In this deeply moving and thought-provoking episode of the Legends Podcast, host Sarah Furuya sits down with the miraculous Matthew Dons, a figure who has not only transformed his own life but has profoundly impacted the world around him over the past eight years. This is the final episode of Season 8, themed Skin in the Game, and it brings a powerful close with insights on life, death, and the miraculous experiences that shape our journeys.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Matthew’s Miracle: The extraordinary story of Matthew Dons and the miraculous transformations in his life, particularly in the face of death.
• Facing Mortality: How Matthew's confrontation with his mortality has reshaped his view of the world, life, and the choices he makes every day.
• The Power of Presence: What it means to be truly present in life when you are living with a terminal diagnosis, and how that presence transforms relationships, ambitions, and daily experiences.
• Lessons on Death and Dying: Matthew shares the insights he has gained from walking a path many fear, offering listeners a unique perspective on accepting death as a natural part of life.
• Inspiration for Others: This episode is not only about Matthew's experience but also serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for others who may be grappling with their own challenges.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Matthew

Matthew Dons is a marketing consultant and business coach from the UK. He has been living in Tokyo since 2007.

Matthew came to Japan to study traditional Japanese martial arts. His other hobbies include baking, studying the history of technology and watching 80’s films.

In July 2016 Matthew was suddenly diagnosed with terminal cancer, also known as stage 4 cancer. The cancer had spread a lot so his life expectancy, with treatment, was just 7-9 months. Although crowdfunding and cutting-edge immunotherapy have helped him live almost 8 years so far, he’s still in a life-and-death fight every day.

Although Matthew is very cynical, he was genuinely shocked to discover there’s no serious effort in any country to stop people dying of cancer. This is despite the fact cancer kills around 10 million people every year, and it destroys the lives of many more people. It’s a brutal disease, with equally-brutal treatments. Experiencing this firsthand motivated him to set up the non-profit Make Cancer History.

Make Cancer History connects patients, oncologists and researchers to share cancer knowledge and save lives.

Connect with Matthew & Donate

https://www.matthewdons.org

https://www.makecancerhistory.jp/

https://www.makecancerhistory.jp/donate/

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook:

Release from daily bullshit is fertile ground for creative freedom, frank talk and advocacy. Also good men, creative forces and the usual rabbit hole of musings with Sarah.

In this episode:

• Sarah muses on her final guest of the season’s daily dialogues with death. They are in a unique position to be absolutely unfiltered because they are close to mortality in every single day and have been for 8 years.
• This takes Sarah on a trip into inquiries around good men, masks, latest obsessions, interests and thoughts about life.
• and more....

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

This week I sat down with the remarkable Sarajean Rossitto, a force of positive change in the nonprofit sector. With a wealth of experience and a passion for empowering communities, Sarajean shares her journey, insights, and the pivotal moments that have shaped her career.

Sarajean and I could have talked for hours. She truly is a legend of influence, impact and social change. Currently based out of Tokyo, Japan, hailing from New York State in America, with her ancestry in Italy we talk about the influence of her Italian side (which relates to my Liverpool side) on her way of being in the world, in this conversation and her commitment to hope for the USA.

Sarajean and I met in 2008 at a Career Strategy Seminar run by FEW, For Empowering Women in Japan. It was like a baptism of fire meeting her and all the other incredible women in my midst at that point and it was a pivotal event in my life. Little did we know that just 4 years later we would be the President and Vice President of the same organisation and forge a fiery and loving relationship that would endure to this day.

Not only that but we, along with another good friend whom we met at the same 2008 career seminar, would be the Ladies of honour for previous Legends, Angela Ortiz Pettas and her husband Nicholas Pettas. Seriously, you couldn’t script this stuff - all three of us met Angela through different channels too. It’s just the Ordinary Magic.

Sarajean is a courageous and committed activist, who puts her passion for social impact ahead of her own image. She is at the forefront of what needs to happen next and does not necessarily have lofty ideas about world-changing activity, but focuses on what she CAN do in her own sphere of influence and networks.

She holds lecturing positions at Temple University Japan and Sophia University largely focussed on social change initiatives. She is continually proposing new courses, based on the latest information available.

