Why live without borders?

For this episode, the season one finale, that’s what I’m exploring.

If this is your first time tuning into the show, my name is Nolan Yuma Janssens. I was born in Chile, took my first steps in Belgium, and the second I felt a deep sense of home in Canada, I ended up in Spain.

I am

inescapably foreign.

Over the past eight months, I have interviewed people from all over the world. People with clashing ideologies that have resulted in culture wars and actual wars. Christians, Muslims, capitalists, communists, gays, straights, beliebers, receivers, anarchists, and masochists. Black, brown, yellow, white.

Labels.

Whereas they help us categorise and describe, all they really do is conquer and divide.

Like ecosystems, the more diverse our society and people, the more resistant we are to disease and whatever the universe throws at us… except maybe bureaucracy: where the simple becomes complicated and where common sense goes to die… slowly.

Anyway. Unity, not uniformity.

Some of my guests had very different opinions and ideas than my own. Some don’t support gay marriage, think communism works, like guns, and some don’t even like beer. How the hell did I get along with these people?

I focused on what makes us human.

Curiosity. And travel is curiosity manifested through movement.

Our bipedalism, large brains, dextrous hands, and speech help to explain our ability to travel to more places than any other animal on earth. We are designed to be curious travellers. It all started with our ability to stand up straight, scan the horizons, and seek more food, shelter, people, and information.

By focusing on what unifies us — curiosity, travel, and our love of culture — I learned something from every one of my guests.

I listened. But listening does nothing without reflection, just like travel does nothing without stillness. And a bureaucrat does nothing… does nothing.

So why live a life without borders?

I started this podcast hoping to break down borders. Not all borders. I know they play a role in preserving linguistic heritage, culture, and providing jobs for people who work from 9 to 5, but get home by 2.

I think you know who I’m referring to by now.

Anyway. What I mean by a world without borders is a world without the walls of anger, hatred, and ignorance that separates us. That’s what I mean by “Without Borders.”

At first, I thought that meant being a “global citizen” because problems like climate change, poverty, inequality, famine, war, and the popularity of Reggaeton are global problems that take a global mindset to solve.

But upon further reflection, I realised the term “global citizen” has become an ideology in itself. Many who — and here comes that ugly word — ‘label’ themselves as global citizens believe their way of thinking is good for others, and as Alan Watts pointed out, believing you’re doing good for others is full of conceit.

A world full of virtuous global citizens running around?

That doesn’t sound diverse. That sounds like uniformity, not unity. It sounds like the road to hell paved with good intentions.

So I’m not trying to galvanise a movement of travellers or “Global Citizens.” I’m just trying to be part of a balance of stories. Stories that don’t push one ideology over another. Stories that show we’re a diverse species of primates just trying to figure ourselves out.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this is the season one finale, but it might be the end of the Without Borders podcast. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share your favourite episodes and spread the word. I’m here to listen to your feedback, collaborate, and support projects, but I can’t sustain the hours I put into creating and marketing this podcast if people don’t support the show at bornwithoutborders.substack.com.

I do this because I know we need a balance of stories. I believe that when diverse voices reach a broader public, we can begin to increase rational compassion.

Thanks to everyone who came on the show and took the time out of their day to listen.

And if you happen to be a bureaucrat. I’m sorry for all the jokes and I hope you enjoyed listening to this during your work hours.

Nolan speaks with Chantal Patton from @GrowingUpWithoutBorders Chantal reveals what it’s like trying to travel to every country in the world while homeschooling three kids. Nolan and Chantal also discuss school systems around the world, cultural variations, why Home Exchange kicks ass, and of course, why both their projects have the words “Without Borders.”

Support the show

Growing Up Without Borders Website and Courses

Transcript available for English learners.

00:00 Introduction

01:33 - Visiting every country with 3 kids

09:31 - Generalising vs learning about cultures

20:28 - Homeschooling & School systems around the world

38:39 - Cultural variations within Canada, the USA, and New Zealand

41:22 - Airbnb & hotels vs Home Exchange

47:04 - Growing Up Without Borders Courses & digital nomad tips

53:49 - Why “Without Borders?”

56:18 - Check your “Geographical privilege.”

In this episode, we explore the role of educators in a world with artificial intelligence. Discover how teachers adapt and navigate an AI revolution. Katie and Nolan also share tips about how to learn languages and adapt motivation techniques depending on the culture and learning style.

Watch the video here.

Support the show, read the transcript, and learn more at:

You can also learn more about Abridge Academy.

00:00 - Learning Chinese & Acculturating to China

17:23 - A reacher’s role in a world of AI

25:00 - Culture-bound motivation styles

33:45 - Acculturating to Japan

40:15 - How language shapes our perception

Nolan speaks with Paul Dermody, an online personal trainer, podcaster, and part-time professional writer passionate about travel and languages. Paul shares his tips on achieving your fitness and health goals with a holistic approach that can apply to all aspects of life. You can check out the specific topics below and select which segment of the podcast you want to listen to.

Want Paul as a personal trainer or to get more health tips and motivation?

Website

Instagram

Support the show

Watch the episode on YouTube.

00:00 - Intro

01:56 - Why Paul Dermody chose to make Spain home.

