“There’s No Way You’re Half White” and Other Things TikTok Got Right

Nicole thought TikTok was being ridiculous. After posting wedding videos online, strangers flooded the comments insisting there was “no way” she was half white like she’d always believed. Some people were curious. Others were cruel. But the comments kept coming.

“You look Black.”
“That’s not your dad.”
“You should take a DNA test.”

So she did. What Nicole expected would be a funny way to shut down internet trolls turned into a complete rewriting of her identity, family history, and understanding of herself.

In this unforgettable episode of Family Twist, Nicole shares how a viral TikTok video led to the shocking discovery that the father who raised her was not her biological father. Raised in Maui in a conservative Christian household, Nicole never seriously questioned the story she’d been told about her background. But one DNA test uncovered an entirely different reality, including a biological father in Texas who never knew she existed.

What follows is one of the most emotional and hopeful reunion stories we’ve heard on the podcast.

Nicole opens up about confronting her mother, finding her biological father through an obituary and Facebook search, and the overwhelming moment of realizing she finally saw herself in someone else. Corey and Kendall also explore the complicated emotions that come with DNA surprises, race and identity, reunion, loyalty to the parent who raised you, and the emotional whiplash of discovering a whole new side of your family overnight.

This episode covers:

• DNA surprises and NPE discoveries
• Viral TikTok DNA stories
• Race and identity revelations
• Late discovery biological family
• Reunion with a biological father
• Family secrets and emotional healing
• Nature versus nurture
• Adoption-adjacent identity journeys
• The impact of ancestry DNA testing

Somehow, this story also includes one of the sweetest father-daughter reunions imaginable.

Transcript

Kendall 0:00

Hey everybody and welcome back to Family Twist. I'm Kendall. Our guest today, Nicole, grew up in Maui, raised in a loving family, never really questioning the story she'd been told about who she was. But after posting a wedding video on TikTok and getting thousands of comments from strangers insisting something about her story didn't add up, she decided to take a DNA test. What happened next completely changed her understanding of herself, her family, and her identity. What I really connected with in Nicole's story is how layered this kind of discovery can be. There's shock, confusion, excitement, grief, guilt, curiosity, and sometimes joy all happening at once. And for Nicole, there was also this incredibly emotional experience of meeting a biological father who never knew she existed, and a holy side of her family who welcomed her with open arms. This episode also gets into something we talk about a lot on Family Twist. The difference between the family who raises you and the biological connections you discover later in life. Nicole speaks so beautifully about loving the dad who raised her while also building a relationship with the father she found through DNA. It's complicated, messy, healing, and honestly very human. And I have to say, Corey and I instantly felt connected to Nicole. Maybe it's because so many of us in this community understand what it's like when one piece of information suddenly reframes your entire life story. So settle in, because this is a really powerful conversation.

Corey 1:42

Hey Nicole, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:44

Hi, hey guys, thanks for having me on here.

Corey 1:47

I'm so intrigued by your story because as we just talked about a couple of minutes ago before we started recording, like I did go on your TikTok and clicked on a few posts just to know a little bit. I'm like, whoa, there's a story here. A lot going on. But so let's rewind to your childhood.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

So to get background, I was raised in Maui, Hawaii. So if you've ever been there, it's a very small island. And I was there pretty much most of my life. I'm 26 now. Yeah, I was growing up there. I'm the oldest of three. So it's me, my sister, my brother, and then our two parents. And my mother is Indian, and the dad that I was raised with is white. So it was the three of us with our two parents. And we had a pretty, very, I think, blessed childhood living in the islands of paradise. Very beautiful. That um yeah, growing up, it was very, I would say also remote because people that you would come across would be either tourists or people that wouldn't stay very long. So I think a lot of it was just very remote and secluded. Are your typical average American experience can't be compared to how it is living on the island because it's just totally different type of lifestyle. And so a lot of it grew up was like around Pacific Islanders, you know, Hawaiians, Sumoans, Tongans, lots of Japanese and Chinese influence, a very cultural mix, but you wouldn't have come across a lot of people that looked like me or my mother. So okay, it was kind of interesting place because you were considered like the minority, right?

