For the 20th and final episode of Season One we decided to flip the script a bit. I’ve had multiple people ask me where my interview is, and when can they hear me talk about my Ikigai. Jayne, my wonderful podcast manager and host of the Transformations with Jayne podcast, was one of those people and she volunteered to interview me for the podcast today. So enjoy this final episode of Season One, where I am in the hot seat being asked the questions. Thank you so much for supporting Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai so far and stay tuned for Season Two!
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How Jennifer came to Japan and why she decided to stay on
When the concept of Ikigai appeared on Jennifer’s radar and why her interest was piqued
Jennifer’s career path in Japan from English teaching, to recruitment to running her own business
Jayne and Jennifer discuss the ways we connect with our Ikigai, outside of work
Jennifer’s advice for people looking to connect with their Ikigai in the new year
Yuta Hasumi joins us to discuss his work in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in the corporate world and his work with Ikigai Authentic Ltd as an executive coach and advisor for businesses. Yuta discusses his perspective of Ikigai as a Japanese man, and why diversity and inclusion is so important to him. He also gives us some great advice for people experiencing difficulties in the workplace getting their voice heard, especially if they are in a minority or have minority opinions.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
Why Yuta works within organisations to champion diversity and inclusion
What a diverse and inclusive workplace feels like for the people in it
Some of the expectations Yuta has felt as a Japanese man
How to find your voice in your workplace if you are in a minority and/or feel like your voice is not usually listened to
What made Yuta decide to set up his own company, Ikigai Authentic Ltd
Yuta Hasumi is the Managing Director of Ikigai Authentic Ltd. He has led the worldwide Diversity & Inclusion business strategy and implementation for over 12 years. Yuta advises organisations and drives leadership accountability through goals and metrics to achieve a diverse & inclusive workforce, workplace, and marketplace for business growth around the globe.
Yuta obtained an MBA with honors in Human Resources Management at Waseda Business School, and holds a BA degree in International Law from Waseda University.
Yuta is also:
Director of GEWEL, Japan
Certified Coach, COF, Rosinski & Company
Chair of D&I Advisory Board, Medito Foundation, Netherlands & UK
This week we are talking to the wonderful Nick Kemp. Nick is the founder of Ikigai Tribe, a membership site and podcast that focuses on the concept of Ikigai from a Japanese perspective. Nick learnt about Ikigai whilst living in Japan and really connected with it. Later he saw Westernised frameworks based on this concept and felt there were a lot of misconceptions of what Ikigai was. He decided to work at dispelling some of these misunderstandings of Ikigai by moving beyond the famous Venn diagram and exploring what Ikigai as a concept and philosophy really means.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How Nick discovered the concept of Ikigai
Why Nick founded Ikigai Tribe, a membership site and podcast focusing on Ikigai from a Japanese perspective
How hosting his own Ikigai Podcast expands his understanding of the concept of Ikigai
Nick’s advice for those struggling to find a source of Ikigai
Nick is the founder of Ikigai Tribe, a membership site and podcast that focuses on the Ikigai concept from the Japanese perspective. As a Japanolgist Nick studies philosophical and physiological aspects of Japanese culture with an emphasis on Ikigai. Nick lived in Japan for over 10 years, living in various suburbs of the Big Mikan that is Tokyo and in Toki-shi a small village in Gifu prefecture where his wife is from. He currently lives in Melbourne Australia with his wife and son. He hopes to spend his life living both in Japan and Australia after the pandemic.
“By the conclusion of the British Business Awards 2021 (#BBA2021) nomination period, we had received 38 eligible nominations across 6 categories.
The following 7companies are now in the running to lift the BBA Responsible Business trophy. (AstraZeneca, Barclays,British Airways, Calon Wen, Global Perspectives, imageMILL, Jennifer Shinkai)
“Open to any eligible company that has driven exceptionally effective responsible business (social / environmental) programmes or initiatives in Japan over the past 12 months. Nominees should not be NPOs.”“
Astounding to see Make March Matter, the free online community that I founded to support small business struggling with Covid related issues, up there with the Astrazeneca non-profit Covid vaccine!
