My Story

Hi I’m Elizabeth Dobson and my family doesn’t look like we “belong” together. Maybe you can relate? I’m the only honey brown caramel complexion in any and all family photos.

I am a biracial woman and the youngest of three children adopted into an all white family.

I grew up in small town in rural Pennsylvania, so culturally I say I grew up “White” but was still “The Black Example” among my peers. Sigh… However, despite being one of few minorities in my hometown, I still thrived socially and academically. This is primarily because of an incredibly supportive home foundation. I credit my parents’ support and my Christian faith with a lot of my positive and successful achievements.

After I left my parent’s house and my small town, I went on to complete my Marketing Degree with an International Business Certificate at the University of Pittsburgh as a Robert Lavelle Scholar.

Later I established a career in New York City as a strategic marketing leader who developed new or underdeveloped segments through demographic analysis, strategic planning, and results-driven implementation. While in New York, I co-founded a marketing and consulting company with my husband, Devin. I have experience working in the pharmaceutical, energy, and communications industries and have received multiple industry accolades. We have since moved our residence and our business to Pennsylvania.

Recently, I was a featured speaker for a TEDx Lehigh River event where I was able to share my perspective on racial bias as a mixed-race woman.  You can check out my talk here!

Why Family Remixed?

I think it’s time to redefine what makes a family, a family! Our motto is “We don’t look alike, but we love a lot!” And I love that I’m meeting more and more families like mine. Adopted families, interracial families, and any combination of the above.

The bottom line is, we know that it’s what’s in the heart that makes a family successful, not how we look!

I created this blog to educate and empower a growing demographic of interracial and adoptive families. I understand that families that look like mine (adoptive, interracial or both) have important and unique challenges and perspectives within their families and communities.

As a biracial child who grew up in a very loving home environment, I still had self-esteem issues as I tried to figure out my identity. Much of my life prior to adulthood I was reminded of what I wasn’t (not quite white enough nor quite Black enough). I had to learn how to navigate within these social circles that I could personally relate to, even when they couldn’t always relate to me.

So my prayer is for God to use me to share, encourage and inspire you, if you have ever felt doubt about yourself or your place in the world. Or maybe you just had some questions on how to create a family in the “non-traditional” sense (like, if you’re thinking about adopting).

I also plan to identify the sometimes awkward, yet often necessary conversations for parents to have based on research and personal experience.

My hope is that many will find this blog helpful and supportive. And that a community can be created of shared experiences.

Thanks again for stopping by. May you find joy and encouragement here!

Please remember to subscribe! And please don’t hesitate to share your questions, concerns and successes!

Finally, share this blog with friends and family who you feel would benefit from this obviously special online community of even more special people!