Gretchen and Sarah run Lighthouse Circle together, and cohort 6 is now open. You can read more here - https://www.sarahfuruya.com/grief-support-lighthouse-circle-2025

*********************************************************************

Listen to Sarah and Gretchen talk about Gretchen’s life story and how following Dragons became a golden thread in her story. We touch on grief and how it weaves into full life story. It is part of the fullness of a life lived and expressed. Below is the original podcast that prompted the whole Lighthouse Circle as we spent the entire conversation talking about Gretchen’s loss, when she was 5 and her big brother, Chris was 17.

Gretchen is outstandingly generous in her storytelling and we uncover a string of coincidences that led to this being called the ‘Legend of Dragons’.

This was the genesis of the Lighthouse Circle Grief Support group. We are now open for Cohort 6 - https://www.sarahfuruya.com/grief-support-lighthouse-circle-2025

*************************************************

Introducing Gretchen Miura Legend of Healing. Gretchen is a mindfulness teacher, avid maker and mother of four. Originally from New Jersey in America, Gretchen lives in northern Japan on the Oga peninsula where she and her husband run a Zen temple. She hosts mindfulness retreats, classes and workshops in English, as well as traditional ceremonies and activities for the local community. She sells her handmade bento bags, face masks and accessories at her online shop SORAbento. She is living a life focused on creativity, belonging and connection.

This episode is dedicated to Chris.

When Gretchen was 5, her 17 year old brother died in a car accident. This is the backdrop of her life since then. In this conversation Gretchen takes us on the journey of Chris, his death , her family, religion, and her path to acknowledging, dealing with and healing the suffering attached to her loss. And in fact the family loss.

We talk about Catholicism, Buddhism and try and tease apart the humanity of grief and loss, of joy and living. How her 4 children taught her so much about her brother, through the tenderness of the relationship of her youngest daughter and oldest son. 

Gretchen and her temple and family are quite well known and she has appeared in an NHK documentary about her temple and the people around it. She is something of a celebrity in the area! 

This is a deep and rich conversation that goes into the depth of grief, the rituals surrounding death. All the way to the end more and more learnings come out between us and we will have a part 2 later in the year because we didn’t even touch on Gretchen’s hilarious journey to being the parent of 4 and married to a Zen priest in a remote peninsula in Northern Japan! 

- The surprising joy the has come from meeting her grief

- Having authority over the suffering 

- The first and second arrows of loss

- That’s all there is! Hear her thoughts on enlightenment 

- Facing and dealing with grief creates fertile ground for magical experiences

- Grief, love, life and ritual 

- How her children brought her closer to connecting to her brother

- How faith brought the family through Chris’ death yet she struggled to connect with that same faith

- How she connects and can continue to connect with Chris

- Incidents that allowed stress to be dissolved 

- We have to take of one another 

- Universal truths and satori

Links & where to find her here:

Dairyuji Temple Instagram

Dairyuji temple in Oga Akita

Zeb Soto Sect 

Poet Laureate Joy Harjo

Online Shop: Sorabento

Griefworks by Julia Samuel

The word I was scrambling for is ‘flippant’.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Matthew’s Miracle: The extraordinary story of Matthew Dons and the miraculous transformations in his life, particularly in the face of death.
• Facing Mortality: How Matthew's confrontation with his mortality has reshaped his view of the world, life, and the choices he makes every day.
• The Power of Presence: What it means to be truly present in life when you are living with a terminal diagnosis, and how that presence transforms relationships, ambitions, and daily experiences.
• Lessons on Death and Dying: Matthew shares the insights he has gained from walking a path many fear, offering listeners a unique perspective on accepting death as a natural part of life.
• Inspiration for Others: This episode is not only about Matthew's experience but also serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for others who may be grappling with their own challenges.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Matthew

Matthew Dons is a marketing consultant and business coach from the UK. He has been living in Tokyo since 2007.

Matthew came to Japan to study traditional Japanese martial arts. His other hobbies include baking, studying the history of technology and watching 80’s films.

In July 2016 Matthew was suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer, also known as stage 4 cancer. The cancer had spread a lot so his life expectancy, with treatment, was just 7-9 months. Although crowdfunding and cutting-edge immunotherapy have helped him live almost 8 years so far, he’s still in a life-and-death fight every day.

Although Matthew is very cynical, he was genuinely shocked to discover there’s no serious effort in any country to stop people dying of cancer. This is despite the fact cancer kills around 10 million people every year, and it destroys the lives of many more people. It’s a brutal disease, with equally-brutal treatments. Experiencing this firsthand motivated him to set up the non-profit Make Cancer History.

Make Cancer History connects patients, oncologists and researchers to share cancer knowledge and save lives.

Connect with Matthew & Donate

https://www.matthewdons.org 

https://www.makecancerhistory.jp/

https://www.makecancerhistory.jp/donate/

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

In this episode:

• Sarah muses on her final guest of the season’s daily dialogues with death. They are in a unique position to be absolutely unfiltered because they are close to mortality in every single day and have been for 8 years.
• This takes Sarah on a trip into inquiries around good men, masks, latest obsessions, interests and thoughts about life. 
• and more....

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Sarajean and I could have talked for hours. She truly is a legend of influence, impact and social change. Currently based out of Tokyo, Japan, hailing from New York State in America, with her ancestry in Italy we talk about the influence of her Italian side (which relates to my Liverpool side) on her way of being in the world, in this conversation and her commitment to hope for the USA.

Sarajean and I met in 2008 at a Career Strategy Seminar run by FEW, For Empowering Women in Japan. It was like a baptism of fire meeting her and all the other incredible women in my midst at that point and it was a pivotal event in my life. Little did we know that just 4 years later we would be the President and Vice President of the same organisation and forge a fiery and loving relationship that would endure to this day.

Not only that but we, along with another good friend whom we met at the same 2008 career seminar, would be the Ladies of honour for previous Legends, Angela Ortiz Pettas and her husband Nicholas Pettas. Seriously, you couldn’t script this stuff - all three of us met Angela through different channels too. It’s just the Ordinary Magic.

Sarajean is a courageous and committed activist, who puts her passion for social impact ahead of her own image. She is at the forefront of what needs to happen next and does not necessarily have lofty ideas about world-changing activity, but focuses on what she CAN do in her own sphere of influence and networks.

She holds lecturing positions at Temple University Japan and Sophia University largely focussed on social change initiatives. She is continually proposing new courses, based on the latest information available.

NPOs, News outlets and social impact groups all seek out Sarajean’s counsel and consultation to better serve their clients, and communities or in order to communicate correctly. I wonder how she remains hopeful, something that I sometimes have difficulty with and she explains this in the show.

I was interested in this based on her work with American politics. She does not underestimate the influence that the 38 million Americans living outside of the 50 states can have in elections and as such she works to influence and impact those voters. Much like Terri McMillan, legend of Humans who also got involved in canvassing.

Sarajean has a vim and verve that is hard to resist. She is terrific fun, a trained chef, skilled orator, actor and director and loves fiercely. Her optimism has nothing to do with toxic positivity but a firm foundation of hope and belief that small differences can have an impact that will help humans.

“I am not necessarily a happy person, but I am an excited person”

SJR

I will definitely invite Sarajean back for round 2 because we didn’t touch upon her art, the plays she has directed and appeared in and her support of and promotion of local drama groups.

Here are some gems from our conversation:

• Having skin in the game means investing myself in whatever I believe in, in a way, that I can feel proud of myself and what the outcomes are
• For me having skin in the game, is also the so-called angle, the social impact part
• You don’t have to agree with people to like them and we can like each other in different ways
• Empowerment starts at the community level. When people come together with a shared purpose, incredible things happen
• Challenges are inevitable, but they are also opportunities for growth and innovation
• Never underestimate the power of a single individual to make a difference
• Sarajean talks about something her father did for her and her sister when they were young, that stood them in good stead today also

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Sarajean

An accomplished presenter and workshop facilitaror, Sarajean provides project, event and training program coordination, and advisory services for educational institutions, international organizations, nonprofit organizations, and corporations to enhance understanding, better tackle communities’ needs and have a positive social impact. Their work centers around developing skills, knowledge and effective partnerships between organizations and across borders. In Japan and elsewhere, Sarajean has worked with grassroots and international organizations on programs impacting disaster response and preparation, gender, poverty, inclusion, human rights, conflict mediation, community health, cross cultural communication, at-risk youth, gender-based violence, persons with diverse abilities, and HIV/AIDS. Sarajean currently teaches about such themes at Temple University Japan Campus and Sophia University. A life-long activist, Sarajean works with US citizens across the globe attempting to impact US policy. 

Connect with Sarajean

https://sarajeanrossitto.wordpress.com/

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

Note: I have decided that my listeners are not simpletons who require a certain format in order to comprehend or process the information. I’ll be assuming from now on that people can find their way round the information without a formulaic, memeified format. I know I know that we humans like things to be the same or else we can get a bit uneasy. But I thought, what if it were easy? Humans also like novelty and uniqueness. So the SFC formatting may be different each time, based on the mood in the house and also on the output of the guest. 

Sarah shares her reflections and experiences over the past few weeks, discussing the inevitability of celebrity influence and the impact it has on our daily lives. She candidly recounts an incident involving a partially recorded session and the challenges of staying focused amidst interruptions. This episode promises to provide listeners with an insightful and engaging exploration of creativity and personal musings.

In this episode:

• The core theme centers around the benefits of slowing down both body and mind.
• The importance of resilience and adaptability when facing unexpected disruptions in creative endeavors and Insights gained from dealing with creative setbacks.
• Thoughtful examination of celebrity culture and its pervasive influence.
• Practical tips for integrating slow living principles into everyday routines to enhance mental health and productivity.

and more....

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Being a conductor and a composer is a special niche of humanity, yet it relates to any of us who are trying to bring things together in the service of beauty, art and muse.

You will also hear the peculiar habits of non-Japanese in Japan who pepper their language with Japanese words without a second thought and also how we tend to mix and match, forgetting our English words from time to time!

We talk about the Muses, the Greek Chorus and the concepts of time Kronos and Kyros, Kronos being the currently culturally popular time of linear time; the time of clocks and calendars; it can be quantified and measured. Kronos is linear, moving inexorably out of the determinate past towards the determined future and has no freedom. Kyros is numinous. Kyros is a time of festivals and fantasies; it cannot be controlled or possessed. Numinous means "arousing spiritual or religious emotion; mysterious or awe-inspiring"; also "supernatural" or "appealing to the aesthetic sensibility”. We muse on how the art emerges from these numinous timelines and the conditions one can create in order to nudge the muse or to find one’s way into creation. Steven tells the story of how after 7 months of being unable to finish a score, from the outdoor bath of the local onsen, a visitation had him scurry home to complete his work of art. I wonder how I or we can create these conditions for creativity to enter, or for the muse to deliver the next piece of our art.

Steven describes himself as ‘the Young Sheldon’ of music, compelled to challenge authority figures if he thought that there were teaching inaccuracies.

Steven also talks about Darma - something he studied with a Swami who coincidentally lives ten minutes from me in Zushi (I’ll chalk this up to the Ordinary Magic). This is not a popular or well-known neighborhood at all.  

Back in the world of Kronos Time, Steven has done many many tens of thousands of hours of musical devotion, starting at music school, where he sang at least 7 times a week and where the academic tutors were told to never give more than 30 minutes homework to these choral students, lest their practice be interrupted. While Steven described this as ‘enlightened’ he also acknowledged there may be downsides and it put me in mind of neurodivergent folk getting accommodations in school or in work. Enlightened - bending time and rules in service of the output.

One way to lead a life is through scarcity - through the expectations of others, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but could be vexing to the Spirit. Another way to lead a life is to follow your heart, but the intuitive promotions of the heart and the other ways to lead a life is to listen to everyone else

I know that I get really creative every time I get on the train to Tokyo, sometimes even almost missing my stop as my creative mind works in Kyros, but those pesky trains run on Kronos! Rest, Water, and Transition. Creating conditions for emergence of art. Travel could be typified as the in-between time. Neither here nor there; betwixt and between. A liminal space affording the muses a channel by which to enter our consensus reality.

We talk about the technical elements of music and in addition to the physics of vibrations, the mystical, soulful,  impact that these have on our sacred selves. Jonathan Goldman does a lot of work around tones and healing through tuning forks and frequencies. I am very careful with the word healing but am reporting Steven’s commentary on his research into a rainforest Shaman and how he observed that through musical vibrations that were delivered via ancestors a shared sense of their expectations perhaps a placebo effect that helped facilitate the collective healing of the patient and the family. Rhythmic drumming and chanting at certain frequencies. He looks at it from the musical and mystical elements. One thing I can take away is that music is part of us, an ancestral and indigenous part of our human experience.

Finally he describes this examining ritual events through two interpretations of the same thing as enlivening.

ENLIVEN

This episode is a wonderful compassion piece to the previous episode with the magical Kwan Chan, Legend of Essence and dancer and singer song-writer.

We get into:

• Musical science and the techniques of composers; we inquire into diversity within composer’s ways of scoring Beethoven’s were like a - dog’s breakfast, he walked around with small musical notebooks to scribe and scores, yet Mozart’s notebooks came out fully formed and neat
• Steven’s commitment to writing sacred secular music, using seasons and poets to create his movements
• Where creative downloads come from - how can we create the conditions and the three Bs - Bed, Bath and Bus! 
• The Greek muses - allowing the mystery of the muse to enter, but not examining it too much, lest the magic be lost. Myth and legend unfolds
• We talk about universal timelines and the concepts of Kronos and Kyros, and muse on how creativity emerges from, on its own timeline
• Steven was very fortunate to be born into the family he was and his parents encouraged him to follow his dreams
• This allowed him to follow abundance-based living when you throw yourself on the mercy of the divine 
• Steven will be raising his sails to learning the French Horn after his upcoming retirement
• At Steven’s Mum’s 100th her sage advice for everyone was game-changing. - listen to find out what 100 years of life taught her and how the party attendees fell silent as she delivered her message

Having two interpretations of the same thing is enlivening

The winds of Grace are blowing but you have to raise your sails

Help people to trust.

If there’s even a small thing you wish you’d done along the way, find a way to do it.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Dr. Steven Morgan

As a career educator with nearly 50 years of experience, Steven Morgan has taught music and English as a second language in diverse settings. His journey has taken him from the heartlands of Illinois and Michigan to the multicultural landscapes of Minnesota, British Columbia, and Japan. He has enjoyed working with students aged 5 to 85, from kindergarten through graduate school. In each of these contexts, his guiding principle has remained constant: he does not teach English, music, or anything else—he teaches people. This philosophy is also the cornerstone of his additional role as a certified HeartMath® mentor. He is also a practitioner of Garden of the Heart Therapy and Psychic Reiki.

His professional activities also extend to a lifelong romance with musical performance as a conductor, composer, singer, and pianist. For the past 25 years, he has led the Tokyo Embassy Choir, an international ensemble of dedicated amateur musicians. He also serves as the conductor of the Chiba International Singers, a group committed to singing a wide variety of pop, jazz, folk, and other genres of music. Through these roles, he has shared his passion for music while contributing to the betterment of their communities.

Links

https://www.healingsounds.com/

ANATOMY-OF-A-TEAR-JERKER.pdf

Cecilia Bartoli Cecilia Bartoli The Greatest Coloratura Mezzo Soprano (Soprano for some) of all times

Dubra Duo Seraphim Dubra: Duo Seraphim

Connect with Steven

https://www.embassy-choir.org/en/

Ai ga subete / 愛がすべて, conducted by Steven Morgan

Concertino for Clarinet and Strings, conducted by Steven Morgan

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: Once again, Skin in the Game is described as taking some kind of risk; in Stevens' case in service of the art, the music, the listener, the singers, and himself. In service of the third entity; the actual entity that sits with a life, between all these individual entities. And being vulnerable in the name of authenticity and in the name of creating the very best experience of the music for all the players.

Being a conductor and a composer is a special niche of humanity, yet it relates to any of us who are trying to bring things together in the service of beauty, art and muse.

You will also hear the peculiar habits of non-Japanese in Japan who pepper their language with Japanese words without a second thought and also how we tend to mix and match, forgetting our English words from time to time!

We talk about the Muses, the Greek Chorus and the concepts of time Kronos and Kyros, Kronos being the currently culturally popular time of linear time; the time of clocks and calendars; it can be quantified and measured. Kronos is linear, moving inexorably out of the determinate past towards the determined future and has no freedom. Kyros is numinous. Kyros is a time of festivals and fantasies; it cannot be controlled or possessed. Numinous means "arousing spiritual or religious emotion; mysterious or awe-inspiring"; also "supernatural" or "appealing to the aesthetic sensibility”. We muse on how the art emerges from these numinous timelines and the conditions one can create in order to nudge the muse or to find one’s way into creation. Steven tells the story of how after 7 months of being unable to finish a score, from the outdoor bath of the local onsen, a visitation had him scurry home to complete his work of art. I wonder how I or we can create these conditions for creativity to enter, or for the muse to deliver the next piece of our art.

Steven describes himself as ‘the Young Sheldon’ of music, compelled to challenge authority figures if he thought that there were teaching inaccuracies.

Steven also talks about Darma - something he studied with a Swami who coincidentally lives ten minutes from me in Zushi (I’ll chalk this up to the Ordinary Magic). This is not a popular or well-known neighborhood at all.  

Back in the world of Kronos Time, Steven has done many many tens of thousands of hours of musical devotion, starting at music school, where he sang at least 7 times a week and where the academic tutors were told to never give more than 30 minutes homework to these choral students, lest their practice be interrupted. While Steven described this as ‘enlightened’ he also acknowledged there may be downsides and it put me in mind of neurodivergent folk getting accommodations in school or in work. Enlightened - bending time and rules in service of the output.

One way to lead a life is through scarcity - through the expectations of others, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but could be vexing to the Spirit. Another way to lead a life is to follow your heart, but the intuitive promotions of the heart and the other ways to lead a life is to listen to everyone else

I know that I get really creative every time I get on the train to Tokyo, sometimes even almost missing my stop as my creative mind works in Kyros, but those pesky trains run on Kronos! Rest, Water, and Transition. Creating conditions for emergence of art. Travel could be typified as the in-between time. Neither here nor there; betwixt and between. A liminal space affording the muses a channel by which to enter our consensus reality.

We talk about the technical elements of music and in addition to the physics of vibrations, the mystical, soulful,  impact that these have on our sacred selves. Jonathan Goldman does a lot of work around tones and healing through tuning forks and frequencies. I am very careful with the word healing but am reporting Steven’s commentary on his research into a rainforest Shaman and how he observed that through musical vibrations that were delivered via ancestors a shared sense of their expectations perhaps a placebo effect that helped facilitate the collective healing of the patient and the family. Rhythmic drumming and chanting at certain frequencies. He looks at it from the musical and mystical elements. One thing I can take away is that music is part of us, an ancestral and indigenous part of our human experience.

Finally he describes this examining ritual events through two interpretations of the same thing as enlivening.

ENLIVEN

This episode is a wonderful compassion piece to the previous episode with the magical Kwan Chan, Legend of Essence and dancer and singer song-writer.

We get into:

• Musical science and the techniques of composers; we inquire into diversity within composer’s ways of scoring Beethoven’s were like a - dog’s breakfast, he walked around with small musical notebooks to scribe and scores, yet Mozart’s notebooks came out fully formed and neat
• Steven’s commitment to writing sacred secular music, using seasons and poets to create his movements
• Where creative downloads come from - how can we create the conditions and the three Bs - Bed, Bath and Bus! 
• The Greek muses - allowing the mystery of the muse to enter, but not examining it too much, lest the magic be lost. Myth and legend unfolds
• We talk about universal timelines and the concepts of Kronos and Kyros, and muse on how creativity emerges from, on its own timeline
• Steven was very fortunate to be born into the family he was and his parents encouraged him to follow his dreams
• This allowed him to follow abundance-based living when you throw yourself on the mercy of the divine 
• Steven will be raising his sails to learning the French Horn after his upcoming retirement
• At Steven’s Mum’s 100th her sage advice for everyone was game-changing. - listen to find out what 100 years of life taught her and how the party attendees fell silent as she delivered her message

Having two interpretations of the same thing is enlivening

The winds of Grace are blowing but you have to raise your sails

Help people to trust.

