The Rambler

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Episodes

This is an hour-long, one-on-one interview podcast centered around international and transracial adoption and the people involved.

Episodes

Sunday Dec 10, 2017

Episode 59: Peggy Galdamez

Sunday Dec 10, 2017

Peggy Galdamez is a Korean adoptee, adopted at 6 months old and claims Michigan as her home state. She has an older brother (also adopted from Korea) and has a younger half-brother (adopted from Brasil). She currently resides in Silicon Valley with her husband and two daughters where they enjoy being fully immersed in a community rich in cultural diversity and food options! She went to Western Michigan University, studied Art and French, and upon graduating, promptly left to explore the world. She is a preschool administrator for a Montessori preschool and also enjoys following her other interests such as all things related to wellness and living authentically. She is passionate about learning more on the subject of internal healing in its many facets and considers herself a student of life. She is also a Wellness Coach and is working on creating either a local or online support group for other adoptees. If you are interested in connecting with her, you can find her on Facebook, or email her directly at peggy@peggygaldamez.com.

Follow me on Twitter @TheRamblerADHD, email me at TheRamblerADHD@gmail.com, and like/share me on Facebook at Facebook.com/TheRamblerADHD. If you like the podcast, please be so kind as to leave a nice review on iTunes. Thanks for listening!

Sunday Nov 19, 2017

Episode 58: Kevin Kreider

Sunday Nov 19, 2017

Fitness activist and model, Kevin Kreider designed recalls being bullied for his lanky figure, Asian heritage, and ticks caused by the onset of Tourette Syndrome at a young age. Now a full-time coach and model, Kevin has won several natural bodybuilding competitions, graduated with a degree in exercise science and created a successful business, models, and has a mission to help others feel masculine and confident to contribute to society to their fullest potential despite social stereotypes. Follow him on Instagram @pursuebykevin and his website, pursuebykevin.com.

Sunday Sep 17, 2017

Episode 57: Adam Goodman

Sunday Sep 17, 2017

Adam Goodman is a Korean adoptee who grew up in Westchester, NY along side his younger brother (also adopted and biologically related). He's now living in North Jersey with his girlfriend. In addition to his day job as a business analyst, he and a group of like-minded friends have launched an online publication, Plan A Magazine, that seeks to carve out a uniquely Asian American progressive voice. You can find it at PlanAMag.com, on Twitter @PlanAMag, and on Facebook.

Sunday Aug 13, 2017

Episode 56: Mike Mullen

Sunday Aug 13, 2017

Michael Mullen was adopted from Korea when he was 2.5 years old and didn’t meet another Asian person for 14 years. He grew up in Washington State, attended college at the University of Washington in Seattle, and moved to New York in 1997, after living in Seoul and Chicago. He attended one of Also-Known-As’s earliest events, but then got distracted and didn’t attend his second event until 20 years later. This is Mike's second year on the Also-Known-As Board of Directors and first term as president. You can find him on Facebook.

Saturday Jul 08, 2017

Episode 55: Samuel Jamier

Saturday Jul 08, 2017

Samuel Jamier is a Korean-French adoptee and director of the New York Asian Film Festival. You can get tickets to the NYAFF and speak with Samuel at a screening of the Korean film “Split,” this Sunday, June 9th at 12:30pm in the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center. Get tickets and follow Subway Cinema, the NYAFF, and more here! https://www.facebook.com/NYAFF/. https://www.filmlinc.org/festivals/new-york-asian-film-festival/. http://www.subwaycinema.com. https://twitter.com/subwaycinema?lang=en.

Sunday Jun 11, 2017

Episode 54: Emma Rafaelof

Sunday Jun 11, 2017

Emma Rafaelof is a China and Greater Asia policy researcher focusing on technology and trade issues of the US-China relationship. Adopted from Jiangmen, China at 4 months old, she is an only child adopted into a multiracial Jewish family. After growing up and attending University in Boulder, Colorado, Emma is living, studying, and working out of Washington, D.C. Involved in various social action groups, Emma is also an adviser to United Trans-Border Connections, Inc., a DC-based fellowship and service program providing cross-cultural education programs to underprivileged students.

You can find Emma on twitter @erafaelof or get in touch via email at erafaelof@gmail.com to talk about adoption, China, Judaism, activism, and a host of other topics.

Sunday May 14, 2017

Episode 53: Robby Regal

Sunday May 14, 2017

Robby Regal Kim is a Korean adoptee who grew up in northern Minnesota. He is currently writing a work of creative nonfiction that focuses on his coming of age experiences with adoption, American foster care, the Asian-American community, and Texas Holdem poker. He is now a father and residing in Manhattan. In the fall, he will be attending the City College of New York. For updates, you can find him on Twitter @robby_regal_kim

Sunday Apr 09, 2017

Episode 52: Maline Carroll

Sunday Apr 09, 2017

Maline is a Haitian adoptee who is an adoption consultant working in the Boston area. She works to help adoptive parents strengthen, empower, and better understand their adopted children who will one day become adults.

