In this episode of Liminal Space, we sit down with Ming Khor (education entrepreneur, former digital nomad, and cross-cultural bridge-builder) to talk about identity, service, and what it means to live between worlds without needing to dominate them. Ming reflects on growing up in a multicultural environment in Washington, D.C., and how a formative experience volunteering as a teacher in China reshaped his understanding of privilege, service learning, and cultural humility. That journey eventually led him to build an education company centered on experiential, cross-cultural learning—designed not around “helping from above,” but around meeting others on equal footing. The conversation also traces the less romantic side of entrepreneurship: rapid growth during the pandemic, a painful contraction that followed, and the emotional reckoning that pushed Ming toward a slower, more values-aligned way of living. Along the way, we talk about risk, validation, mental health, nomadism, and the quiet power of stillness. At its core, this episode asks: How do you design a life that honors your cross-cultural identity—without burning out or losing yourself to the system? Key Themes Identity and privilege in liminal cultural spacesService learning vs. saviorismCross-cultural connection on equal footingEntrepreneurship, risk, and pandemic volatilityNomadism, slowing down, and value alignmentMental health, validation, and imposter syndromeUsing a cross-cultural background as an assetKey Takeaways Liminal spaces offer perspective—but they also require humility.Service learning works best when it’s rooted in mutual respect, not superiority.Rapid growth without risk management can come at a psychological cost.Slowing down is not failure; it can be a strategic and ethical choice.Every person is a “portal” into a different way of living and thinking.Cross-cultural identity isn’t a liability—it’s a form of leverage.Being still is also a form of action.Chapters 00:00 — Identity, Culture, and Liminal Spaces04:55 — Ming’s Multicultural Background08:19 — First Encounters with China11:41 — Service Learning and Cultural Humility14:45 — From Teaching to Entrepreneurship21:40 — Business School, Direction, and Doubt26:35 — Imposter Syndrome and Validation33:08 — Creating Opportunities Outside the System35:51 — Building Keru and Experiential Learning46:14 — Pandemic Growth, Collapse, and Resilience51:20 — Nomadism, Freedom, and Self-Discovery01:03:39 — Letting Go of Urban Life01:07:08 — The Need for Roots and Stability01:10:02 — Family, Relationships, and Priorities01:10:56 — Listening to the Body: Stillness vs. Action01:14:36 — Passion and Personal Fulfillment01:14:52 — Advice for Those Who Feel Lost01:19:14 — Cross-Cultural Identity as an Advantage01:21:38 — Final Reflections and Looking Forward01:28:14 — Recommendations & Outro Ming's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@shaguoyuMing's Substack: https://shaguoyu.substack.com This podcast is brought to you by C^2 Collective, a multicultural nonprofit community empowering young people across China and beyond to think curiously, connect across cultures, and create positive change. We host events, run a social innovation network, and publish the Curation^2 newsletter @ https://csquared-collective.com/ Music by Megan TanArt by Cindy Zhang 从流动到安定：Ming Khor 谈游牧生活、倦怠与如何打造真正适合自己的人生 在本期 Liminal Space《临界之间》 中，我们与 Ming Khor 展开了一场深入的对话。Ming 是一位教育创业者、前数字游民，也是一位长期游走于不同文化之间的“跨文化搭桥者”。我们一起聊了身份、服务，以及如何在不同世界之间生活——而不是试图去主导或凌驾于它们之上。 Ming 回顾了自己在美国华盛顿特区多元文化环境中成长的经历，也分享了一段对他影响深远的经历：在中国担任志愿教师。这次经历重新塑造了他对“特权”“服务式学习（service learning）”以及“文化谦逊”的理解。也正是从这里出发，他后来创办了一家以跨文化体验式学习为核心的教育公司——不是站在“高处去帮助别人”，而是与不同文化背景的人在平等的位置上相遇、交流与学习。 对话同样没有回避创业中不那么浪漫的一面：疫情期间的快速扩张、随之而来的业务收缩，以及那段迫使他重新审视生活节奏与价值排序的心理低谷。我们谈到了风险、社会认可、心理健康、游牧式生活，也谈到“慢下来”本身所蕴含的安静力量。 从更深层次来看，这一期其实在追问一个问题： 如何在尊重自己跨文化身份的同时，设计一种不被系统吞噬、也不把自己耗尽的人生？ 核心主题（Key Themes） 临界文化空间中的身份与特权服务式学习 vs. “救世主心态”建立在平等基础上的跨文化连接创业、风险管理与疫情时期的不确定性游牧生活、放慢节奏与价值对齐心理健康、社会认可与冒名顶替综合征将跨文化背景转化为人生资产关键收获（Key Takeaways） 临界空间能带来视角，但也需要谦逊。真正有效的服务式学习，来自相互尊重，而非居高临下。缺乏风险管理的高速增长，往往伴随着心理代价。慢下来并不等于失败，它可能是一种更有策略性、也更有伦理感的选择。每一个人，都是通向另一种生活方式与思维系统的入口。跨文化身份不是负担，而是一种“杠杆”。停下来，本身也是一种行动。时间轴（Chapters） 00:00 — 身份、文化与临界空间04:55 — Ming 的多元文化成长背景08:19 — 初识中国的经历11:41 — 服务式学习与文化谦逊14:45 — 从教学到创业的转变21:40 — 商学院、方向感与迷茫26:35 — 冒名顶替感与对认可的渴望33:08 — 在系统之外创造机会35:51 — Keru 的诞生与体验式学习46:14 — 疫情中的增长、崩塌与复原51:20 — 游牧生活、自由与自我探索01:03:39 — 离开城市中心01:07:08 — 对“扎根”的重新理解01:10:02 — 家庭、关系与人生优先级01:10:56 — 倾听身体：静止与行动之间01:14:36 — 热情与个人满足感01:14:52 — 给“迷路者”的建议01:19:14 — 跨文化身份的优势01:21:38 — 尾声：未来与个人成长01:28:14 — 推荐与结束语 相关链接 Ming 的 YouTube 频道：https://www.youtube.com/@shaguoyu Ming 的 Substack：https://shaguoyu.substack.com 本播客由 C² Collective 出品。C² 是一个立足中国、面向全球的多元文化非营利社区，致力于鼓励年轻人保持好奇、跨文化连接，并创造积极的社会影响。我们举办线下活动，运营社会创新网络，并出版 Curation² 电子刊。了解更多： https://csquared-collective.com/ 音乐：Megan Tan视觉设计：Cindy Zhang
