Labor of Love: A Podcast for BIPOC Adoptees Navigating Parenthood

This episode with Dr. David McCarty-Caplan touches on so many profound and heartfelt areas, carried by the radical vulnerability, honesty, and compassion he brings to the conversation. David generously shares about his reunion with his Colombian birth family-- first on his own, and later with his children and partner. We explore how his kids embraced reunion and modeled openness, curiosity and lov...

Join us and Dr. Oh Myo Kim for an illuminating conversation on her time parenting her two children while in Korea as a Fulbright researcher and professor at Yonsei University. Dr. Kim graces us with her perspective on Korean and US politics, how she is including her children in learning about current events, and what it has been like teaching Korean and international students about Korean adoption...

Join us for our second episode of season 2 with Shannon Bae. Shannon is a long-time friend, fellow Korean adoptee community activist and organizer, and mother of two amazing kids. This intimate conversation took place in Seoul in the summer of 2023 during the International Korean Adoptee Association's 6th Korea Gathering. In our shared ancestral land, Shannon generously shares about her decision t...

Join us for a fierce and loving conversation with Cynthia Mumtaz Anderson, Pakastani adoptee mother of two and social justice professional. Cynthia shares about her inspiring practice of Kitchen Table Politics where she has honest conversations with her children and partner about current events, how they are affecting their lives, and what they are going to do about it together. We talk about her...

Hello all~ We're thrilled to be back for Season 2 after a lengthy hiatus! Episode 1 dropping soon. We've missed you! <3 N & R Co-Hosts: Nari Baker & Robyn Park Music: Mike Marlatt & Paul Gulledge Audio Production: Frederico Soler Fernández & Augustina Moore ( august222222.com ) Artwork: Dalhe Kim Listen on: iTunes & Spotify Instagram: @laboroflovepodcast Support via Venmo: @...

In this episode, Jenna Corriveau takes us on her journey out of the fog of internalized white supremacy, adoptee “fawn response”, isolation, and harmful familial relationships, and into personal authenticity, self love, adoptee community, and empowerment as a BIPOC adoptee mother. She generously shares her belief in brain science, learning nervous system regulation, and giving oneself daily grace,...

Join us for a beautiful conversation with adoptee mother, Astrid Castro and daughter, Maya Papaya Castro Dabbeni. They generously share about their tremendous love and bond, and shed light on how intergenerational trauma and painful legacies of adoption have affected their relationship, perspectives, and behaviors. We also discuss the importance of mirroring and how unique it is for adoptees and c...

Dr. Kimberly McKee joins us in a lively conversation that touches on her experiences with her blended family through the pandemic, relationship with her birth family, and upcoming research on API adoptee women and girls in the media. Kim generously shares her perspectives on the challenges and privileges of being a working mom, an adoptee in reunion, and in partnership with a fellow Korean adoptee...

Jessica M. Luciere, Colombian adoptee in reunion, generously shares her unique perspective as a long-time professional adoptee mentor/advocate and mother of two young children. An only child with adoptive parents who passed away, Jessica has the complex experience of witnessing her children forge life-long relationships with her Colombian family and not the Italian American parents who raised her....

Today we sit down with Dr. JaeRan Kim, a fierce advocate, researcher, social worker, blogger and needle savvy knitter. Over many years, JaeRan has been very influential in the adoptee community through her academic publications and well-known blog, Harlow’s Monkey, where she connects transracial adoption to the larger forces of white supremacy, racism and colonization. She continues to be a vast r...

Join us for a heartfelt and deeply reflective conversation with Isaac Etter, father of a 22-month-old son (at the time of recording), Black domestic adoptee, activist, and founder of identitylearning.co. Isaac generously shares some of his adoption story with us, his journey into fatherhood, and his reflections on some of the more challenging and even taboo feelings that often come up for adoptees...

Angela Burlile, Korean adoptee, joins us for a very intimate conversation about her journey from considering adoption to pursuing IVF in Korea. We time travel together to discuss befriending grief, loss, longing and healing, and her courageous process to remove herself as the site for unlearning racism with her husband. Angela Burlile Bio: Angela (she/her) is a Korean adoptee currently living in L...

Join us for an illuminating conversation with Dr. Kit Myers, Hong Kong transracial adoptee, father of two daughters, police abolition activist, and an old adoptee camp counselor friend. Kit would have been your favorite P.E. teacher, but he opted to immerse himself in academic studies, coming out on the other side as current Assistant Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at UC Merced. We...

Shannon Gibney is a mother of three, prolific author, activist, educator, runner, and Buddhist transracial adoptee. In this episode, she blesses us with profound reflections. We dive straight into the “structures of feeling”, a place beyond words, where loss and other body wisdom lives, a kinship among adoptees and to loss itself. Shannon connects the losses of adoption to experiences of infant lo...

Joy Lieberthal Rho is a powerful Korean adoptee leader, founder, visionary, and community nurturer. Join us for the pleasure of listening to her share some of her personal parenting journey, her keen observations on motherhood milestones, and the importance of seeking prenatal, postpartum, and mental healthcare that centers the unique and specific experience of being a BIPOC adoptee parent.  Joy L...

Join us for a beautiful conversation with Korean adoptee, Stephen Johnson, as he shares his journey into new fatherhood and the call to be the best version of himself for his son. He also shares poignant adoptee moments such as when his son became the age as when he was adopted. Stephen discusses reuniting with his birth family, his thoughts on birth fathers and adoptee fathers, and honoring his K...

Amy HyunAh Pak and Sarah Kim Park, two incredible Korean adoptee mothers, antiracism activists and adoptee community leaders, join us for our very first episode. They generously share their journeys as Korean adoptees, daughters of the diaspora, and community mothers. We traverse deep territory, touching on areas such as ancestral connections, healing through parenting, and the strength and love t...

Welcome to Labor of Love, a podcast that centers and amplifies the voices of BIPOC adoptees navigating parenthood. In this space, we connect with and gather the wisdom of contemplating, expecting, new, and experienced adoptee parents of color. We talk fertility, conception, pregnancy, birth and delivery, postpartum and beyond, all from an adoptee perspective. We believe our community needs and des...