We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brooke Yamada a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brooke, so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
“No one in life ever got anywhere by being like everyone else.” That’s what I constantly tell myself when I hear that voice in the back of my head. I’ve never truly felt like I belonged and even though I’m more secure now in my abilities and my wants in life, there’s always a small part of me that wishes I could be like everyone else. But then again, no one in life ever got anywhere by being like everyone else.
I think my insecurity stems from a lot of places. I was one of the only minorities in my elementary school, and even further, one of the only Japanese people I knew in the area I grew up in, and definitely the only Korean and Japanese I’d ever met besides my younger brother. So, I’d always felt inherently different than those around me and wondered how people saw me. Once I started my new school in 6th grade, that changed a bit. The school was very diverse and I felt never felt out of place – at least not racially. I was also very lucky because my senior year I met some pretty great people who came from so many different backgrounds. They were the ones who taught and showed me that race doesn’t matter when it comes to respect. Everyone should be treated equally regardless of where we come from.
But besides race, I just always felt…behind. I remember in 6th grade when these girls I was friends with at the time brought these massive make-up bags and were staying up late talking to boys, things that hadn’t even crossed my mind at that age. So, I bought my first tube of mascara the next week. I used to see all the clothes the girls would wear and would instantly want the same things – skirts, one-sleeve tops, Air Force 1s – and instantly went out and bought it all. I remember vividly begging my mom for Snapchat, but she didn’t budge until I was in high school. I remember when everyone started going to parties and I wondered if I’d ever get invited to one.
Though, now, I look back and laugh a bit. I actually really don’t like wearing make-up and don’t even own concealer, foundation, or a beauty blender. I don’t even bother talking to boys in my generation because they all seem to be and want the same transactional thing. I don’t wear the usual sweatpants and sweatshirts to class like the other girls do, instead choosing my outfits for the day because I love exploring my style. I generally don’t like Snapchat and don’t really go on it that much – I’ve debated deleting it multiple times, too. And I like going out with my friends, but there’s truly no way I’d rather spend a night than staying in with a book, a Marvel movie, and baking cookies. I rarely go out on week days (because sleep is too important) and I’ve taken to staying in and working on my business and my career as opposed to waking up with a raging headache the next morning. I’ve even slowly started the tradition of taking Fridays as self-care nights.
It’s like the differences I so desperately wanted to cover are the things I take pride in now. Do I still get insecure sometimes? Of course. Sometimes I wish I could just be like every other girl so not to attract those stares when I walk to class in my slightly more fancy clothes, or that I could just go kiss any boy for the memories and forget about it; or that I could just not stress about how I’m going to pay my bills when I graduate. But that’s not me and it never will be. I’ll always be the planner, the overachiever, and the girl who always falls up the stairs versus down (like a normal person) instead of being the cool and never awkward ones.
But I like who I am. I like my books, I like my movies, I like my clothes, and I can’t really help the fact that I’m a bit awkward and fall everywhere, so I guess I like those things, too. They are the qualities that I love because they are what make me who I am. And truthfully, no matter what trendy skirt comes out tomorrow or boy that tries to show up at my door (that will never freaking happen) I woulnd’t trade them for the world.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
At the moment I’m working on my health and wellness business and my extracurriculars in school.
I technically started my business a year ago, but I put it off because I was very distracted and wasn’t in the correct emotional state to give energy into it; but now that I am, I love telling people about it and potentially helping them. We currently have a new holiday line with products that help with body immunity, skin care, body care, and make-up as well. There’s also tons of other products from protein powders, gut health supplements, and even baby products, so if any of this sounds interesting, please reach out and I’d absolutely love to talk more.
Extracurriculars wise, I manage the men’s rugby team and their social media. From making content, taking pictures, editing videos, and just being around the guys, I love what I do and am so lucky and grateful to have stumbled into it my freshman year last year. After all, the best things in life are the ones we never saw coming. It’s opened my eyes to the sport of rugby and the potential of turning it into a career.
My other favorite extracurricular of mine that I hope to potentially turn into a career is being an Athletic Tour Guide for the football team. Basically, my job is to talk to prospective football recruits and their families while also helping with game-day operations. My first game that I worked was the biggest one of the year, and it will forever be engrained in my memory. College football has been such a big part of my life for as long as I can remember and I couldn’t help but tear up a bit while on the field as the game started because it was the biggest dreams to reality moment for me. Becoming an ATG has been one of my absolute favorite things and best decisions I’ve made so far, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
I’ve also taken a liking to becoming a wedding planner. Ever since I was little, I’ve always loved the idea of weddings and, well, love. Even though my stance on weddings might have changed a bit since then, I’ve always loved the idea of “love winning,” I guess. I’m hoping to intern this summer for a planning company and potentially shadow a planned over my winter breaks.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Be scared and do it anyways. You don’t have to know the outcome. You don’t have to even be 100% confident in yourself because, to be honest, it’s really hard to be sometimes.
So, be scared and do it anyways. Do it nervous. Do it weird. Do it early or do it insecure. But just do it.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned a million times over, it’s that it always turns out better than you think it will. The only way you will ever truly and wholeheartedly know what happens is to make it happen.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Recently, a coach of mine challenged me to “let go” and “surrender” a bit to life, which is difficult for me since I’m the type of person who loathes uncertainty – I time-block my work hours because I need to plan for that as well – and has to have a plan for her immediate and distant future.
So, I’ve started doing things “for the plot” and letting life take its course. I signed up to run a 5K on Thanksgiving morning – I hate running and am not a morning person. I’m a very guarded person but I took the advice of a friend to download a dating app for fun – I’m a hopeless romantic and deleted it the second I got it, but she’s convincing me that I have nothing to lose.
And the biggest and hardest challenge: I tend to have a workaholic nature where I constantly feel as though, even though I’m only 20, I’m not doing enough – I’m still working and and planning towards my future, but I’ve spent more time also enjoying the present and my college years. I’d always felt that time was slipping away from me, and I think I’ll always feel that way a bit, but now it feels like it’s slipping a bit slower.
Contact Info:
- Website: BrookeYamada.arbonne.com
- Instagram: brookeyamada_
- Linkedin: brooke-yamada
