NPE Stories

In this episode, Rose opens up about discovering her biological father through a 2024 DNA test and managing the unexpected shift in her cultural identity. She shares how humor helped her navigate the initial shock, what it has been like trying to connect with a father who keeps her a secret, and why leaning into comedy and comfort movies keeps her grounded.

Resources Mentioned:

Mamma Mia the movie

Parent Trap the movies

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

This episode features Bradley Hall, a well-known figure in the NPE community. He shares his own personal story and childhood trauma, as well as how his identity crisis and NPE affected him. So many great resources mentioned for NPEs in this special episode.

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.npenetwork.org/

The NPE Experience

https://www.thebradleyhall.com/

The NPE Experience by Bradley Hall book coming soon

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Toi shares what she has learned about her NPE and biological father, while noting that her mother may have never known the truth herself. After facing new heart failure complications and a hereditary diagnosis, she reaches back out to her biological relatives to uncover critical health details and seek closure.

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Jen originally had her non-paternal event as a young adult in the late 90's when a man she had known her whole life abruptly told her the truth. Jen spent years navigating her identity crisis and eventually found healing through EMDR.

Jen can be reached via email jj_bense@yahoo.com

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

After family gossip started up, Sharon submitted a DNA test and received a surprise in her DNA matches. Drawing on her crisis counseling background, Sharon has given back by serving as a certified trauma recovery coach and support group facilitator to help others in the NPE community heal.

Resources Mentioned:

MPE competent directory

NPE Coping Hacks below:

(created by DNA NPE Healing Hearts )

Coping Hacks...The Good Kind

• Accomplish something, even if its small. Clean out a drawer, your closet, your car.
• Get a check-up and speak to your doctor. Be honest about your feelings.
• Identify your triggers and develop a strategy to cope beforehand.
• Make a gratitude list of 3-5 things you're grateful for.
• Write a letter to who you're having strong feelings about, then burn it or tear it up.
• Journal, write down free thoughts when you're feeling overwhelmed

Exercise or move your body; get outside in the sun. Do anything with your feelings/thoughts when they come up. – Dr. Jai Belton

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Licensed mental health counselor Diana shares her recent NPE (Non-Paternal Event) discovery after a late 2020 DNA test led to unexpected family revelations in early 2026. Raised in a multicultural environment across New York and Florida, she explores the emotional journey of grieving her identity. Guided by her faith and background as a therapist, Diana discusses how she uses community, therapeutic tools, and personal coping strategies to embrace this new chapter with hope and resilience.

Resources Mentioned:

The Holistic Counselor

NPE Guide

Misattributed Parentage Counseling Directory

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Lily Wood kicks off Season 8 with guest Daisy Woods, who shares her story of discovering at age 55 that her biological roots were not what she had always believed.

When a sudden health crisis leaves doctors searching for answers, Daisy is forced to uncover the true genetic history hidden from her for decades. Her journey reveals why knowing your true biological heritage isn't just about identity—it can literally be a matter of life and death. Tune in to hear Daisy's inspiring perspective, along with a crucial practical tip on how accessing state death records can help you unlock your own family's medical truth.

Daisy can be reached via email cocogriot@gmail.com and her youtube channel listed below.

Resources Mentioned:

Who Yo People?Workbook by Daisy Woods

Daisy Woods aka Cocoa Griot (A Black Girl Stoic) Youtube Channel

NPE Reddit

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

In the year 7 season finale I was so excited to chat with B.K. Jackson (aka Kate), the incredible founder of Severance magazine and editor of the brilliant new essay collection, Relative Strangers. We had a great conversation into her incredibly complex discovery story which includes 9 siblings, and we spoke about the healing power of storytelling.

Resources Mentioned:

Relative Strangers edited by B.K. Jackson

Severance Magazine edited by B.K. Jackson

B.K. Jackson's ADHD Substack

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

In this episode, Lily Wood sits down with Elizabeth, a trauma-informed yoga teacher who shares her traumatic story of surviving a chaotic childhood only to discover through a 23andMe test the devastating truth about her conception.

Elizabeth can be reached via email ekvipyoga@gmail.com

Resources Mentioned:

https://www.vipyoga-noco.com/

DNAngels

DNA Surprises Podcast with Alexis Hourselt (3 part podcast)

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

Danny's mother revealed that he was actually a Non-Paternity Event (NPE) child, and his biological father was a man from New York named Daniel. To honor his biological roots while acknowledging the man who raised him, he socially changed his name to Danny.