Corey 3:20

What did you know about your birth?

SPEAKER_02 3:24

I knew that I was conceived in Texas. I was born actually in North Carolina, so we were living there. I think my parents were living there for a bit, and then we actually moved to Hawaii shortly after. But I knew that I did take so my mother had told me that I took after my grandpa's or her dad. And he actually had passed away when she was young, and so I've seen pictures of him, and he isn't the dark, just darkest me, but if not darker. And people may not realize this, but Indians are a very diverse type of people. You can have northern Indians or very light skin, you can have southern, which is my mom is, so I'm half south Indian, so they can be very dark, they have all types of features and hair textures. So I knew that what I was told is that I really took after my grandpa, and so that was the reason behind like how come I don't look like my siblings, right? So maybe I just didn't get any of my dad's features, and I think that's just something that I when my parents tell you something, you believe it at a young age, and I think uh that's just how it goes when you're growing up. And for me, I was raised in a conservative Christian household, and also I was homeschooled. My view of any outside knowledge is already limited because I'm so I was homeschooled up until I was in high school.

Corey 4:49

One home.

SPEAKER_02 4:51

I actually had to beg my parents to let us go to a public high school because I had more friends, a young teen. Up until that point, yeah, I was homeschooled.

Corey 5:00

It's so funny how the little things just like tie back to our story, like the North Carolina thing. So one of Kendall so Kendall found out he's the oldest of seven. Oh wow and one of his half-brothers lives in North Carolina, and his uncle and cousins moved to North Carolina.

SPEAKER_02 5:17

That's so crazy.

Kendall 5:19

No, it's where in North Carolina is so my brother lives near Asheville. Okay, but my uncle lives closer to the coast.

SPEAKER_02 5:29

Okay.

Kendall 5:29

So yeah, I can't remember the name of the town that my uncle moved to, but okay. It's just it is crazy. To your point, I remember I went to a private Christian like like nursery school, and then and the plan was for me to go to a private elementary school. And I remember because of church, ironically, I was like, Oh, but I know these other kids from the public school. Can I just go to that? I had to beg my parents.

SPEAKER_02 6:03

Yeah, you know how it feels with like you just kind of want to have different experience, and people just try to tell you, oh, public school's better, come make friends, and you get excited and you want to go there.

Kendall 6:13

So and I convinced them, and I went public school from first through 12th. So it worked.

Corey 6:20

That's so cool. That's so cool. Yeah, it's just so bizarre, Nicole, that uh we've been doing this for four years now, and we just I'm speaking for both of us, we feel this instant connection with somebody, and we're not in person right now, we're seeing each other, but it's like we feel this instant connection with everybody we have on the show.

SPEAKER_02 6:41

I love it, I feel like it's meant to be sometimes. I always feel like the thing that I found out, it's like there's almost like no such thing as coincidences, which is meant to be to like be revealed and things like that. Um, so yeah, I totally agree.

Kendall 6:55

And that's totally how I feel. Kendall's the opposite. Docs are more pessimist and not pessimistic, but what's the word? Skeptical. Skeptical, a little skeptical.

Corey 7:04

Yeah, whereas I'm mystical. That's a good combo though to have. As a kid or growing into a teenager, did you ever have an inkling that something was just not right?

SPEAKER_02 7:14

So the interesting part is that people always would ask me, like, are you adopted? Do you have a different? I've always gotten questions like that. And I think it didn't really surprisingly enough, it didn't actually bother me because I felt like I was so sure of myself at the time and of my parents, and that I would trust them to my full content, that I never really thought about it. And it's like I almost I wish that I did, because then I wouldn't have round out in such a crazy way. But I feel like just because I loved my parents so much, and you know those are your parents, and you want to be close to them and a part of them, that your brain kind of just submits and conjures up this thing of okay, then I must just be what they are. Yeah, and that was just kind of my line of thinking. I honestly just never really thought anything was up, which is crazy.

