The Ikigai Podcast

On episode 56 of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Jamila Rodrigues about the deep connection between our bodies and our ikigai. Jamila Rodrigues is an anthropologist focused on well-being and crisis management. She completed her Ph. D. in Dance Anthropology and Sufism embodied ritual practice at Roehampton University in London in 2017. She worked as a professional dancer and traveled to differ...

On episode 55 of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick talks with Dr. Ariadne Maria Ferro Bahuelo about the beneficial effects of ikigai on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dr. Ariadne Maria Ferro Bahuelo is an adjunct professor at IE University in Spain. She has experience teaching at numerous universities in the United States and Spain. Her previous research examines languages in contact, particular...

On episode 54 of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Natasha Randall about how technology can support people in feeling more ikigai in their lives. Natasha Randall is a Ph. D. candidate in the Informatics Department at Indiana University. Her work focuses on human-robot interaction, specifically consumer-oriented social home robot design where she fuses elements of design, user experience, and ma...

On episode 53  of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Kiku Day about the beneficial aspects of playing the shakuhachi and how it is more than just a musical instrument.  Kiku Day is a shakuhachi player, a Ph. D. ethnomusicologist, and a world traveller from Copenhagen, Denmark. Her work lies at the intersections of performance of traditional shakuhachi music, contemporary music and improvisation,...

Benjamin Boas is an American author, translator, and contemporary Japanese culture consultant. He is both the Cool Japan Ambassador for the Japanese government and a Tourism Ambassador for the Nakano ward in Tokyo. He is the author of From Cool Japan to Your Japan and two other Japanese-language books about intercultural education and has written for Studio Ghibli, The Japan Times, and many other...

On episode 51 of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Jennifer Shinkai about being one and included in Japanese society. Jennifer Shinkai is a facilitator and executive coach living in Japan. Originally from the UK, Jennifer holds an MA (Oxon) in English Language and Literature from St. Hugh's College, Oxford University. She is an ICF Associate certified coach, Points of You® Expert, and Orga...

On episode 50 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Rie Takeda on her recently published book about shodo and how people can practise the art of shodo with the use of 10 fascinating Japanese words. Rie Takeda is a freelance artist and a professional calligrapher; she has been practising shodo since the age of five, under the creative supervision of her grandmother, a distinguished Gayu calligra...

On episode 49 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Carly Taylor about the positive results of applying Japanese psychology in our lives. Carly Taylor is trained and experienced in Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Japanese psychology (Morita Therapy and Naikan); she is a University qualified nutritionist, personal trainer, and a health coach with over 10 years experience in the area of b...

On episode 48 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Dr. Clark Chilson about naikan and how it can help people develop their ikigai. Do you contemplate the good things that happen in your life?  Sometimes, we tend to focus on the negative aspects of our lives, and we forget to acknowledge the good things that occur around us. In Japan, they have a self-reflective form of meditation called naikan...

Is rolefulness essential to ikigai? Although we might not be aware of it, our roles may impact our well-being. We may have many roles in our lives, each with its own significance and impact – on people around us and on us as individuals. These roles give us a sense of fulfilment that leads to a feeling of ikigai. On  episode 47 of The Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Professor Daiki Kato to explo...

On episode 46 of The Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Steve Beauchamp about how people can integrate Bushido into their lives.  When we hear the term Bushido, we imagine the Japanese samurai and think of it as something related to martial arts. But the principle of Bushido can actually be applied to some aspects of our lives and help us gain continuous improvement.

On episode 45 of The Ikigai Podcast , guest host Dr. Caitlin Kight speaks with Nick Kemp about his recently published book Ikigai-kan. After years of living in Japan and having a meaningful connection with its people, Nick developed a fondness for Japan and its culture. Seeing Japanese concepts, particularly ikigai, being misinterpreted in the West as a Venn diagram makes him uncomfortable as he k...

