Adoption Utah

Donna Pope

Adoption Utah cuts through the confusion surrounding Utah's adoption system with real stories and expert guidance. Host Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart To Heart Adoptions, brings 25+ years of experience to every episode exploring what makes Utah America's premier adoption destination. Each episode reveals the cultural and demographic forces that set Utah apart through unique family structures and faith-based community support. Discover the statistics, stories, and surprising factors that create Utah's reputation as a "safe harbor" for adoption. Birth parents learn about their options while adoptive families navigate the process with confidence. This podcast provides insider perspectives that transform assumptions into understanding for anyone considering adoption, currently in the process, or supporting someone through this journey. Join the conversation that's changing how people think about adoption.

Episodios

  1. 17 OCT

    Adopted and Loved: A Therapist’s Journey to Healing the Heart

    In this episode of Adoption Utah with host Donna Pope, adoptee and licensed therapist Troy Love unpacks the complexity of adoption through his framework of six attachment wounds, sharing lived experience from being adopted at five days old into a family struggling with domestic violence. He recounts managing the duality of loving adoptive parents who caused harm, searching for his birth mother at 37, and the Valentine's Day reunion that brought immediate connection and answered lifelong questions. Wounds That Shape Identity The conversation explores the six attachment wounds Troy identified in his therapeutic practice: loss, neglect, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, and abuse. Troy explains how adoptees carry wounds of abandonment even when birth parents made loving decisions, and how adoptive parents need to understand their children's struggles may stem from pre-placement trauma rather than parenting failures. He shares his own journey from self-hatred to self-love and the incremental process of learning to let others' love in. Therapeutic Models for Healing Drawing on years of therapy and his work helping others, Troy discusses practical approaches for each member of the adoption constellation. He addresses what adoptees need to hear about their worth, what birth parents deserve to know about their sacrificial decisions, and what adoptive parents should understand about supporting their children's curiosity without feeling threatened. His Finding Peace Workbook emerged from clients asking where they could learn more about healing attachment wounds. A Utah adoption conversation that honors complexity, validates pain, and offers pathways to healing for all involved. Listen now and share with someone navigating adoption trauma.

  2. 5 SEP

    Birth Mother Rights and Open Adoption in Utah

    In this episode of Adoption Utah with host Donna Pope, birth mother and advocate Lynea Krukiewicz unpacks Utah adoption through the lens of rights, privacy, and permanency described in the state's legislative intent, sharing lived experience behind what those promises look like in practice. She recounts a semi open adoption that narrowed over time, the strain of routing contact through attorneys, and the emotional reality of reunion while processing grief during another pregnancy. Action Steps The conversation stays grounded in Utah policy questions, including a mother's capacity to know her own mind while vulnerable and the best interest of the child as understood by the mother closest to the situation. Lynea argues women should be free to consider adoptive families beyond state lines rather than being landlocked by residence when seeking the right placement. She responds to coercion claims by insisting decisions belong to the mother and noting choices improve when basic needs and medical care are supported during the process. Honoring Mothers Drawing on work with the Utah Adoption Council, Lynea explains helping refine statutory wording and pushing for post placement care that asks birth mothers what was missing and fixes it in policy and practice. She highlights Utah-rooted support like Life After Placement and the Birth Mom Dinner that honor women with community, music, and a three course meal. A Utah focused guide to adoption that elevates rights, choice, and respectful practice. Listen now and share with someone navigating adoption in Utah. Follow or Subscribe to Adoption Utah on your favorite platforms: Website: https://www.adoptionutah.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdoptionUtah Twitter/X: https://x.com/adoptionutah Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoptionutah/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/108160387/ Follow Donna Pope: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donna-pope-41652ba/ Follow Lynea Krukiewicz LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lynea-krukiewicz-1b395285/ Website: https://www.lifeafterplacement.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterplacement Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifeafterplacement/ Email: hi@lifeafterplacement.org Follow Laraine Moon LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/laraine-moon-11781059/ Follow A Act of Love Adoptions Website: aactofloveadoptions.com Facebook: facebook.com/aactoflove Instagram: instagram.com/a_act_of_love Twitter: twitter.com/ActofLoveAdopt TikTok: tiktok.com/@actofloveadoptionsutah LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/a-act-of-love-adoptions Pinterest: pinterest.com/aactoflove YouTube: youtube.com/@actofloveadoptions

  3. 14 AGO

    Why Birth Mothers Choose Utah Families

    In this second episode, Nathan Gwilliam continues interviewing Donna Pope, host of Adoption Utah, exploring what sets Utah apart as America's adoption destination. What Makes Utah Unique Discover the surprising statistics that make Utah families different - 3.1 people per household versus the national 2.6 average to 76% religious affiliation rates and number one economic outlook rankings for 18 consecutive years. These demographic advantages create ideal environments for adoption placement that birth mothers and adoptive families recognize immediately. Faith and Safe Harbor Donna shares Utah's transformation over 27 years toward adoption openness, including the moving story of an 80-year-old woman who still yearned to know her birth parents. Learn about the biggest controversies in Utah adoption, particularly the complex balance between birth mother and birth father rights when they disagree on adoption plans. The discussion reveals Utah's vision as a "safe harbor" where birth mothers receive genuine support while adoptive families gain confidence in the process, supported by a faith-based community that provides practical assistance beyond religious affiliation. Listen now, to understand the cultural and demographic forces that make Utah adoption extraordinary. Follow or Subscribe to Adoption Utah on your favorite platforms: Website: https://www.adoptionutah.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdoptionUtahX: https://x.com/adoptionutah Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoptionutah/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/108160387/ Follow Donna Pope: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-pope-41652ba/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/

  4. 14 AGO

    Why Utah Leads America In Adoption

    In this pilot episode of Adoption Utah, discover the incredible journey of Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart to Heart Adoptions and your host for Adoption Utah. Donna's Journey With 27 years of experience in Utah's adoption landscape, Donna shares her transition from medical research at LDS Hospital and the University of Utah to founding an adoption agency focused on treating birth mothers with genuine care and respect. Her unique approach has supported countless birth mothers while earning deep appreciation from adoptive families who witness the love shown to their children's birth mothers. Personal Stories Donna opens up about her three adopted sons, including moving stories of birth mothers like Monica, who came from California's streets, and Malou, who traveled from Austria. These personal experiences, combined with her leadership roles in Utah's adoption community, position her uniquely to address misconceptions about Utah adoption laws and practices. Discover why Utah's adoption community deserves recognition for its balanced approach to protecting all members of the adoption process. Follow or Subscribe to Adoption Utah on your favorite platforms: Website: https://www.adoptionutah.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdoptionUtah X: https://x.com/adoptionutah Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adoptionutah/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/108160387/ Follow Donna Pope: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donna-pope-41652ba/ Follow Nathan Gwilliam: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathangwilliam/ EndFragment

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Adoption Utah cuts through the confusion surrounding Utah's adoption system with real stories and expert guidance. Host Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart To Heart Adoptions, brings 25+ years of experience to every episode exploring what makes Utah America's premier adoption destination. Each episode reveals the cultural and demographic forces that set Utah apart through unique family structures and faith-based community support. Discover the statistics, stories, and surprising factors that create Utah's reputation as a "safe harbor" for adoption. Birth parents learn about their options while adoptive families navigate the process with confidence. This podcast provides insider perspectives that transform assumptions into understanding for anyone considering adoption, currently in the process, or supporting someone through this journey. Join the conversation that's changing how people think about adoption.