Maline enjoys reading, writing, and also blogging and detests long walks on the beach.

You can find Maline on Twitter, and also on Facebook through her Facebook group called Adoption, Race, and Their Complexities @noomaconsulting and Facebook.com/noomaconsulting. Her Facebook business page is Nooma Consulting: Understanding the Complexities of Adoption.

Sunday Mar 19, 2017

Episode 51: Katie Naftzger

Sunday Mar 19, 2017

Katie Naftzger is a Korean-adoptee, psychotherapist in Newton, MA. She works with adoptees and families through the life cycle. She is an advisory council member of KAAN and speaks to schools and other organizations about adoption and race issues. Her website is www.adoptiontherapyma.com. Follow her on Twitter @KNaftzger, look for her on Facebook and LinkedIn!

Also, be sure to check out Korean-American Adoptee Network Conference in Pittsburgh from June 23-25 - kaanet.org.

Buy her book! - "Parenting in the Eye of the Storm: The Adoptive Parent's Guide to Navigating the Teen Years." https://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Eye-Storm-Adoptive-Navigating/dp/1785927019/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489838707&sr=8-1&keywords=naftzger

There will be a book launch party in Boston at More Than Words bookstore in a few weeks, so if you’re in the area, check that out, too!

Monday Feb 13, 2017

Episode 50: Michaela Dietz

Monday Feb 13, 2017

Michaela Dietz is a voice over artist and performer, whose credits include Steven Universe (Amethyst), Barney & Friends (Riff), Grand Theft Auto V, and some top secret projects in the works! She loves hearing from fellow Korean American adoptees, so find her on Instagram / Snapchat / Twitter: @whammybah and facebook.com/whammybah.

Sunday Jan 08, 2017

Episode 49: Jonathan LeBrecque II

Sunday Jan 08, 2017

Jonathan LeBrecque is back on the show! Listen to his first episode, which is Episode 32 to hear the first parts of his story. In this episode, we pick up with Jonathan after his second trip to Korea and his reunion with his birth family! You can still find him on LinkedIn, or at Facebook.com/kantanan25.

Monday Dec 12, 2016

Episode 48: Jenny Town

Monday Dec 12, 2016

Jenny Town is the Assistant Director of the US-Korea Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and manages programs on North Korea, nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, and energy security in Northeast Asia. She is the Managing Editor and Producer of “38 North,” a web-journal providing analysis of events in and around the DPRK–from social evolution to political developments to WMD. She is also an expert reviewer for Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Index, where she previously worked on the Human Rights in North Korea project.

Prior to working in Korean affairs, she was the Communications Director for Peace X Peace; the Director of the Washington (DC) Office/Special Projects Manager for Government Relations at the College Board; and a Project Manager at Clarity Coverdale Fury Advertising, Inc.

She holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies and International Relations from Westmar University and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Melton Foundation.

Monday Dec 05, 2016

Episode 47: Saebom SooHoo / Emily Kessel

Monday Dec 05, 2016

Saebom SooHoo lives in the Boston area with her partner and kids. She works in higher education administration and runs a pan-Asian adoptee book and film deep dive discussion group called Boston Adoptee Exchange (BAX), bostonadopteex.com. She has been active in the Asian American arts and activism community for the past 16 years, and pieces of her writing will be in the upcoming Asian American Resource Workshop's collection "Under the Boston Sky" due out mid-2017. As a Korean adoptee married to a Chinese person, Saebom is particularly interested in how other international and transracial adoptee parents go about integrating their birth culture into their kids' lives, especially given the additional influence of their partner's heritage. If you have thoughts on transracial adoptee parenting, or interest in joining BAX, definitely reach out and contact Saebom at email@bostonadopteex.com.

Clip from the Slashfilmcast comes from Slashfilmcast.com

Sunday Nov 27, 2016

Episode 46: Nayo Franck

Sunday Nov 27, 2016

Adopted from Korea at 15 months and then diagnosed as profoundly deaf one month later, raised in Cooperstown, New York. Currently a graduate student at Gallaudet University in Wash DC, doing a MA thesis on "Identity Development of Deaf Female Korean Adoptees in the Framework of Intersectionality" in goals of connecting Adoption Studies and Deaf Studies, and raising awareness of identities of deaf and transracial and transnational adoptees in both Deaf and Adoptee communities. She is married to a deaf mixed asian female immigrant and is an active member in many marginalized communities.

