• I read “Yes, Please” by Amy Poehler in between my first and second year in college - when everything in life felt like a “no” and I began to really see the societal and cultural expectations placed on women— being raised by a single mom and as an only child, my life was very Gilmore Girls (minus all the money) and I was clueless not so much as to how the real world looked, but how it looked back at me. (For the record, I look like a bitch by society’s standards and I’ve learned to accept the fact that I am one…and I mean that in a loving, non-derogatory way.) Within the first year of college, my sense of self had been shattered through a series of unfortunate events and I lost my voice for a number of years, but “Yes Please” helped me find my way back. It still does. Every year on #InternationalWomensDay I think about how much impact that book has had on my life’s trajectory and how often I say “Yes, Please” (daily, multiple times) and how I can pay a piece of that forward. (Sometimes it’s with my time, sometimes it’s monetarily, sometimes it’s with creative energy.) It’s the end of International Women’s Day on this side of the world, but if there’s anything I hope you, my fellow fierce and strong woman, can feel more empowered in today, it’s to say “yes please” more often to whatever it is you want, or don’t want, for your life, your goals, your business. We get to decide. And that’s the beauty of “yes please.” #IWD2021
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    I read “Yes, Please” by Amy Poehler in between my first and second year in college - when everything in life felt like a “no” and I began to really see the societal and cultural expectations placed on women— being raised by a single mom and as an only child, my life was very Gilmore Girls (minus all the money) and I was clueless not so much as to how the real world looked, but how it looked back at me. (For the record, I look like a bitch by society’s standards and I’ve learned to accept the fact that I am one…and I mean that in a loving, non-derogatory way.) Within the first year of college, my sense of self had been shattered through a series of unfortunate events and I lost my voice for a number of years, but “Yes Please” helped me find my way back. It still does. Every year on #InternationalWomensDay I think about how much impact that book has had on my life’s trajectory and how often I say “Yes, Please” (daily, multiple times) and how I can pay a piece of that forward. (Sometimes it’s with my time, sometimes it’s monetarily, sometimes it’s with creative energy.) It’s the end of International Women’s Day on this side of the world, but if there’s anything I hope you, my fellow fierce and strong woman, can feel more empowered in today, it’s to say “yes please” more often to whatever it is you want, or don’t want, for your life, your goals, your business. We get to decide. And that’s the beauty of “yes please.” #IWD2021
  • Without fail, every time something major happens politically I see questions in the various entrepreneurship/business groups I’m in asking whether, as a business owner, you should address whatever is happening in the headlines or just be quiet because “business isn’t about politics.” I can only speak for myself, but what happened last week (and the last four years + the 396 years before that) wasn’t anything new or shocking, and personally, it’s also not something I view as entirely political. Yes, these atrocities are playing out on a very grand political stage, and that’s because they’re being inflamed by people who hold political office. Black lives aren’t political, they’re human. The events that have transpired in the last year have made it more clear to me than ever that values we hold in our personal lives can’t be absent from our businesses because businesses exist to serve people. I believe all people of every color, religion, nationality, gender and sex, should be treated with equal rights and equal access to those freedoms. The truth of the matter is that this has never been our reality in America. Not for Black people, immigrants, women, the list goes on. All I know to do is the work I can do within myself, serve people equitably through my business, and make an impact in the various communities I’m a part of with the time I’m granted here. I can use my voice, my right to vote for people who align with my values, and my ability to raise my son into a man who can contribute to the rebuilding of a more equitable system than the one that has existed thus far in my generation. It can be really easy to lose the forest for the trees because the healing that needs to happen won’t happen come January 20th. It’s going to take generations, but until enough people can acknowledge, accept, and take action toward changing the bigger picture, our “history” will continue to be our present reality. My bottom line is that there's never a wrong time to stand up for what's right, and when it comes to my business, people will always be put before and over profits. So if you feel it on your heart, make your voice heard.
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    Without fail, every time something major happens politically I see questions in the various entrepreneurship/business groups I’m in asking whether, as a business owner, you should address whatever is happening in the headlines or just be quiet because “business isn’t about politics.” I can only speak for myself, but what happened last week (and the last four years + the 396 years before that) wasn’t anything new or shocking, and personally, it’s also not something I view as entirely political. Yes, these atrocities are playing out on a very grand political stage, and that’s because they’re being inflamed by people who hold political office. Black lives aren’t political, they’re human. The events that have transpired in the last year have made it more clear to me than ever that values we hold in our personal lives can’t be absent from our businesses because businesses exist to serve people. I believe all people of every color, religion, nationality, gender and sex, should be treated with equal rights and equal access to those freedoms. The truth of the matter is that this has never been our reality in America. Not for Black people, immigrants, women, the list goes on. All I know to do is the work I can do within myself, serve people equitably through my business, and make an impact in the various communities I’m a part of with the time I’m granted here. I can use my voice, my right to vote for people who align with my values, and my ability to raise my son into a man who can contribute to the rebuilding of a more equitable system than the one that has existed thus far in my generation. It can be really easy to lose the forest for the trees because the healing that needs to happen won’t happen come January 20th. It’s going to take generations, but until enough people can acknowledge, accept, and take action toward changing the bigger picture, our “history” will continue to be our present reality. My bottom line is that there's never a wrong time to stand up for what's right, and when it comes to my business, people will always be put before and over profits. So if you feel it on your heart, make your voice heard.
  • The brightest and biggest rainbow I’ve ever seen. A promise of love and symbol of faith. A heartwarming thing to behold on the eve of a new year following one of the toughest we could all collectively experience in a lifetime. ✨ I don’t normally view January 1 as a particularly momentous day, but this is a fresh start I’m very much looking forward to. Wishing you love, light and joy as we cross into 2021. ✨💖🌈
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    The brightest and biggest rainbow I’ve ever seen. A promise of love and symbol of faith. A heartwarming thing to behold on the eve of a new year following one of the toughest we could all collectively experience in a lifetime. ✨ I don’t normally view January 1 as a particularly momentous day, but this is a fresh start I’m very much looking forward to. Wishing you love, light and joy as we cross into 2021. ✨💖🌈
  • A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. ✨ It’s already Christmas Day here in Japan, so wishing you a very Merry Christmas and happy everything.
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    A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. ✨ It’s already Christmas Day here in Japan, so wishing you a very Merry Christmas and happy everything.