Color Shift: Transracial Adoptees

Color Shift: Sarah M

For this episode of Color Shift, Nathan sits down with Sarah Myer, the acclaimed Korean American comic artist, author, and illustrator behind the award-winning graphic memoir Monstrous: A Transracial Adoption Story. Adopted from South Korea and raised in rural Maryland by a white family, Sarah shares the deeply personal experiences that shaped both their identity and creative voice. Through conversations about racism, bullying, fandom, cosplay, art, and belonging, Sarah opens up about the emotional journey that inspired Monstrous — a powerful coming-of-age story that has earned multiple starred reviews, award nominations, and recognition as one of the standout graphic memoirs of recent years.  Beyond Monstrous, Sarah has become a rising force in the comics world, illustrating and creating cover art for several issues of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures and contributing to other major projects across the comics industry. In this episode, Sarah reflects on the intersection of adoptee identity, creativity, queer identity, and pop culture — and how art became both a refuge and a way to reclaim their story.  You can find Sarah's work here at her website. [https://www.sarahmyer.net/]  See their upcoming conventions they are attending, purchase some art and their book Monstrous!  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5 [https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5] TicTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1 [https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1] Merch: Color Shift 1.0 by Nathan Choi – Adoptive Threads [https://adoptivethreads.com/products/color-shift-1-0-by-nathan-choi?_pos=1&_sid=4a4ad9caa&_ss=r] If you are interested in supporting this podcast please go to the listener support page: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] If you are a transracial adoptee and want to share your story email me at: transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com [transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com]

Color Shift: Luciana

In this episode of Color Shift: Transracial Adoptees, Luciana shares her experience growing up as an Indonesian adoptee in rural East Texas, navigating identity, belonging, and the feeling of being “othered” in a conservative environment. She reflects on family complexity, racial awakening, and the process of “coming out of the fog” as she began recognizing how adoption and race shaped her lived experiences.  After building community with other Asian transracial adoptees and returning to Indonesia in search of answers, Luciana uncovered truths about her story that challenged everything she thought she knew about her adoption. In this deeply thoughtful conversation, she speaks openly about grief, mental health, estrangement, healing, and the importance of creating space for adoptees to tell honest and nuanced stories about their lives.  Luciana would love everyone to know that she has graduated from grad school with a Masters in Counseling.  If you would like to connect with Luciana you can email her at  lucianamstandley@gmail.com Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5 [https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5] TicTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1 [https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1] Merch: Color Shift 1.0 by Nathan Choi – Adoptive Threads [https://adoptivethreads.com/products/color-shift-1-0-by-nathan-choi?_pos=1&_sid=4a4ad9caa&_ss=r] If you are interested in supporting this podcast please go to the listener support page: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] If you are a transracial adoptee and want to share your story email me at: transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com [transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com]

Color Shift: Vinh

Vinh  was born in Vietnam, with Cambodian roots, and adopted into an Icelandic, Danish, and Swedish family, where he was raised in Sweden. Growing up across multiple cultures, Vinh carried a deep curiosity about his origins—one that stayed with him for years and ultimately led him to begin searching for his birth family.  Without support from any formal systems or government resources, Vinh’s search was driven by persistence, instinct, and connection. With the help of a Vietnamese friend, he was eventually reunited with his birth family—an experience that brought both answers and a new layer of emotional complexity.  In this episode, Vinh shares openly about identity, belonging, and what it means to navigate life as a transracial adoptee across cultures. He also speaks candidly about deeply personal topics, including trauma, sexuality, and the emotional realities of reunion. His story challenges simplified narratives about adoption and highlights the resilience it takes to seek truth on your own terms.  Vinh Professional Website [https://www.vinhphillips.se/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5 [https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5] TicTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1 [https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1] Merch: Color Shift 1.0 by Nathan Choi – Adoptive Threads [https://adoptivethreads.com/products/color-shift-1-0-by-nathan-choi?_pos=1&_sid=4a4ad9caa&_ss=r] If you are interested in supporting this podcast please go to the listener support page: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] If you are a transracial adoptee and want to share your story email me at: transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com [transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com]

Color Shift: Tara

Tara was adopted as a baby from Lake Charles, Louisiana by white Mormon parents and raised in Utah with seven siblings—three biological to her adoptive parents and four adopted from different families. In 2018, she reunited with her biological family and discovered she had one full biological brother and one half-brother. Unfortunately, her biological father had passed away before she could meet him. This reunion marked a turning point. Tara began to experience a shift in her adoption narrative, emerging from the adoptee fog while simultaneously beginning to deconstruct the high-demand religion she had grown up in. This overlapping upheaval led to religious psychosis, and seeking mental health support was the first time she realized her religion might have been hurting her. She left Mormonism in 2019. Today, Tara is still navigating the complexities of belonging. She is working to build relationships with her biological family, but continues to feel the pain of not quite fitting in—either with them or her adoptive family. Projects & Communities: * Pouty Mouth (podcast)  [https://open.spotify.com/show/5Gt4PdldT1VEEezyXEqQZ4?si=95cb8c55268c4a91] * Pouty Mouth Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/poutymouthpodcast/] *  Community Discord [https://tr.ee/L-0xZ2m45x] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5 [https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5] TicTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1 [https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1] Merch: Color Shift 1.0 by Nathan Choi – Adoptive Threads [https://adoptivethreads.com/products/color-shift-1-0-by-nathan-choi?_pos=1&_sid=4a4ad9caa&_ss=r] If you are interested in supporting this podcast please go to the listener support page: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] If you are a transracial adoptee and want to share your story email me at: transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com [transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com]

Color Shift: Renee

In this episode of Color Shift, we’re joined by Renee, a Korean adoptee born in Daegu in 1976 and brought to the United States in 1977. Renee’s adoption story, as she shares, isn’t a simple one—and it’s one she’s willing to speak about fully, with honesty, care, and deep intention. Renee opens up about the complexities of her experience and the ways it has shaped her identity, relationships, and healing journey over time. Through it all, she has found a path rooted in self-discovery and transformation. Since 2018, Renee has been in private practice offering Reiki—work she describes as a form of spiritual therapy that connects mind, body, and spirit, helping others move toward healing, purpose, and meaning. This conversation explores what it looks like to face difficult truths while still choosing growth, grounding, and compassion. Renee's Substack [https://11elevenhealing11.substack.com/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3iyaqm] Renee's own Podcast [https://open.spotify.com/show/4l7Vfu8XKRNGBWAgtas5qD?si=_UqTvDnZThqNDJZ4rR2VBg&nd=1&dlsi=6b82d39cf4f84903] Renee's Business [https://www.11elevenhealing.com/] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5 [https://www.instagram.com/color_shift_tra?igsh=em5ka3hkMXJxODA5] TicTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1 [https://www.tiktok.com/@colorshifttransra?_t=ZP-8wOIvdcK7ah&_r=1] Merch: Color Shift 1.0 by Nathan Choi – Adoptive Threads [https://adoptivethreads.com/products/color-shift-1-0-by-nathan-choi?_pos=1&_sid=4a4ad9caa&_ss=r] If you are interested in supporting this podcast please go to the listener support page: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2502012/support] If you are a transracial adoptee and want to share your story email me at: transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com [transracialadoptionstories@gmail.com]