Rebranding the Chaston Centre
By Karen Chaston
On the day I found my 27-year-old son, Dan, deceased at my back door, my former CEO called and said:
“Karen, you are the strongest person I have ever known. You will get through this.”
I remember thinking,
“But what if I don’t want to be strong? What if, just this once, someone else could be?”
The truth is, I’d built a life where I was always the strong one.
The go-getter. The one who didn’t ask for help.
The one who hid the deeper story living inside me.
A story that began back in 1973…
When, at sixteen years old, I placed my newborn daughter for adoption.
Brainwashed into believing that love meant letting go.
I went on to build a successful corporate career:
** Senior Executive and CFO of a publicly listed company
*** 25+ years mastering spreadsheets, managing teams, appearing to have it all together
But behind the mask was silent grief, shame, and a wish that I’d fought harder for the young girl and her baby she was told she had to give away.
In 2001, my daughter Kim and I reunited.
And for nearly nineteen years, we struggled.
Two wounded hearts trying to find their way back to each other.
Dan’s death in 2011 shattered the walls I had built around my heart.
It led me to step away from the corporate world.
To get curious about the life I had built and the parts of me I had left behind.
To heal.
To listen.
To reconnect – first with myself, and then with Kim.
And finally, it brought us to a place where we knew:
No one else should have to suffer in silence the way we had.
Together, we’ve co-created The Emotional Fingerprint of an Adoptee: The Eight Essential Lessons
a first-of-its-kind program that blends lived experience, in-depth research,
and science-backed insights to honour the lifelong emotional journey of an adoptee,
across eight life stages, from conception into adulthood and beyond.
Through The Chaston Centre, we’re creating a space for adoptees, biological parents, adoptive families, and supporters.
A space to finally find the language, understanding, and emotional insight that have been missing for far too long.
Because real healing doesn’t come from pretending, we are fine.
It comes from daring to get curious about who we are and the stories that shaped us.
Your Exclusive Preview is now available.
Click below to register for complimentary access and take your first step toward understanding The Emotional Fingerprint of an Adoptee.
#HealingJourney #EmotionalFingerprint #AdoptionAwareness #TheChastonCentre #GriefToGrowth #LoveBeyondLoss
