Nina Cataldo: Legend of Community Building
Season Two Episode Two
Introducing Nina Cataldo, legend of Community Building & The Hafu Ladies Community!
Nina was born into a family that treasures internationalism and was raised in a bi-cultural and bilingual household. Raised between Tokyo and America's beautiful Pacific Northwest, she used her passion for words and storytelling as a powerful tool to connect people with the world.
In this Podcast
Nina shares with us so much rich information about her experience as a Japanese and American citizen and the experience of being both and moving between those worlds. The tale of her parents' meeting and their quick and surprise marriage and what being an only child means to her. Also just how their continued love and support is central in her life.
The lines of artists and journalists in the family and how that has influenced Nina.
How international her family is and the deep connection the US family has to Japan, then how she managed her move to the States aged 8 and her schooling, her transition through school, how she found the people who were 'like' her in school and university.
I have a breakdown hearing how she used to write stories about the class rats PG and Snowball (rodent disco anyone?) in the USA.
The great influence on of her teacher, Ms. Monroe and another champion had on her and how that encouragement was the fuel to her fire and how she pays that forward to be an amazing mentor other people, both the upcoming generations and reverse mentors people like me.
She takes us through her school and university years in the USA and how she vowed never to come back to Tokyo after a visit, then came back here for one year to follow up on an opportunity. 5 years ago.
Joining the dots backward - she notes that the subjects she chose at school actually support and inform a lot of her work today. Bizarrely - she was too Japanese for the Japanese society but she stays optimistic and moving forward at all times.
Her first boss in Japan had a really healthy attitude to work-life balance and she brings some of his style of leadership and life cultivation into her leadership now.
Nina took a huge leap of faith and took a Peaceboat Voyage back on September 2019, she explains all about Peaceboat and her experience and what it is like to sail on a ship for 4 months.
In September 2018 she saw a gap in what she wanted in the Hafu (mixed race Japanese) community in Japan and started Hafu ladies, at first a brunch club. This group has grown to 900 women and Nina has full embraced the 3 pillars of the community: Educate, Empower, Embrace. And 'Fake it til you make it' or what that means to her.
Nina has been educating in cross-race and culture matters with a leading news agency in Japan, hoping to educate in ways to do less harm to people of mixed race or different races.
At the end of this conversation there is some background noise as Nina is at a place that has in indoor skateboard ramp!
Huge thanks to inspiring Nina for sharing her background, her first 27 years and giving us a taster of the future. It's exciting - cannot wait to see what happens next.
Find Nina here:
Public Page https://www.facebook.com/hafuladies
Private Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/hafuladies
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hafuladies
My LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nina-m-cataldo/
Website (WIP) https://www.ninamcataldo.com
