Believable Podcast, Episode 1: Proof of A Forgotten Life Transcript

From a near-death experience that shook a family to its core to a shocking proposition in a therapist's office, Believable explores how our stories define who we are.

Regina: I don't remember my mother, I don't remember who taught me to tell time, tie my shoe, who taught me to walk. Who, who helped me utter my first word. I have no memory of that or no experience of that, that I can recall.

Noah: Regina Louise grew up in the foster care system. From age 12 to 19, she lived in around 30 different foster homes. She suffered a lot of abuse from the people who were supposed to care for her. And because of that, some of her memories of childhood are vague and fragmented. And she didn't remember a lot of them until her late thirties, when she started to write a book about her life.

Regina: And I had to rely on memory in order to write. I realized, wow, there are no concrete examples or experiences that I have that are consistent. Just these little chunks and pieces.

Noah: In 2003, Regina put those pieces together. She wrote a memoir about her journey through foster care and about her friendship with a woman who changed her life. But the details of Regina’s …