NPE Stories
Psychology & Relationships
About
What if you found out your parent was not in fact your biological parent? NPE Stories is a podcast where NPEs can share their story. What is an NPE? It is a term that stands for Not Parent Expected or Non Paternity Event. It is used for people who have found out the life changing news that their parent wasn’t their biological parent. Most likely through the advent of home DNA kits. NPE Stories is a podcast where NPEs can share their story of what their original family was like. How they found out they were an NPE. And what their journey has been like since the day they found out. These stories are here for us to listen to and nod along with. Be a part of the story telling. If you are an NPE that would like to share your story email npestories@gmail.com. You do not have to give any identifying information. I’d like to hear from you. NPE Stories will be launching July 1st 2019. Come heal with us.
Episodes
- Alethia's Story
Harmful Content Warning: This episode contains raw language including racial slurs, as well as discussions of domestic violence and systemic trauma. Alethia joins me to talk about a childhood defined by internal racism and the messy realit…
- Becca's Story
In this episode, Becca Rothman, a comedian, activist, and mother shares the surprising story of discovering she was donor-conceived later in life. After years of living with a "clue" found by her sister, Becca finally used a DNA kit to unc…
- Mark's Story
Growing up with a "normal" Midwestern upbringing, Mark never felt different or disconnected from his family. However, after his father's death, a quest to explore his Portuguese heritage through a DNA test led to the staggering discovery t…
- Alex's Story
Alex Frantz shares the life-altering discovery of being donor-conceived, a revelation triggered by a holiday DNA kit. They describe the shock of realizing they attended high school with their half-siblings. Alex recounts forming a deep, "s…
- Dawn M's Story
Dawn grew up feeling a quiet sense that something didn’t quite fit, but it wasn’t until a search for her family’s past that everything she thought she knew began to shift. In this episode, she shares what it’s like to uncover the truth lat…
- Molly's Story
In this episode, Lily sits down with Molly, who shares the complex layers of being both an adoptee and an NPE within a small-town dynamic where the adults knew the truth long before she did. Molly opens up about the "fairytale" highs and d…
- Stephanie's Story
This episode follows Stephanie’s journey from a stable, loving childhood into a shocking DNA discovery after her dad’s death revealed he wasn’t her biological father. What starts with family secrets, an Ancestry test, and a stepmom’s crypt…
- DJ's Story
DJ grew up believing he knew exactly where he came from—named after his father, raised in a working-class family shaped by absence, anger, and long stretches of silence. From childhood jokes about not looking like his dad to being told his…
- Stacy's Story
In this deeply personal conversation (and crossover episode), Stacy opens up about discovering she’s a double NPE, confronting painful family truths, and grieving a father she never had the chance to know. She reflects on healing, chosen f…
- Constance's Story
Constance grew up believing she shared the same father as her siblings, though she always sensed something was off. Decades later, an AncestryDNA test and unexpected messages from strangers unraveled the truth—leading her to her biological…
- Krissy's Story
Krissy shares her decades-long journey from an offhand comment in her teens to the life-changing discovery that she is an NPE, uncovering hidden family truths on both her maternal and paternal sides. She can be reached via email sweetaliza…
- Traci Grant's Story
In this episode, Traci Grant shares her profound NPE journey, uncovering a hidden truth about her biological father after a lifetime of painful family dynamics and secrecy. Traci can be reached at tracigrant.com or traciygrant630@gmail.com…
- Amy W's Story
Amy’s discovery about her origins reshaped everything she thought she knew about her life and family. This conversation stayed with me long after recording—it’s one of those stories that quietly breaks your heart while reminding you what h…
- William's Story
After a tumultuous childhood, William built a happy life as a chef, husband, and father—until a DNA test revealed a hidden truth about his identity. His discovery led him to a new family, a shared passion, and a journey of forgiveness and…
- Pat's Story
