Biography

Yujia Zhu 朱羽佳 is a visionary changemaker and the trailblazing founder of For A Safer Space (FASS)(forasaferspace.org)—the world’s first fully AI-driven nonprofit organization—and the creator of FASSLING (fassling.ai), the world’s first comprehensive AI-powered human care platform offering unlimited, free, holistic human care support globally. A proud Chinese Canadian originally from the historic city of Nanjing, Mainland China, Yujia’s journey fuses technical innovation with compassionate activism, offering a bold blueprint for the future of socially responsible leadership.

With over twelve years of experience in the humanitarian sector, Yujia is widely recognized as a bold social innovator, ethical systems thinker, and fearless advocate for restorative justice and inclusive service design. Her work has impacted millions through anti-oppressive storytelling, transformative holistic education, and visionary platforms that reimagine human care in the digital age.

By the age of 22, she introduced a groundbreaking policy proposal at Toronto City Hall and was selected for the city’s extremely competitive elite Toronto Protégé Program: Future Female Politicians Leadership Program. By 23, she was lobbying for the rights of incarcerated individuals and tenants in New York. A graduate of Columbia University and New York University’s ECOC program, Yujia expanded her advocacy globally through her work at the United Nations. She later established the Yu Jia Zhu Scholarship at her undergraduate alma mater, the University of Toronto, to uplift international students from China. At just 26, she launched FASS, challenging the nonprofit industrial complex with a radical, mission-first model of public service delivery. Through her founding leadership at FASS, she personally initiated a petition advocating for the inclusion of mental health services in Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Thanks to her dedicated political lobbying efforts across Canada, the petition garnered nearly 10,000 signatures and was successfully presented at the Ontario Legislative Assembly. She also served as the co-organizer and master of ceremonies for Canada’s largest Stop Asian Hate solidarity rally in history. Later, Yujia continues to lead in the development of AI-powered humanitarian solutions. She pioneered the SFADNM management model and created FASSLING.AI, a revolutionary platform that integrates emotional intelligence and artificial intelligence to offer accessible, culturally sensitive care with compassion and integrity. Recently, she established the Yu Jia Zhu Scholarship at her coaching and consulting graduate program alma mater, New York University, to support other bold, innovative problem solvers like her.

With a multidisciplinary background spanning religious philosophy, psychology, computer science, and business administration, Yujia has studied and worked across four continents and contributed to over 40 nonprofit initiatives worldwide. A multidisciplinary scholar with over 20 publications, she is the author of Boundless Compassion in the Digital Age: The Intersection of Solo-Founder AI-Driven Nonprofit Mode (SFADNM) and Buddhist Dāna and Founder Mode: Breaking Free from the Nonprofit Industrial Complex, both of which are freely available on Apple Books. Founder Mode recently ranked among the Top 50 Free Books in the Leadership & Management category.

Yujia’s work has earned her recognition as a thought leader in the nonprofit and philanthropy sector, including her appointment to the Forbes Nonprofit Council and her service on the board of Community Boards, the longest-running mediation, conflict resolution, and restorative justice center in the United States. She has also earned herself recognition as an established science-based thought leader in the coaching sector when she was invited to join the most prestigious professional fellow membership at the Institute of Coaching (IOC), based at McLean Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham and the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

A rare blend of heart, intellect, and courage, Yujia Zhu exemplifies what it means to lead with both purpose and precision. Her life’s work is dedicated to building a more compassionate, equitable, and sustainable world—one bold, effective innovation at a time.

Passion

What puts a smile on my face? It’s not the things that most people might expect—not titles, accolades, or even recognition. It’s the quiet moments where something I helped build touches a life in a deeply human way. One of the greatest joys for me is seeing technology act as kindness. When AI offers comfort at 3 a.m. to someone feeling completely alone, I see not just innovation—I see humanity. That brings me a quiet kind of happiness that no spotlight can replace.

I also smile when I think about radical altruism in a world obsessed with profit. I chose to build a nonprofit that doesn't chase money, grants, or validation. Instead, I chose to lead with purpose. There’s something deeply fulfilling about proving that you can create systems that work for people, not for profit, and still be sustainable, impactful, and even recognized. Being invited to the Forbes Nonprofit Council because of this AI nonprofit reminded me that staying true to your mission can still open doors.

Then there are the rule-breaking moments—when people told me, “You can’t do that,” and I did it anyway. Not to rebel for rebellion’s sake, but because I saw a better way. Every time I made a decision that defied convention but aligned with my values, it reaffirmed my belief in ethical disruption. I smile, remembering those moments—not with arrogance, but with quiet confidence.

Giving voice to those often overlooked fills me with joy. Whether it’s advocating for the asexual community, supporting international students, or offering emotional care without judgment or payment, I find light in knowing I’m helping people feel seen. I’ve always believed that some of the most meaningful work happens in spaces that aren’t always acknowledged. That’s okay. I do it anyway.

I find deep joy in empathy at scale—watching FASSLING offer tons of moments of care, entirely free, purely because people need it. The thought that someone, somewhere, is being held in a moment of crisis by something I helped create—that makes me smile more than any headline or award ever could.

Leading without permission—what I call “Founder Mode”—is another source of pride. I didn’t wait for funding, institutional support, or outside validation. I started with a vision and a refusal to be told it wasn’t possible. It wasn’t about proving anyone wrong. It was about proving to myself—and to others like me—that we can build systems of care from the ground up, no permission required.

And then, there’s the quiet power of doing good without needing credit. Some of my proudest contributions are the ones no one knows about. Acts of care, protection, or service that I don’t publicize. These moments remind me why I started this journey in the first place. Not for recognition, but because I couldn’t do it.

Even my past, what once felt like a burden, now brings me peace. I used to struggle with moral scrupulosity, questioning whether I was ever “good enough.” But instead of running from it, I made it my compass. It now guides me in every decision I make, reminding me to lead with ethics, humility, and responsibility.

There’s something deeply satisfying about being a soft disruptor—someone who breaks systems not with violence or ego, but with gentleness, care, and a better alternative. I smile because I didn’t just change things—I softened them.

And finally, nothing moves me more than hearing from young people who say, “Because of you, I didn’t give up.” That’s what makes all the sleepless nights, the sacrifices, and the uncertainty worthwhile. If something I’ve built, lived, or stood for can make someone believe in themselves again, then that is my truest reward.