The board members at FEW are volunteers with lives, families and businesses outside of their FEW duties. We couldn’t do our FEW work without the support of paid specialists to assist with the technical, design and organisational areas. 

We would love to shine a light on these amazing people who make us look good. 

Today’s crew member, Kayo Tokumaru who is the Founder and CEO of AND ASSIST – who provides bilingual administration support. 

NAME

Kayo Tokumaru

LOCATION – where are you in the world?:

Tokyo, Japan

Role at FEW and timeframe of service?

We are providing virtual assistant services to FEW – specially in the area of administration.

What do you do in your regular job?

I am a founder of AND ASSIST Inc, Tokyo based virtual assistant service provider.  

Why I started AND ASSIST

As we see movements of women into the workforce, more and more mothers are looking for ways to balance work and family, but it is certainly not easy. How can we create a system that allows mothers to value their talents and optimize their abilities at their own pace?

With that in mind, AND ASSIST was founded.

We want to build a system where mothers can work and raise children and fulfill their abilities. We would like to introduce our ideas and thoughts of starting AND ASSIST.

Here is the bio and photo of one of our VA’s – Yuki

Yuki is a senior assistant for AND ASSIST.  After her studies in Europe, she worked in the travel business for a large Japanese company. After completing her graduate studies at Sophia University, she worked as a core member of operating clerical tasks to coordinate tasks both within and outside the company at a business school. Currently, she’s been training to be a supervisor.

Tell us some fun facts about you..  

Actually, my 9 yrs old son belongs to a Japanese traditional lion dance performance group, 獅子舞 and I really enjoy supporting the group. Not recently because of the covid but we traveled many parts of Japan to perform.

Where can we learn more about you?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayo-tokumaru-239612187/

https://andassist.jp/en/

AND ASSIST LinkedIn Company Profile

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The board members at FEW are volunteers with lives, families and businesses outside of their FEW duties. We couldn’t do our FEW work without the support of paid specialists to assist with the technical, design and organisational areas. 

We would love to shine a light on these amazing people who make us look good. 

Today’s crew member, Kristen, is the talented designer behind the graphics you see on our event posters on our website and social media. 

NAME

Kristen McQuillin

LOCATION – where are you in the world?:

An idyll in the mountains of Kamogawa, Chiba 

Role at FEW and timeframe of service?

Web and newsletter duties, supporting FEW Communications Director.

What do you do in your regular job?

My regular job is “mediatinker” and it’s quite irregular. I do numerous interesting things, starting every morning by teaching yoga, then moving on to whatever my clients need: logo design, websites, business advice, curriculum development, illustration, copywriting. For my own projects, I teach intuitive art and write books about decluttering. And I am building a house.

Tell us some fun facts about you..  

This summer I manually sorted 12 tons of tiles reclaimed from a construction site before they were dumped. I ended up with about 8 tons of usable tiles, which I learned to lay. My first tiling project was a toilet in a local restaurant! I also turned some of the mottainai tiles into tiny artworks. My next project with the tiles will be my new house.

Where can we learn more about you?

https://mediatinker.com/

https://drawingmeditations.com/

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The board members at FEW are volunteers with lives, families and businesses outside of their FEW duties. We couldn’t do our FEW work without the support of paid specialists to assist with the technical, design and organisational areas. 

We would love to shine a light on these amazing people who make us look good. 

Today’s crew member, Michelle Gwafa is our assigned Virtual Assistant from Virtual Staff on Demand. 

Thembi Bheka, is the founder of Thrive-Cast and Virtual Staff On Demand, an organization that trains women from disadvantaged backgrounds (mainly in Africa) to create income online working as virtual assistants. 

NAME

Thembi Bheka (CEO)

Michelle Gwafa  (VA)

LOCATION – where are you in the world?:

Thembi Bheka (CEO) is in Canada and Michelle is in Africa, Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. 

Role at FEW and timeframe of service?

Virtual Assistant service providers such as Graphic Designing, Social Media Management to name a few and we started working with FEW on the 24th of November 2021. Michelle Gwafa is our assigned VA who is in charge of our social media scheduling management. 

What do you do in your regular job?

Thembi Bheka is the founder of Thrive-Cast and Virtual Staff On Demand, an organization that trains women from disadvantaged backgrounds (mainly in Africa) to create income online working as virtual assistants.

She is on a mission to empower 1 million women by 2025, so money is never a reason a woman is stuck in an abusive relationship.

Thembi was voted the Launch Club (Jeff Walker’s community) Spokesperson for the year by over a 1000 entrepreneurs. Thembi has inspired others at live events, including Launchcon 2018, PLF, Inbound, REIN, and South African Women Entrepreneurs Association.

She has also been featured on top-rated podcasts, including Cashflow Ninja, Smart Passive Income, The Affiliate Guy and Her Success Radio, that have also featured top entrepreneurs that include Kim Kiyosaki, Kevin Harrington, Ali Brown, and Marie Forleo to name a few.

When Thembi isn’t busy helping others grow their businesses, she enjoys spending time with her two children, travelling on road trips.