When Pat took a DNA test to ease her brother’s doubts, she never imagined it would upend everything she thought she knew about her family. What followed was a story of shock, grief, forgiveness, and the quiet strength it takes to rebuild y…
- Gina H's Story
After taking a DNA test to support her granddaughter’s school project, Gina discovered a life-changing truth: the man who raised her wasn’t her biological father. In this episode, Gina shares her journey through not one but two NPE revelat…
- Lisa F's Story
Lisa F. grew up in what seemed like the perfect family in a small Oklahoma town—until a DNA test revealed a shocking truth about her biological father. In this episode, she shares the journey of piecing together family secrets, confronting…
- Lori's Story
In this episode, Lori shares her journey of discovering she was donor conceived after taking a DNA test meant to be a distraction during a difficult time. What began as curiosity about her heritage unraveled decades of family secrets, unco…
- Rebecca's Story
Rebecca grew up without the steady presence of a father, carrying unanswered questions into adulthood. When a DNA test opened unexpected doors, she discovered family connections that had been close by all along — in ways she never could ha…
- Lizette's Story
We kick off Season 7 with a warm welcome to new listeners and a bit of housekeeping before diving into this week’s story. Our guest, Liz, grew up surrounded by confusion—her various IDs and birth certificates carried different names and bi…
- Did Not Anticipate
In this powerful Season 6 finale, author J. Steven Osborne shares his remarkable DNA surprise journey—from a casual ancestry test to discovering he was not biologically related to the father he adored. What began as a search for Native Ame…
- Deb's Story
Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of child abuse, including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Deb recounts a sad childhood with abuse and multiple years in foster care. After finding out she was an NPE through a DNA t…
- Rashanda's Story
Rashanda opens up about growing up without a mom or dad and the emotional toll of navigating life without a traditional family structure. From childhood instability to finding her own voice, her story is one of raw honesty, growth, and emp…
- Annette's Story: Living Into the Truth
Raised in a devout Catholic family, Annette grew up believing her father had died before she was born. Decades later, a series of emotional discoveries unraveled everything she thought she knew about her identity. Her journey explores loss…
- Melanie Dawn's Story
In Episode 216, Melanie recounts the emotional journey of reconnecting with the father who raised her, only to lose him and then learn he wasn’t her biological dad. Her story unfolds with raw honesty as she navigates the shock of a DNA dis…
- Devorah's Story about Taken From The Cradle
Devorah Lee, author of Taken from the Cradle , shares her journey of discovering she was a late-discovery adoptee (LDA) from a Jacksonville, FL, black market baby ring. She opens up about the shock, secrecy, and search for truth in her NPE…
- Lauren's Story - Five Years Later
Lauren returns to the podcast five years after first sharing her story in Season 1, hoping others can learn from her journey as she reflects on what has unfolded since. Lauren can be reached via email laurencookphoto@gmail.com To hear Laur…
- DNA Speaks the Truth, But Your Doctor May Not
Episode 213: Challenging Medical Guidelines on Misattributed Paternity In this special episode, host Richard Wenzel leads a compelling discussion with fellow NPEs Gina Daniel, Jodi Girard, Lily Wood, and Eve Sturges. Together, they dive in…
- Amy S's Story
Amy S's story is a journey of identity, family deception, and self-discovery. A DNA test revealed her biological father was not the man she adored but someone from her father’s social circle, shattering her sense of belonging. After grappl…
- Jennifer Ruiz's Story
Jennifer is a first generation Colombian-American who describes her family as warm, loving, and hard-working. She had the shock of her life when her DNA results showed one of her best friends was actually her half-sibling. Jennifer can be…
- Julie S's Story
Julie S is the result of a wife-swapping situation that turned into a love affair. She was conceived with intention, but no one was ever planning to tell Julie the truth about her biological father. Julie can be reached on instagram @katmo…
- Bill's Story
Bill grew up looking different than his brothers and was often asked if he was Italian or Spanish. Although he never suspected it as a child, turns out his DNA results show good reason for this line of questioning. NPE Stories Patreon NPE…
- Robin Schepper’s Story
