Diversity Rocks Innovation

Finding your own way in a country like Japan is certainly no easy task and my guest on Diversity rocks Innovation! Vol. 9, Tia Haygood, has certainly done just that. Tia grew up code-switching daily as she navigated her life in a mostly black neighborhood and her mostly white school in the United States. Now she runs an incredibly busy photography business and she tells us how she empowers her clients to create beautiful photos. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Growing up in America and overcoming systemic racism 
• Code-switching in an American and Japanese context
• How Tia came to be in Japan and why she has chosen to stay here
• Why the job of a photographer is to empower clients as well as take great photos

About Tia Haygood 

Tia Haygood is an English & Japanese-speaking photographer living in Tokyo, Japan. She enjoys photographing the urban characteristics of Tokyo and travels around Japan, tasting its many unique local foods. Tia received her first camera at the age of 13 and gradually became familiar with photography afterward. She has also attended classes through the New York Institute of Photography to further her skills.

She is very active in the international community and is currently a member of several Tokyo-based organizations such as FEW Japan, the Australian New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Japan, and Jarman International K.K. She has provided photography services to some of these organizations as well as others throughout Japan.

Connect with Tia:

Website: TOPTIA Photography: https://toptia.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toptiaphotos/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toptiaphotos/ 

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

https://www.facebook.com/jackiefsteelephd 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/enjoi_diversity_innovation/ 

サハラマキさんは、福島県福島市の市議会議員さんです。

お母さんたちがリラックスできる憩いの場となるエステサロンを経営されていたときに、東日本大震災が発生しました。福島第1原発事故による放射線被害のための避難生活を体験されたのち、住民の放射線影響への不安を解消するため、市民団体の活動、NPO活動として、食品の放射線量を計測する活動に取り組まれました。その活動を通じての、政治によってものごとが形成されるということ、また政治、行政への働きかけの重要性への気づきから、それまでの活動の成果や草の根の声を政治に反映させることを決意し、市議会議員に当選されました。”政治は自分たちの生活に直結しているということをみんなに伝えたい”との想いをもち、活躍されています。

このエピソードの聞きどころ

• 2011-3-11に福島で大地震が発生した日の出来事
• 福島第1原子力発電所の事故による福島への影響
• 福島市からの避難ができた人、できなかった人の現実
• 母親たちの放射線影響への心配に対して、市民グループとして支援する取り組みの探求
• 原発事故の状況に関する事実を伝え、自身の決断を促すための取り組み
• 日常生活に対する政治の重要性の気づきと、選挙にまつわる規則を乗り越えての議員への立候補
• 政治で人々を助けるということ

マキさんについて：

サハラマキさんは、福島市にお住まいで、１人のお子様の母親であり、福島市の市議会議員であり、NPO法人ふくしま３０年プロジェクトの代表をおつとめです。2011年の原発事故以来、このNPO法人は、市民科学と放射線モニタリングを通じて、地元市民の支援を行なっています。マキさんは、福島のお母さんたちの活動の活性化や、お母さんたちの声を届けるための支援に取り組まれています。NPOの代表として、福島県内の関係者との市民科学の活動と世界中の支援者をつなぐ非常に重要な役割で活躍されています。

In Vol. 7 of Diversity rocks innovation!, we shine a light on Maki Sahara, President, NPO Fukushima 30-Year Project, and Fukushima City Councillor. Maki tells us about the 10 years of amplifying the many diverse voices and opinions of mothers navigating the post-disaster realities in Fukushima.  When The Great East Japan Earthquake struck she was running a beauty salon where mothers could rest and relax. In order to eliminate the anxiety about the radiation effects of the residents, Maki has been involved in activities to measure the radiation levels in food. Through this she realized that society is formed through politics and the importance of being involved in politics and administration. This led her to run for office as a city councilor and she wants to show others how intricately linked politics are to daily life. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• What happened on the day that the 3.11 when the earthquake struck in Fukushima
• The explosion at Fukushima Dai Ichi power station and the effect on Fukushima 
• The reality of who could and who could not evacuate from Fukushima City 
• Finding a chance to support mothers worried about radiation with a city group
• Helping people to understand the facts of the situation and make their own judgements
• Realising how important politics are the daily life and overcoming the rules around running for office for the first time
• Politics as helping people

