中间地带的力量：从跨界的孤独到共同创造的土壤 (The Power of the In-Between: From the Loneliness of Crossing Boundaries to the Soil of Co-Creation)

今天早上，我终于完成了 Gina 的播客访谈。这件事，其实拖了差不多三年。

几年前，Gina 就邀请我参加她的反种族主义播客 Against the Tides of Racism。那时我很感激，也很荣幸，但我知道自己没有准备好。不是没有故事可讲，而是我的故事还没有在我自己心里整理清楚。我不知道该如何把过去这些年在加拿大的经验、我的中国身份、我的跨文化跨行业跨领域经历、我的心理咨询和领导力教练工作、我的社群建设和公益参与，以及我在两个世界之间来回生活的状态，说成一个清晰的主题。

直到今年年初，我才慢慢找到一个词：

the power of the in-between。（暂时翻译为“中间地带的力量”）

这个词一出现，我突然觉得，过去近十年的很多困惑、孤独、挣扎和努力，好像终于有了一个可以安放的框架。

1.  我不是从零开始，也不是找回一个失去的身份

近40岁时，我开始主要生活在加拿大，那一年，我女儿也在迈入15岁。

所以，我的加拿大部分人生事业故事，不是一个“从零开始”的故事。来到加拿大之前，我已经在中国活过了很完整的成年人生。我完成了博士训练，进入过三个不同行业，在每个领域都曾做出了具体的贡献。我经历过婚姻和母职，有自己的学术训练、商业经验、公益参与和社群建设经验。

我成长在上海，几乎和中国改革开放同龄。上海是一个非常国际化的城市。从我职业生涯一开始，我就与跨国公司、西方专业人士、西方企业和组织打交道。30岁左右，我获得英国外交部的志奋领奖学金，到伦敦政治经济学院学习组织与社会心理学。那是我第一次真正深入生活在西方文化和学术环境中。

所以，当我后来移民加拿大时，我并不是带着“西方更先进”的预设来到这里。没有到过上海的人，可能很难理解，作为一个全球国际大都市，上海在基础建设、生活便利、商业发达程度、城市活力和国际化程度上，根本不输于我去过的其他国际大都市，包括伦敦、纽约、巴黎、柏林等等。因此，十年前来到加拿大时，我的感受其实有点复杂。一方面，加拿大有它自己的优势：社会稳定、公共系统、社区生活、自然环境，以及另一种关于人的尊严和自由的感受。另一方面，我也并不是以一种仰望、羡慕的心态来到这里，我来到加拿大时，已经带着一个相对成熟的中国文化身份、学术背景、职业人生和世界经验。所以，我后来真正面对的问题，不是简单的：“我如何融入加拿大？”

而是：我如何参与加拿大社会，但不缩小自己，不失去自己原有的完整性，也不让差异变成距离？

我的故事不是找回一个失去的亚洲身份。过去几天，为了准备这次播客，我重新听和整理了很多 Gina 之前访谈过的嘉宾故事。她们每个人的经历都非常有力量。很多人谈到 reclaim identity，谈到重新连接祖辈文化、语言、家族历史，重新找回曾经被压抑、被忽略、被羞耻感包裹的文化身份。我很能共鸣这样的旅程。

但我也慢慢意识到，我自己的故事有一点不同。我的故事主要不是关于“找回一个曾经失去的文化”。我来到加拿大时，并没有失去我的中国文化身份。相反，我一直对中国历史、人文传统、儒释道哲学、文学和社会变迁有相当深的熟悉和热爱。我并不缺少文化身份感，也不缺文化自信。我的挑战是另一种：

如何带着一个成熟的亚洲身份和中国文化身份，进入加拿大的生活、商业、社区和心理健康专业场域，并学习这种身份如何可以继续贡献。

这也是为什么我说，我的故事不是一个单一的心理咨询师故事，也不只是一个移居者艰难适应的故事。它更像是一个跨文化、跨学科、跨系统的人，如何在新社会中重新定位自己，又如何把复杂背景转化为贡献的故事。

2.“在哪里都是 minority”的孤独

在播客里，Gina 问到我关于种族主义或歧视的经历。

我当时很谨慎地回答。因为我知道很多人经历过非常直接、非常痛苦的种族主义。有些人遭遇公开羞辱、攻击、排斥和创伤。我不想比较谁的痛苦更重，也不想把自己的经验说成能代表所有亚裔移民。

