Lance E. Lee Podcast from Tokyo

Coming out of the pandemic, many of us reassessed our lives. Douglas Shumway feels optimistic about giving back to the community in this chapter of his life. Douglas has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and insight from years of business in a multicultural and multilingual working environment. He has "walked the walk and talked the talk" in his own way, and from a place of humility, he aspires t...

Having Paula J. and J'Nique Nicole on my first mother-daughter episode fills me with pleasure! Paula and J'Nique Nicole shed light on the Japanese music industry's unique aspects, their challenges, the advantages of being an artist of color in Japan, and behind-the-scenes tidbits of gigs with celebrities. Their passion for music and appreciation for Japan comes through, as does the sparkle that mo...

With a milestone around the corner, Mel Washington aspires to help improve the understanding of African Americans worldwide. Mel came to Japan in 1976 as a part of a business exchange program (ISEC) for an internship at the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce. Mel extended his stay by joining ALE and teaching English. He started a travel agency that focused on tours from Japan to the Caribbean islands, the...

Michelle Yumiko Payne has a career journey from music to acting to hospitality to managing a studio and finally establishing her company that creates events, produces content, and nurtures new talent. Michelle spent her childhood in Australia, Japan, and Hawaii, and through this multicultural experience, she developed a strong sense of self combined with a passion for meeting people. Listening to...

Discover the Inspiring Story of Sonia Dhillon Marty: Bridging Cultures and Creating Impact 🌏 Meet Sonia Dhillon Marty, the driving force behind Dhillon Marty K.K., and the Dhillon Marty Foundation, an NGO dedicated to addressing pressing social issues with a focus on the ethics of care. Sonia's passion for building connections across cultures and communities knows no bounds. Her remarkable abilit...

Songstress Melodina Santos sits down with me, and we talk about music, her life experiences, and her exciting trajectory in Dubai. Melodina started singing as an infant and, throughout her childhood, trained and entered singing competitions in the Philippines. Melodina came to Japan after high school and honed her skills through performances. She has even invited me to join her on stage and make m...

Of the 210+ podcast guests, Roger Marshall and I have known each other the longest: 39 years! The interview unveiled how much we have in common, from the US military experience to getting military assignments to Japan to returning to Japan for good and building a family and business. Roger graduated from Sophia University and worked briefly in advanced education and then recruiting before forming...

"Japan is a place where you can invent yourself," says Rionne McAvoy, a pro wrestler and director and producer of documentaries. At an early age, Rionne started karate and aikido. He dreamed of becoming an action star or a pro wrestler, and the puzzle pieces came together in Japan. Rionne debuted as a pro wrestler at age 30 and, during COVID, established Japan Media Services, producing documentari...

As a little boy with his father, the long hikes in the mountains were the gateway to philosophical thinking and piquing interest in science fiction and fantasy. Christian Schmitz shares stories about his upbringing in Germany and exposure to a high societal lifestyle, which opened his mind to many topics in history, music, literature, spirituality, etc. Christian came to Japan in 1997 as an exchan...

Blessed with the genes and the environment of music, J’Nique Nikki Johnson blossomed into her singing career, overcoming her childhood shyness. She is a background vocalist and works with Japanese and foreign artists. J’Nique says that she had a great childhood, absorbing the cultures of both Japan and Nashville. Besides her vocal talents, J’Nique is a songwriter and aspires to continue her artist...

It was easy for David to feel at home in Japan as an exchange student in 1982. A summer internship that led to his first job out of graduate school that lasted nearly 4 years with Fuji Xerox in cross-cultural training, David Wagner returned to work for a British company as a trainer. He then went on his own and, during his free time, wrote columns for English newspapers. David hosted a number-one...

Finding swimming a passion and a way to beat his two older brothers, Nils Plett tried out for the Olympics in 1988 and went to university with a swimming scholarship. Nils first came to Japan in 1989 to study the language and returned a year later when he was hired by the Taisei Construction Company. After working with Seiko Instruments and starting his own company, Nils took a position with the f...

