Unlocking Family History with DNA

Transcript:

Host (Heather Haunert):
Hi everyone, and welcome to The Family Treehouse, a podcast series brought to you by Storied, where I chat with people that have a passion for genealogy, storytelling, or both.

I’m your host, Heather Haunert, and I’m really excited today to chat with somebody that’s not our usual guest. Today, I have Diahan Southard, founder and CEO of Your DNA Guide. She has over 20 years of experience as a genetic genealogy expert and educator. I am really excited to have this chat with you today. Welcome, Diahan.

Guest (Diahan Southard):
Thanks, Heather. I am passionate about storytelling and genealogy, so I think we’re all in the right place.

Host:
Yeah, I’m looking forward to it—especially with having a little bit of a DNA spin today. So Diahan, why don’t you start by telling our audience a bit about your background and how you got started in family history and DNA in particular?

Guest:
Yeah, so I am… an accidental entrepreneur. [laughs] I never intended to run a business. I was not the girl with the lemonade stand on the corner—that was not me. I might have been the worker—you tell me what to do and I can do a really good job at it—but it was never my intention to get here.

It sort of just happened to me, and I trace it back to my high school English teacher. He told all of us graduating seniors that the best thing we could do for our career was, as soon as we got to college, find a professor who was researching something we were interested in and get involved.

I give that advice to every graduating senior that’s planning on going to college, because it literally changed my life. I was interested in DNA. I was interested in genetics—things like that definitely were my bend.

So I walked onto campus at Brigham Young University, and they didn’t have a genetics department at that time. I went to the microbiology department, asked the secretary there for a list of things professors were researching, and she handed it over.

I looked down the list—it was like bacteriology, virology—boring, boring—and then there was a professor, Dr. Scott Woodward, researching what was labeled as “archaeogenetics.” It turned out to be the study of the DNA of ancient Egyptian mummies.

Host:
Very cool.

Guest:
Yeah! So I was like, “Um, yeah, I’ll do that. Sign me up.” I walked down the hall, knocked on his door, and said, “Hey, I’d love to volunteer in your lab.” And you know, free work is free work, so he was like, “Okay.”

At that time, we were trying to identify mummies that were buried in a cemetery about 60 miles outside of Cairo. Hundreds of burials—and no one knew who these people were.

It was a multidisciplinary study—textiles, religious artifacts, all kinds of things were being studied—and we were trying to piece together DNA. We could get into the burial site, we could extract DNA from bone and things like that, but there was nobody to compare them to. You could find out what their DNA was, but you couldn’t know who they were.

So Dr. Woodward started promoting this idea of creating a database. That turned into the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation, which was the first genetic genealogy endeavor ever. And I just got swept up along with it.

My love of family history came second—it came after I realized the power of DNA in connecting our families together. It solidified as I began to understand the connection we have to our past and how it influences who we are and how we see ourselves today.

Host:
That is an incredible story. Did you actually get to go on-site in Egypt?

Guest:
Oh, I was so close. We had a research trip planned, and I was going to take the semester off to go for a month into Egypt. But with all the paperwork and logistics, it just never came through. We were heartbroken—crushed.

But, you know, everything happens for a reason. That semester with Dr. Woodward in-country instead of excavating was when the foundation really took root. Still, it’s one of my biggest regrets.

Host:
That is amazing. So—you have a book, too. When people are starting to get into DNA, you highlight at the very beginning something I love: “Once you know, you can’t unknow.” I think that’s such a powerful statement.

Tell us—how did the book come about?

Guest:
I was lecturing on the genealogy circuit for years. I love educating, and people would always ask, “When are you going to write a book?” I’d say, “Never.” [laughs] This industry changes so fast—by the time you write a book, it’s outdated.

But then, as part of Your DNA Guide, we were offering one-on-one coaching calls. People would bring their DNA test results, tell me their goal, and I’d walk them through the process.

What I realized was that even though everyone’s situation is unique, the process is the same. That’s when the idea of a book became appealing. Not a “read cover to cover” kind of book, but one that’s like you and me walking through your personal experience.

Host:
It made me think of those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books from the ’80s.

Guest:
[laughs] You can say that—I can’t, because it’s copyrighted. But yes, that’s exactly the style.

Host:
Let’s talk storytelling—why is storytelling such an important part of family history?

Guest:
What I love most about storytelling, and how it mirrors DNA, is that both are completely unique to you. You and I could go through the exact same day and still tell two completely different stories.

Host:
So how do you talk to people about incorporating DNA into their stories?

Guest:
One thing—DNA has this reputation of always being right. People say, “DNA doesn’t lie,” but it can be misinterpreted.

The same amount of shared DNA can represent many different relationships. And sometimes, when people discover an unknown relationship, they favor the genetic connection over the familial one—erasing years of history and memories. That’s unfair.

Host:
Yes—and that’s where your section on double first cousins made me think of my mom, who has one.

Guest:
Exactly! People tend to jump to quick conclusions and fill in stories without evidence.

Host:
Do you have a favorite DNA-related family story?

Guest:
Yes—my mom was adopted. She always knew, but didn’t have much curiosity about her biological family. She was raised as an only child, deeply loved.

But as part of the Sorenson work, she decided to provide a DNA sample. We literally drew her blood in the lab together. Over time, as more testing became available, the pieces came together.

We found her biological family and attended a reunion organized just for us. On the way home, she said, “I just feel so full.” It healed a hole she didn’t know she had.

Host:
That’s beautiful. As we wrap up, do you have any advice for our audience?

Guest:
DNA is hard—but it’s worth it. You are the only you. If you don’t document your DNA record, it will be lost forever. Even if you know your family history, DNA helps bring others in.

You can do the DNA—and I can help you.

Host:
Thank you so much for joining me today.

Guest:
Thanks, Heather.