Kristy Ishii
Program Director
Growing up in rural Salinas, CA, Kristy was immersed in sports (softball, volleyball, and soccer) and academics. Through sports, she developed a strong affinity for collaboration and community. At UCLA, she was introduced to the Japanese language for the first time, and this sparked her desire to work and live as a bi-lingual professional in Japan. She started her professional journey as a Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Assistant Language Teacher in Gunma, Japan, then transitioned into full-cycle recruitment for bilingual talents in Tokyo & Osaka. For four years, she was an active member of The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan and served as the president of the Japanese American Citizens League Japan Chapter in Tokyo for three years. Upon returning to the US, Kristy struggled to find any external help with her repatriation journey, so she brought all of her past experiences together (recruitment, teaching, community building) to help people like herself create a strategy to find a purpose-driven career. She creates customized programs for clients in both the Americas and Asia. She is a certified coach and graduate of the Institute of Coaching Mastery (Santa Monica, CA), and continues to provide workshops that relate to career transitions and mindset coaching.