How can we find meaning in today’s workplace?
In this episode of the Ikigai Podcast, Nick Kemp speaks with Tina Bagwell to explore how meaning, identity, and belonging are reshaping modern work and what it means to build a more human-centered professional life.
Podcast Highlights
- A foundation of intentional living. Tina shares how living in Okinawa helped shape her commitment to living with intention.
- Rediscovering authentic ikigai. Tina shares how she gained a deeper understanding of the ikigai concept.
- The engagement crisis. Tina explores why so many employees feel disengaged and the deeper challenges driving this struggle.
- Reclaiming identity beyond the job title. Tina talks about how people can balance their roles in a healthy way.
- Ikigai in practice. Tina discusses how ikigai can be a daily practice.
- The future of work. Tina talks about a human-centered approach to work.
Tina Bagwell
Tina Bagwell is a bespoke coach, aligning individuals, leaders, and teams into the zone of their genius. Her life’s work and legacy are to bring depth into the business world and beyond.
She is committed to supporting the next generation of HR and people leaders in embracing their responsibility, not just to manage talent, but to cultivate meaning.
As an Ikigai coach, she helps others discover not only their ikigai, but their ibasho, a place where they truly belong.
LINKS:
A foundation of intentional living
Tina’s connection to Japan began in her teenage years when she lived in Okinawa with her U.S. military family. What first felt like just another overseas move turned into a life-shaping experience. Surrounded by traditional homes, sugar cane fields, and a slower way of living, she absorbed values that would later influence her coaching work.
At the time, she didn’t fully realize the impact. But looking back, she can see how living in Okinawa shaped her commitment to living with intention, contributing to her community, and choosing positivity. It also deepened her understanding of ikigai, not as a popular Venn diagram idea, but as a meaningful philosophy rooted in Japanese culture.
Rediscovering authentic ikigai
Tina was drawn to Nick’s ikigai coaching program because it goes beyond the popular Western Venn diagram model often linked to Marc Winn. Having lived in Japan, she felt that ikigai was much deeper than a simple formula about passion and making money.
She was especially inspired by the work of Mieko Kamiya, who identified seven psychological needs that support a meaningful life. For Tina, ikigai is not something you apply like a tool or strategy. It is something you reconnect with and remember within yourself.
“Ikigai is not a framework to be implemented. It is a way of remembering who you are.” - Tina Bagwell
The engagement crisis
In today’s fast-changing and uncertain world, many employees feel disengaged, not because they lack tools or support, but because they are unclear about their values and sense of purpose.
“Employees are struggling not because they lack resources, but because they lack clarity around their values, beliefs, and sense of purpose.” - Nicholas Kemp
Tina sees this across all generations, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. Unlike older generations who often followed straight career paths, younger professionals want creativity, flexibility, and balance. They question strict corporate systems and want work that matches their personal values.
The past five years of global disruption have made this shift even stronger. People are no longer satisfied with just earning a paycheck. They want flexibility, authenticity, and work that feels meaningful.
Tina believes engagement is not created by forcing people back into the office or adding more meetings. True engagement happens when people feel seen, valued, and connected to what truly motivates them.
Reclaiming identity beyond the job title
“People tend to choose their work role as their identity, which is why they're miserable.” - Tina Bagwell
One powerful idea Tina uses in her coaching is “rolefulness,” a concept explored by Daiki Kato. Many people unknowingly tie their identity only to their job. When work becomes their whole identity, it often leads to burnout and feeling disconnected.
Rolefulness encourages people to see all the roles they have, such as parent, friend, community member, creator, or caregiver, and to balance them in a healthy way.
Tina sees this clearly with women leaders, who often carry many caregiving responsibilities. Through ikigai coaching, they start asking important questions: Am I doing too much for others? Have I forgotten myself? What would better balance look like?
When people stop defining themselves only by their job and embrace all parts of who they are, something changes. Work becomes just one meaningful part of their life, not their entire identity.
Ikigai in practice
For Tina, ikigai is a daily practice. Inspired by Kamiya’s framework, she regularly reflects on whether she has met at least one of the seven needs each day, through connection, growth, authenticity, or satisfaction.
The need for life satisfaction is especially important to her. She asks herself simple questions: Did I have a meaningful conversation? Did I help someone? Did I do something that felt worthwhile?
Even small moments, sharing a meal, listening carefully, or being present for someone, can be expressions of ikigai.
She also brings these ideas into her volunteer work at a women’s center. Using tools like the ikigai-9, she helps women discover the hidden values influencing their career choices. For Tina, awareness is the first step toward living in alignment.The future of work
Tina believes we are moving away from what she calls an “empire mindset,” which focuses only on productivity and profit. Instead, she sees a shift toward a more thoughtful and human-centered approach to work.
This doesn’t mean giving up ambition. It means changing how we define success. Instead of asking, “How much did I produce?” we begin asking, “Am I living and working in a way that feels true to who I am?”
She imagines workplaces where people feel a real sense of belonging, what in Japan is called ibasho, meaning a place where you feel at home. In this kind of environment, inclusion is not just a policy, it is part of everyday culture.
Leaders who ignore this shift may struggle to keep talent. Those who embrace it can build workplaces where people truly thrive.
Conclusion
As the workplace continues to change, one thing stays the same: meaning matters. Those who focus on meaning, for themselves and others, can help create a more human and fulfilling future of work.