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Well, even in figure skating, we fall tons of times.
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But I think that a lot of people don't understand that rejection is a real thing.
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People think just because they see, I'm only posting good things in my life, you know, and people only remember good things.
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But just like any other person, I face rejection.
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I've heard things I didn't want to hear about myself.
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Um, in figure skating, we're constantly judged for how we look, how we perform, and it's on a numerical scale.
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And then when I did pageantry, it's now not even numerical, it's the judge's own opinion of you.
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And that's, you know, it's another scale of judgment.
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And even in high school, people don't know this.
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I was not popular at all.
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Very people barely knew me.
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I was known as the geeky ugly girl.
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I was the ugly duckling.
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I was You and me both.
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I'm with you.
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Welcome everybody back to Sean's Learning Adventure.
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I'm your host, Sean Trace, and I have an awesome guest with me today.
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Uh, would you like to tell people who you are and a little bit about what you do?
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Absolutely.
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So, my name is Kaya Tracker Bordy, and I was formerly Miss Universe Japan 2024.
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I'm currently in the midst of applying to medical school.
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I graduated with a degree in human biology neuroscience, and I am a former U.S.
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national champion in 2018 and 2019.
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That's a quick introduction on myself.
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There's so much cool stuff that you do, Kaya.
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And like you've you've had such an interesting background, but I want to rewind.
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And if we rewind to when you were younger, what did you think your life was going to look like?
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And how different is that from where you are today?
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You know, honestly, that's a great question because as a young kid, I was always figure skating.
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That was my first and foremost thing.
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I was a host family.
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I hosted uh over 30 people at my house growing up, all figure skating athletes.
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So yeah, I thought I was going to be an Olympian, like one of them or an Olympic gold medalist.
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And that has that had been my lifelong dream.
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You know, I wasn't really thinking anything else, especially as a young kid.
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So I was at the rink every day.
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And then now to experience the life I'm living and having a complete different route, but also, you know, still involved with figure skating.
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And I I feel so blessed.
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And I feel that young me would still be proud of me.
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So yeah.
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I love that.
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Well, you know what's interesting too?
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The fact that you said young you would still be proud of you is probably one of the coolest things ever.
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Hopefully, young you wouldn't bully you now.
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But you know, I think sometimes that's the way it goes for some people.
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Like they get into this place and young you would be like, what are you doing?
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What do you think, what do you think was the thing that kept you following a path that Young Yu would be proud of?
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Definitely.
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I had great parents that kept me, you know, disciplined and on a road that, you know, of course, parents aren't always in the right, I'm gonna say, because people have different, you know, circumstances.
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But for me, my parents were very education-based.
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My dad being a physician, my mom also being in the medical field.
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They told me you can do anything you want as long as you get your education.
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So, aside from school, after school, you can keep skating, you can do it.
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And I think that's what led me in the right direction because, you know, as a child, you might not enjoy studying as much.
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And that was me.
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You know, I didn't really get the chance to know what my favorite subjects are.
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My su my focus was just on skating.
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I could care less about school.
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But as, you know, you get older and you get new dreams, I realized that, oh, like maybe I should have taken, you know, my education more seriously.
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And luckily, my parents, you know, had always been on my back.
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So that kind of guided me towards a good direction, thanks to that.
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And I also had a positive outlook on everything because my parents were just so supportive of me.
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That's awesome.
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You know, I'm a father of a 10-year-old daughter, uh, 10 going on 25.
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And uh there are days where I just I am so worried about what I'm doing and if I'm doing it right.
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Um but the idea of just making sure that, you know, your parents are the parents are anchoring into education.
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For our, for my daughter, I try to help her do things that help her build confidence.
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And I, you know, I told her like you can be whatever you want, but learn to do it well, learn to apply yourself, learn to have these skills that can help you create something.
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And so what one of the examples is one of the things that I have her doing is she was doing art classes.
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She loves drawing, she loves creating.
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But now uh we have she started getting into sewing.
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She's like crafting and she likes making all her own stuff.
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And so I found this one teacher that teaches her how to draw, how to take that drawing and model it onto a, you know, one of those figures, like the model body figures, and then make it.
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And she's taking things from, she designs it her head, makes it into paper, and then creates it.
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And I uh and she's like, well, I don't know if necessarily want to be a fashion designer.
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I said, that's not it.
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You're what you're learning is to take an idea and figure out how to take it from an idea into reality.
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And I hope that it's something that she can carry with her, you know?
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But I love to hear that your parents were part of your foundation, you know?
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And to me, it's interesting because you you have a very diverse background.
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You've represented Japan on a global stage, but your background is multicultural.
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How did you learn to understand who you are and how did that shape your confidence?
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Because you seem really confident to me, which is awesome.
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Thank you.
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Um, I just wanted to, before I get into it, I wanted to let you know that confidence is one of the best tools that any child can have.
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And it's great that you're teaching that because if a child doesn't have confidence, they also don't have the confidence to dream big.
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Um and you're setting them up for success.
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So I just wanted to say that first and foremost, you're doing amazing.
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I'm trying.
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I'm trying.
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But to answer your question, you know, growing up, I was, you know, not as much on the internet, you know, like it was just starting, you know.
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So I didn't get as much internet access to people who may look like me.
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And growing up in the United States, there weren't too many multicultural people around me and my city.
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Depending on where you live, it's gonna look different.
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But for me, it was definitely more, you know, people who look different than me.
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But I also came to an understanding to love my cultures because I was so proud of it.
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My parents didn't make me feel shamed for it, you know.
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And I think there's also that like surrounding my the people that I grew up with didn't criticize me for bringing a different lunchbox or they didn't make me feel any negative emotion about it.
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So I was more confident I was educating the people around me.
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This is Japanese food, this is Bangladeshi Indian food that, you know, people wouldn't have known regard like elsewhere.
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And so that slowly, slowly, you know, made me feel really proud of myself to be part of, you know, two different cultures and have two different cuisines at home to celebrate two different cultural events, you know.
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And on top of that, there's when I finally got internet access, there was this model who had the same roots as me, also half Japanese, also half Bangladeshi.
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And she was famous in Japan and people loved her.
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And it made me feel like even if I go back to Japan, I'm fine because there's someone that they love similar, you know, to me and my background.