NPOs, News outlets and social impact groups all seek out Sarajean’s counsel and consultation to better serve their clients, and communities or in order to communicate correctly. I wonder how she remains hopeful, something that I sometimes have difficulty with and she explains this in the show.

I was interested in this based on her work with American politics. She does not underestimate the influence that the 38 million Americans living outside of the 50 states can have in elections and as such she works to influence and impact those voters. Much like Terri McMillan, legend of Humans who also got involved in canvassing.

Sarajean has a vim and verve that is hard to resist. She is terrific fun, a trained chef, skilled orator, actor and director and loves fiercely. Her optimism has nothing to do with toxic positivity but a firm foundation of hope and belief that small differences can have an impact that will help humans.

“I am not necessarily a happy person, but I am an excited person”

SJR

I will definitely invite Sarajean back for round 2 because we didn’t touch upon her art, the plays she has directed and appeared in and her support of and promotion of local drama groups.

Here are some gems from our conversation:

• Having skin in the game means investing myself in whatever I believe in, in a way, that I can feel proud

In this episode of Legends Podcast, Sarah Furuya delves into the themes of "Saunter & Frolic", "Creative Musings" and "Slowing Down".

Sarah shares her reflections and experiences over the past few weeks, discussing the inevitability of celebrity influence and the impact it has on our daily lives. She candidly recounts an incident involving a partially recorded session and the challenges of staying focused amidst interruptions. This episode promises to provide listeners with an insightful and engaging exploration of creativity and personal musings.

In this episode:

• The core theme centers around the benefits of slowing down both body and mind.
• The importance of resilience and adaptability when facing unexpected disruptions in creative endeavors and Insights gained from dealing with creative setbacks.
• Thoughtful examination of celebrity culture and its pervasive influence.
• Practical tips for integrating slow living principles into everyday routines to enhance mental health and productivity.

and more....

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sarah-furuya-creative

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahfuruyacreative/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahfuruyacreative

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXsuS_yVT9fMHjhAylVy8-w

Once again, Skin in the Game is described as taking some kind of risk; in Stevens' case in service of the art, the music, the listener, the singers, and himself. In service of the third entity; the actual entity that sits with a life, between all these individual entities. And being vulnerable in the name of authenticity and in the name of creating the very best experience of the music for all the players.

Being a conductor and a composer is a special niche of humanity, yet it relates to any of us who are trying to bring things together in the service of beauty, art and muse.

You will also hear the peculiar habits of non-Japanese in Japan who pepper their language with Japanese words without a second thought and also how we tend to mix and match, forgetting our English words from time to time!

We talk about the Muses, the Greek Chorus and the concepts of time Kronos and Kyros, Kronos being the currently culturally popular time of linear time; the time of clocks and calendars; it can be quantified and measured. Kronos is linear, moving inexorably out of the determinate past towards the determined future and has no freedom. Kyros is numinous. Kyros is a time of festivals and fantasies; it cannot be controlled or possessed. Numinous means "arousing spiritual or religious emotion; mysterious or awe-inspiring"; also "supernatural" or "appealing to the aesthetic sensibility”. We muse on how the art emerges from these numinous timelines and the conditions one can create in order to nudge the muse or to find one’s way into creation. Steven tells the story of how after 7 months of being unable to finish a score, from the outdoor bath of the local onsen, a visitation had him scurry home to complete his work of art. I wonder how I or we can create these conditions for creativity to enter, or for the muse to deliver the next piece of our art.

Steven describes himself as ‘the Young Sheldon’ of music, compelled to challenge authority figures if he thought that there were teaching inaccuracies.

Steven also talks about Darma - something he studied with a Swami who coincidentally lives ten minutes from me in Zushi (I’ll chalk this up to the Ordinary Magic). This is not a popular or well-known neighborhood at all.

Back in the world of Kronos Time, Steven has done many many tens of thousands of hours of musical devotion, starting at music school, where he sang at least 7 times a week and where the academic tutors were told to never give more than 30 minutes homework to these choral students, lest their practice be interrupted. While Steven described this as ‘enlightened’ he also acknowledged there may be downsides and it put me in mind of neurodivergent folk getting accommodations in school or in work. Enlightened - bending time and rules in service of the output.

