In this episode of High Agency, we sit down with Joanna Chiu, award-winning journalist, author of China Unbound, and co-founder and managing partner of Nüora Global Advisors, to explore how geopolitics shows up in everyday life, especially for diaspora communities living between worlds. Chiu reflects on her path from growing up in suburban Canada to reporting on the ground in Hong Kong and Beijing, driven by a deep sense of connection to a place she was taught to leave behind. We unpack the limits of “neutrality” in media, the persistent flattening of complex regions like China into simplified narratives, and why diverse lived experience is often dismissed rather than valued. Chiu shares how disinformation flows in multiple directions, how Western institutions routinely misread global power dynamics, and why nuance is often the first casualty in both journalism and policy. This conversation also examines the quiet realities of foreign interference, the uneven attention given to different communities, and the emotional weight carried by those whose identities are entangled in geopolitical conflict. Chiu offers a candid look at the structural decline of international reporting, the risks faced by journalists covering sensitive issues, and her transition into building a consultancy designed to bring deeper, more applied understanding to global affairs. This is a conversation about identity, power, and perception. About what gets lost when complexity is stripped away, and what it takes to rebuild a more honest, informed view of the world. Featuring Joanna Chiu Managing Partner Nüora Global Advisors https://www.nuoraglobal.com/ Joanna Chiu is an award-winning journalist, author, internationally recognized expert on China, and Managing Partner at Nüora Global Advisors. She's reported for The Economist, AFP, The Guardian, and South China Morning Post, while providing broadcast analysis for BBC World, NPR, and Al Jazeera. Hosted by Mo Dhaliwal CEO Skyrocket Digital Software engineer turned marketer, Mo is an entrepreneur, cultural curator and technologist. In his role as founder and CEO of Skyrocket Digital, he helps clients with business, brand and technology to launch new ideas and grow their businesses. — High Agency: Conversations that Drive Growth and Transformation Instagram: https://instagram.com/highagencypod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/high-agency-pod/ X: https://x.com/highagencypod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highagencypod — Presented by Skyrocket Digital https://skyrockdigital.com/ Skyrocket is the digital agency for ambitious leaders. Our capabilities empower business and marketing leaders with the confidence to launch new initiatives, grow their brands, and undergo the transformation necessary to achieve breakthrough results.
