Who I Am & Why I Do This Work
I am an adoptee, a mother, a survivor, a scholar, and a guide. My life began in Seoul, Korea, where I was born mixed‑race during a time when children like me were often hidden, abandoned, or sent overseas. I spent my early years navigating attachment rupture, institutional care, and multiple forms of trauma before being adopted transracially at age twelve.
My adulthood brought its own complexities—raising my son from birth as a transracial adoptive parent, becoming a birth mother to my daughters, and navigating my husband's severe mental illness. Through all of this, I built and ran businesses, held families together, and carried the weight of expectations, fear of abandonment, and survival strategies formed long before I had language for them.
Today, I bring together lived experience, academic training, and trauma‑informed practice to support adoptees, adoptive parents, families navigating mental illness, and anyone carrying unresolved trauma. My work addresses trauma not as a single event, but as it reverberates across the lifespan—shaping development, influencing the decisions we make, the partners we choose, and the patterns of self‑sabotage we unknowingly repeat. My work is grounded in compassion, clarity, and the belief that healing is possible at any stage of life.
"I am an adoptee, a mother, a survivor, a scholar, and a guide. I guide through my own lived experiences backed up by psychological science & proven research"
Supporting adoptees, adoptive parents, and families navigating trauma and mental illness with lived experience and trauma‑informed practice.
The Hummingbird & The Lion
The symbols that represent my journey and who I am today
The Hummingbird
My children—now all grown—gave me this name. Despite their small size, hummingbirds are the ultimate symbol of warrior spirit, resilience, and love. They carry more than double their own body weight to nurture the flowers, ensuring continued growth.
My children said I did that for them. I carried them through my own healing journey, my own battles, and my own survival. They see the hummingbird in how I've shown up for them—with lightness, persistence, and unwavering devotion to their growth and flourishing.
"You are our hummingbird because you nurture us with strength we didn't know was possible in something so small."
The Lion
I am a Leo. People are never surprised by that. In all seriousness, I have had to have the spirit and courage of a lion to roar through life—through loss, trauma, abandonment, institutional care, adoption, transracial identity, mental illness, survival strategies that nearly broke me, and the relentless work of healing.
The lion represents the fierce, unapologetic part of me that refuses to be silenced. The part that has claimed my power, set boundaries, and insisted on my own worth even when the world told me otherwise.
"You roar not to destroy, but to be heard. To reclaim what was taken."
Today, I embody both. I am a good balance of the hummingbird's lightness, grace, and nurturing resilience, and the lion's courage, clarity, and roar. I am equipped with the softness to hold space for your pain, and the strength to call out what needs to be named. This is who I bring to my work with you.
Services I Offer
Today, I bring together lived experience, academic training, and trauma‑informed practice to support adoptees, adoptive parents, families navigating mental illness, and anyone carrying unresolved trauma across the lifespan—whether from childhood, adoption, relationships, or the cumulative weight of decisions shaped by survival patterns.
Trauma‑Informed Coaching
Support for individuals navigating:
- • Adoption‑related identity, loss, and attachment wounds
- • Childhood trauma, abandonment, and survival patterns
- • Relationship ruptures, boundaries, and emotional regulation
- • Life transitions, grief, and rebuilding after crisis
My coaching integrates psychological principles with lived experience, offering a space that is validating, structured, and deeply human.
Inquire About ServicesAdoption & Family Consulting
Guidance for:
- • Adoptive parents raising transracial or older‑child adoptees
- • Birth parents seeking understanding, support, or healing
- • Adult adoptees exploring identity, belonging, and lineage
- • Families navigating complex histories, trauma, or reunification
I help families understand the psychological, cultural, and developmental layers of adoption that are often overlooked.
Inquire About ServicesWorkshops, Speaking, & Training
Topics include:
It all begins with you
- • Trauma‑informed care
- • Transracial adoption and identity
- • Attachment rupture and repair
- • Trauma Bonds: Truth, Boundaries, & Conscious Choice
- • Mental illness in families
- • Intergenerational trauma & resilience
These offerings are ideal for universities, mental health programs, adoption agencies, and community organizations.
Inquire About ServicesWhat Makes My Work Unique
I bring a rare constellation of lived experience, academic training, and trauma-informed practice grounded in genuine understanding.
