Dec 2025 Newsletter
Dialogue with My Internal Weather
The Internal Weather
It is already mid-December. How have you been? What is your internal weather like right now? This is a question I often ask my clients at the beginning of a coaching conversation.
As for my own internal weather at the moment, it feels as though a bright morning sun has just begun to appear above thick, widespread clouds.
A few days ago, through receiving coaching myself, something that had been hidden within those clouds came into the light and started to feel clearer. And that light continues to grow brighter.
In this way, while continuing to receive coaching myself, I also remain in coaching conversation (or dialogue) as a coach, supporting my clients.
November was a very full month for me - perhaps even a little overwhelming at times. And yet, it was also a month wrapped in wonderful connections (Go-en ご縁 in Japanese) and warm energy.
Nature-Conscious Self-Leadership
Recently, I had an opportunity to revisit and clearly articulate the concept I call “Nature-Conscious Self-Leadership.” This is a concept I have been quietly cultivating and refining over the past year.
In November, at the invitation of the Staff Union of the International Criminal Court (ICC), headquartered here in The Hague, I held and facilitated a webinar and engaged in dialogue with ICC staff on the theme Justice & Earth: Nature-Conscious Leadership.
While preparing for this webinar, I was jogging - as I often do - through a nearby waterside park. As I ran, I felt several separate thoughts gradually come together into a single shape. Spending time in nature, simply seeing green and blue landscapes, is refreshing in itself. And when I walk or run, ideas, reflections, and new perspectives often emerge, filling me with a sense of curiosity and excitement. This, too, is one of the powers of connecting with nature.
So what do I mean by “Nature-Conscious Self-Leadership”?
When it comes to global challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, and the loss of biodiversity, I believe that an attitude of “I don’t believe it, so I won’t take action” is no longer an option for us as adults living on this planet.
From my personal perspective, a few years ago such a stance might still have been tolerated - perhaps met with raised eyebrows, but accepted by some as one way of thinking. In 2025, however, I believe this is no longer the case.
Regardless of whether an organisation is for-profit or non-profit, and regardless of sector, those who are in roles that involve leading or guiding others have even less room for such a choice. At the same time, this responsibility is not limited to formal leadership roles. Even those who are not employees or officials, and who may not hold a specific role in society or a community, still share the responsibility of passing on a healthy planet to the next generation.
The word “leadership” often brings to mind people who hold formal positions and guide others. That is precisely why I use the term “self-leadership.”
Leadership is generally understood as setting direction toward a goal, building trust, contributing one’s own efforts while encouraging others, and creating conditions in which people can bring out their full potential. By adding “self” to leadership, I hope to convey that even without a formal leadership title, each of us can contribute through our own attitudes and actions, in collaboration with our communities and the people around us. Leading oneself is not dependent on social roles.
Living with respect for the natural environment is no longer a choice; it is a responsibility we are obligated to take on.
Even when we care deeply about climate change or believe we are doing what we can to protect the environment, it can still be difficult to live fully in alignment with those values in every part of our daily lives. For example...
We may avoid plastic products at home, yet find ourselves using disposable plastic cups at the workplace café because it feels convenient, and speaking up feels difficult.
Or we may believe that overconsumption is harmful and try to buy only what is truly necessary, yet still find ourselves choosing inexpensive, convenient items from discount shops like "100-yen shops" in Japan.
Or perhaps we consider our lives modest while working in remote, hardship duty stations for international organisations, yet during holidays we allow ourselves greater consumption and frequent flights, accompanied by a quiet sense of guilt.
In this way, even when environmental responsibility is an important value for us, we may find ourselves drifting into ways of living that do not fully reflect that value.
I often experience these dilemmas and feelings of guilt myself. While I try, little by little, to find the courage to step out of them, it is not easy.
At its core, Nature-Conscious Self-Leadership is about making a conscious and constant choice to live in ways that are more aligned with our own values - even if only in small steps.
