In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore the evolution of National Adoption Month (NAAM) and how adoptees across the world are reclaiming it as National Adoptee Month.

What began as a government initiative to promote adoption has transformed into a powerful movement led by adoptees, a movement rooted in truth-telling, healing, advocacy, and empowerment.

We break down the history of NAAM, how it was originally created, and why its messaging often centered adoptive parents and agencies rather than the lived experiences of adoptees. And most importantly, we talk about why adoptees today are flipping the script and reshaping the month into a space that reflects complexity, honesty, and the full emotional landscape of adoption.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The origins of National Adoption Month and its original purpose
• Why the traditional narrative felt incomplete and often silencing for adoptees
• The rise of #FlipTheScript, #AdopteeVoices, and the shift toward National Adoptee Month
• How centering adoptee truth brings more compassion, awareness, and integrity to the conversation
• The emotional impact NAAM can have on adoptees and how this reclamation offers healing
• Our personal reflections on how NAAM has changed for us over the years
• What this shift means for advocacy, identity, and community connection today

We hope this episode helps listeners understand how adoptees are expanding the narrative not to erase the joy or gratitude some feel, but to create space for the whole story: the loss, the grief, the resilience, the identity work, and the empowerment that comes from owning our truth.

If you're an adoptee, we see you.
 If you're reclaiming National Adoption Month in your own way, we honor you.

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

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As we enter National Adoptee Awareness Month (NAAM), we’re dedicated to giving adoptees the seat at the table to tell their own stories and define their own narrative. Join us for an incredibly heartfelt discussion with Kim, a Korean Adoptee (KAD) who shares her unique, and often-criticized, story of having a very positive adoptee experience.

Kim is close to her adoptive parents and currently has no interest in a birth search. Yet, after attending her first KAAN conference in 2022, she was surprised to realize the vast spectrum of adoptee experiences. 

In This Episode:

• Finding Her Voice: Kim opens up about initially suppressing her positive story after being criticized and told she must be "in the fog" or "too young" to know the truth.
• The Power of Community: Hear how connecting with her "tribe" within the KAD community gave her the courage to step into leadership roles and share her joyful narrative, which has since inspired others with positive experiences to speak up.
• Why It Matters: Kim explains why she feels called to ensure that positive stories are represented and celebrated, affirming that all adoptee stories deserve to be heard.
• Creating Connection: Learn about the local and virtual communities Kim is building, including her KAD Health & Fitness Facebook Group.

Tune in to be encouraged by Kim’s warmth, leadership, and commitment to inclusivity within the adoptee community.

Connect with Kim & Her Work:

• Local Group Instagram: @SouthCentralPAKADs
• KAD Health & Fitness (Facebook Group): https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17bA9FTby1/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Kim's Personal Instagram: @hye_kimmm
• Kim's Photography Instagram: @GaileyFittingPhotography

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

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In this heartfelt and honest episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore how coping mechanisms and addictions often develop as survival strategies for adoptees navigating loss, identity, and attachment wounds.

Through personal stories and open conversation, we talk about how emotional and physical addictions can take root from people-pleasing and perfectionism to substance use, workaholism, or emotional avoidance and how these patterns were once necessary forms of protection.

Together, we uncover how healing begins when we bring compassion to these parts of ourselves, understand the deeper needs beneath them, and begin to replace survival patterns with true self-nurturing, connection, and community care.

This episode invites adoptees to gently shift from shame to self-understanding honoring that our coping strategies were not flaws, but signs of our resilience and will to survive.

🌿 What We Discuss:

• The emotional and physical coping mechanisms adoptees often turn to
• Our own stories of coping, breaking cycles, and finding new ways to heal
• How connection, community, and self-compassion support recovery

💛 Reflection Prompts:

• Which coping mechanisms helped me survive, and how did they serve me?
• What am I ready to release or soften?
• How can I create more safety and support in my daily life?

🌟  Update about The Empowered Adoptee Retreat in the Hudson River Valley, NY (10/16 - 10/19)  - New special day passes and discount bunk rooms! 

This isn’t just another retreat. It’s an opportunity to step into a powerful, transformative container of collective healing, connection, and empowerment.