No website but an active user of social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sunday Nov 20, 2016

Episode 45: Kelsi Macklin

Sunday Nov 20, 2016

Kelsi Macklin is an international adoptee from China. She currently lives and works in Beijing and has been exploring her Chinese and Asian American identity alongside with learning how to be a grown up. She enjoys meeting and connecting with other adoptees coming through Beijing. You can connect with her on Facebook, email: macklin.kelsi@gmail.com, or wechat: kelsim777.

Monday Nov 14, 2016

Episode 44: Shaaren Pine

Monday Nov 14, 2016

Shaaren Pine is a transracial adoptee from India. She was brought to the US in 1975 at the age of 4 months. She grew up in Groton, MA, went to school at Earlham College, and has spent the last decade in restaurant management. In the last few years she’s become a writer and adoptee activist - you can find some of her work on Masala Mommas, Upworthy, and The Washington Post. She is a member of Lost Sarees, Adoption Links, DC, and the Adoptee Rights Campaign. When she’s not advocating for adoptee rights or writing about adoptee experience, she can be found running, crafting, or gardening. She lives in DC with her daughter, husband, and three cats. You can connect with her via email (shaaren.pine@gmail.com) or on Twitter (@shaaren).

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell. Closing music is “Hallelujah” written by Leonard Cohen and performed by Pentatonix from courtesy of Sony Records.

Sunday Nov 06, 2016

Episode 43: Ming Foxweldon

Sunday Nov 06, 2016

Ming Foxweldon currently lives in the Seattle area, having moved last year from New Hampshire where she was mainly raised. Ming was adopted from Kubming China in 1994, at 3.5 years old.

She enjoys passing the time traveling, cooking, trying new foods, spending time with friends, watching documentaries, and being involved with other adoptee organizations.

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell. Closing music is “Montage” from the original motion picture soundtrack from “Swiss Army Man” courtesy of Lakeshore Records.

Sunday Oct 30, 2016

Episode 42: Kerri Vitalo-Logan

Sunday Oct 30, 2016

Kerri Vitalo-Logan lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and two children, one of whom is also a Korean adoptee. She and her twin sister are in reunion with their birth family and are trying to figure out how to navigate post-reunion relationships with them. You can find her on Facebook or email her at irishgator1@gmail.com.

Monday Oct 24, 2016

Episode 41: Deb Sivigny

Monday Oct 24, 2016

Deb Sivigny has been designing in the Washington, DC area for over a decade and is the resident faculty artist in the Theatre and Performance Studies Department at Georgetown University. She teaches courses in design and costume history. She was a Doyle Faculty Fellow in 2015 and a TLISI Summer fellow for two years introducing technology in the classroom. Recent professional credits include costume design for Round House Theatre, Theater J, Imagination Stage, Theater Alliance, Forum Theatre, and Rorschach Theatre where she is a company member. She has also designed for Kennedy Center TYA, Woolly Mammoth, Young Playwrights Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre ACA, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Everyman Theatre, Olney Theatre and The Hub. She is a member of USA 829. She is also developing new work as a member of Welders 2.0, working as a generative artist creating design-driven work for a theatre audience. She is a Korean adoptee and her work with The Welders centers around the subject of adoption. She has a BA in theatre design from Middlebury College and an MFA from the University of Maryland. You can check out her website at debsivigny.com, follow her on Twitter at @indepenguin, or email her at debsivigny@gmail.com.

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell. “Alexander Hamilton” and “My Shot” come off of the Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) from Hamilton Uptown, LLC and Atlantic Recording Corporation.

Sunday Oct 16, 2016

Episode 40: Sophie Samdperil / Emily Kessel

Sunday Oct 16, 2016

Sophie Samdperil is a Chinese American Adoptee from Nanjing China. She was raised in Brookline, MA and is currently attending Bates College in Maine, studying Sociology. Please feel free to contact her via email and facebook! Emaik: ssamdper@bates.edu

Emily Kessel was last week's guest, but she's come back on to give a quick update on the Adoptee Rights Campaign and how you can help! Check out the ARC at adopteerightscampaign.org to find out more information!

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell. “Bulletproof Love” comes off of the Luke Cage Original Soundtrack Album by Adrian Young & Ali Shaheed Muhammad featuring Method Man from MARVEL and ABC Studios.

Monday Oct 10, 2016

Episode 39: Emily Kessel

Monday Oct 10, 2016

Born in South Korea, but raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, Emily is a Korean adoptee, who from a young age, has been involved with the Korean adoptee community in Minnesota and abroad. As a university student at the University of St. Thomas, she was involved with the Office of International Student Services, ELS Language Center, Children’s Home Society and Family Services, and the Minnesota Literacy Council. After graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in Communication Studies, she spent two years working as a Fulbright grantee in Korea (Pyeongchang and Pohang), and completed her Masters program with the Korean Language Flagship Center at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Emily has also worked at a Korean language immersion camp for Concordia Language Villages. She is interested in education and language acquisition, gender equality, and immigrant/refugee rights. In her spare time, she enjoys running, yoga, watching movies and K-Dramas, and reading anything that finds its way into her hands (a novel, newspaper article, or blog of random facts). She is the Advocacy Director at NAKASEC (nakasec.org) and can be reached at eakessel@nakasec.org.

