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Family Secrets
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Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.
190 Episodes
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4Alice’s upbringing is one of simultaneous excess and absence, and in the deep canyon between the two, she loses herself entirely. In order to finally find herself and heal, she must confront the complicated truths and lies told by her artist parents.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Maggie made a life for herself as a successful poet, wife, and proud mother of two. But after years of marriage, she sensed something to be terribly off. When her intuition led to a painful discovery, she could finally claim her truth and grow.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Her paternity. Her health. Her very self. For many years, these are all mysteries to Kimberly. As she reckons with this myriad of unknowns, she learns more than she ever expected to know.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In his journey toward self-discovery, Shane must reconstruct his past by cobbling together memories of his kidnapping, upbringing, and the enormous swell of questions which once defined his identity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Susan takes great lengths and risks to get answers about her biological family. But sometimes, in the world of family secrets, these kinds of answers beget more questions.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Brittany’s early life is defined by the road; she and her mom are vagabonds of sorts, never settling for too long in one place. But at least they have each other. That is, until they don’t.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When Sarah is a young child, her parents vanish at sea. They are never found. How does she mourn what she cannot remember? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Daniel grows up idolizing William, his friend and future brother-in-law. William is adventurous, effervescent and inspiring. But William has other attributes, too—secrets locked inside himself and when they come out, Daniel’s world unravels.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It started with a wreck – a car accident steeped in the history of Cassandra’s family. When she learns about the accident and the secrets it bore, she can at last begin to understand who she is, and who she will become.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nobody thinks they’re joining a cult. Certainly not the children who are born into it. When, over time, Mikel learns the truths about his childhood, a whole world of information can finally crystalize.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Join us on November 9th for new stories of resilience, memory, and the way in which long-held family secrets so often need out.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the second part of this inspiring two-part episode, writer and musician Jessica Willis Fisher finishes her powerful story of survival.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the first part of this harrowing two-part episode, writer and musician Jessica Willis Fisher courageously speaks the unspeakable truths of the abuse she faced at the hands of her father. But this is just the beginning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From the outside, Priscilla’s family life looks dazzling. Her parents are both revered in the literary community and she and her sister grow up in an artistic home. But things change when their parents decide to do something they said they never would: they divorce. After this, their father’s hidden life begins to rise to the surface.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kyleigh and her older sister Kait couldn’t be closer. They lean on one another all throughout childhood. But at a certain point, Kait’s mental health begins to fray and with it, so does Kyleigh’s grip on her relationship with her beloved sister. When Kait disappears, Kyleigh is left to grapple with incredible loss and the painful reality of questions that can never be answered.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Letty’s life is laced with “shanda”—the Yiddish word for shame or disgrace. And the shanda is not hers alone; it stretches back and through many generations of suppression, secrecy, and the enormous heft of overcoming stigma and breaking the cycle for once and for all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Emi is a brilliant child caught in the storms of the adults around her. As such, her own troubles begin to brew and her secrets compound. From foster care to homelessness to an Ivy League education and robust career, Emi’s trajectory is an extraordinary lesson in what is possible when resilience wins the day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Allison knows something is fundamentally different about her. She looks different and she feels different from the other girls in school. But when her parents refuse to acknowledge just how different she is, it becomes harder and harder for her to reckon with who she is, and who she wants to become.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Forever punctuated by shame, secrecy, and danger, Isaac's search to know himself has always been a precarious journey. But as he walks the rocky road toward self-acceptance, he must reconcile his need to be both strong and vulnerable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From a very young age, Sophia is taught to deflect when people ask questions. Her parents teach her this lesson, and they tell her to keep a low profile as an American living abroad. When she finds a letter she’s not supposed to read, she learns what her parents do for a living – and that changes everything.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Dizziness is a symptom of untreated hyperthyroidism.... frustrating.
At around 33-34 minutes, they're talking about your people who haven't been in their circumstances don't get how they feel. I think, if you can't have at least some sort of understanding, then you're pretty cold. Seriously! You're talking about Who You Are! These people who claim to love you have kept the biggest secret from you! plus the whole town knows, except you?! I'm not sure I would ever want to talk to them again! What a terrible family. Did they ever say they were sorry even!?
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A little disappointed in this particular episode even though I really get alot from this podcast. The secret didnt really feel like much of one and I found it hard to relate to what often sounded like a bit of entitled griping.
I'm a fan of this podcast; I find it incredibly moving and powerful. But this one had me annoyed and frustrated. Did Cassandra listen to what she was saying? More than once she praised herself as an academic "who knows research" but it never occurred to her to check newspapers? She grew up as a Black woman in Alabama and by her own words has written often about race and racism but was surprised about the racism in news reporting in AL in the 60s? Just really silly and annoying.
Jace Alexander is a pedophile. it's not illegal porn it's child porn. Sexual abuse of children. His wife is either ok with this or extremely niave.
Just too wierd.
This episode and guest are the worst thus far.
I haven’t listened to this podcast in quite a while and was curious about there being 12 comments on here. I didn’t have to listen very long to figure out why. This episode is disgusting and so offkilter. There are so many things overlooked and not talked about and excused that should absolutely not be. my respect just went down the drain for the host 
Hardly a story worth an entire episode about.
terrible episode. terrible guest. her husband looked at CP (probably not the first or last time) but decides to twist it and say regular p*rn is the bigger issue in society? pearl clutching about that while staying married to a sick man and also feeling "compassion" for all other sick men. not surprising neither of them get any work anymore. disgusting.
Shame on her mother for taking her choice away like that. I’m sure that haunted her her entire life and will continue to. I know she was young and made some bad choices but come on.
my childhood pedophile stalker started with just looking, progressed to stalking, got sent away 2 times to treatment and jail, and still came back 5 and 10 years later. He "went away" one last time and came back to rape and abuse a 10 year old girl. He was intelligent and manipulating. this podcast/story is in bad taste and doesn't potray the risk and reality of progression (even after treatment) and repeat offenders.
This lady really went out and got herself a shame/reward new start wedding ring and pretended that marriage and man were brand new. The host "that's wonderful. It's a huge relief he won't face jail time". For who? What on earth.
“The men I saw were not the image that I had” of abusers and pedophiles… how can you get so close to the right conclusion and get it so wrong. We shouldn't care what "everyone" thinks but we should consider our impact on those around us. This man should absolutely not be coaching kids teams. Is this woman even thinking about that? I hope this person realizes they taught their daughter to stay with someone through crime and abuse if the person calls it "sickness". You really let the child you're supposed to protect make the decision for you? What a terrible mistake. Another mistake : funneling your whole perspective on this through one expensive organization that equates sex addiction with pedophilia. This husband is directing all right. He's in complete charge of the story of his family and he's only going to get and do worse. This show was always terrible, got worse when it became all writers or fame-adjacent people who overwrite and overproduce their own story. Came back to see if m
I hate this episode. The sugar coating of his child abuse is gross. Porn is not the same as child sex abuse material. Stop conflating the two. Your husband is sick and your children are in danger. Not because of the porn, because he is sexually gratified by children being victimized.
this was one of the sweetest, yet heartbreaking stories. I needed to hear this today. 💕
How did we just completely skip over the fact it was CP? Or why? Or how? And why didn’t that justify a divorce ? Wth