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So that was kind of my stepping stone into feeling not confident just on the inside, but also how I physically looked as well.
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I love that because it's like sometimes we don't fit in, all of us.
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And it, you know, whether it's like I remember changing schools when I was a kid, and everyone thought I was weird because the school that I was from was really outgoing, and everyone was just like really active.
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And then I went to this school that was very like everyone was just really all this whole class that I was joining was really quiet and introverted, and I just was like, what's up?
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And everyone's like, this guy's nuts, you know?
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And it was tough.
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It was really tough for me to feel like people understood me.
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But one of the things that I found was that um, I think that confidence that I had of just being who I am, I felt like it was a weird experience.
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And the year this year, it's a long time ago, I'm gonna just say that.
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Uh, I got a call for the reunion.
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And one of the person was like, Sean, you were so much fun and everyone loved you so much.
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And we know you were only there for like six months.
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We would love to invite you back.
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And I was like, I thought everyone hated me.
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It's like all these years later, like I realized that I it was just me being me, but you have to embrace you.
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You have to embrace you, you have to know who you are, you know, and you have to embrace all sides of you.
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You know, like that's one of the things with my daughter.
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She is growing up with a Vietnamese mom and an American dad.
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And she's got these two cuisines, she's got these two different things.
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And, you know, we spend a lot of time in the US, but she has to find that balance.
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And one of the things that's interesting, too, that I think is so cool about you and your background is like every time people see my daughter, she's tall.
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She's like dad.
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She's 10 and she's up to here on me.
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And I'm I'm 185, I'm six foot, and she's like, she's 10, and she's tall like daddy.
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And everyone's like, she should be a model, she should be a movie star, she should be this.
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And she's like, but I also want to be a doctor, I want to do this, I want to do this.
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And she's got all these things that she would like to try.
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And so it's interesting because people are trying to put her in a box, and she's like, I don't want to be in a box.
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And like you've lived in the world of athletics and neuroscience, and you know, pageants and and runways.
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What did sports teach you that you now use in medicine and life?
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And and how did you balance all of these different parts of you?
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Because they're all beautiful parts of you, but you had to, you know, how do you balance it?
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Yes, thank you so much.
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Well, it was a lot, definitely.
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Uh it's definitely overwhelming for the people around me too, growing up, I think, because there was just so much I wanted to do.
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But I for sports, that was my foundation that modeled who I am now.
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Like, definitely, which is I got to see it with the homestay people, but I also got to experience it myself, which is discipline.
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Discipline is the most undervalued um characteristic.
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And I think it's because it's really hard to develop a habit nowadays.
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Um back then I just I had no choice, and I I made it seem like I didn't have a choice because this is the recipe to get it where I wanted to be.
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Of course, the end result is gonna, you know, be maybe a little different.
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But despite that, I'm gonna do everything that I can to make sure that when I it happens, I don't have to look back and say, I wish I had done this.
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So discipline was huge for me, you know, having a routine, sticking to it, but also, you know, not just diverting all my life energy towards one thing.
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You know, it's easy for people to be branded a certain way.
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I was seen as the athlete in school.
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And when I was in college, I was seen as the girl who was who never had time for anything because I was always at the library.
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I was always running events for my clubs because I was in six different clubs.
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And then for me to do pageants and then do well, it was like surprising for everyone around me.
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But one thing that stuck with me that made me realize who I am and have confidence in who I am is that three of my close friends told me that they never doubted that I would not succeed because they knew that I would make pull through and keep pushing towards the end because that's the person, that's the type of person Kaya is.
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And they said that they're terrified of my determination, and that made me so happy um to know that even if I am, you know, doing something crazy, people around at least the people close to me, aren't thinking she's being crazy again.
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It's she's gonna tackle on a new challenge and succeed.
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Yes.
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I love that.
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I love it because as a father, those are things I'm trying to teach my daughter.
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I have a strength and a weakness that are one and the same.
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When I go at something, I don't quit.
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I don't let go.
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So I have this one person who reached out to me, and um we were talking about a project, and I was like, this project is a um, it's a a musical here in Vietnam that I want my wife and daughter to be part of.
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And it's kind of like the anti uh princess movie.
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So it's kind of fun because uh the idea is my daughter would play the main lead, and a fairy godher mother comes and asks, tells her to get ready to be the princess.
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And she's like, I don't want to be a princess, I want to be whatever.
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And so they she like takes, she creates this existential crisis for the fairy godmother, and who's like sitting there having this like, oh my goodness, I what am I doing right now, you know?
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And so I have this already, and like in 24 hours I outlined the whole thing, put it all together, and the person's like, Wow, wow, like, like you work fast.
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And I was like, When I feel passionate about something, but well, a lot of people can work fast and then drop it.
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I I don't.
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I like I am obsessive about something like my wife.
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We introduced them, she told me she liked this one French duo, uh, Bart and Baker.
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They are French electro swing, which is a cool subgenre of music that is it's not electro, it's not swing, but it's really fun.
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And these this duo, they are the duo, and they make so much great stuff.
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And I got them on my podcast, and um I just wanted to talk to them because someone who inspires my wife so much, I was like, I want to meet these people and figure out how they tick, you know?
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And they're these two lovely, lovely older gentlemen, and they just make they like are absolute nerds about music and vinyl, and and they're just amazing people.
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And they finally they came to Vietnam, we met them, and they said, We'd love to do music with your wife.
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And so that was like two years ago.
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And they played music, it was awesome, right?
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And so here were these people that were, and I I started it, her telling me that we got them on the podcast a year later.
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I've I got them, they came and visited us.
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I like, and then it took two more years to finish the music.
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Two more years.
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And then we released the music over the last three months.
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Uh, one of her songs was uh a chart topper for it was on the top, it was the number one song on Spotify for Electro Swing in the Whole World.
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And I was just like, Yes, and I haven't known how to teach that to my daughter because I sit there and I think about it, and I was like, but how did I learn?
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You know how I learned?
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I'm a black belt and judo.
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I I yeah, I I studied Japanese-style jujitsu, judo, and you know how you become a black belt and judo is you fall down a hundred thousand times.
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Yes, I know.
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My cousins do that, right?
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The only way that you can get your to your the to win is to get back, and you gotta get up a hundred thousand and one.
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So we got my daughter, right?
