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The stories we overlook, and the ones we never think to ask about. From one friend to another, and beyond—sparked by curiosity and kept alive through conversation.
Anya: I'll go through the airport and I will see my younger self and I'm like, wow, I was nine years old sitting over there and now I'm 21, and I've done all these things that 9-year-old me dreamed of and I'm now doing it on my own and I've learned so much and it's really crazy that airports just, they hold a lot of memory for me.
Living Biography: Conversations matter, especially in a world of constant rush and endless noise, where checking in too often means scrolling through social feeds. Sometimes all it takes is a stubborn kind of curiosity—the kind that pauses, listens, and draws out the stories we overlook, the ones we never think to ask about. This is Living Biography, where we reaffirm our shared human story from one friend to another and beyond, sparked by curiosity and kept alive through conversation.
Living Biography: There's an interconnectedness between us and the places we've lived. We shape our communities and in turn they shape us. But what is that place that left a lasting impression on the course of our lives?
As an introvert, I need to carve out space on my calendar to recharge. But for Anya Kumar, she thrives in the back-to-back, go-go-go schedule. Originally from Seattle and now making her way to New York City, she's probably traveled to, lived in, or at least passed through just about every time zone. So when you've experienced so many different places, how do you even begin to answer a question like: "What's the place that shaped who you are today?"
Anya: Yeah, I have been lucky enough to have experienced many different places in my life on a deep level. I haven't just scratched the surface, I've really lived and dived deep into the culture of many different places. And so because of that, it would be doing a disservice to all the places I've been to if I picked just one. Um, so given that, I think in my opinion, the airport has really shaped a lot of who I am.
Living Biography: Thinking about airports brings mixed feelings. Departing is always exciting, but it's also hectic and stressful. There's TSA and people in all kinds of emotional states, and, are things even on time? So I never imagined someone would pick the airport as their place in these conversations, but Anya did, and I had to ask why.
Anya: From that young of an age, I've really learned how to work with people because at the airport, you're interacting with so many different kinds of people and really being able to see, watch my parents and see how they interact with people and treat people at the airport, all the way from when you're checking in your bag or even just getting to the airport and going through like parking to, you know, going through security and then getting past your gate, going to Starbucks to get coffee, and then going on a train and then getting to the, to the gate and people checking your ticket, and being able to watch my parents interact with them and how they deal with just the chaos of an airport and stay calm through that entire storm has really stuck with me ever since I was a child.
Living Biography: Looking back on our talk, what really stood out to me was Anya's optimism, and yeah, it's true. Despite the chaos, the stress, and those occasional heated moments, airports are also an incredible example of human cooperation and harmony. In the interview, I asked her what she learned about working with people at such a young age.
Anya: When I was younger, we would always... I would have a little pink, it was like a bright pink sparkly carry-on. It had two wheels and had my name on it. And I remember being only allowed to take that bag with my stuff in it, and you have to have it a certain size. And every time we'd go to where you check your bags in, my mom would always say, make sure you're very respectful, kind to the lady, like, your bag might be overweight, but be nice. And I was like, okay, I'll be nice. And so I would always put on a really big smile no matter how chaotic the day or the morning had been, put on a big smile, say a really sweet hello to the, to the check-in lady and, or man. And I'd, they'd weigh my bag, and if it was over, they usually just let me go 'cause I was a cute kid, I guess. And that really taught me just like to use every situation, even if it's a negative situation, use a situation to your advantage in every way and being kind can take you so far.
Living Biography: Really props to her parents for teaching her the value of respect. And showing that kind of respect at an airport feels especially important because it's one of those spaces where people from every walk of life come together.
