In this episode, we dive into the shocking findings of South Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which has exposed systemic fraud and human rights violations in the country’s international adoption program. With over 140,000 Korean adoptees sent overseas, many under falsified circumstances, this revelation forces us to reexamine the ethical failures of adoption policies and the profound impact on adoptees worldwide.

We explore the emotional toll of these findings, the urgent need for policy reform, and the steps adoptees can take to reclaim their agency. We also discuss advocacy efforts, legal actions, and the responsibility of adoption agencies in providing reparations.

This is a conversation about truth, validation, and empowerment. You are not alone in this—your voice matters, and together, we can create change.

Adoptee Resources for Empowerment & Advocacy

•National Center for the Rights of the Child (NCRC) – Supports adoptees in birth family searches

•Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link (G.O.A.’L) – Assists with birth searches, translations, and Korean citizenship applications

•325Kamra – Provides free DNA testing for Korean adoptees searching for biological family

•Adoptee Hub – Offers search and reunion assistance, plus a database of adoptee resources

•Also-Known-As, Inc. – Provides mentorship and community support for adoptees

•Asian Adoptees of Canada - Connecting the adoptee community to share information, resources, and provide a forum for connection and collaboration

•International Korean Adoptee Association (IKAA) - Fosters community connections across North America, Europe, and Australia

•The Korean Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) -  connecting the community and providing opportunities for dialogue, education, and support.

•Inclusion Initiative - A Community for adoptees, fosters, and our allies to change the future of work and close the professional opportunity gap due to a lack of established network

•Paperslip - Connecting Korean adoptees from Korean Social Service (KSS) adopted to the US, Netherlands, Denmark, and Switzerland between 1964-2012

•Banet - A group of Korean women supporting and helping Korean adoptees searching for birth families

Legal & Human Rights Advocacy

•Adoptee Rights Campaign – Advocates for adoptee citizenship rights in the U.S.

•Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea (TRACK) – Works to uncover adoption fraud and advocate for policy change

•Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Intercountry adoptees can request their own immigration and federal agency records

•Korean Adoptees for Justice (KAJ) – Focuses on adoptee activism and legal advocacy

•Adoptees for Justice – A movement fighting for adoptee rights and reparations

Mental Health & Healing

•IAMAdoptee – Provides mental health resources and support groups for adoptees

•The Adoptee Mentoring Society – Offers mentoring and identity-based support for adoptees

•The Empowered Adoptee - Provides healing and empowerment retreats for Korean Adoptees and free workshops 

•Omija - Supporting Korean American adoptee women and adoptees in reunion with birth family

Petitions & Activism

•Petition for Justice and Reform: Stand with Overseas Adopted Koreans – A movement demanding accountability for past adopti

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 special panel discussion, we sit down with fellow Korean adoptees Nate Choi and Kirsten Mathis to explore the complexities of the adoptee experience—from finding strength in community to navigating deeply personal emotions. Together, we reflect on the importance of taking pauses, honoring our individual journeys, and creating safe spaces for open expression.

Nate Choi is a Korean adoptee who overcame open heart surgery as a baby and on a previous episode (#19, season 1), he shared his inspiring journey of healing and resilience.

Nate describes himself as a "like able asshole, KAD, father, and husband."

Connect with Nate Choi here:

https://bsky.app/profile/natechoi.bsky.social

natechoi.bsky.social

https://www.tiktok.com/@nathanchoi0906?_t=ZP-8uxObLANhnC&_r=1

Kirsten Mathis is a KAD from PA. She has been in reunion with her birth mother for 7 years. In April 2024 she traveled to Korea to meet her omma for the first time since she was adopted. She also found her birth father shortly after returning home and has started communicating with him recently. 

She is a mom, wife, daughter, and someone with "a gentle curiosity" about her identity which led to seeking answers inside KAD spaces and by traveling to Korea. Her journey and story is over a decade in the making. In her spare time she enjoys iced coffee, reading, and cooking and has even started learning how to make Korean dishes. 

If you would like to connect with Kirsten, she can be reached here:
Instagram @khyejin85

Here’s what you will hear in this episode:

•The impact of connecting with other adoptees

•Processing emotions while engaging with adoptee stories

•The importance of rest and reflection in the adoptee journey

•Respecting individual paths while fostering collective support

•Messages of reassurance for those struggling

•Encouraging each other to seek help and celebrate small victories

We also address the critical issue of deportation among Korean adoptees, highlighting real cases and the ongoing fight for adoptee rights. With the realities of adult Korean adoptees at risk of deportation due to incomplete citizenship processes, we discuss the need for all adoptees to learn to advocate for themselves and for our adoptee community.

