Wabi Sabi - The Perfectly Imperfect Podcast with Candice Kumai

Love. 💕When I was asked to answer the question "what is love?"💕

It struck me as a very profound and deep question to answer— I wasn’t actually sure I could answer it. I'm not sure that there's one answer to this question either... 

I indeed thought about this one a lot —- I’ve actually, subconsciously thought about what it is my whole life.

I've had a few long term relationships, I've come close to marriage + have lived with a boyfriend in LA and another in NY (no, not at the same time, dear) ... but that's not really what love is... this podcast isn't all about romance. 

It is quite possible that the definition of love is different for many people but there are some fundamentals that we can all practice to better cultivate to feel love and ... to be the love we wish to find one day. 

I’m a tough NYC girl, but I’m really not that tough bc I was raised in Ca. And mom and dad are both the kindest spirits. My sister too— each of us has a big and empathetic heart. We always want to love and live for one another. And no, we and especially I am not perfect...

But from LA to NY, Tokyo to Barcelona, Fiji to Oz, London to Paris, Mexico to Ghana.. Canada to Greece, Hong Kong to China: these are the things I have experienced that are universally practiced as, love: 

Here's what we will learn from today's episode: 

• Love is empathy. 
• Love is compassion. 
• Love is giving your attention to another. 
• Love is being present. 
• Love is gratitude. 
• Love is prayer. 
• Love is service. 
• Love is peace. 

Let us practice more, there are enough shitheads out there. 

And, lastly, please, don’t stress about finding a partner... don’t worry, love is patient + kind... anything worth keeping is not easy to find.

What is meant for you, shall not pass you. 

What is meant to be will be. Live and let live. Let us love more. 

Consequently the time code on this pod is 50:50

And that’s what love is, meet you down the aisle xx see you partner xx with my love, ck 

Sites + email listed in this pod: 

PS love my hair!? YAS! It's all about that gorgeous HAIR!: CandiceKHair.mymonat.com! Click for more on my line!

If you have questions or want to order Monat, what I use! you can email my friend Chrissy and I: [email protected]

We can help you figure out what is best for you! I hope for those have you that have been searching for something like this try it and love it! Also, Monat is in the US, Canada+ the UK! If you’re interested in more on the best shampoo + conditioner!? --please reach out to us via email! [email protected]

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

You wanna make stacks right? + you think you're gon be rich? Like and make more $$ than mom and dad? 
Yep, that's what it says us millennials think...

 After crushing a bi-coastal business as a small solo female bis owner..I have a much more realistic grasp on the matter. However, I'm still in the middle and, I'm in this long-haul game with you. 

Here's what we will chat on in EP 13 betches: 

• Privilege vs Pay -- why the free stuff is just as important and it is what it is, priceless. 
• Stop being so entitled and acting like you're owed anything. 
• Learn to embrace the ebb and flow of small business finances.
• Just start! - Look up: S Corporation + LLC's versus working off a W9 forever. Why? -- ownership, tax write offs, respect, freedom. 
• Pay off your credit card each month (duh) this is so basic. 
• Pay your rent on time each month (again, basic). 
• Opening an IRA account (mutual funds)
• Opening a SEP IRA account (mutual funds) with 
• Hiring a legit CPA or Financial Advisor
• Hiring a lawyer, when necessary//needed
• Why a savings account is legit necessary 
• Prepare for your taxes each year, get responsible.
• How I overcame small, shit-talking people on my team + basically -- worked my way forward, with grace and skills. BYE!
• How to learn to embrace the struggle of small business + take the leap of faith --- working in your PJs or undies is the best thing, ever. 

Please Subscribe + 5 STAR rate this pod like ASAP, its all free!

Sites mentioned: 

http://candicekumai.com/

www.nerdwallet.com/blog/small-business/small-business-grants-for-women/

https://www.bizfilings.com/

Check out Mutual Fund companies you trust for early retirement + also your CPA//Financial Advisor can help you with managing loans and savings. Werd.

It's time to do the work bae, you ready? Because you know, I don't play-- It's all real deal here + here's the key on how I was able to survive my media and publishing career -- and being thrown to the wolves. ... it was always my friends. 

