The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

In this episode, Claire and Laurie get honest about perimenopause and menopause as Korean adoptee women. They share what they have experienced in their bodies, their minds and their moods, what they have tried, and where they still need support.

Most women have a mother or grandmother to ask, "When did this start for you?" Adoptees often have no answer. Claire and Laurie talk about what it means to enter this stage of life with no family health history, and what it would mean to have that lineage passed down to them.

They also talk about estrogen as the people pleasing hormone. As their estrogen drops, the urge to keep everyone happy is dropping with it. For two women raised to be grateful and easy to love, that shift brings rage, relief and a new kind of freedom.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Claire and Laurie's lived experience with perimenopause and menopause, and the physical, mental and emotional symptoms that came with it
• Why they call estrogen the people pleasing hormone, and what changes when it declines
• Giving yourself permission to stop performing and stop chasing perfect
• The freedom of midlife: letting go of expectations, saying what you feel, and letting the rage out
• Their experiences with doctors who dismissed them, misinformed them and left them feeling gaslit
• What it would mean as Korean adoptees to inherit their health history and lineage
• Hwabyung (화병), "fire illness," describes the swallowed anger of middle-aged Korean women carrying duties to husbands, in-laws and children. Many of our birth mothers lived this.
• What they are prioritizing next for their health, their relationships and their peace

Meet us in Seoul October 18-24!

Claire and Laurie are reuniting in Vietnam and then traveling to Korea for the IKAA Gathering. If you will be in Seoul that week, reach out. We would love to meet you in person.

Workshop: I Am Enough: Reclaiming Safety, Worthiness & Belonging Through EFT

Laurie Jean Vogler; Claire Magenheimer

Description: Join this compassionate, hands-on exploration of somatic healing and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), also known as Tapping. EFT is a gentle, self-applied, evidence-informed practice combining acupressure points with intentional language to support nervous system regulation and emotional
processing. 

Together, we’ll explore how early separation, adoption, and the unknowns of our histories. Which can leave imprints on the body and nervous system, sometimes showing up as grief, shame, hypervigilance, “not enoughness,” or difficulty feeling a sense of belonging. Drawing from my own adoptee healing journey, I’ll guide participants through a trauma-informed tapping experience designed to release held emotions, create greater inner safety, and reconnect with the body. Come discover a practical tool for moving from survival toward freedom.

If this episode spoke to you, share it with an adoptee friend who is going through the change.

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

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In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we sit down with Saja, a Korean American adoptee, actress, comedian, mother, and creative force for an inspiring conversation about reinvention, identity, and following your truth.

You may recognize Saja from the beloved play Kim's Convenience, where she was cast as Umma. Her path to the screen, however, was anything but traditional. After years working in IT and corporate fraud, Saja made a bold pivot, choosing to pursue a life in the arts and step into her creative voice.

Now performing stand-up comedy, writing her first book, and working on an upcoming documentary, Saja shares what it means to break free from expectations, embrace authenticity, and begin again.

In this episode, we explore:

• Navigating identity as a Korean American adoptee
• Creative expression as healing and empowerment
• Balancing motherhood, purpose, and artistry
• Courageously stepping into a new chapter

This is a heartfelt and empowering conversation about trusting yourself, taking risks, and creating a life that feels true.

If you’d like to support Saja’s documentary, check out her Seed&Spark campaign here:
Support Saja’s Film

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

[email protected]

In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we’re joined by Zack Fraser, a Korean American adoptee and board member of the Association of Korean Adoptees San Francisco (AKASF), for a thoughtful conversation on identity, belonging, and coming home to yourself.

Zack shares about his 10 years living in Korea, where he worked in private education and architecture while navigating the complexities of being both a foreigner and someone deeply connected to the culture.

Now back in California, a new father, and stepping into community leadership, Zack reflects on how his experiences have shaped his sense of identity and purpose and his desire to support other adoptees.

In this episode, we explore:

• Living in Korea as a Korean adoptee
• Navigating identity across cultures
• Redefining belonging
• Finding purpose through community

A grounded and honest conversation about what it means to reclaim parts of yourself and move toward wholeness.

To connect and learn more about local events, visit the Association of Korean Adoptees San Francisco (AKASF) website.

https://www.akasf.org/

To connect with Zack:

[email protected]

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

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In this powerful and deeply moving episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we sit down with Sasha Frugone, a transpersonal empowerment coach, motivational speaker, and published author who helps people shift trauma-driven patterns so they feel safer in their bodies, clearer in their choices, and more connected in their relationships.

Born in Seoul, Korea, and adopted into a German-American Pentecostal family in Kansas in 1957, Sasha shares her story with raw honesty and remarkable wisdom. She walks us through what it was like to arrive in the U.S. at age three carrying the weight of early loss, only to be raised inside a family system steeped in rigid religious beliefs, racism, and abuse. Sasha opens up about the erasure of her Korean identity, the shame she wore "like a coat I couldn't take off," her teenage suicide attempt, her time in the state mental hospital, and the moment she realized her death was not even in her own power.

