J. Steven Osborne believed he knew where he came from until an ancestry DNA test turned his world upside down. What started in 2021 as a casual curiosity for Native American heritage ended with a jaw-dropping response: a first cousin in Prince Edward Island. And his father? Not who he thought. Join Corey as Steven recounts the powerful, painful, and sometimes absurd journey that unraveled in real time.
In this Part One of the conversation, Steven takes us back to a childhood in Tory Hill, Kentucky—full of blended houses, foster kids, Pentecostal rituals, and 14 siblings. A loving but turbulent family life set the stage, and his father Jack became his emotional anchor. But on a flight home from Hilton Head, his sister’s DNA match confirmed what shattered everything: his biological father was someone else entirely.
This episode ends at that gut-punch moment—leaving listeners hanging, hearts racing, and fingers gripping the armrest. Part Two dives deeper into grief, identity, forgiveness… and yes, more revelations that defy fiction.
Steven co-wrote the memoir with his wife, forensic genealogist Becky Brower Osborne. Originally meant as healing journaling, the story morphed into an 80,000-word rollercoaster of intrigue, humor, heartbreak, and redemption—from disbelief to forgiveness, and finding belonging in unexpected places DNA Did Not Anticipate+9DNA Did Not Anticipate+9Buzzsprout+9.
Praise for the book:
Steven’s story is a testament to resilience: finding humor in heartbreak, courage in chaos, and family in truth. It’s a must-listen for anyone redefining their past—especially when that journey begins at 30,000 feet.
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Cardiac Cowboys
The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.