If there’s even a small thing you wish you’d done along the way, find a way to do it.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Dr. Steven Morgan

As a career educator with nearly 50 years of experience, Steven Morgan has taught music and English as a second language in diverse settings. His journey has taken him from the heartlands of Illinois and Michigan to the multicultural landscapes of Minnesota, British Columbia, and Japan. He has enjoyed working with students aged 5 to 85, from kindergarten through graduate school. In each of these contexts, his guiding principle has remained constant: he does not teach English, music, or anything else—he teaches people. This philosophy is also the cornerstone of his additional role as a certified HeartMath® mentor. He is also a practitioner of Garden of the Heart Therapy and Psychic Reiki.

His professional activities also extend to a lifelong romance with musical performance as a conductor, composer, singer, and pianist. For the past 25 years, he has led the Tokyo Embassy Choir, an international ensemble of dedicated amateur musicians. He also serves as the conductor of the Chiba International Singers, a group committed to singing a wide variety of pop, jazz, folk, and other genres of music. Through these roles, he has shared his passion for music while contributing to the betterment of their communities.

Links

https://www.healingsounds.com/

ANATOMY-OF-A-TEAR-JERKER.pdf

Cecilia Bartoli Cecilia Bartoli The Greatest Coloratura Mezzo Soprano (Soprano for some) of all times

Dubra Duo Seraphim Dubra: Duo Seraphim

Connect with Steven

https://www.embassy-choir.org/en/

Ai ga subete / 愛がすべて, conducted by Steven Morgan

Concertino for Clarinet and Strings, conducted by Steven Morgan

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

I was blown away by his answer to my final question “There are many ways to lead a life - what does that mean to you?"

It’s more than enough to provide quality and value to the people you reach. 

In this Podcast you will learn:

• The essence, lineage and canon of breaking and where we feel it; 
• The physical manifestation of the spirit and the creative process (for him it isn’t too crazy)
• We learn a lot about the history of dance 
• How your physicality can signal dignity - through amazing dance and physicality, we come to conclusions that can relate to writing and other forms of expression
• In talking about his work counselling children in London primary schools, I ask a big question of Kwan about his own reflections - his answer is not won easily but it is beautifully thought out, expressed and revealing. This work is important.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Kwan

Kwan Chan was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Toronto. In September 2023, after working in Japan for seven years, Kwan moved to London, UK, to pursue a Master's degree in Dance Movement Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths, University of London. Kwan is a breaker and has been breaking for more than 17 years. Additionally, Kwan is a singer-songwriter and plays the acoustic guitar. In London, Kwan continues to train, compete, and teach breaking, remaining quite active in the local breaking scene. As a singer-songwriter, Kwan frequently performs at open mics throughout the city. Kwan also works part-time in a primary school as a school mentor, providing counselling and supporting students with their mental and emotional well-being.

Links

Apache Sugarhill Gang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQObWW06VAM

Give it up and turn it loose James Brown https://youtu.be/921kqkHOHDo?si=u0SN1BJdKZdg42gX

Just begun Jimmy Castor https://youtu.be/WylCcdTrzS4?si=Zkv1UQ0mksWwW1s4

Connect with Kwan

Website:  www.kwankchan.com/

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/kwankitchan/

LinkTree: www.linktr.ee/kwanchan

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/kwanchan91

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

Key Highlights:

• Embracing Disobedience and Experimentation: Sarah discusses her recent hiatus for self-care, her current experiment of dismantling outdated cultural and business practices, and the importance of aligning work with personal values.
• The Challenge of Traditional Timelines: She reflects on societal pressures to follow conventional timelines, sharing her experience of breaking free while managing responsibilities like taxes and client commitments.
• Dismantling Indoctrinated Mindsets: Sarah talks about deconstructing deeply ingrained beliefs about work and productivity, influenced by menopause, ADHD, and sobriety, advocating for a sustainable approach to business.
• The Power of Vulnerability and Authenticity: Inspired by Leonie Dawson, Sarah explores balancing personal struggles and professional boundaries, emphasizing authenticity in connecting with her audience.
• Redefining Coaching and Business Practices: She critiques ableist tendencies in the coaching industry and calls for more inclusive, compassionate spaces, shifting from rigid productivity to humane work practices.
• The Long Game of Financial Sustainability: Sarah discusses the financial implications of her journey, including transparent conversations with her husband about their future, remaining optimistic about evolving her work.
• Saunter and Frolic: A New Business Philosophy: Introducing her latest venture, Saunter and Frolic, co-created with Angela Ortiz Pettas, focusing on retreats and workshops prioritizing rest, ease, and genuine connection.
• Cultural and Personal Reflections: Rich with anecdotes and reflections, Sarah draws parallels between her current work and her youth in Liverpool's alternative scene, emphasizing creative expression and community.
• Honoring Influential Voices: Paying homage to figures like Tricia Hersey and Sonia Renee Taylor, Sarah integrates their teachings on rest, resistance, and liberation into her practice.
• Manifesting Dreams and Small Beginnings: Concluding with reflections on nurturing dreams and small beginnings, Sarah envisions a future of inclusive, joyful, and sustainable living and working.

Join Sarah Furuya as she navigates the complexities of dismantling old structures, reimagining success, and creating a business and life resonating with her values.

Listen to the full episode on Creative Musings with Sarah Furuya and join the conversation on redefining success and embracing authentic living and don't forget, limited places but Join Us at the Saunter and Frolic Retreat July 26th to 28th, with Angela Ortiz Pettas.

Learn More and Register

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Links

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Skin in the Game to Victoria Close takes us on a time travel in the episode - into the past to Victoria’s teen business, we visit her early aspirations and how during the time she was selecting what to do. We also travel into future Victoria surrounded by artists and artisans, in a very special place and we dreamed up big, dense, thick, coffee cake that resists a knife.

The Northern British sense of humour comes through strongly in our banter and we have a good laugh at some of the more grandiose terms cooked up in our businesses. We also reminisce about our generation’s particular idiosyncrasies - how skinny jeans were something your Nan would create on a sewing machine. We also touch on GenX politics and the impact of Margaret Thatcher and a bit of working out of things around being a GenX woman with all our opportunity that was set up in the generations before us. Victoria is someone who embraces what she can handle, she is honest and humane in about being a woman is a wonderful mix of optimistic, pragmatic and hilariously cutting about toxic positivity! We laugh out loud a number of times on during this legend - it’s medicine.

Both Victoria and I come from long lines of artisans, a proud lineage whose respect got lost somewhere in the aspirational, but who are claiming their place, with out help. I would like to honour the copper etcher, the tripe seller, the master baker, the seamstress, the cafe owner, the silk weaver and the China painters of our ancestors. in the upwardly mobile aspirational class who might be proud of their fine china but would take no pride in one their own becoming such a manual worker, our paths were set to the academic. Generation by generation. We are reclaiming our magic and our lineage. Both of us are reclaiming our magic and honouring our lineage and the remarkable work of the artisans whose work got lost in the grip of economics. 

We talked about the moment Victoria put her skin in the game, took the plunge, left the security of her full time teaching job and planned out how she was going to 

Listen out for ‘Tales from the middle aged underwear’ where did that come from? When do we and don’t we want to PULL OUR BIG GIRL PANTS ON. And also if Marks and Spencer want to sponsor the podcast - please get in touch. 

We love and honour #bromarketing 

At the end Victoria shares a prompt, from #MarieForleo whose B-School we are both graduates from, and also puts a call out for something very specific that she is dreaming up - a dream I got into for her in the future. Listen out for her call - you may know or have something that could be of use. Sorry if you are a brilliant and committed manifester and watch the Secret regularly and vibrate at the same wavelength as pure gold; we are cynical, and YET, the list that she generated from that Marie Forleo prompt was made manifest. I mean she did it, but things happened. 

Thank you, Victoria for sharing your Legend

Discover from Victoria

• How she spiraled her way back to her essence 
• Our musings on the British class system, the loss of artisans and Northern upward mobility
• What is 100% of what you can give? What made her husband say “You’re over the wall - run for your f#$&1ng life”...
• What is your guilty camera? What is your shaming cyclops? Find out what the heck that means! 
• How she approaches learning new tech and using her new camera and how she overcame her perfectionism, and became a filmmaker!
• Her take on the many ways to lead a life? (it brings her to tears).

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Victoria

Victoria Close is the founder, designer and maker at the vintage kimono jewellery brand, Bikudesigns. She creates one-of-a-kind jewellery and accessories using personally-sourced vintage and antique fabrics and other found objects. Victoria’s ‘mottainai’ mission is to save forgotten items from landfill by giving them new life. Victoria set up ‘Studio Biku’ in Shimokitazawa in 2023, a small Showa era atelier where she creates her jewellery, curates a tiny shop representing 12 Japan-based international makers, teaches creative workshops and rents the space to emerging artists and designers to teach their own classes. Victoria is a passionate campaigner for creative small businesses and has taught practical, in-person/ online small business courses as well as starting up Overseas Makers Guild, a free Facebook community established to support, connect and celebrate handmade business owners. She also mentors creative entrepreneurs in her one-to-one programs. Victoria is a long-time Tokyo dweller (for more than half her life) and lives with her British husband and two children in Shimokitazawa.

Connect with Victoria

WEBSITE: https://www.bikudesigns.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bikudesigns/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/bikudesigns/

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@studio_biku

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

There are multi-swears and adult themes in this conversation so please be mindful of who you are listening with. Grandma will love it but your kids…

Joy read two of her poems for us - her poetry is like Shibuya at night; all of it. Neon, concrete, streets, softness, sex, longing, eros, grime and stubble. Her inaugural book of poems Pause::Heartbeat is a visceral trip through Tokyo humanity, pleasure, longing and self. When I first read it I was stunned; 4 years ago, it brought me back to those days of grime, risk, and physicality of being young. The tawdry tales of a life lived fully in the light and dark.

Joy is generous in talking about sobriety and it’s always such a deeply satisfying experience talking frankly with other sober people. Each tale is different but there’s a sameness. There are echoes that reach out into each experience. Her descriptions of the spirals into alcohol dependence, the root of vortices and path to recovery are deeply evocative.

Evocative is a notion that comes up a lot in our conversation and Joy’s words cracked Sarah open, gave her chills, surfaced tears and allowed her to explore what it might be like to feel good every day.

Joy is Sarah’s sempai; her senior or mentor in terms of sobriety, and you can hear in the conversation the high context that happens between two people who have similarly overcome a destructive spiral with alcohol. There are unwritten and unspoken knowings about what remaining sober is and you can feel it in the texture of this conversation. While Sarah is 10 years Joy’s senior, Joy is most certainly ahead of her in the unfolding of alcohol-freedom. Speaking with Joy feels like and evocation. This works on many levels.

There’s poetry in the lilt of the back and forth in our conversation, we explore many places on human existence; the outer world, the unseen world and the inner world. And spirals.

The symbolism in everything. Tarot and its mathematics; its symbols and the card that Joy connects with regularly.

Joy is powerful. There’s a quiet optimism and kindness in her being. Getting over disappointment transmute - she loves reading aloud

Her poetry reading makes me cry

We speak to nostalgia and the erotic; listen to the end to find out about sexy time on a ferry and the French foreign legion; to betrayals that crack open the most creative places and had Joy demand of herself that she doesn’t edit and goes all in on her writing and her poetry.

It felt sacred, this conversation. And practical; Joy has a day job that supports her art and Sarah is of course irreverent about manifesting. No surprises there!

In this episode discover:

• Gorgeous old-school language and words; be astonished
• Which previous Legends Podcast guest we honour for their emotional fullness
• Alcohol’s impact on Joy’s ability to create and what sobriety did for her writing
• Tarot, symbolism, poetry and 
• A love story that lasted a lifetime and ended in bereavement 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Joy

Joy Waller was raised in the mountains of British Columbia, Canada and spent her young adulthood on Vancouver Island. She currently resides in Tokyo, Japan, where she serves as an editor at the Tokyo Poetry Journal and co-hosts the long-standing open mic series Drunk Poets See God. Her fiction & poetry have appeared in numerous publications, including Best Canadian Stories 2021, and her poetry collection Pause :: Heartbeat was released in 2019. Her next collection, Cosmic Nervosa, is scheduled for release this spring through Moon Hotel Press, an indie press she has recently launched with her partner and their two cats. She draws inspiration for her creative work — and creative life — from the Tarot, various neon portals in Tokyo, the Beat Generation, nature spirits, and her own esoteric mind, which is incapable of perceiving the world as anything other than pure symbolism. Weaknesses: coffee, techno, The Twilight Zone. Visit www.joywaller.com for more info.

Connect with Joy

www.joywaller.com

IG: Joyous.Waller

www.moonhotelpress.com (coming soon)

Joy’s book: https://www.topojo.com/product-page/pause-heartbeat

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

Also on evolutions she’s gone through in her coaching practice. 

She wonders has she lost her coaching mojo…?

Find out on this episode! 

*please note none of this episode, or any episode, besides any cited research is anything but Sarah musing, in real time, about events in her life. It has a coaching context, and a psychological backbone. Don’t take her advice under any circumstances…

But do take her coaching. It’s good. 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-whttps://www.sarahfuruya.com/simply-coaching

Michael requested at the top of this podcast to turn some questions on me too - and I obliged. It’s hard to put into words, and I am still answering his questions in my head about some of my philosophy and humanity but I think something I didn’t articulate at all well was that I don’t feel like ‘Look at my spicy friends!’, moreover, it’s far more akin to - this is my life, and your life; the real world and the world we live in and occupy. Whatever you see is not my attempt at diversity or inclusion - it is my history, my art and I am part of it. And so are you, whether you know it or not. Humans are not my market. They are and also they aren’t. I am in service.  Like I say, it’s very hard to articulate. Michael sneakily got me talking about this topic - it’s high context, we understand between us, but it would be hard to put a PowerPoint presentation together about it. Please don’t request this. 

Identity is huge in this conversation - such a rich inquiry and we muse on how ‘ordinary, or ‘normal’ is simply another diversity and also how he starred in a film called ‘Spoiled Identity’ directed by former Legends, Yukiro Dravarious (or full video here) and Duncan Whom. 

Michael exemplifies this as we dive into his Haus and attempt to describe it! 

In the podcast discover

• What the surfboard under young, blond, tanned Michael’s arm really represents…
• Time; taking time. Time for relationships to settle, time for preparation in the morning, time for rest and sleep
• The wisdom of video games and mountains (and a surprising connection we have between my Mt Fuji Climb and his work with Shine on Kids)
• How he seamlessly moves between his life-roles as Director of the Drag Haus von Schwarz, Event Producer of Shine on Kids Cancer Charity and being founder of Bainsoft, his talent agency and localisation studio
• Can he reconcile Christianity and faith with his life?

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Michael

Michael Bain is Founder/CEO of Bainsoft, Event Producer for Shine On! Kids, and Manager of Drag Collective Haus Von Schwarz. He left his hometown Brisbane, Australia in 2014 to get closer to the video game music industry in Tokyo and is now uniquely positioned to help eliminate barriers between Japanese/Western companies and artists.

In 2022, he founded Bainsoft, a talent agency and localization studio. Bainsoft manages narrators, singers, voice actors and composers, matching English-speaking talent with Japanese companies, and vice versa. Recent works include Rise of the Ronin, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth & the F1 racing series. In February 2024, Michael also became Event Producer (Executive Fight Night) for Shine On! Kids, which supports children in Japan with cancer and other serious illnesses through a number of innovative, evidence-based psycho-social support programs. Executive Fight Night gathers close to 500 professionals at Grand Hyatt, raising funds for the Shine On! Kids' Hospital Facility Dog Program. Haus Von Schwarz is a 9-member Tokyo-based queer underground showcase that experiments with gender expressions and self-affirming performances. Their flagship show Casket Of Horrors flips mainstream drag on its head with its goth-villain and horror vibes, and charity event Fresh Meat raises funds for the latest needs for the queer community and beyond.

When Michael isn’t working, he’s either playing piano, social coworking at Midnight Brew in Nakano-Shimbashi or heading up to his little cabin in Minakami, Gunma to decompress.

Connect with Michael

IG: @michael.bainsoft

Bainsoft: www.bainsoft.co.jp / www.japanvoicetalent.com

Shine On! Kids: https://sokids.org/ 

Haus Von Schwarz: https://www.casketofhorrors.com/

About the Haus: https://www.tokyoweekender.com/entertainment/haus-von-schwarz-tokyo-drag-show/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bain-73591590/

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

I kept thinking about what it was about the people who have been really piquing my interest recently. Or as I look back on previous guests what is it that connects them?

I loved the very creative folk, and the last season of reinventors. Everyone in fact. Whether buying land to build a sculpture studio, traveling across the world to enter a hardcore Karate dojo, starting a drag house, becoming a citizen of Japan in order to have political influence, starting a radio show, falling in love, recovering from business disaster, so many of my guests had put serious skin in the game.

I look at my friends and the people I admire. The feminists, the activists, the style mavens, the weirdos, the deeply genuine; the people who speak out or show up along the edges of culture and I noticed; they had skin in the game.

I also realised, if I am to enter into the fullness of the next iteration of myself and my family unit - that’s what I need. And so I am fascinated to explore with my guests, what it means to them and how they are moving through the world with skin in the game. 

For me, getting my skin in the game requires some serious outside help. And that help might not quite be what you imagine.

Of course I am 18 months sober, a constant source of relief and fascination as thought after thought emerges through the sobriety for me to soberly deal with (skin in the game) AND MY LORD did I feel like drinking this past week - it was strange. But I didn’t. 5 months post-surgery, I am getting used to this new body and new way of being in the hormonal world This time last year my body was being physically and emotionally violent towards me. I had severe anaemia and felt utterly insane. Now the stability of hormones and absence of bleeding is a whole new and very welcome landscape to navigate. 

This episode is all about how I am using signals from nature and from my surroundings as my points of coaching inquiry. How I am experiencing a lot of change and choice and communing with the flowers in my garden, the trees in my eye line, the jasmine at my door to deliver messages through the ether. #ordinarymagic And also my neighbour moved out, I was upset but then that revealed something else that I muse on in the recording. My Mum and Dad were visiting their old neighbour the same week. Everything changes all the time, Nature’s rhythms are not influenced by culture, and I probably need to get some fertiliser for the plants if I want them to flower.

What can the nature outside my window tell me about what’s happening inside me, about my thoughts; what emblems and metaphors can I dance with. And the movement of people in and out of our lives. I could see my neighbour every day for 5 years then POOF gone - disappeared, like they’d never been there; a home becomes a house, filled with the #potentmagic if the next occupant.

You see that’s a lot of what’s happening here. I’m looking to see who is following the rhythms and flow of their nature, even if it is outside the flow of the culture. And if you flow outside of culture, then you have skin in the game. Each guest describes this differently yet with some similarity.

