Born into HongKong's Oldest Lineage Family to Bridge East and West

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Who do you think will benefit the most from our conversation today?

Yunsu Tang:
I would say anyone who feels like they struggle a little bit in a professional setting and maybe don’t fully understand why.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Welcome to Low to Grow, the podcast transforming life’s toughest moments into opportunities for growth. I’m Annie, a Forbes Under 30 technology founder whose entrepreneurship journey ran parallel to a mental health awakening.

In every episode, I sit down with inspiring individuals and explore how they turned personal or professional challenges into opportunities for growth. If you’re facing uncertainty, feeling down, or simply need a kick of inspiration to keep moving forward, this is your space for honest and uplifting conversations you’ll want to hear. Hit follow so you never miss an episode, and let’s dive in.

Today’s guest is someone I’m very excited to speak to: Yunsu Tang. Yunsu was raised in Hong Kong, and her path into entrepreneurship is anything but linear. She is a two-time TEDx speaker and the co-founder of Synchro, which is building AI-driven tools to help organizations understand complex stakeholder relationships.

Before that, Yunsu launched Senie, a mental health platform focused on supporting young professionals navigating the pressure cooker of modern work. What really struck me when I came across Yunsu’s profile is how she thinks. She has worked at global firms like Edelman and Finsbury and advised Fortune 500 companies on issues at the intersection of geopolitics, tech, and communications.

Through all of this, she has stayed deeply connected to her cultural roots, writing a beautiful newsletter called From East to West, where she explores heritage, identity, and innovation through the lens of an Asian woman born into one of Hong Kong’s oldest lineage families. Yunsu holds a master’s from LSE, but more than credentials, what you’ll hear today is how she balances ambition with reflection, logic with care, and East with West.

So Yunsu, it’s a pleasure to have you on the podcast. Who do you think will benefit the most from our conversation today?

Yunsu Tang:
I would say anyone who’s like the younger me—someone who feels they struggle in a professional setting and don’t quite understand why. Hearing other people’s stories can really help you understand yourself better.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Fantastic. I’m excited to delve into that with you. Let’s start at the very beginning. You write a newsletter called From East to West. What took you from East to West?

Yunsu Tang:
I always wanted to come to London. I grew up in Hong Kong and was born into one of Hong Kong’s oldest and largest lineage families, the Tang clan. Later, I made my way abroad, and during that journey I realized how deeply connected I am to my roots.

My first language is Wai Tau, which is very close to Cantonese. I grew up with my grandmother, who spoke this language with me, so I’m very connected to Chinese language and culture. That’s why I decided to work in Shanghai, where I lived for three years.

During that time, I met many interesting people—Chinese people who grew up in the US or elsewhere and somehow ended up in Shanghai. Later, I received an offer from LSE to pursue my master’s degree in information systems. While in London, I realized I still deeply cherish my roots and wanted to tell the stories of Chinese people who grew up in different places but share similar identity struggles.

Sometimes we feel a small identity crisis, trying to figure out where we fit in the world. I hope my newsletter helps people feel less lonely.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
That’s wonderful. You’ve been writing the newsletter for a while and it’s had great reception. What feedback has really stuck with you?

Yunsu Tang:
One LSE student, also an Asian woman, messaged me saying she had shared my article with eight friends in one day. I didn’t even ask people to share it—I wrote it for myself as a way to process my thoughts.

Later, we met for coffee, and I realized she had shared it not just with Asian friends, but also with her European friends. She told me she struggled to explain Asian or Chinese culture to people outside of it, and my writing helped her articulate what she was feeling and explain things like why Asian people often work so hard.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
I love that. You mentioned your family’s long lineage in Hong Kong. What was it like growing up within that cultural setting?

Yunsu Tang:
I grew up with a strong sense of family pride. There are many aunties and uncles from the Tang clan—we’re not always directly related, but we share lineage. That gave me pride, but it was also tricky because I’m a woman.

Traditionally, there’s a strong preference for sons, who are seen as carrying on the bloodline and surname. As a woman, you’re expected to marry out. That added complexity to my identity and contributed to internal struggles I’ve had to face and work through.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Before moving to Shanghai, had you ever lived independently without that family community?

Yunsu Tang:
Yes, I lived in the UK for a year, which is why I always knew I’d come back. I didn’t feel ready at first. I wanted to work in Shanghai so I could understand the broader Chinese ecosystem, not just Hong Kong.

Hong Kong and mainland China are very different—different digital platforms, languages, and writing systems. Having lived in Shanghai, I feel more inclusive and better able to represent different perspectives.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
What were you doing in Shanghai?

Yunsu Tang:
I worked at an advisory firm called FGS Global, formerly Finsbury. That experience inspired my second startup in stakeholder intelligence. I focused on analyzing geopolitically sensitive issues and working on topics that often made headlines.

Growing up in Hong Kong, I always felt my role was to bridge East and West, and working across cultures and geographies helped me fulfill that mission.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
You mentioned living in the UK earlier—how old were you when you first moved?

