Guest Nicole shares with us her early desires to give back to adoptee community, how she think she wanted to search for her biological family and the point in time when she realized the moment was now.  Nicole is a domestic, transracial adoptee born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. She grew up knowing she was adopted. Her father, a decorated Marine turned Catholic priest adopted her after she had been left with him when she was three years old. Mother’s Day has always been particularly difficult for Nicole, having been raised by a single Father, it defined the fact that she did not fit in. Early in her marketing career, Nicole joined the adoption community through volunteer work with Adoption Network Cleveland, a non-profit that supports everyone touched by adoption.  After serving on the special events committee, Nicole was asked to join the Board of Directors. Through this work, she accepted adoption as a “complex, lifelong, intergenerational journey with ongoing impact for all whose lives are touched by it.” This epiphany helped her realize her feelings of pain, confusion and self-doubt were a natural part of the adoptee journey – and inspired her to dive into the work of healing. Nicole spent years on what she calls her journey of self-discovery, working to understand how being abandoned and adopted shaped her thought patterns, decisions and relationships.  This journey inspired her to share her truth, validate and uplift her fellow adoptees. In 2019, she launched her blog and social media platforms, “The Adoptee In Me - a place to share the journey of self-discovery.” Since then Nicole has shared her lessons learned about identity, change, loss and love, aiming to inspire reflection and conversation to inspire adoptees to embrace their inner adoptees. She is also a member of the Fireside Adoptees leadership team. A few years ago, Nicole embarked on a new chapter of her adoptee journey to find the mother who left her behind – and that is the focus of this conversation. The search began with her original birth certificate, involved multiple third-party organizations, and lasted much longer than anticipated. Tune in to join us for a story about the emotional rollercoaster of search, self-discovery, loss and hope. Connect with Nicole via your social media platforms and Fireside Adoptees  https://www.instagram.com/theadopteeinme/ https://www.facebook.com/theadopteeinme/