When we come together as adoptees in sacred space, something magical happens. It’s not about “just talking about it” it’s about deeply experiencing healing through the body, the heart, and the spirit.

I know this to be true because I am living proof.
I once yearned for a space like this. I needed support to heal my adoptee wounds and the shifts didn’t come from talking alone. They came from:

• Reprogramming my nervous system
• Cleaning up the biochemical responses to trauma
• Upgrading my relationship with myself and others
• Finally owning my self-worth
• And most importantly… the support of a healing community

So if you’re feeling it, if your heart is nudging you… this is your moment to say YES to YOU.
Register here: https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

🧠 If You or Someone You Know Needs Support:

You are not alone, and help is available.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (U.S.) — Call or text 988 for free, confidential, 24/7 emotional support.
• Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline — Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or text "HelpLine" to 62640 for mental health information and support.
• SAMHSA National Helpline (for substance use and mental health) — 1-800-662-HELP (4357), available 24/7.
• International Resources: Visit [findahelpline.com], a global directory of emotional support hotlines by country.

💬 We’d Love to Hear From You:

If this episode resonated with you, we invite you to reach out, share your reflections, or tell us your story. Healing happens in community and your voice matters.

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

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In this deeply personal and moving episode, we sit down with Gianna Peterson, who vulnerably shares her story as a Korean American adoptee. Born in Busan, South Korea, Gianna was adopted at six months old and raised in a white adoptive family in New Jersey. She grew up with an older brother (her parents' biological son) and a younger sister adopted from China.

Gianna’s adoption story took on a new twist when she became a mother herself. The birth of her son prompted a deep dive into her own identity and a sparked a longing to connect with her Korean heritage as well as a curiosity around her adoption narrative. Gianna shares her real and honest experience of growing up as a transracial adoptee and discusses the challenging, emotional reality of going through a birth family search.

This episode is a powerful testament to the strength found in vulnerability. Gianna reminds us that true healing comes from leaning into all of our parts, especially the difficult ones, and connecting with them on a deeper level. She proves that even when the journey is hard, showing up with courage to own your identity can be one of the most empowering ways to change your narrative.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Growing Up Transracial: The unique experience of being raised in a white adoptive family and the challenges of breaking through the dominant narrative of adoption.
• The Power of Parts: How to lean into all the parts of your story and find strength in your full identity.
• The Emotional Reality of Search: The honest and raw truth about the challenges and complexities of a birth family search.
• Healing Through Heritage: The beautiful and emotional journey of connecting with Korean culture as an adult and the profound impact of owning your narrative.

This is a must-listen for anyone who has felt lost in their identity, is navigating the complexities of adoption, or is simply seeking a reminder that sharing our truths can be part of our powerful path to healing and empowerment.

If Gianna's story touched you and sparked an interest to learn more, feel free to  connect with her!

email: [email protected] 

Instagram: journeyswithgianna

Update about The Empowered Adoptee Retreat in the Hudson River Valley, NY (10/16 - 10/19)  - we have 2 spots left for a single accommodation!  We will be offering this chance to sign up until September 30th, or whenever we sell out.  

This isn’t just another retreat. It’s an opportunity to step into a powerful, transformative container of collective healing, connection, and empowerment.

When we come together as adoptees in sacred space, something magical happens. It’s not about “just talking about it” it’s about deeply experiencing healing through the body, the heart, and the spirit.

I know this to be true because I am living proof.
I once yearned for a space like this. I needed support to heal my adoptee wounds and the shifts didn’t come from talking alone. They came from:

• Reprogramming my nervous system
• Cleaning up the biochemical responses to trauma
• Upgrading my relationship with myself and others
• Finally owning my self-worth
• And most importantly… the support of a healing community

So if you’re feeling it, if your heart is nudging you… this is your moment to say YES to YOU.

Register here: https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

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

Support the show

In this inspiring episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we sit down with Min-Ae (Mindy), a Korean American adoptee whose journey is marked by resilience, strength, and deep faith. Mindy is an intuitive face reader who uses her gifts to help people better understand themselves and others, illuminating personality traits, emotional tendencies, and behavioral patterns that support authenticity and self-discovery.