Kendall 8:06

I totally get it though.

SPEAKER_02 8:07

I was just a very dark-skinned Indian woman, and that I just didn't have any white features from my dad, and that just was I I knew that genetics could be very wild and crazy, and sometimes you'll have two parents to have a dark child, and it's oh but I think because my parents myself, we never they never approached me and said made any comments, and I never went to them and said, Hey, this person asked me if I'm adopted, is that true, mom? I never asked them and they never came up with those conversations never really happened. I think with when you grew up in also an Indian household, my mom came from India and married my dad at a very young age. And so growing up in more of the Indian household, those types of conversations are not just something that just can be easily discussed. And I think my parents are very non-confrontational people that they like to say that they want to talk about things and then it doesn't come up and they kind of just doesn't happen or they don't see it, and I think in their own brain, it's let's just not discuss it and let's just move on and keep living because so many things are happening in our life that maybe the way that I look it wasn't their top priority, and I think for me either, it wasn't just something that I was really concerned about. So that was custom how I felt growing up, even though people always asked me or made fun of me, I just was like, nope, my mid dance Indians can be dark. I feel like looking back, now people are probably like, okay, maybe they knew but didn't want to talk or really told me that was the other part was like there was no one around me that would have been able to be up front and been like, Hey Nicole, I think you should ask your parents what's going on. Not that's their job, but I don't think I had anyone around me that would be willing to talk to me about those things. I've honestly growing up in Maui, there was a very, that's a very small percent of black people. And like I said earlier, there are usually going to be tourists who come to the hotels and stay, and I'm not living in the tourist area. So I feel like if I had maybe had made some black friends, they probably wouldn't have been like, okay, you're one of us, but I didn't have any of that. So I feel like just living in a place where you're in their minority, you're not around other people. So it's like I didn't have no one to compare myself to if that makes sense. And also everyone in Hawaii is very mixed, like all of them were like, I'm half Japanese, I'm part Chinese, I'm more just a very cultural mix of people that I think I thought, okay, if everyone's mixed and I'm mixed, maybe I just after my mom. Yeah.

Corey 10:33

Oh,

Going Viral on TikTok

Corey 10:34

was there a DNA test involved?

SPEAKER_02 10:36

Yes. So last year, and I'll kind of talk about how I even decided to take an A test. I've been posting on TikTok for about a year now, and I actually got married in 2024, September. And so I wanted to share my wedding photos last year in January. And I was following along this funny trend where it's talking about controversial things that you do at an Indian wedding or that you don't do. And so I made a joke by that I wasn't marrying an Indian man because my husband's white. So it was like a funny joke about how I had an Indian wedding, but not with an Indian man. So I shared those wedding photos and it really blew up. And I started getting comments about, oh, which one's Indian? Are you Indian? You look black. There's no way you're Indian. And of course, if I know I've been I've heard those things before, so I was like, didn't really think much about it. But it started to really blow up thousands of comments every single day. I would open up the app and I would have a lot of comments. And some of them were genuine, some of them were also very nasty and just very shrewd. Online social media can be people could or easy to say stuff that's very hateful because they're behind a screen. I started to post more about my parents that I was raised with. I said, No, this is my mom, this is my dad. Um, and was like, oh man, people are being relieved. They felt like they were what they're defensive about the way that I looked, and that it was like bothering people a lot that I was saying that I was half white. And my husband's actually adopted, and so he he knows who his parents are and he's met them before, and he's taking a DNA test before in the past, and so I thought eventually I would take one just because I think it's an interesting thing to know like what you are. And I I also did get comments that were like, take a DNA test, just post it and let us see. Um and I was like, one damn, I'm trying to be a content creator, I think it would be good content to showcase this story, and I'm so confident let me just take one anyways and post about it and shut people up and p double. And so in February, I purchased it. I did not tell my parents, so the only people that knew were my husband and my sister. I paid for expedition shipping because I just wanted to know the answer. Hence, Sarah, so maybe that was my subconscious being like, okay, maybe something's up. I got the results back in two weeks.

