Episode 98: Lia Camargo, Global Business Manager for Fermata Inc., joins the podcast to talk about the company's three-day Femtech conference in Tokyo which centers on women's health and wellness. This women’s health innovation conference, titled Femtech Fes! 2021 , is the first in Asia at this scale with a specific focus on emerging companies, showcasing the latest developments in direct-to-consumer products and medical devices that aim to improve the health conditions of women in various stage...
Oct 13, 2021•39 min•Ep. 147
Episode 97: In this episode, we feature Yuuki Nakao and Mahi Patki of WomEnpowered International (WE Int.). Yuuki, Co-founder of WE Int., and member Mahi, talk to us about the following: The mission and vision of WE Int. Their affiliation with University of Tokyo Awareness of gender disparity in Japan The group's bottom-up management style We Int.'s six-part event series on menstruation (virtual) This episode is sponsored by Code Chrysalis - change your life and learn how to code ! Learn more at...
Apr 15, 2021•51 min•Ep. 146
Episode 96: Kani Munidasa is CEO & Co-Founder of Code Chrysalis. Along with CTO & Co-Founder, Yan Fan, the pair founded this startup with a mission to not only change the way Japan trains software engineers, but to help people acquire the necessary soft skills (or what they call “success skills”) to be leaders in their respective careers. We discuss the following: The need for more software engineers in Japan Challenges of founding a startup in Japan Code Chrysalis courses and admission ...
Apr 07, 2021•42 min•Ep. 145
Episode 95: Yuna Maekawa is founder and CEO of kelluna. which is a fitness apparel made in Sri Lanka for Japanese women. Yuna shares the brand's story and how it bridges two cultures with a foundation of self-love. We discuss the following: The women of Sri Lanka who inspired her to launch a fitness apparel Beauty standards in Japan and the power of self-love Her personal struggles with her body and weight Adapting to Sri Lankan culture The future of kelluna. This episode is sponsored by Code Ch...
Jan 27, 2021•40 sec•Ep. 144
Episode 94: Dr. Jackie F. Steele (PhD) is a trilingual political scientist, author, and CEO & founder of consulting firm Enjoi D&I Consulting . In her practitioner-consultant role, she supports seniors leaders in Japan with high level D&I (Diversity and Innovation) business strategies on diverse talent mobilization and cutting edge corporate policy designs that drive innovation, competitive edge and inclusive corporate cultures. In this episode, we discuss the following: Enjoi D&...
Jan 13, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 143
Episode 93: Menya Hinga is Founder & CEO of MH Health Coaching and Co-Founder of SOGO Fitness and Co-Fit Movement. After 18 months of working as an English teaching assistant in Nagoya, Japan, Menya moved to Tokyo and transitioned to a career in fitness. In this episode, we chat about Menya co-founding one of the biggest fitness communities in Tokyo, and his passion to help people from all over the world learn the skills and develop the habits necessary to achieve their fitness goals and cre...
Dec 15, 2020•40 sec•Ep. 142
Episode 92: Amina Sugimoto is co-founder and CEO of fermata, Inc. Amina leads a community and start-up support ecosystem aimed to accelerate the access to knowledge and technologies developed for diversifying and liberating women's wellness. In this episode, we delve into the following topics: fermata's vision/mission Taboos related to women's health An emerging, global Femtech market Growing up in Tanzania/being educated abroad Health policy in Japan fermata's future goals & new store in To...
Dec 01, 2020•37 min•Ep. 141
Episode 91: Married couple, Henry Moreland Seals and Sasha Lee Hague-Seals, met in Tokyo and are longtime residents of Japan. Henry is a HR professional and recently became the first foreign-born member of the Human Rights Commission in Nagareyama city. Sasha's home-based food company, Yumm Cupcakery, makes cupcakes, cakes, cookies and now cake mix products that you can easily enjoy with your family. In this episode, we learn how these two lovebirds met and all about their love for helping other...
Nov 18, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 140
Episode 90: Quynh Trang Ho Thi (Campus Director) and Emoh Justina (Trainers and Judges Coordinator) serve on the Hult Prize Organization Committee at Waseda University. The Hult Prize is an annual and global student competition with a focus on social entreprenuership and social impact. This year's theme is "Food For Good." In this episode, Trang and Justina talk about their upcoming event for the 2021 Hult Prize Challenge. Trang and Justina also tell us why they decided to study in Japan and wha...
Nov 04, 2020•27 min•Ep. 139
Episode 89: Singer Crystal Kay released her debut single "Eternal Memories" at 13 years old and went on to make nine top-10 albums (including compilations) over the span of two decades. July of this year marked her 21st Anniversary in the music industry and Crystal joins us on Tokyo Speaks to talk about her life and career, as well as her goals going forward. We discuss the following topics: Starting her music career at 13 years old Collaborations with Japanese Hip Hop group, M-Flo Pursuing a mu...