Join the Conversation:

We invite you to share your thoughts and experiences with us! How has your community supported you? What messages of hope would you share with other adoptees?

Let’s keep the dialogue going—because healing happens together

We are super excited to announce our upcoming Empowered Adoptee Retreats!

Connection. Healing. Empowerment. 

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat

April 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA 

Registration is now open until March 30th.

https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

The Empowered Adoptee Kimchi Healing With Our Ancestors Retreat!

June 22

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

Support the show

Finding Safety in Uncertain Times: A Guided Meditation for Adoptees

In this special episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, Laurie offers a gentle, grounding guided meditation to help adoptees regulate their nervous systems and cultivate a sense of safety amidst uncertainty.

With so much unknown in the world, especially for Korean American adoptees facing the fear of deportation, it is essential to have tools that help us feel anchored and supported. This meditation is an invitation to reconnect with your breath, your body, and the deep knowing that you are safe, held, and loved.

Let this be a space where you can exhale, soften, and come back home to yourself.

This episode also serves as a compassionate container for our next discussion, which will touch on the difficult and complex realities of adoptee deportation. May this practice support you in navigating any emotions that arise with love and kindness.

Take a deep breath, and let’s begin.

We are super excited to announce our upcoming Empowered Adoptee Retreats!

Connection. Healing. Empowerment. 

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat

April 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA 

Registration is now open! 

https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

The Empowered Adoptee Kimchi Healing With Our Ancestors Retreat!

June 22 - 24 in Atlanta, GA

In Collaboration with Dr. Hollee McGinnis

Registration opens soon - stay tuned and reach out to receive more info here:

[email protected]

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat at Camp Rice

July 17 - 19 in Reisterstown, MD

in Collaboration with Grace Song, MSW

Registration is now open! 

https://www.asiafamilies.org/camp-rice-korean-culture-camp

We would love to see you at any of our retreat and please share this post with friends and your KAD community.

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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would mean the world to us!

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 of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore how befriending our anxiety can help us navigate the adoptee journey with more ease and self-compassion. Instead of seeing anxiety as something to fix or get rid of, we discuss how it can actually be a protector, a messenger, and even a guide to deeper self-awareness.

We dive into how anxiety often shows up in the adoptee experience—whether through hypervigilance, perfectionism, or fear of rejection—and how we can shift our relationship with it. By learning to listen to our anxiety with curiosity rather than fear, we can transform it into intuition and inner wisdom that supports our well-being and balance.

Join us as we discuss:

• Why anxiety is so common in the adoptee experience.
• How anxiety can act as both a protector and a guide.
• Practical tools to regulate anxiety.
• Reframing anxious thoughts and creating a sense of inner safety.
• How self-compassion helps us move from fear to trust.

Tune in as we explore how embracing our anxiety, rather than resisting it, can bring us closer to healing, self-trust, and a deeper connection to ourselves.

We are super excited to announce our upcoming Empowered Adoptee Retreats!

Connection. Healing. Empowerment. 

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat

April 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA 

Registration is now open! 

https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

The Empowered Adoptee Kimchi Healing With Our Ancestors Retreat!

June 22 - 24 in Atlanta, GA

In Collaboration with Dr. Hollee McGinnis

Registration opens soon - stay tuned and reach out to receive more info here:

[email protected]

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat at Camp Rice

July 17 - 19 in Reisterstown, MD

in Collaboration with Grace Song, MSW

Registration is now open! 

https://www.asiafamilies.org/camp-rice-korean-culture-camp

We would love to see you at any of our retreat and please share this post with friends and your KAD community.

 
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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would mean the world to us!

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, we dive into the complex emotions tied to feelings of unworthiness experienced by many adoptees and explore paths to healing and empowerment. By understanding primal wound theory, societal influences, and cultural displacement, we aim to uncover why these feelings emerge and how adoptees can reclaim their sense of self-worth.

Laurie and Claire sit down for a super vulnerable and honest conversation about what led them to confront and begin to heal their feelings of not being enough. Listen in to hear them share their tools for healing feelings of unworthiness and how to cultivate self worth.

You ARE worthy and you are LOVED!!

We are super excited to announce our upcoming Empowered Adoptee Retreats!

Connection. Healing. Empowerment. 

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat

April 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA 

Registration is now open! 

https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

The Empowered Adoptee Kimchi Healing With Our Ancestors Retreat!

June 22 - 24 in Atlanta, GA

In Collaboration with Dr. Hollee McGinnis

Registration opens soon - stay tuned and reach out to receive more info here:

[email protected]

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat at Camp Rice

July 17 - 19 in Reisterstown, MD

in Collaboration with Grace Song, MSW

Registration is now open! 

https://www.asiafamilies.org/camp-rice-korean-culture-camp

We would love to see you at any of our retreat and please share this post with friends and your KAD community.

