Statistics show that (1) social isolation is on the rise and (2) the number of close friends someone would say that they have is decreasing.
Considering that having a strong social network is one of the key factor in general happiness, overall health, and prolonged longevity, my hope is that this podcast + community will serve to bring awareness to the issue as well as provide a platform to start solving the problem, together!
Hi 👋🏼
I'm XinYi
("shin-yee")
I was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 🇲🇾 and moved with my family to Dallas, Texas 🤠 at the age of 7. My first couple of years in school were a huge struggle. English was not my first language and entering 2nd grade after skipping almost a year of school due to the move made making friends quite difficult. But even after learning English,
I never felt quite at home... anywhere.
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Culturally, I wasn’t fully American, but when my family and I visited Malaysia, I was painfully aware that I didn’t quite belong there either. 😩
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When it came to my passions, I could never make up my mind on a specific creative outlet or medium to hone — not because of indecisiveness (ok, maybe a little bit), but because I find joy in the process of learning, remixing, and over-complicating mixed-media projects. But before I found pride in calling myself a creative chimera, I was hopelessly lost in how to identify my art and therefore myself. 🙈
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Being aromantic meant that I couldn’t relate to 99% of the stories represented in pop culture. ❤️🩹
In short, I thought I was an alien. 👽 (After all, surely you’re not human if can’t understand such a basic human experience such as romantic love, right?) And I think, partially because I didn’t care for romantic love, I dearly longed for platonic love — AKA friends.
With every friend that I’ve found (who listened to me wholeheartedly and confided in me sincerely), I began to feel less and less alien and more and more at home on Earth. 🌎
I began to feel like I belonged.
This is why I’m so passionate about connecting people.
I know what it feels like to feel alone.
And that’s why you matter. Because your existence validates someone else’s.