对我来说，我经历的并不是特别戏剧化、特别直接的种族攻击。它更多是一种更安静、更微妙，也更结构性的处境。我确实感受过一些擦肩而过的系统性排斥、内化的歧视、微侵犯，或者一些说不清楚但让人感到“不完全属于这里”的瞬间。但更深层的经验是：在新的文化和专业系统中，我常常需要重新证明自己、翻译自己、解释自己、重新定位自己。

来到加拿大快十年了，我的“不完全融入感”一直都在。

对很多加拿大白人来说，我肯定是不同的。我有口音，我带着另一种文化历史，我没有在这里长大，所以我不共享很多他们从小就熟悉的生活经验、社会密码、制度常识和文化参考。

但在很多亚裔加拿大人的空间里，我也会觉得自己是不同的。我不是从小在加拿大长大的第二代亚裔加拿大人。即使和很多第一代移民相比，我也不完全一样。因为我是成年后来到加拿大的，而且在来之前已经形成了比较完整的职业身份和文化主体性。过去近十年，我也相对比较主动地进入加拿大社会、商业、社区和专业系统，而不是只停留在某一个移民小圈层里生活。

昨天我和女儿聊到这次播客的话题。她也很有同感，和我说“某种意义上，我们在哪里都是 minority（少数派）。”

这里面确实有孤独感。不是简单的“很难找到同类”的感觉，而是你在很多地方都没有一个完全现成的位置。你在哪里都需要解释一点自己，翻译一点自己，重新定位一点自己。跨文化经历如此，跨行业、跨领域、跨系统的各种跨界经验往往也是如此。

凡是长期生活在“边界之间”的人，大概都会明白这种孤独：不是没有能力，也不是没有价值，而是你常常需要在一个尚未为你预留位置的系统里，重新说明自己是谁、能做什么、为什么值得被看见。然后，在慢慢取得信任、创造联结的过程中，定位和设计自己可以贡献独特价值的位置。

但反过来，这种持续跨界的孤独感，也让我慢慢看到自己丰富的人生经验。它让我拥有一种更立体的思考方式，也让我持续探究：我如何把这份独特性贡献给我所在的周边、社区和世界？

所以，我不只把这种孤独看成个人孤独。我也会把它看成一种被 racialized 的经验：在一个社会里，某些形式的知识、沟通方式、专业身份和归属方式，更容易被认可；而另一些形式，需要不断被解释、被翻译、被证明，才可能被看见。

有些人的说话方式、领导方式、知识背景和参与方式，会天然被认为是专业的、合理的、可信的；而有些人的经验和智慧，即使非常丰富，也需要经过很多层翻译，才可能被系统承认。

3.我的应对方式：进入系统，理解系统，贡献系统

回头看，我发现自己面对这种“不完全适配”的方式，不是坐在原地等待别人理解我，而是尽量主动进入系统，理解系统，然后找到我可以贡献的位置。

一个很具体的例子，是我女儿在萨斯卡通读高中的四年。

我们当初来到加拿大，一个重要原因是她不太适应中国的应试教育体系。她在萨斯卡通读了四年高中，而这四年里，我一直在她学校的 parent council，也就是家委会里。那里的其他家长基本都是白人。但我当时觉得，我很有必要坐在那里。

一方面，我需要了解萨省公立高中到底是如何运营和管理的。学校如何做决定？学生和家长有哪些权利？如果孩子遇到问题，沟通路径是什么？家长如何参与？这些东西，如果不进入系统，你很难真正知道。

另一方面，我也觉得进入一个社区和体系，不只是为了保护自己，不只是为了知道自己的权利，也要去理解对方的历史、制度逻辑和运作方式，并找到自己力所能及可以提供帮助的地方。

所以，每年学校的 teacher and staff appreciation week （老师和员工感恩周），中国茶和点心基本都是我准备的。学校 BBQ 活动中，我当时常常是志愿者里唯一的中国面孔。

这些都是很小的事情。但对我来说，它不是一个宏大的反歧视行动，却是一种进入、理解、参与和贡献。

也因为我一直这样参与，我女儿高中四年其实是很有安全感的。她知道妈妈可以很好地和学校沟通。如果有误解或问题，比如她有学习障碍，或者她需要一些支持，我们有信心和学校、老师建立良好的沟通。

