The Empowered Adoptee Podcast

Claire Magenheimer and Laurie Vogler
  • 5.0 (8)
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We are helping to empower and heal the adoptee community by creating a safe space to share stories, tools, and learn new skills to navigate adoptee life.

  1. 4D AGO

    Seollal Reflections: Navigating Change, Compassion, and the Year of the Fire Horse

    In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we come together to honor Seollal and the Lunar New Year, while also grounding into the reality of where we are in these changing times. While we touch on the traditions of Seollal, this conversation is less about doing things “the right way” and more about meeting ourselves exactly where we are. As adoptees, connecting to culture can bring up a mix of emotions and we hold space for all of it. We explore the energy of the Year of the Fire Horse, a time associated with movement, transformation, and bold change and reflect on how this energy is showing up in our lives. Rather than pushing or striving, we focus on how to move through this year with awareness, compassion, and intention. This episode is a gentle and honest conversation about: Tips on navigating the year of the fire horseGiving ourselves permission to slow down and feelFinding balance within intense or shifting energyReconnecting with ourselves, our truth, and our inner resilienceWe also share simple, supportive ways to move through this year with care, reminding ourselves that we don’t have to rush our growth or have everything figured out. Above all, this episode is an invitation to soften, to listen inward, and to remember that wherever you are right now is enough. You are allowed to move at your own pace as you step into this new year. We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    1h 6m

  2. FEB 8

    From Unrest to Agency: Transforming White Supremacy into Peaceful Activism

    In this raw and deeply personal conversation, Claire and Laurie discuss the recent spike in ICE violence—including the high-profile murders of U.S. citizens—and how these events can trigger ancestral and personal trauma for the adoptee community. We are NOT staying small and quiet, we are fighting back! Here are 5 ways to empower yourself and fight back against inhumane acts of violence and racial profiling by federal agents in your communities: 1. Economic Resistance: The Boycott The Resource: Boycott Citizens - ICE 2. Legislative Action: Calling Your Representatives Direct pressure on senators and representatives is essential to stop the funding of mass detention and profiling. Who to Call: Find your local officials at commoncause.org.What to Say (Script): "My name is [Name], and I am a resident of [City/State]. I am calling to demand that Senator/Representative [Name] vote to defund ICE's mass detention expansion and support the Adoptee Citizenship Act. I am deeply concerned by the recent reports of U.S. citizens being racially profiled and murdered by federal agents. We need an end to 'absolute immunity' for federal officers and a restoration of our 4th Amendment rights. Our tax dollars should fund community care, not concentration camps." 3. Support the Frontlines: Where to Donate Adoptees for Justice (A4J): Specifically supports the legislative fight for adoptee rights. adopteesforjustice.orgNational Bail Fund Network: Provides immediate release for those caught in the detention system. communityjusticeexchange.orgThe ACLU: Leading the legal battles against the 2025/2026 administrative shifts in profiling laws. aclu.orgBAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration): Direct support and advocacy at the intersection of Black and immigrant rights. baji.org 4. Community Defense: Prepare Your City Building a "Community Defense" plan is a radical act of love and safety. Establish a Rapid Response Network: Use encrypted apps (like Signal) to create a neighborhood alert system. If ICE is spotted, the community can be notified instantly to film, provide legal support, or offer sanctuary.Know Your Local "Safe Havens": Identify restaurants, churches, or community centers that are committed to opening their doors during raids.Host "Know Your Rights" Workshops: Partner with local legal aid to teach your neighbors their constitutional rights. 5. Know Your Rights (Constitutional Literacy) Informed citizens are harder to oppress. Here are some legal reminders: The 4th Amendment: You have the right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures." You do not have to open your door to ICE unless they have a judicial warrant signed by a judge (not just an administrative warrant signed by an ICE official).The 5th Amendment: You have the right to remain silent. If stopped, you can say: "I am exercising my right to remain silent and I would like to speak to an attorney."The Right to Record: You have the right to film federal agents in public spaces aWe would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    57 min

