The Anna Jinja Show
The Anna Jinja show focuses on the stories, issues, and questions connected to adoption and foster care experiences.
The host is an international adoptee with biological roots in Korea and adopted roots in the United States. As you can imagine, her journey and experiences as a transracial adoptee are multifaceted. Her experiences have been with the pain of discrimination and rejection as well as the joys of self-discovery and learning to embrace all aspects of her identity.
Along the way, she has discovered that she is not alone. We’re all – in some ways – adopted into or out of homes, cultures, communities, and relationships as we grow and evolve. This show illuminates the theme of adoption, in all ways, in our lives. And how those experiences create who we are and who we are yet to be.
Her hope is that through engaging with the guests and creative content, we are welcomed home in this world, cradled in the belief that we belong, that we are worthy, and that we are loved.
So stay tuned, and you may discover your own adoption story.
The Anna Jinja Show
Max Wieland & Ian Vidovic
Finding Home in Two Worlds: Max's Journey from China to Minneapolis and Beyond: A Story of Courage, Identity, and Belonging
What does it mean to belong when you're caught between two worlds? In this deeply moving episode of The Anna Jinja Show, host Anna Jinja sits down with Max, a Chinese-American adoptee whose story challenges everything we think we know about family, identity, and home.
Adopted from Northern China at just 15 months old by a single mother in Detroit, Max grew up in Minneapolis navigating the complex terrain of being an international adoptee. But his journey took an even more courageous turn as he embraced his identity as a trans man, adding another layer to his already multifaceted experience of belonging.
"I think one misconception about adoption is that people think it's a single event," Max shares. "But for adoptees, you have to realize it is an ongoing journey... something you do have to carry and that grows with you throughout your life."
Max's story is remarkable not just for its honesty, but for its hope. From attending a Chinese immersion program in high school to finding love with his girlfriend Alexis (thanks to Alexis working at Anna’s workout location!), Max demonstrates how we can create families and communities that celebrate all parts of who we are.
This conversation touches on the unique challenges faced by Asian adoptees - from microaggressions to the constant feeling of being "not enough" in either culture - while celebrating the resilience and wisdom that comes from navigating multiple identities.
Whether you're an adoptee yourself, part of an adoptive family, or simply someone seeking to understand the beautiful complexity of belonging, Max's story offers profound insights wrapped in genuine warmth and authenticity.
Don't miss this essential conversation about finding your place in the world and creating the family that truly sees you.
Creative Content: |
Heart Of You by Ian Vidovic
(Verse)
Hello! Mr Sun
Starved from lack of Moon, feeling blue?
Seeking out the whispers
Of enchanted gloom
Pardoned by your heart
From the room, It's so true
(I am part of you)
Goodbye Mrs. Moon
Burned with flames we loose with a clue
Fretting with a tangle
That comes unglued
Sparring with nature
From the few, Its so true
(Verse 2)
Joined by
An oath
Of new life
That I hold
(I am a part of you)
Light binds
Where you go
With star shine
At your throat O-at, O-at
(I am a part of you)
I sparkle you close
in my mind
that overflows
Chorus
Twisting, turning, feel my burning
gears for winding, a love so binding again
and We'll wrap ourselves instead
Cause I am the heart of you