Atsuko Tanaka is a certified professional coach and an Energy Leadership Master Practitioner through the iPEC (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching), one of the top coaching schools in the United States. Atsuko’s coaching approach focuses on the clients’ CORE, who they truly are, and who they want to become. Through this approach, clients can align their values and passion with their action, instead of having the motivation come from “need”, “should” and “supposed to.” They then can create a sustainable transformation – leading to inner peace as well as increased external accomplishments.
Atsuko also has 20+ year career in a Fortune 100 technology company, working with executives and leaders to drive business strategies, diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI), and employee experience for global organizations.
Atsuko’s Journey
Kid Who Learned to Follow the Rules Well
Atsuko was born into a middle-class family in Japan. As a young kid, and the youngest child in the family, she was an active, rambunctious kid who was spontaneous, creative, and fun-loving.
Through her adolescence, she grew up in a fairly typical Japanese community and culture, went to a public school, learned the “system” to do well in school, how to behave, what rules to follow, etc. As she reflects back on this period, she realizes that she went through a significant transition as she calls it assimilation or adaptation: from “being present and enjoying each moment” to “task-oriented and meeting or exceeding expectations.”
Though this transition helped Atsuko get along in the system and put her into a good school, it also separated her from who she really was and her passion, and she was more concerned about “expectations” and what others might think.
Glimpse of Independence to Free Herself from Cultural Expectations/Norm
With some spontaneity still left in her and with support from her family, Atsuko decided to move to the United States at the age of 20 to change her scenery and to experience a different life. She left her family and the monotonous Japanese college life behind to start a quite different college life in the States. More independence, responsibility to make her own decisions, a ton of learning in all aspects of life, bravery to reach out and ask for help to find a solution she needed, and so much more. She experienced a plenty of uncertainty, discomfort, and nervousness in this phase, but it also brought her excitement, growth and joy.
This phase also introduced the opportunity for her to experience an environment that was so much more diverse in people and culture compared with her previous life in Japan. It broadened her perspectives and helped her see the beauty of differences. Previously, “difference” often meant “need for adaptation and conformity” or “judgement“. Through her college phase, there emerged a new take on a “difference”. It often created a spark of curiosity, desire to learn more, and appreciation.
Corporate America | Mastering the Guidebook to Perform Well at Work, but Being Stuck
After graduating from college, Atsuko joined one of the top Fortune 100 technology companies in the States. She spent her first few years enjoying the new stream of income and stability while getting used to the corporate system and culture. She cruised along, performing her work well enough, but not being particularly excited about her work or thriving to drive her career forward. It was good enough. She felt she should be happy and grateful for what she had. Why rock the boat?
Her life was focused on “checking off” the to-do list and completing the tasks she was supposed to do to prove her worth and to move on to the next level of her career. She was a good worker, steadily meeting expectations and goals set for her and for the level of roles she was in. Part of their yearly performance review process focused on “what you could have done better” and “what you need to work on”, which was meant to drive progress and improvement, but in reality, constantly reminded people that they are not good enough.
During her 20+ years in the corporate environment, she was exposed to workplace toxicity, politics, a “cool kids club” culture, and abundance of microaggressions – leading her to feel defeated, powerless, exhaustion, disconnected from her purpose. But she tolerated.
Finding Her Purpose
Atsuko was living in a state of “blah“, not knowing what she really wanted or how to stop feeling stuck and tired. At the same time, there were things she was clearly aware of. Things she was fed up with: workplace politics, toxic culture, inauthenticity and dishonesty, constant comparisons, criticisms and the never-ending rat race, to name just a few…
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and she had a chance to remove herself from the toxic workplace (at least physically although not mentally), giving her a breathing space to sit and reflect on herself. She asked herself, “what do you want instead?” That was the beginning of her intentional transformation.
Inspiration from thought leaders and working with her leadership coach helped her continue her exploration and transformed her life, leading her to a number of achievements just within a year, including:
- Finding her purpose: Help others achieve more and find joy in life
- Becoming a certified professional coach, graduating from a world-class professional coach training program
- A new role at work where she gets to bring impact to people and their experience across the organization
- A big cross-state move with her family of 4 from rainy Washington to sunny Arizona
- Started her own business