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We got my daughter into Muay Thai, and uh, I don't know if it's good or I'm creating a monster, but she uh she's been in Muay Thai now for four years, and she can hit hard and she's getting stronger all the time.
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But one of the things that was interesting is when she tried something else.
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She went and tried volleyball.
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And the volleyball coach, again, was just like, How tall is your child?
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Yeah, 10 years old?
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Like they were just like, hello height.
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And I was like, Yeah, I know.
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She's really tall.
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And but what was interesting is they ran some drills.
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And the coach came over to me and he pulled me aside and he says, I need to ask you a question.
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He's like, Does she is she tired right now?
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And I was like, I don't know, ask her.
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He's like, no, no, it's really weird.
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I said, What do you mean?
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He says, We've been running drills for 45 minutes nonstop.
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I'm getting tired, and she's not slowing down.
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And I said, And I said, Well, let me ask her.
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I said, Are you tired?
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She's like, No, this is easy compared to Muay Thai.
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And I was just like, and I was like thinking about that.
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We don't realize those little things that we learn along the way that teach us resilience, that teach us how to keep going.
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Absolutely.
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What are the things that helped you learn that resilience?
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Well, even in figure skating, we fall tons of times.
00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:04.319
But I think that a lot of people don't understand that rejection is a real thing.
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:11.759
People think just because they see, I'm only posting good things in my life, you know, and people only remember good things.
00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.279
But just like any other person, I face rejection.
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:19.200
I've heard things I didn't want to hear about myself.
00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:23.839
Um, in figure skating, we're constantly judged for how we look, how we perform.
00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:26.160
And it's on a numerical scale.
00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:33.680
And then when I did pageantry, it's now not even numerical, it's the judge's own opinion of you.
00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:33.920
Right.
00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:38.400
And that's right, you know, it's another scale of judgment.
00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:41.680
And even in high school, people don't know this.
00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:43.599
I was not popular at all.
00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:45.359
Very people barely knew me.
00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:47.599
I was known as the geeky ugly girl.
00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:48.880
I was the ugly duckling.
00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:50.880
I was You and me both.
00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:52.160
I'm with you.
00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.559
And it was so bad.
00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:58.559
Like it definitely got to me and my self-confidence.
00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:10.559
But I think that also, not in a revenge sort of way, but in a way that I wanted to prove to myself and my own confidence, like, no, Kaya, you are pretty.
00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:17.440
And so what I when I entered a pageant, of course, I entered because I I had hope for myself.
00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:19.839
And I believed in myself.
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:28.400
And I didn't care that maybe so and so might think, well, Kaya is not my type or doesn't really fit my bill.
00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:33.759
I wanted to fit my own bill and later look on and be like proud of myself.
00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:38.000
And so I knew that there's a chance I'm not gonna win.
00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:42.640
When you enter any competition, you know that there's a chance you're not gonna win.
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:43.680
And that's okay.
00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:46.640
That's part of your learning and that's part of growth.
00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:49.200
And it has nothing to do with you.
00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:55.519
Um, and that's something really important that you need to learn that you can't control certain things.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:58.880
And I I learned that really early along the way.
00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:02.079
I was always the ugly duckling.
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:04.160
I was always goofy, I never dressed well.
00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:08.960
Luckily, I have a wife who pushes me in a certain direction, but I still have my own style.
00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:11.200
I have a I have my own thing I do.
00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:19.599
And what was interesting is the other week I was in Vegas at um my wife was singing at a big big nightclub there, and I'm filming it, and I was walking here.
00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:20.559
It's awesome.
00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:25.440
My wife is super cool, and that's why I'm so proud of my daughter because she's so much like her mom.
00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:26.880
Thank God.
00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:35.839
Uh, but I'm walking down the hallway, and I was gonna go pick something up downstairs, and I guy turned and looked at me, and he's like, Man, I like your style.
00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:38.000
And I was just like, What?
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:38.799
What?
00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:42.319
And it was something that was uniquely mine, and I was like, Well, thank you very much.
00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:44.559
But you know, I failed many times.
00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:48.480
There are many times that I put things together, and I am not a fashionista.
00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:50.240
Like, I that is not what I am.
00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:54.720
But like in other areas of my life, I have failed so many times.
00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:57.200
I have done things that did not work out.
00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:04.640
I was flying back to Southeast Asia after the um filming in the US, and I watched Batman.
00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.359
And I was watching, rewatching Batman with Christian Bale.
00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:10.319
Christian Bale! I like I can't even do the voices.
00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.799
I don't know how he did that for four movies.
00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.240
All right, three movies.
00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:15.519
It's such a difficult thing.
00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:23.359
But I love the line where Alfred comes up to Bruce Wayne and says, Why do we fall?
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:25.680
And do you know this line?
00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:26.640
It's so good.
00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:31.839
He says, We fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up.
00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:33.200
And I love that.
00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:37.680
And I was just like, whether it's judo or figure skating, we fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up.
00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:39.920
And it goes into my next question.
00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:44.400
You've competed at high levels and spoken on big stages.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:50.799
How do you handle pressure when all eyes are on you and when you feel like falling is not an option?
00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:57.039
Well, that also comes with a lot of experience, you know.
00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.759
Um, it wasn't something that happened overnight.
00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:07.039
And I had spoken about this briefly previously, but pressure is a privilege.
00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.559
That was something Billie Jean Jean King said.
00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:22.960
And it is so important to know that you're gonna in life experience very uncomfortable, very nerve-wracking things, whether that is in your control or out of your control.
00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:27.039
And for me, I was a terrible speaker at first.
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:44.720
For example, I would shy away from reading a page in class because I wasn't confident in my ability to speak English from a young age and turned to forcing myself to be social, to um, you know, meet new people and to speak.
00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:51.039
Because at the end of the day, even if I'm nervous, even if I don't want to do it, I wanted to be heard.
00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:52.400
I wanted to be seen.
00:22:52.720 --> 00:23:01.920
And that want was more stronger than my fear of being, you know, in front of people and performing.
00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:04.880
And that essentially pushed through.
00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:15.839
So what I taught the girls at Miss University Japan the following year, because I became their speaking coach, I told them when you're nervous, we feel nervous listening to you.
00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:20.480
And so I want you to think deep down, how much do you want this?
