What if your next trip did more than entertain you—what if it changed you? We sit down with Jake Haupert, founder of the Transformational Travel Council, to unpack how intentional journeys can help you stretch, learn, and grow into new ways of being. Rather than racing through bucket lists, Jake invites us to slow down, clarify our why, and design experiences that align with values, purpose, and community.

We explore a practical framework built on the hero’s journey—departure, initiation, return—and show how it maps onto real travel. You’ll hear how to prepare before you go by naming the call to adventure, how to engage during the trip with reflection, play, and curiosity, and how to integrate after you return so insights become habits instead of fading with the jet lag. Jake introduces the Four Houses—introspection, bridging, expansion, integration—to guide travelers and hosts alike toward deeper connection with self, others, nature, and systems.

We also tackle the hard truths: modern tourism can be extractive and superficial. Jake shares how regenerative, community-led design can align destinations, hotels, guides, and attractions around shared purpose so both places and people thrive. And we look at the role of technology, pairing AI with authentic intelligence to free up more human presence, empathy, and meaning-making in hospitality.

If you’re a traveler craving purpose or a pro ready to build experiences that truly matter, this conversation offers tools, language, and next steps. Bring one guiding question to your next journey, and watch the map change under your feet. Enjoy the episode, and if it resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find it.

What if the words you use could change the way you breathe? We welcome author Saori Okada back to share the heart of her new book, Wisdom of Japan, a collection of 60 concise concepts designed to calm a rushed life and rekindle everyday meaning. Saori opens up about crafting short reflections that still feel true, and the painstaking process of pairing each idea with a ukiyo‑e print so the art deepens the lesson on the page.

We journey through kokoro—the Japanese view of mind, heart, and spirit as one—and how that unity reframes courage, intention, and integrity. From yutori (spaciousness) to the proverb isogaba maware (hurry slowly), we explore practical ways to escape the spin of constant busyness. Saori brings tenderness to setsunai, the ache of nostalgia that proves we have loved well, and shows how kachou fuugetsu—flower, bird, wind, moon—invites nature to become a daily mentor for perspective and creativity.

The conversation also traces wisdom from martial arts. Bushido’s yu (courage) and gi (righteousness) remind us that strength without ethics is empty, while ki (energy) threads through language and training alike—think genki as “foundational energy.” Principles like shin‑ki‑ryoku‑no‑ichi (harmonizing heart, energy, and strength) and judo’s flexibility over force offer a humane blueprint for leadership and personal growth. Along the way, we unpack shoshin (beginner’s mind) and shoganai (acceptance) as tools for resilience that don’t require hardening your heart.

If you’re craving a gentler pace with more clarity and depth, this conversation offers simple practices: a page each morning, a breath under the open sky, and a renewed respect for the space that makes meaning possible. Grab Wisdom of Japan at Waterstones, your favorite indie bookstore, or Amazon. If the episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—what concept will you practice this week?

On episode 118 of the Ikigai Podcast, Katie Anderson and Nick Kemp reflect on a Katies's Japan Leadership Experience - a week in Japan exploring how kaizen, rolefulness, and community design create real leadership growth.

Katie and Nick share how relationships open doors, purpose fuels energy, and small rituals like greetings change how teams feel and perform.

On this episode we cover:
• connecting hearts and minds through leadership experiences
• how trust-based relationships create rare access in Japan
• kaizen at the gemba and doing things properly
• rolefulness and finding a unique, purpose-fit role
• being before doing, then doing right
• sampo yoshi, sustainability and motainai in practice
• omotenashi as mutual service, gratitude and presence
• stepping away to learn, build community and return revitalized

To reach out to Katie Anderson:
https://kbjanderson.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbjanderson/
@KBJAnderson

To reach out to Nick Kemp:
https://ikigaitribe.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-kemp-author/