One way to lead a life is through scarcity - through the expectations of others, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but could be vexing to the Spirit. Another way to lead a life is to follow your heart, but the intuitive promotions of the heart and the other ways to lead a life is to listen to everyone else

I know that I get really creative every time I get on the train to Tokyo, sometimes even almost missing my stop as my creative mind works in Kyros, but those pesky trains run on Kronos! Rest, Water, and Transition. Creating conditions for emergence of art. Travel could be typified as the in-between time. Neither here nor there; betwixt and between. A liminal space affording the muses a channel by which to enter our consensus reality.

We talk about the technical elements of music and in addition to the physics of vibrations, the mystical, soulful, impact that these have on our sacred

Kwan Chan - what a man! He is so humble and genuine, I felt peace talking to him. He has this lovely childlike essence coupled with an absolutely mature and mindful approach-building skill and he has incredible body strength - check out his YouTube channel to see his breaking. Skills that apply not only to dance but all areas of life. It was just the conversation I needed to have. Sage wisdom from this fierce and gentle soul. And deep creativity.

I was blown away by his answer to my final question “There are many ways to lead a life - what does that mean to you?"

It’s more than enough to provide quality and value to the people you reach.

In this Podcast you will learn:

• The essence, lineage and canon of breaking and where we feel it;
• The physical manifestation of the spirit and the creative process (for him it isn’t too crazy)
• We learn a lot about the history of dance
• How your physicality can signal dignity - through amazing dance and physicality, we come to conclusions that can relate to writing and other forms of expression
• In talking about his work counselling children in London primary schools, I ask a big question of Kwan about his own reflections - his answer is not won easily but it is beautifully thought out, expressed and revealing. This work is important.

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

About Kwan

Kwan Chan was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Toronto. In September 2023, after working in Japan for seven years, Kwan moved to London, UK, to pursue a Master's degree in Dance Movement Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths, University of London. Kwan is a breaker and has been breaking for more than 17 years. Additionally, Kwan is a singer-songwriter and plays the acoustic guitar. In London, Kwan continues to train, compete, and teach breaking, remaining quite active in the local breaking scene. As a singer-songwriter, Kwan frequently performs at open mics throughout the city. Kwan also works part-time in a primary school as a school mentor, providing counselling and supporting students with their mental and emotional well-being.

Links

Apache Sugarhill Gang https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQObWW06VAM

Give it up and turn it loose James Brown https://youtu.be/921kqkHOHDo?si=u0SN1BJdKZdg42gX

Just begun Jimmy Castor https://youtu.be/WylCcdTrzS4?si=Zkv1UQ0mksWwW1s4

Connect with Kwan

Website: www.kwankchan.com/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kwankitchan/

LinkTree: www.linktr.ee/kwanchan

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kwanchan91

Connect

In this Creative Musings episode, Sarah Furuya shares her journey of dismantling old beliefs and societal norms, blending humor and insight to highlight the importance of slowing down and redefining success.

Key Highlights:

• Embracing Disobedience and Experimentation: Sarah discusses her recent hiatus for self-care, her current experiment of dismantling outdated cultural and business practices, and the importance of aligning work with personal values.
• The Challenge of Traditional Timelines: She reflects on societal pressures to follow conventional timelines, sharing her experience of breaking free while managing responsibilities like taxes and client commitments.
• Dismantling Indoctrinated Mindsets: Sarah talks about deconstructing deeply ingrained beliefs about work and productivity, influenced by menopause, ADHD, and sobriety, advocating for a sustainable approach to business.
• The Power of Vulnerability and Authenticity: Inspired by Leonie Dawson, Sarah explores balancing personal struggles and professional boundaries, emphasizing authenticity in connecting with her audience.
• Redefining Coaching and Business Practices: She critiques ableist tendencies in the coaching industry and calls for more inclusive, compassionate spaces, shifting from rigid productivity to humane work practices.
• The Long Game of Financial Sustainability: Sarah discusses the financial implications of her journey, including transparent conversations with her husband about their future, remaining optimistic about evolving her work.
• Saunter and Frolic: A New Business Philosophy: Introducing her latest venture, Saunter and Frolic, co-created with Angela Ortiz Pettas, focusing on retreats and workshops prioritizing rest, ease, and genuine connection.
• Cultural and Personal Reflections: Rich with anecdotes and reflections, Sarah draws parallels between her current work and her youth in Liverpool's alternative scene, emphasizing creative expression and community.
• Honoring Influential Voices: Paying homage to figures like Tricia Hersey and Sonia Renee Taylor, Sarah integrates their teachings on rest, resistance, and liberation into her practice.
• Manifesting Dreams and Small Beginnings: Concluding with reflections on nurturing dreams and small beginnings, Sarah envisions a future of inclusive, joyful, and sustainable living and working.

