Zen Perspectives

What an art school in Tokyo made me reconsider about consulting, parenting, and change

How living abroad revealed the invisible tension behind everyday language

"Healthy indebtedness" is the quiet feeling of having received more kindness than you can immediately return.

Looking at Bourne, Picasso, Rodin — we are reminded that art is a treasure house of techniques for shifting human context.

I went to see a ballet — The Red Shoes , directed by the British choreographer Matthew Bourne.

Spies build intimacy to access secrets. In organisations too, information rarely moves the way the chart suggests.

“Why is Japanese fruit so good?” How could a question this simple end up leading me to the results of Japan’s general election?

This episode follows a consulting case at a global media startup, where a seasoned leader’s strong presence quietly stifled the team's ideas. Through a simple, playful metaphor, a silent dilemma was unlocked—not by solving it logically, but by holding both contradictory truths with love and humour. Consulting from Heart invites you to rethink how transformation happens—less through control, and mo...

This episode explores a consulting project with a small driving school in rural Japan, where bold visions and strategies couldn’t move the managers—but an unexpected conversation about weight loss did. Through this unlikely entry point, the team’s hidden energy and connection were unlocked, leading to real transformation. Consulting from Heart invites you to rethink how change begins—not with comp...

This episode follows a consulting journey with a Japanese electronics company seeking to reinvent itself. While the project aimed for innovation, the real shift began not with strategies, but through the quiet clues hidden in a seasoned leader’s everyday life—a laptop with red stripes, a custom-made mask, a tennis racket choice. By blurring the lines between his structured work persona and his pla...

This episode explores an early consulting project in a Japanese factory, where managers remained silent and unresponsive in meetings but came alive after a few drinks. It raises a quiet but powerful question:What if real transformation doesn’t come from strategy, but from the hidden, human side often left untouched? Consulting from Heart invites you to rethink how we approach people and organisati...

A CEO yelled. I reached to apologise—until my boss said, “Go to sleep.” That pause? It wasn’t retreat. It was leadership. Sometimes, modelling the future starts with doing nothing.

What do you do when you hold two opposing truths about someone you love? In this episode, we explore everyday democracy—not in politics, but in our closest relationships.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do for someone isn’t encouragement—it’s asking the one question they didn’t expect. What hidden doors might your words unlock?

How can a single, well-placed metaphor transform a team's power dynamics? Discover how laughter and a bit of cleverness created space for new voices—and real change.

A CEO wanted big change. His leadership team? Checked out. Strategy decks and vision statements failed—until a weight loss challenge sparked the real transformation. Because change doesn’t start with corporate speeches. It starts where people already care . 🎙️ Tune in to find out why.

What happens when a group of CEOs, meant to explore Estonia’s digital innovation, spends the night before ranking their worst breakups over a teenage coin game? In this episode, I find myself at a table full of high-powered business leaders, deep in ridiculous relationship confessions , and wondering— how do you introduce a serious framework in the middle of this? Because when it comes to driving...

What if the key to innovation wasn’t in strategy decks or leadership workshops—but in the hidden quirks of the people around us? In this episode of Perspectives, I share the story of Mr. Yamada, a seasoned corporate leader whose playful streak—revealed through a laptop, a tennis racket, and a bold mask—transformed not just his approach to work, but an entire project. Join me as we explore how smal...

In this episode, Yumi explores the power of language in driving change within organisations. Through a story about a senior leader facing a tough challenge, she uncovers how expressing fears and concerns openly can lead to transformation. Tune in to discover how the words we use—or don’t use—can shape the future of a team.

In this first episode of Perspectives, Yumi Sera shares a story from her early days as a consultant, where a surprising social event revealed how people’s hidden creativity could transform their workplace. Through this story, she explores the importance of allowing individuals to bring their full selves to the table in order to drive meaningful change. Join Yumi as she discusses the power of small...