  3. JAN 20

    Collective Trauma, the Nervous System, and Finding Safety in Uncertain Times

    In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore how collective trauma is impacting us on both an adoptee level and a human level. With so much uncertainty and constant information coming at us, it’s understandable if you’re feeling anxious, numb, overwhelmed, or disconnected. We talk about how our nervous systems were never meant to be in a constant state of alert, and how this moment is inviting us to slow down, reconnect, and come back into the present. Through a gentle and empowering lens, we share why gathering in community, resting without guilt, limiting digital overwhelm, and updating old beliefs around safety are essential acts of care. This episode is an invitation to offer yourself compassion, to remember you’re not alone, and to reconnect with what truly supports healing, regulation, and freedom especially in times like these. If you are looking for support or tools for connection and regulation check these out: 1. Vagal Nerve Awakening  Ear Massage: Gently massaging the vagus nerve branch in the ear to signal safety to the brain.The "Basic Exercise" (Stanley Rosenberg): Lying down or sitting up, interlocking fingers behind the head, and moving only the eyes to the far right, then far left, until a sigh, yawn, or swallow occurs.https://www.youtube.com/@BrainEducationTV/videos2. The Power of Flow: Qi Gong & Tai Chi  "Shaking the Tree" (Qi Gong): A simple, accessible practice of bouncing gently on the heels and shaking the arms to "discharge" stagnant stress energy.Tai Chi Opening Breath: Slow, circular arm movements coordinated with deep inhalations to ground the energy into the lower abdomen (Dantian).https://www.youtube.com/@BrainEducationTV/search?query=qi%20gong3. Targeted Release: EFT Tapping  The "Overwhelmed to Empowered": Focus on tapping points (brow, side of eye, under nose, collarbone) while acknowledging the "heaviness" of the world and choosing to feel safe in the body.https://www.youtube.com/@BrainEducationTV/search?query=eft%20tapping4. The Anchor: Somatic Breathwork  The "Sigh of Relief": A double inhale through the nose followed by a long, audible "Aaah" exhale through the mouth.Box Breathing: A 4-4-4-4 count to bring the prefrontal cortex back online when feeling "victimized" by external stressors.https://insighttimer.com/adamcarbary/guided-meditations/10-min-somatic-breathwork-daily-practice Reclaim Your Peace Workshop 1/24, 12pm - 2pm EST Join us for a powerful online workshop specifically designed for anyone experiencing fear and the physical state of carrying the weight of the world's collective trauma in your nervous system. This unique event combines the transformative power of Somatic Breathwork™ with the accessible grounding technique of EFT Tapping to help you gently shed layers of stress and trauma and step into your personal power. We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    51 min

  4. JAN 12

    Family Constellations Healing with Kyla Mitsunaga

    What happens when we stop trying to "fix" ourselves and start allowing healing to happen? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Kyla Mitsunaga, a business and life mindset magician and subconscious mind expert, to explore the profound world of Family Constellations and collective healing. Kyla shares her vulnerable journey from deep depression in 2016 to discovering over 25 alternative healing modalities. We dive into how she uses Theta Healing®, Integrative Hypnosis, and her trademarked Mitsunaga Method™ to help BIPOC and adoptee communities in the Bay Area (and globally) navigate the complexities of identity and intergenerational trauma. Whether you are deep in your healing journey or just beginning to look for the "light," this conversation offers a roadmap for transformation that begins in the subconscious. In This Episode, We Discuss: The Power of Family Constellations: Understanding how we carry the stories and traumas of those who came before us.Healing Without a Map: Learning to hold space for healing even when you don’t know how it will happen.The Mitsunaga Method™: How Kyla’s years of experience working in personal growth and healing around the globe transformed into this method used to help her clients heal at the deepest levels (Mitsunaga means "everlasting light" in Japanese.Support Systems: The role of "emotional support friends" and building a conscious community.BIPOC & Adoptee Visibility: Kyla’s specific work in the Bay Area and how she creates safe spaces for these unique lived experiences.Global Perspectives on Happiness: Insights from a Forbes Coach and TED speaker who has taught and coached in over 16 countries.About Kyla Mitsunaga Kyla Mitsunaga is a subconscious mind expert, author, and award-winning educator. After a successful career teaching at Harvard and in Korea, a personal health crisis led her to master 25+ healing modalities. She is the author of WITH vs AT and On Growing: Thoughts from the Field, and was named one of the "Top 51 Most Fabulous Global Happiness Leaders" by the World HRD Congress. Through her Mitsunaga Method™, she helps clients find and embody their inner light regardless of life's darkness. When not coaching or running retreats, you can find Kyla swimming, cooking (without processed sugar and salt), writing, finding the best eats around town, drinking matcha lattes, and mulling over women’s rights.  Kyla has delivered workshops in 16 countries, traveled to 51 countries and calls 5 countries “home.” Kyla would LOVE to connect WITH you here: www.kylamitsunaga.com We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    57 min

  5. 12/16/2025

    Let THEM - Reclaiming Our Freedom and Power

    In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we dive into Mel Robbins’ Let Them Theory and explore how this simple yet radical mindset shift can be deeply liberating for adoptees. As adoptees, many of us grew up hyper-aware of other people’s emotions, expectations, and needs. We learned early how to adapt, people-please, stay quiet, or shape-shift in order to feel safe, loved, or accepted. Over time, this can leave us disconnected from ourselves, our boundaries, and our truth. The Let Them Theory offers a powerful reframe: 👉 Let them think what they think. 👉 Let them feel what they feel. 👉 Let them do what they’re going to do. And then, we choose ourselves. In this episode, we share personally from our own adoptee journeys and unpack how “letting them” has helped us: Release the pressure to be understood, approved of, or validatedStep out of fear, obligation, and guilt (F.O.G.)Build healthier boundaries without shamePractice deeper self-acceptance and self-trustReclaim our energy for healing, rest, and joyWe also explore how Let Them doesn’t mean bypassing emotions or disconnecting - it means allowing others to have their experience without abandoning ourselves in the process. This conversation is especially meaningful for adoptees navigating: Complicated family dynamicsPeople-pleasing patternsFeeling responsible for others’ emotionsThe desire to be “good,” grateful, or easyAt its core, this episode is an invitation to soften, to come home to yourself, and to remember that your needs, boundaries, and truth matter. ✨ You don’t need permission to live your life.  ✨ You don’t need to explain your healing.  ✨ You are allowed to choose peace. If this episode resonates, we invite you to listen with curiosity and compassion and maybe ask yourself: Where in my life am I ready to let them… and choose me instead? Your story matters. If you’d like to connect or share your adoptee journey, we’d be honored to hear from you. Email us at: hello@theempoweredadoptee.com We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    47 min