05:30 - How travel affects your identity

11:51 - The problem with travel (and life) no one talks about

16:45 - Benefits of travel

20:19 - How culture affects health, diets, and fitness

24:38 - How to change your mindset for better health

33:19 - Culture-bound eating disorders

40:49 - Diet culture & woke culture

51:25 - Paul’s personal training

Nolan Yuma speaks with Dr. Benjamin Cheung, a leading expert in the fields of genetic essentialism, culture and sleep, and acculturation. Benjamin shares his cultural experience as a 1.5 generation Chinese Canadian and how parents of immigrant children can ease the acculturation process. Nolan and Ben also talk about how culture affects the outcomes of drug use, psychedelics, the 4-hour work week, and even how much sleep you need.

You can also watch the video recording on YouTube.

Learn more about Dr. Benjamin Cheung research at UBC.

Episode Transcript

00:00 Intro

01:34 - Generation 1.5 & Third culture kid experiences & parenting advice

17:35 - Cultural adjustment and acculturation strategies

18:37 - Identify & the authentic self

22:14 - Ego death & psychedelics

26:13 - Microdosing, drugs, and how culture & criminalisation affect their positive outcomes

33:24 - Genetic essentialism & how society influences depression

42:03 - How culture influences the 4-hour work week

44:33 - How culture influences how much sleep you need

58: 11 - Conclusion

Also available on YouTube.

Nolan speaks with César, @SpanishLanguageCoach , about his immigration and acculturation experiences. They discuss the cultural characteristics of England and Spain with a focus on the differences in how people approach political correctness and cancel culture. They also share language learning tips and how the recent social media trends have affected language learning content.

Support the show

Links to César's course and podcast

spanishlanguagecoach.com

Podcast

00:00 - Intro

01:50 - César’s acculturation story (Comparing Spain to England)

07:16 - The Petardos (Firecrackers) & Fallas tradition and its consequences

12:19 - Objectivity, identify politics, and César’s Spanish learning podcast objectives.

17:21 - Political correctness in Spanish vs England 33:57 - Language learning tips

45:08 - Social media trends & how it affects language learning

52:23 - Switching to Substack

Nolan speaks with Daniel Thompson, the CEO of Noma Collective, a business and community that specializes in creating experiences for remote workers. They discuss cultural and individual differences in time perception, life in Merida, negotiation styles, home births, becoming a digital nomad that helps the local culture rather than destroying it, and slowing the hell down.

Support the show

Join a Noma Experience

Noma Experience Instagram

0:00 - Intro

01:41 - Growing up in the UK, New Zealand, and the USA

05:43 - A nomadic home birth

08:18 - Life in Merida

12:41 - Living a nomadic life with Noma Collective

20:27 - Perception of time, both in cultures and individuals

28:30 - Task-based vs relationship-based cultures.

31:17 - Music industry & rave culture

35:09 - How to become a digital nomad (even with a family)

42:24 - Noma’s social impact & slow travel

52:00 - Slow travel & returning to the human pace

Coco Hofs uses her business experience and cultural consulting expertise to discuss Erin Meyer's 8 Scales from The Culture Map with Nolan Yuma. They analyze and critique the research from Edward Hall, Geert Hofstede, and Richard E. Nisbett while bringing in some of their personal experiences and stories –– In Nolan's case, that includes why getting drunk can create stronger bonds, which in some cases, relates to what the Japanese call Nomikai 飲み会.

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Need cultural consulting for your business?

Website: ⁠www.cocohofs.com⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/crossculturalsolutions_by_coco/⁠

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/coco-hofs/⁠

Coco is of Dutch origin and has lived outside The Netherlands since 2016.

She lives in Peru and runs her own business, 'Cross-cultural Solutions'. With Cross-Cultural Solutions, she helps organizations overcome cultural differences in the international workplace. She helps professionals operating in a global economy understand the impact that our cultural background has when doing business internationally and across cultures.

In her opinion, organizations tend to forget that cultural differences have a significant impact on how smoothly the business goes and how well teams of different cultural backgrounds work together.

She is a cross-cultural trainer, executive coach, and keynote speaker who works with companies from all over the world.

English learners can access transcripts of all the episodes.

00:00 - Introduction & Coco Huff's experience that led to cultural consulting

05:04 - Dutch negative feedback & Critique on Erin Meyer's The Culture Map

12:49 - Communication style (high-context to low-context scale)

13:47 - Evaluation (direct to indirect negative feedback scale)

14:50 - Leading styles (egalitarian to hierarchical scale)

15:11 - Deciding (Consensual to top-down scale)

19:17 - Trusting (Task-based to relationship-based scale) & possible anecdotal mistakes

27:56 - Nomunication (Nomikai 飲み会)/drinking to build trust

31:16 - Disagreeing (Confrontational to avoid confrontation scale)

34:38 - Scheduling (Linear time to flexible time scale)

41:08 - Persuading (Application-first to principle first/deductive reasoning to inductive reasoning)

48:08 - Relating Hofstede's indulgence scale to incremental or entity theory

52:52 - Persuasion difference between analytic and holistic thinkers

56: 14 - Coco's immigration story & Conclusion