Upcoming book:
Before and After the DNA Test: A Practical Guide to Genetic Privacy, Medical Risks and Family Secrets (Bloomsbury 2027), which is available for preorder on Amazon and Bloomsbury Publishing
https://a.co/d/08eAeBGd
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/before-and-after-the-dna-test-9798216270560/
tedx talk about dna test risks
“What to Consider Before and After You Take a DNA Test” was chosen as a TED Editor’s Pick, a designation given to fewer than 1% of all TEDx Talks:
https://youtu.be/LDl3B-TKSgA?si=c9CytSAxK_X-4KLU
Podcast episodes:
As a gift for being a speaker at Mixed Remixed, a conference with corporate sponsorship by 23andMe, Maria Leonard Olsen received a free a DNA test. Weeks later when the results came back, Maria was shocked when the results identified genetic ancestry that didn't match her family's story...and led to the realization that the father who raised her wasn't biologically-related.
Maria's discovery that she's an NPE was one in a series of major life shocks she has weathered. From surviving childhood trauma to achieving sobriety, Maria has turned the adversity she's faced into inspiring TEDx talks, a podcast, presentations, and multiple books. Her next book, which covers the gamut of topics raised by consumer DNA testing, is due out in 2026.
In our conversation, we covered:
The identity shift that comes from finding out the father who raised you is not biologically-related
Meeting new biological relatives (including her biological father, who was also surprised to find out about her)
The challenges in embracing a shift in your cultural and ethnic identity in adulthood, after having formed a coherent personal identity
How others in the family reacted to the surprise DNA news (including her mother's reaction, and her son's)
Sharing your personal story to encourage others to grab hold of their lives and create their own meaning and purpose
Maria's top three takeaway messages from her upcoming book about DNA surprises
We also chat about the book Maria will be publishing in 2026 that brings the DNA test industry and surprise DNA discoveries into the spotlight for the general audience who might not yet have encountered a DNA surprise.
Maria's professional background as a lawyer and her up-close-and-personal experience of a DNA discovery make her a powerful figure in the world of DNA support and a fitting guest for this next episode of DNA Clarity and Support.
You can read Maria's full bio and history:
On WatershedDNA.com and on Maria's website, marialeonardolsen.com
Listen: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hZlP0Xj62HjrEAj4zHNEP?si=ELd6ngGnRc-9HbirONd46w
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/take-a-deep-breath-feel-whatever-it-is-youre/id1550126177?i=1000742438934
DNA Confessions (from DNAngels):
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5dDXHnn5V9p6dg15p7ADvw?si=kCHtoUH8QcWeE_N5cpj7HQ
https://youtu.be/NPdxRaNH6t8?si=NjSEuqyKUnbsI-4Q
“She never planned to take a DNA test.It was free… so she said yes.What came back wasn’t just unexpected — it was life-altering.Maria grew up believing she knew exactly who she was. Raised Catholic, in a strict household, navigating identity as a mixed-race child in an all-white neighborhood — she had already spent her life trying to understand where she fit in.But nothing prepared her for the moment a single envelope told her:Her father… wasn’t her biological father.What followed was a reluctant conversation… a mother who didn’t want to talk… and a decades-old secret buried in silence.And then — a breakthrough.A DNA match.A question about Seattle in the 1960s.And a man who had no idea she existed.This episode isn’t just about the reveal…It’s about what comes after:💔 The shock💭 The “what if” life she could have had🤝 The relationship she built with her biological father⚖️ And the reality that DNA doesn’t just uncover truth… it complicates itMaria also brings something rarely discussed in these stories — the legal, ethical, and privacy risks of DNA testing. From data breaches to genetic exposure, she shares what people aren’t told before they test.This is a story about identity, belonging, and the quiet ways we’ve always known something didn’t quite add up.Because sometimes… the truth doesn’t just answer questions.It creates entirely new ones.🚀 Who We Are – About DNAngels 🚀DNAngels is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals uncover the truth about their biological origins. Whether you’re an adoptee, donor-conceived, or have experienced a DNA Surprise, our team of expert genetic genealogists is here to guide you through the process, completely free for parent identifications. With thousands of reunions and a mission fueled by compassion, DNAngels is committed to bringing answers to those seeking the truth.💙 Join Our Support Community:👉 Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dnangelsorg👉 Support Group for NPEs & Donor Conceived: http://www.facebook.com/share/g/1H96ZYksQ8/👉 Support Group for Adoptees: http://www.facebook.com/share/g/12KUctQnFc1/📺 Subscribe for more real-life DNA stories:http://www.dnangels.org (We spell our name with one 'A')#DNASurprise #DNAStory #FamilyReunion #GeneticGenealogy #NPEStory#AncestryDNA #23andMeStory #DNAshocker #DNAngels #AdoptionReunion#BiologicalFamily #RealDNAStories #FamilySecrets #SiblingReunion”
Unraveling Maria: “In this wide-ranging and deeply insightful conversation, Kara and Maria explore what happens when personal discovery intersects with law, ethics, culture, and belonging. Maria was 53 years old, standing in her kitchen, when a DNA test result upended everything she thought she knew about her identity.