00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:25.680
And I know you guys all really want this, otherwise, you wouldn't be here, you wouldn't have applied.
00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:32.400
And I want you to push past that nervous voice in your throat with your want.
00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:36.799
So you push it and you break free from restriction.
00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:41.839
And that first step is huge for those young girls.
00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:45.519
And that's what I did with my body as well with skating.
00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:49.119
You want to freeze up, you don't want to move because you're so nervous.
00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:57.359
But if you push yourself with like some imaginary force, I don't know how to describe it, your body will do the rest for you.
00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:59.920
You've prepared so much muscle memory.
00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:02.079
So that's what I did.
00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:03.440
I love it.
00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:05.440
I love it, and I think it's so accurate.
00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:09.599
I think that we are think about it this way, right?
00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:16.240
When you want to try something new, you want to skydive, right?
00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:20.079
Jumping out of the plane is the hard, hard part.
00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:20.559
Yes.
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.119
But the decision, the decision happens before that.
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.799
And like, oh, I can't, I can't.
00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:29.599
But then there's this this mental shift of you've already done it.
00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:32.319
You've already you're past that point already.
00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.880
And you're like, I'm here, let's do it.
00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:38.000
Um, you know, and it's like it's easy at that point.
00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:42.559
And what we realize is that all the stuff that went on up here was actually just noise.
00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:45.119
That all you had to do was to take the step.
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:52.640
But you know, I I I'm fascinated too, because you talked about coaching the Miss Universe the year after, uh, Miss Universe Japan.
00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:55.519
And like a lot of young people struggle to express themselves.
00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.200
And you were working with coaching them.
00:24:57.359 --> 00:25:00.559
When did you realize communication was a skill that could actually be built?
00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:03.119
And how do you help other people build that?
00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:11.920
Communication is such a strong skill for me and something that I value because it allowed me to meet so many wonderful people.
00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:26.400
And I think the whole for me, the whole point of living is to meet people, to interact with people, and to understand the different people that we're surrounded by, their backgrounds, their stories, their beliefs.
00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:36.240
We don't all have to agree on one thing, but I think it's important to have your voice out there and also hear other people's voices, like this, for example.
00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:40.960
And otherwise, you're gonna be in your own world.
00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:57.759
And whether that be a good thing or a bad thing, I think that at the end of the day, it doesn't hurt to have a friend or make a friend or have some small conversation because those small conversations can teach you so much, can lead you to different things.
00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:07.759
For example, if I had not talked to the girl next to me in my biology class, I would not have an amazing manager and best friend at this moment.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:14.319
And that's something I truly, truly value because you don't know who you're gonna meet or who it's gonna lead to.
00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:15.920
I think that's so true.
00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:22.400
You know, one of the things is I um I was sitting a long time ago.
00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:27.599
I got to work on this big movie, and we had all of these people and together in this one place.
00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:28.960
We were just sitting.
00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:31.519
And then people were just kind of doing their own thing.
00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:33.279
And we have been there for 12 nights.
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:38.880
Everyone was kind of like, just like, you know, people don't realize on big movie sets, there's a lot of sitting that happens.
00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:42.160
And they're like, we're just not ready for this person yet, have them sit.
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:47.839
And finally, I just started talking to everyone and I said, let's let's see what people are all about.
00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:51.039
And I started telling my story, talking to people, telling them things.
00:26:51.359 --> 00:27:07.279
And what happened was wild because what happened was that those people that I started talking to uh started introducing me to other people, introduced me to other people in like my entire career in media came from that one event.
00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:09.519
And I remember there was this moment.
00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:15.119
There was a moment where I sat there and said, let's just do it, let's just talk.
00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:19.599
Let's just share and let's be, but it was sharing authentically.
00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:29.440
And it was one of those things because I had to find that courage, you know, and that so often we say what other people, we think what other people want us to say.
00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:31.279
We say what other people, you know.
00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:34.400
And I want to ask you that because there was a moment that I found my voice.
00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:38.160
But was there a moment where you felt like, okay, this is my voice.
00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:39.359
This is what I stand for.
00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:41.920
And what did that process look like?
00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:49.759
I think that, you know, as a woman in this society, we're constantly we're changing.
00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:51.839
We're completely different from our past.
00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:56.319
And I think that that's important to know because I can't.
00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:59.119
Well, I work as an EMT part-time.
00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:05.200
And in my experience, I see a lot of different cases and different people, different patients.
00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:15.119
And I had an instance where there was an individual that was, you know, abusing their partner or someone that they were very close to.
00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:29.759
When I saw that, I was really upset because, you know, we're not in a day and age right now anymore where a woman used to have to, you know, kind of marry someone for money because they didn't have a job.
00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:31.200
So it was stability.
00:28:31.440 --> 00:28:37.359
A man represented stability, but now the modern day woman, we're able to support ourselves.
00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:40.799
So we're able to choose for ourselves that.
00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:50.000
And I think that that is something that we're still in the middle of realizing that the next generation of women, we have taught them to be independent.
00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:56.000
And some people are not ready for that yet, that we're not, we're on the same playing field as men.
00:28:56.240 --> 00:29:06.319
And so when I saw that, I realized I want to speak up for people, for women, and use my voice and my background from what I know.
00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:19.759
So I talked to the woman, the patient, and I let her know that like, you know, this usually um we're we are allowed to talk to patients for matters regarding that, but I really wanted to let her know.
00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:23.039
It's not that I have to, but I wanted to.
00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:24.960
And so I did.
00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:30.480
And I felt good knowing that she has the information she needed.
00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:41.200
And that's when I realized that my small voice can change someone's trajectory in life if she chooses to do something different, or he, you know, depending on the situation.
00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:45.279
So I realized that I can actually do something.
00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:47.680
I can find a platform to speak on.
00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:56.240
And through the Miss Universe pageant, I was given the opportunity to speak on anything that I chose to and believed in.
00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:57.759
And that's what I did.
00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:02.400
So many people feel like they can't make a difference.
00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.519
You know, like you, what can I do in this world?
00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:06.319
What can I do?
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:09.519
I'm just one small drop in the ocean.
00:30:09.839 --> 00:30:13.759
People don't realize that, you know, you can make a difference.
00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:25.440
You think about all of those little drops that hit the coast every day, and a giant piece of rock will just be worn down over time because enough drops are moving.
