Strong(er) in the Broken Places

End your year with an inspiring tale. Tabitha Bailey and mother Toni Jacobs share an unwavering belief in God’s plan.

Navigating healthcare intricacies, Tabatha’s family supported her through the greatest challenge of her life - pregnant with a brain tumor.

Their resilience, born in preparation for the inevitable bumps in life, deepened connection to faith and family.

Mentioned in the episode:

Birth mothers are under-represented in the triangle of adoption: often misunderstood and vilified, while living with a lifetime of grief and shame. Seeing the need for support, entrepreneur and straight shooter, Yvonne Rivers created “Birth Mom’s Real Talk”. This Facebook  group and podcast provide a voice to the women who placed their children for adoption, through choice, deception or coercion.

Honest and brave, Ashley Barbour battles superficiality and appearance-based biases. As an activist sharing her experience living with cleft lip and palate, she helps thousands on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok with @cleftlove.  

Inspired by her beauty and compassion, Vicky and Barb sat down to discuss resilience and learning to love ourselves exactly as we are.

Other people’s stories move us, build compassion and change our perspective. Award winning filmmaker Phyllis Bancroft’s latest film is personal. “With Salt” is her vulnerable look at date rape. She joins Barb and Vicky to discuss the creative process, finding her voice, and challenging the status quo.

To watch Phyllis’s amazing film at a festival near you, visit www.withsaltthemovie.com

Give this amazing artist a follow. Her next film explores her experience as an adoptee.

Website:

https://www.phyllisbancroft.com/

Instagram:

@hollywoodflowonthego

“What is real and what’s a dream?”

Divine inspiration led musician Carol Heffler to compose music based on A Course in Miracles.

Her beautiful song, I Could See Peace opens this episode. Carol’s lifetime of creativity flowed like a river within, offering strength for her own struggles as well.

Music was something all her own, separate from a larger-than-life mother. In her teens, Carol’s passion for Dave Brubeck’s piano style remained secret - even from friends. After a classical music education, Carol finally found a jazz program in grad school at University of Massachusetts, Amhurst.

Working for Elliot Lawrence in New York, Carol scored music for Daytime TV Soaps Search for Tomorrow  and The Edge of Night. In club performances she brought her love of Brazilian rhythms to jazz standards and her own compositions. Carol still enjoys performing, and especially nurturing a love of music in her grandson.

Carol’s CDs: Available on Spotify

I Could See Peace - Music of A Course in Miracles

Sea Dreams - from exactly

Willow Weep for Me - from pull of the moon

Yumi Iwama’s life may have seemed perfect, but beneath a successful acting career and beautiful family, she hid her struggle with deep anxiety.

The child of Japanese immigrants in a white suburban New Jersey town, Yumi always felt different. Navigating life as an Asian American carried a high emotional and physical cost. Restorative Hypnotherapist Lisa Hubler helped Yumi release the anxiety, and 12 years later, it has not returned.

This profound healing inspired her to study with Lisa and she now offers Restorative Hypnotherapy and meditation, finding the combination healing for her clients.

Inspired to offer services to people who have been mistreated, and may not feel safe enough to do this vulnerable work, Yumi plans to create a non-profit serving the BIPOC & AAPI communities on a larger scale.

How did Yumi get from constant anxiety to…peace? 

This mini-episode introduces actress Yumi Iwama’s amazing journey of discovery and how she is now helping others. 

Listen to Episode 23: Release Anxiety with Yumi Iwama and discover for yourself!

Like a butterfly, Molly McLaurin’s transformation revealed her true beauty. This busy wife, new mother and twin is passionate about bringing people together, sharing her story and helping others tell theirs. Her company, Monarch Connections blends connection and healing work, offering Christian dating, life coaching and joyous events.

A supportive advocate for adoptees, Molly shares her heart-felt personal story to help others, including starting Adoptee Talk, an adoptee meetup that expanded internationally during the pandemic.

Connect with Molly:

Marine Conservation Institute’s Angela Nardo-Morgan is sustained by her deep connection to earth and sea. This inspiring mother offers lessons from her long career as an environmental educator, activist and scientist. When then eighty-three year old Jane Goodall told her, “I know that you feel discouraged, but I don’t want you to give up. There is still time left to save the planet,” Angela dug deep and kept going. She joins Barb and Vicky to discuss ways we can all stay engaged, inspired, and take action to save this planet for future generations.

Marine Conservation Institute:

In this tender mini-episode and first video podcast, relinquishing birth mother Barbara and her adoptee daughter Vicky ponder a deep question. What if Barb made a different choice and kept her baby?

Black Adoptee Support Group founder Artreese Basnight was called to help others. Adopted from foster care by parents of the same race, she provides a safe community for many adoptees to connect.

Raised an only child, Artreese is finding joy and healing through connection to siblings from multiple families. She joins Barb and Vicky to discuss life after closed adoption, becoming a sister and the healing found in her adoptee support group.