Oct 22, 2020•38 sec•Ep. 138
Episode 88: Angela Ortiz is the founder of the volunteer-led nonprofit, Place to Grow, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Senior Manager at Adidas Japan. In this episode, we discuss the following topics with Angela: Growing up in Japan's countryside as a Colombian-American with her parents and 10 siblings Becoming a mother at 19 years old Finding impetus in the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011. Pursuing a career in social impact Creating her nonpr...
Oct 06, 2020•56 min•Ep. 137
Episode 87: In 2016, Arthell Isom and his twin brother, Darnell Isom, founded D'ART Shtajio Inc. - the first foreign-owned anime studio in Japan. Arthell and his studio has worked on projects for Netflix, Grammy Award-winning music artist, The Weeknd, and was recently featured in Pharrell and Jay-Z's "Entrepreneur" music video. In this episode we discuss the following topics: Arthell's love for illustration and background painting for anime Studying at the Academy of Arts University in San Franc...
Sep 22, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 136
Episode 86: Sibyl Kane (lawyer), Christopher Key (engineer), and Elisa Ovalles (student) share their personal stories of how they were affected by Japan's COVID-19 travel ban. [Follow Elisa Ovalles] @simplekyotolife Read Trapped in Japan by Elisa Ovalles This episode is sponsored by Code Chrysalis - change your life and learn how to code ! [Support via Ko-fi] https://ko-fi.com/tokyospeaks...
Sep 01, 2020•55 min•Ep. 86
Episode 85: Sierra Todd and Jaime Smith are organizers of the Black Lives Matter Tokyo Peaceful March. On June 14, 2020, Sierra and Jaime—along with the rest of their team—put on Tokyo's largest Black Lives Matter event, which drew more than 2,000 attendees. In this episode, we discuss the follow topics: How Black Lives Matter Tokyo started Preparing for the peaceful march Post-march reflections (challenges and lessons learned) Sierra and Jaime's backgrounds Being Black and Queer [Follow Black L...
Jul 14, 2020•22 sec•Ep. 127
Episode 84: Marina Yoshimura is the Founder and President of PERIOD@Tokyo , which is a chapter of the parent organization PERIOD . In this episode, Marina tells us why she decided to start a chapter of PERIOD in Japan. We'll also discuss various aspects of menstruation (periods) such as deep-rooted stigma, education, health, first-time experiences, and accessibility of period products. Guest host, Chalice Davis (also known as singer/songwriter Afrodyty ), gives this episode another level of dept...
Jun 30, 2020•1 min•Ep. 113
Episode 83: Steffie Harner is a Software Engineer at Code Chrysalis; Co-Founder of Startup Lady Japan; and Cyberpunk content creator/influencer. Steffie came to Japan simply to fulfill her childhood dreams, but a series of events led her to co-founding a nonprofit organization for female entrepreneurs and a new career in software engineering. In this episode, we chat with Steffie about the following: Co-founding Startup Lady Japan Becoming a software engineer Her life and career in Silicon Valle...
Jun 16, 2020•22 sec•Ep. 109
Episode 82: Returning guests, Robin Lewis, Kayoko Hirano, and Yan Fan, join Tokyo Speaks remotely to talk about how they're adjusting to this new reality caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Although we all are dealing with a global pandemic that has impacted every aspect of our lives, Robin, Kayako, and Yan share some ways that we can still be productive, healthy, and helpful to others in their time of need. Read these helpful blog posts by Robin, Kayoko, and Yan on Medium: 10 Ways to Support ...
Apr 18, 2020•38 min•Ep. 102
Episode 81: Amber Chook is Co-founder of Zebra Global and Founder of TEDxRoppongi (an independently-organized TEDx event in Tokyo). Amber moved to Mie, Japan from Harbin, China at the age of 15, and she was placed in a high school that had low expectations for its graduates. Instead of following the standard path for women in the area, getting married and becoming a housewife, Amber pushed aside her high school responsibilities and religiously studied English on her own; then eventually pursued ...
Apr 07, 2020•37 min•Ep. 99
Episode 80: The featured guests are Machine Learning Tokyo (MLT) members Suzana Ilić (co-founder), Dimitris Katsios, and Asir Saeed. MLT is a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization dedicated to democratizing Machine Learning (ML). They are a team of engineers and researchers--now with a community of 5,000 people--and the winner of the Rakuten Technology & Innovation Silver Award 2019. In this episode, we discuss the following topics: What is Machine Learning What kind of knowledge base is needed...
Mar 24, 2020•32 min•Ep. 98
Episode 79: Ebony Norwood-Brown and Barbara Kobayashi are teachers and moms residing in Tokyo. This episode is all about their experiences of motherhood - more specifically, motherhood from the perspective of two foreign (American) women. We discuss topics such as: Prenatal care in Japan Family/spousal relationships Work-life balance Japanese traditions related to pregnancy and birth Raising biracial and multiracial kids in a homogenous society [Resource] Tokyo Mothers Group [Special thanks] Mon...