Friends, how important are they to you? They're vital to your survival and to your success in this one lifetime. Be good to them -- don't just tell -- show them + show up. 

• Let's talk about the ebb and flow of friendship- no, friendship is not found without flaws --- friendship is the epitome of wabi wabi -- its perfectly imperfect.
• I've been crushed by some "friends" and some lovers over the years + I have moved on from them, with kintsugi and grace. 
• How we value one another, matters. Here's what you can do in this week's episode for one another: 
• Compassion, practice more compassion for one another, keep calm and cool.
• Non-Judgement - we can all do the work on ourselves and judge less, try meditating, volunteering more + working in the service industry for others. 
• "Yuimaru" - your inner circle of friends in Japanese this is vital 
• Lifelong Friends, be good to them + show them, don't tell, show up -- be a good friend in real life. 
• Work Relationships, we can value them just as much as our life-long friends and friends IRL. Be good to those you work with 
• Support one another, sincerely 
• Listen to others, its free. We need more listeners + less noise

Love you + please pick up my book Kintsugi Wellness! 

+ Give us a FIVE STAR review on iTunes asap! This free- no-ad podcast is here only because a writer, I want to be of better, free service to you. 

My new book + podcast are being called the very new guidebook + podcast to healing + real-life, real-deal wellness. xxx ck 

Hey guys! What's up .. I just landed back in California + I'm taking some extra time to write this out for you! Enjoy, LE POD, WABI SABI EPISODE #11:HOW to Get your SHIT Together + Make it Look Fabulous xx all is perfectly imperfect! 

• What a Mentor Can REALLY do for you. 
• Why Working Weekends is: beneficial and cumulative to your ultimate success. + its pretty darn easy. 
• How to gain real clarity and perspective on where you want to go. 
• Why you should pray for others + their success. 
• Don't Gossip: there's simply no need and no time for it - it is absolutely a waste of time and not necessary to becoming who you were meant to be. 
• How to better HUMBLE THYSELF -- check yourself, always before you wreck yourself + why humility is a scarlet letter//asset to becoming a successful entrepreneur. 
• Surround yourself with SMARTIES!!!  -- who do know more about what they are doing than you! Everyone is a pro at something + collaborating as a team on the end game - that's what makes you strong and successful. 
• Pay your bills on time - this is legit business - its a transaction + its responsible + important. 
• Support Others: This is imperative to do sincerely and with your whole heart. 
• Remember that SUCCESS isn't what we all need more of -- as the Dalai Lama says: “The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds."
  -Dalai Lama

What NYC has taught me on the weekends + how you can continue to do it + put your back into it. hahah. 

Love you, I'm such a geek + this pod almost made me cry again!!

Go purchase Kintsugi Wellness , like now xxx Candice 

PS I have no idea what I'm doing.  

..so the story continues... you'll hear about three different life scenarios on wabi sabi podcast episode 10: one from a perfect stranger, from a Tokyo-Born-Indian, on the other side of the world, one of my own I stumbled across in Fiji, and one that was given to the people of Japan and the world.

Each of these stories has the small potential to impact your life, but only in the way you'd like for it to. You allow how you'd like for each of these stories to impact you.

After SXSW I received an email about how my SXSW speaking event  helped to mend a family and their trauma. 

The story was so touching, I had to share it with all of you...

When I went to Turtle Island Fiji this past year to study the local culture and food .. I stumbled across a woman named Deb, who forever changed my life. "We are all okay", "all is okay" + you don't even need to know someone very long, to know, you love them. 

Their is a city in Japan, that became a historical place, a place of kintsugi.. in 1945 at 9:15 am. It even hurts to write out about these events. But You'll be able to hear about the recovery from broken to beautiful. 

How to do the work + where to find it. 

I hope you love episode 10, its short and very sweet + I also answer a few of your juicy IG questions! Send me your notes on Instagram on my latest post -- just comment!

get kintsugi wellness now! 

+ See you on my Instagram stories + on the Today Show Aug 8th!

xx ck 

I bless the rains in Africa, and this will all make sense in today's pod: Let's get adventurous!: My Resume is my Clapback. 