My work bridges the gap between theory and lived reality. I am not just trained in attachment theory, trauma science, or developmental psychology—I have embodied these disciplines through my own journey across the adoption triad, through survival of early and adolescent trauma, and through navigating severe mental illness in my family system.
This combination of experience, education, and intention shapes everything I do.
Lived Experience Across the Adoption Triad
I am a transracial adoptee, a transracial adoptive parent, and a birth mother. I understand adoption from every angle—identity, loss, culture, belonging, and the lifelong impact of early separation.
Survivor of Early and Adolescent Trauma
My work is grounded in firsthand knowledge of attachment rupture, sexual trauma, emotional and physical violence, and the survival strategies that follow. I meet clients without judgment because I have lived the complexity myself.
Experience Navigating Severe Mental Illness in a Family System
My late husband's mental illness shaped our family in profound ways. I understand crisis, stigma, systemic failures, and the long arc of grief and resilience.
Clinical Training & Ongoing Expertise
I bring over 1500 hours of clinical mental health experience combined with formal psychology training and active engagement with cutting-edge trauma research. I intentionally chose to step outside traditional licensing pathways to create a modality designed specifically for complex trauma survivors—one that honors clinical foundations while centering lived experience and individual healing in ways constrained systems often can't.
A Life Rebuilt Through Intention, Insight, and Healing
I don't teach from theory alone. I teach from the work I've done to reclaim my own life, identity, and purpose.
Coaching vs. Clinical: What My Work Offers
What I do: Provide trauma-informed coaching, guidance, skill-building, and evidence-based frameworks for healing and growth.
What I don't do: Diagnose mental health conditions, prescribe treatment plans, or provide clinical therapy. My work complements professional mental health care and I always recommend clinical support when needed.
Doing This Work in the World
Speaking at community events
Creating content and resources
Background & Credentials
My work is grounded in a rare combination of lived experience, rigorous academic training, and deep clinical exposure. Here's what stands behind the coaching you'll receive.
30+ Years in Brand Strategy & Marketing
Three decades of experience in brand development, messaging, and human‑centered communication. Expertise in audience psychology, identity formation, and narrative strategy—directly applicable to helping clients reclaim the power to rewrite their own narratives.
Doctoral-Level Psychology Training
Advanced study in trauma research, attachment theory, human sexuality, and development across the lifespan. Academic foundation grounded in understanding how early ruptures, identity fragmentation, and developmental derailments shape adult behavior and self‑concept.
1,500+ Clinical Training Hours
Deep exposure to ketamine‑assisted therapy, psilocybin‑supported frameworks, and trauma treatment modalities. Direct clinical experience with multidisciplinary teams working with complex trauma survivors and treatment‑resistant conditions.
These credentials aren't about a title on a wall. They're about deep investment in understanding the science of trauma, attachment, and healing—grounded in lived experience of the complexity I now help others navigate.
Read My Full Background
A Dedicated Space for Survivors of Sexual Trauma
If you are a survivor of sexual abuse, exploitation, or assault, I want you to know: this space is for you. Sexual trauma is a unique beast. It doesn't just wound—it can torment, confuse, and shape every decision we make, every person we trust, and every way we move through the world.
I say this not from theory, but from my own lived experience. My life began in an abortion clinic for sex workers in Korea—my mother was a "comfort woman" who serviced American GIs. At ten years old, I was sexually abused by my uncle. After I was given up for adoption, a priest at the orphanage abused me. My adoptive mother's constant narcissistic messaging about my appearance and appeal to men only deepened the wound. As a teenager, I became an overachieving honors student who played soccer while secretly working as a stripper, caught in patterns of self-sabotage that made perfect sense given what had been done to me.
I understand the confusion of trauma bonds. The shame that isn't yours to carry. The way sexual trauma can make you feel unsafe in your own body, even after the abuse has ended. The patterns you repeat because they are familiar, even when they hurt.
But I also know this: Healing and surviving toward a happily ever after IS possible.
Not through toxic positivity or pretending the past didn't happen. But through truth, compassion, and the reclamation of your power—grounded in the ability to pave the road for the future of your choice.
From Survival to Thriving
Despite impoverished beginnings and the weight of intergenerational trauma, I have created joy, achieved goals I never dreamed possible, and learned that healing—true, embodied healing—is not just theory. It is lived, daily, and profoundly possible.
