Shows
Adopt PerspectiveNadia Levett - Part OneIn this episode, we're joined by someone whose story weaves through early foster care, complex family connections, and the enduring search for belonging and identity. Nadia Levett was born in 1982 and adopted at the age of five after spending her early years moving between foster homes and biological family members. Her story is unique, layered, and incredibly moving—and there was so much to explore that we’ve decided to bring it to you across two episodes. Some of you might already know of Nadia, who launched her own podcast, the Australian Adoption Podcast, back in 2021.This episo...2025-06-0346 minAdopt PerspectiveNadia Levett - Part TwoIn Part Two, Nadia Levett continues her story. Nadia's experience weaves through early foster care, complex family connections, and the enduring search for belonging and identity. She was born in 1982 and adopted at the age of five after spending her early years moving between foster homes and biological family members. Her story is unique, layered, and incredibly moving—and there was so much to explore that we brought it to you across two episodes. Some of you might already know of Nadia, who launched her own podcast, the Australian Adoption Podcast, back in 2021.This episode discusses adult the...2025-06-0358 min
Australian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 37 - "The Fire of Belonging: A Journey Through Loss and Sovereignty"Welcome to Season 4 of The Australian Adoption Podcast, with your host Nadia Levett, where truth is reclaimed, stories are given a voice, and silence is broken. Today, we are privileged to hear from Shane Bouel, a man whose life was shaped by adoption—not as an act of love, but as a theft of identity. In his own words, he recounts the journey of a life unwoven and stitched together again, through pain, reunion, and ultimately, sovereignty.Through his recorded poetic piece, Shane invites us deeper —into the fractured circle of belonging, into the fire that...2025-05-3107 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 36 - "Empowered Voices: Emily Hikaiti Elevating Youth in Australia's Care System"Welcome to Season 3 of the Australian Adoption Podcast, with your host, Nadia Levett.In today’s episode I’m joined by the inspiring Emily Hikaiti. Emily is an Australian-born Māori woman with a powerful story and a deep commitment to youth advocacy. Drawing from her lived experience in Australia’s out-of-home care system, Emily has become a passionate voice for change, working both nationally and internationally to shape policies and improve outcomes for young people in care.From becoming a mother in high school to representing youth voices at the highest levels—as a director...2025-05-0557 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 35 - "Adopted and Adopting: Peter's Journey of Love and Legacy""Welcome to the Australian Adoption Podcast, where we explore stories that inspire, challenge, and broaden our perspectives. In this episode, we're honoured to introduce Peter, an 81-year-old adoptee from New Zealand and brother of Jan Peart, who shared her journey in Episode 16. Peter’s story is one of love, resilience, and the transformative power of family. As both an adoptee and an adoptive parent of two, alongside two biological children, Peter’s unique experiences shine a light on the beauty of unconditional love and its ability to shape lives. From his childhood surrounded by an embrac...2025-03-2159 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 34 - Barton's storyHi listeners, today I am speaking with Barton. A former Surf Life Saver, Australian barefoot water ski champion and an educator, Barton is also a published writer, an actor in film, tv, and theatre. He is also a Vietnamese war adoptee. In April 1975, President Ford initiated the largest-ever humanitarian child evacuation. Thousands of babies were "lifted" from war-torn Vietnam to Western countries to begin a new life. Barton C Williams (aka Huynh van Cuong) was one of these children. He was adopted and raised in Adelaide. 'FRAGILE' began as a children’s book...2025-02-2146 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 33 - Renee Carter from Adopt ChangeHi everyone, today I will be speaking to Renee Carter, CEO of Adopt Change Australia. Adopt Change is a non-profit organisation with its purpose to support children in need, focussing on government care, foster care, orphans, or children without families, and their carers, families and guardians. They have continued to achieve this by providing resources such as my packs to support at-risk children and also providing support and resources to carers, families and guardians. They place emphasis on understanding trauma and trauma informed practices and parenting and provide information to schools and the community on trauma informed s...2025-01-0743 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 32 - Kura's storyHi everyone, today I speak with Kura. Kura Perkins is a Perth-based adoptee. Born in 1975 and was adopted in Western Australia at 6 weeks of age to newly arrived immigrants from New Zealand. They decided to give