Podcast Feature: Joanna Discusses Adoption and Relationships on OK Storytime

Joanna Lovinger, MFT, was recently featured on the podcast OK Storytime, where she offered her perspective as a therapist. In the episode, OK Storytime host Sophia reads posts from listeners with heartbreaking stories about adoption and being expected to give up creative dreams to care for aging parents.

The first story explores the private grief and long-term emotional impact a birth (or first) parent feels after placing a child for adoption. Joanna discusses the layers often hidden beneath this decision, including grief, the benefits of open adoption, the lack of control for biological family, and regrets. She emphasizes the importance of centering adoptees’ needs when making critical decisions.

The second story focuses on a singer with a traumatic past struggling to set boundaries with her aging parents who don’t want her to move out. Joanna highlights how difficult it can be to separate, both emotionally and practically, when long-standing patterns have formed. She addresses the challenges of navigating parental expectations, unsupportive family members, gender roles, loyalty conflicts, and deciding whether to attend grad school and assert her independence or abandon creative fulfillment to become a full-time caregiver.

Throughout the episode, Joanna brings clarity, compassion, and insight to these complex experiences. She offers guidance on family dynamics, unresolved loss, adoption trauma, and the tragic story behind every adoption.

You can watch the full episode on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

To explore more episodes from the hosts, be sure to subscribe to their podcast at: https://www.youtube.com/@OKOPShow