  6. 12/01/2025

    NAAM Roundtable with Margot, Mihyun, Josh, and Kim

    In celebration of National Adoptee Awareness Month (NAAM), we are honored to feature the voices of four incredible Korean adoptees: Margot, Mihyun, Josh, and Kim. This episode is dedicated to the truth that adoptees are the experts on adoption because of our lived experience. Our intention is to bring more understanding, compassion, and much-needed awareness to the complexities of adoption. Margot, Mihyun, Josh, and Kim generously share their unique and varied perspectives as they respond to a series of prompts and honest, vulnerable questions about their lives.  This is a powerful, essential listen for everyone—adoptees, adoptive parents, and allies of adoptees. Join us as we center adoptee voices and shift the narrative toward compassion and awareness! Featured Guests: Margot Lyons Mihyun: movementflow.org@gmail.com https://www.movementflow.org/ Instagram  Josh Oberg:  Facebook Kim: hayoungkim.19781007@gmail.com FREE Adoptee Workshop: Somatic Breathwork and EFT Tapping Saturday Dec. 6, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST Register here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1968878951946?aff=oddtdtcreator Join us for a powerful online workshop specifically designed for adoptees seeking deeper healing, emotional release, and self-connection. This unique event combines the transformative power of Somatic Breathwork™ with the accessible grounding technique of EFT Tapping to help you gently shed layers of stress and trauma and step into your authentic self. Give yourself the gift of an embodied experience and create space for profound integration and personal growth. Can't wait to see you there! XOXO Laurie and Claire We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    1h 20m

  7. 11/18/2025

    Reclaiming NAAM: How National Adoption Month Became National Adoptee Month

    In this episode of The Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we explore the evolution of National Adoption Month (NAAM) and how adoptees across the world are reclaiming it as National Adoptee Month. What began as a government initiative to promote adoption has transformed into a powerful movement led by adoptees, a movement rooted in truth-telling, healing, advocacy, and empowerment. We break down the history of NAAM, how it was originally created, and why its messaging often centered adoptive parents and agencies rather than the lived experiences of adoptees. And most importantly, we talk about why adoptees today are flipping the script and reshaping the month into a space that reflects complexity, honesty, and the full emotional landscape of adoption. In this episode, we discuss: The origins of National Adoption Month and its original purposeWhy the traditional narrative felt incomplete and often silencing for adopteesThe rise of #FlipTheScript, #AdopteeVoices, and the shift toward National Adoptee MonthHow centering adoptee truth brings more compassion, awareness, and integrity to the conversationThe emotional impact NAAM can have on adoptees and how this reclamation offers healingOur personal reflections on how NAAM has changed for us over the yearsWhat this shift means for advocacy, identity, and community connection todayWe hope this episode helps listeners understand how adoptees are expanding the narrative not to erase the joy or gratitude some feel, but to create space for the whole story: the loss, the grief, the resilience, the identity work, and the empowerment that comes from owning our truth. If you're an adoptee, we see you.  If you're reclaiming National Adoption Month in your own way, we honor you. We would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    50 min

  8. 11/03/2025

    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 surprised to realize the vast spectrum of adoptee experiences.  In This Episode: Finding Her Voice: Kim opens up about initially suppressing her positive story after being criticized and told she must be "in the fog" or "too young" to know the truth.The Power of Community: Hear how connecting with her "tribe" within the KAD community gave her the courage to step into leadership roles and share her joyful narrative, which has since inspired others with positive experiences to speak up.Why It Matters: Kim explains why she feels called to ensure that positive stories are represented and celebrated, affirming that all adoptee stories deserve to be heard.Creating Connection: Learn about the local and virtual communities Kim is building, including her KAD Health & Fitness Facebook Group.Tune in to be encouraged by Kim’s warmth, leadership, and commitment to inclusivity within the adoptee community. Connect with Kim & Her Work: Local Group Instagram: @SouthCentralPAKADsKAD Health & Fitness (Facebook Group): https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17bA9FTby1/?mibextid=wwXIfrKim's Personal Instagram: @hye_kimmmKim's Photography Instagram: @GaileyFittingPhotographyWe would love to connect with you and hear from you! Please send us a text and share your story 💜 Support the show laurie@theempoweredadoptee.com claire@theempoweredadoptee.com

    1h 4m
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About

We are helping to empower and heal the adoptee community by creating a safe space to share stories, tools, and learn new skills to navigate adoptee life.

Information

  • Creator
    Claire Magenheimer and Laurie Vogler
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Empowered Adoptee Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Empowered Adoptee Podcast