her a Māori, name and although she wasn’t Māori, her adoptive parents had heard of this incredible name Kura and loved it, her name would soon have coincidental significance, becoming clear 25 years later.Growing up, Kura always knew she was adopted., She has met both of her birth parents and most of her siblings on both sides...2024-11-0553 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 31 - Jim's storyHi Listeners, In this episode I sit down with Jim Moginie. We had an amazing conversation over zoom from his home in Ireland and I was fortunate to meet him for the launch of his new book earlier this year. For 50 years, Jim was a driving force behind one of Australia’s most iconic bands Midnight Oil. He grew up in Sydney’s northern suburbs and attended high school in the city, where he befriended drummer Rob Hirst. Together with another friend, Andrew James, they formed the band FARM before recruiting singer Peter Garrett...2024-09-2946 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 30 - Denna's storyHey guys, Today I’m speaking with Denna. Denna is an intercountry adopted person, born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in 1979. She grew up in Mclaren Vale, South Australia, and an organisation, formerly known as ASIAC organised her adoption from Yayasan Ibu Sayap. At 4 months of age, Denna took her first international plane trip, and since then has travelled extensively around the globe in both career and personal life. Denna views her adoption experience as being a positive one, she has dabbled in searching for her birth mother and learning more about her origins over the y...2024-09-0432 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 29 - Alyson's storyWelcome to today's podcast. My guest is Alyson, an Australian adoptee from the Baby Scoop Era of the 1970s. Alyson holds a Bachelor's degree in Naturopathy and is certified in a wide array of modalities through her business, “Your Authentic Self.” Her expertise includes Homeopathy, Sanum Therapy, Herbal Medicine, Nutrition, Nutrigenomics, Applied Kinesiology, Touch for Health, Brain Gym, the Biology of Trauma, Somatic Healing and Creatrix transformology. Alyson's journey of healing is deeply personal. She considered herself a lucky adoptee until she turned 50 as life began to unravel. This period of self-discovery and self-healing led her to...2024-07-2645 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 28 - Julie's storyToday I will be speaking to an international adoptee from Chicago, Julie who is also a author–memoirist, essayist, and columnist– who writes about finding out who you are, where you come from, and making sense of it. At 48, julie was sent for a breast biopsy. This incident highlighted what closed adoption prevented her from knowing: her birth circumstances, family medical history, and genealogy. The subsequent search for her “personal story” that consumed five years. She chronicles this journey in her debut, award-winning memoir Twice a Daughter: A Search for Family, Identity, and Belonging We talk on He...2024-06-071h 03Australian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 27 - Lisa's storyToday’s guest, Lisa was born in England in 1970 and was adopted at six weeks of age into a family who had already adopted a son.Lisa’s family moved to Australia when she was two years old and the family grew to include a biological daughter. Lisa’s story of reunion spans decades, two continents and is a testament to her determination, resilience and courage. And having the belief and hope that a NO would not always stay a no.Here is Lisa's story. Support the show2024-04-2752 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 26 - Jo's storyJo is a late discovery adoptee who discovered at the age of 46 that everything that she had known to be true about her identity and family was no longer, it was like a sudden and tragic death. The information that blew her world apart was a diary kept by her recently deceased maternal grandmother “Nanny” that spanned the years 1960-1965. Jo immediately filed for her paperwork with DoCS to obtain her original birth certificate and find her birth mother.The story that unfolded was nothing like the hopes she had of hearing about a forbidden teenage love affa...2024-03-241h 11Australian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 25 - Brendan's storyWhen Brendan was eight years old, his parents told him he was adopted. In his late twenties, he found out the identity of his birth mother – but she wanted nothing to do with him. For thirty years there was only limited communication with his birth mother, and he knew nothing about his birth father. It wasn’t until 2018, a DNA test led him to the truth: 'After decades of searching, Brendan discovered that his birth parents were a Catholic priest and a nun.His ‘Memoir which was released in August 2023 titled “Tell No One...2024-02-1655 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 24 - Jo's storyJo is an adopted person, born in Adelaide in 1969. She lives with her family in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Creativity has been a constant in her life and