CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that interviews people who grew up in or are currently in multicultural environments. It focuses on how they consider life’s big questions, like where to be based, how to build their careers, and who to spend their lives with.
It is hosted and managed by Shiori Okazaki, who grew up going back and forth between the United States and Japan. She is an interpreter based in Washington, DC.
Website: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/
Ep. 20: "A Different Normal" - with ethnic studies scholar Curtiss Takada Rooks
In Episode 20, we welcome Curtiss Takada Rooks, a critical race and ethnic studies scholar in Asian and Asian American Studies at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). He teaches courses in multiracial identity, contemporary issues in APIA (Asian Pacific Islander American) communities, and systems thinking. He is also a Senior Research Associate in the LMU Psychology Applied Research Center and directs LMU’s Kakehashi TOMODACHI Inouye Scholar Program in international leadership. Dr. Takada Rooks’s scholarship spans transpacific identity; diversity, equity, and inclusion; global Nikkei identity; chronic disease, wellness, health disparities; and civic engagement in BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities. He has also been called on to speak at numerous public education forums addressing Asian Black Kinship & Solidarity, anti-Blackness, anti-Asian violence and the intersectionality of Black-Japanese mixed identity.
We discuss Curtiss's upbringing as the child of an African American father and native Japanese mother; his childhood and teenage years living in Okinawa with other U.S. military families and all over the United States, including some areas that remained segregated; how he maintained close ties to Japan through his mother and study abroad in Tokyo; and how he and his peers began to explore mixed race and ethnic studies as an academic field. We also discuss the importance of defining and naming our own identity; how words like "Black" and hafu have transitioned over time; how to teach the next generation of leaders or encourage mixed kids; and how those of us who have multiple identities can find our community of supporters. Curtiss's insight that comes from both personal experience and academic expertise, positive energy, and wonderful words of wisdom are sure to inspire many.
For more information on Curtiss, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode20-curtiss/ (https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode20-curtiss/).
CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.
29 Apr 2026
Ep. 19: "Determined to Build Confidence" - with coach & communications expert Kuriko Wong
In Episode 19, we welcome Kuriko Wong, a certified coach and the founder of Confidently Clear (https://www.confidentlyclear.com/) (a coaching practice helping leaders and mid-career professionals clarify their vision and take confident action toward their own definition of success). With her 20-year international career in public relations and communications at some of the world’s biggest corporations, she has worked with dozens of global professionals to find new perspectives, meaning and progress in their work and life. Kuriko is also a yoga instructor, social science aficionado, perpetual language learner, and active cyclist. She is based in Houston, Texas.
We discuss Kuriko's upbringing in Japan and how she became determined to study abroad; how she spent a year in high school in Upstate New York and participated in as many extracurricular activities as possible; why she chose to attend college in Houston; her career in communications that spans an amusement park, a major PR agency, and large global consulting companies; why she decided to pivot to coaching; and why she is so passionate about bringing out her clients' strengths and confidence. She is full of energy, and this interview is sure to motivate listeners to leave their comfort zone and try their hand at something new. Her advice on how to build confidence is inspirational but also practical, with steps that can be followed immediately.
For more information on Kuriko, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode19-kuriko/ (https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode19-kuriko/).
CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.
1 Mar 2026
Ep. 18: "Be an Actor, Not a Bridge" - with Japanese American leader & philanthropist Glen S. Fukushima
In Episode 18, we welcome Glen S. Fukushima, a bilingual and bicultural Sansei (third-generation American of Japanese ancestry) raised in the United States and Japan. He is a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Vice Chair of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. His previous roles include serving as Director for Japanese Affairs and Deputy Assistant USTR for Japan and China at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, a senior business executive for five multinational corporations, and President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Long active in the Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese American National Museum, and the U.S.-Japan Council, he is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the Global Council of the Asia Society as well as co-founder of the Asia Society Japan Center. He is a philanthropist to music, art, film, and education, especially programs promoting U.S.-Japan ties.
We discuss Glen's upbringing as a Japanese American growing up in postwar Japan and California; the many different types of Japanese Americans; how he has supported U.S.-Japan relations through his many roles in government, business, and think tanks; and his philanthropy and support for education and the arts. The anecdotes of his friendship with other well known leaders will likely delight those who've followed the trajectory of U.S.-Japan relations. His advice on building an expertise and the way he embraces his unique identity will surely inspire many.
For more information on Glen, please see photos (and the episode transcript) here: https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode18-glen/ (https://crossworld-puzzles.com/episode18-glen/).
CrossWorld Puzzles is a podcast that explores how multicultural individuals consider life’s big questions, such as where to be based, how to build their career, who to spend their life with, etc.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
1,541
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 24 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
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