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DNA Surprises: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Alexis Hourselt
Welcome to DNA Surprises, a podcast that delves into the world of unexpected DNA discoveries. I'm your host, Alexis Hourselt. In July 2021, my life took a surprising turn when I found out l'm an NPE-a person who's experienced a non-paternal event. In other words, my biological father isn't who I thought he was. Join me as we explore the stories of NPEs, adoptees, and donor-conceived people and their families. Get ready to unravel the astonishing journeys that begin with a simple DNA test —this is DNA Surprises.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 4 weeks ago47 min
Brytanie's DNA Surprise
***SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: DNA Surprises will be taking a short summer break during July and August. I’m excited to come back in September refreshed, recharged, and with more stories from the NPE, adoptee, and donor conceived communities.Thank you for listening, sharing, and helping make this community what it is. Have a wonderful summer, and we’ll see you in September!****DNA surprises take time. Time to for the secrets to be kept. Time for them to be uncovered. Time to connect with newfound family members. So much of this experience is a waiting gameIn the season 14 finale of DNA surprises, Brytanie shares how her difficult upbringing made feeling like an outsider in family seem normal. She never felt like she belonged, so she never suspected that the man she believed was her biological father, wasn’t. It wasn’t until a DNA test, and later, a seemingly harmless comment, revealed the truth.Thank you for sharing your story, Brytanie.Support the show.
- Jun 23, 202641 min
Tracy's DNA Surprise
Sometimes, DNA surprises aren’t about misattributed parentage. Sometimes, the biggest surprises are the feelings we experience as we explore biological connections.In this week’s episode, Tracy shares how she always knew was adopted, and always knew that she wanted to find her biological parents. Much to her surprise, after she reunited with both of them, she uncovered complicated feelings around boundaries and what she expected from her relationships. Overall, Tracy’s experience is one of acceptance - of her life and family.Thank you for sharing your story, Tracy.Support the show.
- Jun 17, 202641 min
Nick B's DNA Surprise
The more, the merrier. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone involved in a DNA surprise had this mentality? While that’s unfortunately not always the case, this week’s guest has had an incredible time connecting with the family he discovered after taking a DNA test.Nick shares why growing up, learning about his paternal side never really factored into his thinking, and how a DNA test changed everything.Thank you for sharing your story, Nick.Support the show.
- Jun 9, 202645 min
Linda Pevac's DNA Surprise
Words have power. Language is how we make meaning of the things we’ve experienced. For some, having language around DNA surprises, adoption, and donor conception helps people feel less alone.And others take it even further, using the power of language to write about their experience. In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Linda Pevac, also known by her pen name, Emma Stevens. Linda has penned three books about her life as a baby scoop era adoptee.We discuss her DNA surprise journey and why writing has been a powerful tool in sharing her story.Thank you for sharing your story, Linda.https://emmastevenswriter.com/books/Support the show
- Jun 2, 202645 min
Billy's DNA Surprise
After a DNA surprise, it’s common to look back and reflect on moments where the truth was right there in front of you. A slip of the tongue, that eerie feeling that something just wasn’t right. But you don’t know it until you know it.In this week’s episode, Billy shares how he brushed up against the truth years before he learned the truth about his paternity. He shared what he’s learned, what relationships he’s built, and how his DNA surprise gave him an even stronger appreciation for his dad.Thank you for sharing your story, Billy.Support the show
- May 26, 202633 min
Ann's DNA Surprise
For some people, one of the trickiest things about DNA surprises is that they force us to see our parents as human. It can be uncomfortable to come to terms with infidelity in a marriage, or that your parent would lie to you.In this week’s episode, Ann reveals how she uncovered four DNA surprises in her family. As the “found family” member in each surprise, Ann shares why she felt it was important to be open to the new people in her life. Thank you for sharing your story, Ann.Support the show.
- May 19, 202657 min
Stephanie’s DNA Surprise
What are you? For those of us who are quote “ethnically ambiguous,” this question is one we hear over and over again when meeting new people. In this week’s episode, I’m joined by Stephanie, who fielded questions about her ethnic background her entire childhood. She spent much of her early life trying to connect with others, to fit in somewhere. It wasn’t until much later that a DNA test revealed the truth.Stephanie reached out to me because she wanted to explore her feelings around her ethnic shift with someone who had been there. We discuss some complicated feelings around feeling the need to “earn” our identity. She shares how she’s connecting to her roots, and why having this information makes the “What are you” question a little easier to navigate. Thank you for sharing your story, Stephanie.Support the show.
- May 12, 202647 min
Patrick's DNA Surprise
Papa was rollin’ stone. It’s a tale as old as time, and a phrase we’ve heard more than once on the podcast. But sometimes, there’s more to the story.Welcome to the Season 14 premiere of DNA Surprises. In this week’s episode, Patrick shares how taking a 23andme test out of curiosity led him down an unimaginable road - one that made things make sense while simultaneously upending everything he knew.He shares how he made his discovery, from his initial thoughts to what happened when he finally learned the truth. Patrick also demonstrates a positive, empathetic mindset for everyone involved in his story.Thank you for sharing your story, Patrick.Listen to Patrick’s song, “Dark Horse,” here. Support the show.
About DNA Surprises
Welcome to DNA Surprises, a podcast that delves into the world of unexpected DNA discoveries. I'm your host, Alexis Hourselt. In July 2021, my life took a surprising turn when I found out l'm an NPE-a person who's experienced a non-paternal event. In other words, my biological father isn't who I thought he was. Join me as we explore the stories of NPEs, adoptees, and donor-conceived people and their families. Get ready to unravel the astonishing journeys that begin with a simple DNA test —this is DNA Surprises.
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