Wish us luck on November 5th and do feel free to register online and buy some raffle tickets!
Jennifer Shinkai
Facilitator and Executive Coach, Jennifer Shinkai, created a flagship programme during Covid, Make March Matter, to support SDG 8 “Decent Work and Economic Growth”. The mental and financial strains on SMEs have been severe, but the supportive and caring nature of this free, online and sustainable community of 365 owners has led to both friendships and business opportunities over the last 20 months.
Jennifer Shinkai, Points of You® Master (Japan) and Topa Hashimoto, Points of You® Expert will co-facilitate L2 Academy Creative Practice Online in English from Tokyo in December 2021.
This rhythmic workshop, decorated with our personal touch, is packed with both experiential and practical knowledge that will be easily integrated into daily professional use. Get ready for 4 energetic half days days of diverse techniques for different target audiences, and a creative practice of two Points of You® tools – Faces and Flow.
Schedule: You must join all 4 days to complete the course
Day 1 Tuesday, December 14 14:00-18:00 Day 2 Wednesday, December 15 14:00-18:00 Day 3 Thursday, December 16 14:00-18:00 Day 4 Thursday, December 23 14:00-18:00
What will you learn?
The Power of photos An introduction to the language of today’s world – the empowering language of Photos.
Points of You® Method Learn the 4 simple steps of our unique method.
The Potential Me with Faces A new version of our best selling process with the eye-opening cards of Faces. After experiencing the process we will teach you useful techniques and practice various adaptations.
A full day of Frequently Used Activities Take part in creative ice breakers, feedback activities, an interview process and more.
Layout Charts – Create your own Build your personal workshop based on a Points of You® secret ingredient – Our Layout Charts.
Coaches, Trainers, Facilitators, Counsellors, Managers who want to help people open hearts, break patterns and create a sense of belonging with an introduction to Points of You® Tools.
In this 16-hour course you will learn ways to facilitate “unexpected but precise” insights in individual, one on one, and group work using the Points of You® tools. By understanding the philosophy and background of the tools in depth, you will be able to create an unlimited number of experiences for your participants.
Level 2 training includes: Training: Live Workshop Creative Practice – 4 days, 16 hours
Follow up Online Course How to facilitate the Hello Points Workshop 2 hours + L.1 Facilitator E-booklet
Points of You Tools Faces（¥36,300）/ Flow（¥25,200）
Creative Practice Pack Workshop Booklet Notebook L.2 Exclusive set of cards Goody Bag Canvas bag
Certification Benefits L.2 Certificate of Attendance Certification of completion title: Points of You® Practitioner Accreditation: 18 CCEUs from ICF
Turn knowledge into profit Creative Practice is your entry ticket to our amazing facilitation team. Points of You® Certified Practitioners, can facilitate Level 1 workshops in their countries. Take your first steps as a Points of You facilitator and pay it forward to your local tribe. As part of our professional facilitation team, you will receive ongoing marketing and business support from your Points of You® Country Leader, including a powerful branded marketing kit.
About the Facilitators: Jennifer Shinkai and Tomohisa TOPA Hashimoto
Jennifer and TOPA are the only facilitators delivering the L2 Creative Practice Workshops in English in Tokyo.
Schedule:
You must join all 4 days to complete the course
Day 1 Tuesday, December 14 14:00-18:00
Day 2 Wednesday, December 15 14:00-18:00
Day 3 Thursday, December 16 14:00-18:00 Day 4 Thursday, December 23 14:00-18:00
◉ The minimum number of participants is 4 people, Maximum 8
◉ On the day, as a student, experience the world of Points of You® Academy in a fresh way.
◉ Please note that videos may be recorded on the day.
