Adoptees On – Details, episodes & analysis

311 | Sasha Hom

Sasha Hom lives an extraordinarily unconventional life. I'm so excited to introduce her to you. She's a writer, goat farmer, mother, and her new book Sidework is incredible. Today we talk about her experiences as a Korean adoptee, adopted to a Chinese American couple in California. Sasha tells us about her trips to Korea and China, we talk motherhood as adoptees, and how important writing is in her life.

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

310 | Mirella Stoyanova

Mirella Stoyanova is our guest today, and I don't normally say this, but this was one of my favourite conversations in recent memory. Mirella is a therapist and writer, and her insights dazzled me. We talk about her experience being adopted at age 5, and what coming to America from Bulgaria was like. We discussed the what-ifs of kinship adoption, living in the both/and of grief and gratitude, and she shares an insight that stops me in my tracks: do adoptees reflect an existential crisis back to society?

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

301 | [Healing Series] Wounds of Childhood with Anna Linde, Sexologist

This is a special episode in our Healing Series where we bring on adoptee experts to tackle issues that may impact our mental health. Most often we're talking with therapists but today I invited Anna Linde, a sexologist, to talk with us about the impacts of childhood sexual abuse on adopted people. This issue is so prevalent in our community and yet hardly anyone ever talks about it. We've talked about so many difficult things on the show that I think we're finally ready. So although we do keep this to a high level discussion, please take care when deciding if this a safe episode for you to listen to.

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

212 | Mary Anna King

Today the author of our April Adoptees On(ly) book club pick, B______s is with us! Mary Anna King was one of our very first podcast guests almost six years ago on season one. We discuss the challenges of being a kinship adoptee, the things that are often overlooked (like estrangements and other conflicts) that can force children to be unfairly used as weapons. We also talk about what it feels like to be a generational trauma cycle-breakers as Mary is expecting her first child.

• B______ by Mary Anna King (Listen to her first [Episode 7] and second appearances [Episode 67] on Adoptees On)
• What Next? The Adoptee Rights Podcast - episode 6 "Cleanup" with the Vermont Adoptee Rights Working Group
• Vermont Adoptee Rights Working Group
• Adoptee Rights Law
• Hear more about Greg Luce on his Adoptees On episode 182

• Mary Anna King: Twitter | maryannaking.com
• Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

211 | Sullivan Summer

Today's guest is the brilliant Sullivan Summer! Growing up as a black transracial adoptee with white adoptive parents, Sullivan was actively discouraged from identifying as black by her adoptive mother. She shares about her recent decision to change her full name as a sign of identity reclamation and we also discuss the intersection of adoption, race, and the United States' history of slavery.

• Outsiders Within: Writing on Transracial Adoption (re-release 2021) edited by Jane Jeong Trenka, Julia Chinyere Oparah, and Sun Yung Shin
• University of Minnesota Press podcast episodes with the editors of Outsiders Within:

1. What society gets wrong about transracial adoption: Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney, and JaeRan Kim.
2. Korean and Vietnamese adoptees on the intimate racialized politics of transracial adoption: Jane Jeong Trenka, Indigo Willing, and kimura byol-nathalie lemoine.
3. Outsiders Within: Korean adoptees Jane Jeong Trenka and Ami Nafzger share their stories.

• National Association of Black Social Workers 1972 Position Statement on Transracial Adoption (a direct download is available here: https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nabsw.org/resource/collection/E1582D77-E4CD-4104-996A-D42D08F9CA7D/NABSW_Trans-Racial_Adoption_1972_Position_(b).pdf )

• Sullivan Summer: Instagram
• Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

210 | Stephanie Drenka

Today's guest is the incredible Stephanie Drenka, and we say incredible because she saw the need for an online platform for underrepresented communities and went ahead and built VISIBLE magazine in one night. Stephanie talks about her shifting view of adoption over time, how being raised in a predominantly white community caused her to experience internalized racism, and why sometimes when you see a need in the community, you've got to be the one to go ahead and fill the gap.