我记得她最后一年，确实遇到过一些不友善的班级同学的侵扰。等我知道的时候，她的好朋友，也是亚裔，已经带着她和另一个同学去过校长办公室，主动报告和申诉了。那一刻我很欣慰。因为我看到她们知道自己有声音，也知道如何使用系统，而不是只是忍耐。

另一个例子是，我来加拿大第二年，就成为了 International Women of Saskatoon （萨斯卡通国际妇女协会）的理事会成员，后来也担任过理事会主席。2022年我第一次见到 Gina 时，我刚完成了四年的 理事会任期。那四年里，我对加拿大的移民安置系统、社区服务、非营利组织治理、本地支持系统，都有了很多真实的了解。我也参与了很多本地的经验交流和社区支持工作。

后来进入加拿大心理咨询行业，我也自然会去了解 CPA（加拿大心理学协会）、CCPA（加拿大心理咨询和心理治疗师协会）这些专业组织如何运作，行业标准如何形成，专业共同体如何建设，亚裔专业人士在其中的位置在哪里，哪些地方需要更多 visibility（能见度）、belonging （归属感））和 professional confidence（专业自信心）。

我好像每进入一个新的行业和领域，都会本能地想了解这个系统更上层的治理结构：它的历史是什么？规则是什么？谁在做决定？它的逻辑是什么？为什么这样运行？它的资源和限制在哪里？

只有这样，我才能知道很多具体事件和摩擦背后的缘由，才能更理性地分析、处理和沟通问题。同时，我也才能看到：在这个系统中，有什么是我可以提供价值的。

4. 反歧视不只是对抗，也可以走向共同创造

这次准备播客时，我特别被 Houyuan 曾经分享的一句话触动。他提到，confrontation is not to make enemies, but to make connection。对抗不是为了制造敌人，而是为了建立连接。

我非常认同。但我也想进一步补充：也许反歧视可以从对抗走向连接，再从连接走向更深层的相互理解与共同创造。

当然，面对伤害、暴力和不公，我们需要发声，需要保护自己，需要明确指出问题。但在很多复杂的跨文化场景中，如果我们只停留在对抗，可能还不够。对抗之后，我们是否有可能建立连接？连接之后，是否有可能形成更深的理解？理解之后，是否有可能把不同文化、不同专业、不同系统中的智慧带到一起，创造一些新的东西？

在我的世界观里，东西方文化像兄弟姐妹。它们都为人类文明贡献过非常深刻的东西，也各自有局限。多元文化不是一种文化消失到另一种文化里，也不是谁要完全取代谁。更深的可能性是，不同文化的智慧可以相遇、彼此学习、互相借鉴和整合，然后一起面对这个世界新的挑战。

比如今天大家都在谈 AI 对人类社会、经济、职业和心理健康的影响。在中国，很多创业者和企业家都在讨论 AI 如何改变商业和社会；在加拿大，心理咨询和心理学专业领域也在讨论如何伦理地使用 AI。这些是全人类共同面对的新问题。没有任何一种文化、一个行业、一个专业可以单独回答这些问题。这时候，我们更需要不同文化和知识系统之间的共同创造。

今年初，我们在 CPA Asian Psychology Section 讨论愿景和使命时，我曾和现任主席 Fred交流，并建议加入一个角度：亚洲心理学不只是关于保护、发声、互助和联盟，它也应该被看见为加拿大多元文化图景中的重要贡献，并为全球心理学的发展提供独特智慧。

我很感谢这个想法得到了大家的认可。这对我来说很重要。

因为我们当然有必要看见自己曾经受伤、被排斥、需要被保护的部分，但这还不是全部。我们也需要看到：亚裔文化、亚洲历史、亚洲哲学、亚洲家庭经验、亚洲社会中的助人传统、集体与个体之间的复杂理解，都可能为心理学带来不同的视角。亚洲心理学不仅是保护与发声，也可以贡献全球心理学。在今年5月，也就是加拿大的亚裔文化遗产月，我们当然要纪念伤痛、看见歧视、承认不公。但同时，我们也应该庆祝亚裔加拿大人对加拿大、对世界、对专业领域已经做出和正在做出的贡献。

