{"id":27220,"date":"2024-11-18T16:29:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-18T16:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=27220"},"modified":"2024-11-18T17:48:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-18T17:48:26","slug":"episode-196","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/education\/podcast\/episode-196\/","title":{"rendered":"Episode 196: Redefining Belonging \u2013 Jessica\u2019s Journey from Adoptee to Advocacy"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"template":"","categories":[283],"tags":[370,309],"class_list":["post-27220","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","category-surrogacy-adoption","tag-adoption","tag-advocacy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Episode 196: Redefining Belonging \u2013 Jessica\u2019s Journey from Adoptee to Advocacy | Progyny<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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person's story changes my narrative. Everything that I know about adoption or my own experience changes when I talk to somebody else, and I hear what their experience was like.","episode_intro_guest":"Jessica Luciere","episode_intro_company":"Adoptee Advocate","episode_banner_section_intro_text":"This is Infertility is a bi-weekly podcast where we fuse narrative storytelling with experience and science to give you a new perspective on what it\u2019s really like to go through a family building journey. Each episode dives into the emotional, physical, and financial burdens carried by those who experience infertility on their path to parenthood. Be it IVF, IUI, egg freezing, surrogacy, adoption, etc., the path is never the same and it can be long, painful, and lonely. It\u2019s our mission to give those struggling a platform to be heard, a community connection, and an opportunity to raise awareness of the 1 in 6 who, for many reasons, struggle with infertility.","episode_page_title":"Episode 196: Redefining Belonging \u2013 Jessica\u2019s Journey from Adoptee to Advocacy","episode_embed_code":"<iframe style=\"border: none;\" title=\"Embed Player\" src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/33395692\/height\/128\/theme\/modern\/size\/standard\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/ffffff\/time-start\/00:00:00\/playlist-height\/200\/direction\/backward\/download\/yes\/stats-code\/landing196\/font-color\/000000\" width=\"100%\" height=\"128\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe>","episode_details":"<span data-contrast=\"auto\">This National Adoption Month, we hear from Jessica Luciere, a transracial, transnational adoptee, who shares her journey of self-discovery. Growing up with the love and support of her parents, Jessica also yearned for a sense of community to help her navigate her identity. She ultimately realized the importance of representation and the power of connecting to others with similar backgrounds.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">Today, Jessica works alongside adoptees, families, and professionals, as a program facilitator and adoptee advocate, creating spaces that celebrate and honor diverse backgrounds and foster deeper connections. Join us as Jessica dives into the importance of community, mentorship, and how she\u2019s using her experience to support others.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Guest: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Jessica Luciere, Adoptee Advocate<\/span>\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Host: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Dan Bulger, Progyny<\/span>\r\n\r\n<em><b>A note from our host:<\/b> <\/em><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">My parents were foster parents throughout my life. Over time, they helped over 100 kids before they retired. In fact, my younger brother was adopted through that program. Being a kid, I had a different family life than my friends and neighbors. For me, it was a source of pride, and I still believe my parents are heroes.<\/span><\/i>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">For more information, visit Progyny\u2019s Podcast page and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.progyny.com\/education\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Progyny\u2019s Education page<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\"> for more resources. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @ThisisInfertilityPodcast and use the #ThisisInfertility. Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:thisisinfertility@progyny.com\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">thisisinfertility@progyny.com<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"none\">This episode is also a video! Watch it here:<\/span>\r\n\r\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/ifz3a3HV8r0\r\n\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Growing Up, Adopted\r\n<\/b><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">03:12 \u2013 05:38<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Jessica Luciere:<\/span><\/b> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">My parents had been married for, I think, about seven or eight years at the time, and got pregnant and my mother had gotten sick while she was pregnant, and this was back in the late 70s when, I guess, there weren't probably as many preventative services around. So, it caused her to deliver early and then, unfortunately, their daughter only lived for about two weeks. She was always a conversation in our home at the time, and the experience was not always part of our conversation, but I always knew about Stephanie. I think you know them always wanting to continue and build a family and have a child.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">It was tough to understand from a young person's perspective, why I would walk into a room with my parents, and some people would look at me and try to figure us out a little bit more. I joined my family at three months. So, my parents are my parents. They are the people that I've known my whole life. And of course, I knew that I had been born somewhere else, they were always very open and honest with me about that, which I'm very thankful for. But as much as I knew that, I can't say that it was ever on my mind when going into new spaces.