• VISIBLE Magazine (mentioned: article by Gracie) and VISIBLE on Instagram
• Somebody's Children: The Politics of Transnational and Transracial Adoption by Laura Briggs
• Taking Children: A History of American Terror by Laura Briggs
• Mentioned: Adoptees On episode addressing internalized racism (177 Healing Series Internalized Oppression)

• Stephanie Drenka: StephanieDrenka.com | [VISIBLEmagazine.com] | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

209 | Dr. Hollee McGinnis

The indomitable Dr. Hollee McGinnis is on the podcast today! Many of you have definitely heard of Hollee and her immense contributions to the adoptee community both academically as a scholar and as a community builder which includes starting the adoptee-centric organization, Also Known As, over 25 years ago. Today we get to talk about some deeply personal topics to Hollee, which of course includes community building, but we also discuss how Hollee's perspective on adoption has changed over the years. Hollee shares how sometimes, who we see as the "high-performing adoptees" may be trying to outwork some internal struggles. Make sure you stick around until the end of the show as Hollee shares a poem she wrote about kimchi and how her breast cancer diagnosis lead her to a rediscovery of Korean food, this time as a cook!

• Adoption Initiative Conference: The Evolution of Adoption Practice: Activist and Community Perspectives - March 25-26, 2022
• Also Known As
• iamadoptee.org
• Rudd Adoption Research Program for scholarship on adoption

• Dr. Hollee McGinnis: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn |
• Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Guest host Lisette Austin interviews her close lifelong friend Iana, who helped Lisette find her birth father using genetic genealogy. Iana shares her adoption and reunion story, and what led her to "come out of the fog" and begin exploring adoptee issues. She also shares what led her to become interested in genealogy, the importance of having a close adoptee friend, and what her top adoptee resources are. Together Lisette and Iana share some of the story behind their detective hunt, including a few of their favourite highlights.

• IFS Therapist Directory: https://ifs-institute.com/practitioners
• Adoptees On episodes about IFS: 69, 71, 135 and 180 with Marta Isabella Sierra. Also discussed in episodes 70 and 175

• Lisette Austin: Twitter | Instagram | travelingmyroots.com | The Globetrotter Lounge Podcast
• Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Today we're talking with Lisette Austin, who is going to have a very special role here at Adoptees On, but we won't spoil exactly what that is, yet. Lisette is an award-winning podcaster, passionate about travel, and also happens to be one of Haley's good friends. We discuss what it's meant for Lisette to learn more about her biological family using DNA testing and genealogical research and we share why this particular episode is a milestone marker in the life of the Adoptees On podcast.

Please join us in welcoming Lisette Austin to Adoptees On, in her new role as … well, you'll hear very soon!

• Adoptee Literary Festival live for free on April 9, 2022! Follow on Instagram: @adopteelitfest
• The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are by Libby Copeland

• Lisette Austin: Twitter | Instagram | travelingmyroots.com | The Globetrotter Lounge Podcast
• Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

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Support Adoptees On

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Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.

Today we are honoured to introduce you to Mike Trupiano. Mike shares about his painful childhood, marred by violence and a feeling of being fully unwanted.  We talk about adoptee healing, about searching for his biological family, which included a literal doorstop visit where he dressed up as a delivery driver. He's a skilled storyteller, actor and comedian, also a sober coach. Now living in Germany, Mike's worked so hard at self-care and reclaiming identity, we think you'll join us in being in awe of the skills he's built up. 

• Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal by Jeanette Winterson
• The Bourne Identity - 2002 Film
• Mind over Matter - Jeanette Winterson's newsletter on Substack

• Mike Trupiano: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | miketrupiano.com
• Haley Radke: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
• Adoptees On: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Subscribe

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Support Adoptees On

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Connect

Occasional Newsletter | Send a Note

This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Nothing stated on it, either by its hosts or any guests, is to be construed as psychological, medical or legal advice. Please seek out professionals in those fields if you need those services. The views expressed by the hosts of Adoptees On or any guests are their own and do not represent the opinions of any organization or other person unless otherwise stated.