Laurie and Claire dive deep into the anatomy of a trigger, reframing it from a moment of suffering into a sacred invitation for self-reflection and healing. They get personal about the challenges of navigating white adoptive families who gaslight lived experiences and the deep biological disconnect of growing up without genetic mirroring. Plus, don't miss a "mind-blowing" discussion on how hormones like estrogen impact our tendency to people-please and why perimenopause might actually be an adoptee’s secret weapon for reclaiming autonomy.

Whether you are trying to hold onto your center during a triggering phone call with your family or looking for tools to heal a "festering" emotional wound, this episode offers a roadmap for becoming your own inner healer.

Key Takeaways

• Triggers as Invitations: Learn to see a trigger not as an attack, but as a mirror reflecting a "blind spot" or a "festering wound" that is finally ready for your own attention, curiosity, and compassion.
• The Power of Boundaries: Discover why setting a boundary isn't about shutting people out; it’s about protecting your inner peace so you can show up as your authentic self on your own terms.
• The "People-Pleasing Hormone" Reframe: A fascinating look at how declining estrogen in perimenopause and menopause can lead to a newfound sense of autonomy and the strength to stop "giving fucks" about external approval.
• The Biological Disconnect: Addressing the specific grief of transracial adoptees navigating significant bodily changes—from puberty to menopause—without the guidance or mirroring of biological kin.
• Jeong & Community Healing: The power of communal love and the emotional glue or "jeong" found in shared experiences, like the kitchen duty at Plum Village or the Empowered Adoptee retreats.

If this episode resonates, we invite you to listen with curiosity and compassion and maybe ask yourself:

Where in my life am I running from my triggers? Are they stealing my peace?

We want to invite you to lean in. Treat that trigger like a sacred guest—a mirror showing you exactly where you are ready to heal.

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

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 horse
• Giving ourselves permission to slow down and feel
• Finding balance within intense or shifting energy
• Reconnecting with ourselves, our truth, and our inner resilience

We 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

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.org
• National Bail Fund Network: Provides immediate release for those caught in the detention system. communityjusticeexchange.org
• The ACLU: Leading the legal battles against the 2025/2026 administrative shifts in profiling laws. aclu.org
• BAJI (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 as long as you do n

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