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>From Mentors to Mentorship\r\n<\/b><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">07:26 \u2013 08:24<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Jessica Luciere: <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To become a mentor is to give that representation to other adopted people, to be there in service for, you know, helping to uplift the voice of adopted people by also talking to adoptive parents and professionals. It felt very natural, and I felt empowered. I had never imagined that my story and my experiences could be helpful to other people, because as adopted people, you know, we tend to just feel as though our experiences are our own. It wasn't until I was given a platform to speak on panels, to be a part of trainings, to become a mentor, that I realized, the things that I have gone through help to give some light to other people who might be going through some things.<\/span><\/div>\r\n<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>Reclamation of Identity\r\n<\/b><\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">08:54 \u2013 17:57<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Jessica Luciere:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> We talk about the importance of having representation of your child's racial background, their cultural background, integrated into the family before the child joins their family. It helps to make the family feel as though it's not just, you know, parents adopting from this country that they may not have a connection with other than having their child from there.<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">People who are adopted, and especially those of us transnational adoptees tend to kind of find a tie at some point in their lives to their birth culture, to their country, and usually it's the language, it's the food, that are those first steppingstones into reclamation of that piece of your identity. And so, if that's kind of already embedded in what your family has put in front of you and has given you the opportunity for and themselves, then it's a little bit less of this huge transition, this re-adoption of who you were. And also, finding community, finding other places where your child finds representation, having mirrors for them in their lives, and having that integrated in very purposefully.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<span data-contrast=\"auto\">When you are able to find community and find that you're not the only one. There's a lot of people out there that have had a lot of the same questions, that have gone through very similar things. When you're able to talk about your experiences and how you feel, it's empowering. You know, it's an important space for growth.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">A Growing Perspective<\/span>\r\n<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">20:57 \u2013 22:46<\/span>\r\n<div style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\r\n\r\n<b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Jessica Luciere:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Every person's story changes my own narrative. Everything that I know about adoption or everything that I know about my own experience changes when I talk to somebody else, and I hear what their experience was like. Regardless of how different our beginnings were, those stories are what keeps me doing this work. It keeps me thinking about how we can create more programming and create more spaces to uplift adopted people and their voices to make sure that we're centering the adopted person.<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Dan Bulger:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> That person you're going to adopt needs and deserves this connection, and you as their parent, are going to be their safe space. So, if you're going in, dive in, soak up as much as you can, incorporate that culture, learn the tools you need to succeed, and when the time comes, practice openness.<\/span>\r\n\r\n<\/div>","episode_host_image":22660,"episode_host_title":"Dan Bulger, Producer at Progyny","episode_host_bio":"Dan has been in the healthcare industry for the past ten plus years as a multimedia content producer. Better known as \u2018Video Dan\u2019 he has interviewed numerous doctors, patients and other experts in the world of fertility. He\u2019s also the producer for this podcast, This is Infertility and the producer behind the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/progyny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-uw-rm-brl=\"exc\" aria-label=\"Progyny YouTube Channel - opens in new tab\" data-uw-rm-ext-link=\"na\">\u00a0Progyny YouTube Channel<\/a>\u00a0which features interviews with dozens of the nation\u2019s leading fertility specialists. On a personal note Dan\u2019s parents started fostering kids when he was four years old, and he considers himself a proud older brother to over 100 foster children.","episode_guest_1_image":27221,"episode_guest_1_title":"Jessica Luciere, Adoptee Advocate","episode_guest_1_bio":"Jessica M. Luciere is a transnational Colombian adoptee who grew up on Long Island, New York, with her Irish\/Italian parents. She is an Adoptee Advocate, dedicated to creating spaces where the adoptee voice and experience is elevated and honored. Jessica is a mother of two and wife currently living on Long Island, she has been in reunion with birth family since 2006. Within her current role as the Associate Director of Family &amp; Community Support at Spence-Chapin, she oversees all programming supporting adopted people and their families from ages 0 through adulthood, including family playgroups, Mentorship programs, virtual spaces for adopted people all around the world, and parent groups, to name a few. Jessica is also a Board member of IAmAdoptee.org, a nonprofit organization highlighting transnational adopted people, and mental health. She has previously worked with A.F.F.C.N.Y., and is the former President of All Together Now, a nonprofit organization supporting adoptees and their families based in Brooklyn, NY. Creating representation and supportive resources for adoptees is the center focus of her work, and what continues her passion for working within the community.","episode_guest_2_image":"","episode_guest_2_title":"","episode_guest_2_bio":"","episode_guest_3_image":"","episode_guest_3_title":"","episode_guest_3_bio":"","episode_guest_4_image":"","episode_guest_4_title":"","episode_guest_4_bio":"","episode_guest_5_image":"","episode_guest_5_title":"","episode_guest_5_bio":"","episode_music_section_links":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/27220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progyny.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}