Meet Carolina Takagi

We were lucky to catch up with Carolina Takagi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carolina, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

My father is Japanese, my mother, Swiss. I grew up in Texas, Tokyo and London. I can count on one hand how many occasions I’ve actually been in a room with anyone who even vaguely looks like me. Growing up, it became normal for me to be the odd one out. I repeatedly found myself in classrooms full of kids who didn’t speak the same language as me. How I looked was almost the least of my concerns. I had to figure out how to communicate in order to survive.
It’s incredible how quickly you learn to depend on other senses. I would read the room through interpreting facial expressions and body language. Within the first 5mins of entering a room, I would assess who my likely allies would be and who I needed to be cautious of. It’s a skillset I’ve come to very much rely on both in my professional life as well as socially.
The key to winning over a room? finding common ground that resonates. Shift attention away from what differentiates us, and bring focus back on what unites us.

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?

I’m a storyteller at heart. After almost two decades as a creative producer for photography and film, I am currently immersing my energy on writing and directing my own visions. I am passionate about shining light on stories that need to be told, to give a voice to the voiceless and a presence to the unseen. My goal is to open dialogue and expand perspectives through creative platforms.

I recently co-authored in a collective best selling book, Radical Freedom. Available on Amazon https://a.co/d/2Rou7iw

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

1) Trust your intuition and always back yourself – you cannot convince others of something you do not believe in yourself. Be fully committed to your vision.

2) Courage to take the leap of faith, do it afraid – you don’t grow whilst staying within your comfort zone. Be unafraid to make mistakes. Be brave enough to learn from them and find the strength to get up again

3) Surround yourself with the strongest team that you align with – you cannot achieve greatness alone

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

I’ve been on a sabbatical of sorts and it’s been one of the most invaluable years of my life. I decided to focus inward, to take essential time out of the relentless rat race called life, and reset. I needed to step out of my picture frame to regain perspective. To reassess and realign with my goals and ambitions. To dedicate conscious time to fully process all that I’d powered through over the past two decades while building my career in complete ‘survival mode’. In my determination to establish myself, somewhere a long the way I’d lost myself. As per Jim Rohn’s sage advice, “work harder on yourself than you do on your job”. I set out on a year long quest doing just that.
It’s often said, ‘when the student is ready, the master appears’. I was more than ready to deep dive when I crossed paths with my mentor, Garrain Jones. A 3month Mastermind followed by a Leadership program, and three transformational retreats later, it’s been the best investment I’ve ever made. I invested in me.
The clarity I gained through slowing down to be fully present brought me back in alignment with my true passion and purpose. I am now fuelled more than ever with the drive to vocalise my truth through storytelling, and create impactful mediums for others to be heard and seen.

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