Every single day I muse on this, in conversation with the tree outside my door, the neighbours past and present, the books I read, the music I choose, the voices in my ears. I observe my husband, his way of being in the world, our love, our third entity and I muse on this. And the folk with skin in the game. And how if I am to dance with culture even more, reveal my nature, live in the ordinary magic; getting more and more skin in the game is not an option. It is inevitable collateral.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

LEONIE FREAKIN DAWSON! In the compelling conversation we meet a woman who has touched many thousands of lives with her Brilliant Biz and Life Academy and created wealth, confidence and happiness for herself, her family and for her clients. She is a multi-award-winning entrepreneur, loved-up wife and partner and parent of two and the creator of many many life-changing trainings and classes

While it hasn’t all been plain sailing Leonie has remained true to her calling, her heart and intuition among the topics we muse upon in today’s conversation are:

• Leonie’s inability to create, and this one hit me hard, a professional mirage, and how she attracts clients and has a thriving business while keeping it wild and weird
• How she leverages neurodivergence and revolutionizes her unique set of abilities in how she works - 10 hours a week - she rests for results
• The importance of taking care of business and making money and her advice to women who have left taking care of business later in life (it’s never too late)
• How the sudden death of her brother when Leonie was 15 changed the course of her life
• Her love of relocation, renewal and reinvention and her devotion to the land of Australia

Her membership site; the Brilliant Life and Biz Academy (which I forget the name of in my excitement, even though I’m a member) is an investment that will pay you back dividends. If you are a small biz, entrepreneur or want a refresh or restart in your biz, there is great content, calls, community and new programmes being added all the time. Use this SFC affiliate link to sign up and access loads of great Leonie offers.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Leonie

Leonie Dawson is an internationally best-selling author of the 2024 My Brilliant Year workbooks (formerly known as the Goal Getter workbooks) which have been used by over 500,000 people worldwide.

A multi-passionate entrepreneur, Leonie has generated over $14 million in revenue while only working 10 hours a week. Leonie has been recognised for her business acumen by winning Ausmumpreneur’s People’s Choice Business Coach, Global Brand & Businesses Making A Difference Awards.

Leonie has spent the last 10 years living in some of the most beautiful places around Australia. She currently lives with her two daughters and husband on the Sunshine Coast.

Leonie uses she/her pronouns.

Connect with Leonie

Website: https://leoniedawson.com/ 

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/leonie_dawson/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itsleoniedawson/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leoniedawsonauthor/ 

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

It is with deep sadness and great respect that I talk about the influence that Mori Yasuko had on so many people in our Tokyo community. She influenced me in positive ways to look at business through a new lens of service and innovation. She made a unique contribution to society. I will miss her monthly paper newsletters that were full of personal and business information. But mostly I will miss her. 

We each contribute to one another. Each small business or organisation provides some kind of service that makes life fuller or easier. Ease, order, beauty, lawfulness, coaching, administration, body-care, relaxation, all those things that your friends or family can’t always provide. 

I have been lucky, so very lucky over the years with the services I have received and the clients I have served. I never ever take these things for granted and always feel great joy and humility thinking about everything that happens around me. Please enjoy this love letter to (most of) my people.

A love letter to my collaborators part one.

In this Podcast:

• Muse on the connections, webs and ripples that influence our businesses, friendships and the quality of our lives
• The void that is left when people leave us
• How the small business community exists due to the flow of commerce, communication and recommendations between us
• The impact that small gestures and immense generosity has on people’s business
• The deeply healing influence of gratitude and reciprocity - I’ve been so lucky with my collaborators (this is part one because I keep forgetting to mention people!)

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Sarah has moved around the world a number of times, from rural Hawaii to Urban Hawaii, from continental USA to Japan and now Europe with kids, a partner, a corporate career and a music radio show, that I am rather envious of (I’m always curious about envy - what’s it’s message???).

What I love about Sarah is her refreshing honesty, sincerity and just how genuine she is. There’s a real grounded simplicity to the way she tells her story and the way she made, then reflected on her Legend. 

Her choices have been focused on different needs at different times from choosing to go to boarding school as a child, to joining the corporate world in order to build a solid foundation, reaching her career goals in her 30s, then planning for roles based on quality of life and a retirement based on rock‘n roll dreams! 

Sarah and I met back in 2012 when she was the speaker at a professional networking event. We mention that at the beginning and she reveals a secret shame she held for the past 12 years!

In this Podcast you will learn:

• Sarah’s take on how to build a solid foundation for your future in your 20s and 30s
• How a feral kid in rural Hawaii started making decisions, with the trust and investment of her parents
• Who in her family has won a Grammy, her direct connection to PRINCE and her admiration for Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth 
• How she decided to start a radio show in her early 40s 
• Her therapist annoyed her with an observation - she revealed what it was and how it was useful 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook

Links

Sarah’s Radio Show ‘The Hangover’

Her incredible interview with Prince’s Record Producer, Professor Susan Rogers

Shout out to Japan-based Journalist Justin McCurry of the Guardian 

Link to Kim Gordon’s Instagram 

Sarah’s favourite song by Sharon Van Etten

About Sarah Tapp

Sarah was born and raised in Hawaii. She earned a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College in Ohio and promptly moved to Japan, where she spent almost 15 years building a career in corporate communications. Sarah has done PR for a wide range of companies and products – from baby formula to fighter jets – and worked in almost every area of communications, from copy writing to risk & crisis comms.

Sarah and her husband relocated to Luxembourg in 2016, when their daughter was 8 months old (she’s now 8 years old and has a younger sister, aged 7). After a stint at a digital marketing agency, she joined Amazon, where she currently manages PR and policy communications out of the company's European HQ. On weekends she hosts a show on Today Radio, the English-language arm of RTL, one of Europe's largest media groups. She recently co-presented the live English commentary for the Luxembourg Song Contest, ahead of the country's return to Eurovision for the first time in 31 years.

Sarah lives with her family in the countryside. In her very limited free time, she enjoys going to gigs and sitting in cafes with a book.

Connect with Sarah Tapp

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-tapp-6806095/

Radio work: https://play.rtl.lu/shows/en/the-hangover/episodes

Connect with Sarah Furuya

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

And one would be right. 

It is a love letter to all of my coaches. It is long and the indulgence is taking a trip through my coaching life from start to finish and all the fantastic coaches I had along the way. Honouring them and noting what impact they had on my life, the killer lines and insights they provided me with, and the influence they had in my building out my decisions, business and life choices. In what was a positive process, that reminded me of how effective, kind and professional they all were. AND what a terrific impact coaching can have on a life. I talk through my history and what attracted me to coaching and how different coaches fulfill different life stages and requirements. 

#Menostorm

Originally I was going to muse upon the Shadowy Side of the #Menostorm but due to having had something of a shadowy Sunday, I opted for a positive musing. And I am delighted I did - thinking back on almost 20 years of coaches, the incredible impact they had on me and the key takeaways from my time with them has been a privilege. Also discussed in this episode; how I’m observing myself with wild curiosity and the interplay of rest and activity, mood and capacity, post-surgery. It’s like Tiger King where I’m the Tiger(s) and the coaches are Joe Exotic and Carol Baskins…or something…

In this Podcast:

• A BIG BAD MOOD at the weekend actually helped me choose today’s topic based on my instinct - I wanted to garner positivity through storytelling
• What each of the fantastic coaches I have had have done for me over the 20 years
• How pair coaching with my Relationship Systems Coaching mentor probably saved my marriage (the hedgehog and the octopus)
• How I was bitten by the coaching bug, how much I loved it and how each coach has had an impact on my life, decisions and direction
• EACH and EVERY coach from my past has had an incredible impact on my life - deep bow, deep gratitude, profound lineage

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

WHAT A WHIRLWIND! We had such a journey through Brittany’s life and I was furiously making notes and thinking HOW CAN I HIRE THIS WOMAN?

In this Podcast you will learn:

• Basics of Design-centred thinking and the concept of life-prototyping and being absolutely values-driven
• How Brittany designed her family and business to work for her (it’s not what you think)
• Science, Psychology and Spirit and how they fit into Brittany’s life design
• Mexico - and what living there for 3 years during the Pandemic taught her
• Her deep, almost spiritually connected, love of Japan 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook

About Brittany

Brittany Arthur is the CEO of Design Thinking Japan, a human-centered design consultancy with studios in Tokyo and Sydney. She leads the organization in fostering innovation and enhancing customer value through design. As the founder of the world’s only bilingual (Japanese-English) innovation podcast and Design Thinking network, Brittany actively contributes to her field as a speaker and media commentator. In addition to her professional achievements, Brittany is a mother to Charles and has been actively involved in Rotary International for nearly two decades, demonstrating her dedication to community service.

Connect with Brittany

www.designthinkingjapan.com

@_brittanyarthur

Links

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

ALSO SWEAR WORDS.

In sharing this information it may encourage people to better advocate for their medical health and care, have a good experience of a hospital stay.

I talk about what I requested, how I requested it, and what I let go in order to have a peaceful stay.

I talk about my body, about scars and stitches, and allow me to hint at what was happening, there is a lot of talk of 'down there' that may not be the best for a lunch time listen!

I had a brilliant stay at Nisseki (Red Cross Hospital) in Tokyo - I was lucky that my surgery was straightforward and uncomplicated and I am going for my one month follow up consultation with my surgeon soon. Every step of the way has been thorough, well managed and I felt safe and heard. I also advocated for myself clearly and politely - and although I come across very confident, this is something I actually need to be brave about.

It's also worth mentioning that i and my husband had a great deal of support from family and friends checking in on both of us. For that I am incredibly grateful and hope to be able to return the kindness some day.

In answering the questions about reinvention, Sam, his Mum and his Dad had conversations they had never had before, and Sam heard stories about his Dad he had never heard before (His Dad is a famous Australian ceramicist, John Gilbert) he found out more about his reinvention from schoolteacher to potter and beyond. It’s easy to track where Sam gets his entrepreneurial spirit, work ethic and drive from. 

This puts me in mind of the previous guest, with Gretchen where we took a deep dive into her family stories and remembered so many events and long since forgotten stories. Another story that comes up again and again for Japan-based guests is the impact the 2011 Triple earthquake, Tsunami and nuclear disaster had and Sam is no exception - it changed his, his wife’s and his business partner’s lives forever…

In this Podcast you will learn:

• Sam’s decision-making process when he was faced with being a musician or an alternative, more stable career path
• Work ethic, focus and strategy that have led to Sam’s busy and fulfilling life
• How many different careers and lives a person can lead and the pathway his Dad took
• The Financial Crisis and Great Eastern Earthquake in Japan was actually a high catalyst for Sam's reinvention
• How Sam is currently undergoing a leadership reinvention and talks very frankly about that in the final part of the conversation (where he gets a mini coaching session!)

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook

About Sam

Sam Gilbert was born and raised in Australia and has been living in Japan for the past 19 years. Walking into a karate dojo at the age of 8 was a pivotal moment, as it not only sparked not only an interest in martial arts, also Japanese culture and physical health and performance. These 3 aspects have guided Sam’s career, from an international level karate competitor, to physiotherapist, through to business owner, as co-founder of Club 360, Tokyo’s premier health and fitness facility.

Connect with Sam

www.club360.jp

IG: @sam_gilbert_tokyosportsmed

@club360_eng 

https://elanajade.com/

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

How’s your menopause going? Graceful? Elegant? Calm? 

Congratulations. 

Mine’s been a violent, rupturing shitstorm. A menostorm.

And this week I’m taking radical action (I sometimes encourage my clients to do this too - radical action might be the way to go). 

I am telling the story of a major life transition I am undertaking this week.

Depression! Haemorrhage! Desperation! Anaemia!

Get it all at the MENOSTORM. 

Bringing the taboo and the mess to the collective table. 

There are private groups where people talk about these things. 

Tracey Emin brings a visceral authenticity to her stories, her art and her conversations. The bloody flesh that we live in and the things that happen to it. Our sexuality. Making taboo mundane. Then, making it sacred through art.

Davina McCall, a British TV personality brings frank and public-friendly tales from menopause to the fore.

And so I take my place to tell tales from the Menostorm.

MENOSTORM 

Telling stories is freedom. 

Breaking taboos is freedom. 

Free. 

MENOSTORM

Darlings thank you for listening - by now I shall be in recovery and taking a month off the podcast - look out for another Tokyo Legend mid-January!

Have a lovely holiday season and new year and if you want some coaching in 2024 - do let me know! I’ll be opening up 2 days a week and filling them with even more wonderful, interesting and genuine souls.

We’ll find out what brought Gretchen to Dairyuji Temple, which means ‘Big Dragon’ Temple in Akita in the North West of Japan’s largest Island Honshu. Also Fleabag was not the only one who found a hot priest!

This Legend, it’s just two intelligent, educated and sensible women leaning into the sacred, the magical and the full spectrum of humanity, nature, generations, deep connection, magic, mystery, and sanctity of life.

We take a trip through ancestral lines to the women who reinvented radically over the years both deliberately and in response to tragedy and loss. We honour our lineage and our ancestors and the surprises and wisdom that are brought to us, through them, even from beyond the grave.

You see, Grethen and I have an intimate relationship with death, bereavement, mourning and grieving. In our work running a grief circle together we are in constant relationship with so many people that our beautiful Circle brings to us. We hold their spirits and the people who live without them. And we hold ourselves and our own grief together.

In this conversation, where we build on the conversation between Gretchen and I back in Season 3 Episode 1, we speak with great love and joy about Gretchen’s path from Suburbia, to the wilds of the US, then the ‘doorway to Asia’. And Zen Buddhism.

And all the way, intuition is in play, the ancestors are looking at her and guiding her; her adoring grandmas and their experiences and how that cycles down into her relationships with her children and parents. We find such wisdom in their stories, and her stories as we follow Gretchen’s path and Legend through the ages. And it is all ages. 

Did you know that people carry unbelievable tragedies and pain around with them all the time and still show up to life? I’m in awe of her and all of us. Of our stories.

I’m pretty impressed that I can remember and quote from the full Catholic Mass, having left the church 30 years ago (you can take the girl out of the Catholic church…) yet that gave both Gretchen and I, a matrix upon which to build our spirit and our systems of support, community, ritual and mindfulness.

Gretchen first appeared in Season 3 Episode 1 and you can also hear us talk about Lighthouse Circle, our work around grief support on YouTube here.

There’s so much magic, tenderness, reverence and intimacy in this episode and I hope you can access just a touch of it.

Let it be huge…

In this Podcast you will learn:

• What happens when you ‘follow the dragon’, and reinvent yourself over and over
• The wisdom of generations and the renaissance of the family women 
• Reinventing through painful or unwelcome experiences and how joy can sit alongside devastation
• Being scared and brave and following your intuition 
• NEWSFLASH - your parents are human beings. They are people. Find out what made Gretchen describe her Mum as a ‘newborn child’ following a life-changing surprise

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook

Gretchen bio

Gretchen lives in Japan with her family where they run DAIRYUJI Zen temple. Making grief support and mindfulness accessible for everyone to nurture well-being and a sense of belonging is her life's work. She studied with David Kessler to become a grief educator and under Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield to gain her mindfulness meditation teachers certificate. She loves leading workshops, classes and retreats. Her brother Chris died when she was five years old which deeply influenced her views on death and grief, ultimately guiding her to this calling. Drawing on many years of exploration, learning and unlearning, she is passionate about bringing elements of ritual, spirituality, creativity and mindfulness to create a supportive atmosphere at Lighthouse Circle.

Links

Connect with Gretchen

Legend of Healing Podcast Episode

Dairyuji Temple Instagram

Dairyuji temple in Oga Akita

Online Shop: Sorabento

Learn more about Lighthouse

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/grief-support

Lighthouse Circle 2024 Sign up

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

Well I did and I thought … ‘I want to have an awards ceremony at my ten-year anniversary party’... So that’s what I did. There was a rigorous and thorough application process, selection process and selection committee. Not really - who’s got time for that? And so the SFC Many Ways Awards was conceived and manifested. It involved Amazon orders, googly eyes and barefaced cheek.

There are award ceremonies going on everywhere all over the world; same faces and same companies posing with coveted trophies. And by people - bear in mind I am a three-time British Business Award nominee. Me. I am the people. Although I’ve never won. I am incredibly bitter about that though - or I would be if I hadn’t submitted my applications, whilst crying with shame and embarrassment 2 minutes before deadlines, yet determined to honour the people who nominated me… oh people pleaser me… (I declined this year - the application would have been sparse unless there was an award for Burn Out). *Creates an award for Burn Out* Actually, maybe I should create an award for doing the least…

Or the most-bitter-endlessly-nominated-never-won-an-award Award.

I LIE - I HAVE WON AN AWARD - BEST DRESSED 2020. An online ceremony in which I threw on a dress, some bright pink lipstick and was wearing a pair of slippers. It was pandemic time*.

*If you’re reading this in the future - there was a pandemic. It was odd. I was best dressed.

Yet in addition to the familiar faces of Tokyo or beyond, are people who perhaps without your knowing it, are having a huge impact on the lives of the people around them; generously giving their energy, time, support and creativity to the business, art, science worlds and local community, yet would never win a major award; perhaps wouldn’t even be nominated or have the time, will or skill to submit a competitive entry.

I wanted to give awards to people who don’t have time for that. Like Laura Marushima, my assistant, Admin manager and COO, also who named this podcast - find out what award she got in the Many Ways™ Awards. People beavering away in the background or foreground who I WANT TO CELEBRATE! 

I really do want to celebrate fantastic people and tell their stories through my eyes! And so I give you their stories about the many ways to lead a life! 

In this Podcast you will learn:

• The people in Tokyo who radically influence business, culture and community, though you might not know them
• Who was on the exclusive selection committee for the SFC Many Ways Awards
• Who lights up rooms, who is an incredible friend, who is an artist of incredible integrity and who is the Goddess of everything
• Why I chose not to have a nomination or application process for the Many Ways Awards
• The joy of celebrating people who are positive lights, influences and creators and the perfect cheek of setting up an awards ceremony for them

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook.

Links

Yukiro dravarious

Haus of schwarz

Oiyoucheers (Kyle)

Neilchapmanperfume

DWhom

Marcellus Nealy

Neopublic

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

This week's creative musings is all about Unconditional Love.

Today I muse on five stories of unconditional love that I have experienced since I was a child, covering generosity experienced at school, to a shocking surprise gift at Christmas to unbelievable gestures in Japan, two from my love.

I relate this to attachment styles and how I'm trying to develop and enhance my secure attachments style. Remember these are musings on my part! I'm not an educator on such matters but do enjoy recognising patterns and sharing stories. These vocal essays are a treat to perform and my highest dream is that a little positivity will be felt as they spread into the ether. As usual, my amazing mind pinballs between topics, picking up patterns and threading golden threads through life, generations and topics, musing endlessly. And of course, the usual dose of self-coaching and mini-satori that occur when my stories are given voice. Enjoy and thank you for all the things you do for people that help them grow secure attachment and unconditional love and spread that out into the ether. I wish you peace. I wish for peace.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Back in the late 2000s, a hoop rolled into Deanne’s life that changed her life forever. In early 2011 something else rolled in, and swept away one life to make way for the life Deanne has built since then.

Back in the mid 2000s and early 2010s, there was wild fecundity in Tokyo. Loads of us creatives had blogs, long before Facebook or Instagram were in play and there was this community of creatives and writers that included Laura, my assistant, and Legends Podcast guests Tracey Northcott (OG Legend), Katherine North, Martine Cotton, and my now defunct Blog Sigsy in Tokyo…

We were following the breadcrumbs laid out by trailblazing Bloggers, coaches and creatives such as Gala Darling, Marie Forleo and Chris Guillebeau. 

Coaching was hitting and coaching masterminds were springing up in the most creative parts of the city. I talk about how Deanne sent me something that changed my course and she had no idea how one act of generosity had given me courage…

Queer culture was rising, with performance, new and fabulous dance studios, dress up,  performers and trailblazers emerging all over the city. It was quite a time…

Deanne was the queen of this revolution; an explosion of glitter, sequins, hoops, dance and fire. 

Then disaster struck.

It was super hot and for her, it all started in Northern Australia back in the 80s.

