Feb 16 2025 54 mins 2
In this powerful episode of the Empowered Adoptee Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Hollee A. McGinnis, a Korean adoptee, educator, scholar, and healer with nearly 30 years of experience in adoption and child welfare. Hollee’s work focuses on amplifying adoptee perspectives, advocating for socially just child welfare policies, and supporting individuals raised in alternative care—including adoptees, foster youth, and those from orphanages—so they can thrive across their lifespan.
Hollee shares her personal and professional journey, from being adopted from South Korea to founding Also-Known-As, Inc., a pioneering nonprofit for intercountry adoptees. We explore the complexities of adoptive identity, cultural loss, trauma, and healing, and discuss how adoptees can reclaim their narratives and empower themselves through community, research, and self-exploration.
What You’ll Hear in This Episode:
- Intention vs. impact—how adoption narratives shape our experiences and healing
- Hollee’s role as a pioneer and creator of adoptee spaces and how they’ve evolved over time
- The importance of bringing healing and empowerment to the adoptee community
- Dismantling the socialization that “others” people and reclaiming our place in the world
- The difference between power over vs. power with and how it affects adoptee experiences
- Kimchi healing and accessing the wisdom within—connecting to ancestral knowledge and self-trust
Join us for this thought-provoking conversation as we discuss the intersection of identity, healing, and social justice in the adoptee experience.
We are super excited to announce our upcoming Empowered Adoptee Retreats!
APR 25-28 in Lake Tahoe, CA
Connect, heal, and empower yourself with Hollee, Laurie, and Claire at our next Empowered Adoptee Kimchi Healing With Our Ancestors Retreat!
June 22 - 24 in Atlanta, GA
Registration opens soon - stay tuned and reach out to receive more info here:
Connection. Healing. Empowerment.
The Empowered Adoptee Retreat is a transformative journey for Korean Adoptees of all genders to explore identity, heal in community, and learn tools to live life more empowered.
A retreat to nature.
Experience the natural beauty, serenity, and charm of California's Lake Tahoe. Immerse yourself in nature and find healing in our restorative accommodations.
Registration for Lake Tahoe Retreat is open now! Check out our accommodations, schedule of events, pictures from past retreats, and much more
https://www.theempoweredadoptee.com/
We would love to see you there and please share this post with friends and your KAD community
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