Danny can be reached via instagram @javi__cito

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 reality of growing up in a toxic home. We dive into the moment her world shifted when a DNA test completely dismantled her family’s origin story, replacing it with a hidden history she never saw coming. It’s an honest, sometimes uncomfortable look at the shame that follows a DNA surprise and the heavy emotional cost of carrying secrets you didn't even know existed.

Resources Mentioned:

Right to Know

DNAngels and Search Angels

One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life - A Story of Race and Family Secretsby Bliss Broyard

Finding Me: A Memoir by Viola Davis

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

The Color of Water by James McBride

I Take My Coffee Black by Tyler Merritt

Reflections: A Window Into My Soul by Alethia Stern

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 uncover a biological father—a pediatrician—who shares her love of exclamation points. Becca discusses how she turned the entire journey into her 30-minute solo comedy show, Gifted.

You can follow Becca's stand-up and storytelling journey on Instagram @BeccaRothman

Resources Mentioned:

The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Areby Libby Copeland

The Sunday Story Seven IG @storyseven.al

https://beccarothman.com/

Untangling Our Roots Conference

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 that he was 100% Iberian and had zero Polish blood. Now, he shares his journey of navigating this new reality, confronting a mother whose memories are fading, and connecting with a biological family he never knew existed.

Mark can be reached via email markthenpe@gmail.com

Resources Mentioned:

Right to Know

Severance Magazine

DNA Surprises with Alexis Hourselt

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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, "seamless" bond with their biological father and half-brother over a shared love for music.

Alex can be reached via instagram @bedhead_babe

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling Our Roots

Alex's Band: The Eye Traps Instagram @theeyetrapsband

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 later in life—and how she’s finding her way forward, one piece at a time.

Dawn can be reached via email thebeginningnpe@gmail.com

Thank you to Dawn's daughter Olivia Hendrix for creating the newest NPE Stories podcast logo and graphics. Her art can be found @shop_94art on Instagram

Resources Mentioned:

GEDmatch

The Stranger in My Genesby Bill Griffeth

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 devastating lows of a reunion that ultimately didn't last, and how she has utilized EMDR therapy and her faith to process the profound grief and shame of those experiences.

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling Our Roots Summit

Leslie Pate Mackinnon

EMDR Therapy

Husband, Father, Killer: The Alyssa Pladl Story | Lifetime

The Kiss: A Memoir by Kathryn Harrison

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 cryptic comment turns into a whirlwind of answers — including identifying her biological father, discovering new siblings, and realizing her daughter was unknowingly friends with her first cousin. Stephanie shares the emotional fallout, identity shift, grief, and healing resources that helped her navigate life as an NPE.

Stephanie can be reached via email walkers424@gmail.com

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling our Roots Summit Mar 19-22, 2026 Atlanta

DNAngels No Cost Search Angel Services

Who Even Am I Anymore? A Process Journal by Eve Sturges

Before You Go by Stephanie Walker

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 parents stayed together “for him,” this episode sits with the doubts he learned to carry without ever questioning out loud.

DJ can be found on social media: Facebook and Instagram @radiodjthedj

Resources Mentioned:

Untangling our Roots Summit Held in Atlanta Mar 19-22 2026

Thank you to Olivia Mesnard Hendrix for working on the new upcoming logo for NPE Stories. Her work can be found on Instagram @shop_94art

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 family, and how community, therapy, and self-compassion helped her rebuild her sense of identity.

Stacy is the host of Mothers, Lies, and DNA Surprisesand recently recorded Lily's Story on her podcast.

Stacy can be reached on Facebook Stacy Porter Williams, or her email sandkey06@gmail.com

Resources Mentioned:

Hiraeth Hope & Healing Retreats

Stacy's podcast Mothers, Lies, and DNA Surprises

Togetherness Heals NPE private group on Facebook

Book: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories

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 father living just 20 minutes away. Their emotional first meeting, the highs and lows of building a relationship at midlife, and Constance’s journey toward grace, understanding, and identity make this a deeply meaningful NPE story.

Constance can be reached via email constancethenpe@gmail.com

NPE Stories Patreon

NPE Stories facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/NPEstories