DNA Discoveries

In this heartfelt episode of DNA Discoveries, Teresa opens up about her decades-long journey to uncover the truth about her biological roots. Adopted as an infant and raised in a loving home, she began searching for her birthmother in her 20s with very little to go on. A chance encounter with a private investigator set in motion a chain of events no one could have predicted. From emotional first meetings to DNA results that raised more questions than answers, Teresa’s story is a powerful reminder of the complexity of identity, the courage it takes to seek the truth, and the surprising ways family can expand. Whether you’re part of the adoptee, NPE (Not Parent Expected), or DNA testing community—or simply drawn to incredible real-life stories—this conversation is one you won’t forget. Contact Edward and express your interest in sharing your story on an episode: E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/dnadiscoveriespod Host site: [dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm ](dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm)

In this deeply moving episode of DNA Discoveries, we unpack an incredible story of childhood trauma, resilience, and unexpected family reunions. Our guest grew up with an absent father, a struggling single mother, and no siblings—always “bracing for impact.” But everything changed in 2019 when his daughters uncovered long-lost siblings in minutes. Through DNA testing, cyber-sleuthing, and a chance encounter at a wedding, he took the leap to connect with his biological family. What started as a search for identity became a powerful love story—one that is healing not just him, but his father, his siblings, and generations of family wounds. This episode explores the impact of childhood neglect, attachment wounds, and the power of vulnerability in the healing journey. Tune in for an unforgettable conversation about loss, love, and the surprising ways family can find us when we least expect it. E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/dnadiscoveriespod Host site: [dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm ](dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm)

In this compelling episode of DNA Discoveries, Mike shares his life-changing journey of uncovering a family secret that didn’t go to the grave. Through an autosomal DNA test, he discovered that the man listed on his birth certificate wasn’t his biological father. Mike opens up about the shock, the emotional impact of untold family history, and the bittersweet realization that he could have met his real father if he had known sooner. Listen as he recounts the surprising connections he found within his newfound family, the challenges of processing this revelation, and the unexpected DNA twist that led him to a brother he never knew existed. With deep personal reflection, Mike explores how this discovery reshaped his relationships, the reactions of friends and coworkers, and the comfort he found in podcasts like DNA Discoveries. If you've ever wondered about the power of DNA in uncovering hidden truths, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in to hear Mike’s heartfelt message to those holding onto family secrets—before it's too late. Contact Edward and express your interest in sharing your story on an episode: E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/dnadiscoveriespod Host site: [dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm ](dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm)

Many decades ago, unwed mothers were sent away to boarding homes and hospitals and ultimately would give their child up for adoption. Duane knew that his biological mother was one of those unwed mothers. In this episode of DNA Discoveries, Duane shares how he went about finding her, the reactions of his adoptive family, and other discoveries he found along the way. Contact Edward and express your interest in sharing your story on an episode: E-mail: [email protected] Facebook: facebook.com/dnadiscoveriespod Host site: [dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm ](dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm)

Christian novel writer, Karen Kingsbury has adapted her novel to a feature film, "Someone Like You." It is a story of embryo adoption and how one of the characters finds out the info about her adoption, how she receives it, and how she processes it. It's a story of finding family on the big screen, and it's' in theaters beginning April 2. Check your local listings.

In this episode, Lisa shares her story of how she came to know about a new family member, and how she went about searching and finding information. She figured it out and has been in touch with the new found family and was able to confirm all the facts surrounding the story.

Bryan and Sandra enjoyed watching tv shows about finding family. Little did they know that one day they would have a story to tell. In a joint conversation, they together share the story of Bryan finding out he had a daughter from his younger days and how as a husband and wife they accepted her into their family. Get ready for a beautiful and inspiring story! Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DNADiscoveriesPod/

Barbara has a story that you won't believe. Her mother abandoned her and her sibling in their house. Child services became involved, and several of the children were separated from each other. In her memoir "Broken Water" she shares how she searched for her ten sisters and in this episode she shares many details of her life story. It's a story of finding family! Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Water-Extraordinary-True-Story/dp/B0BYVFQTCR/ Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DNADiscoveriesPod/