Anya: I think that's one of the biggest things that I love about the airport and traveling, is people come from so many different backgrounds and because I've had so many different experiences and I'm able to relate to people from many, many different backgrounds, that translates over into so many other aspects of my life and work and school. When I'm, it just, it really impacted how I, pursue connections with people and relationships that I have with people, and it's also something I look for, I think in relationships that I have with people is: Are you open-minded? Do you have that empathy? You may not have had experiences that I've had, which is, I never will fault someone for not having experience just because I'm very lucky that I've had the experience that I've had. But it all comes down to are you open-minded enough to try to understand or put yourself in a situation of someone else and to really understand where they're coming from and not just think that you know what they're going through because you don't. So the airport, honestly, is the first place that taught me that.
Living Biography: And while airports are packed with people and constant movement, I've often found this stillness too, moments where I reflect on my own life. So I asked Anya if she felt the same.
Anya: I act... I love it so much because I am kind, I'm the kind of person that I have a back-to-back calendar. I love just having things to do and I'm just go-go-go-go-go. And it's really nice when I'm at the airport and I physically cannot do anything. There's nothing to do besides walk around at any of the shops and just walk around the airport. And it's really, really nice when I have that time at the airport to just sit, reflect, think, I love people watching. I'll just kind of, watch people go back and forth and, you know, wonder where they're going, what their lives are like, and I... It's, I dunno, the airport's always been a very reflective place for me. Even on the airplane, you can't do anything besides, you have no internet, you can't use your phone, you can't be texting people, responding to emails, looking at LinkedIn, and I love that because I feel like I'm always locked into some sort of texting or email or something. I'm just always on my phone. And so you really get to experience life and see what your life would be like outside of everything that goes on, on your screen and on your phone.
Living Biography: She shared her love for journaling, especially in airports, as a way to gather herself before departing on a new adventure or to process her discoveries and growth on the way home. One of her most memorable entries was a 17-pager she wrote after spending two months in the mountains of Costa Rica volunteering and teaching kids.
Anya: For one of the first times in my life, my whole body felt just cleansed. I felt very, very good and I did not want to leave. I was stuck in that little bubble, and I just was so immersed in it, and I knew that I would never really experience that again. And so when I was leaving, I was obviously very, very upset. But I was also excited for what was coming, and I was very happy and grateful for the experiences that I'd had. But I get to the airport, and I had gla... I had sunglasses on because I just, I, I was crying and just, it was a mess. And I get, get to my gate and I pull out my journal and I, I wrote 17 pages and those 17 pages had the most raw, reflective moments for me. And I still look back to this day at those 17 pages all the time when I'm going through something negative or I just need, I need something to kind of gimme a boost. And I look at those 17 pages and it really, there's a lot of advice in them. It takes me back to how I felt when I was in Costa Rica and I, I kind of remember that you've been through those amazing moments and you've lived that. How can you take those moments and bring that peace that you felt back into your life now?
Living Biography: With her nonstop schedule, I wondered if those journaling check-ins at the airport kept her grounded and her path ahead clear.
Anya: Every time I'm at the airport I'm always, I journal just 'cause I have a lot of thoughts and there's always something new that's happening or something that's happened that I'm like, wow, I've really learned a lot from this. I don't even remember who I used to be two months ago when I was at the airport last. And it's really funny also, just, if I go to an airport, the same airport consistently like Seattle, 'cause my family's here, I'm always at the Seattle airport and I've been coming to the Seattle airport since I was basically a kid. And a lot of it looks the same. So I'll go through the airport and I will see my younger self and I'm like, wow, I was nine years old sitting over there and now I'm 21 and I've done all these things that 9-year-old me dreamed of and I'm now doing it on my own and I've learned so much and it's really crazy that airports just, they hold a lot of memory for me.
Living Biography: And while Anya has a strong sense of what she wants out of life, I also asked how she handles those periods of feeling lost.