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell. Also featured today is "Long Live the Chief" by Jidenna from Epic Records, a subdivision of Sony.

Sunday Oct 02, 2016

Episode 38: Michelle Madrid-Branch

Sunday Oct 02, 2016

Michelle Madrid-Branch is an author, speaker, and global advocate for women and children. She is the author of Adoption Means Love: Triumph of the Heart and the children's book, The Tummy Mummy. Connect with Michelle on Twitter @LetHerBeGreater, Instagram, or on Facebook. To learn more about Michelle, please visit MichelleMadridBranch.com.

Monday Sep 26, 2016

Episode 37: Linda Rogers

Monday Sep 26, 2016

Linda Rogers was adopted from Korea when she was 2 1/2 years old, and she has lived in Minnesota since then. A little over 3 years ago she made contact with her biological family, and continue to have a relationship with them. Linda is a mother of three, and enjoys spending time with family and friends. You can find her on Facebook.

Sunday Sep 18, 2016

Episode 36: Sarah Eldred

Sunday Sep 18, 2016

Sarah Eldred is a Korean adoptee who resides in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is a free spirit who enjoys anything creative, writing, art, storytelling. Currently, she is working at Minnesota Public Radio in the development department with a goal to move into the production side of things. Eldred writes a blog about music theinvisibleinstigator.tumblr.com and she also had a daily blog about yoga yearoftheyogi.tumblr.com. She is also working on producing her first radio program about the Korean adoption experience which will be aired on KFAI on October 23rd. You can find it online at http://kfai.org/waveproject and you can follow her on Twitter or Instagram @thesaraheldred.

Sunday Sep 11, 2016

Episode 35: A.J. Bryant

Sunday Sep 11, 2016

A.J. Bryant is an adult adoptee, who was born in Kerala, South India and adopted to the US in 1980. He holds a unique perspective, growing up in a transracial household as an Indian male adoptee. He has a brother and a sister, also adopted from India, but they are not biological connections. He grew up in Madison, WI and Northern New Jersey. He now lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife Sasmita and infant daughter Sonali.

He’s been active in the adoption community since 2006, and has spoken on panels, at conferences and to college classrooms. He’s a member of the Lost Sarees, an Indian Adoptee organization and part of the Adoptee Rights campaign, working to pass legislation giving US citizenship to all international adoptees.

He can be found on Twitter @adoptedkeralite and blogs about adoption, contemporary India and his intercultural marriage at www.worldcitizensblog.com.

Sunday Sep 04, 2016

Episode 34: We The Lees

Sunday Sep 04, 2016

The Lees are a husband/wife team who happen to both be Korean adoptees. This commonality brings a lot of unique dynamics to their marriage, their understanding of each other, & their interactions with others. They currently reside in Nashville, TN.

About Lee

Lee was adopted at four months of age from Busan, South Korea. He has never met his birth family or started a search for them yet. Lee married a Korean adoptee who has been in post reunion with her birth family. He met Whitney’s birth family back in 2014 for the first time and has had the opportunity to begin developing a strong relationship with them even to this day. He is extremely fortunate to have the opportunity of seeing firsthand how an adoptee in post reunion and her family interact daily while being so far apart. Lee hopes to learn from this experience and be able to apply it to his own potential birth family search in the future. For now, he is content with continuing to build his relationship with Whitney’s family and discuss adoption issues with people from all around the world.

About Whitney

Upon moving to Korea for work after finishing her Bachelor’s degree, Whitney was given the unexpected opportunity to reunite with her birth family and begin to develop relationships with that nuclear core, as well as a large extended family. Six years later, she maintains regular contact with them and has experienced all of the ups and downs of navigating the complexities and dynamics of these relationships. Whitney has made every attempt to remain an open book throughout the experience in an effort to offer a perspective to adoptees and their families about what a birth family reunion can look like. She is quick to emphasize that she is not adoption expert and that her experience is just that – her experience. Adoption is such a uniquely personal thing that varies according to any number of factors (individual, family, cultural, etc.) and everyone has their own unique story.

You can check out their blog, “We the Lees,” at wethelees.wordpress.com or on Twitter @WeTheLees.

You can ALSO check out China’s Children International’s Interview with ME from this past week on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxM1WUF_m9c)! I was honored to be asked to chat with them and share a little of my story; so if you’re interested in that, be sure to check it out.