◉ The details of the online venue such as ZOOM will be notified directly to those registered
Have you wanted to do more art but think of yourself as not creative? My guest is the wonderful Konatsu Ishijima, an artist, personal coach, and theatre company founder. I was very impressed with Konatsu’s courage as this is not only her first podcast in English, which is not her first language, but her first podcast ever!
Konatsu has a wonderful artistic perspective which correlates to her Ikigai. She talks about her Ikigai as a fluid experience of moving between different ideas, emotions and experiences, ‘a shaking and a changing’. This shaking and changing is also something she incorporates into her art practice.
Konatsu also believes everyone can be an artist and in the interview she talks about different ways you and I can express ourselves artistically, including dancing with our families.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How being born in an artistic community in the Japanese countryside, with its contradictions, shaped Konatsu’s idea of Ikigai as ‘a shaking and a changing’ of seemingly disparate ideas and states of being
How she incorporates this shaking and changing into her visual and performance art
What led Konatsu to start her own theatre company despite having no formal experience in the theatre
About Konatsu’s personal coaching and live painting sessions
Why art is not limited to the formal or institutional, and why dancing at home with your family is art
Born in 1984 in Mashiko, Tochigi. Konatsu Ishijima grew up with her father, a potter, and her mother, an art college graduate, in a town of art and nature.
After graduating from the Faculty of Economics at Keio University in 2007, she worked in the customer service industry at a venture company and Leica Camera Japan K.K., where she worked with over 2,000 customers, mainly executives and artists.
In 2017, she started her own personal coaching business using a unique method called “Colourful Notebooks®”, in which she uses coloured pens to draw what’s on her mind on a plain white notebook.
In 2018, Konatsu was teaching mutual understanding training at venture companies, listed companies and multinational corporations. She supported team building that focuses on the human side of people, not on common sense and preconceptions.
In 2020, in order to start a theatre company, which Konatsu has always wanted to do, she set up a theatre company despite having no experience, and gathered 20 members in two nights through social networking sites.
In 2021, she changed her coloured pens to brushes and acrylic paints, and started live painting to vividly depict people’s true nature on a blank canvas. By letting go of words, her expression awakens like a fish in water.
In the meantime, her own work as an artist has made her more persuasive in her personal coaching, and she offers six months of continuous coaching to help her clients who want to take care of not only their work, but also their family and all the things they love.
Children living in care homes due to neglect or abuse are largely invisible to us here in Japan. Kozue Oka, the director of Mirai no Mori shares with us the reality of working in an NPO that is necessary because of a problem. Kozue’s stories of how Mirai no Mori supports these children is so inspirational, as are the plans they have to create their own dedicated campsite to become a trusted place in the world for children who are growing up in care homes.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
The difference between the well known term“Ikigai” and “Yarigai”
How Kozue came to working for the NPO Mirai no Mori that supports the growth neglected and abused children through outdoor experiences
The situation with children in care homes in Japan and the challenges they face when they “graduate”.
Challenges of providing outdoor programs to children in care homes during the pandemic
The dark side of ikigai and how Kozue keeps herself well
Mirai no Mori’s plans to build their own campsite to support marginalised children even more
Kozue’s advice for those thinking about joining an NPO
How you can help Mirai no Mori achieve their big goal of creating a dedicated campsite
Kozue Oka is the Executive Director at Mirai no Mori. Born and raised in Japan, she has always believed in the power of nature. After studying Environment/Outdoor Education in Sweden for a year, she joined Mirai no Mori to share her experiences and to create an environment in which marginalized youth can be steered toward a positive cycle of self-actualization and creativity by discovering new possibilities and develop into confident individuals.