Inspired by a creative influence in her childhood she followed her dream to be a teacher, and she also had a wilder side that got to be expressed on the dancefloors and gave life to what she describes as the parts of herself. And so we discussed boundaries and how expressing the genuine parts of ourselves is essential to mental health. 

We cover so much ground here - it’s hard to know where to start, I was furiously scribing as I listened and got reminders, new concepts and just bathed in the luxurious joy of Deanne. She is a special human - there's something so irresistible about her. She’s love and shadow and all of that and a seeker. As such she has this rounded way of navigating the levels of reality; the science, the psychology and the magic. She tells stories like a pro and knows that there are many parts of her, and the rest of us that need tending to and to be considered.  

In this Podcast you will learn:

• How intensity and adversity can be turned into deep wisdom and experience
• The lasting influence that authentic and safe childhood heroes can have 
• What the phrase ‘What you are seeking is seeking you’ means to Deanne
• The essentials of mental health (and what masters she is now studying for), and how to integrate all the parts
• The wisdom of the void and how not knowing what the F you’re going to do next can hold information that emerges from the space …

And this doesn’t even TOUCH the harvest of joy, wisdom you will get from this conversation. Deanne Love is a font of fun and information. She’s woo and worldly, she’s skeptical and scientific, educated and open, whole and humble.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram and Facebook

About Deanne

Deanne Love has launched a global revolution inside the hula hoop. The one time primary school teacher and creative founder of Hooplovers.tv shares high energy live and online classes, workshops and hoop teacher education. Strong in the art of streamlined instruction and intuitive facilitation, Deanne turns up the volume on the “feel-good-factor” as a pathway to embodiment, expression and flow for all. On a mission to support humans around the globe to drop down into their bodies as a way of finding safety, freedom and connection with themselves and each other.

Connect with Deanne

https://hooplovers.tv/

https://hooplovecoaching.com/

https://www.youtube.com/@DeanneLove/featured

https://www.instagram.com/deannelovexo/

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Have you heard of such a thing? 

Well this concept got right down deep into the potent magic and had me musing on relationships past and dreaming up relationship potential and ways.

My guest on November 21st 2023 introduced me to the idea of Relationship Anarchy and it opened up a depth, invited in the trickster and shifted my view. The most creative people will do that. There are many ways to lead a life. 

In my human connections, I observe and am often invited into the ways that people have relationships. How people uncouple. How people couple. How they navigate family, community and professional relationships. How it can look when anarchic love or relationship is in play. How people reinvent and redesign relationships as time goes by. 

Co-regulation

Also Co-regulation - jeez I had forgotten this. How many days have I sat at home, white-knuckling some anxious feelings, some nervous system hijack or something that rattled me and trying to work it out on my own with my intellectual toolkit, with my call to rugged individualism and my erroneous belief that there is something deficient in me if I can’t stop spiralling on my own, even after walks, lies down, music dancing, a cold shower or reading. I’m a human. Sometimes I NEED A HUMAN with whom to co-regulate. 

Finding deeply aligned community and culture. More co-creation and connection. My guest moves cities. My current phase of this story is on the inside and on the edges. Yet also what is finding its way to me. I looked at my inbox the other day and almost everything was people with whom I feel a deep connection.

In this Creative Musing, you will hear a lot of musings on relationships that I am in constellation with. Past and present.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Sarah musing on Relationship Anarchy
• Musings on queer hetero relationships
• Co-regulation - a deep reminder of the need for people with whom to regulate our nervous systems
• Deeper connections, access to culture, and what that might sound like 
• Stories from real life and real-time self-coaching

Read the full essay on the Sarah Furuya Blog 

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

You become a household name in Japan.

And that is what happened to our Legends guest, where he became a household name in Japan at the turn of the Millennium. Since then Nic has had many reinventions, renaissance and has risen like a Phoenix from the fire over and over as any professional athlete MUST do in order to move with their bodies, minds and spirit and constantly create new versions of themselves.

Nic, by his own admission, is building an empire from now and is constantly challenging himself. 

As you will hear in this episode, Nic has hit some super lows; injury in your prime will do that, relationship strife will do that, death and changed expectations will do that but he always reaches for this deep confidence, this unwavering self-belief and rugged optimism that pulls him to his next adventure, even through pain, humiliation and changing body condition.

In this Podcast you will learn:

• What it takes to become a world-class athlete and how you can apply that to your own life, ambitions, setbacks and wins
• What I call ‘pivot points’ those events that make you rise like a Phoenix, reinvent yourself or swear ‘not this’ or never again’ that can set a trajectory in motion
• How his inability to move and a humiliating incident in a wheelchair led him to start writing his first book ‘The Blue Eyed Samurai’
• Nic’s definition of manifesting and how he uses that even now in his next reinvention (and perhaps how he manifested the love story of the decade! A Pandemic miracle if you will)
• Empire building mindset and how he keeps starting different entrepreneurial exploits, such as hotelier, YouTube megastar with Junk Food Japan, in addition to his gym, his fighting career as Master in Senshi, and mentor to many karate hopefuls and champion fighters.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Facebook and Instagram.

About Nic

Nicholas Pettas is known in Japan as the Blue Eyed Samurai, named so for his timeless fighting spirit. Having placed amongst the top 8 Kickboxers in the World with the Japan K-1 Grand Prix title in 2001, he is considered a household name in Japan. He is the last of only 2 non- Japanese to complete the 1000 days Uchi Deshi program led by founder of Kyokushin Karate Mas Oyama. His rugged good looks and fluent Japanese won over the Japanese hearts and he has since used his rise to stardom by acting in movies and dramas, hosting his own radio show amongst other things. Currently he owns CrossFit Nishi Azabu and spends his time divided between Senshi and his YouTube channel "Junk Food Japan" and is a newly minted hotelier.

Connect with Nicholas Pettas

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-pettas-804374aa/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicholaspettas

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholaspettas_/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JunkFoodJapan

Senshi: https://senshi.com/k-1-legends-sam-greco-and-nicholas-pettas-arrive-in-bulgaria-for-senshi-12/

Fite TV: https://www.fite.tv/vl/p/senshi/

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

This week I celebrate 21 years of being with my partner, my love, my husband, my housemate. When it comes to relationships and marriage, my husband Kei and I have it absolutely solved…PERFECT. And in this episode, as a life coach, I will be telling you the definitive list of to-dos for your perfect relationship.

NO NO NO

Let it be known that this is simply creative musing, and while I am a Relationship Systems Coach with a slew of techniques for working with relationships and couples - NOT a counselor, NOT a marriage expert and certainly no Esther Perel nor John Gottman (although I highly recommend their work), this is simply my half of our story; our legend.

21 years ago, in a long-since-closed British pub in a town in Tokyo called Takadanobaba, I met this chatty, confident, handsome young man while watching a band. I was filled with far too much Guinness (see previous episodes about that - I actually fell off my bike as he took me home that night yet we stayed together since) yet I knew there was something special about this no-nonsense, no-bullshit dude who approached me. I liked him and it quickly grew to love as we explored Tokyo together on our bicycles.

We have been together since and while I take absolutely nothing for granted - and I do mean NOTHING for granted, I do want to tell the story of the myth and the legend of Sarah and Kei. 

And so whilst traveling around Tokyo and surroundings these past weeks, I made a list of things that I think about our relationship. We have reinvented ourselves over and over, had points of discussion about the future and had something of a renaissance in the past year as we emerged from the Pandemic bruised, couples coached, much therapy (on my side) and newly sober (Ep 1 and 2) with many changes in relationships around us. We reassessed everything, including our relationship and I share my two guiding questions that influence my decision.

And in this episode you can hear my creative musings on this…

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The two questions that guide Sarah in her relationship
• How they keep the home-fires burning!
• The ultimate secret to a perfect relationshi……LOL not really. Seriously though. No.
• How we culture our relationship, and each other, very deliberately 
• That our parents and grandparents may also have had an influence on us

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram or Facebook.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

This episode is released coincidentally during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Kath has her own shocking story about breast cancer, and the hidden links between breast cancer and alcohol consumption in women. Kath has risen like a Phoenix from the Fire to shine a light on such links in her home of Australia and reveals this to the general public. Kath is frank and generous in sharing her binge-drinking journey, recovery and reinvention, and also shares with us beautiful stories of solidarity, with friends and clients, when they can’t find their way into optimistic stories for themselves. I was lucky enough to have been one of the people she held a vision for as she coached me through my own recovery from binge drinking (ongoing). Kath is a woman who stewards people through their recovery and who stewarded herself through science, psychology and the spiritual to health and happiness. She is honest about the bad days too - they’ll be now love and light-washing or spiritual bypass with Kath, yet she is a light. And she is also a soft dark place to land if you need help. 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram or Facebook.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Kath started binge drinking in her teens and was essentially rewarded for being ‘one of the lads’ and a ‘Legend’ for being able to drink so much 
• How she was sure she would stop binge drinking in some mysterious future like ‘When she had kids’ yet for her there was no hitting ‘bottom’, but she was in danger… 
• The shocking discovery she made shortly after quitting drinking for good, the empowered choices she made, and the silenced links to cancer she discovered
• The joy she now finds in being alcohol free, how she holds visions for friends and clients and how her mindset and curiosity boosted her on her journey of recovery…

About Kathryn

Kathryn Elliott, is Australia’s leading specialist alcohol and binge drinking coach for high-functioning professionals. Her expertise and comments regularly appear in lifestyle, health, business and women’s media nationally. She is one of only two certified Senior This Naked Mind specialist alcohol coaches in Australia and has been living alcohol free since July 1, 2019. 

As a former binge drinker for over 30 years, Kathryn coaches from lived experience and believes vulnerability and sharing our own stories is one of the most powerful tools in finding a more balanced relationship with alcohol. 

Her experience with breast cancer in 2019 sent Kathryn on a transformational healing journey, provoking deep questions about her health, the meaning of life and what changes she had to make to the lifestyle that had contributed to her breast cancer diagnosis.

She loves dancing to 80s music, hiking in nature and binge-watching Nordic Noir TV series and lives in Melbourne with husband, Paul, their three teenage sons; Oscar, Tom & Hugo, and beloved cocker spaniel, Ralph. 

Connect with Kathryn

Website: https://www.thealcoholmindsetcoach.com/

Instagram: @thealcoholmindsetcoach

LinkedIn:  linkedin.com/in/kathryn-elliott-630ab532

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

********

Sobriety is bloody hard - and it gets easier and it also doesn’t.

I am baby-sober. 

Being sober or alcohol-free is a daily practice and ritual that I am ever-mindful about. Nothing and I do, and I  mean nothing I have ever done, studied, practiced or achieved in life comes even close to how hard and revealing giving up drinking alcohol has been. Nothing. In this recording, I make attempts to make sense of the past year, yet it is still unfolding in front of me - 38 years worth of committed boozing is not unfurled in one year. Yet unfurl it does. Over and over like the seasons, like nature, like a fern on a forest floor in the dark and light.  As such the podcast episode is a long, rambling, creative musing about my first-year-foray into an alcohol-free life.

It’s just me, sharing my experience and making sense of it, reporting it and creating the legend around it in real-time and is by no means a call to action, OH HELL NO nor a virtuous journey into my new-found sobriety, SWEET LORD NO; nor is it in any way shape or form meant as a way to encourage others to get sober or a laundry list of all the amazing benefits I have felt now. I’m a better person.

I am better - but only better than me before. 

And it’s hard.

It has been a year since I last drank alcohol, when at my ten-year-in-business celebration I observed myself drinking knowing that the next day I had booked my first session with the Alcohol Mindset Coach (watch this space, no really, she’s next week’s guest, on the actual one-year anniversary of our first coaching session). At 6 months sober I wrote this essay about my experience.

And I remind myself that I am always baby sober. Always, always, always baby sober as my relationship with alcohol will always be unpredictable. Any person who has an unpredictable relationship with alcohol, I now wonder, as myself, I wonder if the relationship can ever be a functioning one - or will it always be a bit mad? Even when I have years and years of sobriety behind me, 1 drink, 2 drinks, 3 drinks will likely lead me into a blackout and unpredictable outcomes. These are the outcomes I will not risk. And oh it feels very good to type this.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram or Facebook.

In this Creative Musings episode, you’ll hear:

• The difference between a ‘full-blown alcoholic’ or all-day drinker, and a binge drinker (and how upset I get when I feel love and respect for people with severe alcohol addiction)
• How short the journey from heavy binge-drinker to an addicted alcoholic is very short 
• My history with binge-drinking and how it escalated over the years
• The 3 shocking recent incidents that led me to STOP
• The benefits of drinking that I miss and how I satisfy those benefits
• The holy hell of the first 3 months, the 6 month point and how it’s going now

About Sarah Furuya

Sarah Furuya lives in the hills, by the sea South of Tokyo, near the sacred shores of Kamakura, and from there she runs SF Creative. She runs a boutique executive and life coaching practice, the Lighthouse Grief Support Circle, organises Tokyo’s most popular Clothing & Style Swaps, and records the Legends Podcast. The heart of her coaching practice is the many ways to lead a life, working with and telling people’s stories and working with their unique style. She honours all the style, stories and diversities at play in a person’s life, is a trained ORSC™ Systems Coach, a Certified Psychometric Practitioner, and holds a BSc Hons in Human Biology and Human Psychology. She sits on the Board of Refugee Empowerment International (REI).

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Join Creative Partners Sarah Furuya  @sarahfuruyacreative  and James Nepaulsingh  @nepopublic as they walk through James' first solo gallery exhibition, 'All of Me' at Gallery Mugen in Tokyo.

___

Links

www.sarahfuruya.com

www.nepoart.net

@rzpgallerymugen @ryozanpark

Part 1 is here. 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Some of the shifts you will start to see with Sarah Furuya Creative
• What happened during Covid and the aftermath that took a toll on Sarah
• The magic of supporting small businesses and believing people when they tell what they do
• Most importantly, celebrating 10 years of Sarah Furuya Coaching and the next 10 years

About Sarah

Sarah Furuya is the secret coaching sauce behind many influential women and men in Japan and beyond. She's the host of the Legends podcast which is into its sixth season. Sarah's no bullshit attitude is not for everyone, but it is a breath of fresh air. She runs yearlong coaching programs; February is the new January and Shorter Coaching Programs and an intimate mastermind. She also runs leadership journeys and programs for organizations and companies who are serious about real long term sustainable change and leadership development with a difference.

From 2011 to 2013, she was the president of FEW Japan and runs Tokyo's largest clothing swap, just rebranded to Style Swap with the aim of building community conscious consumption and highlighting people doing great things around sustainable commerce. She sits on the Board of Directors for Refugees International and is on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task force of the British Chamber of Commerce. She has been living and working in Japan since 2001. She is a trained systems coach, is certified in Lumina Spark and Savile Wave Psychometrics, and holds a BSC in human psychology and human biology.

Connect with Angela Ortiz Pettas

Website: https://stratechist.com/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/ 

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What it was like for Sarah growing up in Liverpool in the 70s and 80s
• The choice Sarah made that sent her to the wrong course at university
• The golden threads that run through Sarah’s life that are leading her in a new direction.

About Sarah

Sarah Furuya is the secret coaching sauce behind many influential women and men in Japan and beyond. She's the host of the Legends podcast which is into its sixth season. Sarah's no bullshit attitude is not for everyone, but it is a breath of fresh air. She runs yearlong coaching programs; February is the new January and Shorter Coaching Programs and an intimate mastermind. She also runs leadership journeys and programs for organizations and companies who are serious about real long term sustainable change and leadership development with a difference.

From 2011 to 2013, she was the president of FEW Japan, and runs Tokyo's largest clothing swap, just rebranded to Style Swap with the aim of building community conscious consumption and highlighting people doing great things around sustainable commerce. She sits on the Board of Directors for Refugees International and is on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion task force of the British Chamber of Commerce. She has been living and working in Japan since 2001. She is a trained systems coach, is certified in Lumina Spark and Savile Wave Psychometrics, and holds a BSC in human psychology and human biology.

Connect with Angela Ortiz Pettas

Website: https://stratechist.com/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/ 

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Kate lived with undiagnosed ADHD until the age of 34
• Some of the ways that ADHD can present in women or those assigned female at birth
• The emotional damage of undiagnosed ADHD and why some people get diagnosed and others don’t
• How Kate advocates for others to receive a diagnosis or assistance with ADHD

About Kate

Kate Kamoshita is a professional educator and ADHD advocate. She is based in Tokyo and working to spread alternative educational routes and promote neurodiversity acceptance.  Kate studied abroad in Italy for an adventure with AFS at 17 and graduated, Cum Laude from The American University in Washington DC. with a degree in visual media. Since 2006, she's been living and working in Japan. She uses her expertise to help people find their path through education. 

Connect with Kate 

Website: https://katekamoshita.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/learning.compass/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarafuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Sasha’s family overcame generational poverty to get an education
• The guides that helped both Sasha and Henry by “filling the gap” to help them to succeed in new endeavors
• The Seals’ recipe for a life well led
• How you can find out more about the Legacy Foundation Japan

About Sasha and Henry

Sasha Lee Seals is the owner of Yum Cupcakery.  She is the Director of Programming for the Legacy Foundation Japan which recently put on the first ever Juneteenth Gala at the Tokyo American Club. Sasha has a background in marketing and fashion event planning, business plan writing and recruiting.

Henry Seals is the CHRO of Zaiko. He is also the Director of Finance & Sponsorships at the Legacy Foundation Japan. Henry is a naturalized Japanese citizen and is the first foreign born Human Rights Commissioner for the city of Nagareyama, Chiba.

Connect with Sasha and Henry

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sealsimprovementservices 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamaicaninjapan/ 

http://www.yummcupcakery.com/ 

https://sealsimprovementservices.com/ 

https://legacyfoundationjapan.com/ 

Links

Nagareyama City: https://www.city.nagareyama.chiba.jp/index.html 

https://nagareyamakankou.com/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Marcellus’ life was changed by one dinner with someone he had never met before
• How Marcellus came to Japan and encountered overt racism in the job market 
• The narrow escape from the Korean mafia and finding his way to working with Dreams Comes True, a very famous Japanese music group
• The Umoja project and Marcellus gives us a reading of his moving poem, I am. 

About Marcellus

Although he has been writing poetry since he was eight years old, Marcellus found his poetic voice in the mid-1990s on a small stage in Tokyo, at the popular British pub, What the Dickens. From there, he dove full-on into the world of spoken word. 

He is the winner of several international poetry slams and has been invited to perform globally at well known events like the Montreal Jazz Festival, Heineken Greenroom Festival in

Singapore, and the globally televised charity event Live 8, which over 1 billion people viewed. He has also made several appearances on the highest rated Japanese television show, Kohaku Uta Gassen, with Japan’s most legendary pop band, DREAMS COME TRUE. He spent an eight-year residency with the band as a lyricist, rapper, spoken word performer, and

background vocalist. He is also an accomplished photographer who has won several awards, including a top prize in Ron Howard’s “Imagine8” global photo contest, sponsored by Canon.

Currently, Marcellus works as a narrator and announcer for NHK, and holds the position of associate professor of English at a prestigious university in Tokyo.

Connect with Marcellus

Website: https://www.marcellusnealy.com/ 

Links

What the Dickens pub: http://www.whatthedickens.jp/ 

Umoja on Amazon

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Tania’s childhood in Northern Ireland during “The troubles” and going to boarding school at the age of seven where she learnt how to be to survive there. 
• Dreaming up things: being seaweed, recreating her grandfather’s movies 
• Coming to Japan to set up a corporeal mime studio and found the Magic Flying Carpet Factory
• Tania’s quest to be a role model for shared leadership.

