Search, Reunion, and the Work of Belonging: David McCarty-Caplan Featured on the "Adoptees On" Podcast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles, CA - April 3, 2026 — Shades of Belonging is proud to announce that our founder, Dr. David McCarty-Caplan, was recently featured on Adoptees On, the premier podcast for adult adoptees to share their raw, real, and deep stories of identity and discovery.

In this significant interview, David moves beyond his credentials as a researcher and consultant to share the deeply personal events that shaped his life and career. As a Colombian-born adoptee raised in a white American Jewish family, David spent years navigating the complex intersections of race, faith, and culture. However, it was his transition into fatherhood that sparked a profound shift in his perspective, leading him to begin the search for his biological family.

The conversation with Adoptees On follows David’s journey back to Colombia, where he reunited with his biological mother and siblings. This experience did more than fill the gaps in his own history; it sharpened his professional focus on how families, communities, and organizations can better support the "lived realities" of those who live between worlds.

David and his family outside of Bogotá, Colombia, days before he met his birth family.

"Becoming a father made me look at my own origins in a new way," David shared during the interview. "It deepened both my personal sense of self and the research I do at Shades of Belonging. We have to look at belonging as an active, ongoing process, not just a destination".

Throughout the episode, David discusses his scholarship and the ways in which communities can move toward a more "restorative" model of inclusion—one that honors the full adoptee experience, including the loss and grief that often accompany the journey.

Listen to the Full Interview

We invite our community and partners to listen to this important conversation to gain a better understanding of the human story behind the Shades of Belonging mission.

• Podcast: Adoptees On (Episode 321)

• Topic: From Search and Reunion to Scholarship and Belonging

• Listen Here: https://www.adopteeson.com/transcripts/321

About Shades of Belonging

Founded by Dr. David McCarty-Caplan, Shades of Belonging provides research-based coaching, consultation, and organizational evaluation centered on the adoptee experience. We work to build cultures of equity and genuine belonging for individuals and the communities that serve them.