Pamela A. Karanova is an Adult Adoptee, Freelance Writer, President of Adoptees Connect, Inc, and the Founder of Adoptee Remembrance Day - October 30th. Founder & Certified Grief Recovery Method Specialist® at Adoption: Grieve, Grow, Glo. Pamela has been featured on Adoptees On, Religion News Service, Reckoning with The Primal Wound, and Overcoming Odds. Co-founder of the Adoptees for Awareness Grant. Creator/Designer of True-to-Life Greeting Cards at The Real Adoptea Moxie Emporium.
Bold | Courageous | Fierce | Writer | Unruly Adoptee | Truth Seeker | Uncensored
Adoptea - Dishing out authentic, bonafide adoptee realitea one click, article, comment, and post at a time, adding uncensored and unfiltered rants and raves with an occasional impromptu cup of hot tea & virtual chat time with fellow adoptees & subscribers.
Moxie - Moxie describes someone with a fighting spirit. If you've got moxie, you've got confidence, grit, determination, and nerve. If you've got moxie, you have a growth mindset, which means you can't be stopped by an emotional response to a challenging situation and, ultimately, not by anything. Moxie is a word that means: strength of character. It means courage and spunk.
For over a decade, I have been curating adoptee-centric writings with a focus on difficult and challenging topics about adoption on my website www.pamelakaranova.com. As a result, I have exceeded over 200,000 views and hundreds of articles to elevate the adoptee’s voice and lived experiences. In addition, I am the recipient of The Angel in Adoption Award and several awards for the best adoptee website. I have spent countless hours creating adoptee-centric resources for the adoptee community and built lifelong relationships with adoptees and those in the adoption constellation worldwide.
What is The Real Adoptea Moxie?
One newsletter will drop every week & another will drop monthly!
On Substack, I will focus on sharing new and unique pieces of my writings about topics related to the adoptee experience from being in the fog, coming out of the fog, search, reunion, grief, loss, trauma, anger, rage, healing, and all the layers that can come with the adoptee experience. Over the last decade, I have navigated continuous areas in my healing journey. I am enthusiastic about sharing some of the knowledge I have gained with you on this platform. I share one piece of extended writing here for free each month, but I also offer a 5 dollars a month paid subscriber option.
Each month, all subscribers receive an “Ask Me Anything” newsletter — which will answer one or two adoptee-related questions from paid subscribers. Think: What adoptee healing tools have been the most valuable to you? How have you navigated the grief and loss process? What made you want to search for your biological family? How was your reunion once you searched? Do you regret searching?
Each week, paid subscribers get the “The Real Adoptea Moxie Insider TEA” newsletter, which includes sections like:
In My Adoptee Opinion — I sound off about adoption topics based on my experience being an adult adoptee. Example: what it’s like growing up adopted, how specific layers of the adoptee experience have impacted me short term and long term about grief, loss, abandonment, rejection, anger, rage, substance use disorder, raising kids, relationships, cutting ties, setting boundaries and much more!
Smash that Lie — I share popular myths, secrets, and lies many adoptees are told and set the record straight. I will also link stories/resources from other adoptees who touch on this topic.
I Highly Recommend — An overview of recommended resources I have used personally and why I recommend them for adoptees or others in the adoption constellation.
Helping Hands & Healing — A advice section that helps a subscriber deal with a current adoptee problem. I suggest adoptee healing tools that have helped me along my journey and share healing tools with fellow adoptees.
The paid plan is $5 per month or a discounted $55 annually.
Introducing the True-to-Life Greeting Card Line by Pamela A. Karanova at The Real Adoptea Moxie Emporium: Who is exhausted at finding the "right" greeting card that says the perfect sentiments? Most of us know how complex many of our experiences are, and I know that sometimes the paradox is something we can barely put into words ourselves, let alone find on a greeting card! Each item designed at The Real Adoptea Moxie Emporium becomes a bold and unique statement, and every true-to-life greeting card tells a story.
