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What happens when an adoptee grows up in an open adoption during the 1990s and becomes a children's book author? Sasha Sedman takes us through her remarkable journey, revealing the beautiful complexity of relationships that form when adoption is treated with honesty from the beginning.
Sasha shares the extraordinary story of her birth - how her adoptive mother became friends with her birth mother during pregnancy and was even present in the delivery room. From a wicker bassinet rescued from an alley to Raggedy Ann dolls that connect generations, the physical objects of Sasha's adoption story symbolize the thoughtful ways her families remained connected throughout her life.
The conversation explores the nuanced dynamics between adoptive and birth families, particularly the different comfort levels each person brings to these relationships. Sasha recounts meeting her paternal biological family in her twenties and discovering shared physical traits she'd never experienced before. She articulates the delicate balance of boundaries, explaining how her adoptive parents empowered her with freedom of choice while preparing her for the realities that birth family members might also have their own boundaries.
Most powerfully, Sasha reveals how her adoption experience directly influences her work as a children's author. Her book "First Day: An Adoption Story" provides families with a universal adoption narrative and space to document their unique stories. She also discusses "All Out of Ducks," her humor-filled book about parental exhaustion that incorporates critical maternal mental health resources she wishes she'd had during her own postpartum depression.
The episode culminates with Sasha's wisdom on normalizing diverse family structures and validating the complex emotions that accompany adoption. As she puts it, "Any feelings you have are valid, and any feelings other people have are valid" - a perspective that creates space for honest conversations and deeper connections in all types of families.
Ready to explore the world of open adoption through a storyteller's eyes? Listen now and discover how one author is helping families write their own narratives of belonging.

Music by Curtis Rodgers IG @itsjustcurtis
Produce and Edited by Lisa Sapp
Executive Producer Lisa Sapp
Executive Producer Johnnie Underwood
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