Anya: I think I feel the most lost when I'm straying away from my values and I am not sticking to who I am at my core. And now that I'm older and I've gone through a lot of different experiences, no matter what I do, it always aligns with who I am and my values and I know that. And so I never really feel too lost anymore internally, just because I stick to my values. But I think going abroad really changed that for me and abroad was kind of a pivot for me in my entire life because I really started to make sure that every action I took or choice I made was aligned with my values and who I am and who I know I am. And that I guess put me back on the right path of not feeling lost. And I know that any choice I make or any decision I make isn't a decision I'm making because I feel lost. It's a decision I'm making because I know it aligns with who I am and it'll lead me where I'm supposed to go.
Living Biography: There's real wisdom there. Even when you're far from home or life is moving at lightning speed, you won't drift off course if you stick to your values. So I asked her to share one of the values that guides her.
Anya: Empathy has always been one of my biggest values. It's something I all... I've always had ever since I was a kid. I think in every situation it's very important to be, not sympathetic, but as empathetic to someone as possible and show that empathy to them and really, especially if someone's going through a rougher time, show that empathy. You may not be able to help someone solve an issue or get them through a problem that they're having, but if you're at least there as an empathetic person for them, it means a lot more than if you're just sitting there saying, oh, I'm so sorry that you're going through that.
Living Biography: Empathy can be easy to practice with people we love, but what does it look like with a complete stranger at the airport or someone we disagree with?
Anya: Especially with the state of the world right now, it's sometimes a little bit difficult just because there are certain things happening where you're just like, there's really only one way to see something, which is human, like the human way. And a lot of people, a lot of people aren't seeing a lot of things humanly right now. And so those situations are tough obviously. But in just a normal situation, usually it's, I try to think of it in their perspective as much as possible. And I either explain it from my perspective coming from, this is why I'm coming from the direction I'm coming from, what are your thoughts? Something like that? I will never tell someone, this is my way, this is why I think this and this, you should think the same way. Like, I don't think that, I would be upset when someone said that to me, so I would never say that to someone else. But I always say like, I will be as open-minded to you and respect whatever you're saying, as long as you respect me in return and you're open-minded to me in return. And we're not forcing or pressuring each other into anything. It's kind of, we just have a respectful understanding is kind of the way I usually put it.
Living Biography: As we wrapped up, I asked her as someone who's both a traveler of the world and a traveler of humankind, what kind of impact she hopes to make.
Anya: For me, it's like, if I can even help three people and change their life for the better, that means, and brings me so much more happiness and joy than if I lightly influence 300 people and they change maybe like one little thing in their life that doesn't really have much of an impact. And, and that's something that's not really looked at as much. I think a lot of people are trying to influence and change the masses instead of really focusing on a smaller group of people where they can really make a deep impact. For me, it's all about depth and not breadth.
Living Biography: And with youthful passion, she explained how one person, one small community connects to the bigger picture.
Anya: So, yes, I would really wanna have an impact in the world, but I also know that having an impact in the large, very large world is very, very difficult and often not as impactful as having an impact in the world of fewer people. So I've kind of thought about is like, how could I really impact people that are closer to me in my community, or how am I impacting the smaller communities that I've built throughout my life? And that's kind of smaller steps, I think, to, to meet the bigger, the bigger picture.
Living Biography: It's clear that this chaotic, little microcosm of humanity, the airport, with its constant coming and going helped shape Anya into the respectful, empathetic person she is today. For me, I personally found it a lot easier to be patient once I got TSA precheck. But still, what a wonder it is to be able to fly across the world. For Anya, the airport is more than a utility. It's where she departs into her next chapter, experiences packed and ready, with her values as her guide as her life expands toward the horizon. And when she returns, she knows the time away was meaningful, not just for her, but for the people whose lives she impacted along the way.
Thanks for listening to Living Biography. This show is hosted by Teemyo, dedicated to expanding dialogue and ensuring technology serves humanity, not the other way around. We release new episodes every week, sharing the stories of ordinary people that remind us of our commonalities, not our differences. If you'd like to be a part of these stories, reach out to us at pod@valuebridge.ai for an informal and friendly conversation.