I am introducing the first true-to-life greeting card collection, created by an Adoptee, for Adoptees, LDAs, DNA Surprises, NPEs, MPEs, Search Angels, and donor-conceived individuals.
Get ready to make a splash with these bold and daring true-to-life greeting cards. The dynamic designs and vivid colors make these cards stand out perfectly. These cards are unforgettable and are guaranteed to spark dialogue and heartfelt conversations.
Understanding is love, and if a card doesn't fit you or your journey, it doesn't mean it won't fit another person's life. Also, humor is a piece of this project. If we can't laugh at ourselves and our situations, things can always be heavy. Also, there is no censoring, and some cards might seem rude and raw! If you get offended easily, this greeting card line might not be for you!
Take note: This collection will grow continuously, and this is only the beginning of the true-to-life collection. If you want a customized greeting card created precisely for your situation, I will design something specific for you! Please reach out for prices and guidelines on submitting your request on the contact page.
Be sure to subscribe by email to stay updated with new cards, discounts, specials, and sales being released.
A portion of all proceeds will benefit Adoptees Connect, Inc.'s DNA Kit Commit Program. All true-to-life greeting cards are created and designed by Pamela A. Karanova. Follow her Substack to learn more about her.
Plus, the occasional waterfall or hiking photo — like this one of me basking in a waterfall!
This is Cummins Falls State Resort Park in Cookeville, Tennessee. The hike through the gorge is 2.4 miles in and out and runs into a 75 feet high waterfall you see in this photo.
Who would benefit from The Real Adoptea Moxie?
Anyone who wants to learn more about adoption! I’ll cover various topics, from the basics of living as an adult adoptee to deep heartfelt topics about what it feels like to be adopted and navigate the adoptee journey with the goal of healing. (And you don’t have to be a fellow adoptee to subscribe. Anyone can subscribe!)
Mostly, I'm excited to establish a supportive community for those who are a part of the adoption constellation and non-adopted individuals who have the willingness to learn by offering the 5-dollar-a-month subscription option.
While most of us have adventures with social media, at times, it's more challenging to go deeper into our conversations and connections with one another. The Real Adoptea Moxie will be a community built on support for one another's growth and to gain understanding and validation regarding our adoptee experiences. It’s a place of dishing the adoptTEA in bold honesty, truth-seeking, truth-telling, and uncensored experiences, thoughts, and fierce transparency about adoption from an adoptee’s perspective.
I am committing to spend some time each week in the comment sections of the writings that will be open for subscribers to spark conversations with one another. I will also host an occasional impromptu Adoptea Time by way of a virtual chat space for paid subscribers!
Set Up An Adoptee Centric Wellness Table Talk Session
“Before I could release
the weight of my sadness
and pain; I first had
to honor its existence.”
― yung pueblo, Inward
I would love to connect with you one-on-one! Some services I provide to adoptees, those in the adoption constellation, and friends and family of adoptees are:
Understanding because understanding is love.
Validate your pain and acknowledge your feelings.
Help gain a better understanding of the adoptee experience.
Listen to you until your tears begin to dry up.
Assist in sharing resources, tools, and ideas to promote healing.
Offer encouragement, support, and guidance on your personal journey.
Provide a unique perspective from an adult adoptees’ lens.
Set goals, dreams, and to-do lists when it comes to healing and bringing your visions to life.
Develop a mentor-mentee relationship.
Consultation on the adoptee community and bringing visions to life in the adoption community.
Offer ongoing, one-on-one support.
Be a lifeline in turbulent times.
Provide referrals for others in the adoption constellation who might benefit you in your journey.
Identify adoption’s role in root issues and help discover the magnitude of how these issues have impacted one’s life.
Discover healthy ways to grieve your losses.
Walk with you, out of the darkness into the light.
Take control of your life and destiny.
Create a bucket list and start checking things off.
Identify self-care practices because self-care is the new health care.
Tap into creative ways to share your story between writing, art, music, podcasts, etc.
Identify ways to process big adoptee/adoption feelings in healthy ways.
And so much more!
Would you like to gift an adoptee you love some Adoptea Realitea Table Talk Time with me? Email: pamelakaranova@gmail.com to set up!