The DNA Results Reveal the Truth

SPEAKER_02 12:58

Um, I actually recorded myself reading the results with my sister and my husband. And when I was looking at it, I think I still didn't make sense of it in my head because I was in just pure shock. Because I'm seeing, yes, I'm half Indian, but the other half, I'm like, where's the white part? Where's the European? And I started seeing when you're African American, you have different parts that are like all mixed up but equal to 50%. So I was seeing 10% Nigerian, 10% Mali, just a lot of West African percentages, and still I wasn't, I was still it didn't hit me. And my husband was like, No, that means you're half African American. And he's like, See, if you add them all up, it's 50%. And so, and so my sister was like, I I think you need to ask the source, I think you would ask mom, you know, and uh she's like maybe it was something that she was being mean to tell you, maybe she's it was hard for her to get it out. So I waited a day because I was just scared. I was scared to confront her. I just didn't want her to get mad that I took one. And it's funny because my parents have always been weird about DNA tests, like they didn't have a huge interest towards it. I think when we would talk about my husbands, we'd all talk about that. They didn't care. Oh, that's cool, but like, why do you care so much about what you are? So that's why I didn't tell them. And so I waited a day and I had a dream the night before I called my mom. And I had a dream that I was walking down the aisle at my wedding, and all of my guests were there, but there was one guest that I didn't recognize, and it was just some random black man, and it really spooked me. I woke up and it was 4 a.m. And I look over to my husband, and he's also a wink, and he's I just feel like this is just something that's gonna be really tugging on your heart. I he woke up and he was like, I just feel like this is gonna be some type of breakthrough for you or just something crazy. And so I was like, Yeah, I think you pretended to call your mom. Go back to sleep, and so I call her, and we used to always FaceTime her call, so it wasn't out of the ordinary that I would call her because they live in Hawaii still, so I'm always talking to them, and but I think she knew something was up because I usually call when it's after the workday is done, and so it was the middle of my workday, and I work from home, and I'm like, I must go my lunch break, let me call my mom, and I call her, and she's like, Hey honey, is everything okay? And I was like, Yeah, so and she actually knew that I went viral on TikTok. Um, so she knew that I was getting comments about these things, and still she nothing was coming out, like she didn't say anything. And so when I would tell her about these comments, she was like, Oh my gosh, people are so crazy. And looking back now, and I remember like when I was telling her about these things, I could tell it actually wasn't bothering her that people were saying that I was black. So I think she was getting a little bit worked up, but I just thought it was because oh my god, they're being so rude, right? So looking back now, I think maybe she was still thinking, Could it be possible? So back to the phone call, I called her and I told her that I took a DNA test after I went viral, and I said it was really cool to see that I was half Indian, but the other half, mom, I'm half African American. Is it possible that I have a different dad from my siblings? And then it was she took a pause and she was like, Wow, yeah, I think you do. So her saying, I think you do, means she herself wasn't sure. Which I'm like, okay, that and I thought, okay, if she had kept quiet about this, this just must mean that she it was like a bad encounter and that it just was something that was traumatic for her. When I had her shannot. So I told her, It's okay that you didn't tell me for so long, but I want to know the truth now. It's out there now. She had told me the story of like how they met, and it was in Texas, it had happened when my parents were already married, so the dad that raised me. So they had came, she had just come from India, and they my dad had gotten her a job, and so she was a cleaning lady at the time. And I had