The Ikigai Podcast

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?

Discover the concept of nagomi, Japanese way of living harmoniously, along with ikigai, kintsugi, and wabi-sabi. Explore how nagomi shapes various aspects of Japanese culture, relationships, nature, and personal growth. Embrace authenticity, harmony, and the essence of perpetual learning through cultural practices and traditions.

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 through information sharing in serious leisure activities. How can we build meaningful relationships through leisure?

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 these unpleasant feelings and learn to live with them.  How do we do that?

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.