Sunday Aug 28, 2016

Episode 33: Whitney and Lee Fritz (We the Lees)

Sunday Aug 28, 2016

About Lee

About Whitney

You can check out their blog, “We the Lees,” at wethelees.wordpress.com or on Twitter @WeTheLees.

Sunday Aug 21, 2016

Episode 32: Jonathan LeBrecque

Sunday Aug 21, 2016

Jonathan LeBrecque is currently living in Washington, DC and working for the government in international development within the area of HIV/AIDS. He grew up in Springfield, MA, with three siblings: an older sister and two younger brothers. Jon went to college in Providence, RI and studying abroad for a year in England before going to graduate school in Boston. He has become more active in adoptee circles after having moved to Boston and now DC. He just attended the IKAA Gathering 2016 in Korea! You can find him on LinkedIn, Facebook (facebook.com/kantanan25).

Sunday Aug 14, 2016

Episode 31: Sally Spickard

Sunday Aug 14, 2016

Sally Spickard is a Korean American adoptee who grew up in Missouri and now lives in California. She is also a writer and an Olympic Equestrian that hopes to compete for the South Korean team in Tokyo 2020. You can visit her blog at www.kckad.tumblr.com and follow her on Twitter @SallySpickard.

Sunday Aug 07, 2016

Episode 30: Kira Omans

Sunday Aug 07, 2016

Kira Omans is an actress, model, and non-profit spokesperson from Washington D.C. At twenty years old, she is also the youngest and the first adoptee to be crowned 2015 Pacific Miss Asian American. You can like her Facebook page at Facebook.com/KiraEmilyOmans.

Sunday Jul 31, 2016

Episode 29: Cynthia Gordon Burns

Sunday Jul 31, 2016

Cynthia Gordon-Burns was born in 1965 in Paju near the DMZ and adopted in 1967. She grew up in CT in an adoptive home that provided unconditional love and support. Her parents, Roy and Annette, as well as her adoptive brother, Glenn, have always given her the room to be herself. After a 5 year career in Interior Design, Cyndy returned to school to get a teaching degree and certification. She taught middle school social studies for 11 years. In 2011, she took a leave of absence to figure out what she wanted to do when she grew up. She currently works for Wells Fargo in CT. She lives in Woodbridge with her husband Paul and her son Zachary. Some of her story was covered by CBS News (http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-womans-life-long-quest-to-track-down-her-biological-mother/), but you can hear the rest of it here! She is also the admin of the Connecticut Korean Adoptee group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/144268429078137/), so if you’re in the area, you can link up with them and request permission to join their group!

Sunday Jul 24, 2016

Episode 28: Wendy Marie

Sunday Jul 24, 2016

Wendy Marie Laybourn is a Korean adoptee and current PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. At four months of age, Wendy was adopted by a white working class family and was raised in Memphis, TN. Growing up in a city haunted by the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., she was acutely aware of racial politics, the continuing legacy of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and the work that is still to be done. Experiences of racial division and bridge building have informed her perspective and academic work. Her research interests are race and ethnicity, identity, and cross-racial bridging. When she’s not working on her dissertation, Wendy enjoys traveling, sampling local restaurants, and making notoriously long to do lists. You can find her on Instagram and Twitter @wendymarieonly, visit her website at wendymlaybourn.com, and her blog at savvysunah.com.

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at Macklemore, LLC, and Marvin Gaye at Universal Motown Records.

Sunday Jul 17, 2016

Episode 27: Spencer Stevens

Sunday Jul 17, 2016

Spencer is a Korean-Adoptee, born in Seoul and raised in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. In pursuit of higher education, he enlisted into the US Air Force with the great fortune of serving six years as a Korean Cryptologic Language Analyst, spending two years learning Korean in Monterey, California. After being stationed in Maryland, Spencer pursued networking and community building within the international adoption community in the Greater Washington DC metropolitan. There, he has served as the former president of Adoption Links, DC and later connected with Connect-A-Kid in 2015 to become the Social Media Manager. Aside from community involvement, Spencer is pursuing a career in the federal government and actively training and competing in the ice sport of curling.

Sunday Jul 10, 2016

Episode 26: Katie Holz

Sunday Jul 10, 2016

Katie Holz is a Chinese American adoptee and is one of the board members for China's Children International (CCI). Currently, Katie is earning her bachelor's degree in Health Science at Stockton University. She's passionate about providing a platform for adoptee voices and through her work with CCI she has accomplished just that!

Where to find CCI?

Website: http://www.chinaschildreninternational.org/

Facebook Group for Chinese adoptees and their parents: https://www.facebook.com/groups/chinaschildreninternational/

Follow CCI on Instagram and Twitter @CCI_Adoptees

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis at Macklemore, LLC, and Marvin Gaye at Universal Motown Records.