But this is also a story of profound transformation. Sasha describes the therapists, books, and unexpected teachers who guided her into inner child work, present-moment consciousness, somatic awareness, and visualization — the three pillars that became the foundation of her healing and her coaching practice today. She shares how she learned to see her younger self not as broken, but as brilliant — a child who creatively and courageously found ways to survive.

Content Warning: This episode contains candid discussion of childhood sexual abuse, suicide and a suicide attempt, religious trauma, racism, and physical abuse. Please listen with care and protect your nervous system — pause, skip, or come back to this episode when you feel resourced and supported. If you are struggling, you are not alone. In the U.S., you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, and RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Your wellbeing comes first. 💜

In this episode, we explore:

• Why traditional talk therapy didn't work for Sasha, and what finally did
• The lifelong impact of being adopted as "a solution" rather than welcomed as a family member
• The loss of Korean identity and the painful journey of trying to be white
• Inner child work and the power of separating the adult self from the wounded child
• Present-moment consciousness as a daily practice 
• Visualization as a tool for healing the body and changing what feels possible
• The reframing tool that still makes us laugh ("maybe they just have to fart")
• Why our coping mechanisms are tools — not flaws — and how to choose which ones to keep
• Grandmother Mago and the call to the children of the stars to come and heal
• A tender and crucial message for survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Sasha leaves us with a reminder that healing is not linear, that we don't need to relive our trauma to release it, and that the parts of us that learned to survive deserve admiration, not shame.

If anything in this conversation resonates with you, we encourage you to reach out to Sasha — and to keep coming back to your own healing, one present moment at a time.

Resources mentioned:

Somatic Breathwork Daily Practice: 

https://www.somaticbreathwork.com/thank-you-free-daily-practice-page

Get in touch with Sasha Frugone:

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/sasha.frugone

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

[email protected]

Laurie and Claire dive deep into the anatomy of a trigger, reframing it from a moment of suffering into a sacred invitation for self-reflection and healing. They get personal about the challenges of navigating white adoptive families who gaslight lived experiences and the deep biological disconnect of growing up without genetic mirroring. Plus, don't miss a "mind-blowing" discussion on how hormones like estrogen impact our tendency to people-please and why perimenopause might actually be an adoptee’s secret weapon for reclaiming autonomy.

Whether you are trying to hold onto your center during a triggering phone call with your family or looking for tools to heal a "festering" emotional wound, this episode offers a roadmap for becoming your own inner healer.

Key Takeaways

• Triggers as Invitations: Learn to see a trigger not as an attack, but as a mirror reflecting a "blind spot" or a "festering wound" that is finally ready for your own attention, curiosity, and compassion.
• The Power of Boundaries: Discover why setting a boundary isn't about shutting people out; it’s about protecting your inner peace so you can show up as your authentic self on your own terms.
• The "People-Pleasing Hormone" Reframe: A fascinating look at how declining estrogen in perimenopause and menopause can lead to a newfound sense of autonomy and the strength to stop "giving fucks" about external approval.
• The Biological Disconnect: Addressing the specific grief of transracial adoptees navigating significant bodily changes—from puberty to menopause—without the guidance or mirroring of biological kin.
• Jeong & Community Healing: The power of communal love and the emotional glue or "jeong" found in shared experiences, like the kitchen duty at Plum Village or the Empowered Adoptee retreats.

If this episode resonates, we invite you to listen with curiosity and compassion and maybe ask yourself:

Where in my life am I running from my triggers? Are they stealing my peace?

We want to invite you to lean in. Treat that trigger like a sacred guest—a mirror showing you exactly where you are ready to heal.

Your story matters. If you’d like to connect or share your adoptee journey, we’d be honored to hear from you.

Email us at: [email protected]

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

[email protected]

In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we come together to honor Seollal and the Lunar New Year, while also grounding into the reality of where we are in these changing times.

While we touch on the traditions of Seollal, this conversation is less about doing things “the right way” and more about meeting ourselves exactly where we are. As adoptees, connecting to culture can bring up a mix of emotions and we hold space for all of it.

We explore the energy of the Year of the Fire Horse, a time associated with movement, transformation, and bold change and reflect on how this energy is showing up in our lives. Rather than pushing or striving, we focus on how to move through this year with awareness, compassion, and intention.

This episode is a gentle and honest conversation about:

• Tips on navigating the year of the fire horse
• Giving ourselves permission to slow down and feel
• Finding balance within intense or shifting energy
• Reconnecting with ourselves, our truth, and our inner resilience

We also share simple, supportive ways to move through this year with care, reminding ourselves that we don’t have to rush our growth or have everything figured out.