这也是我想在播客里表达的：反歧视不只是关于“不要伤害我们”，也关于“请看见我们可以贡献什么”。

5. 这次播客不是完成，而是开始

今天早上录完播客后，我并没有一种“终于完成了”的感觉。

相反，我觉得这个旅程才刚刚开始。

我准备了很多，认真听了很多嘉宾的访谈，也花了很多时间梳理自己的 Bio、故事、经历和 call to action。和 Gina 连线时，我也尽力表达了。但录完后，我还是觉得有些东西没有完全说出来。

一方面，这是语言的限制。用英语现场表达这么复杂的思想，对我仍然是挑战。我的英语可以沟通，可以工作，可以咨询，但要把这种跨文化、跨领域、跨系统的深层经验表达得非常精准、流畅、细腻，仍然不容易。

另一方面，也许是播客本身的形式决定的。播客现场的互动、时间长度和提问框架，也会影响一个复杂主题最终能展开到什么层次。但我心里真正想讲的，其实更复杂。比如，我说“孤独”，它不是普通孤独。它来自跨文化、跨领域、跨专业系统中的长期重新定位。我说“种族经验”，它不只是被别人攻击，而是在新的文化和专业体系里，你需要不断证明自己、解释自己、翻译自己、重新找到位置。我说“中间地带”，它不是中间摇摆、无根、混乱，而是一种可以同时理解多方、翻译多方、连接多方、促成共同创造的位置。

这些，也许需要用文字写作重新说一遍。

所以，我写下这篇文章，作为这次播客之外的补充，也作为我自己阶段性的整理。

6. 给同样处在中间地带的人

如果你也常常觉得自己在哪里都不是完全典型的一类人，也许你会理解这种感觉。

你可能不是传统意义上的“主流人群”，也不是任何一个少数群体叙事里最标准的样本。你可能在不同国家、不同职业、不同身份、不同语言、不同组织之间来回穿行。你可能有时候觉得自己很丰富，有时候又觉得自己很孤独。你可能经常需要解释自己，翻译自己，重新定位自己。

但也许，这个中间地带不只是一个尴尬的位置。

它也可能是一种能力。

它让我们学会灵活，学会韧性，学会系统思考，学会在不同世界之间做翻译，学会在误解中寻找连接，学会在差异中寻找新的可能。

我仍然在学习如何活在这个位置里。

我也仍然在学习如何把自己的复杂身份、人生经验和各类跨界的视角，转化为对客户、社群、专业领域和世界的一点点贡献。

也许，这就是我接下来想继续探索的方向：

从持续跨界的孤独，到滋养共同创造的土壤。

从不完全融入，到定位和设计可以贡献价值的位置。

从中间地带的困惑不安，到沉淀和相信“中间地带”的独特价值。

The Power of the In-Between: From the Loneliness of Crossing Boundaries to the Soil of Co-Creation

This morning, I finally completed my podcast interview with Gina.

In a way, this conversation had been delayed for almost three years.

A few years ago, Gina invited me to be a guest on her anti-racism podcast, Against the Tides of Racism. I felt grateful and honoured, but I also knew I was not ready. It was not because I had no story to tell. It was because my story had not yet become clear enough in my own heart.

I did not know how to bring together my years of experience in Canada, my Chinese identity, my cross-cultural, cross-industry, and interdisciplinary journey, my work in counselling and leadership coaching, my community-building and non-profit involvement, and my life of moving back and forth between two worlds — into one coherent theme.

Until the beginning of this year, I slowly found a phrase:

the power of the in-between.

When this phrase appeared, I suddenly felt that many of the confusions, loneliness, struggles, and efforts of the past nearly ten years finally had a framework in which they could be held.

1. I Did Not Start from Zero, Nor Was I Reclaiming a Lost Identity

Around the age of 40, I began to live mainly in Canada. That year, my daughter was also approaching 15.

So the Canadian chapter of my life and work was not a story of “starting from zero.” Before coming to Canada, I had already lived a very full adult life in China. I had completed doctoral training, entered three different industries, and made concrete contributions in each of them. I had experienced marriage and motherhood. I had my own academic training, business experience, non-profit involvement, and community-building practice.

I grew up in Shanghai, almost the same age as China’s reform and opening era. Shanghai is a deeply international city. From the very beginning of my career, I worked with multinational companies, Western professionals, Western businesses, and international organizations coming into China.

Around the age of 30, I received the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Chevening Scholarship and went to the London School of Economics to study Organizational and Social Psychology. That was my first deep experience of living inside a Western cultural and academic environment.

