NPE Stories

Diana's Story

Licensed mental health counselor Diana shares her recent NPE (Non-Paternal Event) discovery after a late 2020 DNA test led to unexpected family revelations in early 2026.

Daisy's Story

Lily Wood kicks off Season 8 with guest Daisy Woods, who shares her story of discovering at age 55 that her biological roots were not what she had always believed. When

Relative Strangers

In the year 7 season finale I was so excited to chat with B.K. Jackson (aka Kate), the incredible founder of Severance magazine and editor of the brilliant new essay coll

Elizabeth's Story

In this episode, Lily Wood sits down with Elizabeth, a trauma-informed yoga teacher who shares her traumatic story of surviving a chaotic childhood only to discover throu

Danny's Story

Danny's mother revealed that he was actually a Non-Paternity Event (NPE) child, and his biological father was a man from New York named Daniel. To honor his biologic

Alethia's Story

Harmful Content Warning: This episode contains raw language including racial slurs, as well as discussions of domestic violence and systemic trauma. Alethia joins me to

Becca's Story

In this episode, Becca Rothman, a comedian, activist, and mother shares the surprising story of discovering she was donor-conceived later in life. After years of living w

Mark's Story

Growing up with a "normal" Midwestern upbringing, Mark never felt different or disconnected from his family. However, after his father's death, a quest to explore hi

Alex's Story

Alex Frantz shares the life-altering discovery of being donor-conceived, a revelation triggered by a holiday DNA kit. They describe the shock of realizing they attended h

Dawn M's Story

Dawn grew up feeling a quiet sense that something didn’t quite fit, but it wasn’t until a search for her family’s past that everything she thought she knew began to shift

Molly's Story

In this episode, Lily sits down with Molly, who shares the complex layers of being both an adoptee and an NPE within a small-town dynamic where the adults knew the truth

Stephanie's Story

This episode follows Stephanie’s journey from a stable, loving childhood into a shocking DNA discovery after her dad’s death revealed he wasn’t her biological father. Wha

DJ's Story

DJ grew up believing he knew exactly where he came from—named after his father, raised in a working-class family shaped by absence, anger, and long stretches of silence.

Stacy's Story

In this deeply personal conversation (and crossover episode), Stacy opens up about discovering she’s a double NPE, confronting painful family truths, and grieving a fathe

Constance's Story

Constance grew up believing she shared the same father as her siblings, though she always sensed something was off. Decades later, an AncestryDNA test and unexpected mess

Krissy's Story

Krissy shares her decades-long journey from an offhand comment in her teens to the life-changing discovery that she is an NPE, uncovering hidden family truths on both her

Traci Grant's Story

In this episode, Traci Grant shares her profound NPE journey, uncovering a hidden truth about her biological father after a lifetime of painful family dynamics and secrec

Amy W's Story

Amy’s discovery about her origins reshaped everything she thought she knew about her life and family. This conversation stayed with me long after recording—it’s one of th

William's Story

After a tumultuous childhood, William built a happy life as a chef, husband, and father—until a DNA test revealed a hidden truth about his identity. His discovery led him

Pat's Story

When Pat took a DNA test to ease her brother’s doubts, she never imagined it would upend everything she thought she knew about her family. What followed was a story of sh