She also is a volunteer with Kelowna Community Resources- a government organization that helps new immigrants settle in Canada. Thembi lives between beautiful Kelowna, Canada and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

________________

Michelle Gwafa is a competent Virtual Assistant who takes pride in providing the best services for her clients. She has a strong passion for making a difference, which is why she has found such fulfilment in working with VSOD as the mission and vision align with her passion. Michelle is proficient in graphic designing, social media management, creating pages and funnels, just to mention a few. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Communication and a Diploma in Public Relations.

Tell us some fun facts about you..  

1. I went on a bike for the first time in my life this year.

2. I went to the movie theater for the first time at 18. I remember yelling – Wow those people are big. Talk about humble beginnings.

3. I once bought a hot dog stand. I was gonna quit nursing and be ‘filthy rich’ from my venture.

Where can we learn more about you?

Website link – https://virtualstaffondemand.com/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TMBheka/

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thembibheka/

Linkedin – https://ca.linkedin.com/in/thembibheka

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On the 6th August 1984 at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Tessa Sanderson won the Gold in the Women’s Javelin and became the first black woman to win a Gold for Great Britain. She remains today the only British person, man or woman to ever win a throwing Gold Medal, a record that has been maintained for over 35 years. 

Tessa competed in SIX Olympic Games from 1976 to 1996, and in addition to the Olympic Gold, won three Commonwealth Golds and a World Cup Gold in Cuba in 1990.

During her 26 years competing for Great Britain Tessa was voted Sports Personality of the Year and Athlete of the Year (3 times) by the Athletics Writers Association, she also presented the Sports News for 2/3 years for Sky Television. Her media career involved television presenting for BBC, ITV, Bloomberg, GMTV, Talk Sport Radio. 

Tessa has taken part in various BBC Show’s and is a natural in front of the camera both as a guest and a host. One particular show recorded the highest viewing of the whole series on one evening with over 2.9 million viewers – it was repeated 9 nine times during the year.

Tessa was a Board member of the Olympic Park Legacy Company and continues to be very involved with that area today. Her charity support is extensive, her latest work includes being Patron of Adoption UK having adopted two young twins herself. More recently she became Patron for the Birmingham Commonwealth Association and is an Ambassador for Move it or Lose it, a campaign aiming at improving the fitness of older people, particularly during the pandemic of 2020.

She continues to be a regular within media, whether it be ‘A Question of Sport’ (2016), BBC Radio news review (2017) Loose Women (2019) Sky News (2019) or entertainment ‘Celebrity 5 go Barging’ Channel 5 (2018), Junk Food Experiment (2019), Sink or Swim (2019). She is often featured in magazines, broadsheets and the popular press (Hello Magazine covered her 60th birthday , Daily Telegraph featured ‘mother at 57, model at 60’, Telegraph supplement covered her 35th Anniversary since winning Gold ). Very much a TV/Radio personality outside of her sporting achievements she regularly gives keynote speeches as well as hosting award functions. More recently she was signed by a modelling agency and is developing work in fashion and beauty balancing this with her young family and sporting interests. She presented at a designers launch in 2019, making her debut appearance on the catwalk. 

Tessa is also a corporate business ambassador helping to build brand awareness. She has several large roles with an announcement of an exciting new project shortly.

Social Media tags for Tessa:

Tessa Sanderson CBE Official Twitter  @tessasanderson 

Tessa Sanderson CBE Official Instagram @tessasandersoncbe

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Terri was born in New York City’s Harlem in 1958, grew up in Queens and Manhattan, attended the High School of Music & Art as a voice and piano major. She went to Fordham University for 2 years as an English major. Her first real job was Manager, then Director of Business Affairs for CBS Records International for 10 years. She moved to General Manager of Paisley Park Music for 2 years.

Having fallen in love with the Shibuya-kei scene in Tokyo, she left the corporate world to run a non-profit, Medius Entertainment, whose mandate was to promote cultural exchange by bringing excellent Japanese underground bands to the US.

After almost 15 years of artist management (Pizzicato Five, Buffalo Daughter, FEED), Terri and her business partner decided the music business was moving in too mercenary a direction, and they moved into bi-cultural multimedia production and brand management. By this time, Terri was living in Tokyo, and working to find a way to build a life in the city.

Building a Creative Practice

Terri’s focus now is the concept learn:::create:::publish. As a lover of courses and books and learning, she has consumed a lot, created sporadically, and published little. 

In her early 60s, she decided that had to change.

She is creating a podcast and newsletter called ‘hello human’, documenting her creative projects. hello human is especially meant for middle-aged+ women who would love to build a creative practice and perhaps even turn it into a business someday. 

Terri is fortunate to have a full time job she enjoys, but it’s worth the time it takes to focus on the projects that build – and serve – this community.

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Petra Laptiste was born and raised in Montreal which is one of the world’s largest French-speaking cities. She was born to a Trinidadian father and a Grenadian mother who had left the Caribbean to seek more diverse educational prospects in Canada. Her mother and father instilled in her the principles of dedication, integrity, cultural awareness and hard work – with lots of love and laughter sprinkled in between.

