Family Secrets
Family Secrets is a podcast hosted by Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance. Each episode explores astonishing family secrets and the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us. The show features conversations with guests who have discovered hidden truths about their families, ranging from terrifying to liberating. It delves into how these revelations can heal and uplift us.
Episodes
A Skirt Caught on Fire
In our extraordinary season finale, Mary Afsari shows us how our unknowable pasts—the tragedies, traumas, and truths—can shape a future and change a life. Many lives, in fact.
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I Think You Should Stop Talking
When Emily returns from a family trip, she tells people she has a “crazy story” but it’s more than that. It’s always more than that.
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Have You Seen Her?
Casey’s biological mother doesn’t want to be found. But still, Casey seeks to find her. Needs to. And when she does, a deluge of truth pours forth.
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Have You Ever Seen a Body Like This?
Tom’s father takes up all the oxygen in the room with a presence that's larger than life. Larger, in fact, than the many lives he keeps hidden from his wife and children. Tom must reckon with this legacy as he sets out to forge his own.
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Making Yourself Up
For most of her life, Darcy’s identity is a mystery. Who’s her mother? Who’s her father? And who, in the end, is she?
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We Heard Everything
A childhood rife with political upheavel, violence and loss. An adulthood overtaken by distrust and manipulation. And then, finally, the truest friend and companion -- a Jack Russell terrier named Coco--helps Fatima break free and discover the joy that awaits her.
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Nobody Liked Their Nickname
When tragedy befalls Laurie’s crowded family, she and her eight remaining siblings—and their deeply detached and peculiar parents—must navigate the unthinkable. And too, the unsayable—because in this haunted home, nothing is said at all.
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Hijacked
First: a hidden sibling. Then: an unbelievably harrowing hostage situation. As Mimi moves through life, she must confront the scarring secrets stacked against her.
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Mrs. America
Growing up, Jackie is a self-described “girl’s girl” in family full of women - surrounded by her sister, mother, and several loving aunts. But a generational secret has been kept, and Jackie will slowly learn that she is deeply impacted by this secret and the silence surrounding it — one that shapes her life from the inside out.
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Strangers
A seemingly perfect marriage—a whole life—shatters overnight when Belle discovers her husband’s betrayal and uncovers the silences and stories that have come to define her. As everything collapses, she must decide whether to protect the narrative she’s been handed or finally confront the truth.
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Coming Soon: Family Secrets Season 14
Join us for a new season of Family Secrets. We're back with 10 new stories starting May 7th.
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A Thank You From Dani for Season 13
A message from Dani, with an update on the next season of Family Secrets.
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Homeschooled
After being coerced into homeschool by a mother whose love threatens to consume him, Stefan must confront how an isolated childhood shrouded in secrecy will shape his life.
Stefan Merrill Block's memoir is titled Homeschooled.
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Should We Do This?
Marion and Tony are madly, deeply in love. But there are obstacles to their relationship, namely Tony’s sexual preference. When Tony loses his life to AIDS, Marion discovers just how many obstacles there really were.
This year is the 30th Anniversary of Marion Winik's memoir, First Comes Love.
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The Mixed Marriage Project
In his locked study, Dorothy’s father works on his book. For years. And years. And years. But it’s not until after his death that Dorothy uncovers the secrets in between its unfinished pages.
Dorothy Roberts is the author of The Mixed Marriage Project: A Memoir of Love, Race, and Family.
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90 Miles
Karen vanishes with her children to escape a violent marriage, erasing a life in order to save it. But eventually, when it’s safe—if it’s safe—she must come out of hiding.
Karen Palmer's book, She's Under Here, is out now.
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All Without Telling Me
In 1998, long before Dani discovered the truth of her biological paternity, she published a story called “The Secret Wife” about the discovery of her father’s second wife, a secret marriage that had been hidden for decades. Today, she reads and reflects on this story—the uncovering of the silent grief and buried histories that shaped her.
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The Guy Who Knew a Guy
When Francesca sets out to understand her father’s past, she is faced with a world of crime, silence, and denial. But it’s not just his past she must reckon with; it’s her present, her inheritance of a story no one wanted to tell.
Francesca Fontana is the author of The Family Snitch.
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Tangled Up in Blue
Sam grows up without knowing his biological father. As he enters adolescence, he begins to resemble Bob Dylan. A lot. So when Sam learns his mother had a brief relationship with Dylan in the 70s, the cascade of questions begins to flow.
Sam Sussman's book, Boy from the North Country, is out now.
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Baby X
After centuries of ancestral trauma, Julian must listen closely to the stories of his family —stories of survival, memory, myth and generations of erasure—in order to discover the story of himself.
Julian Brave NoiseCat's book, We Survived the Night, is out now.