Join Sarah Furuya as she navigates the complexities of dismantling old structures, reimagining success, and creating a business and life resonating with her values.

Listen to the full episode on Creative Musings with Sarah Furuya and join the conversation on redefining success and embracing authentic living and don't forget, limited places but Join Us at the Saunter and Frolic Retreat July 26th to 28th, with Angela Ortiz Pettas.

Learn More and Register

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we’d love it if you would come and say hi over on @sarahfuruyacreative on Instagram.

Links

Connect with Sarah

LinkedIn:

In this episode, we do some serious reminiscing on the good old days when our salary automatically appeared in our account without any effort from us!

Skin in the Game to Victoria Close takes us on a time travel in the episode - into the past to Victoria’s teen business, we visit her early aspirations and how during the time she was selecting what to do. We also travel into future Victoria surrounded by artists and artisans, in a very special place and we dreamed up big, dense, thick, coffee cake that resists a knife.

The Northern British sense of humour comes through strongly in our banter and we have a good laugh at some of the more grandiose terms cooked up in our businesses. We also reminisce about our generation’s particular idiosyncrasies - how skinny jeans were something your Nan would create on a sewing machine. We also touch on GenX politics and the impact of Margaret Thatcher and a bit of working out of things around being a GenX woman with all our opportunity that was set up in the generations before us. Victoria is someone who embraces what she can handle, she is honest and humane in about being a woman is a wonderful mix of optimistic, pragmatic and hilariously cutting about toxic positivity! We laugh out loud a number of times on during this legend - it’s medicine.

Both Victoria and I come from long lines of artisans, a proud lineage whose respect got lost somewhere in the aspirational, but who are claiming their place, with out help. I would like to honour the copper etcher, the tripe seller, the master baker, the seamstress, the cafe owner, the silk weaver and the China painters of our ancestors. in the upwardly mobile aspirational class who might be proud of their fine china but would take no pride in one their own becoming such a manual worker, our paths were set to the academic. Generation by generation. We are reclaiming our magic and our lineage. Both of us are reclaiming our magic and honouring our lineage and the remarkable work of the artisans whose work got lost in the grip of economics.

We talked about the moment Victoria put her skin in the game, took the plunge, left the security of her full time teaching job and planned out how she was going to

Listen out for ‘Tales from the middle aged underwear’ where did that come from? When do we and don’t we want to PULL OUR BIG GIRL PANTS ON. And also if Marks and Spencer want to sponsor the podcast - please get in touch.

We love and honour #bromarketing

At the end Victoria shares a prompt, from #MarieForleo whose B-School we are both graduates from, and also puts a call out for something very specific that she is dreaming up - a dream I got into for her in the future. Listen out for her call - you may know or have something that could be of use. Sorry if you are a brilliant and committed manifester and watch the Secret regularly and vibrate at the same wavelength as pure gold; we are cynical, and YET, the list that she generated from that Marie Forleo prompt was made manifest. I mean she did it, but things happened.

Thank you, Victoria for sharing your Legend

Discover from Victoria

• How she spiraled her way back to her essence
• Our musings on the British class system, the loss of artisans and Northern upward mobility
• What is 100% of what you can give? What made her husband say “You’re over the wall - run for your f#$&1ng life”...
• What is your guilty camera? What is your shaming cyclops? Find out what the heck that means!
• How she approaches learning new tech and using her new camera and how she overcame her perfectionism, and became a filmmaker!
• Her take on the many ways to lead a life? (it brings her to tears).

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to