she worked in advertising, marketing and design for many years, but is now quietly forging a new path as a yoga teacher after feeling its transformative effects in her own life. I first met Jo at a yoga training retreat in Bali earlier this year. Jo was forcibly removed from her mother immediately after her birth at Queen Victoria Hospital in SA whose adoption agency enforced a policy based on...2023-12-0151 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 23 - Rowan's storyToday I am interviewing a gentleman by the name of Rowan Dent in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. Rowan is a father of one who has been impacted by adoption and has seen first hand, the joy and love adoption has played in his life. Rowan attributes his successes in business and sport to the fundamental values that were given to him by his adopted mother and uncle. This is a story of love, sacrifice, and loyalty that has impacted the current generation and will likely impact generations to come. Here is Rowan...2023-10-3045 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 22 - Toni's storyHi everyone, Today I will be speaking with Toni Moon.Toni Moon is a bird nerd, word nerd and adopted person breaking out of the fog.She is a journalist who writes about her own adoption journey amongst other things.Her personal writing reflects a desire for self determination as she uncovers her own past and builds the road ahead for her and her family’s future. Here is her story. Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Faceb...2023-09-2244 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 21 - Layne's storyHi everyone, today I am talking with Layne Beachley. Layne is regarded as one of the world’s most successful athletes. She spent 19 years on the surfing pro tour. Won 7 world titles and is the only surfer in history, to win 6 consecutive world titles. 5 however were won in a state of fear. The other 2 that bookends her career were in a state of love. How did she get there?Well first of all, Layne’s mother died when she was 6 years old, this would have been devastating, to say the least, then her dad informed her a...2023-08-2438 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 20 - Jonah's storyHey everyone, today I sit down and talk with another podcaster Jonah.Jonah was Born in Cairns and immediately placed in foster care, Jonah grew up with his adoptive family in Brisbane and Growing up in a Caucasian Australian family, Jonah felt disconnected from his Papua New Guinea heritage and culture. In 2020, at the age of 22, Jonah embarked on a journey to reunite with his birth family, to reconnect with his heritage and unearth his self-identity. He launched an award-winning podcast, Led By A Heartstring, to invite the world to follow his journey and delve i...2023-08-0547 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 19 - Tammy's storyTammy Richie is an extraordinary woman who has overcome numerous obstacles in her life. Her journey began with a challenging start, as she was abandoned as a baby, losing everything she knew, including an identical twin. This early experience of grief built up her strength and resilience, which she has carried with her throughout her life.Tammy learned to be resourceful and curious from a young age, and these qualities has served her well as she has become the influential leader she is today. As an international motivational speaker and senior team leader for Tony Robbins she...2023-06-281h 18Australian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 18 - Monique's storyHey everyone, Today I am speaking with Monique from the Sunshine Coast. I had a perfect opportunity on my travel around Australia and in January this year I visited her in her home. We comfortably sat on the floor of her upstairs office surround by a large sand tray full of sand, water and figurines. Not long after getting set up did I then notice the two story bookshelf with about 1000 figurines all neatly on display. I was intrigued; but more about this later. Monique is an adopted person, born in Australia in 1972 at the heig...2023-05-2450 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 17 - Karin's storyIn this episode I speak with Karin. Karin is a mother to two boys adopted from the Philippines and President of the Adoptive, Kinship and Fostering Families Association of the ACT known as AKKFFA. Karin believes it is important to find your community of people when it comes to adoption, fostering and kinship care. Karin was previously a Member of the ACT Legislative Assembly, and uses her experience to work towards a better system for all families involved. She is passionately learning the impacts of early life trauma and the effects on neurobiology and she sh...2023-04-1446 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 16 - Jan’s storyHey everyone, I am excited to be sharing with you all today an interview I did recently with another fellow adoptee. This is my first international interview from our neighbouring country New Zealand. I will be speaking with Jan, Jan is a 69 Yr old wife, mother and step mother. So she has 6 children and 11 grandchildren