Timothy Vanderburg, 30, is an Australian Korean adoptee living in Sydney.  Growing up, he became involved with a local Korean adoptee camp and continued to have an interest in Korea throughout his life. And though he’s had many opportunities to connect with his native land and its people, those experiences have taught him important lessons about identity. 

Korean adoptee SunAh Marie Laybourn, 38, was adopted to the state of Tennessee in the US at the age of four months from Korea. After her adoptive mother died when SunAh was young and navigating environments where she was different from the white or Black students at her schools, she buried her feelings as a way to cope. Now an educator, motivational speaker and coach and podcaster, the high achiever has had much professional success. Lately, Laybourn has focused on a personal identity transformation that has culminated in changing her name to reflect her Korean roots. 

Verbally Effective Podcast

A Difficult Beauty Podcast

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I Love Mondays Podcast

Jonas Gürrich, 34, was adopted at three months from Korea to Norway. He has a positive outlook about his adoption and feels fortunate to have grown up with the parents and older sister, also a Korean adoptee, that he has. Recently, he’s been exploring DNA as a way to search for biological relatives, though not without trepidation. 

Remember the days when you were 21 and trying to figure out life? Add being a Korean transracial adoptee in Copenhagen dealing with racism towards Asian people in a global pandemic, meeting your biological family on your first trip back to Korea and trying decode the emojis sent from your Korean aunt? Meet Rasmus, and his thoughts about it all at time in his life when the future seems full of possibilities.

Korean-American adoptee Tara Footner, 44, survived rehoming and abusive adoptive and foster homes as a child. Those early experiences led her to turn inward to write and reflect. Today, Footner has most recently channeled her creative energy into a new online platform called The Universal Asian. 

*Child abuse including sexual abuse, rehoming; explicit language

Leah Nichols, 34, is a Korean-American woman who has been reclaiming her Asian identity after its erasure because of her intercountry adoption from Korea by white Americans, and subsequent environment growing up. She cares deeply about racial and reproductive justice and works to advance resources for other Asian adoptees. Nichols is also reunited with her biological family in Korea. Listen as she talks about some of the surprising aspects of reunion, including realizations about the affect on her American family. 

An excerpt from “Nice” by Naomi Ko appears courtesy of creator.

An excerpt of “Better Luck Tomorrow” by Justin Lin appears courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

James Straker, 51, was adopted to the US from Korea at age five. He doesn’t remember much during the time of his adoption. It’s taken him decades to unpack all the trauma from his adoption and dysfunctional adoptive family upbringing, including a suicide attempt, monastery training, moving back to Korea and marrying a Korean woman and having a family of his own. Today, he’s done a lot of healing, but knows there is much more ahead. 

“Heart and Soul” by Joy Division appears courtesy of London (UK) and Rhino Records (USA).

Jenny Dargren, 46, is a Korean adoptee in Sweden. She opens up about her struggles with bulimia and how she finally understood the disorder to be linked to low self-esteem from her abandonment and adoption. She hid from her Korean roots for many years until traveling back to Korea for the first time in her 40s. 

“I Don’t Know How to Live Without You” and “It’s True” by Jenda, aka Jenny Dargren.

Heather Schultz, 36, was adopted from Korea at four months old by a couple in Long Island, New York. At a young age, Heather lost her mother to a terminal disease and had to survive the rest of her childhood adjusting to a stepmother and stepsisters, who moved into the home she shared with her father. Seeking refuge for her grief, she found support and love from her paternal grandmother. After learning to love and accept herself, she began facing her deep grief and loss and past troubled family relationships. Today, she is an educator, public speaker and healer, who helps others to survive and move past pain and trauma. Heather has written about her life here and here. She has held leadership positions within the adoptee community, including as a board member of Also Known As NYC. 

“One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey featuring Boyz II Men appears courtesy of Columbia Records.

Thomas Juncker, 21, was adopted to Denmark from Korea as an infant and grew up always having a keen interest in his birth country. In 2019, he decided to move to Korea during a gap year in his education. There he was able to explore his Korean roots, make new friends and ponder his life and how adoption shaped it. This interview took place earlier this year, just days after his return to Denmark after nine months working in Seoul.