Today, we’re continuing part two of our conversation with Justine Abigail Yu, a Filipina-Canadian storyteller, community builder, and activist. Justine is the founder of Living Hyphen, a community and multimedia platform that explores what it means to live in between cultures as a hyphenated Canadian – that is, an individual who calls Canada home but has roots elsewhere.

Get 20% off of any issue of the Living Hyphen magazine with code GOINGPLACES at the Living Hyphen online store. The beautifully produced magazine features artists and writers from all across Canada hailing from over 30 ethnicities, religions, and Indigenous nations who explore various themes of this multi-hyphenated identity in a collection of poetry, prose, photography, and visual art.

Announcement: my 10-day group trip to Jordan in May 2025 is now open! Get more details here.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• Seeing nature as a deity, rather than a resource
• How Indigenous languages shape our worldview
• Learning Chuvash language
• What radical imagination looks like to Justine
• Growing up in the Filipino diaspora in Canada
• Filipino identity versus Philippines as a place
• How we process our identity and look for belonging
• Weaving complexity

Featured on the show:

• Follow Justine on Instagram: @justineabigail
• Follow Living Hyphen on Instagram: @livinghyphen
• Learn more about Justine on her website
• Follow the work of Living Hyphen
• Check out the Living Hyphen podcast
• Read Justine's 3DR newsletter
• Check out Dismantling The Master's Tools by Mathura Mahendren
• Read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

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Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more.

Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.