I've known Robert for years since I worked in his community. He reached out on Facebook to tell me he had his own DNA Discovery and would be happy to share it on the podcast. He shares about his adoption and how he happened upon his nephew. Or did he? Today's episode is sponosred by Magic Mind: https://magicmind.com/dnadisco Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DNADiscoveriesPod/

Robin Schepper grew up not knowing who her biological father was, though her mother wanted her to lie and tell people her step-father was. Different names circulated as to who her brith father was, from the name of the birth certificate to another name suggested by her grandmother. Robin shares her story of identifying her biological father on this episode of DNA Discoveries. Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-My-Way-Identity-Political/dp/195485496X Visit her website: https://robinfschepperauthor.com/ Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DNADiscoveriesPod/

Bridget discovered she was an NPE and shares with listeners what that meant for her, her family, how she coped, how she met her new relatives, and how she moved on after the news. Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DNADiscoveriesPod/

Carmen Rita Wong is an American writer, former radio, television and online journalist, and personal finance expert at CNBC who also has been on quite the family roller coaster wide related to the identity of her father. Raised by a Chinese a father, she presumed he was her father, only to be told someone else was, and then had that rug pulled out from under her feet one day by surprise. Carmen offers profound insights into her journey that are sure to inspire others in a similar situation. Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Why-Didnt-You-Tell-Me/dp/0593240251 Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact Follow the podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DNADiscoveriesPod/

This episode is unique for a few reasons. First, John is sharing his wife's story. Second, the story doesn't have a happy ending of family uniting and relationships forming. This is a story that is left to speculation and waiting. But what is certain, is that he found the relative and no one wants to talk about. it. Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Jon Baime has been helping people tell their stories about anything under the sun through his work in media. But after taking an autosomal DNA test, he now had a story to document and tell--he was donor conceived and discovered his biological dad and siblings. His documentary, Filling in the Blanks, is now available on streaming platforms. In this interview, you will hear parts of Jon's story, but you will want to stream the documentary for the full story. Watch it on Apple TV: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/filling-in-the-blanks/umc.cmc.51crlr0tajnaqqpu4s9w1ldhc, Buy or rent on Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Filling-Blanks-Jon-Baime/dp/B0CBHDZN74/ or search for it on your favorite streaming platform. Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Kim's presumed father died before she was born. Years later she took her autosomal dna test and learned her father was her mother's best friend's brother. She shares her story of finding family in this episode of DNA Discoveries. Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Ed joined us back on episode 10 and shared his story. Since the interview back in 2021, Ed and Edward have stayed in touch, exchanging texts and messages about the DNA Discoveries podcast. In this update episode, the two Eds share a conversation from a hotel lobby and Ed provides updates about his genealogical vocation. Listen to Ed's first intervidew here: https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/familyresearch Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

In this episode, Gerard shares his story of discovering that he had a son and how he fostered a relationship as the time went on. Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

After being gifted an autosomal DNA test kit, Bob was surprised to learn he wasn't Italian. He was even more surprised to find out that who he believed his father was, was in fact, not his father. He does come to learn the identity of his birth father and other very interesting stories about him. Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Oscar shares his story about wanting to learn more about his grandfather. When parts of his mother's story didn't add up, he found his answers through an autosomal DNA test kit. Share your story by emailing [email protected] or visiting https://dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm/contact

Robert's DNA discovery and story of family is a thriller. He was told for many years about his father only to find out that wasn't the name of his father. But could it be that man was still his father, but he had assumed a different identity? It's a mystery that emerged after Robert's two sons gifted him autosomal dna test kits which gave him a new family. Follow on Facebook: Share your own story of finding family by emailing: [email protected].

Beth was told lies from her mother about the name and identity of her father. With the help of an autosomal DNA test kid, Beth got closer to the answer, and one day, the greatest surprised happened, she matched with a brother. Her life has never been the same. This is Beth's story of finding family.

