From Movement to Stillness: Ming Khor on Nomadism, Burnout, and Building a Life That Fits
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 spaces
- Service learning vs. saviorism
- Cross-cultural connection on equal footing
- Entrepreneurship, risk, and pandemic volatility
- Nomadism, slowing down, and value alignment
- Mental health, validation, and imposter syndrome
- Using a cross-cultural background as an asset
Key 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 Spaces
04:55 — Ming’s Multicultural Background
08:19 — First Encounters with China
11:41 — Service Learning and Cultural Humility
14:45 — From Teaching to Entrepreneurship
21:40 — Business School, Direction, and Doubt
26:35 — Imposter Syndrome and Validation
33:08 — Creating Opportunities Outside the System
35:51 — Building Keru and Experiential Learning
46:14 — Pandemic Growth, Collapse, and Resilience
51:20 — Nomadism, Freedom, and Self-Discovery
01:03:39 — Letting Go of Urban Life
01:07:08 — The Need for Roots and Stability
01:10:02 — Family, Relationships, and Priorities
01:10:56 — Listening to the Body: Stillness vs. Action
01:14:36 — Passion and Personal Fulfillment
01:14:52 — Advice for Those Who Feel Lost
01:19:14 — Cross-Cultural Identity as an Advantage
01:21:38 — Final Reflections and Looking Forward
01:28:14 — Recommendations & Outro
04:55 — Ming’s Multicultural Background
08:19 — First Encounters with China
11:41 — Service Learning and Cultural Humility
14:45 — From Teaching to Entrepreneurship
21:40 — Business School, Direction, and Doubt
26:35 — Imposter Syndrome and Validation
33:08 — Creating Opportunities Outside the System
35:51 — Building Keru and Experiential Learning
46:14 — Pandemic Growth, Collapse, and Resilience
51:20 — Nomadism, Freedom, and Self-Discovery
01:03:39 — Letting Go of Urban Life
01:07:08 — The Need for Roots and Stability
01:10:02 — Family, Relationships, and Priorities
01:10:56 — Listening to the Body: Stillness vs. Action
01:14:36 — Passion and Personal Fulfillment
01:14:52 — Advice for Those Who Feel Lost
01:19:14 — Cross-Cultural Identity as an Advantage
01:21:38 — Final Reflections and Looking Forward
01:28:14 — Recommendations & Outro
Ming's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@shaguoyu
Ming'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 Tan
Art 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？
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
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
https://www.youtube.com/@shaguoyu
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/
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
视觉设计：Cindy Zhang
