My guest today is Ken Mogi, a Japanese neuroscientist, a senior researcher at Sony Computer Science Laboratories and a visiting professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He has written over 100 books – yes 100 – in Japanese on topics as diverse as brain science philosophy, history, art, education, and linguistics. 

Ken is known as a rock star neuroscientist in Japan and it’s easy to see why, as he’s a super-cool, super-smart guy. He recently released his first book in English, titled Ikigai, which translates as ‘A reason to live’ and today, we discuss how to find you Ikigai.  

You can buy his excellent Ikigai book here.

My guest today is Ken Mogi, a Japanese neuroscientist, a senior researcher at <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sony_Computer_Science_Laboratories&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1'>Sony Computer Science Laboratories</a> and a visiting professor at the <a href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Institute_of_Technology'>Tokyo Institute of Technology</a>. He has written over 100 books – yes 100 – in Japanese on topics as diverse as brain science philosophy, history, art, education, and linguistics. Ken is known as a rock star neuroscientist in Japan and it’s easy to see why, as he’s a super-cool, super-smart guy. He recently released his first book in English, titled Ikigai, which translates as ‘A reason to live’ and today, we discuss how to find you Ikigai.  You can <a href='https://www.booktopia.com.au/awakening-your-ikigai-ken-mogi/book/9781615194759.html'>buy his excellent Ikigai book here</a>.

Host Dr Paul Taylor, a Psychophysiologist, Neuroscientist, Exercise Scientist, and Nutritionist interviews experts from around the world on cutting edge research and practices related to improving hardiness in your mind, body and brain to become your best self.

Host Dr Paul Taylor, a Psychophysiologist, Neuroscientist, Exercise Scientist, and Nutritionist interviews experts from around the world on cutting edge research and practices related to improving hardiness in your mind, body and brain to become your best self.

Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor

Host Dr Paul Taylor, a Psychophysiologist, Neuroscientist, Exercise Scientist, and Nutritionist interviews experts from around the world on cutting edge research and practices related to improving hardiness in your mind, body and brain to become your best self. 

Host Dr Paul Taylor, a Psychophysiologist, Neuroscientist, Exercise Scientist, and Nutritionist interviews experts from around the world on cutting edge research and practices related to improving hardiness in your mind, body and brain to become your best self.&nbsp;

Finding Your Ikigai with the Japanese Rock-star Neuroscientist, Ken Mogi

Vaping is the new smoking - in more ways than one! Wisdom Wednesdays

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/855bbdd9-bace-4196-b928-b43300918d5c/transcript

You know that feeling when your mind just won’t let something go?

You go over it…
you talk about it…
you try to figure it out…

But instead of getting clarity, you just feel more stuck.

In this episode, Carly explores the concept of toraware from Japanese psychology — a state where your mind becomes caught in a loop of overthinking — and how this can quietly narrow your life.

She also unpacks co-rumination, and how group chats and even social media can keep you stuck on that same mental roundabout.

You’ll walk away with a simple, practical way to shift your attention and move forward — even when nothing feels resolved.

Carly is a counsellor and coach who specialises in building psychological hardiness — the ability to navigate challenge, stay engaged, and take action under pressure. Her work integrates modern psychology with Japanese approaches like Morita Therapy, focusing on helping people live meaningful lives without needing to control their thoughts or emotions.

You know that feeling when your mind just won&rsquo;t let something go?
You go over it&hellip; you talk about it&hellip; you try to figure it out&hellip;
But instead of getting clarity, you just feel more stuck.
In this episode, Carly explores the concept of toraware from Japanese psychology &mdash; a state where your mind becomes caught in a loop of overthinking &mdash; and how this can quietly narrow your life.
She also unpacks co-rumination, and how group chats and even social media can keep you stuck on that same mental roundabout.
You&rsquo;ll walk away with a simple, practical way to shift your attention and move forward &mdash; even when nothing feels resolved.
Carly is a counsellor and coach who specialises in building psychological hardiness &mdash; the ability to navigate challenge, stay engaged, and take action under pressure. Her work integrates modern psychology with Japanese approaches like Morita Therapy, focusing on helping people live meaningful lives without needing to control their thoughts or emotions.

Stuck On the Roundabout: Why Overthinking Keeps You Stuck and How to Get Moving Again

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/68724714-b89f-48ca-ab4d-b43100324eab/transcript

Most healthcare systems have underestimated the power of data—until now. Naval Roy reveals how he's building the world's largest, most sophisticated mental health and neurodegeneration database to revolutionise diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.   

In this episode, discover how decades of hidden healthcare data can be transformed into a cutting-edge infrastructure that accelerates breakthroughs in neuroscience. Nawal shares the story of acquiring a 20-year, half-a-million patient database from Duke University—an investment of over $70 million and years of relentless engineering. This data refinery is now shaping the future of personalised medicine, enabling real-world evidence, predictive analytics, and AI-driven interventions at scale.

The stakes are enormous: mental health and neurodegenerative diseases cost trillions, yet current approaches are hamstrung by outdated models rooted in philosophy and fragmented data architectures. Nawal emphasises the importance of moving beyond the 'sick care' paradigm to proactive healthspan extension and prevention—using data to predict, prevent, and personalise care long before symptoms appear.