Yunsu Tang:
I was around 20 years old.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
What was your first impression of the UK?

Yunsu Tang:
It was different, but very exciting. I grew up in a village, and later lived a fast-paced city life in Hong Kong. The UK felt quieter, which allowed me to focus on relationships and experience different cultures. British culture is quite different from what I grew up with, so it was a big learning experience in communication.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
I really relate to that difference. British culture can be quite indirect. Now that you’re back in the UK working on your second startup, what led you to create it?

Yunsu Tang:
In my previous job, I spent a lot of time reviewing policy announcements, media, and digital data to determine what mattered for clients. I wanted to find a way to synchronize that intelligence and make people’s lives easier.

Startup founders and advisors can really benefit from stakeholder intelligence tools, and with AI today, automating that process is possible.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Who are the main users of your product?

Yunsu Tang:
People in corporate affairs or advisory roles who track policy developments and provide strategic advice. Like my first startup, it’s about helping people manage anxiety—this time around business decisions rather than career anxiety.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
I’d love to hear more about your first startup, Senie.

Yunsu Tang:
Throughout my twenties, I struggled a lot. From the outside, my life looked successful, but internally I felt insecure and like I didn’t belong. Later, I realized I had imposter syndrome.

I wanted to help young professionals like me. Senie was a coach-matching platform. We interviewed successful professionals in law, investment banking, and other competitive fields and shared their stories. Within two weeks, we reached 150,000 video views, and many people told us it really helped them.

Building Senie was also a journey of self-discovery for me. Many of the coaches were of Asian heritage, which was important for cultural understanding. I interviewed over 300 people to understand why therapy doesn’t always work and what people really struggle with. It was incredibly rewarding.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Were there common challenges you saw among Asian professionals?

Yunsu Tang:
Many people take things very personally at work. For example, an Asian lawyer felt a partner disliked her. After being matched with a senior lawyer who had similar experiences, she felt much better.

There are also stereotypes—Asian people often look younger and may be perceived as junior even when they’re senior. Being able to help people navigate these experiences was very rewarding.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
You mentioned imposter syndrome earlier. How did it show up in your daily life?

Yunsu Tang:
It made me extremely competitive and constantly compare myself to others. No matter how hard I worked, I never felt good enough. I was surrounded by elites, and questions about schooling and background made me feel insecure.

I overworked, sought validation, and felt I didn’t belong because my upbringing was different. I grew up in a village, not the city, and that manifested into emotional and mental unhealthiness in my twenties.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
For listeners unfamiliar with Hong Kong, what’s the cultural difference between growing up in a village versus the city?

Yunsu Tang:
People often assumed I came from elite schools because I worked at top firms, but many city kids grew up speaking perfect English with strong networks and resources. I had to figure things out on my own.

That feeling intensified as I got older, and it was compounded by family trauma. I lost my father to an overdose when I was 15. As a teenager, I didn’t really understand or process it.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
After losing your dad, how did your family communicate about it?

Yunsu Tang:
We didn’t really talk about it. I come from a very traditional family. Losing a son—my grandmother’s only son—was devastating. I didn’t think about my own pain because others seemed more vulnerable. I didn’t process it until much later.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Who supported you in processing these experiences?

Yunsu Tang:
My friends helped a lot, though I avoided talking about it throughout my twenties. I wanted to fit in and project a successful city-girl image.

Building Senie helped me understand myself. I read a lot, talked to many people, and realized how important relationships are. Listening to others’ stories made me realize I wasn’t alone, and now I’m more open about my past.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
How did your family react to Senie?

Yunsu Tang:
They didn’t always understand. In traditional thinking, a business should make money. Being mission-driven or not having a job felt like failure. It took time to change that mindset, but I learned that a job will always be there—and that insight was liberating.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
How long was your journey with Senie, and what did it become?

Yunsu Tang:
It lasted about a year. It began during a rapid prototyping week in my master’s program. Over time, it became more of a network and a platform for cross-cultural dialogue.

The newsletter From East to West is like the final product of that journey—documenting stories and reminding people they’re not alone.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
What lessons would you share with aspiring founders?

Yunsu Tang:
Start by understanding yourself and how you deal with fear. Build mental resilience and ask for help. Relationships are critical—many startups fail due to co-founder conflict.

Understand your response to fear: fight, flight, or freeze. As founders, fight mode matters. Anxiety often comes from lack of data, and the only way to get data is to keep trying. Failure doesn’t define you—only stopping does.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
I love that. Finally, what do you think will help more people have better mental health?

Yunsu Tang:
Be more open and assume good intent. We are often our own harshest critics. Most people are good—we just need to be kinder to ourselves.

Annie Wenmiao Yu:
Thank you so much, Yunsu, for sharing your journey so openly. I’m continually inspired by your beautiful newsletter and the conversations it sparks.

That’s a wrap for today’s episode of Low to Grow. If this resonated with you, leave a review and hit follow so more people can find these important conversations. Keep growing, and see you next time.