Today's episode is a joint episode with Beth and her biological dad. She shares her experience and disappointment in finding her birth mother but the great joy in finding her biological father after a few years of searching. Her dad shares how he reacted to and received the news that he had another child he didn't know about. Share your DNA story by email [email protected] or by visiting [dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm](dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm)

Chrysta Bilton recently penned her memoir titled "Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings" with Little, Brown and Company. She shares many stories of her life growing up and then the shocking realization that she had over 35 siblings from donor conception. At first resisting the new family, Chrysta eventually warms up to these siblings, who she now calls family. Hear her share about her life and experiences in this conversation with Edward Looney. Chrysta's website: (https://www.chrystabilton.com/ Buy Normal Family: https://www.amazon.com/Normal-Family-Truth-Love-Siblings/dp/0316536547/

The adoption story of David Scotton will be told on the big screen on September 9th in the new movie Lifemark. David's story isn't one of an autosomal DNA test kit, but I thought it was a story worth sharing on DNA Discoveries because of the tagline, Stories of Finding Family. *This episode does address the topic of abortion. It is not the intention of DNA Discoveries to be political, it happens to be a part of his story.

In the first episode of DNA Discoveries, we met Annette and learned her story about finding her biological father. They forged a mother-father relationship, so much so, that Annette moved to be closer to him. Today on DNA Discoveries, Annette is back and she introduces us to her dad.

Ken shares his adoption story on this episode of DNA Discoveries and reveals a shocking fact he didn't know until he began this process.

Mike knew from early on that he was adopted. Not knowing anything about his family health history, he looked for information about his biological family the old fashioned way in the 1990's. His discovery of information didn't stop then, because the technological advancements with DNA and its popularity, allowed him to discover much more in recent years.

Larecia was on a quest to find her biological father. After many years, she finally found the answers she was looking for, and now is making up for lost time. You can read the Guardian article at: https://www.theguardian.com/global/2021/nov/21/i-took-a-dna-test-and-found-a-whole-new-family Follow Larecia on social media: https://www.tiktok.com/@beautybuttafly/ https://www.instagram.com/mrs_boss_lady26/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/larecia.whitehead To share your DNA Story on the podcast contact: [email protected].

Ed had a passion for family genealogical research. He wanted to know everything about his family. When his father took a DNA test, a new mystery presented itself, and his passion for family research became genetic genealogy. Being quite the sleuth, Ed was able to identify his biological grandfather, and this new family welcomed both Ed and his dad into their clan.

Brandy learned at a young age her dad wasn't her dad, and that the mystery man in a vacation photo was her biological dad. She struggled to identify the man, but with lots of help and perseverance, she now knows his name and connected with a sister.

In fifth grade, Peter had an unusual encounter at school and wondered who a mysterious family member was. Years later, he would discover family on his dad's biological side. His ancestry search took him even further to find a relative no one knew about. This is Peter's DNA Discovery story of finding family.

Kristi knew she was adopted and wanted to search for her birth parents. Her test yielded results which helped her find additional blessings along the way. Kristi shares the ups and downs of her search with us today.

Have you discovered family through the DNA kits? Maybe it is time for you to share your story? DNA Discoveries is now recruiting new interviewees. Allow Edward Looney to help you tell your story with the rest of the world! Contact via [email protected] or via the Contact feature on dnadiscoveries.fireside.fm

Nina Manzare was told at a young age that the man she called dad wasn't really her father. It wasn't until taking a DNA test that she confirmed that was true. Her search led her to discover half-siblings which paved the way to her becoming complete by finding her dad.

Edward Looney interviews Chera who shares about her discovery of her half-sister and how they accidently surprised their biological father with the news on his birthday.

Kenny was in his twenties and the first year of his marriage when after hearing a sermon at his church about family and identity that he knew he wanted to find his birth family. Little did he know that God already was working on the heart of his birth father. Kenny's story will fill the listener with wonder and awe.

Penny Kinsey grew up as an only child until she discovered her biological father and his children. She shares her story of discovery and the relationships that have followed.

Tiffany Dean was separated from her mother at the age of two and later in her life she learned the name of her mother. A few months ago she decided to search for her mom. This is the story of a mother-daughter reunion and what led to that life-changing moment.

For most of her life, Annette Broussard Boyd called one man dad. Until they both did an ancestry test and she discovered she was not listed as his daughter. This led to a search for her biological father whom she discovered three years ago. In this episode of DNA Discoveries she outlines her search and story for the man she knows now to be her father.

Edward Looney introduces a new podcast about finding family through the popular dna test kits and looks forward to the many stories that will be shared by his guests.