talk>>Yoko Kondo, President of Mama University: I want to be an ally for everyone to live shining brightly

Women's minds and bodies are constantly at the mercy of their hormone balance.

Seo, the representative of KNOW YOUR ORIGIN, is one such woman. She suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome and experienced a miscarriage. Now a mother of one, she developed the inner booster "Beauty Charge -Femcare-" with the desire to reduce the number of women who go through similar experiences.

Many people overcome various difficulties, find their own way of life, and shine.

In this talk, Seo welcomes and converses with such truly "beautiful people."

The second guest is Yoko Kondo, a user of "Beauty Charge -Femcare-" and the representative director of the Japan Women Entrepreneurs Support Association, which operates the Japan Mama Entrepreneurs University.

After experiencing work as an expressive artist, including radio personality and TV shopping program navigator, why did she start supporting mothers in entrepreneurship? We will explore Ms. Kondo's "positive core" mindset, which has transformed difficult experiences into laughter and allowed her to live life on her own terms.

Women's careers are easily affected by life events

Seo
Our encounter began when an event led to Ms. Kondo being invited to speak at "GIRAFFES JAPAN" in August 2024. Why did you decide to support women's entrepreneurship?

Kondo
It has a lot to do with my career. After graduating from university, I initially joined a foreign food manufacturer, but I really wanted to pursue a career in speaking, which was my original aspiration. So, I attended an announcer academy and eventually became a radio personality. Afterward, I got a job at an FM station in Osaka and lived alone in Osaka, separated from my husband. However, my mother was given a terminal diagnosis, so I returned to my hometown, Yokohama. At that time, I found out I was pregnant, and my husband at the time was the type who chased his dreams, making his future unstable. Until then, I had thought, "Whoever can earn money should," and my work was going well, so I had no worries. But I realized it would be difficult to continue that job while pregnant.
So I started job hunting to work at a general company, but I applied to 200 companies before and after giving birth and was rejected by all of them. Luckily, I was able to return to radio work, but it strongly impressed upon me that women's careers are greatly affected by life events.

Seo
I'm currently busy raising my one-year-old daughter, so I can't even imagine applying to 200 companies while pregnant and immediately after giving birth.

Kondo
My morning sickness was severe, so it was really tough, but I think I managed it because I had a strong desire to make a living, somehow.
While I realized the difficulty for pregnant women and mothers raising children to work at times, places, and in ways that suited them, on the other hand, many people around me were utilizing their strengths to work from home, for example, by teaching English or cooking. Out of curiosity, I decided to interview them to learn how they could work and live that way.
Eventually, I realized that I preferred behind-the-scenes work, such as creating programs and planning concepts and promotional methods, rather than speaking. Sometimes I even gave unsolicited advice. This gradually expanded, and I started holding study groups and seminars, which is one of the reasons I became involved in supporting women's entrepreneurship.

Seo
Many women decide to start businesses based on their own experiences, and that's how I started KNOW YOUR ORIGIN too.

Kondo
When you apply for a job, you write a resume, right? At that moment, I suddenly thought, "I have nothing to write." And then, I got rejected by 200 companies, so I felt like, "I'm a worthless person."
But if you think about it, I have communication skills, and the women I interviewed were also using their individuality as strengths in their work. Women's careers have value in what is unwritten, so if you can discover your own worth, there's no need to consider your career based on conventional societal measures. Raising children is also a respectable career, and I believe it's important to delve deep into yourself and bring out undiscovered values.

Finding your positive core

Seo
What do you value most in your activities at Japan Mama Entrepreneurs University?

Kondo
I guess it's helping them gain objectivity to realize their own worth and enabling them to fully express their unique passions.
When most people think about "what their value is," they tend to focus on their qualifications, experience, or "Can" abilities. However, the true value is often hidden in their "Will"—what excites them and what truly motivates them.
Once, someone told me, "I have nothing. I've studied design, but it doesn't seem to make much money." So I asked her what excites her, and she replied, "My child loves a certain theme park, and every time we go, they want to wear a cast costume, so I enjoy making them by hand." She said that when she uploaded about 15 costumes she had made to Instagram, she received a message from the theme park director.

Seo
That's amazing!

