Patrick Armstrong, a transracial Asian American adoptee, shares his experience navigating rejection, reclamation, and self-acceptance through the framework of the Adoptee Consciousness Model. Patrick Armstrong was born in South Korea in March of 1990 and adopted to a white family in rural Indiana four months later. While he had what many (including himself) would call a positive adoption experience, there were also a number of things he struggled with, foremost among them the rejection of his ethnic and racial identity. This rejection would root itself deep within him and it would not be until the age of 30 that he would begin unpacking and understanding what this meant, when a confluence of events triggered his journey from rejection to reclamation to self-acceptance and, ultimately (and most recently), self-love. In this conversation, Patrick will tell his story through the five stages of the Adoptee Consciousness Model: Status Quo, Rupture, Dissonance, Expansiveness, and Forgiveness & Activism.

About Patrick
Patrick Armstrong (he/him) is a transracial Asian American adoptee, podcaster, speaker, and community facilitator. He is the host of the award-winning podcast Conversation Piece with Patrick Armstrong, a show about the missing pieces of the conversations we're already having. He is also one of the hosts of the award-winning podcast Janchi Show, a show that explores and celebrates the experiences and stories of Korean adoptees everywhere. He is a cofounder of the Asian Adoptees of Indiana, a group dedicated to creating a safe, engaging community for all Asian adoptees who need it. He is currently based in Indianapolis with his wife.