Libsyn Directory

Setting Our Holiday and Community Tables with Melissa Guida-Richards

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

Release Date: 12/01/2025

Reimagining Traditions: Adoption, Identity & Belonging with Dr. Anthony Hynes

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In this heartfelt conversation, host April Dinwoodie invites Dr. Anthony Hynes to explore what it means to break and remake traditions through the lens of adoption. Dr. Hynes reflects on childhood memories, evolving holiday practices, and the emotional complexity that often surfaces for adopted persons during the holiday season. He also shares insights from his work with children and families, emerging trends in the adoption and child-welfare landscape, and his experience in community at Together on the Journey Family Camp. A grounded and intimate look at how traditions shape identity—and...

Setting Our Holiday and Community Tables with Melissa Guida-Richards

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In this November episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, April sits down with author, educator, and Late Discovery adopted person Melissa Guida-Richards (@adopteethoughts) for a grounding, honest, and deeply human conversation. Fresh off co-hosting the Adoption Changemakers Conference, Melissa returns to reflect on the joys, challenges, and lessons learned from creating space within the adoption community—an effort that is meaningful, but not always easy. As we close out National Adoption Awareness Month and move into a holiday season filled with memory,...

Behind the Mask: Belonging, Identity, and Community with Melissa Guida-Richards

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

This October, we’re going Behind the Mask — looking at what we hide, what we reveal, and how adopted people learn to show up as their full selves. April sits down with Melissa Guida-Richards — adopted person, author, and creator of the Adoption Changemakers Conference — to talk about authenticity, culture, and the importance of real connection in the adoption community. Together, they explore what it means to unmask, how to hold space for nuance, and where joy and healing live in this work. Follow Melissa Guida-Richards on social media @adoptee_thoughts and visit adoptee-thoughts.com...

Back to School with Student Questions & Inclusive Classrooms

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In this back-to-school episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, April Dinwoodie and podcast producer Kyle Ferreira get into a conversation about the powerful and often surprising questions April has received from students—both adopted and not—about adoption, identity, and belonging. From “What happens when someone is adopted an is mistreated?” to “Were you ever angry at your birth parents?” these honest questions open the door to conversations about family, race, mental health, and resilience for all children. April also offers five...

Back to School, Back to Truth: Conversations on Race, Adoption & Journalism with Ahna Fleming and Libby Hobbs

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

This August, as we embrace the “Back to School” season of Continued Learning & Growth, I welcome two incredible young journalists, Ahna Fleeming and Libby Hobbs, for a conversation rooted in truth-telling, identity, and resilience. After a painful racial slur was used toward me during a public process in my own town, I was searching for connection and healing. Around the same time, I read Ahna’s powerful New York Times article about a similar experience of being targeted by the very same word. When I reached out to her, she introduced me to her friend Libby, whose journey as a...

Blended Together: The Beauty of Belonging and The Freedom to Be

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In this special July episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, we explore the beauty and complexity of belonging—and the deep yearning for the freedom to be fully ourselves. I’m joined by my dear friend and creative collaborator Johnny Wright as we share space and vision around a new offering we’re bringing into the world—one created especially with Black and Brown youth in mind, particularly those growing up in White families and communities. This conversation is about more than programs or plans—it’s about culture, care, and connection. It’s...

Truth, Timing & the Ties That Bind: La Tika Jeffery’s Journey to Her Father of Origin

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In this deeply moving June episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, host April Dinwoodie welcomes back La Tika Jeffrey—youth advocate, mother, and lived expert in foster care and adoption—for a raw and inspiring conversation about the power of uncovering truth and forging new family connections. Since her last visit back in December 2021, La Tika’s world has transformed in beautiful and complex ways. This episode follows her emotional journey to discover her father of origin after learning that the man she believed to be her biological father was not....

Mothering Out Loud: Stacey Gatlin on Advocacy, Identity, and the Yes We Adopt Village

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In this Mother’s Day episode, April Dinwoodie sits down with Stacey Gatlin—founder of Yes We Adopt—to explore Black adoption, parenting after loss, and building community that centers authenticity and healing. Stacey shares her path through infertility, post-adoption depression, and the creation of Yes We Adopt—a platform that uplifts Black adoptive families, adopted persons, and birth parents. Together, they reflect on the power of community, the truth-telling needed in adoption spaces, and the mental and emotional load of mothering and leading out loud. A must-listen for anyone in...

Chapter One and the Innocent People Project with Jeff Forney

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In April 2025 I sit down with Jeff Forney, a photographer specializing in advertising, music and celebrity portraiture. Jeff is currently working on “The Innocent People Project” - taking photos of adoptees and sharing their stories. In this episode we dive into the reasons behind starting this project, what it has meant to him and so much more!

Discussing Luck, Burdens & Blessings in Adoption with the Transracial Journeys Community

Born In June Raised In April: What Adoption Can Teach the World

In March 2025, I am so fortunate and honored to welcome some of the members of the Transracial Journeys Community, Co-Directors Mary Halm and Karen Thomas. We dive into this idea of luck in adoption and the blessings and burdens that come along with this experience. We also hear from one of the Board of Directors of TRJ, and adoptive parent, Michelle Daray. There are so many incredible gems in this one! For any member of the adoption community, this is a must listen episode.

More Episodes

Fresh off co-hosting the Adoption Changemakers Conference, Melissa returns to reflect on the joys, challenges, and lessons learned from creating space within the adoption community—an effort that is meaningful, but not always easy.

As we close out National Adoption Awareness Month and move into a holiday season filled with memory, meaning, and complexity, April and Melissa explore:

The holiday tables Melissa grew up around as a Late Discovery adopted person
How those tables have evolved as she parents her own children
What it takes to intentionally set a holiday table that honors truth, identity, and connection
How we build community tables rooted in compassion, honesty, and inclusion
Why making space in community is vital—and why it can stretch us

This episode is an invitation to think about the tables you’re setting this season—literal and figurative—and how to make room for the fullness of your reality.

TOPICS