Racing Arabian through the desert in Dubai—dreams I never thought possible
Meeting my dad for the first time—connection and healing
Arriving in America at twelve—the beginning of recalibration
I am an avid equestrian. I believe in the profound healing power of horses. My journey with these magnificent beings mirrors my own healing—from survival to presence, from control to trust, from merely existing to truly thriving. Soon, I will bring equine-assisted coaching to my practice, inviting clients to experience the somatic, embodied healing that happens when we work alongside horses.
This is what healing looks like. This is what becomes possible.
My Approach
My work is grounded in compassion, clarity, and the belief that healing is possible at any stage of life. I create space where your experience is honored, your complexity is held, and your resilience is recognized.
Trauma‑Informed
Every interaction is shaped by understanding how trauma shapes the nervous system, trust, and belonging.
Lived & Learned
I bring both the wisdom of my own journey and the rigor of psychological training to every conversation.
Whole‑Family Aware
I understand that healing doesn't happen in isolation—it ripples through families, generations, and systems.
Investment in Your Healing
My coaching is designed for those ready to invest in themselves. I offer flexible options—whether you prefer sessions as you need them or consistent weekly/twice-weekly support through a monthly retainer.
Individual Trauma‑Informed Coaching
For individuals navigating adoption, trauma, relationships, and life transitions.
Per Session
$300
60-minute session
Monthly Retainer
$1,800
8 sessions per month
Best for clients seeking weekly or twice‑weekly support.
Adoption‑Focused Consultation
For adoptees, adoptive parents, and professionals seeking specialized adoption guidance.
Per Session
$325
60-minute session
Monthly Retainer
$1,900
8 sessions per month
Includes specialized adoption-informed coaching and consultation.
Family Sessions
For families (2–4 participants) navigating healing together.
Per Session
$375
75-minute session
Monthly Retainer
$2,200
8 sessions per month
Perfect for families building trust, understanding, and healing together.
Group Sessions
For individuals seeking healing and growth in a supportive community setting.
Per Person Per Session
$75–$100
Sliding scale based on participation
8-Week Series
$600
Per person
Commitment-based group healing and integration work.
Workshops & Trainings
For organizations, universities, and agencies seeking expert-led training.
90-Minute Workshop
$1,000
Half-Day Training
$1,800
Full-Day Training
$3,000
Customized for your audience and learning objectives.
Speaking Engagements
For conferences, organizations, and events seeking compelling keynote presentations.
Virtual Keynote
$2,000
In-Person Keynote
$3,000
Travel costs additional.
Sliding Scale & Community Access
50% Discount for Underserved Communities
Limited spaces reserved each month for adoptees, single survivors, BIPOC clients, and those experiencing financial hardship.
Individual Coaching
$150
Per hour
Adoption Consultation
$160
Per hour
Family Sessions
$185
Please inquire for availability.
Ready to begin? Reach out to discuss your specific needs and any questions about pricing, payment arrangements, or workshop inquiries.
Start a ConversationWhat My Clients Say
Real stories of transformation and healing from those who've walked this path with me.
When I first reached out to Jessie, I was a single adoptive mom terrified that I was losing my son. I had raised him in a loving home and truly believed that being 'color‑blind' was the right approach. But as he grew into adolescence, he began withdrawing, acting out, and expressing anger I didn't understand. I didn't realize how deeply he was struggling with his identity as a young Black man in a mostly white community — or how unprepared I was to support him.
Working with Jessie changed everything. She helped me see my son's experience through his eyes, not mine. She gently expanded my understanding of culture, race, and the realities he faces in this country. Jessie guided me through the hard truth that although I love him deeply, love alone wasn't enough — he needed connection to his roots, space to explore his first family, and acknowledgment of the losses he carried long before I became his mother.
Jessie's insight, compassion, and lived experience opened doors for conversations I never knew how to have. Eventually, my son joined our sessions, and for the first time in years, we were able to communicate without fear or defensiveness. Today he's thriving in his first year of college, and our relationship is stronger than ever. I'm forever grateful for Jessie's guidance and the healing she helped us find.
