PODCAST · society
Family Secrets
by iHeartPodcasts
Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.
Episodes
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Something Happened to Susan
A trip to France. An act of profound violence. A marriage--a whole world-- forever changed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Dear Dealer
Nadia and Sasha are The Bowers Sisters. But when tragedy strikes, one sister must investigate all she's lost, and all she's never known. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Coming Soon: New Episodes, New Secrets!
Family Secrets is back! And with more secrets and stories than ever before. Make sure to download, resubscribe, and tune in next week, October 8th, for an extraordinary conversation to kick things off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Skirt Caught on Fire
In our extraordinary season finale, Mary Afsari shows us how our unknowable pasts—the tragedies, traumas, and truths—can shape a future and change a life. Many lives, in fact. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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I Think You Should Stop Talking
When Emily returns from a family trip, she tells people she has a “crazy story” but it’s more than that. It’s always more than that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Have You Seen Her?
Casey’s biological mother doesn’t want to be found. But still, Casey seeks to find her. Needs to. And when she does, a deluge of truth pours forth. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Have You Ever Seen a Body Like This?
Tom’s father takes up all the oxygen in the room with a presence that's larger than life. Larger, in fact, than the many lives he keeps hidden from his wife and children. Tom must reckon with this legacy as he sets out to forge his own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn...
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Making Yourself Up
For most of her life, Darcy’s identity is a mystery. Who’s her mother? Who’s her father? And who, in the end, is she? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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We Heard Everything
A childhood rife with political upheavel, violence and loss. An adulthood overtaken by distrust and manipulation. And then, finally, the truest friend and companion -- a Jack Russell terrier named Coco--helps Fatima break free and discover the joy that awaits her. See omnystudio.com/listener for...
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Nobody Liked Their Nickname
When tragedy befalls Laurie’s crowded family, she and her eight remaining siblings—and their deeply detached and peculiar parents—must navigate the unthinkable. And too, the unsayable—because in this haunted home, nothing is said at all. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn...
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Hijacked
First: a hidden sibling. Then: an unbelievably harrowing hostage situation. As Mimi moves through life, she must confront the scarring secrets stacked against her. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Mrs. America
Growing up, Jackie is a self-described “girl’s girl” in family full of women - surrounded by her sister, mother, and several loving aunts. But a generational secret has been kept, and Jackie will slowly learn that she is deeply impacted by this secret and the silence surrounding it — one that...
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Strangers
A seemingly perfect marriage—a whole life—shatters overnight when Belle discovers her husband’s betrayal and uncovers the silences and stories that have come to define her. As everything collapses, she must decide whether to protect the narrative she’s been handed or finally confront the truth.…
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Coming Soon: Family Secrets Season 14
Join us for a new season of Family Secrets. We're back with 10 new stories starting May 7th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Thank You From Dani for Season 13
A message from Dani, with an update on the next season of Family Secrets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Homeschooled
After being coerced into homeschool by a mother whose love threatens to consume him, Stefan must confront how an isolated childhood shrouded in secrecy will shape his life. Stefan Merrill Block's memoir is titled Homeschooled. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about...
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Should We Do This?
Marion and Tony are madly, deeply in love. But there are obstacles to their relationship, namely Tony’s sexual preference. When Tony loses his life to AIDS, Marion discovers just how many obstacles there really were. This year is the 30th Anniversary of Marion Winik's memoir, First Comes Love.…
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The Mixed Marriage Project
In his locked study, Dorothy’s father works on his book. For years. And years. And years. But it’s not until after his death that Dorothy uncovers the secrets in between its unfinished pages. Dorothy Roberts is the author of The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family. See...
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90 Miles
Karen vanishes with her children to escape a violent marriage, erasing a life in order to save it. But eventually, when it’s safe—if it’s safe—she must come out of hiding. Karen Palmer's book, She's Under Here, is out now. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your...
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All Without Telling Me
In 1998, long before Dani discovered the truth of her biological paternity, she published a story called “The Secret Wife” about the discovery of her father’s second wife, a secret marriage that had been hidden for decades. Today, she reads and reflects on this story—the uncovering of the silent...
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The Guy Who Knew a Guy
When Francesca sets out to understand her father’s past, she is faced with a world of crime, silence, and denial. But it’s not just his past she must reckon with; it’s her present, her inheritance of a story no one wanted to tell. Francesca Fontana is the author of The Family Snitch. See...
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Tangled Up in Blue
Sam grows up without knowing his biological father. As he enters adolescence, he begins to resemble Bob Dylan. A lot. So when Sam learns his mother had a brief relationship with Dylan in the 70s, the cascade of questions begins to flow. Sam Sussman's book, Boy from the North Country, is out now....
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Baby X
After centuries of ancestral trauma, Julian must listen closely to the stories of his family —stories of survival, memory, myth and generations of erasure—in order to discover the story of himself. Julian Brave NoiseCat's book, We Survived the Night, is out now. See omnystudio.com/listener for...