No time wasted bickering here... only work and good quality work: How to be a better person + learn, stay chill + grow, giving to others and flourishing your life's romance --- your resume stands strong and nobody can take that away from you. 

Build it. 

Grow it. 

Stay consistent AF. 

Romance that shit. 

Check your ego at the door. 

Im tired and I don't feel like writing tonight lollzzz its 12 midnight + I gotta be up for the Today Show -- cuz I'm real AF.

-- go listen to it bitches xxx ck 

+ buy this book dude: Kintsugi Wellness

and thank you for being the loves of my life x

Today, let's talk on the clear difference between selflessly "doing something" and selfishly "being someone".

I've often thought of what I was taught when I was a kid growing up with a strict and tough Japanese mom -- but she was also the most loving, devout + admired mom, too.

She and my father raised us by example and Jenni (my sister and I) later took what they showed us and all became a family of honor. 

We will learn about how I am in the thick of the middle, a time of learning, struggle, financial pain, and balancing businesses from LA to NY -- no this shit is not easy -- but we do it bc we love it with honor. 

- How the Japanese lost in the World Cup, they gave 110% -- ganbatte! and they still bowed with honor to the crowd after barely losing 3-2. 

- We learn of the Japanese people after the game, picking up their own trash + others after losing the match... they show-- they do not tell. 

- The Japanese term "gaman" with great resilience and honor

- We learn from my Father, when he was drafted into the military at 18, how he moved his life forward with honorable action and integrity -- even though this was an uncertain time.

- We learn from dad, what he calls, "basics" it seems so many of us are losing: like how to properly email someone + how complaining is not the way you + to be a better team mate means to work together. 

- Be on time, be prepped, do as you are told. Simple. Basic shit. 

- We learn from Maya Angelou and Kendrick Lamar. 

- We learn how we can be better, how we can focus on our own work and life's calling - follow your calling -- even if it is far too great of an ask -- you will never be disappointed if you give it your all.

- We can see action is the way to success, not talk. Anyone can talk and blab all they want.. but my stack of books and magazine stories will still stand the test of time + I honor myself, my work and mostly, I honor, care and value you + my contributions to society and the world. 

Why I care about you? Find out in Episode 8 + have a think about what it means to be more mindful, to show others, by action and to live an even badder and better life..

I've said this before, I'll say it again -- you do not have to do what everyone else is doing. 

Check out my new book Kintsugi Wellness -- I'll be on the TODAY show cooking with it!! JULY 12th 10 am hour!! 

+ Dr Oz JULY 16th! 

Love and care for you, keep going babes, the middle is tough, but you are tougher!  xx ck 

I've put together a weekend bender episode (I almost wrote recipe!) haha a weekend collection of all of your juicy questions + some of these may be tomes you want and might need to hear! Sometimes the Universe sends you notes or signs you need to hear, without you knowing it... welcome Wabi Wabi Weekend Bender: 

Here's what I answered for you: I want you to thrive, feel like you fit-in and you are part of my community:) always!

- How to get your business going + connected to a bigger network: tips on not getting discouraged 

- The classic "style" I wear + who I'm not a fan of "fast fashion"

- Miso + Matcha notes: if you don't like these ingredients what to do!?

-Notes on being single + how to enjoy this one life the way you want to live!

- Relationships + How I feel about them: allow me to help you -- may the best man/woman win 

- How to find your life's purpose: your "Ikigai" in life. How to do you. 

- Who my work wives are: aka most supportive podcasting girls ever!

(Rosie + Sahara!!)

- How I worked to become the "golden girl of wellness" - a happy accident. 

- Wellness + Beauty + Cooking Tips, forever - my trifecta!

- Smoothie questions! + apple cider vinegar tips 

- We are a community: want your q's answered by a real deal hustler//artist? -- write in my latest IG post: 

Follow my work + allow me to answer your life's burning questions: @CandiceKumai 

🐅Tiger Mom Survival Guide:

Welcome: Episode Six 6️⃣ 

- this one is for all you mixed kids, Asian kids & my homies that got kicked around ⚡️⚡️⚡️+ its time for 2018, the year of REAL. 