00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.480
And all it takes to start water moving is one drop.
00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:31.599
And I think that we have to realize that we have that power.
00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:41.359
And I want to ask you about that because, like, you know, what did representing Japan teach you, though, about responsibility and leadership and how you show up for others?
00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:46.480
So, first and foremost, Japan is a completely different society.
00:30:46.640 --> 00:31:01.440
And before I had, you know, represented the US, but it was a whole nother scale because I had to understand Japan on a whole new level and make sure that no one doubted me and my knowledge of my country.
00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:07.839
And it wasn't just these are the best foods of Japan, this is the best um places to go to.
00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:10.400
It wasn't tourism, it was more than that.
00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:12.079
It was diplomatic relations.
00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:15.759
And I think that's what people don't realize, even in pageantry.
00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:26.480
And it's because when you go to the world pageant, you meet all the other countries, and they know they're the experts of their country, and we need to be a representative in a way.
00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:33.039
We're not the United Nations, but we have to represent that there is unity uh amongst at least its people.
00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:56.000
And so I wanted to show that as a member of Team Japan and show that I know Japan and also understand and let the people of Japan know that I am Japanese because being mixed, it's really tough growing up in a society where they um don't really welcome foreigners and they seem that way.
00:31:56.240 --> 00:32:03.599
And I had to prove to my own people that I knew more about Japan than they did, so that they wouldn't doubt me for a second.
00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:23.200
So for me, it was the responsibility of learning to a whole new level, be more Japanese than your average average Japanese person, and also be more educated on diplomatic relations so that they don't have a way to attack me or, you know, criticize me.
00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:25.680
And I have more confidence in myself.
00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:34.480
So that's what it looked like in the beginning, but later on, it was a privilege because people loved my country.
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:43.680
And when I said I represented Japan, I felt so proud to say that because people would scream my name even if they didn't know me.
00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:50.400
And it's it's such a huge honor um to be supported by people you don't know from other countries.
00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:58.960
And that was something that made me very emotional and um a privilege I still hold highly to this day.
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:00.400
That's awesome.
00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:06.799
Uh can you share a moment where things in your life didn't go your way and what that experience taught you?
00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:21.519
There were many moments, and I think the big one would be when I wanted to go to the Olympics, for example, and I had a back injury that prevented me.
00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:23.359
And it was out of my control.
00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:34.079
My my spinal, my thoracic lum area, burda rays, were just misaligned, twisted, and it was nothing I could do.
00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:39.119
So I switched to ice dance, which is a category that doesn't involve jumping.
00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:46.720
It's much more mild compared to singles, but it's just as hard, if not other challenges that come your way.
00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:53.839
And for me, it was tough because, well, it wasn't the direction I wanted to go to.
00:33:54.160 --> 00:34:02.799
And also because in I Stance, you have to find a partner, you had to find someone to stay with, and the men can reject you.
00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:06.880
And I was constantly being rejected and being declined.
00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:13.840
And I thought I saw my dream drifting away, essentially.
00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:24.960
And I just was lost in, I was in high school, I'm already so emotional, you know, everyone around me is going to the Olympics, and I felt like it's just me.
00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:29.039
And so that was really, really tough on me.
00:34:29.280 --> 00:34:32.000
And then having to create a new dream.
00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:37.280
And the created new dream wasn't created, it just appeared naturally.
00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:43.599
It was a new door that opened up, which was healthcare, because I was in so much pain from my back.
00:34:43.760 --> 00:34:49.599
I got to see so many athletes who also couldn't make it to towards their dream because of injuries.
00:34:49.760 --> 00:35:06.719
And I realized there's something I can do also in my part to prevent this from happening, whether that be educating younger children on how to take care of their bodies more and realize it's not a machine, and also to have better diet nutrition.
00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:11.280
And so that led me more interested into healthcare, luckily.
00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:22.880
Not just because my dad was a physician, but because I myself experienced that, you know, our bodies have limits and sometimes we don't need to test them.
00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:27.840
But in fact, we can find different solutions and educate the people around us.
00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:31.039
So that was a tough situation that I had, I think.
00:35:31.679 --> 00:35:32.320
I'm sure.
00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:47.360
I mean, it sounds like there was a lot that you had to go through, but I want to ask you something here because you as you shifted and you've stepped into this role of, well, actually earlier on you said something about communication being so important.
00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:51.280
And a lot of people think being a good communicator just means being confident.
00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:56.079
How do you balance confidence with actually being understood, you know?
00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:58.800
That is a great question.
00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:05.119
And the thing is, I don't expect to be understood by everyone around me.
00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:07.360
Um, I kind of gave up on that.
00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:22.559
And the thing is, I used to want to explain myself and defend myself at every step of the way because someone online is always gonna say something or say you've had work done or you've cheated or something.
00:36:22.719 --> 00:36:25.280
And I always want to say, no, that's not true.
00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:28.239
I want to explain my side of the story.
00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:34.880
But what I realized is do I care about the opinion of others that don't know me?
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:36.559
And the answer is no.
00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:49.840
And so I'm still confident in who I am, but I separate that from being understood by my close circle of people I truly, truly care about because those are the opinions I value.
00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:57.360
And um people might think I'm crazy, but I only have three to four friends in total.
00:36:57.599 --> 00:37:07.519
And outside of that, I don't consider them my friends because I I consider them people I know, but a friend is someone who I care about and they care about me.
00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:12.719
And so I just don't have to be worried about so many people.
00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:14.800
And I think celebrities worry about that.
00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:18.880
I think young children like your daughter worry about that growing up.
00:37:19.039 --> 00:37:24.960
I need to have more friends, I need to appear like I'm living a great life and in front of everyone.
00:37:25.119 --> 00:37:26.719
But that's not your audience.
00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:33.679
Your audience is your your close friends or your own circle, and that's what you should value the most, in my opinion.
00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:34.719
I love that.
00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:35.760
I 100% agree.
00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:37.519
I am with you entirely on that.
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:39.599
But I want to ask one last question.
00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:46.320
When people look back at your work, whether in medicine, communication, or beyond, what do you hope they say about you?
00:37:47.039 --> 00:37:49.039
I hope they say she was nice.
00:37:49.280 --> 00:37:50.719
That's my only thing.