When Covid hit, Brittany found herself locked out of Japan, her usual country of residence, where her home and her business are located. 18 months later, she is still waiting to be allowed to enter Japan again but this has not stopped her from keeping her business moving forward even if it means waking up at 2 am to lead a workshop for clients in Japan. I hope Brittany’s story will inspire you to take another look at your own situation and use Brittany’s design thinking insights to redesign your Ikigai.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
What happened when Japan closed its borders to foreign residents and how Brittany overcame this challenge
How the pandemic has given Brittany a chance to define what it is she loves about her work
Brittany’s top tips for using design thinking to help you identify your Ikigai
Why it’s important to give more time to defining the problem before you look at solutions
How we can make a prototype of our Ikigai and why it’s important to go through iterations that have a set time frame
Brittany is the co-founder of Design Thinking Japan and the host of the Business Karaoke Podcast and Business Karaoke MeetUp. She is passionate about curating a community of global leaders who exchange stories to modernize the dialogue around business in and with Japan. She also specializes in facilitating Human Centered Design workshops for the Japanese market. These workshops support organizations and individuals to ignite innovation and creativity to achieve business impact in our ever-changing world.
We all want to instinctively move away from pain, it’s in our DNA. My guest today is Henry Seals, a man who spends his time helping people to do this and to live better lives. Henry gives us an open and honest account of how he navigated divorce in Japan to achieve the best outcome for everyone – a philosophy that can apply in all areas of life and work.
If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway.
In this episode you’ll hear:
How Henry navigated divorce in Japan and the philosophy that helped him
His mother’s sage advice that helps him to lead his life
The question that helped him to decide when it was time to make a change and how letting go of someone helped them to find their own way in life
How we can help people with visualisation instead of just venting
Henry’s final advice for us when it comes to how we deal with our own problems
Prefer to Listen?
Please check out the other episodes, like and subscribe!
The author of Making It in Japan, Henry has spent over 25 years in Japan helping companies and individuals find success, overcome obstacles, and make a difference in society.
Born in West Virginia USA, Henry attended Harvard University where he majored in East Asian Studies. After studying at Kyoto University during this time, Henry Graduated and began his career as an IT consultant in Japan.
Supporting numerous Silicon Valley companies as the IT lead and CIO for Asia, Henry also provided his services to Dale Carnegie, where he became a Trainer and Coach.
In 2009 he focused talents on helping address the impact of the financial crisis on companies and their staff by providing his insight to transform Human Resource approaches in such global companies as NN and AIG.
He has held executive positions in several cutting edge technology start-ups with a focus on infusing engagement as a tool for building high performance and dynamic work environments.
In his spare time Henry continues to provide coaching and training through his Seals Improvement Seminars, as well as volunteering to provide outreach to the disabled in Japan and together with his wife, continues to publish books and articles on how to achieve financial, spiritual, and professional success in Asia, while chairing and participating in NPO activities to raise the profile of the disabled and other minorities in Japan.
A naturalized Japanese citizen, in 2020 he was appointed as the first naturalized Japan Human Rights Commissioner.
A father of 5 daughters, in his free time Henry enjoys spending time with his children, gaming, investing, and volunteering.
On July 16th, a group of intergalactic explorers joined me for a virtual escape room in space. Hosted by The Super Fantastic Company (great name!), we had an intense and fun 60 minute experience with code cracking, quizzes and laughter. “Who is the scribe?” “What is going on?!” Sometimes I felt a bit lost but I just surrendered and enjoyed seeing everyone getting competitive and laughing out loud after so long!
The interface is fun and there are some cute voting segments (I won “has definitely been abducted by aliens! So proud) and there are chances for space themed selfies. Makes a great break from Zoom or Teams that is for sure.
As a facilitator, I always want a debrief so we added an extra 30 minutes to discuss and a chance for me to say thanks for all the support as I head into year 6.
It was a fun evening and my special guest was none other than my Mum! It really meant a lot to have her in the room.
Mention “Jennifer Shinkai” to Tommy and Gabriel at The Super Fantastic Company for a 5% discount (and a referral fee for me too!). They also run quizzes and other themed events that you can customise for your business. Japanese/ English bilingual content is also available.