Raised in a deeply Catholic family, with a Filipino immigrant mother and an Irish American father, Maria’s life had always felt coherent, until a test revealed she was half Ashkenazi Jewish.
Kara and Maria discuss:
Receiving unexpected DNA results and the immediate unraveling that followed
Confronting parental secrecy and navigating a mother unwilling to engage
The search for, and eventual relationship with, her genetic father
How late discovery reshapes identity, faith, and cultural belonging
The legal and ethical risks of consumer DNA testing, including privacy and insurance concerns
Misattributed parentage and the broader policy gaps affecting NPEs, adoptees, and donor-conceived people
Sobriety, trauma, and the importance of support when facing life-altering truths
The tension between truth-telling and protecting family secrets
Maria brings both personal vulnerability and professional insight as an attorney, offering a perspective that goes beyond individual story into systemic impact. Her experience led her to write Before and After the DNA Test, a comprehensive guide to the legal, medical, and ethical realities many people never consider before “spitting in a tube.”
Everyone has the right to know the truth about where they come from. Unraveling Me speaks to those people impacted by DNA surprises, NPEs (non-paternal event), adoption, assisted reproduction, and other revelations that their parentage isn't entirely what they thought. Having experienced an NPE herself, Kara (through Right To Know and this podcast) seeks to highlight those moments when we learn the most unsettling of secret—who we really are.
At Right To Know, we encourage engagement to facilitate and create real change. As an organization, we are inclusive. We assist adoptees, the donor-conceived community, people with an NPE, birth parents, gamete providers, new genetic family, recipient parents, raising families, and significant others. In learning and growing from each other, we must put the voices of adoptees, donor conceived, and people with an NPE first.
For more information about Right To Know - or if you have a story you want to tell - please visit us at https://righttoknow.us/.
Everyone has the right to know where they come from and who they really are.”
YouTube short: https://youtube.com/shorts/Bi7I44-d1sk?si=40pbfvoZGTBABG0F
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0669z6QdZfY84pJXnqEqUz?si=r4geadEzTcSCPE31Ho2fLQ
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s1e28-unraveling-marie/id1851061932?i=1000767714150
Finding Family DNA Podcast:
Honored to be on the Finding Family DNA podcast! “In this episode of Finding Family DNA, attorney, author, and TEDx speaker Maria Leonard Olsen shares the shocking DNA discovery that changed her identity forever. After taking a 23andMe test, Maria learned that the man who raised her was not her biological father. What followed was a years-long search that led her to an aging Hollywood actor, former NFL player, and legendary Del Mar horse handicapper living in California. Maria opens up about navigating a non-paternity event (NPE), meeting her biological father for the first time at a racetrack, and how DNA testing can uncover life-changing family secrets no one saw coming.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen — your support helps fund our pro bono DNA cases.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/46RcjOa34Jg9V63df8APPB...
https://podcasts.apple.com/.../finding.../id1742474915...
https://youtu.be/9fgw0OmtUPc?si=_ybPz5YRlaQFcktF (video)
Short video about my bio-dad’s Hollywood and football career: https://youtube.com/shorts/eQg4jkPg9UE?si=a852thqr23moDc_M
Hosted by Jay Rosenzweig of BirthParentFinder.com. Birth Parent Finder specializes in locating birth parents, children, and siblings through a combination of investigative research, DNA analysis, and personalized case support.