Behind the Mask: Belonging, Identity, and Community with Melissa Guida-Richards

This October, we’re going Behind the Mask — looking at what we hide, what we reveal, and how adopted people learn to show up as their full selves. April sits down with Melissa Guida-Richards — adopted person, author, and creator of the Adoption Changemakers Conference — to talk about authenticity, culture, and the importance of real connection in the adoption community. Together, they explore what it means to unmask, how to hold space for nuance, and where joy and healing live in this work. Follow Melissa Guida-Richards on social media @adoptee_thoughts and visit adoptee-thoughts.com for details about the Adoption Changemakers Conference. Follow April Dinwoodie on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter) @JuneInApril, on YouTube @AprilDinwoodie, and visit JuneInApril.com to keep the conversation going.  

In this back-to-school episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, April Dinwoodie and podcast producer Kyle Ferreira get into a conversation about  the powerful and often surprising questions April has received from students—both adopted and not—about adoption, identity, and belonging. From “What happens when someone is adopted an is mistreated?” to “Were you ever angry at your birth parents?” these honest questions open the door to conversations about family, race, mental health, and resilience for all children. April also offers five practical ways schools can better support adopted children and reminds us that when classrooms embrace difference, every child benefits. Content Note: After the closing credits, April and Kyle have a brief discussion about school shootings.

This August, as we embrace the “Back to School” season of Continued Learning & Growth, I welcome two incredible young journalists, Ahna Fleeming and Libby Hobbs, for a conversation rooted in truth-telling, identity, and resilience. After a painful racial slur was used toward me during a public process in my own town, I was searching for connection and healing. Around the same time, I read Ahna’s powerful New York Times article about a similar experience of being targeted by the very same word. When I reached out to her, she introduced me to her friend Libby, whose journey as a transracially adopted person born in China resonated deeply with both of our experiences. Together, we explore: How family, race, and adoption shape identity Navigating racial harassment and finding our voices The role of journalism in truth-telling and social change The urgency of honest conversations in today’s climate This episode is a reminder that our hardest moments can also be invitations to keep learning, keep growing, and keep finding ways to belong.   Show Notes & Links Referenced Articles: Ahna Fleeming’s New York Times piece: "The Generations of Pain I Felt in One Racist Moment" Steve Ahlquist’s reporting on my experience: "A Racial Slur Exposes the Deep Divisions in Westerly" Connect with our Guests: Ahna Fleeming Instagram: @ahnafleming LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ahna-fleming Libby Hobbs Instagram: @libbyxhobbs LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/elizabethxhobbs Follow & Connect with April: Website: www.juneinapril.com Social: @juneinapril (all platforms) YouTube: @AprilDinwoodie  

In this special July episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, we explore the beauty and complexity of belonging—and the deep yearning for the freedom to be fully ourselves. I’m joined by my dear friend and creative collaborator Johnny Wright as we share space and vision around a new offering we’re bringing into the world—one created especially with Black and Brown youth in mind, particularly those growing up in White families and communities. This conversation is about more than programs or plans—it’s about culture, care, and connection. It’s about hair and history, family and identity, and the ways we can braid love, legacy, and liberation into how we show up for ourselves and for one another. As we prepare to introduce this work in community for the first time, we hope you’ll join us in dreaming of a world where everyone has the freedom to belong—and to be.

In this deeply moving June episode of Born in June, Raised in April: What Adoption Can Teach the World, host April Dinwoodie welcomes back La Tika Jeffrey—youth advocate, mother, and lived expert in foster care and adoption—for a raw and inspiring conversation about the power of uncovering truth and forging new family connections. Since her last visit back in December 2021, La Tika’s world has transformed in beautiful and complex ways. This episode follows her emotional journey to discover her father of origin after learning that the man she believed to be her biological father was not. With honesty and courage, La Tika shares how therapy, DNA testing, and deep personal work led to the unexpected reunion with her biological father—and the beginning of a meaningful relationship that now includes her children.  

In this Mother’s Day episode, April Dinwoodie sits down with Stacey Gatlin—founder of Yes We Adopt—to explore Black adoption, parenting after loss, and building community that centers authenticity and healing. Stacey shares her path through infertility, post-adoption depression, and the creation of Yes We Adopt—a platform that uplifts Black adoptive families, adopted persons, and birth parents. Together, they reflect on the power of community, the truth-telling needed in adoption spaces, and the mental and emotional load of mothering and leading out loud. A must-listen for anyone in the extended family of adoption or looking to parent with intention and care.

In April 2025 I sit down with Jeff Forney, a photographer specializing in advertising, music and celebrity portraiture. Jeff is currently working on “The Innocent People Project” - taking photos of adoptees and sharing their stories. In this episode we dive into the reasons behind starting this project, what it has meant to him and so much more!

In March 2025, I am so fortunate  and honored to welcome some of the members of the Transracial Journeys Community, Co-Directors Mary Halm and Karen Thomas. We dive into this idea of luck in adoption and the blessings and burdens that come along with this experience. We also hear from one of the Board of Directors of TRJ, and adoptive parent, Michelle Daray. There are so many incredible gems in this one! For any member of the adoption community, this is a must listen episode.

In February 2025, I give you the 9th installment of How to Love a Transracially Adopted Person. In this part of the series I am joined by someone who, for the past year, has been on this journey with me in the most personal way: my boyfriend, David Sutphen. While he wasn’t adopted, he has personal connections to adoption and knows what it’s like to be part of a blended family. These experiences, I believe, have shaped his identity, his sense of belonging, and his capacity to love me, a transracially adopted person. Join us as we talk about connections in adoption, identity, and love. I also humbly share a very personal example of how my default setting of abandonment played out following a very special birthday trip with David.

For many adopted persons, the journey to understanding identity and belonging is filled with complexities, questions, and the need for community. In this episode, host April Dinwoodie is joined by Tracie Carlson, a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and fellow adopted person, to explore how growing up adopted shaped their identities and how finding community became essential to their journeys. From the experience of being "chosen" to the emotional realities of searching for family, April and Tracie discuss what it means to be truly seen and supported. They reflect on the both/and of adoption, the power of connection, and how creating spaces of belonging can change lives—not just for adopted persons, but for the world.