International Interview: Sofia Nordgren on Adoption, Identity and the Search for Biological Truth

International Interview: Sofia Nordgren on Adoption, Identity and the Search for Biological Truth

How are adoption, identity, belonging, mental health, and human rights connected?

These questions have shaped both my personal journey and my professional life.

As a Bangladeshi-born Swedish adoptee, registered nurse, international speaker, coach, author, and advocate, I have spent many years exploring the lifelong impact of adoption, identity, resilience, and emotional healing.

Following my presentation at the International Congress on Adoption and Human Rights in Belgrade, Serbia, I was invited to participate in an in-depth interview with Canadian journalist Scott Douglas Jacobsen, published in The Good Men Project.

In our conversation, we explore topics including:

  • International adoption

  • Identity and belonging

  • Family separation

  • The search for biological origins

  • Emotional healing and resilience

  • Mental health

  • Human rights

  • The importance of listening to lived experiences

We also discuss my personal journey—from being adopted from Bangladesh to Sweden, to reconnecting with my biological mother nearly fifty years later, and how these experiences have shaped my work as a healthcare professional, international speaker, coach, and advocate.

I hope conversations like these contribute to greater understanding among healthcare professionals, researchers, educators, journalists, policymakers, and the wider public. Listening to adoptees' lived experiences is essential if we want to strengthen human rights, improve support systems, and create more informed discussions about international adoption.

I am deeply grateful to Scott Douglas Jacobsen for his thoughtful questions and for creating space where adoptee voices can be heard by an international audience.

Read the full interview here:

https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/sofia-nordgren-adoption-identity-biological-truth-sjbn/

Thank you to everyone who continues supporting dialogue, awareness, and positive change surrounding adoption, identity, and human rights.

If my story or expertise could contribute to your conference, podcast, organization, or event, I would be delighted to connect.

Sofia Nordgren