CrossWorld Puzzles

Shiori Okazaki

CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that interviews people who grew up in or are currently in multicultural environments. It focuses on how they consider life’s big questions, like where to be based, how to build their careers, and who to spend their lives with. It is hosted and managed by Shiori Okazaki, who grew up going back and forth between the United States and Japan. She is an interpreter based in Washington, DC. Website: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/

  1. 1月30日

    Ep. 17: "Being Present in the Moment" - with ikigai expert Sam Ushio

    In Episode 17, we welcome Sam Ushio, Founder of Ikigai Lab, where he leads the social enterprise’s commitment to human sustainability and societal impact. Sam designs purpose-driven ecosystems for individuals and organizations around the world. Prior to founding Ikigai Lab, Sam was Director, Practice Management at Russell Investments, where he led the team that coached approximately 1,000 financial advisors per year. He has an MBA from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska in marketing and finance with an emphasis in psychology.  We discuss Sam's upbringing in Nebraska, including the close-knit community he grew up in; his family history, including his dynamic great-grandparents who came from Japan, and a recent reunion where 36 family members visited Fukuoka; his career in finance and how he decided to found his own business; the meaning of ikigai and qualities of a good leader; and the importance of leaving our comfort zone. Many will likely find Sam's 18-month journey of self-exploration prior to founding Ikigai Lab--including many lessons learned--very inspiring. For more information on Sam, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode17-sam/. CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.

    1時間4分

  2. 2025/12/30

    Ep. 16: "Owning Your Superpower" - with linguist & connector Niharika Chibber Joe

    In Episode 16, we welcome Niharika Chibber Joe, a public diplomat with experience across government, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. She currently serves as Deputy Agency Head of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, an independent federal agency strengthening the U.S.-Japan Alliance through educational and cultural exchange. Previously, she was General Manager at Tata Sons, where she managed corporate sustainability, monitored U.S.-India trade policy, oversaw partnerships, and coordinated public-private initiatives. Earlier, she held leadership roles at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. A published poet and writer, she communicates in seven languages and multiple dialects. We discuss Niharika's upbringing in India, including the prejudice she's had to overcome and how she came to command so many languages; how her interest in the Japanese language developed, to the extent that she worked as an interpreter; her move to the United States; increasing diversity in the U.S.-Japan space; and the importance of connecting people. Many will likely find Niharika's comprehensive view of identities--how we all have multiple identities that are continuously shifting--and kind words for anyone who's struggling to fit in incredibly powerful. For more information on Niharika, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode16-niharika/. CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.

    1時間17分

  3. 2025/10/27

    Ep. 15: "A New Journey in Times of Change" - with scholar & journalist Mizumi Dutcher

    In Episode 15, we welcome Mizumi Dutcher, a policy researcher and former journalist specializing in Chinese politics, U.S.-China relations, and East Asian strategic affairs. She most recently served as a Foreign Policy Fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives. Her journalism career spanned more than two decades at Fuji Television, including service as the Washington Bureau Chief and an earlier posting in Beijing. Mizumi is currently a Doctor of International Affairs (DIA) candidate at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Her dissertation examines China-North Korea relations under Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un. We discuss Mizumi's upbringing in Japan and the U.S., including cultural adjustments she's had to make; how her interest in China and journalism developed; some of the stories she covered in Beijing, including the heartbreaking Szechuan Earthquake; her fascinating friendship with Kim Jong-nam, the late brother of Kim Jong-un; and her career transition into academia. Viewers are sure to be particularly inspired by her courage to embark on a new journey after decades of work as an accomplished journalist--and the idea that when things are changing so quickly, it's a risk to just stay the way we are. For more information on Mizumi, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode15-mizumi/. CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.

    59分

  4. 2025/10/11

    Ep. 14: "Laugh Together, Be Together" - with Native attorney & comedian Gigi Modrich

    In Episode 14, we welcome Gigi Modrich, an Indian law practitioner, roller derby skater, and stand-up comedian. She was brought up in a multiethnic household: her mother is Jicarilla Apache and her father is Croatian American. While she is multiracial, her upbringing focused on her Native American culture. After attending Dartmouth College, she earned her Juris Doctorate from Cornell Law School and then joined a law firm to serve Tribal clients. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches beading at a Native non-profit. We discuss Gigi's upbringing and her Jicarilla Apache identity; the historic and ongoing challenges that Native Americans grapple with; her fight against stereotypes in her childhood and the friendships she found in college; her legal accomplishments in protecting the rights of other Natives; and her ongoing transition into comedy and how she is building a community through humor. The story of her identity is heart-wrenching in so many ways--but her strength and courage are incredibly inspiring, and her awesome sense of humor is sure to make you laugh! For more information on Gigi, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode14-gigi/. CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.