On  episode 44 of The Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Ted Bonnah about the social need for ikigai in today’s society. Japan is filled with crafts that play an important part in their culture. Hence, they have traditions that are passed down from generation to generation to keep them alive.  However, with the responsibilities being instilled with the present generation, is it possible for them to...

On episode 43 of The Ikigai Podcast , Nick and Naoko Hosokawa explore the concept of kotodama and how the Japanese people apply this concept in modern times. Japan is known for its rich culture. Amidst technological advancements, the Japanese people managed to maintain their customs and traditions. One example of this is the idea of kotodama (word spirit); the concept of kotodama encourages people...

On episode 42 of The Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Chloe Le Gouche and Karly Christ, sharing their experiences living as an expat and finding ikigai.  Have you lived outside your native country? Living in an unfamiliar country may be exciting as this will lead you to new experiences and learnings. However, it also has some challenges, such as dealing with a new environment and adapting to a di...

On  episode 41 of The Ikigai Podcast, Nick speaks with Ken Mogi about Ken’s recently released book, which focuses on the concept of nagomi , the Japanese way of living harmoniously. Japan is filled with concepts that people can relate to; they have the themes of ikigai, kintsugi , ichigo ichie , and wabi-sabi , which people can apply to their daily lives, and that can contribute to their well-bein...

On episode 40 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick speaks with Yazdan Mansourian about how one can feel ikigai through information sharing in serious leisure. One of the essential aspects of ikigai is having meaningful relationships; through these relationships, we can feel a sense of belonging, which leads us to feel ikigai.  There are ways in which we can obtain significant relationships, and one can be...

On episode 39 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick and Trudy Boyle discuss how people can live meaningfully co-existing with illness. How do we live our lives co-existing with illness? Being diagnosed with a critical illness is something that all of us would dread; naturally, we fear the pain, uncertainty, and especially death. However, these are things that we cannot control. It is better to acknowledge...

On episode 38 of the Ikigai Podcast , Shinichi Nagata joins Nick to discuss the paper he co-authored on the topic of ikigai.  Does leisure have an impact on our sources of ikigai?  There have been studies on the impact of leisure on well-being, but not much about its influence on various sources of ikigai. Good thing some experts would like to explore more on this subject.

In episode 37 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick and Miku explore the Japanese concept of Omoiyari. Japan is a group-oriented society and harmony is an important aspect for them; understanding the situation without words is something that is instilled in them at a very young age. They even have this term omoiyari , where people understand the feelings of others while not including the concept of self. B...

On episode 36 of the Ikigai Podcast , Makoto Furuya joins Nick, to share how he was able to rediscover and reconnect with his Japanese roots. A lot of Japanese value the culture that they came from; it is something that they give importance to, but that wasn’t always the case for Makoto. It took him several decades to fully embrace his Japanese roots.

On episode 35 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick talks to Saori Okada on what it really means to be Japanese. With the increasing attention on Japanese culture – all these Japanese psychology and concepts being applied in Western countries, what do the Japanese think about it? What does it really mean to be Japanese, despite how the West interprets their culture?

On episode 34 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick reflects on the life and work of professor, psychiatrist, researcher,  linguist, translator and author, Mieko Kamiya.    Nick shares quotes from Kamiya’s seminal book, Ikigai ni Tsuite, and her published diary as well as quotes from her biography by Yuzo Ota. He also reads passages from my own book, Ikigai-kan.  Click play and together with Nick, reflect...

On episode 33 of the Ikigai Podcast , Nick talks with Dr. Suzy Ross about the importance of leisure and play, not only for the young but for people of all ages. What is the importance of leisure and play?  Leisure and play are something that people don’t put that much importance on; some might also think that “playing” is only for the young ones, but is it really the case?

On episode 32 of the Ikigai Podcast , join Nick and his guest Rie Takeda as they explore the beauty of shodo (the art of traditional Japanese calligraphy). Who would have thought that mindfulness can be incorporated into art?  When we hear the word ‘mindfulness’, usually the first thing that comes to mind is a form of meditation: sitting and relaxing. It turns out that we can also practice mindful...