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They Weren’t Into Consequences
When Amanda’s parents’ eccentricities take a dark turn toward hoarding, scheming, and secret-keeping, the walls begin to literally close in on her. As the chaos and deceit grows in volume around her, she must figure out how to escape.
Amanda Uhle's book is titled Destroy This House.
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In The Backseat of My Body
When Kate begins to recover haunting memories, she must confront a family history shaped by silence and generational harm. What follows is her quest to piece together the truth and reclaim a stolen childhood.
Kate Price's book, This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, is out now.
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Acting on Top of Acting
Ari’el has spent his life playing characters, trying on different identities. But at a certain point he must discover who—beneath all these competing selves—he truly is.
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New Season! Coming Soon!
Thursday, November 13th. New Secrets. New Stories. New Season. Join us next week for our thirteenth launch!
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Bonus: Dani and Gretchen Rubin
Author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin joins Dani to talk about aphorisms and family secrets.
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A Word from Dani
Updates, Workshops, and Special Guests!
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There’s a Storm Coming
A ninety-year old father and his youngest daughter come together to unpack a secret that altered—and ultimately made sense of— the shape of each of their lives.
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Which Circle Are You In?
Not every member of a family is told the same story. Elissa wrestles with the necessity of claiming her voice, even as telling her own singular truth may exact a painful price.
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Who’s the Girlfriend?
A box of letters. A hidden life. A history rewritten. Susan must reckon with how to move forward—how to be a daughter, a sister, a mother—after so much staggering change.
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Truth or Consequences
As E.A. takes to the road on a route once taken with her mother, she must confront the stories we inherit, the ones we choose to tell, and the one’s we don’t.
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It Feels Like Blood
What does it mean to be a family of one? Steven examines his search for belonging in the wake of disappearance, loss, and profound mystery.
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The Rage Didn’t End Until the Mystery Did
Marian’s body knows something her brain does not. It takes years before she finally has the language to define herself. To be herself.
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Defensive Wounds
Erin grows up in and around violence and anger. But nothing could have prepared her for the tragic discovery she makes at age twenty-seven.
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The Perfect Happy Family
Through the dual lens of a devoted sister and parent, Julie explores the emotional terrain of family illness and secrecy, puzzling over how she can care for others without losing herself entirely.
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Just Like an Arrow
As Sarah navigates the world as an artist and writer, she must confront the genetic history—its myriad patterns and traumas—at the heart of her story, her very self.
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I’m The Man You’re Looking For
Brando’s father is an American Indian incarcerated political activist. Or is he? His mother tells a lot of stories. It’s almost impossible to know what’s true and what isn’t.
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Family Secrets: Season 12 Trailer
We're back with a new season of extraordinary stories. Join us next Thursday, My 29th for the premiere of Family Secrets Season 12.
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A 2025 Update From Dani
Catching up with our Family Secrets family.
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I Got a Lion
Griffin grew up in a family whose illustrious life defined them. But beneath their fame were the secrets that shaped his world.
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I Thought I Was Telling the Truth
At the age of sixteen, Jill began a relationship that lasted most of her life with her much-older professor. Twenty-five years ago, she wrote a memoir. But with time comes new memories, new clarity. She’s realized something: it's time to tell the story again, and differently.
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We’ve Met Once Before
In her quest for answers about her biological mother in South Korea, Tracy finds more—and in some ways, less—than what she’s bargained for.
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The Sky Didn't Fall
When Sacha looks back to her childhood, she sees the branches of a gnarled and tangled family tree. But through art, reflection, storytelling – and just the right therapy – she finally begins to pry the pieces apart.
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An Active Annihilation
Growing up in Ahmedabad, one of India’s fastest-growing cities in the early 2000s, Zara’s world ignited –both literally and figuratively.
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Let’s Go Into the Woods
When Garth was growing up, he managed to hide his struggles from his parents. But when Garth becomes a parent himself, he must decide when—and if, at all—to come out of hiding.
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The Sunshine
Nabil’s dad is not exactly in the picture when he grows up. But he is in other pictures, many in fact. He’s a famous jazz musician and throughout most of Nabil’s life, he’s only a stone’s throw—and yet, a world—away.
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I Was Told Not to Tell Anyone
After years of keeping her abortion a secret, Honor discovers the power of telling.
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The Two Names
What’s in a name? And what’s not? With a splintered identity and a voracious hunger for truth, David travels far and wide for answers.
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Love, Mommy Dearest
Two fires. Two Anitas. Countless questions. In order to understand her mother—and herself—Nina must reckon with a difficult and diffuse past.
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Family Secrets: Season 11 Trailer
Season 11 of Family Secrets premieres next Thursday, November 7th.