and lives in a quiet seaside village. Her adoption experience with her adoptive family has been very positive however she has always been curious about her birth family. She had always thought that she was part of a big family and it wasn’t un...2023-03-0943 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 15 - Elizabeth's storyIn this episode I chat with Elizabeth. Liz is a mother to children through both adoption and foster care. Her background is in social work and training where Liz has trained and assessed foster carers in preparation for children joining their families through ACT child and Youth protection services. She has also taught and assessed students when studying to become youth, mental health and drug alcohol workers. A former Vice President of the Canberra based Adoptive Families Association and contributed to establishing an annual teen camp for young adoptees, where she has facilitated support groups fo...2023-02-0139 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 14 - Sandra's storyIn this episode I speak with Sandra. Sandra is a baby boomer, born in 1949, grew up with her parents and brother and surrounded by her fathers English family in a small town. Sandra left school at age 15, became a shorthand typist and fell in love. Soon after the relationship blossomed, Sandra fell pregnant at 15 which was disapproved of by her family. Sandra and Kevin went on to face enormous challenges and struggles, being a young unmarried pregnant teen in a conservative family environment in the 1960’s.During her pregnancy and into the first few m...2023-01-0340 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 13 - Margaret's storyMargaret holds a Bachelor of Arts ( Welfare Studies) and a Certificate of Somatic Psychotherapy. Margaret has worked in community justice, social welfare ,human rights advocacy, disability and health services, as a Tribunal Member on NSW and Qld disability Tribunals. During the past 10 years, Margaret continues to work as a Counsellor, Advanced Practitioner for Post Adoption Resource Centre in NSW, Australia. Margaret learned for the first time of her adoption at age 40. This was a traumatic life event, leading Margaret to immerse herself in successful searches and reunion with biological family. Margaret is passionate and committed to working with all...2022-11-1915 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 12 - Trauma and talking with KateToday I will be talking with Kate. A Gestalt and Family Constellations Psychotherapist, Shamanic Bodyworker, Yoga Teacher, Sacred Ceremony Facilitator and has an online learning academy called, The Black Cockatoo School. Gestalt is a non-pathologizing and humanistic modality that pays regard to a person in their wider field. It utilises the body in the present moment to process any unfinished traumas, emotions and narratives that may be hindering one's life. Her work is about bridging the gaps between research and real life, healing and present moment practice. Lets Get Into It!Support the showT...2022-09-2735 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 11 - Q&A Session with MarcusToday in episode 11, I will be interviewing Marcus for a Q&A session about his role as team leader for a permanency support program in NSW. Marcus has been working in the social welfare sector for over 12 years and is currently working with the most vulnerable children in out of home care (Oohc). Lets get into it!Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Facebook or Twitter. The Australian Adoption Podcast with host Nadia Levett!2022-08-3041 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 10 - Care Bags and Sarah's storyToday I speak with Sarah, the Founder of care bags and Chair of the Care Bags - because children in care matter committee. Sarah is a mum of two and been a social worker for over 15 years.Throughout her career, She has seen first-hand the impact of children entering foster care and has always wanted to do something tangible to make this challenging time a little bit easier. Thank you for tuning in to this special episode with Sarah and the care bags mission to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children in c...2022-07-2845 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 9 - Felicity's storyIn this episode I sit down with Felicity Graham, a 19-year old advocate for children and carers in the foster care system in South Australia. She is an author of the book titled 'Not Held Down' that she wrote at 15, sharing her perspective and experiences of growing up in state care. Felicity sheds some light on what the foster care system is really like from a child’s perspective, an experience that is often left unspoken or ignored, and hopes to give a voice to all those foster children out there who feel silenced and misunderstood. Please note...2022-06-0852 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 8 - Dara's storyToday I'm speaking with Dara Read, a lawyer and writer. Dara has worked as a lawyer for children and adults in NSW and the Northern Territory. She has also worked as a policy advisor to the NSW Government, including as a