About Tania

Tania is artistic director of tarinainanika, a physical theatre company she runs together with Kentaro Suyama, from their base in Osaka, the Flying Carpet Factory. The company specialises in Corporeal Mime, an artform centered on the creativity and physical expression of the actor.  As well as the company they run a full time school where they are busy nurturing the next generation of actor-creators. Originally from the UK, Tania began her career as a management consultant working in London and Paris. She is also a qualified mediator and writes articles about communication and conflict management. She is the Japan Ambassador for the RSA (Royal Society of Arts) and a board member of the RSA Japan Fellows’ Network.

Connect with Tania

web 

facebook 

instagram  

twitter

Links

Watch our shows at the Edinburgh Fringe:

Tokyo Fugue

The Same Boat

Join the Flying Carpet Ride for access to online classes, talks and performance recordings: 

patreon.com/tarinainanika

Find out more about the RSA: 

thersa.org

thersajapan.org

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Sarah and Neil met and Sarah came to be in Neil’s apartment in Hurricane Sandy
• The curse of the creative mind  and never being “finished”
• What is Neil’s make-up style and the difference between current trends of blanking facials features out
• What happened at the pivotal moment in Neil’s career where he wanted to test his ability to make it on his own
• How Neil navigated Covid when doing make-up in person became impossible and his wonderful collaboration with Nicola Coughlan of Bridgerton fame

About Neil

Neil Young, originally from Birmingham, initially trained as a hairdresser and soon began to work within the world of session work. It was whilst on set, he turned his hand to make-up, where he discovered his new-found passion and soon after moved to London to embark on his new career.

Over the years, Neil has worked with brands such as M.A.C, Dior, Bobbi Brown, Givenchy, Maybelline and Chanel. He’s worked backstage, across the globe, on the biggest shows in fashion including Altuzarra, Balmain, Giles, Missoni, Pucci and Tom Ford and has headed up shows for designers Stella McCartney, Jonathan Simkai, Hache, Noon by Noor, Fyodar Golan and the Charity Oxfam 'Help End Poverty' Show. He also assisted Val Garland, Tom Pecheux and Charlotte Tilbury for several years before becoming first assistant to the world renowned make-up artist, Lucia Pieroni.

Neil moved to New York to gain international experience and exposure. His work in both London and New York has given him the opportunity to build a diverse celebrity clientele including; Alice Eve, Bella Hadid, Denise Gough, Doutzen Kroes, Ethan Hawkes, Florence Pugh, Gillian Anderson, Dame Helen Mirren, Helena Christensen, Hilary Swank, Juno Temple, Karen Elson, Kate Hudson, Katherine Langford, Katherine Ryan, Kelly Osbourne, Kylie Minogue, Lara Stone, Laura Haddock, Linda Evangelista, Marianne Faithful, Natalie Dormer, Nicola Coughlan, Pixie Geldof, Rita Ora, Sonoya Mizuno, Tilda Swinton, Yasmin Lebon,

Neil has grown a solid reputation within the industry. His extensive experience with prestigious beauty brands, extends beyond make-up and includes product innovation and development having worked with German brand Douglas for many years as well as being appointed Brand Ambassador for Givenchy Beauty in the UK

Connect with Neil 

Website: https://www.neilyoungbeauty.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neilyoungbeauty/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The movie Zoë saw as a young girl that first widened the scale of possible
• Zoë’s childhood growing up between Canada, the US and the UK
• What you can learn from Zoë joining a travelling circus 
• Creating a performance and events company and helping corporates 
• Moving again, but it wasn’t so easy this time
• The experience of pregnancy for performers who are usually in total control of their bodies

About Zoë 

Zoë Cobb has a background in physical theatre, group development, circus, yoga and dance.  Academically she trained at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama with Masters in Movement Direction, and previously in Canada with a BA in Theatre and Modern Languages. She has expanded her training with The Thomas Richards and Grotozski workcenter, National Circus School, Moscow State Circus, 5 Rhythms and Contact Improv. She created and directed dance theatre with her company Artful Badger in England for the last 10 years.  She has delivered workshops internationally in Japan, USA, Italy, France, Germany, UK and UAE. She has lead group trainings for the last 5 years in the corporate, theatre, and education worlds. She currently teaches aerial yoga and circus skills in Italy, while continuing to deliver development workshops around Europe.

Zoë works with personal and group development through a somatic or kinesethic approach.  Her unique, revealing work is a combination of practice in physical theatre, circus, nutritional studies and energy healing. She has worked with executive corporate leadership and development internationally for three years, specialising in Situational Leadership, Self Organisation and Masculine/Feminine balancing. She continues to direct and perform in artistic projects.  

Connect with Zoë  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flockingthemovement/

Links

Mei Sawada: https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/legend-of-cirque-du-soleil-mei-sawada

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Kate almost didn’t become an artist, thinking she could only be a restorer
• Developing her skills in community and public art in the Gorbals of Glasgow
• How Kate avoided meeting the man who would “turn her life upside down”
• What it was like to live in rural Iwate, and wake up with snow on your futon
• The similarities between Celtic and Ainu patterns that influenced her sculptures
• How Kate created a travelling installation to help with the healing process in post earthquake ravaged Tohoku

About Kate

Kate was born in St. Alban's England and grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, surrounded by artists, musicians, and actors. Her father was a television director and producer, and her mother an interior designer. She loved playing with clay since she was a child and spent every holiday with their parents, siblings, and cousins in the countryside of the Scottish borders or surrounded by the sea on her visits to her grandparents on the island of Guernsey.

She went on to study fine arts at university, and then onto become an artist in earnest while a student. She also experimented with life performance, stage lighting and costume design, and formed a dance company with her friends to perform at the Edinburgh International Festival, Fringe and other festivals. After graduating, she worked as a community artist in Glasgow for three years, introducing locals to the joy of art.

She was then a founding director at the Glasgow Sculpture Studios. Wanting to learn how to carve, she won a place as an assistant for the Scottish sculpture workshops, International Stone Carving Symposium in 1988. There she met Hironori Katagiri. Kate has completed many large-scale site-specific public sculptures in Scotland, Europe, Lebanon, America in Japan. 

Connect with Kate 

Ukishima Sculpture Studio web site https://ukishima.net/en/    

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ukishimasculpturestudio/

Ukishima Sculpture Studio YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfnIviDE_rk108Twnt3ww4A 

Links

Kate Thomson  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsma8W2aBr0

Hironori Katagiri https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OVgMc-6IiE

Photohoku : https://www.facebook.com/photohoku 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The process of writing Perfume: Finding your signature scent - Sarah even does a quick reading from the book
• The seven veils and how this relates to life in Japan
• Growing up in the UK and suddenly relocating to Japan to build a new life 
• How Burning Bush came into being one day at a bus stop
• The new film “Spoiled Identity” coming out in Summer/Autumn 2022 and Neil’s memoir of life in Japan
• There are indeed many ways to lead a life

About Neil

Neil Chapman, writer, The Black Narcissus blogger, and author of ‘Perfume: in search of your signature scent’, a witty and idiosyncratic introduction and guide to the world of perfume, that has been translated into Italian and Chinese. Also known as Burning Bush, the elusive drag cabaret creature, who legendarily cursed the night - that never forgave her! 

Website:  theblacknarcissus.com

Instagram @perfumebyneilchapman

FB: Neil Craig Chapman

About D Whom

D Whom, delicate delinquent, known for his peculiar sensibilities and shape-shifting videography and art performances, combining butoh and burlesque with black comedy and Grand Guignol! His work has appeared in drag cabaret and online video channels, Yokohama theater, Department H and Performance Istanbul, and has been featured in Elena Knox’s 2020 Yokohama Triennale ‘Prawn Porn’ installation! He also manifests as Leon Charme, a bio-king, when the mood takes! He is currently working on a grotesque comedy movie with Yukiro Dravarious and a motley bunch of performers from the Tokyo drag, fetish, art, poetry and music scenes! 

 Vimeo: D Whom

Instagram: @duwhom

FB: Duncan Whom

Links

Perfume: In search of your signature scent by Neil Chapman

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Growing up in the UK, heading to university when in hindsight she should have done a gap year
• Working in Japan at an English conversation school that went bankrupt and which led to Laura making the most of living her life in Japan
• How a 15 minutes session with Sarah at an event gave Laura the insight to see what she really wanted to do, not what she “should” be doing
• Laura’s journey from leaving Japan, to training as a yoga teacher in Bali, to Spain and finally to her MA in Creative Writing back in the UK

About Laura

Brought up in Buckinghamshire, Laura spent most of her adult life living in Japan, where she juggled careers as an English lecturer, music journalist and concert photographer. She has served on the board of directors for FEW Japan and circumnavigated the Earth by ship helping to foster grassroots cross-cultural communication with Peace Boat.  Laura headed Fuji Rock Festival’s English-language magazine from 2016-2021 and is an award-winning portrait photographer. In 2020, she received a scholarship to study for an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia and is currently in her second year, about to embark on her dissertation.

Connect with Laura 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknlauraphoto/ 

Twitter:https://twitter.com/blacklilly101 

Website: https://www.rocknlauraphoto.com/ 

Things mentioned: 

Angela Carter; The Bloody Chamber: https://www.angelacarter.co.uk/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Aleksandar experienced the war in Serbia and “came from a bomb shelter” in Belgrade “to a fashion show” in Tokyo
• Some of the coping mechanisms of the people in Serbia during the 1999 bombings
• How Aleks transformed from the model who arrived in Tokyo to photographer and videographer for major brands
• Aleks’ idea of beauty and photographing people who aren’t models
• How Aleks adapted during Covid-19 and what’s coming next  

About Aleksandar

Aleksandar was born in 1979 and grew up in Serbia and moved to Tokyo 20 years later with a modelling contract. 

In 2009 Aleks started to produce fashion films for several Japanese and international brands such as Vogue, GQ and Fiat.

From 2014 - 2016 Aleks travelled around the world and doing work on the fly, producing photographs and videos for yoga teachers, wine specialists, authors, foodies, doctors and drag queens. 

Prior to settling back to Japan, Aleks produced a documentary about Roisin Murphy Realness, available on YouTube which summarises his love for this amazing artist and the world of Drag.

From 2016 Aleks worked with Hirotaka Jewellery with visuals, photography, videos and social media. 

In 2018 Aleks made a brief return to the modelling world, appearing in a TV commercial for a video game. 

Aleks’ other recent work includes music videos, videos for brands such as Fendi - for the grand opening at Ginza 6,  “Calzedonia” and “Double Standard” with Avgvst Production. Music videos for Brendan Reilly, Coppe, Gaff-e etc.

A future goal is to work with as many beautiful souls as possible. Aleks values honesty and humour in both people and art.

Connect with Aleksandar 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genkiserb/ 

Links

Lick my brain in silence Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBpBxbHcEMw 

Roisin Murphy Realness Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ht9jWmQT0Q 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What happened in the 14 months since we last spoke to Angela
• How falling in love at record speed can work out and that moment Angela knew he was the one
• The importance of relationships that you don’t need to complete you
• How Angela is approaching the next stage of her career

About Angela

Angela Ortiz is an Entrepreneur and founder of Stratechist Consulting. Her company helps international schools and corporations align their values and develop strategic actions supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. She is a Colombian/American - raised in Japan, a woman continuously reinventing her life and livelihood.  Angela is a total nerd for education & self development, for fitness, dancing and frolicking. In fact, you can find her on Instagram “Gamboling merrily throughout Japan”. 

Connect with Angela

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelamarieortiz/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-ortiz-35689443/

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What it was like for Tiffany growing up in the Philippines and discovering herself
• Moving to Japan and finding her way to the transgender entertainment scene 
• How she navigated her gender transition in the pre-google days
• The impact of COVID on the entertainment industry and how she has reinvented herself. 

About Tiffany

Born and raised in Manila, Philippines. Tiffany Rossdale has been a resident of Tokyo for over 25 years. After moving to Tokyo in the late ’90s, she discovered vibrant opportunities in Japan’s VIP nightlife scenes and became one of Tokyo’s mega-socialites. 

Through Tokyo Fashionista, Tiffany began curating her own events and has spent a decade hosting and designing some of the most luxurious parties for five star hotels, luxury fashion brands, and megaclubs, including annual Halloween and New Year's Eve Parties.​ 

In 2010, she began her career as a DJ, playing at various fashion parties, private/corporate events, and some of the famous clubs in Tokyo such as Ageha. She has opened for Vita Chambers Club Event in Tokyo, played in Beverly Hills New Year's Eve Party, and Miami's biggest Yacht Swingers Event. 

Since the global pandemic struck Tokyo, she pivoted into hosting a podcast called "Breakfast With Tiffany Show" dedicated to LGBTQ+ wellbeing and community. Tiffany is also a Certified Life Coach for LGBTQ+ and allies.

Connect with Tiffany 

Website https://www.tiffanyrossdale.com  

Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/TokyoHottie  

Official Facebook Page  https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTiffanyRossdale  

Clubhouse  https://www.joinclubhouse.com/@tokyohottie  

Breakfast With Tiffany Show  https://www.tiffanyrossdale.com/podcast 

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyrossdale/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• WTF happened next after we recorded with Tracey in 2019
• The impact of the COVID-19 virus on Tracey’s accommodation business when Japan closed borders to international travellers
• The stages of grief that we experience for traumatic life changes
• How Tracey’s experience has led to a chance to shine a light on and start healing other old stories 

About Tracey

Australian Tracey Northcott of Enfour, Inc., Tokyo Family Stays and Tracey Northcott Consulting, is a serial entrepreneur and multi-preneur based in Tokyo, Japan. She

is one of the most successful Airbnb hosts in Tokyo, at one point having 23 properties for rent in the Tokyo 23 Wards growing her business, Tokyo Family Stays, to a 7-figure business. She also runs software development company Enfour, Inc. with her family. Tracey Northcott Consulting is where she helps other hosts discover the true potential of their STR business maximizing their investment, enjoyment and hospitality standards.

Connect with Tracey

Website: https://www.tracey-northcott.com/ 

Tokyo Family Stays: https://www.tokyofamilystays.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TraceyNorthcottConsulting/ 

https://www.facebook.com/tokyofamilystays/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traceynorthcottconsulting/ 

https://www.instagram.com/tokyofamilystays/ 

Links

Finding your North Star by Martha Beck https://www.amazon.co.jp/Finding-Your-Own-North-Star/dp/0812932188 

Legends Youtube Episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5yl0Szh0QM 

Tracey’s first Legends Episode https://player.captivate.fm/episode/eb32d3dd-d01a-4269-920b-6442f841030d 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Ai started her journey to becoming a double free diving Guinness World Record holder
• Leaving our ego on the shore, whatever that means to us
• Connecting to nature and putting yourself in nature 
• Changing from the heart and how Ai inspires people around the world into action
• Training with Wim Hoff, swimming and hiking in freezing temperatures
• Ai’s advice for a wonderful way to lead a life 

About Ai

Double Freediving Guinness World Record holder and as an Ocean Ambassador of the Ministry of Environment, government of Japan, Ai Futaki is one of the very few people in the world who conveys the splendours of the sea to us in various ways.

By representing the aquatic realm in a way that the world has never seen, Ai highlights the meaning and expression of the human-water connection. Her films are featured on television programs, commercials, exhibitions around the globe. In 2019, she had her first exhibition as a photographer in Madrid, and in Tokyo. 

Connect with Ai

Website: https://aifutaki.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aifutaki/ 

Links

Guiness World Record for “The Longest Distance in Cave with only ONE Breath”: https://youtu.be/GcWAkmpFPQ0

mymizu: https://www.mymizu.co/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Photo of Ai by Isabel Muñoz

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Who this amazing woman called Mei Sawada is if you don’t already know!
• What happened since we last spoke to Mei in S2 Episode 3 (link below)
• Mei’s introduction to the discipline of calisthenics and the friends she made from this practice
• Mei’s adventure into the world of professional circus performers and how she’s getting on being overseas
• How Mei uses aerial silks performance to express herself
• Mei’s foresight in becoming certified and having a skill outside of circus performance
• Absolutely brilliant advice from a wise woman making her dreams happen

About Mei

May is an elite athlete. She is a circus performer and a highly skilled aerial dance performer. She started her aerial dance journey with the aerial arts dance project nine years ago. She has devoted her life to her body and to being the very best she could with the view of becoming a Cirque du Soleil style performer.

Mei left regular high school when she was 15 and continued her education at an external high school so she could dedicate herself completely to her craft. She has since devoted herself to calisthenics, learned micro blading and is currently in Las Vegas training 

Connect with Mei

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cirque_mei/ 

Links

S2 Episode 3 with Mei Sawada https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/legend-of-cirque-du-soleil-mei-sawada 

Episode with Lindsey, Mei’s mother: https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/check-in-with-lindsey-sawada 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The legends from her parent’s homeland that Petra heard as a child growing up in Canada and the black writers who were pivotal in her early life
• The challenge of searching for lost family roots and the experience of being “claimed” by various tribes and nationalities whilst travelling in Africa 
• Petra shares stories of her family and some magical unexplainable moments
• How Petra came to be in Japan and the culture shock of Japanese living style
• The uplifting experience of arriving in Ghana for the first time coupled with confronting what happened to her ancestors at the slave trade castles
• Sarah asks what’s next for Petra and we are excited to see what will come from this discussion! 

About Petra

Petra Laptiste was born and raised in Montreal, Canada to a Trinidadian father and a Grenadian mother. After graduating from Concordia University with a Specialization in Cell & Molecular Biology, she worked at one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, then moved to Japan for a career change in education. Spending almost a decade in Japan had planted a deep wanderlust inside her soul. Petra’s years of travel to almost 35 countries on 5 continents have enabled her to experience a wide variety of foods, cultures and enriching philosophies. For instance, on her first African journey, Petra went to Ghana on holiday. Unfortunate news unfolded and tragedy hit her family. However, in retrospect, she had used that experience and the positive sisterhood energies from FEW Japan to embark upon her first entrepreneurial streak in Tokyo.

She has brought cultural sensitivity and diversity to all facets of her work. From Corporate Training to Trinidadian cooking instruction in Tokyo – it has always been Petra’s mission to broaden the horizons of those around her and allow them to understand that the Caribbean and African Diaspora have a deep richness and history. The gorgeous textiles and symbols of Ghana and Tanzania, the soulful rhythm of Trinidadian tunes, the earthy deep beats of Grenadian music, Afro-Caribbean fashion, diverse and flavourful cuisine and the beauty of English language communication are what Petra Laptiste has wanted people to savour, experience and return for more.

After leaving Japan, Petra decided to take a break from entrepreneurship. She relocated to and currently lives in the Arabian Gulf region where she teaches ESL and has just completed a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Connect with Petra 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/napturaltravel/ 

Mentioned in this episode: 

Go tell it on the mountain by James Baldwin

Notes of a native son by James Baldwin

Native son by Richard Right 

Soul on ice by Eldridge Cleaver

The Autobiography of Malcom X

Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Roots: The saga of an American family by Alex Haley

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

This is the first in a mini episode series: What the fuck happened next? Lindsey Sawada has gone through some fantastic transformational experiences since we spoke to her in September 2019 and I can’t wait to share her growth and achievements with you all. 

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What the fuck happened since we last spoke to Lindsey back in September 2019! 
• How Lindsey adapted her plans for a new yoga studio when Covid struck
• Clearing clutter and Sarah’s “Achilles Heel” 
• How coaching with Sarah helped Lindsey to move forward with her plans
• Becoming an empty nester and coming full circle with nannying for a wonderful family
• Lindsey’s wise advice for anyone who feels like a “shit student”

About Lindsey

Lindsey Sawada is the owner of Setagaya Yoga Studio. She is a British woman who has been living in Tokyo since 1997. She speaks English and Japanese fluently. Lindsey has a great passion for yoga, meditation and wellness.　