Receiving Awe from Nature
Another foundation of Nature-Conscious Self-Leadership is recognising the healing, restorative, and encouraging power we receive from nature, and consciously drawing on a sense of awe in our daily lives.
Several years ago, while on a summer holiday in Brittany, France, I was standing in a forest looking up at my daughter and husband as they were engaged in "forest walk" with ropes among the trees. I felt the energy of the trees around me so strongly that it was as if they were speaking to me. I felt refreshed and deeply in "awe".
The word shinrin-yoku 森林浴 - forest bathing - came back to me from the distant memory, and I realised, “Ah, this is what it means.” I later read several books on the subject.
One night, unable to sleep, I picked up a book from my ever-growing pile of unread books (tsundoku 積ん読). It was Awe Effect, a wonderful book, a rare Japanese translation from the original Swedish, that I ended up reading in almost one sitting. To this day, it continues to inform the core of my thinking around Nature-Conscious Self-Leadership.
During the ICC webinar as well, several participants shared how simply looking out of a window or taking a short walk outside during a highly stressful workday helped them feel restored. Becoming more aware of this healing and regenerative power of nature, and drawing on it as a source of daily inspiration, is another pillar of this approach.
Supporting Dialogue in Spaces of Diversity
This year, I have felt a stronger focus on my work as a facilitator. Having worked for many years with people from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds, creating spaces for dialogue where different perspectives, values, and ways of expressing thoughts can coexist feels deeply aligned with who I am. It is work I will continue investing my energy in.
This summer, I became involved with Break Free From Plastic (BFFP), an international movement working to end plastic pollution across the entire plastics lifecycle. This year, the second round of international negotiations toward a global plastics treaty was held in Geneva, and like many others, I felt disappointed by the outcome.
I reached out to BFFP with the hope that facilitation could play a meaningful role in such international negotiations, discussions, and dialogues. Through this connection, I had the opportunity to facilitate a webinar on inclusive facilitation for interested participants in November, focusing on topics such as the difference between discussion and dialogue.
I felt that the participants - who are engaged in the challenging yet vital work of reducing humanity’s dependence on plastic - took away something meaningful from the session. I continue to create more opportunities like this.
Dialogue Salon on Nurturing Inclusive Spaces
In the first week of November, the Dialogue Salon finally began in Japanese. You can read more about it in this blog post. An English-language version of the salon also started last week.
What I value most about this salon is seeing facilitators - and those who hold similar roles - come together and realise they are not alone. Hearing reflections such as “Others are struggling with the same questions,” “That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered,” or “I’d like to try that idea” creates a sense of shared learning and synergy.
I will continue nurturing this salon so that it can gradually expand, like ripples on water. Whether you are a professional facilitator or simply someone interested in creating spaces that honour diverse voices, you are very welcome to join. If you register your interest through this link, you will receive information about future sessions.
The Courage to Listen to One’s Own Voice
For some time, I had the feeling of being like an overstretched rubber band that no longer returns to its original shape. After four full years as a university lecturer, I had begun to sense that my time in that exact role in the same way of engagement might be nearing its especially when I watched the proud faces of the students who graduated in July.
After the summer break, I returned to teaching, yet something still felt off. Perhaps the rubber band may not, in fact, have returned.
In October, a trip to Tanzania allowed me to reconnect with my roots and the motivations that lie at the core of my work. After returning, however, I realised that I could not commute back to the the university. My mind and body were clearly saying, “That’s enough.”
After much reflection, I decided in mid-November to take medical leave due to burnout. Once I made that decision, emotions and thoughts I had been holding back began to surface.
This is also why it took me so long to write this December newsletter. There was so much I wanted to say, yet my thoughts felt scattered, and at times everything seemed meaningless. While I entered leave from the university, I found myself questioning how to approach coaching and facilitation - work that I had not been able to fully prioritise before (even though that I was earnestly wanting to do). Should I now devote myself to it completely? Could I? Or would it be better to set everything aside and simply rest?