Michelle
Grateful Mom & Adoptive Parent
I am a survivor of childhood sexual trauma, and for most of my life it felt like the past was still happening inside me. I had been institutionalized, cycled through medications, numbed myself with substances, and repeated relationship patterns I didn't understand. I was at the point of planning my exit from this world when I came across a video from The Hummingbird Lion during Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
She talked about the weight of shame survivors carry — shame that was never ours to hold — and for the first time, something in me shifted. I reached out to her that same day. Working with her has been life‑changing. Nothing I share shocks her. She meets me with honesty, steadiness, and a belief in my capacity to heal that I had never experienced before.
Having someone truly believe me — and believe in me — has made all the difference.
Lila
Survivor & Healing Advocate
I was adopted from Korea as a toddler, so I don't remember much from before, but I always knew I was different from my family. Growing up as the only Korean kid in a house full of tall older brothers, I felt out of place in ways I couldn't explain. I went into the military, then law school, and on the outside it looked like I was thriving — but inside, I never felt like I truly connected with anyone. I was lonely more than anything.
I heard about Jessie through an adoptee group and decided to reach out. She helped me understand what it does to a person's development to grow up in a family where you never quite feel like you belong — always on the outside looking in. She helped me see how achievement had become my way of trying to earn a place, even when it never felt quite right.
Working with Jessie opened my eyes to a world beyond trying to be 'good enough' for my family. It's not about what I can do — it's about who I am. I appreciate her ability to see through the fog of insecurity and doubt and help me reconnect with myself in a way I didn't know was possible.
David
Adoptee & Identity Seeker
Your healing journey matters
These transformations don't happen by accident. They happen when someone is ready to see their experience differently, to honor their complexity, and to reclaim their power.
Your story could be next. Let's explore what becomes possible when you invest in yourself.
Begin Your HealingFrequently Asked Questions
I often hear these questions from people exploring coaching. Here are some answers to help you understand what my work looks like and whether it's a good fit for you.
How is coaching different from therapy?
Coaching with me is present‑focused, collaborative, and grounded in lived experience. I don't diagnose, treat, or provide mental health therapy. Instead, we work together to understand patterns, attachment wounds, identity questions, and the impact of early experiences — especially for adoptees, survivors, and those navigating complex family systems.
Therapy often focuses on:
- • Symptom reduction
- • Clinical treatment
- • Diagnosis and management
Coaching with me focuses on:
- • Clarity and meaning‑making
- • Building internal capacity
- • Moving forward with agency
Many of my clients work with both a therapist and with me; the two can complement each other beautifully.
What happens in our first session?
Your first session is a conversation — not an interrogation, not a retelling of your entire history, and not something you need to prepare for.
We'll explore:
- • What brings you here
- • What you've already tried
- • What you're hoping to shift, what are your goals?
- • What safety, belonging, and support look like for you
I'll also share how I work, what you can expect from me, and how we'll move at a pace that honors your nervous system. You don't have to disclose anything before you're ready. We build trust together.
How do I know if your work is right for me?
My work tends to resonate with people who:
- • Grew up feeling "othered," unseen, or misunderstood
- • Are adoptees or part of adoptive families
- • Are survivors of developmental or relational trauma
- • Have spent years achieving, performing, or caretaking but still feel disconnected
- • Want someone who understands lived experience, not just theory
- • Want honesty, clarity, and a space where nothing they say is "too much"
If you're looking for a trauma-informed guide who can name patterns, offer perspective, and help you reconnect with who you are beneath survival strategies, you'll likely feel at home here.
What if I'm in crisis right now?
I'm not a crisis service, and coaching is not a substitute for emergency support.
If you're in immediate danger or feeling unable to keep yourself safe, please reach out to someone you trust — a crisis line, a therapist, a friend, or local emergency services.
You deserve support from people who can be physically present and respond in real time. Once you're safe and grounded, we can explore whether coaching is a good fit for you.
Do I have to commit to multiple sessions, or can I start with just one?
You're welcome to start with a single session. Many clients do. There's no pressure to commit before you know how it feels to work together.
If it resonates, you can continue session‑by‑session or move into a retainer for more consistent support.
If it doesn't resonate, I'll support you in finding someone who might be a better fit. Your healing matters more than "signing up."
Work With Me
Whether you're seeking one‑on‑one coaching, family consulting, or to bring my expertise to your organization, I'd love to hear from you. I typically respond within 48 hours.
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