Family Secrets

Family Secrets

Family Secrets. We all have them. And while the discovery of family secrets can initially be terrifying or traumatic, often these discoveries have the power to liberate, heal, and even uplift us. Join Dani Shapiro, bestselling author of the memoir Inheritance, and her guests as they explore astonishing family secrets and uncover the extraordinary lessons the truth can teach us.

Episodes

December 11, 2025 52 mins

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.

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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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November 27, 2025 56 mins

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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November 20, 2025 83 mins

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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November 13, 2025 65 mins

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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November 6, 2025 4 mins

Thursday, November 13th. New Secrets. New Stories. New Season. Join us next week for our thirteenth launch!

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August 14, 2025 37 mins

Author and podcaster Gretchen Rubin joins Dani to talk about aphorisms and family secrets.

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August 7, 2025 1 min

Updates, Workshops, and Special Guests!

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July 31, 2025 80 mins

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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July 24, 2025 57 mins

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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July 17, 2025 47 mins

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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July 10, 2025 57 mins

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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July 3, 2025 43 mins

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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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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June 19, 2025 73 mins

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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June 12, 2025 50 mins

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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June 5, 2025 47 mins

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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May 29, 2025 50 mins

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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May 22, 2025 2 mins

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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March 6, 2025 1 min

 Catching up with our Family Secrets family.

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