Connect with Lindsey

Website: www.setagayayogastudio.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SetagayaYogaStudio 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setagayayogastudio/ 

Links

Legends Interview with Lindsay:  https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/legends-interview-series-lindsey-sawada-setagaya-interview-series 

Caroline Wynbar Yoga Training: http://www.carolinewybaryoga.com/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

Welcome to Season 4 Episode One! 

Helping abused, neglected, and orphaned children living in Japanese care homes to develop skills and confidence through outdoor programs. This is what my wonderful guest Kozue Oka, director of Mirai no Mori or “Future Forest” does. She is just 30 years old but has packed so much into those years. I would love you to share in this story of someone helping children to grow into happy and successful young adults through the power of being in nature.  

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacoaching on Instagram.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The healing effect of being in nature for children
• What are Japanese care homes and how they differ from an “orphanage”
• How studying in Sweden for a year gave Kozue a new appreciation for how to make nature a part of your lifestyle
• Kozue’s journey to become the director of NPO Mirai no Mori 
• The importance of giving people certainty and another chance
• Kozue’s growth as a leader and a speaker
• Inspirational plans for the future of Mirai no Mori

About Kozue

Kozue Oka is the Executive Director at Mirai no Mori. Born and raised in Japan, she has always believed in the power of nature. After studying Environment/Outdoor Education in Sweden for a year, she joined Mirai no Mori to share her experiences and to create an environment in which marginalized youth can be steered toward a positive cycle of self-actualization and creativity by discovering new possibilities and developing into confident individuals.

Connect with Kozue

Website: https://mirai-no-mori.jp/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MiraiNoMori

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirainomori/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mirai_no_Mori

Links

Wholesum Japan Campaign September 2021: https://wholesumjapan.jp/pages/mirai-no-mori-campaign-2021 

To contribute anytime: https://mirai-no-mori.jp/get-involved/ 

Connect with Sarah

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-coaching/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacoaching/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacoaching 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarahfuruya 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w 

Introducing Katherine North, the legend of Heathen Mysticism - one of my favourite ever people and coaches - AND WHAT A STORY.

Buy her book for the full skinny and listen to this conversation to hear about her beautiful wild life.

“Women’s bodies are potent territory, you could even say that they have magical powers and so the urge to control them is about power.”

We are hilarious together - when coaches talk they get curious and ask questions so sometimes I go off a bit - it’s a conversation - please enjoy!

We had so much fun and pin-balled around time and topics from Religions (of course) to babies, abortion, parenting, marriage, name changes, transition, big families, small families, disaster, earthquakes, acting, Japan, truth, the embarrassment of me meeting her Mum, wild Tokyo in the 2000s, her memoir (please buy it - I’m giving one away - contact me if you’d like it), her ode to Christmas magic and so so much more.

“I didn’t know who I was in my core but I was very afraid of who I was in my core…”

Katherine is one of the best coaches I have ever experienced and I love a good coach. She has wild integrity and is a great story teller who has a flare for the dramatic without being pretentious - although I have nothing against the pretentious! I mean she is a badass who unfolds her life in such a real way and a way that has so much room for all that is inside it. There are many ways to lead a life.

Once upon a time there was a little girl who was terrified, who was raised in the church with her devout evangelical Missionary Christian parents, but she held a deep dark secret inside of her…

Read more here.

I have been so inspired by Katherine and Nick and the way they navigate their marriage - I mean their love story is wild and unique and filled with rich beauty. And messes. Lots of messes. But they help me to believe that anything is possible and as I lie back on my sofa bed listening to the birds sing their sundown chorus and I prepare to go have a dip in the sea before dinner, I think about the deep joy in authoring our lives. Im doing whatever you want to; changing your name, moving to an island, getting loads of chickens, writing books, falling deeply in love and moving and changing everything, in the joy of sex and sexuality and the miracles that our bodies are.

Links

Website https://declaredominion.com/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/declaredominion/

Discovery Plus Documentary ‘Life Under Renovation’

https://mortystv.com/blog/2021/04/06/discovery-series-life-under-renovation-set-to-launch-wednesday-april-28-video/

Shout out to FEW

Just Another Beautiful Family  https://declaredominion.com/documentary

Books 

Holy Heathen a Spiritual Memoir and The Secret Society of Saint Nicholas

Find them here: https://declaredominion.com/books

Introducing Kinglsey Kobayashi, Legend of Entrepreneurship and Giving.

“The measure of a person’s life is the effect they have on others”.

Kobayashi means small forest and the kanji is: 小林

He also has Kanji (Chinese Characters) for his name Kingsley meaning three kings.

When I first came to Japan and lived in a suburb called Atsugi, about an hour from Tokyo, I was surprised by the number of shops selling Hip Hop clothing. Little did I know that 20 years later I would be interviewing the man responsible for introducing these clothes into Japan. How I love that that has become part of my myth.

“My Grandmother was my rock.”

Kingsley is a gentleman and great company - so many stories from his humble upbringing in Nigeria; raised by his grandmother and single parent father, who as a teacher would take Kingsley to school with him from aged 9 months. Kinglsey contributed to the family from a very young age and learned his work ethic early on, working before and after school and being schooled in the tougher end of economics by his Grandmother. From there he moved to Lagos and started his company and from there, this fascinating Legend turns to Asia and we take you on that journey.

If you look at Kingsley’s website you can see the integration between community, business and family is central to his way of life. Even in his about page he talks about being a loving father and how important his family is and this is quite a rare and courageous thing to talk about in a business context in my experience, but to Kingsley - it’s everything.

“When you have a daily income you are never really poor”

Kingsley and his wife Blanka have written a book to help people gain financial freedom called ‘The Beginners Guide to Financial Freedom’ and they are nominated as one of the top 25 entrepreneurs to look out for by a new channel. Kinglsey does his very best to explain Blockchain to me - and maybe you dear listener will get it straight away!

Please enjoy this fascinating trip through the world of business and positivity.

Raised by a single father, from the age of 9 months he went to school with his father and got the Nigerian nickname ’Schoolboy’

• Raised by the community and his Grandmother his ‘Rock’ (who died at age 104!)
• He earned money before and after school to contribute to his family - this contributed to his strong work ethic
• I was reminded of Karen Hill Anton’s conversation where respect for elder’s is non-negotiable
• In Japan - you can make it legitimately - while Japan has a reputation for being wary of foreigners, so long as you pay your taxes and earn your money you can build businesses legitimately
• Find out what Kingsley says about billionaires

AND much much more. Full show notes including the poem he mentions here.

You can find Kingsley here:

Website https://kingsleykobayashi.com/

Twitter @kingselykobayashi

Instagram @Kingsleykobayashi

Facebook

The Book https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0931X1NFG

‘When you have healthy self esteem and you see everyone as your equal, you approach the world differently’

I have to be honest that I was a bit nervous - a little starstruck  interviewing Baye.  I had been waiting for Baye for a year - I really wanted to do the video interview with him because he is such a star but a year on and with the pandemic still in play I just bit the bullet because Baye sounds good in May - catchy.

You can kinda tell that I was a bit in awe when we start AND I keep saying his name wrong. I AM SO SORRY BAYE. In my head is was Baye like May - IT IS NOT, it is Ba-Ye like Kanye. Please adjust your mind voice to Baye’s Senegalese name. And once again to Baye - thank you for correcting me over and over as I revelled in being in your presence. I am shouting at the screen as I am watching myself make this mistake repeatedly.

Baye is a high-profile writer; columnist in Japan Times’ Black Eye, author of TWO best-selling books “Hi My Name is Loco and I am a Racist” and “Loco in Yokohama”. I can’t even tell you how many other things Baye has done - listen in and visit his website, linked below.

Baye is charming, funny, serious, and fascinating - he opened my world up in the first 5 minutes of this interview. It is my opinion that Baye will go down in history as a great influencer and activist in Japan who changed the course of Japanese history, not only for people of African and Japanese-African descent but so many more people. He opens up minds to what is going on and encourages the good questions. His writing is brilliant and straightforward; generous and rich. He is a presence. 

I loved every minute of Baye talking to me - we debated language use and he told me his preferred terms for bad practice when we discussed his part in the rectification of the Naomi Osaka Nissin whitewashing debacle. 

There are layers and layers of depth and discussion in this interview and I implore you to listen to every last second as Baye keeps delivering more and more wisdom, information, history and humour. He really is terrific company! 

BY THE WAY - we talk of two McMillans - Terri McMillan - Tokyo based creative and technology legend and Terry McMillan - US based legendary author.

More show notes here: https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/legend-of-black-self-esteem-baye-mcneil

Find Baye here: www.bayemcneil.com

Twitter @bayemcneil 

Instagram @bayemcneil

If you liked this interview you might enjoy:

Terri McMacmillan - also Brooklyn background and Tokyo Legend

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/the-legend-of-humans-terri-macmillan

Liza Chantelle - who talks at length about Jamaica and England

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/legend-of-liza-chantelle-aono

Nina Cataldo - who we mention during the interview

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/blog/legend-of-nina-cataldo-podcast

Black Lives Matter Tokyo: https://blacklivesmattertokyo.carrd.co/

In Karen’s book ‘The View From Breast Pocket Mountain’ before I even got to page 50 she had introduced me to her young relationship with Joseph Heller, author of Catch 22, hanging out with Neneh Cherry (childhood hero of mine). Now, I am a sloooooow reader - I like that about myself - I read about 10 books a year and these days listen to more, but I decided to purchase Karen’s book and dip in before our conversation. I couldn’t put it down. From the first page, that we don’t reveal - it has you hooked.

I am genuinely changed through our conversation - I just loved listening to her talking about being a mother and taking the next steps, humbling herself to being both inside and outside a culture and living a full life in the Japanese countryside. Karen is beautiful and one of the most wonderful things I love about being a woman is how we can traverse with ease across intelligent meaningful conversations with depth and skill to talking about beauty and today was no exception - before we hit record, we both paused and topped up our lipstick! 

We didn’t even touch on the fact that Karen almost became a dancer and taught modern dance and at the end of the conversation, Karen reads from her novel; a wonderful chapter about her relationship with her neighbours - I mean let’s just drop MC hammer in here shall we (I also drop a tasty tidbit in here about my history with the Hammer).

In terms of brilliance - you can’t touch this. (See what I did there?)

• The questions we DON’T have about our parents and how many stories live in our imagination
• We talk about imagination and living in the past and the burden of creating anxiety in our fantasies - brilliant coaching fodder! Curiosity and pragmatism
• She was raised in a time when there was no imaginings about not respecting a parent. It was simply not an option
• The power and influence of good teachers and mentors and how important the people who will see and witness your potential are. This comes up in a future conversation too (look out for May) AND in the conversation with Leza Lowitz
• DREAMS - opening the edges of our dreams through contact with people who can open our dreams
• What happens when she - she just couldn’t get enough
• Following what’s in front of you and being swept away - not reckless, not crazy, not even edgy but unafraid
• Corners - going around a corner and not being afraid and not knowing what’s around the corner
• The joy of becoming a mother and how she never found having a child limiting, she couldn’t be more grateful for children and all that role created for her
• She is absolutely clear in the book about how hard it was on a farm with no running water and toilets they had to empty themselves and 3 young kids - there’s NO BS here
• The tragedy of isolation and the joy of community in motherhood
• You will have to read the book to get the full dojo experience but Karen teases us with the year they had on a dojo
• Being in community in the deep Shizuoka countryside on Japan
• How becoming a Japanese Calligraphy 2-dan (basically better than a black-belt) opened Japanese culture up
• She stopped being a rebel and what she has to say about standing out and fitting in
• Life as a cross-cultural coach columnist
• Her life now, her four adult children and her approach to future projects

Instagram @karenhillanton

www.karenhillanton.com

Buy her book here.

Introducing Chuck Johnson, The Legend of Action.

‘Punches of positivity’

‘Diversity is part of the human condition’

“I really do believe it’s all about trusting your instincts”

We have a few technical issues with WiFi here so bear with us.

Every single conversation I think to myself ‘this was my favourite conversation to date’. This conversation with Chuck Johnson is no exception and Chuck IS exceptional. He is gentle, confident, detailed, humble, generous, social-impact minded and terrific company. 

Chuck is also a gentleman. A gentleman who has followed his passion for martial arts across the globe and continues to learn, master, take action and grow as well as takin his place as the sensei at his Tokyo dojo and his company Quiet Flame - more apt a name I cannot think of for Chuck. Chuck believes that super successful people get into the details and he notices this and relates this to kimono culture and even my sartorial choices on the day. Throughout this conversation we are deep into cultural territory and how we navigate that and learn from constantly being in collaboration with the culture around us.

Chuck now has a Dojo in Roppongi and has already produced a short Samurai action comedy film called ‘Fists of Absinthe’ (Watch here), which became an official selection at the Urban Action Showcase in New York and got a distribution deal.  Highly recommend you go over and watch it - it’s hilarious. Chuck has over 18,000 subscribers on YouTube!

Chuck now wants to use action cinema to address relevant social issues and including sex trafficking and mental health. Can’t wait to hear more about that! 

(Every time I hear myself saying ‘That’s right Chuck’ or ‘tell me more about that Chuck’ I sound like Cilla Black and I’m sure my UK listeners will appreciate this.)

• From USA Detroit to Lansing and the ethnic and economic shifts inherent in that move
• How does ANYBODY go from being a C- student to an A student? Well Chuck did - find out how
• Being the youngest of 6 children - he got used to hustling for himself and that served him well in his travels and decisions
• Notes on confidence and how he built his
• His route to competition-level Taekwondo and all the countries he visited as a result
• Belt systems in martial arts and wiring our brains for short and long term goal setting and how this relates to goal setting and life
• Synergistic impact in everything you know - how studying and mastering one thing can make other things easier - when you have a wide base of knowledge you have this way of seeing the world
• The layers of kimono, the layers of Japanese culture and the freedom for expression and impact within those layers
• How he became a celebrity bodyguard, a model and what ring fighting taught him
• The metaphor and the reality of keeping your eyes open while you are getting hit
• Chuck’s approach to healing and getting over illness and injury - it’s fascinating to hear this and how he relates it to business
• His Quite Flame Dojo in Roppongi (one of the most popular and famous places in Tokyo)
• His social activism and how he wants to marry action entertainment with social issues and touch an audience that might not otherwise be aware or interested in such issues

Emergency Conversation with the legend, Nina Cataldo - #POWERFULASIANWOMEN #POWERFULASIANWOMAN

Nina Cataldo, founder of Hafu Ladies, DEI specialist and Brave and Bold Mastermind leader had an epiphany following a racially hostile encounter last week that coincided with the tragic murders of 8 people in Atlanta.

We honour these people and their families in their grief.

Listen to this conversation as we hear Nina retell her stories, experiences and her call to action to recognise, honour and amplify Powerful Asian Women. Witness her process as she shifts her victim story, and be assured she was and is the victim of hostile racial harassment, and turns it into something Bold and Brave.

Use and follow the hashtag #powerfulasianwoman and #powerfulasianwomen to amplify our amazing friends and collaborators and smash through those stereotypes.

Are you a Bold and Brave Asian Woman who is looking for some serious elevation and to elevate others through action and optimism? Then Nina and her partner Kristy's mastermind could be for you. Details here.

Find Hafu Ladies public page here.

And her Powerful::Strong::Brave post is here.

And see Kristy interviewed on Nightcrawlers here.

Want to hear more about Nina? This is her second time on the podcast and you can find part 1 here.

About Nina

Nina Cataldo is a Tokyo-based Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion facilitator actively working on promoting visibility for multiracialism and multiculturalism in Japan. As a mixed-race Japanese and American, she feels very passionate about paving the way for a more safe and peaceful society for fellow "Hafus" like herself. In 2018, she founded Hafu Ladies, a global community for mixed-race Japanese women where the goal is to continue creating a safe space for women to embrace their identities, educate themselves and others, and to live empowered lives. The community holds educational and social events online. In March 2021, Nina launched a new Mastermind program for Asian Women Entrepreneurs called "Brave & Bold Mastermind". Together with her business partner Kristy Ishii, they guide their cohort in leveraging each members' passion projects and businesses. Follow Nina on Instagram @ninalalala

Website: https://www.ninamcataldo.com

Introducing Leza Lowitz, the legend of Tokyo Yoga.

You can see me working things through here as new information comes in from Leza - it’s one of the things I love about these conversations and these legends - what I learn. New ways to think and feel through life.

There’s so much richness in Leza’s story - from the American Mid-West in Iowa, to Key West, Florida then Berkley California, this is a story of the ages. An American story that lands in Japan then continues to evolve.

There are many ways to lead a life.

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” ― Viktor Frankl

Leza has a unique perspective on life, having lived many different economic, racial and cultural chapters in her life, which makes her have a unique appreciation for the many many ways to lead a life. This, I believe is what gives her gravitas, authority and agency; knowing that with the right mentors, encouragement and opportunities, and the ability to follow those, you can build and create in your life. We cover so much in this conversation from the Vietnam War to the 6 perfections of Buddhism, business, writing and motherhood - it’s all in here.

• How she ended up going to the same school as Kamala Harris, where she saw Maya Angelou speak
• How her tumultuous childhood was a calmed as she was introduced to meditation, then an Okinawan Martial Art that planted the seed for her move to Japan
• How when she was pushed to her limit she was made to understand what you she was capable of
• We talk about being a victim and how we truly are victims in our stories and how we CAN emerge and move forward and retell our stories
• Access to amazing mentors and people to believe in you is essential to pull people toward their potential
• The influence of philanthropic people and how her sister took that idea of community into her Medical practice
• We discuss the addiction to struggle and drama - do you have struggle addiction? We are reminded of the Goo Goo Dolls `You bleed just to know you’re alive’
• Get into your body - getting embodied and getting out of the fight or flight and into the rest and digest ‘within my body there’s a city’
• The trance of unworthiness, the culture of adoration, rest and digest
• The journey to Japan and how she continued writing and that opened doors to Japan’s most prestigious university
• The small voice that told her to open a yoga studio, And that same voice that told her that there was a child waiting out there for her. The strong call to motherhood
• How her yoga studio didn’t take off until she really settled into it herself - and THEN how she ended up on a famous Japanese comedy show!
• How to rebel within the cultural framework of a different country - and how grateful to Japan we are

Read more on blog here.

Find Leza below

www.lezalowitz.com

Sun and Moon Yoga, Tokyo

Books by Leza

Up from the sea

In Search of the sun

Yoga Poems

Yoga Heart

and more...

Introducing the legend of Inter-species Collaboration, Vail Fletcher.  Vail is a New York native and an Associate Professor at a local university. She spends her days teaching on-campus or at home researching, reading, writing, and envisioning what's next for their farm. Her research often takes her abroad (most recently to China, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Austria, Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Africa) to explore nature, ecology, and environmental conflict. She loves: supporting local artisans, big thinking, creative endeavors, flowers/perfumes, pretty things, and a Mexican textile venture with dear friends: Xuxo

“Discomfort is the birthplace of learning.”

“Spend time in awe.”

"Our language reflects our reality.”

This episode is dedicated to William Robert and Ruby Tuesday.

We have a few technical difficulties throughout this - luckily the sticking is fast and doesn’t cause too much interruption so we just move through it.

Vail has recently published an academic tome:

Communicating in the Anthropocene

Intimate relations

https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B08S6WBTF7/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

From an upstate New York suburban upbringing to the unseated land of Wapato, Portland Oregon, which also goes by the name of Sauvie Island, Vail introduced me to ideas that turned me around inside and shifted my perspective. Seriously part way through Vail says something so profoundly moving that I gasp and go crosseyed (luckily you can’t see that on the podcast). Vail is an incredible mix of intellect, absolute clarity, and earth dweller. Vail’s intellect and humanity and inter-species collaboration is mind-shifting. She is absolutely the real deal and has me questioning my next move and where I want to take things going forward. She schooled me on Flypaths, and the ordinance of dark nights. She also says that love should be something we are thinking about and talking about and intellectualising more. “Why are my girlfriend relationships less important than my romantic relationships?”. Questions that we, in my coaching group, ask again and again.