My family doctor and counsellor advised me to put aside anything that brought stress. At first, that advice did not fully resonate. Yet from time to time, I found myself longing for empty space in my calendar, or imagining going somewhere alone where no one knew me.
Mending Myself with Kintsugi
In the midst of all this, my final work engagement in November was supporting a Kintsugi workshop. Following two online sessions on the philosophy of Kintsugi held in June, a Kintsugi master I know travelled to the Netherlands to host an in-person workshop.
I helped with finding the venue, promotion, coordination, and creating the space. While I wanted to learn more about Kintsugi and support my friend’s wish to share it internationally, I also found myself wondering at times how this work related to my roles as a facilitator and coach.
As a Japanese person, I realised that I myself had not truly understood Kintsugi. Through conversations, reading, and reflection, I gradually began to appreciate its philosophy:
nothing remains unchanged; everything eventually returns to the earth. Just as bowls and cups crack and break, humans make mistakes, regret the past, and fall ill. All of this is part of who we are. There is no need to hide it. By accepting it fully, we return to who we truly are. Every encounter - with objects and with people - is a once-in-a-lifetime meeting (一期一会).
On the day of the workshop, I created a short meditation weaving these reflections together, which participants were invited to experience. The workshop itself unfolded in a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Participants brought their own beautiful stories, and a gentle sense of connection emerged.
Hearing them say, “It was such a meaningful time,” and “Thank you so much for organising this,” deeply touched me. As I continue to sit with the afterglow of that experience, I am reminded that as a facilitator and coach, I am grateful to be able to support the creation of such spaces. Like Kintsugi, I hope to continue transforming - accepting cracks and imperfections, and allowing them to become sources of strength and beauty.
Learning Circle: Where All Voices Are Heard
I would also like to share an update regarding the Learning Circle, a space for practical, shared learning around facilitation and dialogue. The Japanese-language circle was originally planned to begin in mid-January, but I would like to sincerely apologise for not having been able to communicate clearly until now.
Through recent conversation I had with my own coach, I became aware that my urge to “stick to the original plan” was rooted in shame - the feeling that as a professional in care-oriented roles, it is embarrassing not to deliver something once announced. However, I also realised that postponing the programme in order to refine it to make it even better, and offer it in a more accessible, thoughtful way would not disadvantage anyone. In fact, it would benefit everyone involved, myself included.
For this reason, I have decided to postpone the launch and work toward offering a more evolved version of the Learning Circle. Thank you very much to those who have already expressed interest or signed up. I truly appreciate your understanding!
Continuing with Coaching
As I write this, pausing occasionally to take a deep breath, there is one thing I would like to say clearly: I will continue offering coaching, just as I have until now.
If I put it into words, coaching has come to feel like a second nature to me. It is, of course, a professional skill that I continue to study and develop. At the same time, every coaching conversation brings learning, insight, nourishment, and inspiration - not only for my clients, but also for me as a coach, definitely.
I deeply value this kind of partnership, where clients and coach learn and grow together. Although this year I placed more emphasis on facilitation, I still offered close to 100 hours of coaching, bringing my total coaching hours to over 700. I carry this experience with gratitude for everyone who has trusted me enough to engage in coaching with me, even once.
🎁 For those who have had a free session or completed a coaching programme within the past year, I am offering a limited-time “catch-up” coaching session. While my coaching programmes are usually offered in packages of three sessions or more, until the end of January I am opening up the option of a single session. The fee is €30 per session. You are welcome to use this time to clarify your intentions for the year ahead, or simply to speak freely about whatever is on your mind. Please book a time through this booking link, or contact me by email. I will follow up with details regarding payment and the process. If no available time suits you, feel free to reach out by email
Finally…
This has become a long newsletter. In past issues, I have sometimes written that I would return to certain topics and write about it "soon". But I have not done so. Perhaps there is simply a right time for each story to be told. When the time comes, I trust that the words will follow.
One of my sources of awe is singing in a choir. Our annual concert also took place in November.
I wish you all a gentle end to the year, with care for yourselves ✨
