Finding her Birth Mother at 51: Julie Melanson on Adoption and Identity

Julie Melanson always knew she was adopted, but it wasn’t until she was 51 years old that she decided to search for her birth mother. She eventually found her, built a connection with both her mother and her birth siblings, and then lost her mother soon after. Julie reflects on what it was like to grow up as an adoptee, search for her mom, meet her for the first time, and get to know her during the time they had together."And she said, 'I am your mother and I have been looking for you for the last five years.'"Hear Julie talk about:Growing up in a large extended family with 17 cousins and summers at the family lake houseWhat her adoptive mother used to say about her birth motherWhy she waited until 51 to begin searching for her birth familyWhat it felt like to finally find and meet her birth motherDiscovering similarities between herself and her biological relativesThe complicated emotions of finding — and later losing — her birth motherMentioned in this episode:Julie’s memoir, Not Yours To Keep, about adoption and her birth mother’s strength“The Prayer” by Josh Groban and Charlotte ChurchSupport This Show:Follow Tell Me What It’s Like in your favorite podcast appLeave a rating & review — it helps others find the showShare the episode and tag @RaineMediaCo on social mediaMentioned in this episode:Help Others Discover the ShowEnjoying Tell Me What It’s Like? Leaving a rating and review in your podcast app helps more listeners discover the show. Thanks for supporting thoughtful conversations and perspective-driven storytelling.