Robin was never told who her father was, only that he was in the airline industry with her mother. As she came of age, Robin started searching and writing to who she believed her father to be, even though she saw no resemblance. It wasn’t…
- David's Story
David started to question who his birth father was many years ago, and was never given a straight answer. He even went as far as getting his birth records unsealed and was still unsuccessful until he finally took a DNA test and with help,…
- Heather Venceil's Story
Growing up Heather was always given the confusing narrative that her dad didn’t want her. She recently changed her last name to her proper surname, after finding and establishing a relationship with her biological father. Heather can be re…
- Gigi's Story
Gina's (Gigi’s) parents were beloved and she didn’t understand a lot of her parents' behavior until later in life. Many secrets were kept by her family members and the DNA Angels were able to help her figure out more about her paternal fam…
- Stella's Story
Stella had to deal with her NPE revelation and a horrible death all while trying to keep it a secret from her biological father. Four years later Stella shares where she is currently at in her NPE story today. Resources Mentioned: Dr. Mich…
- Caroline Sorg's Story
Content Warning: This episode contains accounts of child abuse and violence. Caroline was essentially an orphan at a young age and always felt ostracized by her sisters. Many of her family members knew the secret of her true paternity and…
- Bertrice's Story
Bertrice took a DNA test to help a family member, and ended up finding a close family friend in her DNA matches. Since finding out she was an NPE during Covid to losing her husband this last year Bertrice's life has changed drastically. Be…
- Nicole's Story
Nicole lost both her parents in a short period of time, and then after getting into genealogy to honor her father's passing, she found out she was an NPE in the worst way. Nicole went through a few therapists until she found one that she r…
- Lauren LoGiudice's Story
Lauren LoGiudice is a comedian that identifies as a misfit, and is also a donor-conceived person with a couple hundred estimated siblings. Lauren can be reached at laurenlogi.com Lauren's Podcast Misfits Makin' It Resources Mentioned: Unta…
- Shirley's Story
Shirley discovered through DNA tests that her entire biological family was different from the one she had known all her life, leading her to become a private detective so that she could uncover her true origins. Shirley can be reached via…
- Shelly Lee's Story
Shelly is part of a great little NPE community called the NoMi Girls who meet in Northern Michigan regularly. She had a traumatic childhood and has put a lot of work into healing, including EMDR and support groups, but Shelly says this exp…
- Kris's Story
Kris took a DNA test along with many of her family members and saw that she did not have DNA in common with her birth certificate father. She hid her profile online and has chosen, at this point, not to discuss this with her dad. Kris can…
- Lily and others at Untangling our Roots 2024
This was a very long emotional episode that has been divided into 2 parts. This is part 2. This was part of a panel held at the Untangling Our Roots Summit 2024 in Denver, CO. The panel was moderated by Don Anderson of Missing Pieces - NPE…
- Eve and others at Untangling Our Roots 2024
This was a very long emotional episode that has been divided into 2 parts. This is part 1. This was part of a panel held at the Untangling Our Roots Summit 2024 in Denver, CO. The panel was moderated by Don Anderson of Missing Pieces - NPE…
- Margo's Story
Margo discovered her NPE status when she purchased an Ancestry kit to kill a lifelong curiosity. She learned her younger brother was not the only NPE in the family and suddenly her chaotic childhood began to make sense. Resources Mentioned…
- Terra's Story
Terra was raised in Texas by her single father and asked for a 23andMe for Christmas to see how much Native American she had on her maternal side. Terra ended up having quite an ethnicity shift after her NPE. NPE Stories Patreon NPE Storie…
- Dorene's Story
Dorene’s NPE discovery in 2022 at the age of 60 inspired her to become a trauma recovery coach, specializing in helping NPEs. As she began to study intergenerational trauma and apply what she learned to her experience, the events of Dorene…
- Laura H's Story
Laura found out her half-siblings are her full siblings, and since finding out she was an NPE her family members have become distant. Resources Mentioned: Tickets still available for the Untangling our Roots Summit Apr 25-28, 2024 in Denve…