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09 Dr.Richard Wenzel

Because She's Adopted Podcast

Release Date: 10/17/2025

11 Chris Williams show art 11 Chris Williams

Because She's Adopted Podcast

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 11 | Chris Williams Episode summary Host Kristal Parke welcomes fellow adoptee and comedian, Chris Williams to recap a week in The Big Apple where Kristal’s film, Because She’s Adopted, was the official selection for The Adoptee Film Festival and had its New York City Premiere at the Caveat Theatre in Manhattan. From Central Park to Broadway, hotdogs to hamburgers, they cover it all in this lighthearted episode. Guest Bio Chris Williams is a stand-up comedian and producer from Los Angeles, currently based in Santa Barbara. Audiences are drawn to his intelligent, relatable,...

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10 Christy Gilvear show art 10 Christy Gilvear

Because She's Adopted Podcast

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 10 | Christy Gilvear Episode summary Host Kristal Parke welcomes fellow adoptee Christy Gilvear for a powerful conversation about adoption, faith, and growing up in a high-control religious environment. Together, they unpack how those experiences shaped their identity, relationships, and journey toward healing. This episode of Because She’s Adopted offers an honest look at self-discovery, resilience, and finding freedom beyond the beliefs we were raised in. Guest Bio: Christy Gilvear Christy Gilvear is the creator of The Rooted Petal and host of the upcoming Green Alchemy...

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09 Dr.Richard Wenzel show art 09 Dr.Richard Wenzel

Because She's Adopted Podcast

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 9 | Dr.Richard Wenzel Episode summary Dr. Richard Wenzel shares a riveting NPE journey that began with an at-home DNA test and unfolded into the discovery that his father was not his genetic father. The conversation traces childhood memories surrounding a sibling’s secret adoption, a pediatrician who ā€œknew and lied,ā€ and a later-in-life reckoning with identity, family history, and medical ethics. Richard explains why genetic secrets harm patients, how falsified family histories misdirect care, and why he advocates for clinician candor: ā€œJust tell the truth.ā€ Guest...

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08 Erin show art 08 Erin

Because She's Adopted Podcast

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 8 | Erin In this heartfelt conversation, host Kristal Parke sits down with Erin, co-founder of Hiraeth Hope and Healing, Inc., to explore what it means to discover you’re an NPE (Not Parent Expected) and how she turned that revelation into one of purpose by creating community spaces for NPE's, adoptees, and donor-conceived individuals. Guest Bio: Erin In 2017, Erin unexpectedly discovered that she is an NPE (Not Parent Expected) while delving into her family history. Since then, she has devoted much of her time to assisting others in their quests to find family connections,...

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07 Sydney Curtin show art 07 Sydney Curtin

Because She's Adopted Podcast

šŸŽ™ļø Episode 7: Sydney Curtin In this heartwrenching conversation, host Kristal Parke sits down with Sydney Curtin, as she opens up about relinquishment and open adoption.  Guest Bio: Sydney Curtin Sydney Curtin is a dynamic speaker, author, multi-business owner, consultant, life coach, and serial entrepreneur. With over ten years of professional experience and an impressive rĆ©sumĆ©, Sydney extends her knowledge to empower others to change their lives, too. Overcoming a dark and haunting past, Coach Curtin found herself at a crossroads — her story could either make her or break her....

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06 Do You Know What The 60's Scoop Was? Pt.2 show art 06 Do You Know What The 60's Scoop Was? Pt.2

Because She's Adopted Podcast

Kelowna adoptees Kristal and Chrystal welcome 60's scoop survivors Tina Taphouse and Nadine McSpaddan as they courageously share their journey back to their roots and inform us on one of Canada's darker times in history.

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05 Do You Know What The 60's Scoop Was? Pt.1 show art 05 Do You Know What The 60's Scoop Was? Pt.1

Because She's Adopted Podcast

Kelowna adoptees Kristal and Chrystal welcome 60's scoop survivors Tina Taphouse and Nadine McSpaddan as they courageously share their journey back to their roots and inform us on one of Canada's darker times in history.

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04 04 "She's Kinda Hard to Live With"

Because She's Adopted Podcast

Because She's Adopted Podcast host, Kristal welcomes her husband Stewart Parke as they discuss the ups and downs of relinquishment trauma within a marriage.

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03 Don't Stay Stuck show art 03 Don't Stay Stuck

Because She's Adopted Podcast

Local Kelowna trauma therapist, Cherise Lowe meets with Kristal and Chrystal to help lend a deeper understanding of relinquishment in the context of attachment and trauma.

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02 Navigating Reunion; Great Expectations show art 02 Navigating Reunion; Great Expectations

Because She's Adopted Podcast

Local Kelowna adoptees and hosts, Kristal and Chrystal discuss their polarizing experiences of reuniting with their biological families in the hopes of finidng the missing pieces.

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šŸŽ™ļø Episode 9 | Dr.Richard Wenzel

Episode summary

Dr. Richard Wenzel shares a riveting NPE journey that began with an at-home DNA test and unfolded into the discovery that his father was not his genetic father. The conversation traces childhood memories surrounding a sibling’s secret adoption, a pediatrician who ā€œknew and lied,ā€ and a later-in-life reckoning with identity, family history, and medical ethics. Richard explains why genetic secrets harm patients, how falsified family histories misdirect care, and why he advocates for clinician candor: ā€œJust tell the truth.ā€

Guest Bio: Dr.Richard Wenzel

For three decades, Dr. Richard Wenzel, PharmD, CPPS, has been an accomplished educator, practitioner, researcher, and mentor in the realm of health care.  He has authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications in medical journals and given more than 100 presentations at national, state, or local-level professional meetings.  He received the American Pharmacists Association’s One-to-One Patient Counseling award, given annually to five pharmacists nationally, and is a two-time nominee for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy's Master Preceptor award.  

In 2020, an at-home DNA test revealed that his father was not his genetic father, a result that helped explain why Richard has always felt ā€˜out of place’ within his own family.  Unfortunately, both his mother and genetic father are long deceased, but available information substantiates that his conception was the result of a sexual assault of his at-the-time teenage mother.  Moreover, evidence indicates that Richard's pediatrician knew of, and lied about, the facts of his paternity.  Since his DNA discovery, Richard has published several articles in medical journals calling for health care professionals to improve their management of genetic secrets and has on-going projects aimed at improving public awareness about medical professionals' roles in propagating genetic secrets.    

Connect with Richard
Email: lone.tree.npe@gmail.com

Links:

Misattributed paternity discovery: A critique of medical organizations' recommendations - PubMed

Buying my existence. Just $49, free shipping included - Wenzel - 2023 - Journal of Genetic Counseling - Wiley Online Library

To be or not to be (honest): The persistent problem of misattributed paternity - Hercher - 2023 - Journal of Genetic Counseling - Wiley Online Library

Connect with Kristal
Website: https://kristalparke.net/

Email: kristal@becauseshesadopted.com

YouTube | Instagram | TikTok

@kristalparkeofficial

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