Introduction

Hi, there!

My name is Suzie. I’m starting this blog because one of the Toastmasters Level 4 electives is to write a compelling blog. I’ve been writing Japanese blogs; however, writing an English blog is new to me, and to be honest, it will be quite challenging, since writing in English takes me twice as long as writing in Japanese.

I moved to the U.S. in 1995, as a 26-year-old Japanese woman, with little money and little English speaking skills. I adopted the nickname Suzie, since my real name, Shizuka, was often mistaken for “Suzuki”, a famous Japanese motorcycle brand.

I value:

• Grit – passion and perseverance for long-term and meaningful goals
• Courage to fail and not to be daunted by own imperfection
• Teamwork

These days, my daughters, a college sophomore and a high school senior, are my biggest inspirations. The fact that they will enter the real world in a few years also makes me think a lot about women at work and women in leadership.

I’ll be sharing my thoughts around these things. Hope you’ll enjoy.