If you ever hear a Japanese graduation song played in a dining hall at Stanford, that's Tony Li playing. Two Japanese PhD students once stopped him afterward and asked if he was Japanese. He isn't. He's from Guangzhou, China, and he even wrote his own gagaku (Japanese Imperial Court Music) -inspired pieces for his Stanford application.

We get into what he left behind to get here, like the ranking spreadsheets of the Chinese public school system, the Zhong Kao exam he dropped out of, and the international school that finally asked less of his GPA and more of what he was curious about. Along the way, we discuss the misconceptions Japan and China carry about each other, why he thinks Iran, Venezuela, and the tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan all trace back to the same problem, and one line we're still thinking about —

"Please, please, please never forget where you came from, and please never forget your mother tongue."

Tune in and let us know your thoughts.

What happens when we prioritize speed over empathy? In this episode, we sit down with special guest Christopher to explore the profound impact of active kindness. Drawing inspiration from Philip Larkin’s poignant poem The Mower, we discuss why the world needs less "cutting down" and more deliberate care—whether that’s adopting a flexible, compassionate approach to teaching neurotypical students, or questioning the tech world’s obsession with "moving fast and breaking things." Tune in for a beautiful conversation about why some things are meant to be handled with care.

Akira explains how we invite guests, how we record, how we edit and advice on how YOU can start your own podcast!