Business born out of the challenges of motherhood with Kayo Tokumaru
Featuring guest
Kayo Tokumaru
We explore the entrepreneurial journey of Kayo Tokumaru, founder of AndAssist, a Tokyo-based bilingual virtual assistant company. Through our conversation, we dive into the problem space of work-life balance for working families, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by working mothers in Japan. We discuss how Kayo-san transitioned from a rigid corporate career to entrepreneurship to create flexibility for herself and other working mothers. Our dialogue examines the historical image of strong Japanese women, from Queen Himiko to today's underutilized female workforce, while exploring what corporations can do to support re-entry into the workforce. We frame this episode within Design Thinking's double diamond approach, mapping the territory of work-life balance challenges as society moves beyond COVID-era remote work toward reimagining collaboration and workplace flexibility.
Themes of Inquiry
- Work-life balance
- Working mothers
- Japanese female workforce
- Entrepreneurial journey
- Corporate flexibility
We explore the entrepreneurial journey of Kayo Tokumaru, founder of AndAssist, a Tokyo-based bilingual virtual assistant company.
Episode Summary
We explore the entrepreneurial journey of Kayo Tokumaru, founder of AndAssist, a Tokyo-based bilingual virtual assistant company. Through our conversation, we dive into the problem space of work-life balance for working families, particularly focusing on the challenges faced by working mothers in Japan. We discuss how Kayo-san transitioned from a rigid corporate career to entrepreneurship to create flexibility for herself and other working mothers. Our dialogue examines the historical image of strong Japanese women, from Queen Himiko to today's underutilized female workforce, while exploring what corporations can do to support re-entry into the workforce. We frame this episode within Design Thinking's double diamond approach, mapping the territory of work-life balance challenges as society moves beyond COVID-era remote work toward reimagining collaboration and workplace flexibility.
The Guest Biography
Kayo Tokumaru
Kayo Tokumaru is the founder of AndAssist, a Tokyo-based bilingual virtual assistant company that serves working professionals and businesses. After experiencing the challenges of balancing a rigid corporate career with growing family responsibilities, she made the transition from the corporate world to entrepreneurship. Through AndAssist, Kayo-san provides flexible work opportunities specifically designed to support working mothers who need to balance professional ambitions with family life. Her company represents her commitment to addressing the underutilization of female talent in Japan's workforce while offering practical solutions for work-life integration in the modern business environment.
Continue the Dialogue
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