Diallo A. Karim belongs to the Fula tribe and came to Japan from Guinea, Africa, as a teenager. He talks about life in Liberia and Guinea, his first impressions of Japan, taking his wife to his home in Africa, his work in Japan, and his two children. Diallo has recently started a used car business. Diallo is multilingual, loves communicating with people, and aspires to travel the world.

At 25 years old, Tony Anthony Jordan was asked to write down his life goals, and he realizes now that all have come true, some more than he ever imagined. With a congenital heart defect, Tony remembers arguing with his protective mother to get into sports. He has recently undergone surgery and talks about how he felt at peace, knowing that he had accomplished so much if something went wrong. Tony...

Happily back in Hawaii, his birthplace, Kenneth Berger, cherishes spending quality family time with his two sons, Noa and Luca. Kenneth speaks freely about his career path: the grind in sales, his ventures in the sports licensing business, taking on the most significant life challenge of entrepreneurship, breakthroughs from financial hardships, and making his way back to Hawaii, where he has embar...

Jon Walsh advocates that producing food "the old way" is the simplest way to make the most significant difference for humans and this planet. Jon has been teaching urban farming to children for 10 years, instilling the importance of growing food without chemicals, which are toxins to the body, and supporting the community. Jon speaks candidly about his speech impediment and passionately about his...

A dancer and trainer, Haruno Yamazaki, has been posting fantastic core moves, which inspired me to ask her to the podcast. I have known Haruno since she taught ballet at the ASIJELC. Haruno is a single mom raising two children and recently starred in a film project, re-embracing her passion for dance. Haruno is showing, by example, to her children the significance of pursuing a life passion that m...

David Gichangi Axelson joins me for a second appearance on the podcast, his signature dreadlocks adding a distinctive accent to the business suit. On Christmas Eve, 2021, he tied the knot with Miki, his girlfriend of 11 years. David talks about how his hairstyle provides a good "twist" to conducting business and is part of his branding. The conversation covers various subjects, i.e., business, mar...

Per Knudsen has been in Japan since the mid-1980s, and we have served on the TAC board together. Per and Anne have sailed extensively in Japan and Europe; they own a 50-foot sailboat in Spain. Per is still involved in the recruitment business but can be found primarily on his boat or the ski slopes.

Splitting her time between Denmark and Tokyo, Anne Bille is a practicing psychiatrist and runs her clinic. She shares her life experiences and passion for treating undertreated ADHD patients. Anne and her husband, Per, are avid sailors.

Her strong suit is customer service, and naturally, being a happy person, Susanna Yung sets a fine example for her staff as the TAC Recreation Director. Susanna has a solid sports background, having played basketball, badminton, and squash during her school years. She majored in sports recreation and was interested in facility management and operations, which perfectly ties into her responsibiliti...

Ira is back! Before starting his busy day, Ira Bolden dropped in for a second appearance. Embody customizes sound experiences for a more fully immersive exploration of video games, musical performances, and content creation. His father-in-law and wife gave him the final push towards joining the start-up company, and Ira is passionately involved in marketing the revolutionary product. We talk about...

An avid LEL podcast follower, Michiharu Honda, joins me and shares his life story. Born in New York, Michiharu returned to Japan to enter Seikei Elementary School for traditional Japanese education. When his father transferred to France, Michiharu furthered his schooling in Paris and then at a boarding school in Zug, Switzerland. Michiharu fondly remembers how his grandfather believed in him, givi...

For the commemorative 200th episode, a renowned Japanese pop singer, a TIKTOK and YouTube phenomenon, and a former schoolmate of my sons, AISHA, joins me, graciously sharing her life and success story. AISHA is the pure radiance of passion and love for music. Handpicked by the school music teacher in elementary school, AISHA consumed everything related to singing, music, and performing. She is so...

Lewis H. Lee talks about his life as a "mixed" or "double" individual in Japan. Lewis says he never had an identity crisis because his father taught him to love himself first. His education was unique—from an international school to home-schooling, then to a Japanese public school to another international school. Lewis has a solid bond and friendship with his three brothers, mindful of having each...