After graduating from Concordia University with a Specialization in Cell & Molecular Biology, she worked at one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, then moved to Japan for a career change in education. While she had been living in Japan, Petra honed her teaching skills by receiving a Cambridge University CELTA certificate. Spending almost a decade in Japan had planted a deep wanderlust inside her soul. Petra’s years of travel to almost 35 countries on 5 continents have enabled her to experience a wide variety of foods, cultures and enriching philosophies. For instance, on her first African journey, Petra went to Ghana on holiday. Unfortunate news unfolded and tragedy hit her family. In retrospect, she had used that experience and the positive sisterhood energies from FEW Japan to embark upon her first entrepreneurial streak in Tokyo.

She has brought cultural sensitivity and diversity to all facets of her work. From Corporate Training to Trinidadian cooking instruction in Tokyo – it has always been Petra’s mission to broaden the horizons of those around her and allow them to understand that the Caribbean and African Diaspora have a deep richness and history. The gorgeous textiles and symbols of Ghana and Tanzania, the soulful rhythm of Trinidadian tunes, the earthy deep beats of Grenadian music, Afro-Caribbean fashion, diverse and flavorful cuisine and the beauty of English language communication are what Petra Laptiste wants people to savour, experience and return for more.

After leaving Japan, Petra decided to take a break from entrepreneurship. She relocated to and currently lives in the Arabian Gulf region where she teaches ESL and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.

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Our workouts consist of a combination of strength and cardio, teamwork and individual exercises, as well as high intensity interval training. During the pregnant and postnatal workouts we focus on safe reeducation of the pelvic floor as well as the core muscles.

All our trainers have a professional education and are specialized in pre- and postnatal workouts. 

We all know that it can be quite a challenge to combine children, friends, work and a full agenda, let alone do this overseas!  Our mission is to help as many women and moms (to-be) as possible in building a strong, energetic life foundation. 

We do this together with our network of positive women, who all find themselves in the same situation here in Japan; trying to raise a family.
When you are feeling physically and mentally good about yourself, it is easier to make the right choices, to work on your personal ambitions and enjoy your family.

We touch women’s lives and inspire them to be at their best. We believe in a positive and personal approach. We will do the best we can, always.
Sounds good!? Register through our website:
https://www.mominbalance.com/japan/en/signup/

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Originally from Connecticut, I spent my childhood raising farm animals and creating art. I graduated from Skidmore College with degrees in Business and Fine Arts; my junior year I spent at Kansai Gaidai in Osaka.

For the past 20+ years, I have been on the corporate track; gaining an MBA from Harvard Business School, working in brand management at Clorox, helping to start BabyCenter.com, and finally working 14 years at Amazon.com and .jp.

In 2014, I retired from corporate life and am now a mompreneur. Best Living Japan is me following my passion and sharing it with others. Best Living Japan runs a website that helps global families living in and traveling to Japan have more fun! We also have a studio where we teach various art, cooking & lifestyle classes.

I am also a Girl Scout leader of Troop #20605 in Tokyo, a Trustee of The American School in Japan, and a Committee Member of the Asian University of Women. 

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Partially inspired by Tim Ferris’s 4-Hour Workweek, and Robert Kiyosaki’s Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Sabrina decided to engage more fully in her own business ventures. In 2014, Sabrina relocated to coastal South Carolina and combined her business interest with her legal skills. She developed a small real-estate business with a portfolio of three properties. She worked as a real-estate closing attorney, representing large banks and mortgage lenders while serving as a property manager and AirBnb host for her personal portfolio.

Shortly after Trump’s election to the US presidency, Sabrina decided to leave the US. In 2017, Sabrina began work as a JET at Nishi High School while remotely managing her interests in the US.  At Nishi, Sabrina used her debate, writing, and public speaking skills to help her students develop their communication skills. In 2018, FEW sponsored Sabrina’s participation in the Japan Market Expansion Competition (JMEC). Through the program, Sabrina led her team to win the Best Market Research award to investigate expansion opportunities in Japan for a Spanish multinational motorcycle brakes company.  

Since 2019, Sabrina has applied her business experience in advising Tokyo-based businesses. She enjoys working with progressive organizations to address business challenges through her bespoke consulting service. For more information visit https://sabrinahassanali.com/

For recreation, Sabrina enjoys off-grid adventures in nature or eating strange foods abroad. Since COVID-19 has placed a damper on her travels, she started a creative T-shirt business inspired by Japanese manholes. For more information visit www.tokyoground.com

Sabrina Hassanali comes from a family of adventurous entrepreneurs and empowered women. She can find relatives on five continents; they are collectively part of the larger Indian diaspora. Sabrina Hassanali grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, but has also lived in Tanzania and Argentina. She considers herself a global citizen.

Sabrina is a life-long advocate of a balanced professional life. She makes time for public service, a salaried role, and a side business in her professional endeavors.  Through her example and leadership, she hopes to inspire others to keep growing.

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