If you have the vision to create a resource for adoptees but need help figuring out where to begin, I am here for you! I would love to support you and offer guidance to bring your vision to life! If you are an adoptee and having a tough time, I am a great listener and have many tools to share with you. If you are an adoptive parent who would like advice on your adoptee, I am here to help you understand things from an adoptee's lens. If you are a birth parent navigating reunion, I am happy to be your lifeline as you navigate one of your life's most challenging and emotional times. Click here to learn more and consider setting up a table talk session with me: THE REAL ADOPTEA MOXIE TABLE TALK SESSION.
Subscribe
No matter where you are in your adoption/adoptee journey, I’m confident this newsletter will be entertaining, fun, and informative. Whether you’re a free or paid subscriber, I’m excited to have you as part of The Real Adoptea Moxie Community.
Thank you for being so supportive, and I look forward to connecting with you more profoundly through The Real Adoptea Moxie Substack Platform!
The Adoptees for Awareness Grant:
Two Adoptees: A Passionate Collaboration Impacting Many.
When two adoptees gather together to collaborate and make changes for the advancement of the adoptee community, mountains will be moved, and miracles will happen.
We are introducing the Adoptees for Awareness Grant established in 2023. This grant is sponsored by Jeffrey Leventhal of S12F, who partnered with Pamela A. Karanova of Adoptees Connect, Inc.®, both adoptees. This collaboration has been developed to create an influential lifeline to help stimulate more resources and healing for the adoptee community that has otherwise been nonexistent.
About the Adoptees for Awareness Grant:
S12F and Adoptees Connect, Inc. have co-created a grant program to help adoptee-focused 501(c)(3) organizations. The purpose of this program is to help non-profit adoptee centric organizations, created by adoptees and exclusively designed to help adoptees. We will also consider family preservation organizations that keep mothers and babies together or raise awareness of the harm of adoption in general. Our grants are for United States-based 501(c)(3) organizations.
If you want to apply for the Adoptees for Awareness Grant, click the link below. Scroll to the bottom, and you will find the application.
S12F & Adoptees Connect, Inc. - Adoptees For Awareness Grant Application.
Recipients of the Adoptees for Awareness Grant
Here are some of the writing pieces I’m the proudest of:
Adoption: Mislabeled, Medicated, & Diagnosed Adoptees Could Be Grieving Profoundly.
The Perplexity of Forced Bonding in Adoption - I share my thoughts on the bonding process in adoption.
100 Heartfelt Transracial Adoptee Quotes that Honor the Truth of Adoption - 100 Transracial Adoptees come together to share feelings on how adoption has impacted them.
Adoptees, Why Are You So Angry? - Adoptees share feelings on why they are angry.
Why Do Adoptees Search? An Adoptee Collaboration - Many adoptees experience why they choose to search for biological families.
100 Heartfelt Adoptee Quotes that Honor the Truth of Adoption - 100 Adoptees come together to share heartfelt feelings on how adoption has made them feel.
My Friend Has an Adopted Child, and They Don’t Have Any Issues with Being Adopted - Shining a light on the comment so many adoptees hear over and over.
Here are some of the articles I have been featured in:
These Adoptees Refuse to Be Christian Pro-Life Poster Kids by Kathryn Post of Religious News Service.
Toward Preventing Adoption- Related Suicide by Mirah Riben.
Before a month celebrating adoption, a day to recognize adoptees’ trauma by Religion News Service.
Bringing Adult Adoptee Issues to Light by Angela Burton of Next Avenue.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article and podcast are that of the author, Pamela A. Karanova. These articles are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing shared on this platform is to be taken as psychological, medical or legal advice. Reproduction of the material contained in this publication may be made only with the written permission of Pamela A. Karanova. While it is Pamela’s hope that you find the information in her website useful and informative please note- the information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by Pamela A. Karanova with the goal of having the information up-to-date and correct; she makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the resources list on the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the resources listed on her website. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of Pamela A. Karanova. She has no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