About Maki:

Maki Sahara is a resident of Fukushima City, mother of one child, an elected Fukushima City Councillor, and the Representative Director of the Fukushima 30-Year Project. Since the nuclear disaster in 2011, this non-profit organization is supporting local citizens through citizen science and radiation monitoring. Maki has been working to support and empower Fukushima mothers to take action and share their voice. As Representative Director, she has been pivotal in linking their citizen-science activities with stakeholders across Fukushima Prefecture and also concerned advocates around the world.

Connect with Maki:

https://fukushima-30year-project.org/ 　

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

Megumi Ishimoto realised one day when she was 32 that she couldn’t keep living her part time worker lifestyle. This set her on a journey to pursue continuing education through night school and to finish not only her university degree, but also a masters degree while working full time for a company. Having studied social enterprise, she was ready for the events of the triple disaster in Tohoku, Japan on March 11th, 2011. She left her position and decided to travel to Tohoku to volunteer any way she could. This set off the chain of events which led to the creation of Women’s Eye, a non-profit based in Minamisanriku that is still empowering women leaders in Tohoku, 10 years on. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Megumi transformed herself from part-time worker to university student through night school
• How she got her first taste of CSR through a Masters degree in social enterprise and then experience with her company’s CSR community projects
• How the 3.11 triple disaster in Tohoku became Megumi’s call to action
• The problems she witnessed in Tohoku for women living in evacuations centres
• The importance of curated training for women to help grow their leadership skills, confidence
• How Women’s Eye has built critical networks to support women-led entrepreneurship and social impact projects in their own communities

About Megumi:

Megumi Ishimoto is the Executive Director and co-Founder of NPO Women's Eye (WE), based in Miyagi Prefecture, supporting women who are involved in post-disaster community building and reconstruction in the Tohoku region. Megumi was born in Wakayama and started working in Osaka with only a high school diploma. After graduating from university and obtaining her masters while also working full time, she started volunteering in Tohoku shortly after the triple disaster in March, 2011. From her volunteer experience she started a non-profit organization in Tohoku supporting women. In 2016 she created specially curated leadership training for women called "Grassroots Academy Tohoku," which has helped women to take the next steps in their role as community leaders across the disaster affected region.

Connect with Megumi:

https://womenseye.net/ 

https://www.facebook.com/Womenseye20130604/ 

https://twitter.com/womenseye1 

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

https://www.facebook.com/jackiefsteelephd 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/enjoi_diversity_innovation/ 

English follows the Japanese text

佐藤美代子さんは、岩手県花巻市の助産師さんです。東日本大震災時の妊婦さん、お母さんたちを取り巻く困難の解決支援の活動に取り組み、のちに「NPO 法人まんまるママ岩手」の事業を起ち上げ、政治への働きかけ、行政との連携にいたるまで歩みについてお聞きしました。その歩みの根底には、妊婦さん、お母さんへの思いやり、また女性の人生観についての想いが流れています。

このエピソードでの聞きどころ：

• 助産師や女性の性の健康の専門性を目指した背景やきっかけ
• 妊婦さん、お母さんを取り巻く岩手県での環境の実情
• 東日本大震災時の状況と妊婦さん、お母さん、赤ちゃんを支援する活動
• ボランティア活動からNPO法人の起業への歩みと女性の環境改善についての政治、行政への働きかけ
• 女性の人生観についての想い

美代子さんについて

佐藤美代子さんは、岩手県の花巻を中心に、産後の女性たちのケアのためのNPO法人「まんまるママいわて」を立ち上げて代表を務める助産師さんです。

地域に根付いている家父長制の問題や、高校生時代に見聞きした「援助交際」などを通じて、女性の身体のケアに関心を持った佐藤さんは、助産師（看護師免許＋1年で得る国家資格）になり、子育てをしながら働いていました。東日本大震災によって壊滅的な被害を受けた岩手では、産院も罹災し、産後の母子のケアも困難になりました。そうした中で佐藤さんは温泉施設などを利用した福祉避難所に通い妊婦さんへの支援活動を始め、やがて任意団体として「まんまるママいわて」を立ち上げます。現在はコロナ禍で産後うつや夫婦関係の悪化などの悩みを抱えるお母さんたちの体や心のケアに取り組んでいます。

