What does it mean to have two homes, two families, and two lives — and to love both fully?

In the latest episode of The Anna Jinja Show, host Anna Jinja sits down with Kristina Denbow, a transnational adoptee who was adopted from Kazakhstan as a child and raised in Athens, Ohio. After years of questions about her origins, Kristina made the journey back last summer — visiting the orphanage where she spent her earliest years and reuniting with her biological sister, grandmother, and niece.

What she found wasn't just closure. It was a flooding of memories, a rekindling of love, and a complicated, beautiful reckoning with identity.

What does it mean to truly love someone exactly as they are — not as a project to improve, but as a whole and complete person?  

That question is at the heart of this episode of The Anna Jinja Show, and the answers from our three guests are ones I believe every professional — in education, healthcare, counseling, or leadership — needs to hear.  

This episode of The Anna Jinja Show brings together two powerful voices for a conversation that will stay with listeners long after they press pause. 

Dr. Gretchen Sisson, author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood, shares a decade of research revealing the constrained choices and unacknowledged grief of mothers who relinquish children. 

Paired with her work is songwriter Jim Pilgrim, whose original folk-and-blues song “Down Here on the Ground” tells the story of Sofia—a 15-year-old mother navigating judgment, sacrifice, and the question: what is best for Isaiah? 

Deb Gold is a certified ICF coach who helps globally-focused individuals and organizations take practical pathways to transformation to create purposeful and impactful transformation out in the world. Deb feels that it is important to share her adoption story, of how she entered the world, and how it’s informed her actions ever since and how she encourages others to open to the wisdom of the world. 

Full Circle: A Mother, Son, and the Music of Belonging 

This week's episode features both Diane and her son Levi Merrill for an intimate conversation about adoption, identity, and what it really means to create family through choice and unconditional love. Levi, a gifted singer-songwriter, producer, and guitar teacher, opens the episode with a performance of Dan Bern's "Jerusalem"—a quirky, vulnerable song that explores identity, belonging, and the courage to reveal yourself fully. 

What does it mean to truly change the world? Sometimes it starts with creating spaces where people belong. 

Join us on The Anna Jinja Show as we sit down with Aidan Curran—a video producer, community builder, and passionate advocate for connection. From his work at the University of Dayton to co-advising the Asian American Association and serving on the Virtual Engagement Committee for The Park Adoption Community Center, Aidan embodies what it means to show up for others. 

Plus, we're featuring "I Could Change the World" by Ian Vidovic (Roads)—a song that perfectly captures the beautiful struggle of finding your path and making your mark. This conversation will inspire you to think about your own journey, the communities you're building, and the change you want to see. 

Have you ever felt caught between two worlds—not quite belonging to either, yet somehow belonging to both? 

This episode of The Anna Jinja Show explores this profound experience through a conversation with Dr. Susan Branco and Meredith Francom. 

What you'll hear: Dr. Branco, a Colombian adoptee, licensed counselor, and researcher, shares her personal journey alongside her professional insights. The conversation centers on the "Out of the Fog" model of adoptee consciousness—a framework for understanding how we navigate identity when our stories are complex. 

Have you ever felt caught between two worlds—not quite belonging to either, yet somehow belonging to both? 

This episode of The Anna Jinja Show explores this profound experience through a conversation with Dr. Susan Branco and Meredith Francom. 

What you'll hear: Dr. Branco, a Colombian adoptee, licensed counselor, and researcher, shares her personal journey alongside her professional insights. The conversation centers on the "Out of the Fog" model of adoptee consciousness—a framework for understanding how we navigate identity when our stories are complex. 

From Struggling to Thriving: The Power of Choice in Your Adoption Story "

Single mom struggle. I'm just going to struggle. This is going to be my story." 

Until one day, Rebecca Del Pozo said: "Nope. It can be different." 

In this deeply personal follow-up conversation, Rebecca Del Pozo shares how she transformed her mindset from scarcity to abundance—and how you can too. 

The Unexpected Path to Family: A Story of Patience, Faith & Perseverance 

In a world that often moves too fast, Kreig and Jillian Prior's story is a powerful reminder that some of life's greatest blessings arrive on their own timeline. 