Monday Jul 04, 2016

Episode 25: Elizabeth Guidara

Monday Jul 04, 2016

Elizabeth was born in Busan, South Korea and was adopted by an Italian American family. She grew up as an artist with an intense interest and passion for international affairs and law. She volunteered as an actor with the Florence International Theater Company to help combat violence against women.

After graduating magna cum laude from a state school in Maryland with a degree in Political Science/Prelaw and a minor in Art in 2011, Elizabeth hopped on a plane to begin a short term career as an English teacher at Samsung Electronics in South Korea. Ironically, Elizabeth’s experiences in her birthplace inspired her to serve in the military. Elizabeth traveled to Thailand to train with a premier world champion Muay Thai fighter, returned home to DC, and trained with a DC Hall of Fame boxing coach.

She joined the USAF, she competed in the 2014 National Worldwide Ringside Boxing Tournament in Kansas City. In May of 2016, she became the first female Air Force officer graduate from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Instructor Course at the Marine Corps Martial Arts Center for Excellence. She fell in love with learning as well as teaching knife fighting techniques, joint manipulations, and arm bar takedowns to Marines, and aims on teaching self-defense to airmen as well.

Sunday Jun 26, 2016

Episode 24: Laura Cerrano

Sunday Jun 26, 2016

Certified Feng Shui Expert and Colombian adoptee Laura Cerrano is the CEO and founder of Feng Shui Manhattan (established in 1997). She is a full-time consultant who provides remote and on-site healing consultations, seminars, workshops and classes in New York, California, New Jersey and Connecticut. In addition, Laura is a resident teacher at the Metropolitan Institute of Design in Syosset, NY. Her primary focus is a unique blend of wholistic healing for your living and working environments, unconscious mind, body and spirit. She’s been featured in The New York Times, PBS, the CBC Television Documentary called "Superstitious Minds," The 98.3 K-JOY Morning Show and News China Television. Follow her on Twitter @NYCFengShui, visit her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/FengShuiManhattanLongIsland/, and check out her website at http://fengshuimanhattan.com.

Sunday Jun 19, 2016

Episode 23: Milton Washington Part 2

Sunday Jun 19, 2016

Born is South Korea, Milton was adopted and brought to the states in 1979 where he learned English and the American culture. Today he lives in Harlem and operates a creative agency while completing his memoir entitled Slickyboy.

Slickyboy Synopsis:

A fatherless black boy was born to a Korean prostitute a decade and-a-half after the Korean War. Left to roam his camptown with a pack of homeless kids, little Milton-ah fights, steals and drinks while his mother works long hours. All until the age of 8, when he’s adopted from the country that never claimed him, by a black military family from Texas, the Washingtons. Slickyboy is about the love and the loss of one mother, and a finding of another, with a lifetime of living in between.

Follow Milton Twitter @mltdubslickyboy or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SlickyboyMemoir/. Visit his website at www.slickyboystudios.com.

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell, Dumbfoundead’s new single, “Safe,” (h) and Awkwafina’s new song “Green Tea” featuring Margaret Cho (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o23w8i0H-w).

Sunday Jun 12, 2016

Episode 22: Milton Washington Part 1

Sunday Jun 12, 2016

Slickyboy Synopsis:

Follow Milton Twitter @mltdubslickyboy or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SlickyboyMemoir/. Visit his website at www.slickyboystudios.com.

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell and DANakaDAN's hit song "Is There Anybody Out There featuring Clara C." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_PcFDoOihY) which is also available on iTunes (https://itun.es/us/i4SbY) and other places you can download music.

Sunday Jun 05, 2016

Episode 21: Brendon Albrizio

Sunday Jun 05, 2016

Brendon Albrizio is a Korean adoptee living in Boston. He was adopted with his biological brother, Chris, when he was just over a year old (he was 4). He’s been involved in the community as a member of BKA since 2010. He was also the co-founder of a mobile app and digital marketing startup called “Sirculr” and is currently the COO of an ad agency called Adlife.

Songs from A Collective Effort are available at SoundCloud (Http://soundcloud.com/acollectiveeffortmusic/sets/a-collective-effort-mix-bag) and other music of the podcast comes courtesy of Needle Drop Records by The Bell, Dumbfoundead’s new single, “Safe,” (h) and Awkwafina’s new song “Green Tea” featuring Margaret Cho (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o23w8i0H-w).

Sunday May 22, 2016

Episode 20: Nate Kupel / Jen Kim

Sunday May 22, 2016

Nate Kupel is a Korean adoptee living in the Boston area and has worked with mental health, workforce development, and community based non-profits in the Greater Boston area to help them address and tackle systemic problems and strategic growth. Nate has published community based reports domestically and internationally, produced an award winning nationally syndicated public radio pilot, and is a sound designer and audio consultant for online, tv, and radio advertisers.

