In this episode of "The Anna Jinja Show," host Anna Jinja speaks with Anna Sheffield, a young adoptee from Iowa City, and her mother, Kristen Cotterell Sheffield, about the complexities of identity, belonging, and love in adoption. Their candid conversation moves between mother and daughter perspectives, offering honesty and tenderness as they reflect on their family’s adoption journey, the challenges of transracial adoption, and the resilience built through faith, storytelling, and love.
Kristen recounts her lifelong openness to adoption, her struggles with miscarriage, and the profound moment of meeting Anna at birth. Anna shares her own experiences growing up adopted, from navigating bullying to confronting the expectations of being a “grateful adoptee” within a transracial family. Together, they explore themes of attachment and resilience, including Anna’s search for reassurance and Kristen’s unwavering response.
The episode also highlights the family’s creative legacy, as Kristen recites Walter Dean Myers’ poem Prayer, a touchstone of worth and belonging throughout Anna’s childhood. Closing with the metaphor of a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, mother and daughter embrace transformation as a symbol of growth, change, and self-discovery.