 
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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would mean the world to us!

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 of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast we’re amplifying adoptee voices to share what we want adoptive families to understand in order to help us feel truly supported and seen. Transnational and transracial adoptees often have complex, layered experiences that can be difficult to articulate to their adoptive families. While every adoptee’s journey is unique, we see common themes that emerge from adoptee spaces and we hope that we were able to touch on some of the many themes through our voices here.

This episode is an opportunity for adoptive families to listen, reflect, and grow in their understanding of what it means to support adoptees with compassion, understanding, and openness.  Adoptive parents who listen, learn, and commit to growth can help build bridges with us or advocate for some of the issues that impact us deeply. We truly want to feel seen, understood, and empowered.  

Thank you for tuning in to The Empowered Adoptee Podcast. If you found this episode helpful, please share it with others who may benefit from these insights. And as always, we invite you to continue these conversations with us.  

We are super excited to announce our upcoming Empowered Adoptee Retreats!

Connection. Healing. Empowerment. 

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat

April 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA 

Registration is now open! 

https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

The Empowered Adoptee Kimchi Healing With Our Ancestors Retreat!

June 22 - 24 in Atlanta, GA

In Collaboration with Dr. Hollee McGinnis

Registration opens soon - stay tuned and reach out to receive more info here:

[email protected]

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat at Camp Rice

July 17 - 19 in Reisterstown, MD

in Collaboration with Grace Song, MSW

Registration is now open! 

https://www.asiafamilies.org/camp-rice-korean-culture-camp

We would love to see you at any of our retreat and please share this post with friends and your KAD community.

 
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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would mean the world to us!

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 powerful episode of the Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Hollee A. McGinnis, a Korean adoptee, educator, scholar, and healer with nearly 30 years of experience in adoption and child welfare. Hollee’s work focuses on amplifying adoptee perspectives, advocating for socially just child welfare policies, and supporting individuals raised in alternative care—including adoptees, foster youth, and those from orphanages—so they can thrive across their lifespan.

Hollee shares her personal and professional journey, from being adopted from South Korea to founding Also-Known-As, Inc., a pioneering nonprofit for intercountry adoptees. We explore the complexities of adoptive identity, cultural loss, trauma, and healing, and discuss how adoptees can reclaim their narratives and empower themselves through community, research, and self-exploration.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• Intention vs. impact—how adoption narratives shape our experiences and healing
• Hollee’s role as a pioneer and creator of adoptee spaces and how they’ve evolved over time
• The importance of bringing healing and empowerment to the adoptee community
• Dismantling the socialization that “others” people and reclaiming our place in the world
• The difference between power over vs. power with and how it affects adoptee experiences
• Kimchi healing and accessing the wisdom within—connecting to ancestral knowledge and self-trust

Join us for this thought-provoking conversation as we discuss the intersection of identity, healing, and social justice in the adoptee experience.

We are super excited to announce our upcoming Empowered Adoptee Retreats!

APR 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA 

Connect, heal, and empower yourself with Hollee, Laurie, and Claire at our next Empowered Adoptee Kimchi Healing With Our Ancestors Retreat!

June 22 - 24 in Atlanta, GA

Registration opens soon - stay tuned and reach out to receive more info here:

[email protected]

Connection. Healing. Empowerment. 

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.

A retreat to nature.

Experience the natural beauty, serenity, and charm of California's Lake Tahoe. Immerse yourself in nature and find healing in our restorative accommodations.

Registration for Lake Tahoe Retreat is open now! Check out our accommodations, schedule of events, pictures from past retreats, and much more 

https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

We would love to see you there and please share this post with friends and your KAD community 

 
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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would m

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, we dive deep into the journey of self-love from the unique perspective of Korean adoptees. Self-love isn’t just about bubble baths and positive affirmations—it’s about creating safety, trust, and embodiment. Join us as we share our personal experiences and practical tips for cultivating a deep and unconditional love for ourselves.

What you can expect to hear in this Episode:

•Creating Safety & Trust for Embodiment – Feeling safe in our own bodies and experiences is the foundation of self-love.

•Getting to Know Ourselves – How can we love ourselves if we don’t truly know who we are?

•Understanding Our Emotional Triggers – Our triggers are clues guiding us toward what still needs healing.

•Practicing Unconditional Self-Love – Loving ourselves through all of our seasons, not just when we feel “worthy.”

•Taking Responsibility for Our Healing – Our trauma isn’t our fault, but healing is our responsibility. Choosing to do the work is choosing ourselves.

•Rebuilding Self-Trust – Learning to listen to our needs, feelings, and emotions while showing up for ourselves consistently.