    58分

  5. 2025/09/01

    Ep. 13: "Connecting Cultures Through Words" - with interpreter & podcaster Shiori Okazaki (& Insights from Ep. 1-12)

    Episode 13 is a special edition, commemorating one year since the start of the podcast in two ways. First, the host and producer of CrossWorld Puzzles, Shiori Okazaki, discusses her own journey, attempting to address questions she has been asking her guests about identity and various life choices she's made so far. She also discusses why she started this podcast. Second, she discusses what she learned from the past 12 episodes, providing some recommendations on which episodes specific listeners might find especially helpful. Shiori Okazaki grew up in Honolulu and Tokyo, and is currently based in Washington, DC. She is the President of Shiori Communications, LLC, where she connects her two home countries through interpretation and writing services. She previously worked with the communications team of various organizations, including the Embassy of Japan in the U.S.A., the Embassy of Japan in the UK, and the U.S.-Japan Council. As an interpreter, she has supported dozens of high-level meetings and people-to-people exchange programs throughout the U.S. and Japan. For more information on Shiori, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode13-shiori/. CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.

    1時間4分

  6. 2025/07/29

    Ep. 12: "Cultivating Our Humanity" - with communications leader John Onoda

    In Episode 12, we welcome John Onoda, a principal at iQ 360, a strategic consulting firm with current clients in the United States and Japan. He has led communications at companies including General Motors, Levi Strauss, Visa USA and Charles Schwab. He also has decades of experience providing counsel to major global corporations, universities, NGOs and government agencies. He is a member of the U.S.-Japan Council, and currently serves on the board of the Page Center for Integrity in Public Communication. We discuss how John's upbringing in Gary, IN (where the only other Asians were his family members) affected his identity; how he taught himself to succeed in communications as an introvert; the importance of cultivating our humanity to thrive as individuals and workers even while technology increasingly takes over our jobs; how reading trains us to empathize with others and helps us fight forces that divide us; and how we can "find our tribe" by exploring different lifestyles. For more information on John, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode12-john/. CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.

    56分

  7. 2025/07/01

    Ep. 11: "Leading Step by Step" - with nonprofit leader Kazuyo Kato

    In Episode 11, we welcome Kazuyo Kato, the Executive Director of the Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) USA. The daughter of a diplomat, Kazuyo was born in Australia, spent her early years in Egypt, and grew up going back and forth between the U.S. and Japan. Kazuyo has nearly two decades of experience at nonprofit organizations dedicated to U.S.-Japan relations and international affairs, including the Japan Society in New York, Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA in Washington DC, Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Tokyo, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She has also worked in consulting businesses, including Armitage International and Arthur Andersen (later KPMG) in Tokyo. We discuss Kazuyo's upbringing in multiple countries; how she overcame the challenge of learning languages and societal expectations; why she decided to work in the nonprofit sector and the importance of people-to-people exchange; and how she developed her own leadership style and what she learned from great leaders like Richard Armitage. For more information on Kazuyo, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode11-kazuyo/. CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.

    47分

  8. 2025/05/26

    Ep. 10: "Towards Perfect Effort" - with interpreter & analyst Lefteris Kafatos

    In Episode 10, we welcome Lefteris Kafatos, an interpreter and analyst specializing in U.S.-Japan relations. Lefteris went on the Japan Exchange Teaching (JET) Program in Okinawa and served as a diplomatic interpreter at the U.S. Department of State, interpreting for Presidents Obama and Trump on several occasions. He now writes (in both English and Japanese!) for The Japan Lens, where his focus is the U.S.-Japan alliance, Japanese politics and foreign policy, and regional dynamics in the Asia-Pacific. Lefteris has master's degrees in Japanese-English Conference Interpreting from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), as well as in International Affairs from UC San Diego.  We discuss his upbringing and identity as a Greek American; how his interest in Japan evolved over time as a student, interpreter, and an analyst of U.S.-Japan relations; how he stays calm when interpreting for heads of state and other high-powered individuals; and how we can continue to maintain and strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship despite recent uncertainties like tariffs. For more information on Lefteris, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode10-lefteris/.

    55分
すべて見る（17）

評価とレビュー

5
5段階評価中
6件の評価

番組について

CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that interviews people who grew up in or are currently in multicultural environments. It focuses on how they consider life’s big questions, like where to be based, how to build their careers, and who to spend their lives with. It is hosted and managed by Shiori Okazaki, who grew up going back and forth between the United States and Japan. She is an interpreter based in Washington, DC. Website: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/

情報

  • クリエイター
    Shiori Okazaki
  • 配信期間
    24年 - 26年
  • エピソード
    17
  • 制限指定
    不適切な内容を含まない
  • Copyright
    © Shiori Okazaki
  • 番組のWebサイト
    CrossWorld Puzzles

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