Adopt Perspective Adoption Podcast

What happens when lived experience becomes art?In this powerful episode of Adopt Perspective, we explore Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives – an original musical testimony that brings the hidden stories of Australia’s Forced Adoption Era to the stage through music, performance and truth-telling.Host Jo Sparrow speaks with Louise Kirk, a mother impacted by forced adoption who, as a teenager in the 1970s, was coerced into the adoption of her six-month-old son. Louise shares her deeply personal story of love, loss and lifelong grief, as well as her journey into advocacy and peer support for other mothers affected by adoption separation.They discuss how Broken Bonds, Fractured Lives is transforming lived experience into theatre, amplifying voices that have too often been silenced, and creating opportunities for healing through storytelling.The production team is also seeking more men affected by forced adoption to become involved by sharing their experiences and potentially performing as part of the project.Listen now and discover how creativity can honour memory, challenge silence and foster understanding.To find out more email: swagssbunbury@gmail.com Chapters00:00 Introduction to Broken Bonds Fractured Lives01:17 Louise Kirk's Personal Journey11:23 The Impact of Forced Adoption16:03 The Struggles of Reunion and Identity17:38 Advocacy Through Art and Music20:04 The Birth of a Song: Tiny Hands21:04 From Concept to Performance: The Journey Begins23:17 Emotional Resonance: The Power of Storytelling25:27 Expanding the Narrative: Including Fathers and Male Perspectives29:01 The Right to Know: Advocating for Adoption Awareness30:29 Sharing Truths: The Importance of Lived Experiences34:28 Invitation to Participate: Engaging Men in the ConversationKeywords:Adoption, forced adoption, storytelling, theatre, advocacy, mental health, trauma, reunion, public truth-telling, music, community supportThis episode will resonate with adopted adults, parents who lost children to adoption, siblings, adoptive parents, practitioners, and anyone seeking a deeper, more honest understanding of the lifelong impacts of adoption. If this conversation resonates, subscribe for more honest discussions about adoption, identity and the lived experience of adopted adults, mothers and fathers who lost children to adoption and therapists, researchers and policy makers in this space. This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to ⁠http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/podcast⁠To be considered for interview on the podcast, fill in the prospective guest form you'll find on the podcast page of the website. Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (⁠www.jigsawqueensland.com⁠) Connect with us Instagram - adopt_perspective_podcast Facebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland If you are looking for support and reside in Queensland, Australia, you can reach Jigsaw Queensland's Forced Adoption Support Service on toll-free 1800 21 03 13, or you can call Jigsaw on 07 3358 6666. If you live in another state of Australia, you can still call the Forced Adoption Support Service in the state that you're calling from. In every other state of Australia, Relationships Australia operates this service. A big thank you to Matt Sparrow for composing and recording our original theme music. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

Today’s conversation is one that takes us across continents, cultures, and the complex search for identity that so many adopted people navigate. Ryan Anderson is an intercountry adoptee who now lives in Scotland. Ryan was born in Morocco and adopted at six months old after being found on the streets of El Jadida. He was fostered by a Moroccan family prior to being adopted at 3 months of age and came to live in Scotland with his adoptive parents in 1990 when he was 6 months old—but it wasn’t until he was 18 that Ryan even learned he was adopted. For 13 years, he kept that secret to himself, carrying the weight of shame, confusion, and longing.Today, Ryan is an advocate for adoptees and mental health awareness. His journey has taken him around the world—literally walking the streets of Morocco, appearing on Moroccan television in hopes of finding his biological family, and facing some very precarious situations along the way. Ryan is open about his struggles with identity, mental health, and substance use, and the steps he’s taken to heal.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notes Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com) Connect with usInstagram - adopt_perspective_podcastFacebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

Today on Adopt Perspective, we're joined by South Australian filmmaker, writer, adoptee and advocate Heather Waters. Heather’s work explores the lasting impacts of adoption on identity, family, grief and belonging and one of her films will be showcased at an AdopTEA event at Carindale on 11 October 2025.Her films include The Lost Souls, You Should Be Grateful and You Were Chosen: Secrets of Closed Adoption — powerful projects challenging myths, secrecy and the expectations placed on adoptees. Heather has just released a companion book to You Should Be Grateful (2024), expanding on her interviews with adoptees.In this episode, Heather shares her journey, her creative work, and why giving voice to adoptees is essential for changing how society understands adoption. And we talk about Mental Health Month and the AdopTEA events that are scheduled to run throughout October.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notes Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com)Connect with usInstagram - adopt_perspective_podcastFacebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre QueenslandWe acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

