My Second Career: Saying Yes to the Next Adventure

In the last two years, my life took an unexpected turn.

My stepdad passed away from kidney cancer, making my 79-year-old mom a widow after 30 years of marriage. I worried about her leading a life by herself.

Living in New York City, I was at a crossroads. Should I leave to live with my mom in the Las Vegas area? It was scary to walk away from a career in communications, all my relationships, and the energy of the Big Apple. But as a third generation Japanese/Filipino-American, I grew up with the mindset that living with parents in their time of need is important. I watched my grandparents and mother do it unconditionally. So it was a done deal — I moved to Las Vegas in August 2019.

Merging Life Passions

After coming to terms with my decision, I shifted my mindset and looked at the change as an opportunity to combine my passion to help people and my focus on fitness.

I’ve had a 30-year career in communications, starting off as a journalist at the Milwaukee Journal and moving on to executive positions at a variety of companies including McGraw-Hill, Disney, and Standard & Poor’s. While I was proud of my work, the thing that was missing was making a direct difference in people’s lives. Writing news stories and press releases was important, but lacked the personal connection I craved. Even…