Key Takeaways
Data-driven healthcare accelerates discovery by transforming entire sectors from opinion-based to evidence-based decision making.
The true value of healthcare data lies in its ability to inform early intervention and prevention, not just treatment.
Philosophical assumptions like Descartes’ mind-body dualism distort current biomedical models, enforcing unnecessary specialization and separation.
The complexity of mental health and neurodegenerative disorders requires cross-disciplinary, AI-enabled modelling of multifactorial data.
Building extensive, high-quality datasets is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar endeavour that demands patience, capital, and relentless focus on data curation.
Democratising access to large healthcare data accelerates research and innovation by empowering a broad base of scientists, clinicians, and entrepreneurs.
The biggest business opportunities in healthcare data are generated when multiple stakeholders—pharma, payers, governments—interact on shared, verified assets.

 

03:02: The Data Gap in Healthcare: Mental Health and Neurodegeneration

05:54: Philosophical Perspectives: Mind-Body Dualism and Healthcare

09:01: The Shift from Sick Care to Preventive Care

12:02: Building a Data Infrastructure: The Journey of Holmosk

14:59: Funding and Scaling: The Business Model Behind Holmosk

18:02: Real-World Evidence: Understanding Patient Behaviour

21:10: Data Curation: The Key to Unlocking Healthcare Insights

27:22: Building Trust in Data Quality

28:38: Querying for Insights: The NeuroBlue Platform

29:46: Democratizing Access to Data

30:11: Identifying Key Customers and Market Dynamics

34:51: Understanding Pain Points in Mental Health

39:37: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

40:59: Neurodegenerative Diseases: Challenges and Opportunities

42:22: Leveraging AI for Healthcare Solutions

46:30: Future Directions: Comorbidity and AI Interventions

50:22: The Infinite Potential of Mental Health Solutions

 

Resources

https://www.holmusk.com/

https://www.nawalroy.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawalroy/

 

Support the Podcast

If you found this conversation valuable, consider subscribing and leaving a review on your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue to bring you insightful discussions on important health topics.

Most healthcare systems have underestimated the power of data&mdash;until now. Naval Roy reveals how he's building the world's largest, most sophisticated mental health and neurodegeneration database to revolutionise diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. &nbsp;&nbsp;
In this episode, discover how decades of hidden healthcare data can be transformed into a cutting-edge infrastructure that accelerates breakthroughs in neuroscience. Nawal shares the story of acquiring a 20-year, half-a-million patient database from Duke University&mdash;an investment of over $70 million and years of relentless engineering. This data refinery is now shaping the future of personalised medicine, enabling real-world evidence, predictive analytics, and AI-driven interventions at scale.
The stakes are enormous: mental health and neurodegenerative diseases cost trillions, yet current approaches are hamstrung by outdated models rooted in philosophy and fragmented data architectures. Nawal emphasises the importance of moving beyond the 'sick care' paradigm to proactive healthspan extension and prevention&mdash;using data to predict, prevent, and personalise care long before symptoms appear.
Key Takeaways
<ul>
<li>Data-driven healthcare accelerates discovery by transforming entire sectors from opinion-based to evidence-based decision making.</li>
<li>The true value of healthcare data lies in its ability to inform early intervention and prevention, not just treatment.</li>
<li>Philosophical assumptions like Descartes&rsquo; mind-body dualism distort current biomedical models, enforcing unnecessary specialization and separation.</li>
<li>The complexity of mental health and neurodegenerative disorders requires cross-disciplinary, AI-enabled modelling of multifactorial data.</li>
<li>Building extensive, high-quality datasets is a multi-year, multi-million-dollar endeavour that demands patience, capital, and relentless focus on data curation.</li>
<li>Democratising access to large healthcare data accelerates research and innovation by empowering a broad base of scientists, clinicians, and entrepreneurs.</li>
<li>The biggest business opportunities in healthcare data are generated when multiple stakeholders&mdash;pharma, payers, governments&mdash;interact on shared, verified assets.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
03:02: The Data Gap in Healthcare: Mental Health and Neurodegeneration
05:54: Philosophical Perspectives: Mind-Body Dualism and Healthcare
09:01: The Shift from Sick Care to Preventive Care
12:02: Building a Data Infrastructure: The Journey of Holmosk
14:59: Funding and Scaling: The Business Model Behind Holmosk
18:02: Real-World Evidence: Understanding Patient Behaviour
21:10: Data Curation: The Key to Unlocking Healthcare Insights
27:22: Building Trust in Data Quality
28:38: Querying for Insights: The NeuroBlue Platform
29:46: Democratizing Access to Data
30:11: Identifying Key Customers and Market Dynamics
34:51: Understanding Pain Points in Mental Health
39:37: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
40:59: Neurodegenerative Diseases: Challenges and Opportunities
42:22: Leveraging AI for Healthcare Solutions
46:30: Future Directions: Comorbidity and AI Interventions
50:22: The Infinite Potential of Mental Health Solutions
&nbsp;
Resources
<a href="https://www.holmusk.com/">https://www.holmusk.com/</a>
<a href="https://www.nawalroy.com/">https://www.nawalroy.com/</a>
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawalroy/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/nawalroy/</a>
&nbsp;
Support the Podcast
If you found this conversation valuable, consider subscribing and leaving a review on your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback helps us continue to bring you insightful discussions on important health topics.

How Data-Driven Healthcare Could Revolutionise Mental Health and Neurodegeneration with Nawal Roy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/2fb3740d-3436-44af-8cc0-a91900716aa5/clips/30ecfa14-d156-4282-ac04-b42e00b8a35e/transcript

Finding Your Ikigai with the Japanese Rock-star Neuroscientist, Ken Mogi

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Hardiness with Dr Paul Taylor

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