Nate has served on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations including the International Association for the Advancement of Social Work Groups and Boston Korean Adoptees, Incorporated. Nate has a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, and a BA in Sociology with a certificate concentration degree in Asian American Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. You can find him on Twitter @natebaek.

Every Sunday, Jen shares her adoption and identity journey via her new YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/user/JenKimCreative! Check it out and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @jenkimcreative.

Sunday May 15, 2016

Episode 19: Jacquelyn Wells

Sunday May 15, 2016

Jacquelyn Wells is a Korean American adoptee from Boston, MA. She is the owner, maker, and designer of Oohjacquelina Jewelry Designs, and a singer-songwriter. She is currently a volunteer/intern with www.womencrossDMZ.org working to end the Korean War, promote peace with women at the forefront of the peacemaking process, and reunite families in the Koreas. She is also an active member of the Boston Korean Adoptees. Find her on Facebook and Instagram: @oohjacquelina. Find her music on iTunes, Spotify, or band camp: Jacquelyn Wells Music. See her jewelry at: www.oohjacquelina.com.

Sunday May 08, 2016

Episode 18: Jenn Welch

Sunday May 08, 2016

Jenn Welch is a 30-something, native Bostonian, and Korean American adoptee. She is currently the Director of International Student Enrollment at Thayer Academy, a private day school outside of Boston. Over the last 15 years, she has been committed to helping young people, from diverse backgrounds in their quest for educational success. Jenn has worked at a number of educational non-profits like, The Steppingstone Foundation, Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society, and as an AmeriCorps Volunteer with Athletes in Service to America. When she's not changing lives - one kid at a time - Jenn is a single lady who loves the beach, pizza, sarcasm, the occasional glass of rosé, or hanging out with her rescue pup, Ella Grace. If you need a walking tour of Boston, or referrals for the best eats in the city - call Jenn - she'll happily be your guide!

Sunday May 01, 2016

Episode 17: April Dinwoodie

Sunday May 01, 2016

April Dinwoodie is a domestic transracial adoptee, a nationally recognized thought leader on adoption and foster care, and the Chief Executive of the Donaldson Adoption Institute (DAI). April is committed to improving laws, policies and practices through sound research, education and advocacy. She is also a co-founder and Vice President of the Board of Fostering Change for Children, a progressive nonprofit that helps drive innovation in the child welfare system.

Before joining DAI, April created a specialized mentoring program called “Adoptment,” in which adults who were adopted and/or spent time in foster care serve as mentors to youth in care. As a trans-racially adopted person, April shares her experiences at workshops and conferences to help potential adoptive parents and professionals understand both the beauty and complexity of adopting children of another race.

She also hosts her own podcast on iTunes called “Born in June, Raised in April,” and you can follow her on Twitter@juneinapril.

Monday Apr 25, 2016

Episode 16: Oh Myo Kim

Monday Apr 25, 2016

Oh Myo Kim is a Korean adoptee working at Boston College as an assistant professor of the practice, counseling, developmental, and educational psychology department. She has a PhD from the University of Minnesota, and a BA from Rutgers University. Her expertise is in adoption, cultural socialization, racial and ethnic identity, cultural counseling, expressive writing interventions, eating disorders, and mindfulness. You can email her at oh.kim@bc.edu.

Oh Myo Kim and Amy Mihyang Ginther will be hosting a workshop in New York on April 30, 2016 at 410 W. 47th St, from 12 noon to 5:30pm. For more information visit vocalcontext.wordpress.com and follow Amy on Twitter @vocalcontext.

Sunday Apr 17, 2016

Episode 15: Julie Young / Amy Ginther

Sunday Apr 17, 2016

Julie Young is a Korean-American adoptee and is the Founder of DreamMaker DreamDoer DreamSupporter, Inc (3D) and The Phenomenal Girls Club. She is a recovering attorney, writer, speaker, producer and host of Not Your Average for KoreanAmericanStory.org. She is Chair of the Board for KoreanAmericanStory.org, an Advisory Board member of Nazdeek and former Advisory Board member of All Together Now. She believes in good people, not acting her age and creativity. Follow her on Twitter @biggirlvoice.

Amy Mihyang Ginther is a Korean-American adoptee and has worked with clients from Europe, United States, and South Korea, instilling a sense of confidence and authenticity when it comes to their voices. She will be hosting a workshop in New York on April 30, 2016 at 410 W. 47th St, from 12 noon to 5:30pm. For more information visit vocalcontext.wordpress.com and follow Amy on Twitter @vocalcontext.

I will also be at a number of upcoming events to include the Also-Known-As 20th Anniversary (alsoknownas.org), the 10th Annual New York City Asian American Student Conference on a panel with Jenna Ushkowitz and others called "Adapted Spaces: How Transnational Adoptees are Making Their Place in the Asian American Narrative.” More information is on my Facebook page!