This is a conversation that I will come back to again and again.

We get directly into colonial conversations and trauma bodies

Also in the episode:

• Insights into decolonizing our bookshelves and diversifying information
• Deep dive into trauma and racism and the effects
• The power of language and the vernacular
• The idea of foregrounding different histories in addition
• WAIT WHAT? Climate change is not about Carbon … find out why
• At one point Vail takes my breath away with her insight …
• Reimagining economies (it’s more a return)
• What Vail has to say about children’s books
• Is art the only way out of this?
• Paying attention and becoming intimate with her surroundings and non-human neighbours
• Co-creators and her reframing of neighbours, inter-species collaboration
• AWE as a way of life and the Orcagasm and nests

Find Vail at:

http://www.thecroftfarm.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thecroftfarm/

Dwell Magazine- https://www.dwell.com/article/tu-casa-croft-farm-yianni-doulis-364d98c3

See my blog for full write up of other mentions in the podcast.

“It’s never too late to start again”

Fiery feminist and cattle farmer move to New Guinea with with 2-week old Martine on their lap to build roads in the jungles.

Forgive my clumsy questions around racism here - Martine engages brilliantly. 

Martine Cotton has had a fascinating life in one of the many many ways to lead them. Born in Brisbane, she has now returned there by way of New Guinea, Japan, Far North Queensland and many exciting music tours around Australia. 

What have Powderfinger, Gwen Stefani, Nick Cave and Mogwai got in common? Martine has stories about all of them. 

In this conversation, we navigate from Martine being raised in the Aussie community in New Guinea for her early years, to return to life in Australia, the horrors of boarding school, the joy of studying film at university, being at the helm of the Australian music industry in the 90s, an unexpected move to Japan, a stint in the beautiful tropics of Far North Queensland and then what brought her back to Brisbane and her decision, aged 50 to start studying for a BSc in nutrition. 

We delve into the racism so deeply ingrained in Australia, and older generations of family, and how she navigates that through the lens of the social justice.

Martine is passionate on the topic of public health and the societal and individual changes that can be made to help people to not only live long but to live in good health. It’s fascinating listening to her talk about her wish to change public perception around what’s possible for healthy living.

We talk about:

• The life and soul of the party - how her Mum and Dad loved to enjoy themselves and how she honoured them in death.
• Bananas, tinned sheep’s brains and more.
• Boarding School Syndrome
• Getting older and being gentler
• Every project doesn’t have to be the best - being good can be enough
• How she got into studying film
• Writing Romantic fiction about Duran Duran and Adam and the Ants
• The paradoxes of both being devoted and loving family and the schisms that happen
• Band management and club promotion and her deep love of music and bands 
• A move to Japan and how Blogging in the early and mid-2000s brought people together, including us
• Nutrition, DNA, Food as medicine

"It’s never too late to start again"

Martine Cotton is something of a jill-of-many-trades, in more rarefied hallways perhaps you could call her a 'multipotentialite'. Mostly because she gets bored quickly once she's worked out the ins and outs of a role or skill. She's forged out career stints in the music industry as a venue manager, band manager, major and small festival and event producer, booking agent, tour manager, marketing and social media director, graphic artist, website builder and music industry educator. Outside of the music world, she's worked as a professional photographer (newspapers, weddings, portraits, events, live music), writer, cook, horse-and-cart driver, English teacher, blogger and university tutor. In 2019, bored again after a 5 year stint running her own online music industry professional development education platform, she started studying a Bachelor of Health Science degree at the University of Queensland, majoring in Nutrition and Public Health. Now on the wrong (best?) side of 50, she has - for the first time ever - settled quite comfortably in the same house and city for over 6 years and absolutely loving being immersed in study.

Links & where to find her here:

Medium

Clubhouse: @martinecotton

Introducing Gretchen Miura Legend of Healing. Gretchen is a mindfulness teacher, avid maker and mother of four. Originally from New Jersey in America, Gretchen lives in northern Japan on the Oga peninsula where she and her husband run a Zen temple.  She hosts mindfulness retreats, classes and workshops in English, as well as traditional ceremonies and activities for the local community.  She sells her handmade bento bags, face masks and accessories at her online shop SORAbento. She is living a life focused on creativity, belonging and connection.

This episode is dedicated to Chris.

When Gretchen was 5, her 17 year old brother died in a car accident. This is the backdrop of her life since then. In this conversation Gretchen takes us on the journey of Chris, his death , her family, religion, and her path to acknowledging, dealing with and healing the suffering attached to her loss. And in fact the family loss.

We talk about Catholicism, Buddhism and try and tease apart the humanity of grief and loss, of joy and living. How her 4 children taught her so much about her brother, through the tenderness of the relationship of her youngest daughter and oldest son. 

Gretchen and her temple and family are quite well known and she has appeared in an NHK documentary about her temple and the people around it. She is something of a celebrity in the area! 

This is a deep and rich conversation that goes into the depth of grief, the rituals surrounding death. All the way to the end more and more learnings come out between us and we will have a part 2 later in the year because we didn’t even touch on Gretchen’s hilarious journey to being the parent of 4 and married to a Zen priest in a remote peninsula in Northern Japan! 

- The surprising joy the has come from meeting her grief

- Having authority over the suffering 

- The first and second arrows of loss

- That’s all there is! Hear her thoughts on enlightenment 

- Facing and dealing with grief creates fertile ground for magical experiences

- Grief, love, life and ritual 

- How her children brought her closer to connecting to her brother

- How faith brought the family through Chris’ death yet she struggled to connect with that same faith

- How she connects and can continue to connect with Chris

- Incidents that allowed stress to be dissolved 

- We have to take of one another 

- Universal truths and satori

Links & where to find her here:

Dairyuji Temple Instagram

Dairyuji temple in Oga Akita

Zeb Soto Sect 

Poet Laureate Joy Harjo

Online Shop: Sorabento

Griefworks by Julia Samuel

The word I was scrambling for is ‘flippant’.

Introducing Susannah Streeter, highly experienced broadcaster 

Fresh from her October appearance on Celebrity Pointless, a popular UK game show, and from hosting John Kerry, the Prime Minister of Norway, and royalty in 2019 at the Our Ocean conference, Susannah takes us on a journey from the idyllic countryside of South West England, to her spell as a child actor. Her love of France, being a reporter in the RAF squadron 7644; a media operations unit, how she got into broadcasting; working her way up from the University Newspaper, to becoming a BBC World Business Report anchor and regular BBC breakfast reporter. One year ago she became a senior investment and markets analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown and is finally based in her beloved Bristol.

Oh and did I mention she is also the mother of 3 kids aged from 6-14 and until this time last year was commuting 3 hours between BBC London and Bristol in the UK?

Susannah is a powerhouse of Drive and Determination who sticks to her word, makes the most of every opportunity and situation yet also readily admits you can’t do it all, be happy all the time or have a 100% perfect family! But heavens, does she ever pack it in? And exudes this joie de vivre and can-do attitude that could make you think it’s all easy. IT IS NOT. 

This optimistic, professional, friend, wife, parent, volunteer, seasoned broadcaster and badass party-thrower has carved out and designed a life where hard work, fun, commitment, and living life entirely differently are entirely possible. Choices must be made, and money must be earned and Susannah takes us through this legend from the Grandad who returned from World War 2 with nothing, to her fun and hardworking parents who remain her close good friends.

In our conversation we talk about:

• The influence of the generations before
• What connects Susannah, Justin Timberlake and my husband
• Work ethic and her approach to keeping your word
• Optimism, drive, determination
• Why she took up surfing at 40
• Her surprising approach to planning and opportunities
• How being a broadcaster she watches the rise and fall of business empires, most recently Top Shop’s Philip Green
• Some of our choices at 16 were remarkably similar - we talk about that
• The importance of baby steps and how she can now see the value of packing the presents for competition winners on a local radio station, however frustrating it was at the time
• Winning formula for long and respectful friendships (we have been friends for 30 years)
• Kicks in the face, following signs, and moving on
• Her predictions for the pandemic

Susannah’s poor son bombed our conversation towards the end there so a little editing magic had to happen - poor thing thought we were live and he would end up being a MEME! SO we have a good giggle about that as we close out.

There is just so much value in this rich conversation and I just love the old-school values and work ethic that comes through. It’s a great reminder of what it means to be human and what it takes to excel, be at the top of your game and have a full, loving family life.

Find Susannah here

Introducing Illustrator Katie Chappell a virtual scribe and live event illustrator best known for her fresh wobbly illustration and giant live window paintings. She has created live illustrations for global clients including Apple, Facebook, Google, Chromebook, BT, Dove and Nespresso among many others.

"My drawings are there so that everybody can understand what’s going on straight away without having to sit through hours of Zoom conferences.

It all started with some graphic recording at a sustainability event for Edinburgh University in 2016, and now I specialise in online virtual illustration, from my studio in the UK.

I’m here so that people don’t die of Zoom fatigue or boredom. I consider myself a spoon-feeder of boring information, bringing people back from the ledge of ‘OMG NOT ANOTHER ZOOM MEETING"

Trigger warning - we touch on pregnancy loss and eating disorders

Katie and I belong to the same coaching group around money mindset and I became instantly curious about her hilarious posts (you’ll see - she has a wicked sense of humour), about how her business was building and thriving, how generous and open she was about sharing what she was doing, earning and working on and how unafraid she is. That does not mean she doesn’t have boundaries - oh no, she has excellent boundaries, but she is also not scared to share intimate parts of her life journey, her income story, within the group, how she does therapy to help her to stay focussed on business. I find these are the people with a lot of growth - they move through their fear, or are unafraid yet also have great boundaries and are incredibly creative.

Katie’s story is a brilliant example of Planned Happenstance - that mixture of curiosity, persistence, flexibility, optimism and readiness.

In fact it’s quite the roller coaster ride that takes us from Scotland to England, Berlin, Italy, SE Asia, Cornwall and from Nannying, working for her Dad and finally this illustration entrepreneur, the Captain of the Good Ship Illustration and Bullet Journal Gang Leader. Not to mention in-demand live illustrator (I’ve just hired her to do some work with my 1-year clients next year and I am incredibly excited).

In this conversation we touch on:

• The nuances of being from both England and Scotland
• Open mics at aged 13 and her original career dream!
• What motivated her to recover from a serious eating disorder and the ongoing work on that (Quote: Fat is not an emotion).
• Being kicked out of her nannying family, immediately after she tendered her notice, in a new city with a bag of wet washing and how she dealt with that.
• Being taught cheeky entrepreneurship as a young woman
• How her brain cracked open to therapy
• What her greatest learning and takeaway was from her Art degree and her Masters (it may not be what you assume actually!)

One of the great things about Katie is her unfettered yet unpretentious optimism.

And she is hilarious as you will and as her website will confirm.

Find her here

The Good Ship Illustration https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/

Podcast https://www.thegoodshipillustration.com/pod

Her website https://www.katiechappell.com/ (Which I notice has just had an adorable makeover)

And these are her resources because, you know, you should get into the Katie Imaginary Gang!  https://www.katiechappell.com/resources

@katiedraws on Instagram

"You don’t have to be recognised as a Legend, to live like one."

In this uplifting and emotional conversation Francesca Conate talks about dealing with a drawn-out diagnosis, dating with a disability and bringing beautiful energy into the world and the connection between our mind and body. 

From a coaching perspective there is so much to jump into - the twists and turns of life, taking responsibility WITHOUT BLAME for your situation, living life with a joyous and optimistic energy - living like a legend, even if you are not recognised as one. Having confidence from the inside out.

She moved to Japan and spent 13 happy years working as a business English Consultant for Blue Chip Companies and started the Facebook Group African in Japan, where she shares the joy and stories of people and cities in all the countries of Africa. 

After 13 years in Japan, she returned to West USA to deal with health condition and entered a two-year period of uncertainty and heartache while waiting for a diagnosis. Although this was a difficult and emotional journey for her, it is through telling this story that she becomes life coach to us - advising how to navigate such a situation with skill and wisdom. And of course it applies to many other areas of life - not just diagnosis.

Eldest of 3 children of an African American Mum, born in the 50’s, and West African Dad, we talk about losing a parent very suddenly and very quickly when she was very young, and about disease, balance, blame, fear and how we are always trying to work out how we can stay well and live a long life.

How she started to lose herself in her long diagnosis journey but them realised that Francesca was alive and well inside her. It didn’t change - nobody, on her return to Japan was treating her any different because of her cane, her changed mobility and her adjusted energy levels

Being your own best advocate and how she would invite us to go through the diagnosis process - this gets emotional from the heart as Francesca thinks about how it could help people from going through the same heartache she did when she was going through the 2-year diagnosis process. 

She talks about how she pushed back to Doctors and demanded diagnoses not guess-work, her approach to advocating for herself, her body and her health and how her Dad’s logical approach is forever present in her daily life.  Her Mum is the biggest influence in her life, having been a solo parent since her 30s, her Mum made her everything she is today and her Dad is ever present. 

She was and IS still 100% Francesca.

One thing that strikes me about Francesca is her uncompromising presence. And her focus. As we talk about masculine energy, not allowing being a woman to silence her, and how to win at life, we also muse on how  it is crucial to be happy for other people’s winning. 

What a treat this one was - I feel like I just had a coaching masterclass in living fully with our mind, body and presence. And of course with our loved ones.

Africa in Japan on Facebook 

Go and follow this to share in the joy of all the different countries of Africa and the amazing people, cities and culture. 

You can find information about MS here.

I mention an NPR Tiny Desk Concert by Rhiannon Giddens

Introducing Jane Best OBE, Legend of Fuji Rock

"I've had such a variety of experiences ... I think it's really important; make the most of good opportunities; even in the time of the pandemic find what there is good in life, I mean it's great isn't it, and people are great ...generally!"

You will see Jane's great lust for life come through in this Legend. She is a force for good, and from an early age overcame chronic shyness and discovered debating. this led to a heightened political awareness and a theme that runs through Jane's work is a combination political activism and awareness, learning and unlearning how to give support and service, especially in the form catering and cooking. She has made Shepherds Pie for the Rolling Stones, released a book about traditional English cooking in Japanese, and has visited numerous refugee projects that Refugee Empowerment International has funded over the years. Jane has an optimism and enjoyment of life that is clear to anyone as well as numerous stories that will educate and inspire. Now in her 60s she lives in the far West of Tokyo in the most idyllic house in the mountains next to the river

***Trigger warning - we talk about colonial harm experienced in Africa, we discuss the attitude of white people living full time in Zambia, we discuss South Africa during apartheid and use some of the language of that regime descriptively. Please take care listening as we may be clumsy but I believe these stories should be told lest they are lost***

In this episode we talk about:

• Growing up in a village 100 yards from the sea South of London “I don’t ever remember learning to swim”
• How she found her way out of chronic shyness
• Being a young woman in the 60s and 70s and getting involved in the student’s union, music and marches and demonstrations
• Sex, NOT <drugs> booze and rock n roll
• Moving to Zambia and having a rude awakening
• The confusion of apartheid South Africa and the complexity of the horrific system of apartheid and how dehumanising it is for everybody in the system
• Hitch hiking from Zambia to Kenya through Tanzania (Zambia borders Malawi, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and Zimbabwe) and the ‘dream city’ of Nairobi
• The return to the UK, her first marriage and getting itchy feet and arrival in Japan 30+ years ago
• The waste of the Bubble Years and post-Bubble starting a British food restaurant; 1066
• Starting 1066 Fish & Chip stall, in her 40s, at the first Fuji Rock Music Festival in 1996, and becoming the British Queen of Fuji Rock!
• What is Refugee Empowerment International and what is the approach to funding projects and supporting displaced people?
• How important financial support is to support refugees in getting their businesses and projects of the ground - it is not a case of skill, expertise or intelligence; it is a case of resources
• Jane elaborates on our Refugee Empowerment International (REI) projects on the Thai-Myanmar border, Lebanon and Nairobi, and encourages everyone to take opportunities and make the most of them
• “People are great”. She says. "Well most of them!"
• And so much more...

"PEOPLE WHO ARE DISPLACED JUST WANT A NORMAL LIFE - THEY WANT TO RETURN HOME, OR BE CLOSE TO HOME".

Brilliant ways to gift friends or support our projects 

https://rei-npo.org/en/get-involved/

This week we hear the incredible story of Liza, originally from London in England and with her roots in Jamaica, Liza is a Japan TV star for NHK’s Cool Japan, A Rotary Member, Former Miss Jamaica UK finalist, has worked for the Conservative party as one of David Cameron’s emerging leaders, Worked for Arsenal Football Club, lived in Shanghai and is parent to identical twin 4-year-old boys. In this episode we cover a whole range of fascinating topics from her parent’s tales of Jamaica to life in England and the miracle of her boys.

What might upset you - we talk at length about racism and we touch on infertility and endometriosis. I am clumsy on all counts, but Liza is brilliant.

• UK, Jamaican and American background and the benefits of having a Dad in Miami to escape the rainy English weather
• Where she gets her optimistic attitude from and the 1957 Jamaican train crash, where 171 people lost their lives. RIP.
• Her Mum Merlin and how affectionate she was - life was great and she instilled a sense of appreciation in she and her siblings.
• The recruitment of people from Jamaica to come over the England ‘The Motherland’ to help with the war efforts and rebuild ‘the country’
• ‘No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs’ the signs that Jamaicans faced on arrival
• One of her twins makes an appearance so there’s some editing
• Liza goes into some detail about the Windrush Generation and how her Grandmother made parachutes during the war
• How different the education system was in Jamaica to England - a rigorous education system
• Being an outsider even though you are many generations in England the experience of not being
• Why white privilege isn’t the right descriptor in Liza’s opinion as it often gets mixed up with wealth, when actually it is the privilege is that of being an individual - not ‘they’
• She explains the Windrush scandal and the alleged missteps made there
• How she got into politics and the Conservative party - having a seat the table and representing could have avoided something like the alleged Windrush scandal;
• How she ended up speaking at the Conservative party conference (Challenge Anneka anyone!?)
• Liza loves having access to spaces and places she can learn about - she grabs opportunities with both hands! She’s worked with some pretty famous conservatives
• Her incredible networking skills - and how that got her onto the masthead of the Financial Times and interviewed in the Observer
• The assumptions made about black kids in her school and about her cousins that landed them in the special ed class and on foundation classes at school. Her cousin now works for Goldman Bloody Sachs!
• How she took control of her body and overcame her infertility with the help of her <very blunt> karate teacher
• Everything in our lives we co-write “Imagine how a thought and an action can create something real; a baby or me living by the beach”
• We get into Liverpool, racism, slavery, the Beatles and the Slavery Museum in Liverpool
• We keep trying to close the call, but more and more richness kept coming out into the conversation so we are going to do a part 2 in 2021!

Connect with Liza:

Liza on Instagram @2posh2push

NHK Cool Japan

Recent article about the Windrush compensation scheme here.

Introducing Jessica Korteman, Legend of Solo Travel. Jessica Korteman is an Australian travel writer, formerly based in Tokyo, Japan, now residing in Melbourne, Australia. She’s travelled to more than 50 countries, about half of them solo, and circumnavigated the globe three times – once by plane, once by ship and the other mostly overland.