Here’s what you will learn in today's episode:

How I struggle, how I have endured, how I have pushed myself, how I have created change --Welcome, the Tiger Mom Survival Guide: 

1- practice Wabi Sabi: live with the notion all is perfectly imperfect - life will not be perfect forever. What made my sister and I so different from everyone else? We were raised with tough love + as realists. There was no sugar-coating or telling us how "great" we were. Tough love helps to raise incredible + creative entrepreneurs. 

2- grace + humility: will always win. I don’t care who you are, being kind to everyone, just the same is key. Practice mindfulness & please work on dropping your ego, drop your sense of entitlement. How my mother showed me grace + never told me about grace. 

3- legacy: do something that would make your tiger 🐯 mom proud. Why be basic? Why copy? Why complain? Do something grand to help others & do it well— Ganbatte: translates to: Always do your best in Japanese. Have the anthem of "Ganbatte" inside of you!

4- how to: get back up: they’re gonna push you, punch you in the face & and you’re gonna get right back up. Show people your talents — don’t tell. Nobody cares, especially not tiger mom —-about your talking — show me something good.

5- kaizen: you’ve got to continuously improve as the Japanese do — there is nor start of finish line in the race of life— we all start at the same mark— but those who are more talented & willing to take the beating & get right back up—— the adversity is real. 

Now, go crush your work week — tiger mom doesn’t care about pity — she doesn’t care about your ego— she def doesn’t care about your social feed —-she wants you to leave a real #legacy— something tangible & real — one so grand —- she’d be proud to call you her child. 

Please keep in  mind: all of my notes are free, actionable — take it or leave it: check out my new book Kintsugi Wellness!

its the perfect gift for self-love + acceptance, healing + humility. 

See you: On The Today Show July 9th + Dr Oz July 16th!!  love you xxx ck 

⚡the art of not conforming:

My career, as an artist I went w my heart, even if it got smashed, which it did many times.

As a female in the food industry, the pain/discrimination was part of my path.

This year, with new endeavors + content w @SXSW, @Forbes, @Girlboss, @ariannahuff, @iamwellandgood Council + the new book @harpercollinsus Oprah Magazine, Today Show + Dr. Oz: I’m committed to sharing my story, in hopes you can see, a girl who started from the bottom, waiting tables in college, fit modeling to pay bills, paying for culinary school on my own, this girl does it all:

Here's what we will learn in episode #5: 

Here are my Best Tips on "Making Shit Happen":

1- Execution trumps all talk. If you want to be a killer, you need to produce. Anyone can talk or troll, but it takes a true artist to pick up the brush, the mic, the camera, the knife, the pen + get going. DO SOMETHING, just start.

2- Ignore the haters. If I listened to all the mean shit people laid on me for years, I'd never equate to anything. You have to ignore+remember that's about them, not you. Pray for them. 🙏🏼

3- Integrity+Grit: those two things set me apart from the rest. I always did my best & never cut slack. I'm as hard on myself as I am my team. I expect excellence, that's what the reader deserves. Recipes that work, images that captivate, content that matters! Writing that changes the world, and evokes emotion, connection + action. That's what grit+integrity do. I write ALL of my own work, recipes, my site, my newsletters, I produce/direct each of my books & shoot my own content/videos⚡the art is in the artist.

4- Skills: I learned them. I went to culinary school at 22 -- I was  young+thirsty. I worked in restaurants +production for years, I educated myself on Japan, nutrition+wellness. I didn't come from money, I had to teach myself skills. Much like Japan, a country w no natural resources; they were out of luck- until they realized SKILL was what they could offer the world. Guess what? At the size of California, they are still a world power today. Get some skills, use them, humbly+gracefully.

5- Humility + Grace: This is what my character is made out of. Mom + Dad taught me to love, to be kind, to be respectful. Although I hate rules, I respect everyone, even when they were shitty to me.

Grace Always Matters. You will in this life, get what you give.

Be honest, be real, and you don't have to conform for anyone 🦄 

My new book, Kintsugi Wellness has 12 chapters on how to heal, mend, grow + become a better person + 50+ inspiring wellness recipes.