Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai

In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, Jennifer sits down with her longtime friend and colleague Helen Iwata, a bilingual leadership and communications coach with over 35 years of experience in Japan. Helen opens up about the difficult seasons she has navigated in both her business and personal life, including a significant financial setback after working with a business coach that shook her confidence deeply. She shares her journey through bitterness, self-blame, and the slow, gradual process of finding her way back to joy. Helen and Jennifer explore the concept of "divine timing," the power of patience, and the importance of sitting with difficult emotions rather than bypassing them. They also discuss Helen's evolving professional identity, the philosophy of "less effort, more impact," the concept of mottainai as it applies to talent and energy, and the 10th anniversary of Helen's book Eigo no Shigoto Jutsu. The conversation is honest, warm, and deeply relatable for anyone navigating a season of transition.

In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, Jennifer speaks with Lana Iwabuchi, founder of Rocklit and creator of the Daruma Vision Workshop, reflecting on mentorship, being called “sempai,” and the idea of paying it forward. Lana shares her background of growing up in Japan from the age of 10 and how she began building connections in the foreign coaching community. She tells the origin story of the workshop, inspired by a trip with friends, manifestation, the Japanese tradition of “yoshuku” (pre-celebration), and discovering modern daruma dolls used to set and achieve goals by painting in their eyes. Lana describes the workshop flow—vision activation through visualization, embodying and sharing goals in the present tense, and anchoring them by painting a daruma—plus her decision to persevere through early failed launches and later expand the workshop with collaborators Monica and sound therapist Nanako. She explains Rocklit’s purpose of bringing spirit back into leadership and encourages listeners to be inspired and inspire others. 

In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, I welcome Hendrik, a friend and professional contact since 2019, to discuss talents and strengths. We reconnect after several years and reflect on how their collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic was crucial for Jennifer's business survival. Hendrik shares his experience working at Manulife Japan, emphasizing the importance of cultural diversity and the positive energy at the Indonesian Pavilion Expo. We delve into Hendrik's journey to Japan, his struggles and learnings in a different culture, and his newfound passion for Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment. Hendrik highlights the importance of knowing one’s talents and leveraging them to live a fulfilled life, aligning this with the concept of Ikigai. We also discuss the potential pitfalls of overusing strengths and the paradigm shift required in corporate environments to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. 

In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, Jennifer engages in a deep conversation with Dr. Greg Story, discussing a variety of topics from his personal experiences and insights. They delve into Dr. Story's transformative journey from overcoming a challenging childhood and academic setbacks to achieving success in Japan. The conversation also touches on the significance of living an intentional life, the profound impact of near-death experiences, and the importance of adapting to technological advancements like AI. Dr. Story emphasizes generosity, discipline, and the value of helping others in personal and professional growth.

Season 4 is here!

In this episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai, Jennifer is joined by Joe Pournovin, a community builder and educator, to explore his incredible journey from Manchester to Japan and the creation of the Yamathon event. 

Joe shares his experiences with resilience, persistence, and imposter syndrome, and discusses the importance of passion in driving sustainable community impact. He highlights the challenges and triumphs of organizing the annual Yamathon walk in Tokyo, which has grown significantly over the years. 

The conversation underscores the power of volunteerism, the beauty of human connections, and the importance of finding one's own Ikigai.

Join Jennifer as she delves into an enriching conversation with Katheryn Gronauer, a dynamic coach and facilitator with expertise in leadership, cross-cultural transition, and wellness. There are fascinating parallels between business or life transitions and the traditional Japanese “sento” or public bath experience.

In this engaging episode of 'Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai,' host Jennifer Shinkai speaks with the inspiring Cynthia Usui about career breaks, life after 60, redefining her concept of Ikigai, and finding new purpose. Cynthia shares her journey from being a stay-at-home mum to re-entering the workforce, taking on different career roles, and ultimately redefining conventional wisdom around work-life balance and career trajectories. Cynthia is now doing amazing work opening doors for children from struggling families and we hear how mattering to someone is key to her ikigai. 

Welcome back to the Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai podcast! We hope you all had a fabulous holiday season. In this first episode of 2025 I am thrilled to be talking with Elizabeth Okada, renowned coach in her own right, as well as being a sought after coaching supervisor and trainer. Elizabeth joins us to help demystify coaching, supervision and to discuss her most recent development as a retirement coach.

On the latest episode of the podcast we are discussing burnout and mindfulness with the founder of Tokyo Mindfulness, Misha Yurchenko. Misha has some amazing insights to share with you all about the pattern of burnout he experienced repeatedly in his work life, and how he broke this pattern. Many people can still experience burnout or stress after finding their ikigai, so this conversation is an important reminder that part of ikigai is having room in your mind. Listen to the episode to hear more about how to make this room and break those destructive work patterns!

On the latest episode of the podcast our guest is Victoria Close from Bikudesigns, a vintage kimono jewellery brand. The Japanese concept of Mottainai (もったいない), which expresses a sadness or regret about wasting or mistreating resources, has become very important to Victoria in both her life and work. It also gave her a word for something she’d felt since she was a young child. In the episode we find out more about Mottainai, about Victoria’s creative work, and insights into showing up authentically and intentionally online as a creative and a business owner.

Welcome back to another episode of Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai. This week I am joined by Michael Walker, Founder and Artistic Director of SheepDog Theatre based in Tokyo, Japan. As a lifelong fan of live theatre I know very well the ikigai of being an audience member, but in this episode Michael shares with us what it's like to be involved in the production side of things. From acting to directing and running his own theatre company, Michael gives us a fascinating glimpse into the magic of theatre production in Japan.

Welcome to another episode of the Ikigai with Jennifer Shinkai podcast. This week we are talking about yoyu, a Japanese concept conveying one’s capacity to handle or afford something. Author Marci Kobayashi joins us to discuss the concept of yoyu and her upcoming book, "Finding Yoyu: The Japanese Compass for Navigating Overwhelm and Cultivating Abundance in 7 Key Areas of Life." Listen to the episode to hear more about yoyu and how it links to ikigai!