The Ikigai Podcast

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 calligraphy artist. 

Rie teaches shodo in various countries, including the UK, Switzerland, and Germany. She produces Neo-Japonism paintings, calligraphy works, washi paper and vintage Kimono collages, illustrations, and works in body art. Rie was also a guest on episode 32 of the Ikigai Podcast, where she talked about Mindfulness Calligraphy.

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 behaviour change. 

Her coaching covers all domains of life: mindset, nutrition, movement, and sleep; it is centred around living a life based on values and purpose as opposed to a life dictated by thoughts and emotions.

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; this method helps people realise what they have caused others (both good and bad). Can this practice of naikan help us feel more ikigai in our lives?

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 explore the importance of roles in perceiving ikigai in our lives.

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 knows that the idea of ikigai is more than that. 

With that, he wants to give justice to this concept -- make people understand and appreciate its authentic beauty that is true to the Japanese culture. 

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 find ikigai with the work that they do?

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 to use the "pure" Japanese language instead of foreign words. How is kotodama used today?

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 different lifestyle. With this, is it possible to find ikigai living as an expat?

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-being. Interestingly, they have this notion that can be considered the core of all these beautiful concepts, the idea of nagomi (harmony). What is nagomi?