Above all, this episode is an invitation to soften, to listen inward, and to remember that wherever you are right now is enough. You are allowed to move at your own pace as you step into this new year.

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

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In this raw and deeply personal conversation, Claire and Laurie discuss the recent spike in ICE violence—including the high-profile murders of U.S. citizens—and how these events can trigger ancestral and personal trauma for the adoptee community. We are NOT staying small and quiet, we are fighting back!

Here are 5 ways to empower yourself and fight back against inhumane acts of violence and racial profiling by federal agents in your communities:

1. Economic Resistance: The Boycott

• The Resource: Boycott Citizens - ICE

2. Legislative Action: Calling Your Representatives

Direct pressure on senators and representatives is essential to stop the funding of mass detention and profiling.

• Who to Call: Find your local officials at commoncause.org.
• What to Say (Script):
  "My name is [Name], and I am a resident of [City/State]. I am calling to demand that Senator/Representative [Name] vote to defund ICE's mass detention expansion and support the Adoptee Citizenship Act. I am deeply concerned by the recent reports of U.S. citizens being racially profiled and murdered by federal agents. We need an end to 'absolute immunity' for federal officers and a restoration of our 4th Amendment rights. Our tax dollars should fund community care, not concentration camps."

3. Support the Frontlines: Where to Donate

• Adoptees for Justice (A4J): Specifically supports the legislative fight for adoptee rights. adopteesforjustice.org
• National Bail Fund Network: Provides immediate release for those caught in the detention system. communityjusticeexchange.org
• The ACLU: Leading the legal battles against the 2025/2026 administrative shifts in profiling laws. aclu.org
• BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration): Direct support and advocacy at the intersection of Black and immigrant rights. baji.org

4. Community Defense: Prepare Your City

Building a "Community Defense" plan is a radical act of love and safety.

• Establish a Rapid Response Network: Use encrypted apps (like Signal) to create a neighborhood alert system. If ICE is spotted, the community can be notified instantly to film, provide legal support, or offer sanctuary.
• Know Your Local "Safe Havens": Identify restaurants, churches, or community centers that are committed to opening their doors during raids.
• Host "Know Your Rights" Workshops: Partner with local legal aid to teach your neighbors their constitutional rights.

5. Know Your Rights (Constitutional Literacy)

Informed citizens are harder to oppress. Here are some legal reminders:

• The 4th Amendment: You have the right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures." You do not have to open your door to ICE unless they have a judicial warrant signed by a judge (not just an administrative warrant signed by an ICE official).
• The 5th Amendment: You have the right to remain silent. If stopped, you can say: "I am exercising my right to remain silent and I would like to speak to an attorney."
• The Right to Record: You have the right to film federal agents in public spaces as long as you do not physically interfere with their operations. 

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

[email protected]

In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore how collective trauma is impacting us on both an adoptee level and a human level. With so much uncertainty and constant information coming at us, it’s understandable if you’re feeling anxious, numb, overwhelmed, or disconnected.

We talk about how our nervous systems were never meant to be in a constant state of alert, and how this moment is inviting us to slow down, reconnect, and come back into the present. Through a gentle and empowering lens, we share why gathering in community, resting without guilt, limiting digital overwhelm, and updating old beliefs around safety are essential acts of care.

This episode is an invitation to offer yourself compassion, to remember you’re not alone, and to reconnect with what truly supports healing, regulation, and freedom especially in times like these.

If you are looking for support or tools for connection and regulation check these out:

1. Vagal Nerve Awakening 

• Ear Massage: Gently massaging the vagus nerve branch in the ear to signal safety to the brain.
• The "Basic Exercise" (Stanley Rosenberg): Lying down or sitting up, interlocking fingers behind the head, and moving only the eyes to the far right, then far left, until a sigh, yawn, or swallow occurs.
• https://www.youtube.com/@BrainEducationTV/videos

2. The Power of Flow: Qi Gong & Tai Chi 

• "Shaking the Tree" (Qi Gong): A simple, accessible practice of bouncing gently on the heels and shaking the arms to "discharge" stagnant stress energy.
• Tai Chi Opening Breath: Slow, circular arm movements coordinated with deep inhalations to ground the energy into the lower abdomen (Dantian).
• https://www.youtube.com/@BrainEducationTV/search?query=qi%20gong

3. Targeted Release: EFT Tapping 

• The "Overwhelmed to Empowered": Focus on tapping points (brow, side of eye, under nose, collarbone) while acknowledging the "heaviness" of the world and choosing to feel safe in the body.
• https://www.youtube.com/@BrainEducationTV/search?query=eft%20tapping

