Finding Hope through Stories: A Journey to Adoption

The summer of 2016 was heavy with both heat and heartache. In the aftermath of losing our daughter Emma shortly after birth, followed by a miscarriage, the question of whether we’d become parents felt as stifling as the humid air. It was the kind of summer where grief and heat tangled together, making it impossible to tell which one was making it harder to breathe.

One July afternoon, restless and searching for distraction, I found myself scrolling through podcasts. That’s when I found ADOPTION NOW. We weren’t considering adoption then—we were still trying for another baby—but something about the show made me pause. Before I knew it, I couldn’t stop listening.

What captured me wasn’t just the stories themselves, but their honesty. The podcast shared perspectives from all sides of adoption: adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoptees. These weren’t polished, picture-perfect tales—they were real accounts of both the joys and the struggles.

Some couples had lost babies like we had. Others faced infertility or simply knew adoption was their path. But we all shared that familiar mix of grief and hope. We all just wanted to be parents.

Finding a New Path

While we tried fertility treatments, I kept listening. Each IUI brought its own cycle of hope and letdown. Our refrigerator, which once displayed Emma’s ultrasounds, now held a row of medication bottles and syringes. But somewhere between doctor’s appointments and podcast episodes, something changed. I started to see a different possibility—one I hadn’t really considered before.

By June 2017, after five unsuccessful IUIs and countless hours of listening, we decided to pursue adoption. Looking back, I know that without ADOPTION NOW, we might never have found the courage to take that step.

The Journey Forward

During our adoption journey, the words of ADOPTION NOW’s host April—a mother to four adopted children—became a source of comfort. I’d tell my husband, “April says we just need to hold on—our baby is coming.” He’d give me that loving but skeptical look that clearly said, “You’re taking life advice from a podcast host?” But somehow, those words helped me keep going.

Months of waiting followed, but April was right. We brought our daughter Liza home. The podcast that had carried me through our journey took on a different meaning then—a reminder of how far we’d come, of all the stories that had led us to her.

Sharing Our Journey

When Liza turned five, I felt pulled to share our story on the podcast. Despite being an introvert, I knew it mattered. Late one night, I quickly wrote three paragraphs, hit submit on the application, and immediately closed my laptop, thinking, “What did I just do?” Then I tried to forget about it entirely.

A year later, April’s email arrived in my inbox, inviting me to pre-interview for the show. I actually thought it was spam at first, but decided to reply anyway. The pre-interview hit harder than I expected—talking through everything from losing Emma to our adoption journey brought it all back. I nearly backed out.

But something stronger than fear kept me going. I thought about all those nights I’d sat alone in my quiet house, finding comfort in strangers’ voices through my headphones. Their courage had carried me through my darkest moments. Maybe now it was my turn to do the same for someone else.

Coming Full Circle

The day we recorded, I said a quick prayer and sat down to talk with April. There I was, a self-proclaimed introvert, about to share our whole story with the world. But April has this gift of making you feel safe. The conversation flowed naturally, and sharing our journey brought an unexpected sense of peace. Even listening to it later felt like another step in healing.

When the episode aired, the messages started coming in—confessions from other women who’d been sitting alone in their own quiet houses, wrestling with similar losses and fears. One friend told me it was the first time adoption felt like a real option for her family. Each message reminded me of myself, listening to those first episodes years ago, searching for hope.

A Message of Hope

If you’re holding onto your own story, whether it’s about adoption or loss or love or fear—share it. It doesn’t have to be on a podcast or even with more than one person.

But somewhere, someone is sitting in a quiet room, feeling alone with their thoughts, just like I was that hot summer day. Your words might be the very thing that helps them breathe a little easier, that shows them a path forward they couldn’t see before.

Even if you never know it, your story might be exactly what someone else needs to feel less alone.