Sunday Apr 10, 2016

Episode 14: Heather Schultz

Sunday Apr 10, 2016

Heather Schultz is the communications and development manager at The Donaldson Adoption Institute and freelance writer. She has covered a wide array of beats including bridal technology, criminal justice, pop culture, direct marketing, legal technology, digital marketing and interior design. Her articles have been published in The New York Times, NBC News, New York Daily News, St. Louis-Post Dispatch, Kollaboration New York, WhoSay, Library Journal, Direct Marketing News and Law Technology News. She has also written columns on reproductive health for the Center for American Progress and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Aside from her professional writing career, Heather is working on a memoir about her journey for unconditional self-love and acceptance from the lens of an adoptee and domestic violence survivor. She received both a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City. In her spare time, Heather serves on the volunteer Board of Directors of Also-Known-As, Inc., runs a pre-teen adoptee support group for All Together Now, and participates in the annual MS Walk at Jones Beach State Park in memory of her mother. You can find her at www.heatherjschultz.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @heatherjschultz, and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/heather.j.schultz/. She also helps run DAI's "Let's Adopt Reform" town halls, which you can live stream from http://www.letsadoptreform.org.

Sunday Apr 03, 2016

Episode 13: Zeke Anders

Sunday Apr 03, 2016

Zeke Anders is a Korean adoptee who grew up in Detroit. He’s an independent film maker, photographer, and podcaster. In 2014, Anders created a 5-part vlog series, "American Seoul" about his childhood as an adoptee that gained national attention by NBC News, Asian-American News Journal and NPR to name a few.

The Detroit Institute of Arts invited Zeke to lecture on the phenomenon of vlogging. He created, "Vlogzilla: The Art of the Vlog", the groundbreaking, first of its kind, talk+curation that gives a revealing look at this global trend of social media. His latest ongoing project is called “The KAD” Diaries,” (TheKADDiaries.com) that explores Korean adoptees’ cultural identities, which has been covered by NBC News, the Huffington Post, and internationally on SBS News. You can find him on Facebook at facebook.com/nonmembersfilms, on Twitter @zekeanders, and online at www.zekeanders.com. You can also listen to HIS podcast, The Non-Members on iTunes and Podbean at http://apple.co/1X67Tjh and nonmembers.podbean.com.

Sunday Mar 27, 2016

Episode 12: Tara Vanderwoude

Sunday Mar 27, 2016

Tara Vanderwoude is a Korean-born adoptee, a wife, mother, friend, social worker, educator, and lifelong learner. When asked to describe adoption with only one word, her go-to answer is COMPLEX. Her blog, taravanderwoude.com, attempts to give voice to these complexities -- they are plentiful, multi-leveled, and multi-dimensional. She finds it a tremendous privilege to meet so many and to educate and share. You can also find her on Twitter @taravanderwoude, and her Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TaraVanderWoude.

Sunday Mar 20, 2016

Episode 11: Meghan McCartney

Sunday Mar 20, 2016

Meghan McCartney is a Korean adoptee who was born in Incheon City. She grew up in New Jersey and received her master's degree in ESL Education at a university in New Jersey, before finally breaking free and fulfilling her long-held dream living and working in Japan. Now back in the States, Meghan continues to teach English and wrestle with her hybrid identity, seeking solidarity with and empathy for others who are doing the same. Though difficult to reach on social media, you can contact her via email at megmccartn@yahoo.com about anything you'd like!

Sunday Mar 13, 2016

Episode 10: Rachel Park

Sunday Mar 13, 2016

Rachel Park is a tie designer, breast cancer THRIVER/awareness advocate, and founder of Rachel Park Designs and Survivor Moda. Born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in the Midwest, she grew up making clothes for family and friends and loved the creative process. Since 2005, she moved from Chicago to New York City, where her ties fused her Asian heritage with her distinct Brooklyn style and have received international press. After many years in Brooklyn, Rachel relocated to Los Angeles and in 2014, she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. After over a year of chemotherapy, surgeries and radiation, she was officially declared cancer-free. This experience led to the development of Survivor Moda and The ParkPuff™ , a portable, stylish, chest-comforting seatbelt pillow for breast cancer patients. She is an advocate for breast cancer awareness, a foodie and techie, and enjoys coffee and Korean BBQ (not together), going to the beach, and playing with her pug. You can reach her on Twitter @SurvivorModa, @RachelParkTies, follow her on Instagram @RachelParkTies, and like her on Facebook at facebook.com/rachel.park.designs.ties. Is that a mouthful or what!?

Also, here is Hollee McGinnis’ article on Ten Questions to Ask Yourself [Before You Search], mentioned during the show. (http://www.holtinternational.org/mcginnis.shtml)