The Ikigai Podcast

Beyond Myself 8: Eight Powers for Navigating an Uncertain World

The world is changing fast, and “just be strong” is not a plan. I’m joined by my good friend, clinical psychologist and author Professor Daiki Kato to share the thinking

How Ikigai Can Support Recovery from Workplace Trauma with Dorothy Dalton

A single ignored greeting can sound small until it becomes the daily signal that you do not belong. We talk with Dorothy Dalton, a global HR leader and inclusive workplac

Life Needs A Role with Yūki Ōhata

A grandmother stops farming and something quietly disappears: her energy, her rhythm, her reason to get up. That single story becomes the thread that ties everything toge

Trust and Leadership: An Entrepreneur’s Journey in Japan with Timothy Connor

Japan can look easy from the outside: huge buying power, world-class retail, and consumers who love quality. Then you try to sell there and discover the real barrier isn’

Beyond Engagement with Olesia Kyrylchuk

On this episode of the Ikigai Podcast, we talk with Olesia Kyrylchuk about what happens to purpose when life gets disrupted, from relocating to Japan after the war in Ukr

Ikigai And Belonging with Kumiko Sugiyama

One Japanese word can change your life. It did for us, and it’s how we met Kumiko Sugiyama, a Japanese language coach, business Japanese trainer, and ICF Associate Certif

Reflecting to Thrive with Chie Sawa

On this episode of The Ikigai Podcast, I talk with Chie Sawa, founder of Thrive Life Design, about why all leaders need a sanctuary to pause and reconnect with themselves

Reflections on A Year Of Ikigai with Nicholas Kemp

Caitlin Kight returns again to host the Ikigai Podcast to interview Nick on his new book, A Year of Ikigai. In this episode, Nick shares how Japanese voices, careful cu

Unlocking Cross-Cultural Communication in Japan with Shohei Yoshida

The Power of Awareness: How Kizuki Moments Transform Our Lives with Mae Yoshikawa

What if the feeling you’re most afraid of could become your clearest compass? Our conversation with Mae Yoshikawa begins in the hard places—parental divorce, a mother’s e

Aligning Work with Purpose: A Conversation with Tina Bagwell

What if the problem isn’t workload, but identity? We sit down with coach and HR leader Tina Bagwell to explore how many of us let a single role—the job—define who we are,

Expanding Your Inner Capacity: The Utsuwa Philosophy with Shigeki Nishimura

What if the key to better work and wiser leadership isn’t adding more tools but building a bigger vessel? Shigeki Nishimura—author, cross-cultural leadership coach, and f

A Year of Ikigai

Nick celebrates the launch of A Year of Ikigai and read the book’s introduction, separating myth from meaning and showing how purpose lives in daily moments.  Nick share

Turning Pain Into a Gift: The Kintsugi Life of Kiki Fukai

A single fall changed everything. When our guest, life coach and digital nomad Kiki Fukai, crashed into a tree on a routine run, she shattered her skull and—unexpectedly—

Anxiety as a Compass: Exploring Ikigai, Empathy, and Emotional Wellbeing with Catherine Deeks Gnocchi

Anxiety isn’t a malfunction to be silenced; it’s a message asking to be heard. We sit down with therapist and educator Catherine Deeks Gnocchi to rethink fear through the

Discovering Ikigai Through Art and Martial Arts: A Conversation with Baptiste Tavernier

Start with a vision, test it in the dojo, and forge it in a studio where code becomes sculpture. That’s the journey we explore with Tokyo-based French-Spanish artist and

The Transformative Power of Travel: Insights from Jake Haupert

What if your next trip did more than entertain you—what if it changed you? We sit down with Jake Haupert, founder of the Transformational Travel Council, to unpack how in

Japanese Wisdom for a More Meaningful Life with Saori Okada

What if the words you use could change the way you breathe? We welcome author Saori Okada back to share the heart of her new book, Wisdom of Japan, a collection of 60 con

Reflections from the Japan Leadership Experience: Live from Tokyo with Katie Anderson

On episode 118 of the Ikigai Podcast, Katie Anderson and Nick Kemp reflect on a Katies's Japan Leadership Experience - a week in Japan exploring how kaizen, rolefuln

Understanding Academic Yarigai with Yu Kanazawa

Ever study hard and still wonder why it feels empty? We dive into academic yarigai—the lived, situational meaning that makes learning feel worth doing—and map out nine pr