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New Season and Workshop!
Dani updates the Family Secrets family about our Season 11 launch and an upcoming workshop at Kripalu Center.
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Dani Recommends: You Probably Think This Story’s About You
Hi Family Secrets family, this week we're bringing you a podcast we think you'll enjoy: You Probably Think This Story's About You. Dani also gives an update on the release date for the next season of Family Secrets.
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A Thank You From Dani
Dani shares an update with the Family Secrets family at the end of our tenth season.
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I Was 758
Susannah was 758; that was her identifying number as a research subject in an academic study—and a psychological experiment— that spanned thirty years of her life. In adulthood, Susannah can finally uncover the myriad secrets woven into her life under the microscope.
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Hey Dad, Who Was That at the Door?
It’s not until well into Darren’s adulthood that he discovers the truth of his father’s secret past. And what does he do with his father’s secrets? He keeps them. But only for a while.
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A Phantom Glamour
David’s mother is a fantasist with a secret. But hers is the kind of strange secret that’s out in the open…sort of. As David grows up, he finds the intersection between drama and comedy in this tangled history.
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No, The Kids Were Not All Right
The cult is a secret to most people she knows. Her very identity is a secret to most people she knows. But at a certain point, Lauren needs to be herself. She needs to tell her story and corroborate it. She needs to set herself free.
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Candy Bones
Reed grew up with a camera in his hand. At first, the videos he made with his brothers were just for fun. But when their mom goes missing, the boys embark on a cinematic journey to solve the complex mystery of their mom’s disappearance.
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A Lightning Bolt of Desire
When Molly’s secret longings and buried desires become the basis of her marriage, she must decide how—and how much—to disclose. To her husband, her children, and herself.
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This Didn’t Have to Be a Secret
Deep in Dina’s family lore is a story of a fire; someone burned a house down. But who? And why? After a lifetime of wondering, Dina finally hunts down the truth.
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Dear Sister
When Michelle gets a knock on her door one day in 2017, her life—and the lives of her loved ones—will be forever changed. What she learns that day will send her and her beloved sister down a harrowing and unforeseen path.
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Code Blue Cafeteria
Barrett and his wife Jane are both oncologists – they share a social world, a professional world, and a rich life together. But one thing is not shared—a secret that’s as heartbreaking as it is cataclysmic.
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I Dug it Up
Growing up, Whit was extremely close with her mother. But when she becomes pregnant in her twenties, her mother extracts herself entirely; she spends the rest of her life pretending as if Whit simply does not exist. Why? To answer this burning question, Whit must dig and dig and dig.
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Family Secrets: Season 10 Trailer
Welcome to the 10th season of Family Secrets. Join us starting June 6th for new stories about identity, connection, and how we all long for the truth.
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A Message from Dani
Season 10 will launch in June; in the meantime, here’s an update on all things Family Secrets, some of which hit quite close to home.
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A Virtuosic Patient
Alice’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.
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An Answer to the Offness
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.
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You Belong to the Mystery
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.
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The Self I Could Have Been
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.
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This Was All Supposed to be Secret
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.
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As Bad As a Lie
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.
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Sail On
When Sarah is a young child, her parents vanish at sea. They are never found. How does she mourn what she cannot remember?
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Because of William
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.
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A Holiday Message from Dani
Happy Thanksgiving to our Family Secrets family.
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How Long the Dying Went On
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.
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Hall of Mirrors
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.
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Family Secrets: Season 9 Trailer
Join us on November 9th for new stories of resilience, memory, and the way in which long-held family secrets so often need out.
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Bonus: A Conversation with Dr. Ruth Faden
Today’s Great Minds bonus episode features scholar of bioethics and founder of The John Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Dr. Ruth Faden. She and Dani take a deep dive into the thematic waters of a powerful family secrets story from our second season.
Take a listen to 'The Loving Choice' here.
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Prepare for Our Next Great Mind!
Tune in next week for our next Great Minds bonus conversation with renowned scientist, academic, and founder of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics, Ruth Faden. We’ll be speaking about an unforgettable family secrets story from our second season. Take a listen to that episode in advance here!
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Bonus: A Conversation with Kris Carr
For this week’s Great Minds bonus episode, Dani sits down with bestselling author Kris Carr to explore the moving themes and meanings woven into a Family Secrets story from Season 6.
Listen to Trent Preszler’s episode, ’Taxidermied Duck’ here.
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Get Ready for Another Great Minds Conversation!
Next week’s bonus conversation is with bestselling author and wellness leader, Kris Carr. We’ll be unpacking a moving and memorable Family Secrets episode from Season 6. Take a listen to that episode in advance!
Listen to Trent Preszler’s episode, 'Taxidermied Duck' here.
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