00:37:51.039 --> 00:38:01.840
And the reason I say this is yeah, people have great legendary stories, maybe like they were uh winning the Noble Peace Prize.
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:02.239
I don't know.
00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:12.639
It could be the most honorary title, but how terrible is it that the other memory that they remember of you is, well, she wasn't a nice person, or she was mean.
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:16.480
And that's the last thing I want people to remember about me.
00:38:16.559 --> 00:38:24.320
I think the most is not what I did or who I am, but more how they how I made them feel at the end of the day.
00:38:24.480 --> 00:38:27.920
So I would say, I hope she was nice.
00:38:28.880 --> 00:38:43.440
My brother uh works at a very nice resort, and he had this one person who came in, he was super excited, he was a film director, and he's like that person just wasn't a person that he enjoyed being around.
00:38:43.599 --> 00:38:43.920
Yeah.
00:38:44.159 --> 00:38:50.079
And he was really depressed, not depressed, he was really sad because it was like that was different.
00:38:50.320 --> 00:38:58.239
And you know, and it's challenging because at the end of the day you can be nice to someone.
00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:09.920
It's so simple to just be nice to people, you know, smile and say, I hope you have a beautiful, beautiful day, you know, and because everyone out there is is working through their journey at the same time.
00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:14.480
Uh, where can people go to find out more about you and what you do?
00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:22.320
Um, a quick and easy way is through my Instagram channel, which is my first name and last name, Kaya Tracker Borty, on Instagram.
00:39:22.400 --> 00:39:31.840
And I'm also going to slowly start doing YouTube to show a little bit more about a day in my life because I balance five different jobs, and I think that that'd be cool for people to see.
00:39:32.400 --> 00:39:34.960
But yeah, that would be where to find me.
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.879
Well, even in figure skating, we fall tons of times.
00:00:05.120 --> 00:00:10.960
But I think that a lot of people don't understand that rejection is a real thing.
00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:18.399
People think just because they see, I'm only posting good things in my life, you know, and people only remember good things.
00:00:18.640 --> 00:00:21.920
But just like any other person, I face rejection.
00:00:22.079 --> 00:00:25.839
I've heard things I didn't want to hear about myself.
00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:32.799
Um, in figure skating, we're constantly judged for how we look, how we perform, and it's on a numerical scale.
00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:40.479
And then when I did pageantry, it's now not even numerical, it's the judge's own opinion of you.
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:45.039
And that's, you know, it's another scale of judgment.
00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:48.320
And even in high school, people don't know this.
00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:50.240
I was not popular at all.
00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.000
Very people barely knew me.
00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:54.240
I was known as the geeky ugly girl.
00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:55.679
I was the ugly duckling.
00:00:55.759 --> 00:00:57.679
I was You and me both.
00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:58.960
I'm with you.
00:01:04.319 --> 00:01:06.959
Welcome everybody back to Sean's Learning Adventure.
00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:10.480
I'm your host, Sean Trace, and I have an awesome guest with me today.
00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:13.920
Uh, would you like to tell people who you are and a little bit about what you do?
00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:15.040
Absolutely.
00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:21.519
So, my name is Kaya Tracker Bordy, and I was formerly Miss Universe Japan 2024.
00:01:21.680 --> 00:01:24.560
I'm currently in the midst of applying to medical school.
00:01:24.799 --> 00:01:30.239
I graduated with a degree in human biology neuroscience, and I am a former U.S.
00:01:30.400 --> 00:01:33.680
national champion in 2018 and 2019.
00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:36.959
That's a quick introduction on myself.
00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:39.760
There's so much cool stuff that you do, Kaya.
00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:44.480
And like you've you've had such an interesting background, but I want to rewind.
00:01:44.719 --> 00:01:49.439
And if we rewind to when you were younger, what did you think your life was going to look like?
00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:52.239
And how different is that from where you are today?
00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:59.439
You know, honestly, that's a great question because as a young kid, I was always figure skating.
00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:01.599
That was my first and foremost thing.
00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:03.120
I was a host family.
00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:09.120
I hosted uh over 30 people at my house growing up, all figure skating athletes.
00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:16.000
So yeah, I thought I was going to be an Olympian, like one of them or an Olympic gold medalist.
00:02:16.319 --> 00:02:19.439
And that has that had been my lifelong dream.
00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:23.840
You know, I wasn't really thinking anything else, especially as a young kid.
00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:26.000
So I was at the rink every day.
00:02:26.159 --> 00:02:35.439
And then now to experience the life I'm living and having a complete different route, but also, you know, still involved with figure skating.
00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:38.000
And I I feel so blessed.
00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:42.240
And I feel that young me would still be proud of me.
00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:43.280
So yeah.
00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:44.639
I love that.
00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:46.479
Well, you know what's interesting too?
00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:51.199
The fact that you said young you would still be proud of you is probably one of the coolest things ever.
00:02:51.360 --> 00:02:53.599
Hopefully, young you wouldn't bully you now.
00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:56.400
But you know, I think sometimes that's the way it goes for some people.
00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:59.520
Like they get into this place and young you would be like, what are you doing?
00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:07.199
What do you think, what do you think was the thing that kept you following a path that Young Yu would be proud of?
00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:08.639
Definitely.
00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:21.520
I had great parents that kept me, you know, disciplined and on a road that, you know, of course, parents aren't always in the right, I'm gonna say, because people have different, you know, circumstances.
00:03:21.680 --> 00:03:24.960
But for me, my parents were very education-based.
00:03:25.120 --> 00:03:28.560
My dad being a physician, my mom also being in the medical field.
00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:32.879
They told me you can do anything you want as long as you get your education.
00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:38.560
So, aside from school, after school, you can keep skating, you can do it.
00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:45.759
And I think that's what led me in the right direction because, you know, as a child, you might not enjoy studying as much.
00:03:45.919 --> 00:03:46.719
And that was me.
00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:51.360
You know, I didn't really get the chance to know what my favorite subjects are.
00:03:51.520 --> 00:03:53.759
My su my focus was just on skating.
00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:55.520
I could care less about school.
00:03:55.759 --> 00:04:04.080
But as, you know, you get older and you get new dreams, I realized that, oh, like maybe I should have taken, you know, my education more seriously.
