About this episode

The episode explores the concept of Ikigai and features a conversation with Kumiko Sugiyama about her journey and insights on language and culture.

One Japanese word can change your life. It did for us, and it’s how we met Kumiko Sugiyama, a Japanese language coach, business Japanese trainer, and ICF Associate Certified Coach who blends language learning with coaching, communication skills, and a deep love of Japanese culture. We talk through Kumiko’s real-world path across sales, parenting, startups, community work, and finally teaching Japanese to executives and engineers. Then we dig into her informal Ikigai survey of 100 people and ...

People in this episode

Host: Nick Kemp

Guest: Kumiko Sugiyama

Topics covered

• Ikigai
• belonging
• Japanese culture
• language learning
• coaching
• communication skills

Keywords

• Ikigai
• belonging
• Japanese language
• coaching
• communication
• culture
• executives
• engineers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ICF

More episodes of The Ikigai Podcast

• Reflections on A Year Of Ikigai with Nicholas Kemp · April 6, 2026 · 49 min
• Unlocking Cross-Cultural Communication in Japan with Shohei Yoshida · March 29, 2026 · 42 min
• The Power of Awareness: How Kizuki Moments Transform Our Lives with Mae Yoshikawa · March 9, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Aligning Work with Purpose: A Conversation with Tina Bagwell · March 2, 2026 · 52 min
• Expanding Your Inner Capacity: The Utsuwa Philosophy with Shigeki Nishimura · February 23, 2026 · 50 min
• A Year of Ikigai · February 16, 2026 · 11 min

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