall discover something familiar. Even though Joan's story is different from a DNA surprise, the emotional questions are remarkably similar.How does a family secret shape your identity?Can you understand the people who believed silence was the safest option?What happens when the truth finally comes out?The conversation also explores Kendall's own DNA discovery, the importance of identity beyond genetics, and why understanding history can sometimes lead to compassion, even when it cannot erase the pain.In this episode:• Why Joan's mother hid her Jewish identity• The historical events that made secrecy feel necessary• How hidden ancestry affects future generations• The surprising connections between hidden heritage and DNA discoveries• Why family secrets rarely stay buried foreverWhether your story involves adoption, donor conception, a DNA surprise, hidden ancestry, or another family secret, this episode is a reminder that understanding where we come from can change how we see ourselves.Joan Moran's memoir, Suddenly Jewish, is available wherever books are sold.If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who loves true stories about family, identity, and discovery.Remember, family secrets are the ultimate plot twist.