Life After JET

I think my guest on this episode demonstrates the power of the JET connection and experience - getting into a career that allows him to travel the world and learn - specifically about the way business practices are done globally. Ryan Hata works in the event planning and project management space at Columbia Business School. As always, we don’t just talk about what he does as part of his job, but a...

On JET, teaching can really immerse you in the local community - and many have also found their future career in education as a result. For my guest, it has lead to many opportunities- travel around the world and a way to do positive impacts on people’s lives. - Quebec City Reading Council has a website at http://www.qcrc.org/ - they also accept volunteer tutors. - Find them on Facebook at https:/...

Our post-JET lives can be interesting and varied, thanks to the many opportunities available and networks that we form. That's the theme of this episode but along the way, we meander in our discussion, talking about the good and bad of AI, innovation and how taking chances can lead to great things.

On this special anniversary episode of the Tohoku disaster, special guest William McMichael talks about the current state of Fukushima and Tohoku, 14 years on. Though challenges remain, the outlook is far from bleak, with the people of Tohoku determined to forge a future of sustainability - and hope. Footnotes - Hope Tourism: https://www.hopetourism.jp/en/ - if you want to contribute to Tohoku's r...

Japan is a rich source for social-media-worthy pics - the history, culture, landscape, architecture, food and more. Unsurprisingly, some JETs have turned to building an online-based career. Few have been as successful as my guest who runs @yamatrips, a well-known Instagram account that showcases the road less travelled in Japan. If you've ever wondered how social media can be used in business, the...

My guest has done many things - started a non-profit while on JET, changed Japanese law, graduated from Oxford with a PhD, did a TEDx talk - but (spoiler alert) confesses that much of it was unplanned. We talk about the how and why of the Japanese institutional care of children, and what it means to make meaningful impact and finding your path without sweating the small stuff. Footnotes - Dr River...

We live in a world of constant news cycle, from stations and social media alike. So how does the traditional news bureau survive in this world of constant (mis)information? Our guest Ryan Keeble (news producer and cameraman) is on the ground reporting from London. Footnotes: Check out Ryan’s work on Youtube on the channel Inside Kitchen London (@insidekitchen_LDN)

In this episode, I get to nerd out about science, dinosaurs and gross nature facts with my guest Cecily Arkell. We talk about the challenges and rewards of being a life-long science educator and communicator at one of the top art and cultural institutions in Australia - the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip. A fact check correction: Cecily meant to say it was Barry Jones, not Gareth Evans who...

This episode features a special guest: not only is Doug Tassin my sempai from JET, he also heads the Krewe of Japan podcast. In a rather meta episode, we talk about our love of the cast podding genre. And we of course start with Doug's day job as a consultant building IT systems for hospitals, which led to a discussion about the challenges of the US medical insurance system.

Believe it or not, there are people trying to make HR a better human experience, through the use of technology and HCD principles. My guest Megan DeVille has a job she describes as "obscure", but one that can provide immense benefits to organisations, employers and employees. We also get to geek out about anime and pop culture, and why good anime music will never die. Footnotes: - Suzaku 7 website...

Living to another country can be a source of inspiration. And you could meet kindred spirits that make you feel like you belong. My guest, Luke Cuerden, talks about finding a welcoming creative community and how much that has inspired him creatively and professionally. We also talk about the music scene in Tokyo, and what jazz and metal have in common. - Connect with Luke on IG: https://www.instag...

Oh the places you’ll go. Dr Seuss's poem nicely describes the post-JET life of my guest, Sam Baldwin - journalist, start-up techie and author. A desire to live the outdoor mountain life led him to living and working in Slovenia in a 300-yo cabin. He chronicles his journey and love for his adopted country in his upcoming book, Dormice and Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia. Sam's description of this o...

Many of us go through several restarts and pivots. For Natalie Hamilton, it's been a full circle going back to teaching and finding her passion and purpose (including time to publish a textbook on kanji). Join us for a discussion on what that's like, and why finding purpose is an ever-changing destination. Footnotes: Natalie's book on kanji can be found at: https://thekanjicode.com/the-kanji-code-...