So when I later moved to Canada, I did not arrive with the assumption that “the West is more advanced.” For people who have never been to Shanghai, it may be difficult to understand that, as a global metropolitan city, Shanghai is not inferior to other international cities I have visited, including London, New York, Paris, and Berlin, in terms of infrastructure, everyday convenience, commercial development, urban energy, and international openness.

Therefore, when I came to Canada ten years ago, my feelings were complex. On the one hand, Canada has its own strengths: social stability, public systems, community life, nature, and a different sense of human dignity and freedom. On the other hand, I did not come here with a posture of looking up to or admiring everything from a distance. I arrived in Canada with a relatively mature Chinese cultural identity, academic background, professional life, and worldly experience.

So the real question I later faced was not simply:

How do I integrate into Canada?

It was:

How do I participate in Canadian society without shrinking myself, without losing my original wholeness, and without allowing difference to become distance?

My story is not primarily about reclaiming a lost Asian identity.

In the past few days, as I prepared for this podcast, I revisited and reflected on many of Gina’s previous guest interviews. Each guest’s story was powerful. Many spoke about reclaiming identity — reconnecting with ancestral culture, language, family history, and parts of themselves that had once been suppressed, ignored, or wrapped in shame.

I deeply resonate with those journeys.

But I also gradually realized that my own story is somewhat different.

My story is not mainly about “recovering a culture I once lost.” When I came to Canada, I had not lost my Chinese cultural identity. On the contrary, I have always had a deep familiarity with and love for Chinese history, humanistic traditions, Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, literature, and social transformation. I do not lack a sense of cultural identity, nor do I lack cultural confidence.

My challenge was different:

How do I bring a mature Asian identity and Chinese cultural identity into Canadian life, business, community, and mental health professional spaces — and learn how this identity can continue to contribute?

This is why I say my story is not a single counsellor’s story, nor simply a story of an immigrant struggling to adapt. It is more like the story of a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, and systems-oriented person learning how to reposition herself in a new society, and how to transform a complex background into contribution.

2. The Loneliness of Being “a Minority Everywhere”

In the podcast, Gina asked me about my experiences with racism or discrimination.

I answered carefully, because I know many people have experienced very direct and painful racism. Some have faced public humiliation, attack, exclusion, and trauma. For me, what I have experienced has not been especially dramatic or directly hostile racial attack. It has been more of a quieter, subtler, and more structural condition.

I have certainly sensed passing moments of systemic exclusion, internalized discrimination, microaggressions, and those hard-to-name moments when one feels, “I do not fully belong here.” But the deeper experience has been this: in a new cultural and professional system, I often need to re-prove myself, translate myself, explain myself, and reposition myself.

After nearly ten years in Canada, this sense of “not fully fitting in” has always been there.

To many white Canadians, I am certainly different. I have an accent. I carry another cultural history. I did not grow up here, so I do not share many of the childhood references, social codes, institutional knowledge, and cultural assumptions that they take for granted.

But in many Asian Canadian spaces, I also sometimes feel different. I am not a second-generation Asian Canadian who grew up here. Even compared with many first-generation immigrants, I am not entirely typical. I came to Canada as an adult, and before coming here I had already formed a relatively complete professional identity and cultural subjectivity. Over the past nearly ten years, I have also been quite actively involved in Canadian society, business, community, and professional systems, rather than remaining only within one immigrant circle.

Yesterday, when I talked with my daughter about this podcast, she resonated deeply and said to me:

“In some ways, we are minorities everywhere.”

There is indeed loneliness in this.

It is not simply the feeling of “it is hard to find people like me.” It is the feeling that, in many places, there is no ready-made position for you. Wherever you go, you need to explain a little of yourself, translate a little of yourself, and reposition yourself again.

This is true in cross-cultural experiences. It is also often true in cross-industry, interdisciplinary, and cross-system experiences.

Anyone who has lived for a long time “between boundaries” probably understands this loneliness: it is not that you have no ability, nor that you have no value. Rather, you often find yourself in a system that has not reserved a place for you. You need to explain again who you are, what you can do, and why you deserve to be seen. Then, through slowly earning trust and creating connection, you learn to locate and design a position where your unique value can contribute.

But conversely, this loneliness of continuous boundary-crossing has also allowed me to gradually see the richness of my life experience. It has given me a more multidimensional way of thinking, and it has led me to keep asking:

How can I contribute this uniqueness to the people, communities, and world around me?