Mindy opens up about her personal story as an adoptee and how her close relationship with faith has guided her through challenges, helping her find courage and resilience along the way. She shares how her intuitive work is not just about reading faces, but about creating safe, compassionate spaces where people feel truly seen, connected, and understood.

This conversation is a heartfelt exploration of authenticity, community, and healing and how discovering our truth can empower us to live with more connection and purpose.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• Mindy’s journey as a Korean American adoptee and how faith has been a source of strength and guidance.
• How intuitive face reading works and what it can reveal about personality and emotional patterns.
• The courage it takes to live authentically and the healing that comes from community.
• The importance of resilience in the adoptee journey and embracing your unique truth.

Connect with Mindy:
 🌐 Email: [email protected]
Website: https://intuitivereadingsbyminae.com/

Jewelry Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575040635190

Note: Use coupon code KAD for 10% discount

Disclaimer:
The intuitive reading services offered are for entertainment and personal insight only. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, or replace professional advice in psychological, medical, legal, or career-related matters. All interpretations are subjective and should be viewed as general guidance.

🎉Special Announcement - It’s finally here!! 

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our fall Empowered Adoptee Retreat, in collaboration with @Kimchi.Healing - a truly unique experience designed by adoptees, for adoptees.  

These retreats have become more than just weekends away. They’ve become sacred spaces of laughter, healing, nourishment, and deep connection. Whether it’s sitting around a fire, moving through somatic healing practices, or sharing a meal with people who just get it, we hope you’ll feel deeply seen, heard, and at home.

We hope you’ll join us this fall, with a heart open to connection, to healing, and to being fully yourself with others who know this journey too.

This is your moment. Our special early bird discount is available now, but only for a limited time. 

Register by September 7th to secure your spot at this life-changing event!

Learn more and register now at theempoweredadoptee.com/retreats/fall-2025-retreat.

Please share this retreat with another empowered adoptee. 

Hoping to see you there!!

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

Support the show

Welcome back to another vulnerable episode where we get really personal and dive into two concepts that have shaped our lives as Korean adoptees: Han and Jeong.

You know those feelings you have that are too big for words? That's what Han and Jeong are for us. We'll be talking about how Han is the deep, unresolved grief and anger we feel—both individually from our own adoption narratives, and collectively from a history of oppression. And then there's Jeong, the profound and healing love we feel for our people, a connection that’s a source of incredible resilience.

In this episode, we're sharing a raw, honest discussion about why these two feelings hit so deep. We'll explore:

• Where our Han comes from—the pain of losing our culture, our language, and our first families, and how the trauma from our past and from our ancestors' past still affects us.
• How moments of collective struggle, like anti-Asian hate, can amplify our Han but also strengthen our Jeong.
• The beautiful and healing power we find in community, whether it's sharing a meal with other adoptees or simply being in a space where we feel a deep sense of belonging.

This conversation is for anyone who has ever felt a grief they couldn't name or a powerful connection to a community they never knew they had. We hope it gives you a new way to understand these emotions. It’s an invitation to see how our deepest wounds can also be the very things that create our most profound connections.

Special Announcement - It’s finally here!! 

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our fall Empowered Adoptee Retreat, in collaboration with @Kimchi.Healing - a truly unique experience designed by adoptees, for adoptees.  

These retreats have become more than just weekends away. They’ve become sacred spaces of laughter, healing, nourishment, and deep connection. Whether it’s sitting around a fire, moving through somatic healing practices, or sharing a meal with people who just get it, we hope you’ll feel deeply seen, heard, and at home.

We hope you’ll join us this fall, with a heart open to connection, to healing, and to being fully yourself with others who know this journey too.

This is your moment. Our special early bird discount is available now, but only for a limited time. 

Register by September 7th to secure your spot at this life-changing event!

Learn more and register now at theempoweredadoptee.com/retreats/fall-2025-retreat.

Please share this retreat with another empowered adoptee. 

Hoping to see you there!!

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

Support the show

This week, we're joined by a returning guest and dear friend, Kirsten Mathis. We want to start by wishing Kirsten a very happy 40th birthday! In honor of her big day, let's all participate in her Birthday Love Challenge by making a commitment to show ourselves and others more love and compassion this week.