Along with anime and J-pop, the Japanese game industry is another influential export of the country. My guest, Catherine (Cat) Dinh now works at Ubisoft Osaka, and we talk about the industry, work practices and a valuable trait that a non-Japanese worker can bring to a Japanese workplace.

In Japan, given how available alcoholic beverages are, everyone on JET has at least one grog-related tale. My guest Colin Johnston has turned his practical experiences into a career in the distilling and brewing sector. Join us for a fascinating and educational look into the movement that is the craft beer industry, and what makes its beer, well, so crafty. Fun fact: Colin's also a stage actor - h...

It may come as a surprise to some of you that Osaka is actively promoting itself as a queer-friendly holiday destination. But that is the line of work that Jonathan Lucas is in - helping to create an inclusive place that welcomes all visitors, not just on gender or sexuality. In this discussion, we talk about his work, and expand it to discuss in general the state of LGBT discourse in Japan. And d...

J-Pop for some of us forms the sonic background to our lives in Japan - AKB48, Arashi, SMAP, Greeen (and just like that, you can already guess my vintage). My guest Juvia Chua went further than belting out her favourite J-Pop tunes in karaoke - she worked as a coordinator in the Japanese music industry, travelling with anisong talent overseas. She gives us a look at the hard work behind the stage,...

My guest this episode is a maelstrom of talent, ideas and energy - one episode on this teeny tiny podcast is not enough to cover all the stories from one life well led. And storytelling is the work of Eirene Tran Donohue. As a screenwriter, she has worked in Hollywood for over a decade, with her most successful movie to date being Netflix's A Tourist Guide to Love. We have a chat about the industr...

In this episode, I speak to Alex Barnett. We get into the world of video (and film) editing - what the life of a freelance video editor looks like. Making art or making bank - how does one make a living, following your dream in an industry that's competitive and moves between boom and bust? Fun fact: Alex won the first JET Programme Video Competition in 2016. That's right, Australia was #1. Sorry...

Cara Lam is probably one of my more popular guests I've had on this podcast. As a content creator, she vlogged about her JET experience and life and continued with writing blogs about her life after. So it's not surprising that she went into content design and strategy as a career. This being an After JET podcast, we talk not just careers, but also our stories: about being foreigners-at-large in m...

In 2011, I was a JET living in Fukushima. From that opening sentence, you can probably guess what this episode will be about. A decade on, my friends and I will be recounting our experiences during that time and after, in this special 2-parter that's meant to mark the 10th anniversary of the Tohoku disaster (yes I know I'm a couple of years late). My thanks to John Auyeung, Cathy Hawker and Caitli...

Continuing on from Part 1, this time we talk about coming back to Iwaki. In Part 2, we describe how our local communities were impacted, what we saw and what we did. And how it continues to leave its mark on our memories and lives, 10 years on. My thanks to John Auyeung, Cathy Hawker and Caitlin Lee for taking this trip down memory lane with me. You can read Cathy's blogpost about her experiences...

After JET, many would continue on in careers in education, community building or public service. For my guest, he has managed to combine all of these into an international career that has covered areas such as health, disaster relief, gender inequality and the empowerment of minorities in the community. Mark Flanigan's career has always been about affect positive societal change. Footnotes: - Mark...

Does the marketing and PR industry have, well, bad PR? My guest, Alex Varney, and I discuss this in a deep-dive into the industry. It may be a question of semantics, and a fine line between positive promotion and outright propaganda, but it does make for a fascinating discussion as Alex discusses the nuances of what he does for a living. Also, we'll be having fun talking about that most precious o...

If you've ever laughed at a Youtube clip, or played a video game, then chances are you've come across the work of my guest for this episode - Michael T Coleman. He's helped write and/or performed on some of the funniest online content, such as School of Thrones, and is the voice actor for Cody, a character from Capcom's Street Fighter. This is a pretty geek-heavy episode, so apologies if that's no...