I am a 28 year old, half Japanese and American, who was born and raised in Tokyo. In my youth, I attended an international school here. My passions are video games, music and anything nerdy and geeky. After graduating university in the States, I got a job in economic consulting doing data analysis for financial institutions. However, a few years into my professional career, I experienced a nervous breakdown due to a series of several domino-like tragic events.

Multiple trips to hospitals and therapists’ offices led me to find out I was actually suffering from several issues: the biggest being an undiagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD diagnosis that somehow I had managed to mask over the years. I desperately read through every self-help book I thought might guide me and researched avidly on the internet, but it was clear I needed something much more serious and direct. It was at this pivotal moment in my life while attending a meditation class, that I discovered  the Find Your Element Workshop series which was about to launch…..It was like a”divine intervention.”

Through the weekly workshops, I began to notice many things impeding my way to recovery despite all my efforts: low self-esteem and resistance to help to name a few. Acknowledging my self sabotage was the first step forward and with each layer of the workshops I was able to gain a new tool and perspective. The process has been deeply emotional and transformative, different from everything I have tried in the last four years. Listening to the lives and experiences of others who have also struggled and now want to share their stories has given me hope and a renewed faith in myself. I now feel like I am a part of a diversely rich community of mentors and educators. After years of searching, my foundation is finally being rebuilt and am gaining a sense of passion again. I can’t express the depths of my gratitude for everything this experience has done for me!