Beyond the Couch Ep 18: Asian Name Trauma & Reclamation with Jieun Ko

This week, Christie chats with Jieun Ko about her story of reclaiming her name. Jieun discusses how her name was appropriated as ‘Chi’ as a child, and how her reclamation took place alongside the rise of Asian representation in media, anti-Asian hate and the Atlanta spa shootings, and through her own work in therapy. Inspired by Jieun’s story, Christie also reflects upon the history of her American and Korean names. Together, they discuss taking space, self-worth, and building community.

Jieun Ko is a multi-hyphenate — she is a first-generation, Korean American singer, songwriter, writer, artist, activist, and entrepreneur, based in Brooklyn, New York. She is also the self-proclaimed #1 fan of our podcast! Connect with Jieun through her Patreon, website, and podcast Gajeok.

Jieun hosts a monthly event called Gajeok Gatherings! Gajeok Gatherings is a safe space for Korean American and Korean diasporic women to gather via Google Meet. If you’re interested in being a part of this community, please contact Jieun at: jieunandgreg@gmail.com. She would love to include you as a part of her growing Gajeok community.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Penn State Sociology class video
• Read more of Jieun’s reclamation story on her blog post: “My Name is Jieun”

Listen to a sneak peek below, and find the full episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts & more!