Found Family
Local podcast explores what "adoption" truly means
By Madeleine Colbert | Design by Sophia Cianciola
We all experience adoption. While a particular definition of “adoption” may first come to mind upon hearing the word, adoption is present in many different ways in everyone's lives. "The Anna Jinja Show," a podcast currently based in Athens, is tackling this topic head-on by exploring what defines adoption and how people define themselves both within it and in relation to it.
"The Anna Jinja Show" released its first episode in May 2023 and has been releasing 20-minute episodes weekly ever since. Anna Jinja Mather is an adoptee from Seoul, South Korea, who grew up in Iowa. She now lives in Athens, where she works as Ohio University's Director of Academic Marketing Strategy. She created "The Anna Jinja Show" to share her own experiences with adoption and those of other adoptees, as well as to talk about adoption of all forms: from familial adoption and foster care, to the adoption of beliefs, ideas and cultures.
“We adopt our communities, we adopt our values and experiences to create who we are, and so the point of the podcast, really, is that sometimes there are things that are different about us, that are unique, and while my experience is through the lens of adoption, we all experience these questions of identity, of belonging,” Mather says.
This idea, or motif, of belonging pervades the entire show and is present both in the episodes and within the staff working on the show itself. For Linnea Hietala, the show's social media manager, the theme of inclusion is what made her want to be involved in the show in the first place. According to Hietala, the sense of connection fostered by the podcast isn’t limited to its audience; it’s something she experiences firsthand within the team during production.
“I do feel like we have even a little sense of community just in our weekly meetings ... even within the show's behind the scenes, I feel like there is a community and a sense of belonging as well. I feel like a core part of the team,” Hietala says.
Community, also referred to as "chosen family," is another central theme in the podcast and a core part of what it means to belong. The ability to build a supportive network wherever you are is essential to life, and this is explored deeply within the show. This theme is something that appealed to Zoie Lambert, the show’s storytelling consultant and OU graduate.
“I have been all across the country. I went to college three hours from my home. I’ve lived five hours from my original home, and in order to thrive, you need people around you that support you, and sometimes you cannot. You don’t have family in all 50 states, or any country you go to, so you have to form connections that reveal your chosen family,” Lambert says.
Another distinctive aspect of the podcast is that every guest who shares their story is paired with an artist, musician or poet who creates or selects a piece of art related to the guest's narrative. This approach highlights emerging creatives while also expanding the podcast’s message, offering new ways for audiences to connect with it.
“They may not be an adoptee or in the foster care system, but they hear something about the story that connects to them, that helps with the creative process ... and then they come on the show to talk about, ‘Why did you pick this song for me? What are the things that are connected? What are the things we might not have in common? What are the things we do have in common?’ And that creates this transformative experience of people understanding that we all belong on this Earth,” Mather says.
Outside of the more figurative or metaphorical definitions of adoption, the show focuses on the challenges adoptees face in their lives and how adoption is often misunderstood. Many of these stories, often featured in mainstream media, focus on adopted kids finding their birth parents, or the story is told entirely from the adoptive parents’ point of view. This trend can harm adoptees and how comfortable they feel sharing their own experiences around adoption, as many times, it doesn’t center on the feelings of the adoptees themselves.
“There are some guests that have been on this show that have been afraid to talk about their feelings with their adoptive parents about still feeling grief or sorrow ... because there is this belief that adoptees should feel grateful ... and I would like to dispel the notion that, just because somebody is in a better place because of their adoption, that they can't feel grief and sadness about what is lost as an adoptee,” Mather says.
Through shaping the show’s online presence, Hietala became deeply familiar with how limiting the language around adoption can be. Everyone has different experiences and stories that define their emotions surrounding adoption, and these feelings can be difficult to express without accidentally hurting someone along the way. This complexity became something Hietala witnesses firsthand as she manages the podcast’s social media.
“The complications of adoption and the adoption community, at one point, were something that I tiptoed around. I was a little more fearful just because I never wanted to offend anyone or hurt anyone's feelings ... but then through hearing more stories about adoption in the broader sense, in the sense the show talks about, as everyone experiencing it, I think that has opened my mind to the idea of how stories of adoption can be reframed as healing,” Hietala says.
Healing is another thread that weaves throughout the entire show. Adoption experts frequently come on and help facilitate weighted conversations. They give advice to both guests and listeners alike. Mather also tries to foster a safe environment for healing where people are free to discuss experiences without fear of rejection. The show aims to build healing between people and communities — and share that message with as many people as they can.
“It seems everyone is becoming more and more divided, and finding ways to be able to connect and be able to have compassion, sympathy and empathy is important ... With this podcast, people feel their hearts soften. And when you think about people making the choice to adopt another human being into their family, and to be able to love without any barriers and to be able to help people reach their full potential through loving them is a very powerful message,” Mather says. b