So I do not see this loneliness only as personal loneliness. I also see it as a racialized experience: in a society, certain forms of knowledge, communication, professional identity, and belonging are more easily recognized; while other forms need to be explained, translated, and proven again and again before they can be seen.

Some people’s ways of speaking, leading, knowing, and participating are naturally regarded as professional, reasonable, and trustworthy. Meanwhile, the experiences and wisdom of others, even when deeply rich, may need to pass through many layers of translation before they can be acknowledged by the system.

3. My Response: Enter the System, Understand the System, Contribute to the System

Looking back, I realize that my way of responding to this “not fully fitting in” has not been to sit still and wait for others to understand me. Instead, I try to actively enter systems, understand systems, and then find the position where I can contribute.

One concrete example is my daughter’s four years in high school in Saskatoon.

One important reason we came to Canada was that she did not fit well within China’s exam-oriented education system. She spent four years in high school in Saskatoon, and throughout those four years, I served on her school’s parent council. Almost all the other parents there were white. But at that time, I felt it was necessary for me to sit at that table.

On the one hand, I needed to understand how the public high school system in Saskatchewan actually operated. How does the school make decisions? What rights do students and parents have? If a child encounters a problem, what are the communication channels? How can parents participate? If you do not enter the system, it is difficult to truly understand these things.

On the other hand, I also believe that entering a community or a system is not only about protecting oneself, nor only about knowing one’s rights. It is also about understanding the other side’s history, institutional logic, and way of operating — and finding places where one can help within one’s capacity.

So every year during teacher and staff appreciation week, I would prepare Chinese tea and snacks. During school BBQ events, I was often the only Chinese face among the volunteers.

These were very small things. But for me, they were not insignificant. They were not grand anti-racism actions, but they were forms of entering, understanding, participating, and contributing.

Because I had been involved in this way, my daughter felt safe throughout her high school years. She knew her mother could communicate well with the school. If there were misunderstandings or concerns — for example, related to her learning difficulties or the support she needed — we had confidence that we could communicate effectively with the school and teachers.

I remember that in her final year, she did experience some unfriendly treatment from classmates. By the time I found out, her close friend, who was also Asian, had already taken her and another student to the principal’s office to report and address the issue. At that moment, I felt very relieved and proud. I saw that they knew they had a voice. They also knew how to use the system, rather than simply endure.

Another example is that in my second year in Canada, I became a board member of the International Women of Saskatoon, and later served as board chair. When I first met Gina in 2022, I had just completed my four-year board term. During those four years, I gained real understanding of Canada’s immigrant settlement system, community services, non-profit governance, and local support systems. I also participated in many local conversations and community-support initiatives.

Later, when I entered the counselling profession in Canada, I naturally began to learn how professional organizations such as CPA, the Canadian Psychological Association, and CCPA, the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association, operate. I wanted to understand how professional standards are formed, how professional communities are built, where Asian professionals are positioned, and where more visibility, belonging, and professional confidence are needed.

It seems that whenever I enter a new industry or field, I instinctively want to understand the governance structure above it: What is its history? What are its rules? Who makes decisions? What is its logic? Why does it operate in this way? Where are its resources and limitations?

Only in this way can I understand the reasons behind many specific incidents and frictions. Only then can I analyze, respond, and communicate more rationally. And only then can I see what value I may be able to offer within that system.

4. Anti-Racism Is Not Only About Confrontation; It Can Also Move Toward Co-Creation

While preparing for this podcast, I was especially moved by something Houyuan once shared. He said:

Confrontation is not to make enemies, but to make connection.

I deeply agree.

But I also want to add one step further: perhaps anti-racism can move from confrontation to connection, and then from connection toward deeper mutual understanding and co-creation.

Of course, when facing harm, violence, and injustice, we need to speak up. We need to protect ourselves. We need to clearly point out the problem. But in many complex cross-cultural situations, if we remain only at the level of confrontation, it may not be enough.

After confrontation, is it possible to build connection?After connection, is it possible to develop deeper understanding?After understanding, is it possible to bring together the wisdom from different cultures, professions, and systems to create something new?

In my worldview, Eastern and Western cultures are like siblings. Both have contributed profound wisdom to human civilization, and both have their limitations. Multiculturalism is not about one culture disappearing into another, nor about one side replacing the other. A deeper possibility is that different cultural wisdoms can meet, learn from each other, borrow from each other, integrate with each other, and together face the new challenges of this world.