Today’s guest, Karen Chaston, was just 16 years old when she lost her daughter to adoption in Sydney in 1973. Nearly three decades later, after 28 long years, they were reunited. In this special two-part series, we’re privileged to hear from both mother and daughter as they share their perspectives on separation, reunion, and what it means to rebuild connection after adoption.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notes Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com)Connect with usInstagram - adopt_perspective_podcastFacebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

Today’s guest is someone whose work is reshaping how we think about adoption, identity, and intimacy. Anna Linde is an adoptee, a Dance & Movement-Therapist, a Sexology researcher, and the founder of The Adopted Sexologist. Her work focuses on the often-unspoken intersections between adoption, sexuality, race, and belonging — exploring how adopted people, especially transracial adoptees, experience the body, desire, and self. (The Adopted Sexologist)Anna's writing is rich, provocative, and deeply grounded in lived experience. Whether you’ve read her article “Unfolding Our Sexual Identity as Black Adoptees”, discovered her through The Adopted Sexologist platform, or come across her research in scholarly journals, you'll know she is bringing vital — and often invisible — conversations into the light.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notesYour host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com) Connect with usInstagram - adopt_perspective_podcastFacebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

In this episode, Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow is joined by Professor Nahum Mushin AM—former Family Court Judge and Chair of the Forced Adoption Apology Reference Group—for a timely conversation as Queensland reviews its Adoption Act 2009 and ties it to the Commission of Inquiry into the Child Safety System.With Premier David Crisafulli calling to “bring back adoption” in response to youth crime, Jo and Nahum explore whether this move risks repeating painful mistakes of the past.Topics include:Adoption as a trauma-laden, lifelong experienceAlternatives to adoption that preserve a child’s identityThe risks of oversimplified permanency thinkingPlenary vs. simple adoption modelsWhy lived experience must shape policyIf you're affected by adoption, Jigsaw Queensland offers monthly peer support groups and a welcoming community. Visit www.jigsawqueensland.com to learn more.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notes Your host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com) Connect with usInstagram - adopt_perspective_podcastFacebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

Back in Season 2, (21 April 2021), we spoke with Vivienne Timmermans — a much-loved and well-respected voice in the Queensland adoption community. In 1980, Vivienne was an Australian Champion Figure Roller Skater from Inala when, at 17, she became pregnant and lost her daughter — whom she named Sheree — to adoption.Vivienne went on to write about her experience in her memoir You Named Me Sheree and now facilitates a support group called You Gave Me a Voice.Today, we are privileged to hear another perspective of that story — from Vivienne’s daughter, now known as Tash Hope, who lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notesYour host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com)Connect with usInstagram - adopt_perspective_podcastFacebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre Queensland We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.

Today we’re joined by a very special guest—renowned addiction specialist and psychotherapist, Paul Sunderland.With over 35 years of experience, Paul’s groundbreaking work has illuminated the deep and often-overlooked links between adoption, trauma, and addiction. His powerful presentations—shared widely by the adoption community—have resonated with thousands around the world, especially his insights for Life Works and the Adult Adoptee Movement on YouTube.In this episode, we explore the lifelong impact of early maternal separation, how adoption shapes identity and mental health, and why adopted people may face a heightened vulnerability to addiction. Whether you're an adopted person, a parent of loss, an adoptive parent, or a professional working in the therapeutic or community services space, Paul’s wisdom offers invaluable understanding and hope.This episode discusses adult themes and listener discretion is advised. For more information go to http://www.jigsawqueensland.com/episode-notesYour host is Dr Jo-Ann Sparrow - President of Jigsaw Queensland (www.jigsawqueensland.com)Connect with usInstagram - adopt_perspective_podcastFacebook - Jigsaw Post-Adoption Centre QueenslandWe acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we work and the many lands that our clients now live on and we wish to acknowledge and show our respects to Elders past and present for their continuing connection to culture and the contributions they make to community. We acknowledge how much we have to learn from them and their unique understanding of connection and adoption and their recognition that at the base of every change is truth telling and healing.