to ask the time, and I was like, Mom, was it consensual? And she was like, Yeah, it was, but I think because it was such a shock. And I think when we're young, we choose to do things that we regret later on, right? I think mobs can test the things that we are not maybe not okay with in the moment or afterwards, but we do it anyway. And I think lines get blurred and then later on we feel shameful, and a lot of Indian culture is based on shame, and to come out with some of this would be like very, I think, very hard for her to come out with and share and probably be like bring a lot of shame to her family and to herself. So I can see why she didn't talk about it, and I think that just because she was so happy that she was pregnant, that she really did think that I was like a reincarnation of her dad because she loved her dad so much and they were so close. That's blessing with someone that looked just like my dad. There was no chance in hell that my bad would be able to contact my mom. And he himself didn't know at all that I even existed. All it takes is one time. And she told me all those things. She I asked her, Do you remember his name? And she that was the one detail that she did actually remember. So it just was so fascinating that she all these years that she remembered his first name, and so I didn't have a last name to go off of. But I knew that okay, if he's in Texas, and what are the chances that maybe he's still there? Who knows? And with the ancestry, it didn't match me to him, but it actually matched me to one of his half-brothers, my half-uncle. And so I had that name, but this person had already passed away back in I think 2020. So I'm like, okay, how am I gonna find him? So my husband was like, Okay, why don't you look at this person's obituary? Because it's gonna say who he survived by, and you might see the name. So I'm like, okay, so I'm browsing over, I'm Googling it, I'm looking through it. Because it this was like after the phone call was over, I'm like, I want to find him, but I didn't tell my mom, she didn't know that I was gonna find him, but I just I need answers because I learned to know side of the story because my mom was able to share some details, but not a lot, because it was very, I think, still traumatic for her as a young woman. Age gap, too. It's like it's it's hard to be open about those things. So I said, okay, I'm gonna do my due diligence and find out on my own. And so I'm like looking through it, and then I see like all these names that because there's they're a big family, big black southern family. So I'm looking and I'm like, okay, and I see his name. This is survived by, and I see the first name, Rodney. I'm like, okay, and then I see the last name, Carter. I'm like, oh my gosh. So I go on Facebook and I'm like looking because just like there's so many people on Texas, like, I don't know how I'm gonna find him. Look, anyways, I just assume that maybe he would be on there because he was younger than my dad who raised me, but a little bit older than looking, and then I see some pictures pop up. Again, it doesn't really hit me because I'm like, okay, yeah, I don't really know. And my husband's like, yeah, he looks like you. And I see so I decide that I don't want to message him and scare him, but I'm gonna message one of his daughters because I feel like they're close to my age, they could probably relate and be able to let him know. So I find one of them, I find her Instagram, and then I message her, and I was like, hey, you don't know me at all, clearly. I tried to make it not sound super scammy at all. And I went outside, I just was like, hey, I know you don't know me. But I recently took a DNA test and I found out that my biotech is a different person. My mom mentioned that she remembers working with your dad in in Texas, the chance that this could be my town, and let me know. And so I'm like waiting to see if she's gonna respond. And honestly, it only took a couple hours like that day. She's I just talked to my dad, and he might be right. And oh my gosh, I just was like so anxious because I did not think I was even gonna get a response the day of. And so I'm like, Okay, and she's like, What's your number? I'm gonna call you. And I'm like, Okay, we can call.