Mar 10, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 82
Episode 78: This is more of an announcement than the usual guest-featured chat about life in Japan. Raw Urban Mobile Podcast has been rebranded to the name Tokyo Speaks. In this short episode, Cliff explains how this podcast got started and why the name changed. This podcast will resume its regular episode schedule--every other Tuesday--on Tuesday, March 10th. Episode length: 7 minutes. [Special thanks] Graphic Designer Jenn Piatkowski . Jennifer is the designer of the Tokyo Speaks logo. [Music ...
Mar 07, 2020•7 min•Ep. 81
Episode 77: Madeleine Abdel-Jalil Umewaka is author of the book and autobiography The Noh Master’s Wife: A Journey From Lebanon to Japan. In this episode, Madeleine shares her experience of leaving her home country during the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), and integrating into Japanese culture, as well as the close-knit society of Noh theatre. Madeleine details what it was like being married to Japanese Noh actor, Naohiko Umewaka, who comes from a prestigious six hundred year-o...
Feb 22, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Episode 76: Sachiko Ishikawa is a project manager in the video game industry. She is also an intersectional feminist, who speaks out about issues concerning women in society. In this episode, we chat with Sachiko about a monthly protest in Japan called the Flower Demo. She shares her own personal experience of sexual assault and explains three conditions of sexual consent. [Episode length: 52 minutes] Join the next Flower Demo in Tokyo on Tuesday evening, February 11 at Tokyo Station. Click here...
Feb 04, 2020•52 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Episode 75: Kayoko Hirano is a certified obesity prevention health coach and founder of YakuZen Therapy. After returning to Japan from New York, where she held a corporate job for 6 years, Kayoko experienced weight fluctuation for years; that led her to develop her own weight loss protocol. She then deepened her knowledge at the Japan Obesity Prevention Society Institute. In this episode, we chat with Kayoko about the concept of yakuzen (food therapy), misconceptions about Japanese food, and her...
Jan 21, 2020•56 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Episode 74: Erika Bulach and Fahreen Budhwani met in 2018 while attending Sophia University in Tokyo. After realizing they shared similar interests, Erika and Fahreen teamed up and created the Super Smash Hoes Podcast. On the podcast they discuss societal issues concerning gender inequality, women's rights, feminism, the LGBTQ+ community and more; in the context of Japanese society. In this episode, Erika, who was raised in Japan, shares her experiences with sexual harassment and assault. We als...
Jan 07, 2020•58 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Episode 73: We celebrate our podcast anniversaries with our pod brothers Mega and Late of the Mega Late Show . At the heart of both podcasts is a focus on the international community in the Greater Tokyo Area. In the last episode of 2019, we recap this year's highlights and recognize many of the awesome guests we featured on our respective podcasts. Learn about some of the talented folks in entertainment and music production, plus leaders in technology, marketing/advertising, and environmental a...
Dec 25, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Episode 72: Ed Thompson is a marketing consultant active in Japan and Asia-Pacific, who started his own Tokyo-based company in 2000 called Concept Design. Ed is frequently called upon by global executives to assist them with coaching and training programs to build stronger teams that can compete in global markets. He's also a lead lecturer in continuing education programs at Temple University and New York University (Japan campuses) targeting working professionals in Tokyo. In this episode, Ed s...
Dec 18, 2019•57 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Episode 71 (Part 2 of 2): This episode is a continuation from Episode 70 featuring Ghanaian-Japanese brothers, Sena and Pele Voncujovi. In this episode, Sena (a Vodu priest) and Pele (a Vodu practitioner) give us insights into the West African spiritual and herbal practice of Vodu (also spelled Voodoo or Vodun). The influence of Christianity and Islam in the African continent has long been apparent. Subsequently, Vodu has been demonized globally. Many Ghanaians and other West Africans have denou...
Dec 10, 2019•36 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Episode 70 (Part 1 of 2): Sena and Pele Voncujovi are Ghanaian-Japanese brothers, who relocated to Japan from their home country of Ghana. Sena is a Career Development Coordinator at Ashinaga and Pele is a Marketing Analyst at Rakuten Mobile. Both Sena and Pele, along with Oulimata Gueye, are co-founders of the group and community event called Jaspora. Jaspora aims to facilitate networking, learning and collaborating among people of the African diaspora (as well as their allies) with the purpose...
Dec 03, 2019•28 min•Season 1Ep. 73
Episode 69: Robin Lewis and Mariko McTier are co-founders of MyMizu, Japan's first free water refill app. In this episode, we chat with Robin and Mariko about Japan's excessive use of PET bottles and learn how the MyMizu app is one simple step to help tackle a major environmental issue for Japan and many other countries. [Raw Urban Mobile Podcast rebranded to Tokyo Speaks Podcast on Mar 7, 2020] [Guests' Social Links] mymizu app: iOS version | Android version Follow mymizu - Website | Facebook |...
Nov 26, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 72
