The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

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The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Claire Magenheimer and Laurie Vogler

75 episodes

1 week ago

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 su...

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Self-Improvement

Health & Fitness,

Alternative Health,

All content for The Empowered Adoptee Podcast is the property of Claire Magenheimer and Laurie Vogler and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

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 su...

Show more...

Self-Improvement

Health & Fitness,

Alternative Health,

Episodes (20/75)

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Finding Her Tribe: Kim Shares Her Unique Positive Adoptee Perspective

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 su...

1 week ago

1 hour 3 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

From Coping to Healing: Adoptee Addictions and the Path to Wholeness

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. Togethe...

1 month ago

58 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Coming Into Consciousness: Gianna's Journey of Rebirth and Reclaiming Her Identity

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 i...

1 month ago

55 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

✨ Face to Face with Truth: An Interview with Mindy, Korean American Adoptee & Intuitive Face Reader

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 relatio...

2 months ago

1 hour 12 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Unpacking Han, Finding Jeong: A Korean Adoptee Narrative

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 fe...

2 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Kirsten Mathis 3.0: Navigating Growth & Change as a Korean Adoptee

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, part...

3 months ago

1 hour 6 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Healing the Mother Wound and Finding Peace From Within

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 ...

3 months ago

1 hour 18 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Mike Malloy Returns: Psychedelic Healing, PTSD & the Adoption Journey

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 ...

3 months ago

56 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Paper Cuts and Power: Navigating Adoption Microaggressions

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...

4 months ago

1 hour 5 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Love beyond the Orphanage - Interview with Julie Duvall, Part 2

In this follow-up conversation, we welcome back Julie Duvall—an aged-out Korean orphan, late-life adoptee, and fierce advocate for adult Korean orphans. Julie returns to share more deeply about her ongoing journey of healing, faith, and purpose. We dive into the realities faced by those who grow up in orphanages without ever being adopted, and the emotional landscape that unfolds in adulthood—from identity formation to grief, resilience, and love. Julie opens her heart about what has helped h...

4 months ago

1 hour

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Heading to KAAN: Calming Nerves and Connecting with our KAD Community

This week, join Laurie and Claire for a special mini-episode as they share their pre-KAAN conference jitters and excitement! Heading to a large conference, even one filled with supportive community, can bring on a mix of emotions. Laurie and Claire open up about their feelings and, in true Empowered Adoptee fashion, offer some quick and easy tools to help you navigate any nervousness or anxiety you might be feeling about attending KAAN or any other emotional events. Connect with Us at KAAN! W...

4 months ago

13 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Why Do Breakups and Loss Hurt So Much—and How Do We Heal From Them?

In this powerful and validating episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore the real reasons why breakups and loss can feel so devastating—not just emotionally, but physically and biochemically. Whether it’s the end of a romantic relationship, the loss of a close friendship, estrangement, heartbreak activates some of the deepest parts of our nervous system and attachment wounds—especially for adoptees and anyone who has experienced early separation or relational trauma. We break down...

5 months ago

57 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Understanding Self-Sabotaging Behavior As Adoptees

In this vulnerable episode, Laurie and Claire dive deep into the complex topic of self-sabotage, particularly among adoptees. We explore the subconscious strategies that lead us to undermine our own relationships and goals, often driven by fear and core wounds. Join us as we uncover the common triggers, patterns of behavior, and the beliefs that perpetuate self-sabotaging actions. More importantly, we discuss practical steps to change these behavior patterns and foster healthier, more fulfill...

5 months ago

1 hour 4 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Kari Rudd: A Whole New World, A Whole New Me

In this powerful episode, we’re joined by Kari Rudd, a Korean adoptee based in Santa Barbara, California. Kari shares her transformative journey of searching for identity and belonging after her challenging experiences with adoption. Kari was adopted at around six months old into a family that faced significant struggles. After being removed from her adoptive family as a teenager, she has lived a life marked by resilience and quest for understanding. Now serving alongside her husband, Eric,...

5 months ago

1 hour 3 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Adoptee Mental Health: Stories, Struggles & Strength

In this heartfelt episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we honor Mental Health Awareness Month by sharing personal stories from our own journeys with mental health as adoptees. We speak honestly about the challenges we’ve faced—grief, anxiety, depression, isolation—and the tools, practices, and moments of connection that helped us keep going. We explore: The unique mental health challenges adoptees often experienceThe hidden layers of grief, identity loss, and survival that can surface ov...

5 months ago

1 hour 6 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Julie Duvall's Journey as an Aged-Out Orphan in Korea: A Story of Seeking Family and Connection

In this deeply moving episode, we sit down with Julie Duvall, a Korean aged-out orphan who was adopted later in life. Julie’s unique perspective sheds light on the complexities of growing up in an orphanage in Korea and her journey through finding her way in life without any support from a family of her own. With heartfelt honesty, she shares her experiences, the challenges she faced, and how she transformed her life from struggles and sadness to one of hope and joy. Through Julie's stories, ...

6 months ago

1 hour 8 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

What Does AAPI Month Mean to Asian American Adoptees?

In this heartfelt episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore a tender and complex question: “What does AAPI Heritage Month mean to Asian American adoptees?” For many of us, this month brings up a mix of celebration and sorrow — pride in our cultural roots, grief for what was lost, and sometimes uncertainty about where we belong. Together, we unpack these emotions and share how adoptees are finding ways to reclaim identity, reconnect to heritage, and show up authentically in AAPI sp...

6 months ago

44 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Visiting Korea as an Adoptee: What No One Tells You

Get ready for an incredibly validating and eye-opening discussion for adoptees preparing for (or processing) a visit to Korea. Laurie and Claire share vulnerably about their experiences visiting Korea and all the feelings, emotions, and awarenesses around their journey back to their homeland as an adoptee. What to Expect in This Episode: Join Laurie and Claire as they explore their personal motivations for this episode, expressing the hopes and fears that accompanied their journeys. They ...

6 months ago

1 hour 10 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Understanding Attachment Styles as Adoptees: How Early Bonding Shapes Our Relationships

In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore attachment theory—a powerful psychological framework that helps us understand how we connect, love, and feel safe in relationships. We take a closer look at the four core attachment styles—secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized—and how these show up in the lives of adoptees. From early separation to inconsistent caregiving or the deep longing for connection, adoptees often experience unique challenges in bonding and trust. But ...

6 months ago

1 hour 20 minutes

The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Vagus Nerve Activation Tools for Adoptees

In this episode, we delve into how adoptees can find their path back to calm and connection by tapping into the power of the vagus nerve. This crucial nerve helps regulate your nervous system and supports feelings of safety and belonging. Practicing these tools for just 10 minutes or less each day can significantly help improve your body's ability to regulate it's nervous system and become healthier and more calm. Understanding the Vagus Nerve: Discover its role as the longest cranial n...

7 months ago

24 minutes