00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:08.080
And luckily, my parents, you know, had always been on my back.
00:04:08.319 --> 00:04:12.639
So that kind of guided me towards a good direction, thanks to that.
00:04:12.800 --> 00:04:19.279
And I also had a positive outlook on everything because my parents were just so supportive of me.
00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:20.959
That's awesome.
00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:25.920
You know, I'm a father of a 10-year-old daughter, uh, 10 going on 25.
00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:33.279
And uh there are days where I just I am so worried about what I'm doing and if I'm doing it right.
00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:39.680
Um but the idea of just making sure that, you know, your parents are the parents are anchoring into education.
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:47.279
For our, for my daughter, I try to help her do things that help her build confidence.
00:04:47.519 --> 00:04:57.600
And I, you know, I told her like you can be whatever you want, but learn to do it well, learn to apply yourself, learn to have these skills that can help you create something.
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And so what one of the examples is one of the things that I have her doing is she was doing art classes.
00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:06.000
She loves drawing, she loves creating.
00:05:06.319 --> 00:05:10.639
But now uh we have she started getting into sewing.
00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:13.199
She's like crafting and she likes making all her own stuff.
00:05:13.360 --> 00:05:24.800
And so I found this one teacher that teaches her how to draw, how to take that drawing and model it onto a, you know, one of those figures, like the model body figures, and then make it.
00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:31.439
And she's taking things from, she designs it her head, makes it into paper, and then creates it.
00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:35.360
And I uh and she's like, well, I don't know if necessarily want to be a fashion designer.
00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:36.399
I said, that's not it.
00:05:36.480 --> 00:05:43.279
You're what you're learning is to take an idea and figure out how to take it from an idea into reality.
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And I hope that it's something that she can carry with her, you know?
00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:51.920
But I love to hear that your parents were part of your foundation, you know?
00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:57.120
And to me, it's interesting because you you have a very diverse background.
00:05:57.199 --> 00:06:01.600
You've represented Japan on a global stage, but your background is multicultural.
00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:06.480
How did you learn to understand who you are and how did that shape your confidence?
00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.680
Because you seem really confident to me, which is awesome.
00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:10.800
Thank you.
00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:19.360
Um, I just wanted to, before I get into it, I wanted to let you know that confidence is one of the best tools that any child can have.
00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:27.519
And it's great that you're teaching that because if a child doesn't have confidence, they also don't have the confidence to dream big.
00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:30.319
Um and you're setting them up for success.
00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:34.319
So I just wanted to say that first and foremost, you're doing amazing.
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I'm trying.
00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:36.879
I'm trying.
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But to answer your question, you know, growing up, I was, you know, not as much on the internet, you know, like it was just starting, you know.
00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:52.720
So I didn't get as much internet access to people who may look like me.
00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:59.199
And growing up in the United States, there weren't too many multicultural people around me and my city.
00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:01.680
Depending on where you live, it's gonna look different.
00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:07.439
But for me, it was definitely more, you know, people who look different than me.
00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:12.639
But I also came to an understanding to love my cultures because I was so proud of it.
00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:16.240
My parents didn't make me feel shamed for it, you know.
00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:30.079
And I think there's also that like surrounding my the people that I grew up with didn't criticize me for bringing a different lunchbox or they didn't make me feel any negative emotion about it.
00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:33.759
So I was more confident I was educating the people around me.
00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:41.680
This is Japanese food, this is Bangladeshi Indian food that, you know, people wouldn't have known regard like elsewhere.
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:54.879
And so that slowly, slowly, you know, made me feel really proud of myself to be part of, you know, two different cultures and have two different cuisines at home to celebrate two different cultural events, you know.
00:07:55.199 --> 00:08:06.000
And on top of that, there's when I finally got internet access, there was this model who had the same roots as me, also half Japanese, also half Bangladeshi.
00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:09.120
And she was famous in Japan and people loved her.
00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:17.920
And it made me feel like even if I go back to Japan, I'm fine because there's someone that they love similar, you know, to me and my background.
00:08:18.160 --> 00:08:26.160
So that was kind of my stepping stone into feeling not confident just on the inside, but also how I physically looked as well.
00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:33.440
I love that because it's like sometimes we don't fit in, all of us.
00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:47.919
And it, you know, whether it's like I remember changing schools when I was a kid, and everyone thought I was weird because the school that I was from was really outgoing, and everyone was just like really active.
00:08:48.000 --> 00:08:58.000
And then I went to this school that was very like everyone was just really all this whole class that I was joining was really quiet and introverted, and I just was like, what's up?
00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:00.799
And everyone's like, this guy's nuts, you know?
00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:02.320
And it was tough.
00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:05.919
It was really tough for me to feel like people understood me.
00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:15.519
But one of the things that I found was that um, I think that confidence that I had of just being who I am, I felt like it was a weird experience.
00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:19.840
And the year this year, it's a long time ago, I'm gonna just say that.
00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:21.919
Uh, I got a call for the reunion.
00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:26.000
And one of the person was like, Sean, you were so much fun and everyone loved you so much.
00:09:26.159 --> 00:09:27.759
And we know you were only there for like six months.
00:09:27.840 --> 00:09:28.720
We would love to invite you back.
00:09:28.879 --> 00:09:30.799
And I was like, I thought everyone hated me.
00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:38.000
It's like all these years later, like I realized that I it was just me being me, but you have to embrace you.
00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:42.799
You have to embrace you, you have to know who you are, you know, and you have to embrace all sides of you.
00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:45.039
You know, like that's one of the things with my daughter.
00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:48.879
She is growing up with a Vietnamese mom and an American dad.
00:09:49.120 --> 00:09:51.919
And she's got these two cuisines, she's got these two different things.
00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:56.720
And, you know, we spend a lot of time in the US, but she has to find that balance.
00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:08.000
And one of the things that's interesting, too, that I think is so cool about you and your background is like every time people see my daughter, she's tall.
00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:09.279
She's like dad.
00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:11.519
She's 10 and she's up to here on me.
00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:16.159
And I'm I'm 185, I'm six foot, and she's like, she's 10, and she's tall like daddy.
00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:20.879
And everyone's like, she should be a model, she should be a movie star, she should be this.
00:10:21.039 --> 00:10:25.440
And she's like, but I also want to be a doctor, I want to do this, I want to do this.
