Destinations podcast - Brianne and host Doni speak about support for NPE community
It was a pleasure to speak with Doni Aldine, host of the Destinations podcast. We chatted about family and ethnic identity surprises after at-home DNA testing and how the world of support for ‘not parent expected’ (NPE) discoveries, also called misattributed parentage, came about.
Doni is the creator of Culturs Magazine which celebrates people with cross-cultural identities; she has seen how the experience of ‘third culture’ people overlaps often with the NPE world.
Check out the episode to hear our discussion and understand more about the work I do through my writing and private practice, Watershed DNA. We talked about my book The DNA Guide for Adoptees and a little about my upcoming book on the topic of genetic identity. In our discussion, Doni also shared about her role in helping NPEs through the non-profit organization NPE Network.
“There are many different people impacted by one person’s conception...and everybody needs support because you can’t support the person in the middle if you aren’t understanding everyone around them and the type of experience that they’re having.”
Doni mentions NPE Network’s resources which include Facebook support groups. You can follow Doni on social media @cultursmag and visit www.cultursmag.com.
“What I’ve learned with working with people on all different sides is that finding your community and other people who understand is the number one most important thing, followed by working with a counselor, a therapist, or a coach when the time is right for that person. And understanding that Rome wasn’t built in a day.”