About the show
We meet people, form impressions, and start to believe we know who they are. But there's always more beneath the surface: an experience that changed the way someone sees the world, a passion they've quietly pursued for years, a lesson they've learned. Sometimes those stories stay untold because they're deeply personal. Other times, no one ever thought to ask.
Where the name comes from
Psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham created the Johari window in 1955. It sorts what can be known about a person into four panes, depending on whether you know it and whether other people do.
One of those panes is the hidden self: the things we know about ourselves that others don't. I've always been drawn to that idea. Think about how much of someone's life exists beyond what we see: the experiences that shaped them, the interests that define them, the little details that make them uniquely themselves. Some of those things are kept private on purpose. Others just haven't found their way into a conversation.
The Bottom Left Pane is my attempt to make room for those conversations.
What to expect
This isn't about exposing secrets or getting someone to reveal something they aren't comfortable sharing. It's about taking a genuine interest in another person's story.
A conversation might begin with someone's career, travels, or creative pursuits and end up somewhere neither of us expected. Sometimes the best moments come from the questions we didn't know we were going to ask.
You don't need to be famous, or to have overcome some monumental challenge, to have something worth sharing. Some of the most compelling conversations come from everyday experiences and unexpected perspectives.
Sometimes we'll get philosophical. Sometimes we'll laugh about something ridiculous. And sometimes we'll simply have a really good conversation.
Your host
I'm a storyteller, a lifelong performer, a software engineer, a voice actor, and, most importantly for this show, someone who's endlessly curious about people.
I earned my BFA in Dance from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dance taught me how to communicate without words, collaborate with people from different backgrounds, and understand just how powerful storytelling can be. Eventually my path took an unexpected turn into software engineering. On paper they're different worlds, but both involve curiosity, experimentation, and trying to understand how people experience the world around them.
These days I work in technology, pursue voice acting, and follow anything that sends me down an interesting rabbit hole: gaming, film, animation, music, science, travel. And if I meet someone who's passionate about something I know absolutely nothing about? Even better.
Every person we meet has lived an entire life we know almost nothing about. Some of the most memorable conversations I've had began with something completely ordinary and revealed a side of someone I never would have expected. I started The Bottom Left Pane to create more of those moments. That doesn't mean rigid interviews or perfectly packaged answers. It means sitting down with people and seeing where genuine curiosity takes us.
There's a difference between interviewing someone and actually being curious about them. I'm not looking to agree with every guest, and I don't expect them to agree with me. What matters is that we're willing to listen and engage with genuine interest.
I don't host this podcast because I have all the answers. Quite the opposite. I host it because I enjoy learning from people, and I hope that curiosity is contagious.
Sometimes all it takes is asking the right question.
Welcome to The Bottom Left Pane. I'm glad you're here.
Hear my story in episode 1Where to start
Start with three of the most-listened-to conversations from the archive.
Simon Guerard
A French Canadian scientist and trail runner on going from weekend hikes to ultra-marathons, what the running community gave him, and what long races taught him about limits.
56 minListen & Watch
Jurate Wolfe
From Lithuania to the Kennedy Space Center: Jurate talks about human factors work on space missions, being a woman in STEM, and where science and astrology meet in her life.
58 minListen & Watch
Yuko Sasaki
Yuko left Tokyo for the United States looking for a life with fewer rules. She talks about culture shock, building a career in restaurants, and wanting to inspire women in Japan.
42 minAudio only