In this powerful episode, Kirsten vulnerably shares her journey of growth and change as it relates to her adoption story. She opens up about the surprising emotions that have surfaced, particularly after reunion, as she navigates what it truly means to find her identity as a daughter.

Topics you will hear on this episode:

• Motherhood and how it has influenced her understanding of her own identity.
• The challenges of finding her place in new and existing family dynamics.
• Navigating relationships and how the childhood roles she held have shaped her identity today.
• The struggle with owning her own ability to receive love and feel worthy of it.

Kirsten's honesty is both moving and relatable. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by big emotions or struggled with finding your place, you'll definitely resonate with her story.

Thank you again, Kirsten, for sharing your journey with us. We're so grateful for your wisdom and your commitment to this important work.

Save the Date! The Fall 2025 Empowered Adoptee Retreat is here 🍁

It’s that time of year again and we’re so excited to announce the location of our next Empowered Adoptee Retreat!

Join us this fall in the breathtaking Catskill Mountains of New York, nestled along the Hudson River Valley, from October 16–19, 2025.

We choose beautiful natural settings intentionally, because nature is healing. And when we gather as adoptees in safe, grounded spaces like this, something powerful always happens.

These retreats have become more than just weekends away. They’ve become sacred spaces of laughter, healing, nourishment, and deep connection. Whether it’s sitting around a fire, moving through somatic healing practices, or sharing a meal with people who just get it, we hope you’ll feel deeply seen, heard, and at home.

We hope you’ll join us this fall, with a heart open to connection, to healing, and to being fully yourself with others who know this journey too.

🗓 Save the Date: October 16–19, 2025 (3 nights)
💌 Registration opens August 18th - with an early bird discount!

Connect with us here: https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

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

Support the show

The Mother Wound: A Deep Dive into Loss, Love & Healing

In this powerful and tender episode, we explore the mother wound, a wound that lives in the body, heart, and spirit of many adoptees. From the primal loss of our first mother to the complex dynamics with adoptive mothers, this episode opens a space for truth-telling, grief, compassion, and healing.

Whether your relationship with your mother was loving, strained, nonexistent, or unknown—this conversation offers language, insight, and community for making sense of the invisible layers that shape our sense of safety, self-worth, confidence and belonging.

We share:

• What the mother wound is and why it matters
• How it shows up in adoptee experiences
• The connection between the mother wound and core wounds like abandonment, shame, and mistrust
• Our personal stories around mother loss and healing
• How community, self-parenting, and ancestral reconnection can begin to mend the ache

If you’ve ever felt the longing for a mother’s love, struggled with guilt or grief around your mother story, or wondered how to begin healing these tender places—this episode is for you.

💬 Topics We Explore:

• Healthy boundaries with our Mothers
• The inherited pain of maternal separation, especially in intercountry and transracial adoption
• Breaking the silence around grief, anger, and unmet needs
• Navigating ambivalent feelings toward our mothers—both birth and adoptive
• The power of collective healing spaces and learning to mother ourselves

📣 📣 📣 Announcement:  We have thoughtfully decided to change from weekly episodes to Bi-weekly.  Every other Monday we will be dropping a new episode!

🆘 Mental Health Resources:

If you're struggling or feeling overwhelmed, please know you're not alone.
 Reach out for support:

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 (US)
• Crisis Text Line: Text HELLO to 741741
• SAMHSA Treatment Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• For AAPI communities: https://www.asianmhc.org

💌 We’d love to hear from you:
If this episode resonated, feel free to reach out, ask questions, or share your story. You are not alone. You are deeply worthy of love and healing.

If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a comment on The Empowered Adoptee Podcast. Share this episode with others who may benefit from understanding and overcoming self-sabotage in their relationships! We love you and appreciate all of your support <3

If you would like to connect with us, you can find us here:

Website: https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/
Facebook: The Empowered Adoptee 
Instagram: the.empowered.adoptee
Email: [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

In this enlightening and deeply heartfelt follow-up episode, we welcome back Mike Malloy, a Korean American adoptee, veteran, and community builder. Mike returns to share his powerful experience with psilocybin-assisted therapy, originally sought to support his PTSD from military service, and how it unexpectedly brought long-buried aspects of his adoption story to light.