Kendall 21:25

This is happening.

SPEAKER_02 21:26

And I felt like I'm gonna do this and let's just see how the conversation goes. And like she calls me after work, and then I just spill everything about what had happened and me going viral and like how our parents met and stuff like that. And she's like, Yeah, I called my dad, and I he said he he didn't know it all, but he had remembered my mom, and he's oh, was it the Indian lady? Was it her? But he remembered that she was Indian, so I guess it was confirmed that way. And so it's just we all love her dad so much. We know he's not perfect, but one thing about him is he's a really good dad. And if he had known about you, he would have learned to be in your wife like a hundred percent. Cause he's like a really big girl dad. He loves his kids, and you can really see it. It's just what an amazing man he just had. All his kids are just super close to him. And I think that shows when you're a good parent. And so she's like, he wants to talk to you. And I'm like, okay, sure. He can call me tomorrow during my lunch break. And she's okay. And she gave him my number. It's a Thursday. And so he calls me. And I'm like, Hi, like, is this Nicole? It's super proper. Because it's so funny because he's not a pro proper person, but like when he called me this day, he was trying to be super proper. It was really funny. So he said, Is this Nicole? And I'm like, Yeah, this is she. He must be pretty shocked about all of this. And I'm like, Yeah. And we talked for over an hour. What? He just was super genuine and nice. I could just tell, like, all of my nerves I had leading up to this was like, I feel like went away because he would just was to make me feel very comfortable. And he was like, You have nothing to feel embarrassed about. I clearly didn't know, but I would love to be in your life if you'll let me. I've missed the last 25 years and I would love to be in your life for the next 25 and more. God willing. And so just hearing that, I just was like, wow, very happy to hear that. Because you never know what the reactions can maybe be when you approach someone, they could be like, Well, I have enough kids. I don't even want, like, you know, away from me, you know, because you never know. And I knew that was the risk I was willing to take. If they are not wanting to accept me, cool, that's fine. I just want to know what who he is, and I'll leave you guys alone. But the fact that they were just so accepting of me right away, and they were like, You're our sister, that's your dad, and just accepting was just like, wow, it couldn't have turned out any better. And so since that day last year, in Vedor, we've talked every single day since then. He just really got to know me and asked me questions and stuff, and I sent him pictures of a little me, and he just he knew that I was his right away. He was like, Yeah, just no, there's no other reasoning. And so I think some of his kids were a little skeptical, obviously valid, because like, why now? Why am I here now? And so they had asked if we were willing to like take our paternity test. And I was like, at first I was like, I don't know, because everything was happening so fast. And I just was like, okay, hold on. But then as we started to talk more, I'm like, you know what? I want to be sure I want them to feel comfortable. They're gonna be like, if I'm gonna be in their life, they are allowed to be like skeptical because that's their dad's protective of him. So I was like, you know what? If it lets me have more people to love on and vice versa, then let's do it. I was ready to meet him in person, and I was like, actually, the month of that I was talking to him, I was like, I want to meet him already, you know? I was pretty excited, and so from February until June is when we actually met for the first time in person. So again, it was happening very fast because my dad's such a loving person, though it had happened that way just because of who he is, and he was like, Yeah, you can fly down here and stuff. And so I flew down to Texas with my husband. Um, and then I went like to the hotel that we're saying at, met him in the lobby first because we were gonna go get lunch together, and so he brought flowers and he was like recording because he was so excited, and it

Meeting Her Biological Father in Texas

SPEAKER_02 25:20

was just such a sweet moment because just seeing him in person and seeing his like characteristics and mannerisms. I was just like, wow, like it's so similar, and it was just so crazy to like finally see like myself and someone else, and I'm talking like full and like twins. It was really crazy. Just the way that he likes to make jokes, he's super extroverted, super funny, he loves talking to people, which is a really sweet person, and uh it made me like so happy to know like my biodad was someone that I could look up to and just be like have someone that was a good person that was I was a part of, like I thought good knowing that because I before that I had to just assume that it was gonna be just someone who was a bad person, just so we know never really know until we need them. And so when we met at and stuff, that one was done when I was like, I think now's a good time to take the returning test because we're together in person. I did the Walgreens at home one, some you can buy in Walgreens, so did the cheek swab and in the hotel, and then I think I got the results back once I had already left Texas and I was back in Seattle, but again I was still so nervous because I'm like, what if we're wrong? And then I went through all this getting to know this random man for nothing, and I'm like, trying to be correct. Oh my gosh. But my husband was like, No, there's no way, like your mom remembered his name, he remembered your mom, like literally, who else could it be? Yeah, okay, so obviously I took it and was like 99.99 after daddy. I was like, but he was excited, he's supposed to celebrate and stuff, and so once I took that, the other seven came around, they were like, We're sometimes to be a part of your life, and like you're our sister, and again, like just very like sweet people, and so I think it just really shows like what a loving family and stuff, and they're all super like close and tight with each other, like cousins, uncles, aunties, and everyone, like that they are like, Hey, and a member, welcome, and I think that was great to have. Um, so yeah, that was just like a really crazy, but I think like fulfilling year last year, just so much had happened that like I just can't even believe it. It feels so fresh in my mind still, just because I'm like, I still think about sometimes. I'm like, well, what do you mean? I have a different dad. Because it's just mind-blowing. Um but to be able to meet him and then meet my siblings, and then I met my grandma on that side before she passed away. I just feel like everything kind of aligned up really well. It really was like meant to be, and then even that later, like towards the end of last or December, I had brought him to Maui so that he could come and see how I lived and what my childhood was like, and so that worked, very special for us. I think like we grew even closer because he could just see like how I grew up and like just things that he didn't miss out on, but I think just to understand like me as a person more, and um even when I met him in person, I actually decided to make this album of all my pictures from where I was like since I was like birth, a baby,

