Episode Description

In this special episode, co-founders Caleb Kwok and Alex Sanchez reflect on the beginnings of Beyond the Surface. They started the architecture podcast together in 2023 as students. Now graduates, they continue to lead the show, along with a growing team, as they explore how storytelling shapes design and community.  Alex opens up about being a first-generation college student searching for her place in architecture, explaining how Beyond the Surface came from that need to understand her path. “But it still left me with the question, ‘how do I get from where I am right now to the architects that I see online; what is the story behind the work that they do? The architecture they do is amazing, but what is behind the person?’” Alex shares. That question became the foundation for a podcast that looks beyond design to uncover human stories.

“But it still left me with the question, ‘how do I get from where I am right now to the architects that I see online; what is the story behind the work that they do? The architecture they do is amazing, but what is behind the person?” – Alex Sanchez

Caleb adds, “Even though I’m not recording my family in these podcasts, I get to talk to guests that do talk about their family. They talk about their stories, their journey.” For Caleb, storytelling in the  show became a bridge between the guest’s personal histories and creative practice.

Together, they trace the podcast’s journey from its earliest episodes, recorded with little idea of what it might become to its evolution into a six-person team. They reflect on naming the show, forming their first roles, and discovering what it meant to be hosts fostering conversation rather than conducting traditional interviews. “I realized podcasting is way more than just an interview, it’s way more than just storytelling, it’s a conversation,” Alex reflects. Caleb adds, “If you’re ambitious and you show it, or you’re interested in something and you want to learn more about it, there’s going to be somebody there.”

““If you’re ambitious and you show it, or you’re interested in something and you want to learn more about it, there’s going to be somebody there” – Caleb

Now, Beyond the Surface has grown into a space for unspoken stories, design exploration, and shared curiosity. Listeners come for different reasons, but all leave with a deeper appreciation for how storytelling reveals the identities shaping architecture and the communities behind it.