Find her on Instagram @immetreesetheadoptee and @blackadopteesupportgroup

Learn more about Treese and her work supporting Black Adoptees: https://linktr.ee/TreesetheAdoptee

Gifted listener and dynamic speaker Mary Jo Lorei is a spiritual beast - throwing folksy wisdom like truth bombs. Mary Jo joins Barb and Vicky to discuss her journey from caretaker daughter of two alcoholics, one-time celebrity girlfriend and Beverly Hills stylist, to Self Mastery Mentor and now writer of the book, Practical Inspirations.

She believes her parent’s struggle and recovery demonstrated the power of humility and courage, inspiring her passion for connection.

Diana Raab wrote Lust to “Bring more love into the world.” This episode begins with a reading from her book of erotic poetry. She joins Barb and Vicky to discuss her writing process, Valentine’s Day and the many ways love can be expressed.

Poet, author and mentor Diana Raab’s journey was born in pain after finding her beloved grandmother dead from an overdose of antidepressants.

Diana’s mother was consumed by her own grief, and presented young Diana with a diary. Finding comfort and healing through journaling, Diana shares that message with others: encouraging them to dig down to the essence of experience, in all its beauty and ugliness.

Lisa Hubler dreamed of singing opera but life chose a different path. After the loss of her beloved father, Lisa’s search for peace led her to develop a unique model for deepest change and healing: Restorative Hypnotherapy. She is now teaching her method, encouraging students to develop their own blend of lyricism, language and deeply restful postures.

Learn more at her website

https://www.amindmatters.com/

Thriving in these times demands a lot of tools, eh? We could all use some help. Adventure Traveler Akemi Rico was a fearless child, encouraged by her father to dream big. A brilliant manifestor, she’s the perfect first guest for a new year. Akemi finds inspiration in unexpected places, and teaches others to remain open to new experiences. 

Filipino-American recording artist and physical therapist Charmaine Clamor sang before she spoke. Raised in open adoption, she blends ancestral spiritual healing with improvisation; turning physical therapy into an expression of art. She describes open-hearted grieving after the loss of her adoptive father, and the healing power of music. 

To find out more about Charmaine Clamor: 

What’s new with you? These are challenging times. Are you stronger now? Or struggling? In Season Two, your favorite (they hope) Mother and daughter team laugh and learn from amazing guests, exploring the healing power of music, honest connection and meditation that saw them through. Warning: There may be occasional bouts of raving lunacy. If you are struggling, you are not alone - subscribe and find connection with Barb and Vicky.

Class clown Felise Seiler turned childhood bullies into friends and became an improv and stand-up comic at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles, California. During a life-threatening illness, she found strength and connection in humor. Listen to her triumphant story and be inspired.

Contact us:

Barbara and Vicky answer listener questions, and talk about what’s next for Season Two.

Subscribe today and be among the first to hear Season Two…The healing power of music, connection and meditation. Barbara and Vicky dive into theory and offer simple tools for living with freedom and happiness.

Contact us:

Website - https://www.freeyourselfthrough.com

We want to hear from you! 

In the last episode of Season One we will answer your questions.

Contact us:

Barbara and Vicky found compassion for their bullies, but it took years. 

If you are struggling with bullying, we recommend you get help. See links below.

Resources addressing bullying across all ages and types:

Vulnerability is brave. And therapy helps. Lots of therapy. 

Warning! This episode goes deep. Barbara and Vicky had different journeys, but with help found courage to trust others and themselves. Their secret? Baby steps. And patience. And lots of time.

Barbara and Vicky contemplate the question, can I be honest with you? After 25 years, they were both surprised to unearth old baggage. In this episode they deal with sensitive issues and things unsaid. Messy? Yes. And healing.

What is it about fathers and daughters? From little girl adoration through teenage rebellion, Barbara and Vicky both idealized their imperfect fathers. They traveled separate journeys, each finding more healthy, loving relationships in adulthood. Vicky discusses her feelings about her biological father’s continued rejection.

Barbara and Vicky reflect on Mother’s Day traditions, and trying to be perfect daughters. It took years for them to break from past family dysfunction, using mother-daughter templates for communication and “Care-taking 101.”  When they realized they were speaking two different languages, laughter and awkward experiences helped them to forge a new relationship. Their own.

In this touching episode, Barbara and Vicky discuss sweet moments meeting family and reflect on bitter truths that resonate in their lives today. Finally meeting after closed adoption exposed family secrets, not something everyone was prepared for. Their reunion was joyful for some, confusing for others.

A birth mother and her daughter reflect on their first phone call and finally sharing a hug, 30 years after Barbara gave Vicky up for adoption in this poignant, funny and honest episode. Barbara was aided by an experienced search partner who helped her look for Vicky: over a four-year period of searching and therapy. Their awareness of the emotional issues attached to adoption, Vicky’s right to privacy and consent, helped Barbara to be more sensitive to her needs. 

Even at 30, Vicky was completely unprepared for that call. Hearing from Barbara threw her into a crisis - how was she going to tell her parents?

Hi! We are mother and daughter separated by adoption, reunited after 30 years. Why listen to us? You’ll laugh, you’ll cry...and hopefully you’ll relate. We strive to be fun, honest and kind, sharing our adventures, struggles and messy truth. We built an honest relationship - but it wasn't easy. In our podcast this season we explore what it took to get here.