Senior Ministerial Advisor to the Attorney General of NSW and Minister for Family and Community Services. Dara's written a children's picture book, "We love you Hundreds and Thousands", which is a window into the life of Jasmine, who loves birthday parties, and the special bond between a child and their foster or adoptive parents. Like Jasmine, Dara i...2022-05-1033 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 7 - Miguel's storyToday you will listen to Miguels journey as an adoptive father. Born in South America he then travelled to Australia where he and his wife settled and were ready to start a family. He talks about the comprehensive process of the adoption application, first meetings and visits, the transition period and key indicators in building attachment and developing a bond. He also shares how he had to relearn positive parenting strategies that weren’t necessarily based on his own personal experiences. Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Fac...2022-04-0724 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 6 - Kat's storyKat wrote her adoption story in 2020 and shares it with us in this episode. Born in August, 1971, her story begins from age 2 and a half in 1973. Kat incredibly accesses some of her earliest memories, recalling a series of significant events, experiences and emotions that extend into her teenage years and adult life. The world she grew up in was a safe and loving environment however throughout her life she always felt a part of her was fragmented and unknown, and her struggle with identity led her on a prolonged search to find her biological mother and father. Kat’s po...2022-02-1737 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 5 - Andrea's storyIn todays episode I speak with Andrea who is a foster care mother to four children. She talks openly and honestly about her experiences in the foster care program over 10 years. We look closely at her story with their eldest boy that she and husband Paul have cared for since 16 months old. It is a rollercoaster of challenges and emotions and the space is still "inconclusive" in finalising his adoption. Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Facebook or Twitter. The Australian Adoption Podcast with host Nadia Le...2021-12-3131 min
The HYBRID AuthorMerry Christmas Mash Up 2021 HYBRID Author Guests Wishing you a Merry Christmas Mash up!
Snippets from 2021 podcast episodes in this order:
(Episode 1) Tips on Judging Writing Competitions with Nadia L King
(Episode 3) Tips on Having a Career as a Hybrid Author with Teena Raffa-Mullligan
(Episode 4) Plot Storming with Y.A. Science Fiction and Fantasy Author Rebecca Laffar-Smith
(Episode 5) Author Fears and How to Overcome Them with Joanne Morrell
(Episode 6) Performance for Authors with Storyteller Extraordinaire Glenn B Swift
(Episode 7) Publishing Productively with Romantic Suspense and Fantasy Author Claire Boston
(Episode 8) I...2021-12-2443 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 4 - Matt's storyIn todays episode we speak to Matt Young, who, with his partner Peter, adopted 2 young boys. We speak about the hurdles they faced along the way to being the first male same-sex couple in NSW to adopt their non-biological children, and to have that reflected on their children's birth certificates. Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Facebook or Twitter. The Australian Adoption Podcast with host Nadia Levett!2021-11-0132 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 3 - Alex's storyIn today's episode I speak with Alex who discovers as an adult that her mother, Julie, was adopted. It is a story of their positive experiences spanning 3 generations. Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Facebook or Twitter. The Australian Adoption Podcast with host Nadia Levett!2021-10-0125 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 2 - Liz's storyLiz shares her story of adopting a third child into the family after having two sons naturally.Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Facebook or Twitter. The Australian Adoption Podcast with host Nadia Levett!2021-08-1742 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 2 - Liz's storyLiz shares her story of adopting a third child to add to the family after having two sons naturally.2021-08-1542 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 1 - My storyTo start the series, i am putting myself in the interview seat to talk about my experience with adoption. I am interviewed by Gabriella Mascelli Mcgrail. Support the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Facebook or Twitter. The Australian Adoption Podcast with host Nadia Levett!2021-08-1548 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthEpisode 2 - Liz's storyLiz's story of adopting her third child after two natural births. 2021-08-1500 minAustralian Adoption Podcast - My Unknown TruthTrailerIntroducing My Unknown Truth - a series about adoption in AustraliaSupport the showThanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram or find me on Facebook or Twitter. The Australian Adoption Podcast with host Nadia Levett!2021-08-1501 min