What do you do when you don't fully belong anywhere—but somehow belong everywhere? Hosted by Nina Lai, this podcast brings you conversations that have stayed private for years—with people whose lives span cultures. We talk about identity, career pivots, parenting across borders, race, purpose, and what belonging means when home is complicated. These aren't polished success stories. They're honest conversations that offer a different lens on questions we're all navigating—whether you're living between cultures yourself or simply curious about perspectives beyond your own. New episodes monthly.
Anna Graves in Seattle: Collective Giving & Trust-based Philanthropy
Anna Graves is co-founder and co-president of Impact 100 Seattle, a women’s collective giving organization that supports small, community-led nonprofits through unrestricted grants.
Anna’s path moved from corporate beauty and branding to the Seattle nonprofit sector, shaped in part by her Polish upbringing and an instinct for community that preceded any formal idea of philanthropy.
This conversation covers the mechanics and philosophy of collective giving, what trust-based philanthropy looks like in practice, what it means to build an organization designed to outlive its founders, and the personal decision to stop chasing someone else’s definition of success.
It also ends with a Polish Christmas Eve tradition that will stay with you.
Community is the through-line of this podcast. This episode is the fullest version of that yet.
Key topics: philanthropy, collective giving, trust-based giving, community, nonprofit sector, immigrant experience, career reinvention, Seattle, women’s leadership.
25 Feb 2026
Jannelle Andes in New York: Not a Pivot, a Parlay—Storytelling, Identity & Career Reinvention
Jannelle Andes is a storyteller, journalist, cultural strategist, and Director of Partnership Strategy, Media & Sponsorships at Live Nation Entertainment. After years in luxury brand marketing at LVMH, Jannelle went back to school to pursue a master's in journalism at NYU. Not to start over, but to add a layer.
What if everything you've done has already been preparing you for what's next?
Their conversation goes wide: what it means to grow up multiracial and not quite fit anywhere, the discipline of getting quiet before a major move, why cultural fluency is an edge most people don't recognize they have, and what equitable AAPI representation actually looks like versus just any representation.
She closes with a line that will stay with you: “The greatest story you'll ever tell is your own.”
Thoughtful, honest, and worth your full attention.
Key topics: identity, belonging, AAPI advocacy, storytelling, career reinvention, non-linear paths, cultural fluency, stop chasing, Live Nation, LVMH, journalism.
29 Jan 2026
Marie-Laurencine in Nice, France: Cultural appropriation, creative industries, and the power of conversations
Marie-Laurencine is an international creative director & brand strategist. From Paris to China to New York, and now Dubai, Marie spent decades working with and consulting for LVMH brands, including Dior, MAKE UP FOREVER, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and Benefit Cosmetics.
On this episode of In Between Worlds, Marie shares the eye-opening experience she had living in China, the delicate balance between cultural appropriation and appreciation, her unabashed love for JR (https://www.jr-art.net/about), and the creative inspirations that come from unusual places.
Topics: Creative vision, travel, communications, discovering new cultures
Follow for monthly episodes and subscribe to In Between Worlds on Substack (https://ninaylai.substack.com) for more writing.
This is In Between Worlds — where we explore the stories that connect us across borders. Hosted by Nina Lai
10 Dec 2025
Nejla Matam-Finn in Singapore: Entrepreneurship, redefining secondhand luxury in Asia & transmission des savoirs
Nejla is a CEO, Venture Partner, and lecturer. From Richemont (https://www.richemont.com/) to founding her own luxury resale e-commerce platform, The Fifth Collection (https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-fifth-collection/), Nejla touches on boarding school influence, the challenges of building a venture, and how being a lifelong learner is redefining her next chapter.
Topics: entrepreneurship, third culture kids, secondhand luxury stigma in Asia, belonging, retirement planning, personal growth.
Follow for monthly episodes and subscribe to the In Between Worlds Substack (https://ninaylai.substack.com) for articles & notes.
14 Nov 2025
Kaili Chen in Hong Kong: Third Culture Identity, Mental Health Across Cultures, and What Connects Us All
Kaili Chen is a clinical psychologist based in Hong Kong. She grew up as a third culture kids navigating constant moves across continents.
In this conversation, we talk about how open-mindedness becomes a survival skill when you're always the new kid, the mental health stigma that persists in Asian communities, and the cultural differences in how therapy is approached.
Kaili shares why she works collaboratively with clients rather than positioning herself as the authority, why validating children's emotions requires sharing your own, and why—when we strip away all our labels—we're connected through universal human emotions.
Topics: Third culture kids, mental health stigma, cross-cultural psychology, parenting, human connection, identity
Follow for monthly episodes and subscribe to In Between Worlds on Substack (https://ninaylai.substack.com) for more writing.
This is In Between Worlds — where we explore the stories that connect us across borders. Hosted by Nina Lai
21 Oct 2025
Eleni Kitra in Dubai: AI, Inclusivity, and What We Get Wrong About the Middle East
Eleni Kitra is a Greek entrepreneur who spent 30 years in corporate (launching PlayStation, leading Omnicom to market dominance, building META's mobility platform) before her son gave her the push she needed to start her own company.
Now as founder of KITRA INCLUSIVE Leadership Partners in Dubai, Eleni is redefining what inclusive leadership looks like in one of the world's most diverse regions. In this conversation, we explore the moment she left her comfort zone, how DEI shows up differently across cultures, why the UAE is integrating AI into elementary education, and the gap between media narratives and lived reality in the Middle East.
Plus, Eleni shares her Four C's for making meaningful change: be curious, courageous, committed, and communicate.
Topics: Third culture kids, AI, parenting, safety
Follow for monthly episodes and subscribe to In Between Worlds on Substack (https://ninaylai.substack.com) for more writing.
This is In Between Worlds — where we explore the stories that connect us across borders. Hosted by Nina Lai
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