After learning in 2005 that they couldn't have biological children, Kreig and Jillian didn't immediately pursue adoption. Instead, they hosted 15 international exchange students over the years—an experience that unknowingly prepared them for their true calling. 

"Where Am I From?" A Conversation About Belonging, Identity, and Home

"Where are you from?" It's one of the most common questions we ask when meeting someone new. But for adoptees, for those in mixed-race families, for anyone who doesn't fit the "traditional" mold, this seemingly innocent question can feel like an interrogation—a challenge to prove your belonging.  

"I Am Here": A Conversation on Adoption, Heritage, and Cultural Identity 

How do we honor stories that some would prefer to erase? What does it take to raise children across racial lines in America? And how can art preserve what history tries to forget? 

In this episode of The Anna Jinja Show, we explore these profound questions with two guests whose personal and professional missions are deeply intertwined with heritage, justice, and belonging. 

The Anna Jinja Show brings together adoptees across generations for a powerful discussion on surviving—and thriving through—life's most difficult transitions

There's a moment in every young person's life when the world feels like it's consuming them whole. The pressure to fit in. The confusion about who you are. The rage at being different. For adoptees, these universal struggles carry an added weight.

Ell Pyle is a young adoptee, talented singer, and barista at Donkey Coffee. For this episode, members of the local band Basket Case prepared something special: they selected one of their own songs for Ell and recorded a message explaining why.

When an 11-Year-Old's Courage Inspires a Country Song  This episode will restore your faith in the next generation! 

Her story begins with heartbreak. When Saily was just 11, she experienced two consecutive days of racist bullying at her Des Moines school. A group of boys said things so hurtful that she broke down. Her mother, Rohey, received a call from the principal. Both mother and daughter were heartbroken. But what happened next is remarkable. 

You know those conversations that start in one place and end up somewhere completely unexpected—somewhere even more profound than you imagined? That's exactly what happened when the host, Anna Jinja, brought together Dan Smith (Cleveland Adoption Network's 2019 Volunteer of the Year) and Nashville singer-songwriter Milly Raccoon.

Picture this: You're driving to Cleveland to meet your girlfriend's new foster baby. You walk up the stairs, knock on the door, and when it opens, the two-month-old LEAPS from her arms into yours.  That's exactly what happened to Yvan Demosthenes 25 years ago. And it changed everything.  

What does Wi-Fi have to do with hope? 

Everything, as it turns out. 

Host Anna Jinja sits down with three incredible changemakers who are quite literally connecting foster youth to their futures. Laurie McKnight, Jeremy Jenkins, and Tim Henderson are bridging the gap between young people aging out of the foster system and life-changing careers in the broadband industry. 

Sometimes the most powerful episodes come from the most unexpected sources.  This week, we're thrilled to share a special episode guest-curated by 11-year-old musician Jack Healey. After his mother, Tara Huffman (Executive Director of Athens County CASA/GAL), appeared on our show, Jack volunteered to write a song and select guests for his own episode.  

Meet Jack's Guests: Gabe and Abby Miller Jack chose his 5th grade teacher, Gabe, and Gabe's wife, Abby—foster parents who have provided care for 15 children over three years. Their story challenges everything you might think you know about foster care.  

Sometimes the most beautiful stories begin with what looks like an accident. At 18, Rebecca Del Pozo applied for non-identifying information about her biological family - standard procedure for adoptees in Canada. What came back was supposed to be scrubbed of any identifying details. But someone forgot to remove one crucial piece: her biological mother's last name. That "mistake" led to a reunion that would heal two families and set Rebecca on a path to helping thousands of others discover their own worthiness.

FROM FOSTER CARE TO FATHER OF 10

Some songs are written to be heard. Others are written hoping they'll somehow travel through the airwaves to reach someone who may never know they exist.

Joe Toles wrote "Dreamin'" as the second kind - a lullaby from a boy in foster care to a mother he'd never met, hoping his voice might somehow find her across the distance and let her know he was thinking of her.