Listen to podcasts featuring Robin
The thing about DNA Surprises is that they can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter your race, socioeconomic status, politics, or background. In this week’s episode, my guest, author Robin Schepper, shares her DNA surprise story.
For more than thirty years, Robin served at the highest levels of American politics and government. including on four presidential campaigns, in the Clinton White House, and as the first Executive Director of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative.
She also grew up not knowing who her father was and spent decades trying to find him. In this episode, Robin discusses how she felt different growing up without a father and how she was finally unable to uncover his true identity. She also shares why she decided to write a memoir about her experiences. She also shares a beautiful poem that speaks to the “what ifs” that so many of us contemplate.
Robin’s memoir, titled Finding My Way: A Memoir of Family, Identity, and Political Ambition, and website are linked in the show notes, so be sure to check them out.
Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-My-Way-Identity-Political/dp/195485496X
Visit her website: https://robinfschepperauthor.com/
Thank you for sharing your story, Robin.
Family Twist: We’re sharing an NPE (non parental event, not parent expected) story with guest Robin Schepper, author of Finding My Way: A Memoir of Family, Identity, and Political Ambition. In our wide-ranging conversation, Kendall and Corey ask Robin about the discovery of her birth father, her grandmother’s brothel, her time working with Michelle Obama and how she healed from family trauma. Listen to the podcast.
Trailblazer and author Robin Schepper is committed to transparency and democracy—two throughlines in her new memoir Finding My Way: A Memoir of Family, Identity and Political Ambition (release date April 18th). Join hosts Dee Martin and Caitlin Sickles as they talk with Robin about why she shared her extraordinary life story and the importance of authenticity in doing so. They discuss the implications of overturning Roe v. Wade; the negative mental and physical effects of keeping secrets; and the importance of participating in the democratic process. Robin, who served at the highest levels of American politics and government for over three decades, offers practical and insightful advice, including sharing her Nana’s sage words, “Life is short. Eat dessert first.” This is one you don’t want to miss! Listen to my podcast on Madame Policy!
Episode 29: Robin Schepper Found Her Way and the Identity of Her Bio Dad
About this Episode
Robin Schepper grew up not knowing who her biological father was, though her mother wanted her to lie and tell people her step-father was. Different names circulated as to who her brith father was, from the name of the birth certificate to another name suggested by her grandmother. Robin shares her story of identifying her biological father on this episode of DNA Discoveries.
Buy her book: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-My-Way-Identity-Political/dp/195485496X
Visit her website: https://robinfschepperauthor.com/
How to write a braided memoir? Author Robin Schepper and host Marion Roach Smith take on the topic of the braided memoir in this episode of The Qwerty podcast. Listen in and learn how to live this writing life. The QWERTY podcast is brought to you by the book The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life. Read it, and begin your own journey to writing what you know. Listen here
Episode 30
Everyone has a story to tell. Robin Schepper turned her story and the search for her biological father into her book: Finding My Way, A Memoir of Family, Identity, & Political Ambition. In this episode, we talk about writing a memoir with tips and processes to tell your story. We talk about Robin's writing process, delving into the past, developing themes in a braided memoir, her memoir-writing tips, and more.
If the thought of writing a memoir intrigues you, you will find this episode so inspiring!
A QUICK LOOK AT MOVIES, BOOKS, and COURSES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
- What’s Your Story, a Memoir-Writing course (https://writersparkwritingacademy.teachable.com/p/writing-your-memoir-master-class)
- Finding My Way: A Memoir of Family, Identity, & Political Ambition (https://amzn.to/3Y2r4kZ)
- Gone with the Wind (https://amzn.to/3Dg50JU)
Join ShareMyJourney Founder Rebecca P. Cohen for this special conversation with author Robin Schepper about her memoir, “Finding My Way.”
Discovering What’s Next for You
Thursday April 20th Noon-1pm ET
Topic: Sharing Your Story to Help Others
What parts of our lives would help others if we unsilenced stories that we’ve never told? Robin’s new book is already helping people share their life experiences more openly so others know they are not alone. Reflect on and discover all that your own life story can give.
Thank you to Share My Journey for hosting an intimate discussion about my book.
More podcasts.
SunLit: As you mention in the prologue, you’ve come a long way. What made you decide that this was the point in your life to write your memoir?
Robin Schepper: I have been writing short stories for about 20 years. I took a creative writing class after we adopted our second child because I needed some intellectual stimulation in between changing diapers. But, every time I worked on the story arc, I did not like the ending.
When I got my DNA results back from Ancestry.com and 23 and Me I realized that the person I thought was my biological father could not have been my father because the genetic make-up was not 100% German. When I was contacted by my paternal first cousin and we figured out who my dad was, I knew I finally had the final chapter of my book. I finally had the answers to my lifelong quest. I thought that sharing my journey to find him as well as navigating life on my own would be an interesting story to others.
My guest today is Robin Schepper. For more than thirty years, she served at the highest levels of American politics and government, including presidential campaigns, and she was also executive director of Michelle Obama’s anti-obesity initiative, Let’s Move! She’s just published a memoir, and I was interested in some of the details in it as well as how she went about writing it. How do write about something when you’re so busy? Do you take notes along the way? Do you just hope you have a good memory?
Check out episodes here.
A conversation with Colorado writer, Robin Schepper, interviewed by Kevin Simpson from the Colorado Sun. Listen here.