Born In June Raised In April

In this August episode, host April Dinwoodie sits down with Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao for a very intimate conversation about the impact of adoption on her life, and how her professional motivations were fueled by her experiences.

In this July episode, host April Dinwoodie and guest Ridghaus explore the complicated themes of freedom and independence connected to adoption and the ability to fully realize our whole identities as adopted persons.

The month of June holds so much additional meaning within the extended family of adoption!  In this episode, host JuneinApril welcomes adopted person and Child Behavior Expert Bryan Post for a discussion of the beautiful and often complicated reality of Father’s Day, as well as the significance of birthdays, the importance of supporting families and children that are experiencing trauma, and the added layers of what differences of race and culture can bring to adoption.

In this May podcast, host April Dinwoodie welcomes transnationally adopted person and artist Benjamin Lundberg Torres Sánchez to her home in Harlem to have a conversation about the meaning of Mother’s Day, navigating two mothers, what mother country means to him, his art, and so much more.

For this April 2019 podcast, host April Dinwoodie answers questions sent in from some of her past guests.  In this very intimate episode, April shares her deep and personal thoughts and feelings about the many layers of adoption, and how her experiences have shaped her identity, what she values, and her most important relationships.

In recognition of Women’s History Month, this March we are celebrating all of the amazing women that have been interviewed on the podcast over the years.  There are so many moving and meaningful moments from these fierce women!

As the podcast begins its 4th year, host April Dinwoodie welcomes “DMC” and his wife Zuri McDaniels to talk about their journey together.  With St. Valentine’s Day and Black History Month as a backdrop, the couple shares the many layers of their love and commitment, and how adoption and family matters are embedded in their lives. 

Your host, April Dinwoodie and guest Kwam Green come together to talk about complicated family structures and experiences, and how we have the ability to reconfigure and build our own families, as well as choosing what traditions and legacy’s to honor, and what we can let go.  This episode expands the conversation, and opens up even more lessons we can learn when we have an open and authentic conversation about our families.

Host April Dinwoodie welcomes guest Amy Ginther for a deep and personal discussion about some of the most triggering headlines of 2018.  From the Hart family tragedy, to the separation of children and families at the border, to Colin Kaepernick’s continued activism - our conversation centers on the importance of community as we talk about breaking tradition at the holidays, claiming our experiences for ourselves, and what it means to navigate the complex realties of adoption.     

In this jam-packed month of November, host April Dinwoodie sits down with former foster youth and innovator Sixto Cancel to talk about the abundance of energy the holidays can bring to those of us navigating complicated family dynamics, and the importance of leveraging technology to create change in child welfare.

This October, host April Dinwoodie welcomes another member of the extended family of adoption; singer, songwriter, author, and fellow Scorpio, Zara Phillips.  Zara’s life is a testament to never giving up, the search for identity, and the healing power of community. 

One of the best ways to learn about the many layers of adoption is by listening to those closest to the adoption experience.  In a "June in April" podcast first, host April Dinwoodie welcomes brothers Michael and Mark to the show.    Michael and Mark are both adopted but do not share a biological connection.  Both were born in Tokyo, Japan, adopted into the United States and raised outside of Seattle, Washington.  Listen as we explore what it means to them to be brothers, the culture of family, their unique identities and so much more!    

This August host April Dinwoodie welcomes another member of the extended family of adoption, creative powerhouse Rock Wilk.  Rock is an award-winning performance artist, writer, composer, musician and adopted person. April and Rock share an in depth conversation about growing up adopted and the many many layers of beauty and complexity that comes with it.    

With “Independence Day” as a backdrop, July is the perfect time to discuss both the personal elements of independence and identity and the bigger broader concepts of freedom related to the adoption experience.  Today, working to truly move in a spirit of independence around access to information and healthy identity development is urgent work. Host April Dinwoodie and her guest Tim will explore all of this and more in this episode of Born in June, Raised in April.  

Taken from his mother at age three, Steve Klakowitz lived a terrifying existence.  Caught in the clutches of a cruel foster family and subjected to constant abuse, Steve finds his only refuge in a box of books given to him by a kind stranger.  In these books, he discovers new worlds he can only imagine and begins to hope that one day he might have a different life – that one day he will find his true home.  This June, our host April Dinwoodie sits down with Steve Pemberton to talk Father’s Day, family and faith and his book and film “ A Chance in the World”. 

  Mother’s Day can bring complicated thoughts and feelings, especially for for those of us in the extended family of adoption.  This May, our host April sits down with transracially-adopted person Rachel Nordlinger to talk about their shared experiences surrounding adoption, identity and family.  

April Dinwoodie welcomes Cathleen Trigg-Jones for a very deep and personal conversation about facing and embracing the beautiful and challenging realities of adoption throughout our lives. From birthdays to identity and differences of race, class and culture to relationships and the search for identity, we cover it all in this April episode!  In the end though, it all comes back to love.

April reflects on adoption and women's history month this March. 

It’s February and as a transracially adopted person, the convergence of Black History Month and Valentine’s Day is powerful and punctuating all at once. As an adult, I have come to understand that any shot I have at truly deep, romantic love is wrapped up in my ability to understand my full identity and love my whole self.  Heck, isn’t that true for all of us adopted or not? Listen this month as I talk with dear friend, ex-boyfriend and meditation guru Light Watkins about relationships, family, differences of race class and culture and identity.