Bringing Her Biological Father to Maui

SPEAKER_02 28:31

up until now. And I left some pages blank so that we could add some together, like how I grew up, and that was really special. But yeah, that trip to Man, I feel like I'm always gonna look back on because like it was just like so special and bonded so well, and it was like 12 days of like uninterrupted time with my dad, and uh, which was like a really great trip. And uh, our birthdays actually are very close, it's crazy. So, like his birthday is December 7th, and mine's December 15th, so we're both like Sagittariuses, and so I'm not into the whole horoscope, but I do think it was crazy that to know that like we had similar birthdays, but he had asked like what my birthday was earlier. I was like, Oh yeah, it's in December, and he's oh my gosh, like you're definitely mine, because in family there's a lot of like people that have December birthdays, like children, his mom, to my grandma. So, like December is a very like popular month for them.

Kendall 29:25

Wow. So your mother and your raising father, how what do they know at this point?

SPEAKER_02 29:32

So they know that I went to go meet him, and they were they understood. They said this is something that she needs to go to, and I'm an adult now, and like I can make those choices for myself. I think for my dad who raised me, it was hard because I think he assumed that it was gonna be like a one and done. Like I was gonna go meet him and then leave it and then not try to like make plans and pursue like this relationship. So I think he was a little bit like off put oh, she really wanted to like have be in his life. So I think it was hard for him. And I think understand, like he also is like learning about this for the first time himself. Like, I think he always had like suspicions that maybe that I wasn't his, but to him it didn't matter because I was still his daughter at the end of the day, and like he still raised me like nothing else was going on. So like I have so much respect for that because I feel like to raise someone that's not yours, but just to chair some and treat them like you're they're your kid is just like very admirable. Now, I do wish that maybe he had shared like those thoughts with me. Like, I maybe have a little bit of like an ink ring, but he never did. So again, I was like blinded to that. I think people had asked him too, like, is not going on years? And he said it doesn't matter if she wasn't. I think to them, like they didn't really communicate that to each other, it couldn't have came up. And I think when my parents like also had their own like marital problems that like that didn't also really come up. So I think when I went to like a meeting and stuff, it was they had again they respected it, but I think it was still hard on them to know that like I was doing this step, and I think like for my mom, she felt like I was gonna have a new family, and that I was leaving them, and that she loves her kids and she's very protective of her kids, and so I think she felt like I was slowly like losing them, and vice versa. Like they just I was just gonna have a new family, and I was like, bye! But that wasn't the case at all. I just wasn't what's best for me because it just was so much for me to learn at 25 years old, all of a sudden, like wow, that's a lot to like to realize. And so I was just trying to reassure them like I have to go do this, and you guys know me. I'm like someone who wants to, like, if it's yeah, it's uh it felt fast to them, like they were like, Oh, it's too soon, you can't go meet it's too soon, too soon. But we understand, but I'm like, You guys know me, like I don't think things are ever too soon because I feel like I found out, but is it really too soon? Because I didn't have 25 years of any of this prior knowledge, so that's right. To me, I feel like it was just right timing. And I think it was good timing because I had already gotten married, so I was in this new era of like my own family one day, and near like family union. And I feel like because I had a lot more emotional maturity to handle something like this, I always felt like it was like probably good timing for me because I feel like if it had happened maybe as a teenager, who really knows how that would have unfolded and like custody battles and all that messy stuff that has happened, like who knows? So I feel like it was good timing for me to find out, and so even when he came to Maui too, it was a little bit of a shock. I told him, like, I was like, it's about to be a year before because it was December, and I'm like, it's about to be a whole year since I found out. So I'm like, I'm like, I gotta do this. So I'm like, that was kind of like their life thing, but I think just like as parents, I think they understand like that is really important, and my dad, he's older now, and it's like we've lost so much time together. I want to be I just like love being around him so much, and just feel like I want to have all those years back, and I want to be able to have new memories and stuff, and so I think hopefully they were able to really understand that in that way for me, and like they know like we're gonna do what's best for Nicole, and like if this is what she wants, then we know we'll allow it.