•Protecting Ourselves with Boundaries – Boundaries create safety, both internally and in our relationships.

•Practicing Self-Care – Checking in with ourselves, meeting our own needs, and regulating our nervous system.

•Finding Evidence That We Are Lovable – We are already worthy of love, and we can seek out proof of that in our everyday lives.

Self-love is a lifelong journey, and as adoptees, we often face unique challenges in feeling secure in our identity and worth. But through awareness, intentional practice, and deep self-compassion, we can cultivate a love for ourselves that is unshakable.

Tune in as we share our insights, experiences, and encouragement for anyone on this path.

Tune in to the Empowered Adoptee Podcast to continue the conversation and find connection and community in your journey of healing and transformation.

We are super excited to announce our next Empowered Adoptee Retreat!

APR 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA 

Connection. Healing. Empowerment. 

The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.

A retreat to nature.

Experience the natural beauty, serenity, and charm of California's Lake Tahoe. Immerse yourself in nature and find healing in our restorative accommodations.

Registration is open now! Check out our accommodations, schedule of events, pictures from past retreats, and much more 

https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/

We would love to see you there and please share this post with friends and your KAD community 

 

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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would mean the world to us. Support the show and get subscriber only

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 of the Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we sit down with Leah Brighton, a Korean Canadian adoptee, passionate advocate, and the founder of the first adoptee-led organization in Canada. As the President of the Asian Adoptees of Canada, Leah has been instrumental in creating spaces where adoptees can connect, learn, and embrace their histories.

Leah shares her personal adoption journey, her experience reuniting with her birth family in 2007, and how that transformative experience fueled her mission to build community and support for adoptees across Canada and beyond. With a background in speech-language pathology and executive coaching, Leah also speaks about the power of communication and leadership in shaping an adoptee’s confidence and sense of self.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• Leah’s personal adoption and reunion journey
• The importance of adoptee-led spaces and building community
• How identity, leadership, and communication intersect in the adoptee experience
• Tools for empowerment, healing, and connection

Join us for an inspiring conversation that highlights the strength, resilience, and power of adoptees coming together.

Tune in to the Empowered Adoptee Podcast to be inspired and find connection in your own adoptee journey!

If you would like to connect with Leah:

-LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahkimbrighton/ 

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahkimbrighton_/

Tune in to the Empowered Adoptee Podcast to continue the conversation and find connection and community in your journey of healing and transformation.

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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would mean the world to us. Support the show and get subscriber only content, access to workshops, and personalized adoptee support from Laurie and Claire! 💜

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, we sit down with Rob ‘Loebz,’ a talented Korean Canadian b-boy, to explore his inspiring journey through hip hop culture and dance. Rob shares his experiences growing up as a Korean adoptee (KAD) in Canada, navigating questions of identity, and finding a sense of belonging within the global b-boy and hip hop community.

What you can expect from this episode:

•How Rob discovered b-boying and fell in love with hip hop culture.

•The challenges and triumphs of being a Korean adoptee and how he has found his place in the world.

•How dance became a medium for self-expression, connection, and cultural exploration.

•Stories from Rob’s journey, including memorable battles, mentorship, and what keeps him motivated.

•The lessons Rob has learned about identity, resilience, and finding your own sense of purpose.

Whether you’re passionate about hip hop culture, curious about the adoptee experience, or just love hearing inspiring stories, this episode is packed with insights, personal reflections, and creative energy.


Rob ‘Loebz’, a 38 years old Transracial Korean Adoptee. Born in Seoul, and adopted at 6 months. Rob grew up in Windsor Ontario Canada (Borders Detroit Michigan) and currently living in London Ontario Canada. A semi retired professional bboy or break dancer for over 15 years and also co-founding member of ‘ill at will crew’. Rob has performed all over Canada and parts of the US for such names as Caesars, Adidas, Lexus, Nokia and Canada’s walk of fame to name a few.  Currently, Rob is working with elementary children as a Librarian at Montessori Private School. Today he hopes to inspire listeners through sharing his journey growing up in Canada and in hip hop culture.

Connect with Rob ‘Loebz’:

Follow Rob’s journey on @LOEBZ86 (Instagram) or "Adoptumentary" on Facebook

Tune in to the Empowered Adoptee Podcast to continue the conversation and find connection and community in your journey of healing and transformation.

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]

Please reach out and ask us your questions and share your own stories! Together, we are empowering Adoptees through community.


Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Your support helps us bring more powerful stories to light.

If you feel called to support The Empowered Adoptee Podcast it would mean the world to us. Support the show and get subscriber only content, access to workshops, and personalized adoptee support from Laurie and Claire! 💜

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

Support the show