助産師としての専門性の高さ、地域のネットワーク、行政機関や議員へのアドボカシー活動・提言や働きかけなど、インタビューからは佐藤さんご自身の前向きなエネルギーやパワーが伝わってきます。

When Miyoko Sato heard about the tsunami that had destroyed a large part of Iwate Prefecture in 2011, she strapped her own baby onto her back, grabbed her three year old’s hand and went out to help the new mothers and babies, forced to live in communal evacuation centers. Her story of helping others and creating an NPO that continues to support and empower mothers in a rural area of Japan is an inspiration.  Women like Miyoko give me hope for a Reiwa Japan where women’s reproductive health rights and greater investments in gender equality can flourish to empower women, even to the grassroots of Iwate.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Why Miyoko decided to train in midwifery and women’s reproductive health
• The situation facing pregnant women and mothers in rural Iwate Prefecture
• What happened when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck 
• How Miyoko supported pregnant women, new mothers and newborns with critical care
• How Miyoko went from a volunteer to starting an NPO and working with politicians and local governments to improve the situation for women 
• Miyoko’s message to women about exercising choice and stewarding our own lives

About Miyoko:

Miyoko Sato is a midwife and founder of the  NPO "Manmaru Mama Iwate," which cares for women after giving birth in Hanamaki, Iwate Prefecture.

Miyoko became interested in women’s issues when she noticed the reality of the male dominated family system in rural communities and "enjo kosai" or sexual exploitation of classmates she saw and heard about in high school. Miyoko has continued her work while raising two children in Iwate, which was devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011. Miyoko started to help by visiting evacuation centers to care for new mothers and babies and then launched "Manmaru Mama Iwate" as an NPO. She is currently working on physical and mental health support for mothers who suffer from postpartum depression and worsening marital relationships due to coronavirus pandemic.

Connect with Miyoko:

https://manmaru.org/ 

https://www.facebook.com/manmaru.iwate/ 

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

https://www.facebook.com/jackiefsteelephd 

LinkedIn:

When the great Northern Japan triple disaster struck in 2011, Angela’s instinct was to go towards the devastation to help in any way she could. Her experiences in those early days led her on the path to where she is today as a leader in social impact and corporate social responsibility. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Angela’s experience growing up in Kanto and then in Aomori
• The events of March 11, 2011, and how Angela found a way to help the disaster area
• The importance of volunteers not hindering a disaster response effort
• What the survivors in Tohoku asked for once they started to heal and recover
• How the Santa Soul Train emerged to give local leaders a chance to innovate 
• How people inspire people and why continuing to just “show up” matters

About Angela:

Angela Ortiz is a dynamic and authentic social impact professional with 9+ years experience across business sectors and cultures. She is an in demand public speaker and has recently published a book on leadership in social impact. 

She founded and leads a community building nonprofit Place To Grow, established in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear meltdown.

In addition, she has 6+ years in Corporate Social Responsibility, leading initiatives with various global companies like the fashion retailer H&M and the iconic sports brand, adidas. 

Connect with Angela:

Stratechist: https://stratechist.com/ 

Place to grow: https://placetogrow-ngo.org/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-ortiz-35689443/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/socialimpactmarketingconsulting 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stratechistmastermind/

Place to grow: https://www.instagram.com/placetogrowngo/

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

https://www.facebook.com/jackiefsteelephd 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/enjoi_diversity_innovation/

English follows the Japanese text

菅野瑞穂さんは、ご家族の農地で有機農法の農業を始めたばかりのときに、農地に2011年の福島第一原子力発電所の事故による放射能汚染の被害を受けました。

「多様性が革新を起こす！」の第4回では、二本松市に有機農法を再生させるための彼女と彼女のコミュニティの歩みと、浪江町の道の駅なみえでの現在の彼女の活動についてお聞きしました。

