Looking for the Sasuga! Podcast? After over 4 years and 219 episodes, the podcast is on pause.
The good news is you can still enjoy them here: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Below, you’ll find my latest blog posts to help you do brilliant work without sacrificing your personal life – less effort, more impact!
Want to make life easier for yourself? Get inspirational and practical Sasuga! Tips For You delivered to your inbox every week (you can easily unsubscribe any time).
“My son has been sick this week, and he ended up watching YouTube for kids all day since he wants to be in my room where I work. I felt bad.” This is a classic example of mum guilt. In many cases, “Mum guilt” (or “Mom guilt” or “Mommy guilt”) is when you want to be a...
I was amused when I read an article about how Japanese people were taking classes to learn how to smile after spending so long wearing masks during the pandemic. It makes sense though. Our facial expression has a huge impact on our communication to others as well as...
(Just for fun - the photo is with my friend, Sam, about 5 years ago on the stepping stones at a lovely village in Yorkshire where we used to go on family holidays as children.) The other day, Junko (not her real name) told me on a call that she’d recently been quite...
Oh, the difficulty of receiving! This photo is from 2014. I was speaking at a seminar organized by FEW (For Empowering Women) Japan and this was the panel discussion toward the end of the event. After this, there was a raffle. My name came up as a winner! In my mind,...
As we come out of Golden Week in Japan, I have a sort of “New Year” feeling. In March, many businesses went through the crazy busyness of the fiscal year end. In April, it was all about new hires and moving to new departments. And then the holidays. So now seems like...
Are you taking time off for Golden Week? If so, I hope you’re enjoying it ❤️ As you may know, I was on hols with family in Thailand last week. We had a wonderful time. But when we arrived at Bangkok airport all refreshed and ready for our flight back to Japan, we had...
As Golden Week approaches, will you be traveling? When you’re on holiday, do you switch off completely or are you still doing some work? In the past, I was constantly overworking. I always had my BlackBerry and laptop with me even when I was in Thailand or the UK with...
Now that I’m pausing the Sasuga! Podcast, what do I have for you instead??? Each week, I’d like to give you something bite-sized and practical to help you enjoy less effort and more impact in your work. First, since now is the start of a new business year for many in...
When I was in my teens - before I started karate - I used to practice judo. One time, a male opponent got me into an arm lock on the mat. The normal thing to do here is to tap twice to indicate submission. But I didn’t. I didn’t want to give in or give up. And I...
- a conversation with Kaki Okumura Isn’t it interesting that while Japan often admires and looks to the West for inspiration, the West similarly views Japan? Japanese wellness writer and illustrator Kaki Okumura grew up in the USA and struggled to find a...
Do you ever compare yourself to others? You see colleagues at work who just seem so confident, articulate, and on top of everything? You see people on Instagram with the most amazing bodies, beautiful relationships, and fantastic lives? According to a 2022 study,...
In 2022, Japan ranked 80th for English proficiency out of 112 non-English speaking countries and regions, falling two places compared with the previous year, according to a Swiss study. It’s easy to find media reports that Japan needs to improve its English skills...