Unraveling Adoption

Unraveling Adoption

Unraveling Adoption, hosted by adoptive parent Beth Syverson, is a safe space to delve into adoption's complexities together.

Episodes

February 17, 2025 26 mins

"So the piece that I most resonate with the Dialectical Behavior Therapy is it's one of the therapies that really understands this core feeling of feeling overwhelmed and like you don't want to be alive." - Sharon Stein McNamara

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sharon Stein McNamara, a licensed psychologist and adoption-competent ther...

Mark as Played

"I was one of these slight skeptics; I was like, well I've been breathing all my life, what can breathwork do for me?" -- Kellan Bacon

Hear the transcript of this episode here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JKBNQJYFFZT18Z0XSMHHTH37

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kellan Bacon, a gender-expansive, transracial adoptee fro...

Mark as Played

"I think she had a deep ambivalence about me, knowing me, having a relationship with me from the very beginning." -- Susan Kiyo Ito

Read the transcript of this episode here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JJYRPQ0EJEGKW4GNXFMCA8CV

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episod...

Mark as Played

"The most healing thing for me now has been the support of other adoptees." -- Dave Sanchez-Brown

Read the transcript of this episode here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JJD8EF1R7VJ6J0V5GXRWXJY4 

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EPISODE SUMMARY:

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Mark as Played

"It's a deep rooted fear of every adoptive parent that the parent will get rejected." - Dr. Asra Ali

Read the transcript of this episode here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JHS4S4K9DW0G3AZRZKWG970A

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Join Unraveling Adoption's in-person Adoption Healing Quest in Seal Beach, CA on February 8, 2025. More info and registration here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adoptio...

Mark as Played

"I was able to kind of reinvent myself into who I probably would have been at some level had I not been adopted." -- Brad Ewell

Read the transcript: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JGAR0QVDBKHQG88R7JAJ292Z

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the honor of speaking with Brad Ewell, a late discovery adoptee (LDA) who learned about his adoption at the age of ...

Mark as Played

"I truly felt the weight of the world telling the story. I felt like it was a great responsibility, but I had to do it." -- Kristal Parke

Read the Transcript here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JG7AR0SN4Y6M7WW6E7WEK0AT

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kristal Parke, a talented filmmaker and adoptee, about her acclaimed d...

"We followed her lead. And so there was a lot of laughter and there was a lot of beauty." -- Jessica Fein

Read the episode transcript here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JG2GNT8VS6BJTW0VGKSK3 PVA

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"I didn't realize how strong I was until, you know, I got into therapy and started to understand all the things that I've overcome." - Ron Jenkins

Read the transcript of this episode here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JFJJKB7XP00HAV5P6H6ETQGJ

EPISODE SUMMARY:

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"I use the language of supply and demand because this is a market-based system and it's uncomfortable for a lot of people, right? Because you're talking about a supply and demand of human beings." -- Gretchen Sisson

Read the transcript here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JESZ6VPKJMRTMRHX6ZMBHDB7

 

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of spea...

Mark as Played

"I...sometimes I forget that I'm Asian unless I see myself in a mirror." -- Nathan Nowack

Read the Transcript: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JEAFSD4KFY07AFGENGAPDN7A

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Nathan Nowack, a Korean adoptee, professional photographer, and co-host of The Janchi Show. Nathan shared his adoption stor...

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"I think now that we have this knowledge, then we can use our story to help create awareness." - Lori Evans Ermi

Read the transcript here: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JDRMT4Z5RGJ6SD35WBFBT4PM

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of welcoming Lori Evans Ermi and her 17-year-old daughter, Kate Ermi, both of whom are adoptees and co-wrote the...

Mark as Played

"I almost feel like there was a blueprint, and I was a character to fit into that blueprint." -- Tim Perdion

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the opportunity to speak with Tim Perdion, an adoptee from Ohio who has spent the last decade navigating his journey of self-discovery and healing. Tim shares his experience of being adopted shortly after birth and the...

Mark as Played

"The plants are always turning everything upside down because our culture is upside down." -- Mee Ok Icaro

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I, Beth Syverson, welcome back Mee Ok Icaro, a previous guest who has shared her profound insights on adoption and healing through plant medicine. This episode is particularly special as we recorded as we prepared for an ayahuasca r...

Finding Empowerment through Sex Work as a Korean Adoptee with Kayla Tange

"I can be in my body, and in that moment, I feel safe." -- Kayla Tange

 

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Kayla Tange, a Korean adoptee raised by Japanese-American parents. She has navigated a unique and complex journey through life as an exotic da...

Mark as Played

"I thought I'll go to the embassy and I'll clear this up. Yeah, that I was adopted legally and I was US citizen." -- Mike Davis

 

READ THE TRANSCRIPT HERE: https://app.swellai.com/t/tp_01JB3BV6BMN0QQD1M7BWPZEVPK

 

EPISODE SUMMARY:
In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Mike Davis, an intercountry adoptee whose story sheds light on...

"I can read a book and tell you if it's written by an adoptee, written by an adoptive parent or written by somebody who's just a famous author and someone told him to write about adoption and they know nothing about it." -- Allison Olson

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the pleasure of speaking with Allison Olson, an adoptee and adoptive parent who has made signif...

Mark as Played

“I'm telling all the skeptics who may be listening, just go in there with an open mind because you're not going to lose anything. You have so much more to gain.” - Jonathan Moon

 

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the privilege of speaking with Jonathan Moon, an adopted person who has navigated the complexities of relinquishment and adoption trauma. Jonathan's jour...

Mark as Played

"I think my mom does a great job addressing this in the book, but open adoption is not without its challenges." - Belle Sexton

Episode Summary:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I had the honor of speaking with Linda R. Sexton, an adoptive mom and author, and her 25-year-old daughter, Belle. This marks our first mother-daughter duo on the podcast, offering a unique perspective on o...

Mark as Played

"The way that fascism triumphs is if everyone goes silent and becomes quiescent." - Mark H.

EPISODE SUMMARY:

In this episode of Unraveling Adoption, I, Beth Syverson, welcome Mark, a transracial adoptee from Korea and a passionate advocate for adoption-related issues. Together, we delve into the often-overlooked intersection of politics and adoption, particularly in the context of the upcoming...

Mark as Played

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