In this week’s episode of your favorite Korean Adoptee podcast, the Janchi Boys sit down with Mary Byrne and talk about the journey towards reunion and all the emotions that come with it. Mary shares her story growing up in St. Louis and how she started the search for her biological/first family. She tells us about her interactions with the adoption agency and the moments of connection that brought her to where she’s at today.
Later, Mary joins us for another Pororo snack!
PS: Post Creds!
// Meet Mary Byrne
In this episode we talk about:
- New Intro: 1:30
- The Car Crash Intro: 12:29
- Mary’s story: 13:50
- Growing up in St. Louis: 14:46
- “The guts to start searching.”: 24:11
- The start of the search: 28:55
- Photos from the agency!: 36:49
- The journey of reunion: 40:32
- Communicating with her birth father: 47:06
- Run it back: Receiving the letter from her father: 50:15
- Back to it: Receiving the letter from her birth mother: 52:55
- Returning to Korea: 56:24
- Meeting, experiencing, and asking questions: 1:01:30
- The fooooooood portion!: 1:09:48
- Post Credits: 1:21:53
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The Janchi Show Quick Bio
We’re three Korean Adoptees spread out around America and each of us are at different stages in life. We’ll talk about the Korean adoptee experience from our perspectives and learn more about our shared culture, usually with food. And it won’t just be the three of us; each week we’ll have other adoptees from all over the world joining us to talk about what makes us similar and what makes us unique. So join the party!
// Meet the Janchi Boys!
Nathan Nowack
Nathan was adopted from Seoul at 5 months old and raised in a small town in Oklahoma by a loving family and non-biological adopted sister. After college in Colorado he later moved to Los Angeles to pursue a digital media career and eventually started 2 photography companies. He has a wife and 3 kids and has reconnected with his biological family in 2014. In 2021, Nathan and his family moved back to Colorado to be closer to family and start a new chapter in their lives.
Connect with Nathan!
- Website: http://www.nathannowack.com
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/nathann/
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/nowackphoto
Patrick Armstrong
Patrick was adopted from Seoul by a white family in Indiana. He is also the president and co-founder of All Times Are Local, a Chicago-based nonprofit focused on helping older foster youth. He attended college at Purdue University in West Lafayette and currently resides in Indianapolis.
Connect with Patrick!
- Website: http://www.alltimesarelocal.org
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin/in/patrickarmstrong219
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/patrickintheworld
K.J. Roelke
KJ was adopted from Daegu and raised in Dallas, Texas with his two biological, older siblings and his younger sister, adopted from Russia. After spending a decade in the Midwest for college and career, he and his wife are back in Dallas and living large! He has been on his journey of discovery since 2015 and spends his days populating the internet with content.
Connect with K.J.!
- Website: http://kj.roelke.info/
- LinkedIn: http://linkedin/in/kjroelke
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/kjroelke
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// The Janchi Show is produced by Just Like Media:
- Website: http://www.justlikemedia.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/justlikemedia
Executive Producer: Jerry Won
Creative Director: Michelle Nam
Audio & Video Engineer: K.J. Roelke