Mike speaks vulnerably about how this journey helped him access core emotional wounds—some stemming not only from his time in the military but from his earliest beginnings as an adoptee. Through plant medicine and supported integration, he began to process layers of loss, disconnection, and identity, finding new pathways toward wholeness.

We also explore the healing power of community and being witnessed in our truth. For Mike, healing didn’t just happen in isolation—it deepened through sharing his story, being held in compassionate spaces, and realizing he’s not alone.

💬 In This Episode, You'll Hear:

• Why Mike turned to psilocybin-assisted therapy for PTSD
• How the experience unexpectedly illuminated adoption-related trauma
• What surfaced around identity, loss, and the core wounds of early separation
• The role of community in helping him integrate and feel seen in his story
• Reflections on the emotional toll of service and survival
• What healing can look like when we’re open to new tools and safe support

🌿 This Episode Is For You If:

• You’re curious about alternative approaches to healing trauma
• You’re an adoptee or trauma survivor seeking deeper understanding of your emotional patterns
• You’ve ever felt like your pain was “too much” or “too complicated” to name
• You believe in the power of community, storytelling, and shared healing

💌 We’d love to hear how this episode resonates with you.
Reach out anytime if you feel inspired to share your story—or if you’re looking for support on your healing path.If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a comment on The Empowered Adoptee Podcast. 

Share this episode with others who may benefit from understanding and navigating the adoptee journey. We love you and appreciate all of your support <3

If you would like to connect with us, you can find us here:

Website: https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/
Facebook: The Empowered Adoptee 
Instagram: the.empowered.adoptee
Email: [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

In this episode, Laurie and Claire delve into the nuanced topic of microaggressions within the adoption community. 

This discussion was inspired by a KAAN (Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network) Conference workshop that Laurie and Claire attended. We want to help bring microaggressions into the light so that we can talk about them, normalize our feelings around them, and give us tools to navigate through them.

Key Discussion Points:

What is a Microaggression?

A comment or action that subtly expresses a hostile, derogatory, or prejudiced attitude (intentionally or unintentionally) toward a member of a marginalized group.

What are Adoption Microaggressions?

These are microaggressions based on identities, relationships, and/or experiences connected to adoption. They often stem from societal misunderstandings or biases about adoption.

What you can expect to learn:

• A clear understanding of microaggressions: What they are and how they impact marginalized groups and individuals.
• Insights into adoption-specific microaggressions: Common phrases and interactions adoptees often encounter.
• An exploration of the themes of adoption microaggressions (Baden, 2016): Including Microinvalidation, Microinsult, and Microfiction.
• Personal stories and reflections: Hearing firsthand accounts of how these moments shape identity and belonging and how we navigate through them.
• Actionable strategies for empowered responses: Practical tools like Boundary Setting, Re-Framing, Educating, Disengaging, and Grounding.

Resources cited:

Naming & Navigating
Adoption Microaggressions
Aeriel A. Ashlee, PhD (she/her) & DeLa Dos, PhD (they/them)
KAAN Conference ~ June 20-22, 2025 ~ Atlanta, GA

Baden, A. L. (2016). Do you know your real parents?” and other adoption
microaggressions. Adoption Quarterly, 19(1), 1-25.

Lu, J. & Tseng, A. (2021, June 1). Verbal jiujitsu, disarming and other tips for dealing
with microaggressions. Los Angeles Times.
https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2021-06-01/what-is-a-microagression-h
ow-to-address-subtle-racism

Sue, E. W. (2010). Microaggressions and marginality: Manifestations, dynamics, and impact. John Wiley & Sons.

If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing, rating, and leaving a comment on The Empowered Adoptee Podcast. Share this episode with others who may benefit from understanding and navigating adoptee microaggressions. We love you and appreciate all of your support <3

If you would like to connect with us, you can find us here:

Website: https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/
Facebook: The Empowered Adoptee 
Instagram: the.empowered.adoptee
Email: [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