22. Joseph: On Being a Guatemalan Adoptee in the US, and What Happened When the "Bubble" Burst

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Today, Shaosheen is joined by Joseph, a Guatemalan adoptee, scientist, and prominent voice in vaccinology and immunology, to talk about what he calls "the bubble", a childhood where being adopted, being different, simply never felt like an issue.

We talk about what happened when that bubble burst: a woman mistaking him for a pizza delivery man in his own research lab, a friend telling him "not you, you're one of the good ones," and the word "grateful," which, as you'll hear, is one of the most triggering things you can say to an adoptee. We also get into something Joseph feels deeply strongly about: the trauma that so often gets left out of the adoption conversation entirely, on both the adoptee and birth-parent side, and why he believes the system genuinely needs to change.

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We post new episodes every other Tuesday, and we hope you enjoy eavesdropping on our conversation.