Oh the places you’ll go. Dr Seuss's poem nicely describes the post-JET life of my guest, Sam Baldwin - journalist, start-up techie and author. A desire to live the outdoor mountain life led him to living and working in Slovenia in a 300-yo cabin. He chronicles his journey and love for his adopted country in his upcoming book, Dormice and Moonshine: Falling for Slovenia. Sam's description of this overlooked corner of Europe is very evocative - anyone want to do a trip?

Footnotes:
- Sam's portfolio site: sambaldwin.me (https://www.sambaldwin.me/)

Music for the episode is Snow Drift by HoliznaCCO, from the album Winter LoFi, with a public domain license and sourced from freemusicarchive.org

The After JET podcast is generously supported by the Council of local authorities for International relations or CLAIR, but is otherwise an independent personal project by me, Eden Law. All views and opinions expressed on this podcast are the personal opinions of podcast participants and are not the official views of any organisation that participants are part of, connected with, or work for.

Oh, the Places You'll Go: Writer and Journalist

Living to another country can be a source of inspiration. And you could meet kindred spirits that make you feel like you belong. My guest, Luke Cuerden, talks about finding a welcoming creative community and how much that has inspired him creatively and professionally. We also talk about the music scene in Tokyo, and what jazz and metal have in common.

- Connect with Luke on IG: https://www.instagram.com/harroruke/ 
- Check out Red Dragon Blues on YT: www.youtube.com/@reddragonblues7231

Music and Brotherhood: The Musician

Believe it or not, there are people trying to make HR a better human experience, through the use of technology and HCD principles. My guest Megan DeVille has a job she describes as "obscure", but one that can provide immense benefits to organisations, employers and employees. 

We also get to geek out about anime and pop culture, and why good anime music will never die.

Footnotes:
- Suzaku 7 website: info and performances: https://suzaku7.weebly.com/

-Suzaku 7 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSuzaku7/

Designing Connection: The Technologist

This episode features a special guest: not only is Doug Tassin my sempai from JET, he also heads the Krewe of Japan podcast. In a rather meta episode, we talk about our love of the cast podding genre. And we of course start with Doug's day job as a consultant building IT systems for hospitals, which led to a discussion about the challenges of the US medical insurance system.

Let's Talk: Podcasting

In this episode, I get to nerd out about science, dinosaurs and gross nature facts with my guest Cecily Arkell. We talk about the challenges and rewards of being a life-long science educator and communicator at one of the top art and cultural institutions in Australia - the Western Australian Museum Boola Bardip.

A fact check correction: Cecily meant to say it was Barry Jones, not Gareth Evans who was an Australian politician with a science background.

Let's Science: The Science Communicator

We live in a world of constant news cycle, from stations and social media alike. So how does the traditional news bureau survive in this world of constant (mis)information? Our guest Ryan Keeble (news producer and cameraman) is on the ground reporting from London.

Footnotes:
Check out Ryan’s work on Youtube on the channel Inside Kitchen London (@insidekitchen_LDN)

Making Headlines: The News Producer

My guest has done many things - started a non-profit while on JET, changed Japanese law, graduated from Oxford with a PhD, did a TEDx talk - but (spoiler alert) confesses that much of it was unplanned. We talk about the how and why of the Japanese institutional care of children, and what it means to make meaningful impact and finding your path without sweating the small stuff. 

Footnotes
- Dr Rivera King's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rivera-king-dphil-fcmi-73088720/
- TEDx Tokyo: Against All Odds: https://youtu.be/vzW6vetckfM?si=wuyEomwxfu3rYYDE 
- The Japan Society in the UK: https://www.japansociety.org.uk/home

Making an Impact: Non-profit and Advocacy

Japan is a rich source for social-media-worthy pics - the history, culture, landscape, architecture, food and more. Unsurprisingly, some JETs have turned to building an online-based career. Few have been as successful as my guest who runs @yamatrips, a well-known Instagram account that showcases the road less travelled in Japan. 

If you've ever wondered how social media can be used in business, then you're in luck, as Tony Xia gives us his insights into online brand building - with a purpose.

Footnotes
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yamatrips/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@yamatrips
- Tony's article in JETStreams "Insights from a Japan Influencer": https://jetprogramme.org/en/jetstreams/summer2024/#elm-8

Influencing Travel: Building Brand and Purpose

On this special anniversary episode of the Tohoku disaster, special guest William McMichael talks about the current state of Fukushima and Tohoku, 14 years on. Though challenges remain, the outlook is far from bleak, with the people of Tohoku determined to forge a future of sustainability - and hope. 

Footnotes
- Hope Tourism: https://www.hopetourism.jp/en/ - if you want to contribute to Tohoku's rebuilding, consider this special tour and hear the stories beyond the news cycle. 

Revisting Tohoku: Present and Future

Our post-JET lives can be interesting and varied, thanks to the many opportunities available and networks that we form. That's the theme of this episode but along the way, we meander in our discussion, talking about the good and bad of AI, innovation and how taking chances can lead to great things.

Sky Dive: About Confidence and Chances

We've talked a lot about turning hobbies into a career, and my guest Julius Pang (ALT 2004-2007 Kitakyushu) not only became a professional photographer, he combined it with his love of Japan and started a photography tour business (Incredible Photo Tours). We talk about the work, photographing Mt Fuji (i.e. much harder than you'd expect) and wrangling old people. 

- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julius-pang-165baba/
- Portfolio and Tours: http://juliuspang.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliuspang/

Julius was also a presenter at the After JET Conference: http://jetprogramme.org/en/after-con/

To start his business, Julius joined the New Enterprise Initiative Scheme (NEIS), for Australian job seekers who are interested in running a new small business: https://www.employment.gov.au/self-employment-new-enterprise-incentive-scheme-neis

Music for this episode: Photograph by Derek Clegg is licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Derek_Clegg/End_It_For_Now/Derek_Clegg_-_End_It_For_Now_-_04_Photograph

Picture it: The Photographer

Featuring the lives, stories and careers from the global JET Programme alumni community. And usually, our stories begin with "This one time in Japan..." - our best, our silliest and our fondest.

Share your story! Contact webmaster@jetaainternational.org

Picture it: The Photographer

After JET

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