{"podcast":{"title":"Unraveling Me","slug":"unraveling-me-7569853","podcast_index_feed_id":7569853,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/690534bf3906f8011add9159","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/unraveling-me","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/690534bf3906f8011add9159/1764205341144-b718e518-900f-43d5-82d8-91561a3645ff.jpeg","author":"Kara Rubinstein-Deyerin & Alan Katz","episode_count":41,"summary":"Join host Kara Rubinstein Deyerin as she speaks with people who, like her, are impacted by NPE's (non-parental events), DNA surprises, adoption, assisted reproduction, or other unexpected information bombs that reveal the truth about who they are and their family relationships and secrets. As anyone who's ever experienced such an event can tell you, it separates you from you. From knowing your own story. In \"Unraveling Me\", Kara explores the myriad ways why knowing the truth about who you are and who your family is matters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-30T16:19:46.198920+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unraveling-me-7569853"},"episode":{"title":"S1E27 Unraveling Aaron & Jess","slug":"s1e27-unraveling-aaron-jess","published_at":"2026-05-07T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unraveling-me-7569853/s1e27-unraveling-aaron-jess","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unraveling-me-7569853","url":"https://shows.acast.com/unraveling-me/episodes/s1e27-unraveling-aaron-jess","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/690534bf3906f8011add9159/e/69f3e4d4ad9857928969a432/media.mp3","summary":"S1 E27 Unraveling Aaron & Jess In this thoughtful and often funny conversation, Kara, Aaron, and Jess explore what happened when a long-abstract donor relationship became real—and how that reality slowly reshaped all of their lives. What begins as a donor-conception story becomes something much more unexpected: a conversation about the many ways family can take shape. Years after choosing an unknown donor because it felt like the safest legal and emotional choice, Jess’s daughter took a DNA test to learn more about her ancestry and found Aaron right away. What followed was not just a new connection for a donor-conceived child, but the beginning of an evolving relationship between two adults trying to navigate unfamiliar terrain with care, curiosity, and respect. SHOW NOTES Kara, Aaron, and Jess discuss: Why choose an unknown donor in the first place What donor conception looked like in the early 2000s, before photos, social media, and widespread DNA testing Aaron’s decision to take a DNA test A child’s experience of donor discovery when the truth was never hidden How Jess and Aaron built trust while following her daughter’s lead The emotional complexity of genetics, parenting, and belonging This episode challenges old assumptions about what makes a parent, what makes a family, and how connection can grow when honesty is there from the beginning. Aaron and Jess show that while genetics matter, relationships matter too, and neither has to cancel out the other. Their story is a reminder that sometimes the families we build do not fit familiar templates, but can still be rooted in care, respect, and love. Everyone has the right to know the truth about where they come from. Unraveling Me speaks to those people impacted by DNA surprises, NPEs (non-paternal event), adopti…","meta_description":"S1 E27 Unraveling Aaron & Jess In this thoughtful and often funny conversation, Kara, Aaron, and Jess explore what happened when a long-abstract donor…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3891,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/unraveling-me-7569853/episodes/s1e27-unraveling-aaron-jess/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/unraveling-me-7569853/s1e27-unraveling-aaron-jess.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}