私自身も、この5年間とても学ぶところの多かったこの素晴らしい若手女性の歩みには、勇気、折れない心、故郷愛とコミュニティの力が溢れています。

このエピソードでの聞きどころ：

• 福島県二本松市での有機農業の歴史
• 2011年の原発事故の被害を受けた農地を再生させるための歩み
• 農業体験を通じた農地の実情を学ぶ機会の提供
• 若手女性として福島で活動することに対する心理的な圧力と、セルフケア、気分転換の重要性
• 避難者が浪江町に戻ってこられるようにするための活動

福島県二本松市に生まれ育ち、菅野さんは2013年に福島で「きぼうのたねカンパニー」を立ち上げて、若い世代を中心に福島の農業体験やその可能性について学ぶ機会を提供し続けてきました。2011年の震災の時に23歳、きぼうのたねカンパニーを起業したのが25歳、と若いながらも高い専門性や幅広い知識を生かして活躍される菅野さんからは、非常に多くを学ぶことが出来ます。

震災以降に浪江町に移住し、2020年にオープンした「道の駅なみえ」の農業担当となった菅野瑞穂さんの挑戦をお伺いいたします。原発から10キロ、現在も町民の約10%しか帰還していない福島県浪江町で放射能汚染からの「土の再生」に取り組み、「有機農業」の普及に尽力しています。土の再生に利用されるひまわりのスーパーパワー（セシウムを吸い上げる）、汚染された上層の土と安全な下層の土を反転させる反転耕など、その手法には驚くべきものがあります。

Mizuho Sugeno had just started her own journey with organic farming of her family’s fields in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture when the 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima Dai Ichi rendered the soil contaminated. In Vol.4 of Diversity rocks innovation!, hear how she and her community worked to bring back organic farming to Nihonmatsu and now also Namie Town through her position at the Namie Michi-no-Eki (Roadside rest area and farmer’s market). Courage, resilience, and love of furusato and community are all present in this amazing journey of a young woman who is truly wise beyond her years and who I am so proud to learn from over the past 5 years.  

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The history of organic farming in Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture
• The discovery of how to revitalise fields that had been contaminated in the nuclear disaster of 2011
• How Mizuho brings people to Fukushima to learn about the real situation on the ground
• The pressure of working in Fukushima as a young woman and the importance of self care and time out to refresh
• How Mizuho is helping rebuild the town of Namie now that people are able to return

About Mizuho:

Born in Nihonmatsu, Mizuho launched the Kibo no Tane Company in Fukushima in 2013 and has continued to provide opportunities for younger generations to learn about Fukushima's agricultural experience and its potential. Mizuho moved to Namie town and now works at Michi-no-Eki Namie, in charge of farming. In Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, which is 10 kilometers from the nuclear power plant, where only about 10% of the townspeople have returned, people are working on soil regeneration from radioactive contamination and are making efforts to increase organic farming. Techniques, such as the superpower of sunflowers (sucking up cesium) are used to regenerate the soil, as well as reverse plowing that replaces the contaminated upper soil with safe lower soil.

Connect with Mizuho:

Michi no Eki Namie: https://michinoeki-namie.jp/

Kibou no Tane company http://kibounotane.jp/

Women’s Eye https://womenseye.net/ 

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

Casey Wahl, guest on Vol. 3 of Diversity rocks innovation! grew up in Saudi Arabia and was later expelled from boarding school as a high school student in the US. In Japan, he experimented with several failed startups but kept persevering towards innovation. He went on to found Wahl+Case, a successful tech recruiting firm he designed with a view to transforming the industry. Through his efforts building EQIQ, we learn about Casey’s passion for the concept of “intrinsic motivation” and how his platform, Attuned, is fostering wellness at work. In this episode, Casey shares his view of a future where we are more aware of the values and intrinsic motivations of our team members and are able to work with mutual trust and respect for diversity and individuality. 

