Led By A Heartstring

Steph from Melbourne discusses the difficulties adoptees face if they aren't fully made aware of their birth culture or heritage isn't incorporated into the households they grow up in.

Growing up she was taunted and called names above her darker skin tone, but never really knew why. It wasn't until she was an adult that she completed a DNA test to find out her origins.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

Phoebe was adopted from an orphanage in war torn Vietnam - at just ten days old. When they returned to Australia, Phoebe’s parents found out she was cross-eyed and she required several operations over many years under the late Fred Hollows to correct her eyesight.

Phoebe is also an ambassador for Adopt Change Australia and Shake It Up Foundation. Listen as she describes what is was like growing up as an inter-country adoptee from Vietnam, growing up in rural New South Wales, Australia.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

As an adoptee, we all have that scenario in our head that the search and reunion will have the perfect outcome, where all of those questions will be answered, the feelings will be mutually happy, internal wounds healed and our culture reconnected with us. We imagine it will be like those years spent apart never happened. For some that’s not so much the case. For me, I’ve found many obstacles and roadblocks in my search and I’m still awaiting the reunion. 

What I’ve learnt or gathered throughout this journey from speaking with other adoptees and just from other people’s support in my life, is to prepare for any and every outcome. Which I am. Someone who I believe has had an incredibly successful and wonderful journey, searching and reuniting with his family is Alex Gilbert (I'm Adopted).

Alex was born in Russia (Arkhangelsk) and was placed in the local orphanage for the first two years of his life until he was adopted by his New Zealand parents in 1994. In high school, he wanted to start search for his family at the basic level, 2009. Again, in March 2013 he started searching for his Russian birth parents, with whom he had no connection with growing up. He found his birth mother and then his biological father, who did not know about Alex’s existence until he contacted him in 2013 whilst in Russia meeting his mum for the first time. The story of his search for his birth parents first aired on New Zealand television in 2014 and he has since launched the I’m Adopted project, filmed ongoing vlogs on his YouTube channel, released two books and a documentary.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

Subconsciously I have felt that my relationship with my adoptive mother Carol has changed over the last 6 months whilst searching for my birth mother. I’ve sort of felt a guilt, or an awkwardness form between us during this journey. It may and truly just be one-sided for me feeling this but there has been a shift in dynamics for myself. 

Carol returns to share her perspective on this last 6 months of the journey.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

Content Warning / Trigger Warning: Suicide, mental illness, substance abuse, addiction

Throughout the closing months of 2020, Jonah was discovering a lot of information about his adoption and his past. Going into this journey, he felt like he was prepared for what was to come, however the news surrounding his conception rocked his world and Jonah found himself spiralling down into a dark mindset of suicidal thoughts. This episode is designed to continue the conversation of suicide awareness and combat any stigma that is attached to telling others about your true feelings so that they can be there for you during those times.

Suicide and intentional self-harm are complex and can have multiple contributing factors, yet with timely and appropriate interventions they may be preventable.

The following episode of ‘Led By A Heartstring’ discusses suicide and presents material that some people may find distressing. If this episode raises any issues for you, the following services can help and can be reached on the numbers following the organisation name:

• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467
• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800
• MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78
• Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.

Crisis support services can be reached 24 hours everyday.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

Hello, welcome to Season 2 of Led By A Heartstring! Jonah shares his last 6 months of investigation to find his mother and how he wants to shift listeners focus away from his story and onto other adoptees experiences in Australia and New Zealand.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode this season you will have a deeper insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia. 

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can find the project easily on Facebook.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

This week Jonah explains what an intermediary service provides for adoptees and how he is utilising it to search and reunite with is birth mother. After receiving the documents back in last weeks episode that outlined his name before adoption and his birth mothers name, he feels using an intermediary will enable him to follow through on any leads in the most civil manner.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

We're giving you this very personal insight on the moment Jonah called Carol announcing he had received a photograph of his birth mother holding him. Have a listen as Jonah's adoptive mum shows her support and love for Jonah to kick off the next step in this journey.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.

WE HAVE NEWS! Jonah just received his adoption records back from the Adoption & Permanent Care Services and he goes through and reacts to the information for the first time, live on the podcast! You don't want to miss this very exciting episode as he reacts to seeing this information in fact & figure. Towards the end of the episode, he shares a very special moment as he see's his birth mother's face for the very first time through a photograph that was provided to him.

Subscribe and stick around, because by the end of every episode, we will be one step closer to connecting with my birth family. You will also have a first-hand insight on the psyche of an adoptee and other issues surrounding adoption in Australia.

Find this project easily on socials @LedByAHeartstring on Instagram, @HeartstringPod on Twitter and you can easily find the page on Facebook for other live updates as they happen.

Led By A Heartstring is recorded in Brisbane, Australia. New episodes of the podcast are released weekly on a Monday. Send questions and other correspondence to: [email protected]

Original Music by Jonah Bobongie

Episode produced by Jonah Bobongie & Lauren Pollock for Long Way Entertainment.