Corey 33:29

Great, it's such a beautiful story. Yeah. So, Nicole, please do us a favor, give your husband a hug for us for being a great supportive spouse. The last question that we always ask on the podcast is when you were going through this discovery, is there a song or a musical artist or a genre that helps you progress through this?

SPEAKER_02 33:51

It's a good question. Okay, genre, yes. So in Hawaii, we love Hawaiian reggae. And so there's this one song from this local band, and it's called Liliana. And the song is about this guy sings about his daughter just loving his daughter and how he's away from her. When you're in music, you're on tour, you're doing this, you're away for a long time. One of the lyrics is your daddy's coming home. And so I had we were in the car one day picking up from the airport, picking my dad up, and had came all randomly. Okay, and so we started to play, and he's in the front seat next to my husband, and he starts to cry and tear up. I'm sorry, guys, this song is just so special, and like to be here, like where you grew up, was just like so amazing. And so that song I feel was just something that like really spoke to him and me, and like it's such a beautiful song. But it's um, it's called um Liliana, and it's back, it's by um Maole. Um, but yeah, it's a Hawaiian um reggae band, and they're amazing, and actually from Maui. And so I feel like that song really speaks to us because it talks about missing your loved ones, missing your daughter so much, but like reassuring her that I'm gonna be there, I'm gonna come back to you soon, and like that whole reading.

Corey 35:03

I love that. That's a little cool, great. Thank you so much for sharing your story.

SPEAKER_02 35:10

Not much to dish out, but I feel like it's such a beautiful story, and I just want people to feel that like these things do happen, and like we can let it like crumble or shake our world, but really be able to take control of and realize like you're not alone, and these things can always have like a beautiful ending, and like I feel like reunions with like your parents and family is always a special thing because it's like more people to like love on you. That's like what people say, yeah, more people to love on you, and vice versa.

Kendall 35:37

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Family Twist. Nicole's story is such a reminder that DNA discoveries don't just uncover names and percentages, they uncover emotions, histories, relationships, and entire parts of ourselves we never knew existed. What really moved me about Nicole is how open-hearted she's remained through all of this. It would have been easy to let anger or confusion take over, but instead she's approached this journey with curiosity, compassion, and a real willingness to hold space for everyone involved, including the parents who raised her and the biological family she's only recently found. And honestly, hearing her talk about finally seeing herself in someone for the first time, seeing shared mannerisms and personality traits that hit me hard. A lot of people in our community know exactly what that feels like. There's something incredibly powerful about recognizing yourself and another human being after spending years wondering where certain pieces of you came from. We're really grateful to Nicole for trusting us and all of you with her story. If this episode resonates with you, please make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need to hear it. And as always, remember family secrets are the ultimate plot twist.