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They Weren’t Into Consequences
When Amanda’s parents’ eccentricities take a dark turn toward hoarding, scheming, and secret-keeping, the walls begin to literally close in on her. As the chaos and deceit grows in volume around her, she must figure out how to escape. Amanda Uhle's book is titled Destroy This House. See...
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In The Backseat of My Body
When Kate begins to recover haunting memories, she must confront a family history shaped by silence and generational harm. What follows is her quest to piece together the truth and reclaim a stolen childhood. Kate Price's book, This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, is out now. See...
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Acting on Top of Acting
Ari’el has spent his life playing characters, trying on different identities. But at a certain point he must discover who—beneath all these competing selves—he truly is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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New Season! Coming Soon!
Thursday, November 13th. New Secrets. New Stories. New Season. Join us next week for our thirteenth launch! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Bonus: Dani and Gretchen Rubin
Author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin joins Dani to talk about aphorisms and family secrets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A Word from Dani
Updates, Workshops, and Special Guests! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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There’s a Storm Coming
A ninety-year old father and his youngest daughter come together to unpack a secret that altered—and ultimately made sense of— the shape of each of their lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Which Circle Are You In?
Not every member of a family is told the same story. Elissa wrestles with the necessity of claiming her voice, even as telling her own singular truth may exact a painful price. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Who’s the Girlfriend?
A box of letters. A hidden life. A history rewritten. Susan must reckon with how to move forward—how to be a daughter, a sister, a mother—after so much staggering change. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Truth or Consequences
As E.A. takes to the road on a route once taken with her mother, she must confront the stories we inherit, the ones we choose to tell, and the one’s we don’t. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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It Feels Like Blood
What does it mean to be a family of one? Steven examines his search for belonging in the wake of disappearance, loss, and profound mystery. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Rage Didn’t End Until the Mystery Did
Marian’s body knows something her brain does not. It takes years before she finally has the language to define herself. To be herself. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Defensive Wounds
Erin grows up in and around violence and anger. But nothing could have prepared her for the tragic discovery she makes at age twenty-seven. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Perfect Happy Family
Through the dual lens of a devoted sister and parent, Julie explores the emotional terrain of family illness and secrecy, puzzling over how she can care for others without losing herself entirely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
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Just Like an Arrow
As Sarah navigates the world as an artist and writer, she must confront the genetic history—its myriad patterns and traumas—at the heart of her story, her very self. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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I’m The Man You’re Looking For
Brando’s father is an American Indian incarcerated political activist. Or is he? His mother tells a lot of stories. It’s almost impossible to know what’s true and what isn’t. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Family Secrets: Season 12 Trailer
We're back with a new season of extraordinary stories. Join us next Thursday, My 29th for the premiere of Family Secrets Season 12. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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A 2025 Update From Dani
Catching up with our Family Secrets family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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I Got a Lion
Griffin grew up in a family whose illustrious life defined them. But beneath their fame were the secrets that shaped his world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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I Thought I Was Telling the Truth
At the age of sixteen, Jill began a relationship that lasted most of her life with her much-older professor. Twenty-five years ago, she wrote a memoir. But with time comes new memories, new clarity. She’s realized something: it's time to tell the story again, and differently. See...
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We’ve Met Once Before
In her quest for answers about her biological mother in South Korea, Tracy finds more—and in some ways, less—than what she’s bargained for. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Sky Didn't Fall
When Sacha looks back to her childhood, she sees the branches of a gnarled and tangled family tree. But through art, reflection, storytelling – and just the right therapy – she finally begins to pry the pieces apart. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad...
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An Active Annihilation
Growing up in Ahmedabad, one of India’s fastest-growing cities in the early 2000s, Zara’s world ignited –both literally and figuratively. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Let’s Go Into the Woods
When Garth was growing up, he managed to hide his struggles from his parents. But when Garth becomes a parent himself, he must decide when—and if, at all—to come out of hiding. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Sunshine
Nabil’s dad is not exactly in the picture when he grows up. But he is in other pictures, many in fact. He’s a famous jazz musician and throughout most of Nabil’s life, he’s only a stone’s throw—and yet, a world—away. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad...
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I Was Told Not to Tell Anyone
After years of keeping her abortion a secret, Honor discovers the power of telling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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The Two Names
What’s in a name? And what’s not? With a splintered identity and a voracious hunger for truth, David travels far and wide for answers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.
HOSTED BY
iHeartPodcasts
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Family Secrets have?
Family Secrets currently has 244 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Family Secrets about?
Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore...
How often does Family Secrets release new episodes?
Family Secrets publishes regularly with 244 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Family Secrets?
You can listen to Family Secrets on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Family Secrets?
Family Secrets is created and hosted by iHeartPodcasts.
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