Without Borders Podcast
Introduction
Without Borders is the podcast for nomads, immigrants, third-culture kids, or anyone else who feels inescapably foreign. Each week, I, Nolan Yuma, interview people from around the world to break down borders and help people live unbound and salir de las Fronteras que impone su mente.
The transcripts and articles are there to help intermediate to advanced English learners.
The podcast ended in 2023 before I started bornwithoutborders.world and still ran withoutborders.fyi. The podcast was not sustainable, but I'd love to start it up again if more people support the project and share bornwithoutborders.world.
Episode Examples
Belgians vs. the Dutch + Becoming Irish
Don't confuse Belgians and the Dutch. Rosie Van Den Broek (Principal Customer Success Manager at HubSpot) and Nolan Yuma discuss cultural and psychological differences and how they affect business and travel. Rosie also talks about her experience moving to Ireland and why she had to change her name. Nolan and Yuma also touch on identity, politics, the king of Belgium, blackface, and why beer keeps people from becoming separatists.
00:00 - Intro
03:22 - Finding a home beyond your roots (A Belgian in Ireland)
08:44 - Belgians vs. The Dutch (racism, history, uncertainty avoidance, separatists and more)
29:19 - Comparing Belgium to Ireland & Being an expat in Ireland
37:04 - Changing your name for business with the Belgian King
45:00 - Identity & learning languages
48:45 - More on Irish people and Belgians
54:40 - How language affects identity
56:49 - Black Face & Zwarte Piet & Sinterklaas
01:00:56 - Wrap up
Discussing self-esteem, culture and morality with Dr. Steven Heine
Nolan Yuma meets one of his intellectual heroes, Dr. Steven Heine. They discuss culture, how crops affect political views and culture, self-esteem variations around the world, morality, and Steve's latest book, DNA is Not Destiny.
00:00 - Intro
01:26 - Defining Culture
04:30 - What is universally true for humans, and what is culturally bound?
12:33 - The WEIRD (Wester, educated, rich, and democratic) problem.
20:37 - Reasons for individualistic and collectivistic countries
24:06 - How crops effect political and egalitarian views.
27:37 - How self esteem and motivation varies around the world
40:11 - Can we morally accuse a cultural tradition?
48:34 - DNA is Not Destiny
55:14 - Conclusion
How Culture Affects Health With Paul Dermody
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.
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
Identity, psychedelics, genetic essentialism, and sleep culture with Dr. Benjamin Cheung
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.
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
Video Examples
Cultural Differences - Japan and North America (Mental Illness, gender equality, and more
Nolan Yuma Janssens interviews Ikue about her immigration experience from Japan to Canada. They cover the meanings and effects of Kaizen, Okagesama, and Hikikomori. They also talk about the different ways Canadians and Japanese people raise children and address self-esteem and gender equality.
Shorts
Full Episodes
You can listen to full episodes on Substack, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, and watch full videos on YouTube.
Transcripts for English Learners
Here are some examples of how future episodes could look like on Ghost. The transcript can help English learners follow along and study. Also, all the episodes on YouTube have subtitles.
Nolan Yuma
Nolan Yuma
If you believe in research and writing that break down borders, foster cross-cultural understanding, and inspire people to live unbound, consider becoming a paid subscriber to Born Without Borders.
My work can only exist if you share and support it.
- Become a Paid Member: Get access to all exclusive content and potentially included access to certain courses/workshops and directly support this work for just $5/ month or $50 / year.
- Become a Founding Member: For those who want to make sure I stay off the platforms causing mental illness, polarization, and a technofeudal shit show. Your deeper support makes all the difference for $30/ month or $300 / year.
Need Specialized Coaching or English Classes?
- Unlock Your Authentic Voice (Across Cultures & Systems): If you're a multilingual professional or "cultural inbetweener" who feels unseen or misread, let's refine your English for nuance, confidence, and true self-expression.
Affiliate Links for Global Citizens
- Home Exchange: Trade homes, not hotel bills. Live like a local anywhere in the world.
- Wise: Send money across borders without losing your mind (or half your paycheck in fees).
- Preply: Make a living teaching people worldwide.
- Flatio: A more ethical version of Airbnb.
Member discussion