4. The Anchor: Somatic Breathwork 

• The "Sigh of Relief": A double inhale through the nose followed by a long, audible "Aaah" exhale through the mouth.
• Box Breathing: A 4-4-4-4 count to bring the prefrontal cortex back online when feeling "victimized" by external stressors.
• https://insighttimer.com/adamcarbary/guided-meditations/10-min-somatic-breathwork-daily-practice

Reclaim Your Peace Workshop 1/24, 12pm - 2pm EST

Join us for a powerful online workshop specifically designed for anyone experiencing fear and the physical state of carrying the weight of the world's collective trauma in your nervous system. This unique event combines the transformative power of Somatic Breathwork™ with the accessible grounding technique of EFT Tapping to help you gently shed layers of stress and trauma and step into your personal power.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reclaim-your-peace-with-somatic-breathwork-eft-tapping-tickets-1980633698710?aff=oddtdtcreator

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

[email protected]

What happens when we stop trying to "fix" ourselves and start allowing healing to happen? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kyla Mitsunaga, a business and life mindset magician and subconscious mind expert, to explore the profound world of Family Constellations and collective healing.

Kyla shares her vulnerable journey from deep depression in 2016 to discovering over 25 alternative healing modalities. We dive into how she uses Theta Healing®, Integrative Hypnosis, and her trademarked Mitsunaga Method™ to help BIPOC and adoptee communities in the Bay Area (and globally) navigate the complexities of identity and intergenerational trauma. Whether you are deep in your healing journey or just beginning to look for the "light," this conversation offers a roadmap for transformation that begins in the subconscious.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The Power of Family Constellations: Understanding how we carry the stories and traumas of those who came before us.
• Healing Without a Map: Learning to hold space for healing even when you don’t know how it will happen.
• The Mitsunaga Method™: How Kyla’s years of experience working in personal growth and healing around the globe transformed into this method used to help her clients heal at the deepest levels (Mitsunaga means "everlasting light" in Japanese.
• Support Systems: The role of "emotional support friends" and building a conscious community.
• BIPOC & Adoptee Visibility: Kyla’s specific work in the Bay Area and how she creates safe spaces for these unique lived experiences.
• Global Perspectives on Happiness: Insights from a Forbes Coach and TED speaker who has taught and coached in over 16 countries.

About Kyla Mitsunaga

Kyla Mitsunaga is a subconscious mind expert, author, and award-winning educator. After a successful career teaching at Harvard and in Korea, a personal health crisis led her to master 25+ healing modalities. She is the author of WITH vs AT and On Growing: Thoughts from the Field, and was named one of the "Top 51 Most Fabulous Global Happiness Leaders" by the World HRD Congress. Through her Mitsunaga Method™, she helps clients find and embody their inner light regardless of life's darkness.

When not coaching or running retreats, you can find Kyla swimming, cooking (without processed sugar and salt), writing, finding the best eats around town, drinking matcha lattes, and mulling over women’s rights. 

Kyla has delivered workshops in 16 countries, traveled to 51 countries and calls 5 countries “home.”

Kyla would LOVE to connect WITH you here: www.kylamitsunaga.com

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

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In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we dive into Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory and explore how this simple yet radical mindset shift can be deeply liberating for adoptees.

As adoptees, many of us grew up hyper-aware of other people’s emotions, expectations, and needs. We learned early how to adapt, people-please, stay quiet, or shape-shift in order to feel safe, loved, or accepted. Over time, this can leave us disconnected from ourselves, our boundaries, and our truth.

The Let Them Theory offers a powerful reframe:
👉 Let them think what they think.
👉 Let them feel what they feel.
👉 Let them do what they’re going to do.

And then, we choose ourselves.

In this episode, we share personally from our own adoptee journeys and unpack how “letting them” has helped us:

• Release the pressure to be understood, approved of, or validated
• Step out of fear, obligation, and guilt (F.O.G.)
• Build healthier boundaries without shame
• Practice deeper self-acceptance and self-trust
• Reclaim our energy for healing, rest, and joy

We also explore how Let Them doesn’t mean bypassing emotions or disconnecting - it means allowing others to have their experience without abandoning ourselves in the process.

This conversation is especially meaningful for adoptees navigating:

• Complicated family dynamics
• People-pleasing patterns
• Feeling responsible for others’ emotions
• The desire to be “good,” grateful, or easy

At its core, this episode is an invitation to soften, to come home to yourself, and to remember that your needs, boundaries, and truth matter.

✨ You don’t need permission to live your life.
 ✨ You don’t need to explain your healing.
 ✨ You are allowed to choose peace.

If this episode resonates, we invite you to listen with curiosity and compassion and maybe ask yourself:
Where in my life am I ready to let them… and choose me instead?

Your story matters. If you’d like to connect or share your adoptee journey, we’d be honored to hear from you.

Email us at: [email protected]

We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜

Support the show

[email protected]

[email protected]