For example, today many people are talking about the impact of AI on human society, the economy, professions, and mental health. In China, many entrepreneurs and business leaders are discussing how AI will change business and society. In Canada, the counselling and psychology professions are discussing how to use AI ethically. These are new challenges facing all of humanity. No single culture, industry, or profession can answer these questions alone.

At this moment, we need co-creation among different cultures and knowledge systems more than ever.

Earlier this year, when we were discussing the vision and mission of the CPA Asian Psychology Section, I spoke with our current Chair, Fred, and suggested adding one perspective: Asian psychology should not only be about protection, advocacy, mutual support, and alliance-building. It should also be recognized as an important contribution to Canada’s multicultural landscape, and as a source of unique wisdom for the advancement of global psychology.

I am grateful that this idea was recognized by the group. This matters deeply to me.

Because we certainly need to see the parts of ourselves that have been hurt, excluded, and in need of protection. But that is not the whole story. We also need to see that Asian cultures, Asian histories, Asian philosophies, Asian family experiences, helping traditions within Asian societies, and complex understandings of the relationship between the individual and the collective may all bring different perspectives to psychology.

Asian psychology is not only about protection and voice. It can also contribute to global psychology.

In this May, which is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, we certainly need to remember pain, see discrimination, and acknowledge injustice. But at the same time, we should also celebrate the contributions Asian Canadians have made and continue to make to Canada, to the world, and to professional fields.

This is what I wanted to express in the podcast:

Anti-racism is not only about saying, “Please do not hurt us.” It is also about saying, “Please see what we can contribute.”

5. This Podcast Was Not a Completion, But a Beginning

After recording the podcast this morning, I did not feel, “Finally, this is completed.”

On the contrary, I felt that the journey had just begun.

I prepared a lot. I listened carefully to many guest interviews. I spent a great deal of time organizing my bio, my story, my experiences, and my call to action. When I connected with Gina, I did my best to express myself. But after the recording, I still felt that some things had not been fully said.

On the one hand, there is the limitation of language. To express such complex thoughts in English, live and on the spot, is still a challenge for me. My English is enough to communicate, to work, and to do counselling. But to express such deep cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary, and cross-system experiences with precision, fluency, and nuance is still not easy.

On the other hand, perhaps this is also determined by the form of the podcast itself. The interaction, time limit, and question framework of a live podcast all affect how deeply a complex theme can ultimately unfold.

But what I truly wanted to say in my heart was even more complex.

For example, when I say “loneliness,” I do not mean ordinary loneliness. It comes from the long-term process of repositioning oneself across cultures, fields, and professional systems.

When I say “racial experience,” I do not only mean being attacked by others. I also mean that, in a new cultural and professional system, you need to constantly prove yourself, explain yourself, translate yourself, and find your position again.

When I say “the in-between,” I do not mean drifting between the middle, being rootless, or being confused. I mean a position from which one can understand multiple sides, translate between multiple sides, connect multiple sides, and facilitate co-creation.

These things perhaps needed to be said again through writing.

So I wrote this article as a supplement beyond the podcast, and also as a stage of self-organization and reflection.

6. For Those Who Also Live in the In-Between

If you often feel that you are never entirely a typical member of any group, perhaps you will understand this feeling.

You may not be part of the traditional “mainstream,” nor the most standard example within any minority narrative. You may move back and forth between different countries, professions, identities, languages, and organizations. Sometimes you may feel very rich. Sometimes you may feel very lonely. You may often need to explain yourself, translate yourself, and reposition yourself.

But perhaps this in-between space is not only an awkward place.

It may also be a capacity.

It teaches us flexibility. It teaches us resilience. It teaches us systems thinking. It teaches us to translate between different worlds, to search for connection amid misunderstanding, and to find new possibilities within difference.

I am still learning how to live in this place.

I am still learning how to transform my complex identities, life experiences, and various boundary-crossing perspectives into small contributions to my clients, communities, professional fields, and the wider world.

Perhaps this is the direction I want to continue exploring:

From the loneliness of continuous boundary-crossing to the soil that nourishes co-creation.

From not fully fitting in to locating and designing a position where value can be contributed.

From the confusion and unease of the in-between to settling into and trusting the unique value of the in-between space.