***We talk about child loss in this show. So please take extra special care when you are listening***

In this podcast we talk about:

• Her upbringing in the countryside and experiencing the cycles of life through animals and playing out in the neighbourhood
• How she got interested in travel as a child - where those childhood hunches and interests lead and how she followed them
• The humanities and her strong draw to International Studies
• Speaking Indonesian and the presence of Indonesian culture in her life through the years
• Following her instincts and intuition and making unusual and bold choices
• What she learned form working in the Lady’s shoe department and Tech departments of a department Store in both her home town and Melbourne
• Getting a job translating Indonesian during university
• Quitting that job traveling the world - expect Indonesia lol
• The seeds of their love for and living in Japan
• The special story of the Empire State Building  during her University gap year hen finishing and getting married
• Their move to Japan and decision to take extended time away from each other while Jess went to Peaceboot
• Return from Peaceboat and volunteering in Tohoku after the 2011 North East Japan Earthquake 
• How Indonesia cycled back into her life and she finally visited!
• Her marriage and how they are rooted in deep deep respect for one another and baked-in freedom
• How her Blog (story telling platform) blossomed and grew and how excited she was telling those stories
• The exponential growth of the Social Media and the business and how they created so much content and became top 50 travel Blogger in the world (Quick fire - what are her most popular posts and how many views they have)
• Dedication
• Starting a family and losing her first baby in Taiwan (My Miscarriage Story: What Nobody Tells you About Miscarriage & Our daughter's birth story)
• Leaving Japan and the heartbreaking loss people feel when they leave Japan
• Return to Melbourne and starting a new life
• COVID!
• What’s going on now and pivoting the business and following their sense of possibility as Melbourne comes out of strict lockdown and reinventing
• Ancestry and her husbands journey as a refugee from Vietnam
• Follow your inner voice and those little breadcrumbs to find what kind of information or helloing - believe in magic and Let it be huge - let those little things be sustenance - find out more about your self and more about who you are and don’t worry about what society says you should be doing - buck those trees

“I’m in a position to do more harm or do more healing”

Find Jessica here:

Notes of Nomads Blog

Facebook

@notesofnomads

YouTube

Travel Solo Anyway

Travel Solo Anyway Facebook

@travelsoloanyway

Introducing Terri Macmillan, legend of humans

Punk hippie scholar poet & no religion, too.

NYC → Tokyo.

Please sit down and treat yourself to this energising, frank conversation where nothing is taboo. Just two grown-assed women talking about the different ways to lead a life. Enjoy!

In this podcast

In this conversation we talk about politics, race and depression frankly and conversationally so please take care of yourself as we listen. Also be aware there are swearwords, so you might want to pop on headphones in you are in company. We mention a lot of references and there are links in the show notes below.

• Original Podcaster in Tokyo
• Cherokee and Black ancestry
• Roots in the great African American migration from South to North America
• Church in Harlem to Queens, then being a crazy teenager - surprised she survived!
• Living a counter-culture lifestyle in the East Village by day and a corporate record company CBS by day
• Not having children - by choice and not needing therapy about that
• NYC in the 70s and 80s and working in Kentucky Fried Chicken on Times Square in the 70s - yes really
• Band Management and bringing ‘The Mozart Effect’ to Japan
• Falling apart, career pivot in her 50s and investing seriously in her health and well being
• The American Project and investing in something bigger than yourself
• The gentle atheist
• Politics is how we commune in society
• How she keeps buoyant and optimistic about American politics
• The enticing premise of the founding documents of America
• What the future holds for her 60s, 70s and 80s and her art and prolific output
• Being human and honouring the humanity of everyone - Terri is a unique and deeply truthful human with a heart of gold and resolve of steel
• Live Long and prosper (we are geeks at the end - wait for it!)

References

Octavia’s parables

Sonya Renee Taylor “The Body is Not an Apology”

Rachel Cargyl @richauntiessupreme

Layla Saad “Me and White supremacy”

Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins

Buckley and Baldwin Debate

Find Terri here:

Twitter: @terrintokyo

Have you ever watched the Cirque du Soleil and thought "Who the hell does that and how did they get there?" Well listen to today's Legends Conversation with 18-year-old Mei Sawada and learn just decision, passion and support it takes to become and elite performer. Seriously she makes it all sound so easy. But it isn't!

"Soak it all in and do it your own way"

*We had a few technical difficulties in the first half of the recording so the sound quality isn't brilliant - then the sound cut out altogether so we reset and the sounds gets better

In this podcast:

Do you want to know what it takes to be an elite athlete? How long it takes to train? What do you eat? What happens when you let your regimen slip! What kind of commitment and support is essential from family and teachers and other carers and guardians. The love support and belief of parents to change path and direction and to be the very best you can. Mei is single minded and mature as well as super committed to her regimen and the discipline and care it takes to keep a up a professional body

- Throughout we use bits and pieces of Japanese and translate in real time! This is the reality of living bilingually and biculturally - all of us who live here in Japan mix it up!

-  We talk about her Japanese and English backgrounds and how she doesn't feel bilingual or bicultural because she's always been this way

- Fun stories from English Christmas and round the table in Japan with the grandparents

- How her active and sporty parents influenced her decision to become and elite athlete

- The authentic childhood 3-generation home that they are now completely rebuilding!

- The joy of living with a very active and chatty Obaachan (grandma)

- Her sporting path and how active she has been for many many years as a child

- The AHA moment when she entered the arial silks studio and saw people spinning from the ceiling and KNEW she wanted to do that for her job in the future

- Her incredibly committed training schedule

- That moment when she realised how strongly she wanted to do this and how she describes the feelings in her body that arrive when you are about to enter your passion and your zone of genius

- "I just wanted to train and do what I love"

- How proud of her parents were when she decided to follow her heart and drop out of school - even though she was breaking the line of her Grandad and Dad's high school attendance

- How she manages the constant feedback loop of being an athlete

- How she stays motivated and positive in Corona times

- What comes next for a future Cirque du Soleil performer? Where will she 'Soak up the positive energy'

Find Mei & other links here:

https://www.instagram.com/cirque_mei/

https://ecolenationaledecirque.ca/en

https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/

Introducing Nina Cataldo, legend of Community Building & The Hafu Ladies Community!

Nina was born into a family that treasures internationalism and was raised in a bi-cultural and bilingual household. Raised between Tokyo and America's beautiful Pacific Northwest, she used her passion for words and storytelling as a powerful tool to connect people with the world.

In this Podcast

Nina shares with us so much rich information about her experience as a Japanese and American citizen and the experience of being both and moving between those worlds. The tale of her parents' meeting and their quick and surprise marriage and what being an only child means to her. Also just how their continued love and support is central in her life.

The lines of artists and journalists in the family and how that has influenced Nina.

How international her family is and the deep connection the US family has to Japan, then how she managed her move to the States aged 8 and her schooling, her transition through school, how she found the people who were 'like' her in school and university.

I have a breakdown hearing how she used to write stories about the class rats PG and Snowball (rodent disco anyone?) in the USA.

The great influence on of her teacher, Ms. Monroe and another champion had on her and how that encouragement was the fuel to her fire and how she pays that forward to be an amazing mentor other people, both the upcoming generations and reverse mentors people like me.

She takes us through her school and university years in the USA and how she vowed never to come back to Tokyo after a visit, then came back here for one year to follow up on an opportunity. 5 years ago.

Joining the dots backward - she notes that the subjects she chose at school actually support and inform a lot of her work today. Bizarrely - she was too Japanese for the Japanese society but she stays optimistic and moving forward at all times.

Her first boss in Japan had a really healthy attitude to work-life balance and she brings some of his style of leadership and life cultivation into her leadership now.

Nina took a huge leap of faith and took a Peaceboat Voyage back on September 2019, she explains all about Peaceboat and her experience and what it is like to sail on a ship for 4 months.

In September 2018 she saw a gap in what she wanted in the Hafu (mixed race Japanese) community in Japan and started Hafu ladies, at first a brunch club. This group has grown to 900 women and Nina has full embraced the 3 pillars of the community: Educate, Empower, Embrace. And 'Fake it til you make it' or what that means to her.

Nina has been educating in cross-race and culture matters with a leading news agency in Japan, hoping to educate in ways to do less harm to people of mixed race or different races.

At the end of this conversation there is some background noise as Nina is at a place that has in indoor skateboard ramp!

Huge thanks to inspiring Nina for sharing her background, her first 27 years and giving us a taster of the future. It's exciting - cannot wait to see what happens next.

Find Nina here:

Public Page https://www.facebook.com/hafuladies

Private Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/hafuladies

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hafuladies

My LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-m-cataldo/

Website (WIP) https://www.ninamcataldo.com

"You don't need to walk on eggshells around who you are...There's a freedom about stepping up and owning it."

Introducing the legend of Angela Ortiz- Stratechist, Social Impact Specialist, Spartan.

Columbian American born in the US and raised in Japan, from a very big family of 11 children. Her journey with exploring ancestry, birth order, her place within the family and mining the family history for stories and creating connection. She speaks openly about the moment when she realized her parents were humans and where that led her.

Remembering that just because someone tells you to do something clearly doesn't mean they are right.

"Impossible is Nothing" and how that relates to her story. Importance of always failing forward.

Ange opens up very very frankly about her eating disorder, her recovery, her relapse then how she moved beyond coping to cured.

Ange also talks about her recently published book to help the next generation of leaders to become effective leaders in social impact- she wrote it keeping in mind her own team and staff. In the book Ange walks you through the 8 principles that will make you an effective leader in social impact, with a takeaway for each principle.

THE TIME FOR MASSIVE DISRUPTION INNOVATION IN HUMANITARIAN AID IS COMING.

The importance of physical fitness in Angela's life and what it means to be a Spartan. How she turned around her Christian ideas to be strategic about where you put your focus and energy.

Links:

Angela's book

Place to Grow

Stratechist

Instagram @Angelamarieortiz

LinkedIn

Adidas takeback program

Connect with Sarah here on instagram @sarahfuruya

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here

sarahfuruya.com

From rural Sweden to Premier Tokyo Performer. We tumble down the rabbit hole of joy, delight and coincidence and enter the magical world of people who live their life creatively, bravely, alternatively, queerly, colourfully, fully and unapologetically.  

Welcome to the Haus of Schwarz. 

Welcome to a fully expressed fantasy. 

Welcome to courage, conviction and another element of the human experience. 

Welcome to life up the bellcurve.  

"ALWAYS FORWARD, NEVER STRAIGHT!"

About Yukiro:

Yukiro is an androgynous model, singer, actor and film director. Yukiro runs a gothic drag show called “Die Schwarze Frau”.

Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dravarious/

Watch Yukiro's interview here on YouTube

Website: https://yukirodravarious.wordpress.com/

Videographer and creative collaborator - Kyle McKloskey

Connect with Sarah here on @sarahfuruya on Instragram!

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here.

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/

*Please note that there was a technical problem with the microphones towards the end of this interview. You will notice a change in audio quality.* 

 You may have heard Kyle pop up in various Legends Series episodes so far. Kyle is a Tokyo based videographer, who has worked on projects like Queer Eye Japan and with Sarah has skillfully created the legends series you have seen on YouTube. 

Today Kyle is on the other side of the camera with Sarah.

This is a glimpse behind the curtain of the way videos are put together and the thinking and evolution of the Legends Series.  It’s a way for us to process and talk about the fantastic people we were delighted to work with and interview and just what we took away and what it means to us. Not only that, but the process, on the back end of how we put all this stuff together. It maps to real life, it really does. 

In this episode you will hear:

- Kyle's philosophy on editing and shaping projects

- How Sarah and the other legends kept going despite what was happening in their lives

- Kyle's feeling about being on the other side of the camera

- Perfection and Imperfection and it's happening in this episode! 

- The margin for magic/fortune/things you can't account for

- Mindful agency

About Kyle:

Born in America and raised around the world, Kyle McCloskey has spent his life using film as a means for powerful and intimate storytelling, whether fictional or documentary. While attending Haverford College for his undergraduate degree, he wrote and directed an H.P. Lovecraft-inspired silent horror film that was accepted to international film festivals, garnering him his first IMDb credit.

In the time since, he has worked primarily as a bilingual Tokyo-based videographer, editor, and digital imaging technician/data loader. His work has ranged from big budget Hollywood films to PR videos for small businesses and entrepreneurial individuals looking to make their mark in Japan. He has coached Japanese documentary directors for English language fundraising pitches, written grants for international producers, edited short films and music videos, sourced archival photos and video, and even directed and shot the pilot episode of an NHK World documentary series.

Links:

Tracey Northcott's Youtube interview 

Tracey Northcott's Podcast Episode

Videographer and creative collaborator - Kyle McKloskey

Connect with Sarah here on @sarahfuruya on Instragram!

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here.

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/

Keyboardist, Musician, Creator, Rock legend and one of the most authentic and sweet people I know.  

 Since age 16 Morgan has been in bands including Love Affair who had a huge hit with ‘Everlasting Love’, Mott the Hoople, of ‘All the Young Dudes’ fame and has collaborated with Yoko Ono, jammed with REM and was supported by Queen in the Mott the Hoople days!

In this episode you hear about:

• Therapy, meditation and his time in India: the gift that keeps giving  
• His tribute to John Lennon - a collaboration with Yoko Ono and how he found himself creating a beautiful version of one of John's most beloved songs in her hotel room  
• Learning French and the joy of immersion 
• The beginning of his time as a global nomad.

Watch the interview with Morgan on YouTube here:

YouTube Part 1

YouTube Part 2

About Morgan: 

Upon leaving high school, Morgan immediately began an active and ongoing international life as a musician. Artists he has played keyboards with include The Love Affair (#1 hit in 1968), Mott the Hoople (produced by David Bowie), Yoko Ono, Queen, and members of R.E.M and Y.M.O. These days he may be called upon to compose stylish TV and film music, create meditation music in a Zen temple, or jam with classic rock and blues bands. He has even played samba in Brazil and world music in China.

All his life he has pursued photography as an art, as well as documenting his musical life using still and movie cameras. Since moving to Japan in 1985 he has specialised in and refined his own style of abstract photography, a kind of visual music, or “light painting” involving spontaneous, free movement of the camera and/or the light source. He utilises the finest digital equipment to create his images, which display a depth and subtlety more akin to painting than photography.

Equally close to his creative heart are his solo live performances, improvised on a variety of rare vintage and modern keyboards while projecting his light paintings; they are a true synthesis of sound+light – unpredictable, uplifting, and inspiring.

Links:

Mott The Hoople - The 1974 US Tour with Morgan Fischer YouTube

Website: http://www.morgan-fisher.com/

Videographer and creative collaborator - Kyle McKloskey

Connect with Sarah here on @sarahfuruya on Instragram!

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here.

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/

Tia Haygood of TopTia Photography has an infectious energy and a wicked sense of humor. From North Carolina, to Tokyo, from Law School to photography. 

In this episode you will hear about:

• The books that piqued her curiosity and led her to come to Japan and follow her dream
• How she transitioned from teaching to full time photographer 
• The importance of being seen, recognising opportunities and saying YES to them

You can see Tia's interview on Youtube here!

About Tia:

Tia Haygood is an English & Japanese-speaking photographer living in Tokyo, Japan. She enjoys photographing the urban characteristics of Tokyo and travels around Japan, tasting its many unique local foods. Tia received her first camera at the age of 13 and gradually became familiar with photography afterward. She has also attended classes through the New York Institute of Photography to further her skills.

She is very active in the international community and is currently a member of several Tokyo-based organizations such as FEW Japan, the Australian New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and Jarman International K.K. She has provided photography services to some of these organizations as well as others throughout Japan.

Her goal is to help businesses enhance their brand visually with excellent imagery. Japanese and international clients can utilize her skills in:

• Headshot Photography
• Portrait Photography
• Event Photography
• Product Photography

Links:

Website: https://toptia.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toptiaphotos/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toptiaphotos/

Videographer and creative collaborator - Kyle McKloskey

Connect with Sarah here on @sarahfuruya on Instragram!

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here.

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/

"Body work made me feel like my body was mine again".

The beautiful Maya Ileto joins this Legend episode.

In this episode you will hear about:

• Her early years and being a "world citizen"
• Living in numerous countries with her academic parents
• How she recovered from years of heartache by finding a home in her body
• How she transitioned her business from working full time in the NPO world to full time in her movement and body business
• The power of decisions

There's a lot of wisdom in this interview. You can watch it here on YouTube.

About Maya:

Malaya Ileto, a.k.a. Maya, is a Certified GYROKINESIS® Master Trainer and GYROTONIC® Master Trainer Apprentice. She is also certified in all the specialized equipment (ARCHWAY®, Leg Extension Unit, Jumping Stretching Board and GYROTONER®). Based in Tokyo, Japan, Maya teaches private and group classes in both English and Japanese at Studio Natural Flow, Tleubaev Ballet School and De Parc Ballet School. She also offers GYROKINESIS®Teacher Training courses in Japan and abroad (e.g. Malaysia, Thailand).

In 2022, Maya opened Mayamoves Kominka, a boutique fitness studio in a 150-year old renovated folk house in northern Nagano. While continuing to teach in Tokyo, she also offers private sessions, teacher training courses and bespoke retreats in this mountain hideaway.

Links:

Website: https://mayamoves.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayamoves_tokyo/

Videographer and creative collaborator - Kyle McKloskey

Connect with Sarah here on @sarahfuruya on Instragram!

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here.

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/

This Legend interview is with Lindsey Sawada of Setagaya Yoga Studio. We follow Lindsey's journey from her home in the UK, to the United States and then to Japan where she has been living since 1997. 

 In this episode you will hear about: 

•  Cultural heritage 
• Getting on with things
• DIY 
• Family
• Dancing and following your dreams 
• Returning from detours away from your dreams 
• Finding your calm 
• Choosing to be happy 
• Being yourself with skill and control.

About Lindsey:

Lindsey is a Brit who has been living in Tokyo since 1997. She lives ( in no order of importance) with her Japanese husband, daughter, mother in law and fat cat Louis Brown. She speaks English and Japanese fluently. Lindsey has a great passion for yoga and wellness, she loves being outdoors.

Links:

Watch Lindsey's interview here on YouTube!

Lindsey's website: https://www.setagayayogastudio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/setagayayoga/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/setagayayogastudio/

Videographer and creative collaborator - Kyle McKloskey

Connect with Sarah here on @sarahfuruya on Instragram!

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here.

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/

Welcome to the first ever Legend in podcast form! Please excuse the sound quality of this recording, it was our very first attempt! 

“If you wait for things to be perfect, that ship sails…”

So many gems of wisdom in this wonderful interview from  Tracey.  Tracey Northcott of Enfour, Tokyo Family Stays and Tracey Northcott Consulting, is a serial entrepreneur and multi-preneur who has her finger on the pulse of the waves of opportunity that present in the Zeitgeist. From Australian born, now a long-term resident of Tokyo, Tracey -the personal to the professional and everything in between - this hero's journey is the one to watch.

In this episode you will hear about:

Divorce, devotion, Food science, sales and so many different phases in this fascinating life. But as these waves ebb and flow, so she rides them.

About Tracey: 

Australian Tracey Northcott of Enfour, Tokyo Family Stays and Tracey Northcott Consulting is a serial entrepreneur and multi-preneur based in Tokyo, Japan. She is one of the most successful Airbnb hosts in Tokyo, at one point having 23 properties for rent in the Tokyo 23 Wards. She also runs Software development company Enfour with her family as well as Tracey Northcott Consulting where she helps other hosts discover the true potential of their STR or Airbnb business maximizing their investment, enjoyment and hospitality standards.

Links:

Watch Tracey on YouTube here: Part 1 and Part 2

Tracey Northcott Consulting: https://www.tracey-northcott.com/

Tokyo Family Stays: https://www.tokyofamilystays.com/

Videographer and creative collaborator - Kyle McKloskey

Connect with Sarah here on @sarahfuruya on Instragram!

Sign up for Sarah's newsletter here.

https://www.sarahfuruya.com/