Kondo
Right? So I told her, "That's your value." Within what you consider normal, you can find your "passion"—something you can work on tirelessly. When you combine that with your strengths like experience and qualifications to create a business, everyone will have a moment when their eyes sparkle.
I call this the "positive core." I believe that exploring the excitement that works positively and unleashing your passion will open up your future.

Seo
At KNOW YOUR ORIGIN, we also want to support women in pursuing their own lifestyles, but in Japan, where the gender gap index is low, it is difficult for women to play an active role in society.

Kondo
Perhaps it's also necessary to re-examine the definition of "success" as it's been understood in a traditionally male-dominated society. I'm not saying that making a lot of sales to expand scale isn't great. Rather, it's about businesses and individuals who, even on a small scale, drive the local economy and bring smiles to their communities. If more such small local stars emerge, I believe it will gradually become a big movement and change society.

If you speak up, you can find things

Seo
The main users of KNOW YOUR ORIGIN are around Ms. Kondo's age. They are feeling the physical changes due to female hormones and have a high interest in improving their quality of life in the latter half of life, in this era of 100-year lifespans.

Kondo
I went through menopause at 47, but for a long time I suffered from irregular periods with occasional heavy bleeding, so while I felt a sense of relief, there was also a sense of loss. I was happy that my sleep, which was my biggest concern during menopause, stabilized after using "Beauty Charge -Femcare-."
Regardless of age, I feel a "Well-being" curse these days. People are struggling, trapped by the idea that they have to be perfect to maintain a happy state, that they have to "become someone." But I believe that the impetus for creating wonderful products and services comes from your own bitter experiences, the cultures you've touched, and how deeply your heart has been moved. So, rather than learning templates to get better at business, I think it's important to spend money on experiencing high-quality services and immersing yourself in seemingly unproductive things to enrich yourself.

Seo
What inspired you to think that way, Ms. Kondo?

Kondo
My mother's death was a big factor. My mother had been an alcoholic since I was in high school, and my two siblings and I supported her, but she hit her head and died three months later. When I saw her like that, an unanswered question revolved in my head: was my mother happy? But no matter how old you are, if you have something that makes you think, "I lived for this," then I'm sure the quality of your life will change, and both you and those you leave behind will be happy.
That's why, when I started Mama Daigaku, I heard negative opinions like, "I understand what you're saying about valuing work and family, but it's really fancy." However, if even one or two people change through their encounters at Mama Daigaku, and if there are people at my funeral who think, "Thanks to Yoko, I had a happy life," then I would be happy. Work is a tool to embody one's way of life, and through the activities of Mama Daigaku, I hope to be an ally for women to live brilliantly.

Seo
Ms. Kondo also runs the aging support magazine "Unatare," where she takes things that are generally perceived negatively and turns them into humor for positive communication. Do you have a message for those who are struggling alone and feel stuck?

Kondo
When I was in trouble, I myself was saved by interesting older women who were a little ahead of me. Since everyone thinks differently, you don't have to accept everyone's ideas. I try to suggest ways to make life more interesting, hoping that people with similar sensibilities will chuckle and empathize.
When you're in trouble or worried, if you speak up and ask for help, you can encounter solutions you never imagined. If you know there are others who have overcome similar experiences, don't you think, "If this person can live, so can I?"
By increasing your options for solving problems and moving forward on the path you've chosen, even if you fail, you can accept it because you chose it, and you can develop a strong mindset to make your choice the right one. First, try speaking up.

Seo
Thank you, Ms. Kondo. I also want to find my positive core.
KNOW YOUR ORIGIN also offers apothecary services to address questions and concerns about women's minds and bodies, including how to use "Beauty Charge -Femcare-". Please use our EC site, official LINE, or Instagram DM.

Profile

Yoko Kondo

After working as a performer, including radio personality, TV shopping navigator, and event MC, Yoko Kondo established the Japan Mama Entrepreneurs University in 2013. Aiming for entrepreneurship where "happiness" is the goal, not just "sales," she has consulted with over 1,000 female entrepreneurs. In 2017, she was appointed an entrepreneurship advisor for SME Support Japan's Business Support, and has served as a judge for business plan contests organized by the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency. Her motto is, "When in doubt, choose the more interesting path."

Japan Mama Entrepreneurs University Official Website: https://company.j-mec.com
Aging Support Magazine "Unatare": https://unatale.com
Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kondo_yoko/