In this episode you’ll hear:

• Casey’s fascinating early life from the desert of Saudi Arabia to being expelled from boarding school in the US
• Why Casey’s startups failed - multiple times and how this experience turned into a book
• The over emphasis in the tech industry on STEM and IQ vs. EQ and human wisdom
• The danger of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivation and its effect on creativity 
• Where our values come from and how we develop and evolve them over time 
• Why intrinsic motivation is like a fingerprint and how Casey is harnessing this information
• Casey’s hopes for the future and the pain points his company is solving in the workplace

About Casey:

Casey wants to change recruitment. He’s deeply passionate about the issue, and immensely frustrated with the reputation of the recruitment industry. Little innovation has happened in recruitment agencies over the last decades, with the industry often self-inflicting its negative perception by the plethora of indistinguishable recruiters with short-term outlooks. Casey is out to change all that. Globally. Analog (agency recruitment – Wahl+Case) and digitally (Justa, Attuned). It’s a big problem, worth a lifetime of work. Casey is a long-term resident of Japan with fluent Japanese and somehow got an Executive MBA from IE Business School. 

Connect with Casey:

Website: https://www.eqiq-group.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaseyDai2Asa9sa 

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

https://www.facebook.com/jackiefsteelephd 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/ 

Have you ever been through the process of changing your name? Many women in Japan have, most men have not. The Japanese family law requires that couples share the same last name, and this burden falls on women 95% of the time. Shu shares with us not only the arduous process of changing his name in Japan, but also his awakening to the importance of feminist advocacy for gender-equal relations in the home. We are thrilled to have him join enjoi from 2021 as an enjoi educator and co-facilitator for the enjoi Wolfpack Initiative supporting safe space conversations on diversity and gender for men in Japan

If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we’d love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Take a screenshot of yourself listening to the episode on your device, share it on your favourite social media and tag Jackie and Shu.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• How Shu changed his name despite the challenges of the Japanese family register
• How recent the system of family names actually is in Japan
• What is toxic masculinity and why it’s limiting the men in our lives
• The risks that couples with different family names face when disaster strikes
• Why feminism and gender equality are not just “women’s issues” 
• How father’s empowerment in the home can support gender equality at work
• How embracing gender equality has helped Shu to be more “human”

About Shu:

Shu Matsuo Post is a successful businessperson in Japan, one of the most gender-rigid nations on the planet. He is the author of I Took Her Name, published in 2020 and from 2021 is an enjoi educator and co-facilitator for the enjoi Wolfpack Initiative supporting safe space conversations on diversity and gender for men in Japan. He is a feminism and zero-waste advocate, a plant-based endurance athlete, and a real estate investor. He lives in Tokyo, Japan, with his wife and their son. 

Useful links:

Shu’s Book:I Took Her Name: Lessons From My Journey Into Vulnerability, Authenticity, and Feminism

Shu’s recent blog post: 9 Surprising Benefits of Paternity Leave

Connect with Shu:

Website: https://shumatsuopost.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ITookHerName 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shumatsuopost/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shu-matsuo-post-a6910049/ 

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

https://www.facebook.com/jackiefsteelephd 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/ 

Welcome to Diversity rocks innovation!  Vol. 1 with Dr. Jackie F. Steele, CEO of enjoi D&I consulting, an interview series starting February 2, 2021. This initiative serves to highlight the benefits of collegial sharing of expertise, experiences and worldviews, and the current opportunities for fostering innovation and solidarity-building across a variety of industries and countries by “thought partnering out loud” with featured enjoi D&I thought partners.

What is thought partnering out loud?

Thought Partnering is when two people come together to share expertise and improve the world. Through thought partnering, we can amplify the promise of diversity, democracy, and innovation.

In this episode you’ll hear:

• The impact of Japanese-Canadian internment on Mits' identity
• His family heritage, and how Canadian citizenship has learned from this and evolved to become more inclusive 
• How Mits' identity has morphed in various contexts during his life in Canada and now in Japan 
• The full range and power of how thought partnering can light the way and enrich co-creativity within a couple, within the family, and also in pursuit of enriching a grassroots volunteer international association fostering intergenerational play in northern Nagano.

About Mits:

Mits Matsushita is a global IT architect and lego enthusiast living in Northern Nagano. 

Connect with Jackie:

Website: https://en-joi.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/enjoidiversityandinnovation

https://www.facebook.com/jackiefsteelephd 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-f-steele-phd/