00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:28.320
And she's got all these things that she would like to try.
00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:34.159
And so it's interesting because people are trying to put her in a box, and she's like, I don't want to be in a box.
00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:43.759
And like you've lived in the world of athletics and neuroscience, and you know, pageants and and runways.
00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:47.440
What did sports teach you that you now use in medicine and life?
00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:50.720
And and how did you balance all of these different parts of you?
00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:54.879
Because they're all beautiful parts of you, but you had to, you know, how do you balance it?
00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:56.960
Yes, thank you so much.
00:10:57.279 --> 00:10:59.919
Well, it was a lot, definitely.
00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:07.039
Uh it's definitely overwhelming for the people around me too, growing up, I think, because there was just so much I wanted to do.
00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:12.399
But I for sports, that was my foundation that modeled who I am now.
00:11:12.559 --> 00:11:20.799
Like, definitely, which is I got to see it with the homestay people, but I also got to experience it myself, which is discipline.
00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:26.320
Discipline is the most undervalued um characteristic.
00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:31.519
And I think it's because it's really hard to develop a habit nowadays.
00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:44.639
Um back then I just I had no choice, and I I made it seem like I didn't have a choice because this is the recipe to get it where I wanted to be.
00:11:44.799 --> 00:11:49.120
Of course, the end result is gonna, you know, be maybe a little different.
00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:58.000
But despite that, I'm gonna do everything that I can to make sure that when I it happens, I don't have to look back and say, I wish I had done this.
00:11:58.240 --> 00:12:10.720
So discipline was huge for me, you know, having a routine, sticking to it, but also, you know, not just diverting all my life energy towards one thing.
00:12:10.799 --> 00:12:14.559
You know, it's easy for people to be branded a certain way.
00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:17.360
I was seen as the athlete in school.
00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:25.120
And when I was in college, I was seen as the girl who was who never had time for anything because I was always at the library.
00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:29.679
I was always running events for my clubs because I was in six different clubs.
00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:37.279
And then for me to do pageants and then do well, it was like surprising for everyone around me.
00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:59.360
But one thing that stuck with me that made me realize who I am and have confidence in who I am is that three of my close friends told me that they never doubted that I would not succeed because they knew that I would make pull through and keep pushing towards the end because that's the person, that's the type of person Kaya is.
00:12:59.840 --> 00:13:16.639
And they said that they're terrified of my determination, and that made me so happy um to know that even if I am, you know, doing something crazy, people around at least the people close to me, aren't thinking she's being crazy again.
00:13:16.799 --> 00:13:20.000
It's she's gonna tackle on a new challenge and succeed.
00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:20.879
Yes.
00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:22.480
I love that.
00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:28.320
I love it because as a father, those are things I'm trying to teach my daughter.
00:13:28.639 --> 00:13:32.879
I have a strength and a weakness that are one and the same.
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:36.639
When I go at something, I don't quit.
00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:38.320
I don't let go.
00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:55.519
So I have this one person who reached out to me, and um we were talking about a project, and I was like, this project is a um, it's a a musical here in Vietnam that I want my wife and daughter to be part of.
00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:59.360
And it's kind of like the anti uh princess movie.
00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:09.679
So it's kind of fun because uh the idea is my daughter would play the main lead, and a fairy godher mother comes and asks, tells her to get ready to be the princess.
00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:12.240
And she's like, I don't want to be a princess, I want to be whatever.
00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:20.320
And so they she like takes, she creates this existential crisis for the fairy godmother, and who's like sitting there having this like, oh my goodness, I what am I doing right now, you know?
00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:28.799
And so I have this already, and like in 24 hours I outlined the whole thing, put it all together, and the person's like, Wow, wow, like, like you work fast.
00:14:28.879 --> 00:14:33.919
And I was like, When I feel passionate about something, but well, a lot of people can work fast and then drop it.
00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:35.840
I I don't.
00:14:36.080 --> 00:14:39.600
I like I am obsessive about something like my wife.
00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:45.279
We introduced them, she told me she liked this one French duo, uh, Bart and Baker.
00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:53.679
They are French electro swing, which is a cool subgenre of music that is it's not electro, it's not swing, but it's really fun.
00:14:53.840 --> 00:15:00.000
And these this duo, they are the duo, and they make so much great stuff.
00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:10.000
And I got them on my podcast, and um I just wanted to talk to them because someone who inspires my wife so much, I was like, I want to meet these people and figure out how they tick, you know?
00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:20.399
And they're these two lovely, lovely older gentlemen, and they just make they like are absolute nerds about music and vinyl, and and they're just amazing people.
00:15:20.559 --> 00:15:25.279
And they finally they came to Vietnam, we met them, and they said, We'd love to do music with your wife.
00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:27.279
And so that was like two years ago.
00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:29.919
And they played music, it was awesome, right?
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:36.720
And so here were these people that were, and I I started it, her telling me that we got them on the podcast a year later.
00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:39.440
I've I got them, they came and visited us.
00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:43.120
I like, and then it took two more years to finish the music.
00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:44.000
Two more years.
00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:47.759
And then we released the music over the last three months.
00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:57.519
Uh, one of her songs was uh a chart topper for it was on the top, it was the number one song on Spotify for Electro Swing in the Whole World.
00:15:57.679 --> 00:16:11.679
And I was just like, Yes, and I haven't known how to teach that to my daughter because I sit there and I think about it, and I was like, but how did I learn?
00:16:11.919 --> 00:16:12.879
You know how I learned?
00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:14.559
I'm a black belt and judo.
00:16:15.440 --> 00:16:25.679
I I yeah, I I studied Japanese-style jujitsu, judo, and you know how you become a black belt and judo is you fall down a hundred thousand times.
00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:27.120
Yes, I know.
00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:29.679
My cousins do that, right?
00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:35.919
The only way that you can get your to your the to win is to get back, and you gotta get up a hundred thousand and one.
00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:38.399
So we got my daughter, right?
00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:50.879
We got my daughter into Muay Thai, and uh, I don't know if it's good or I'm creating a monster, but she uh she's been in Muay Thai now for four years, and she can hit hard and she's getting stronger all the time.
00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:54.480
But one of the things that was interesting is when she tried something else.
00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:56.720
She went and tried volleyball.
00:16:56.879 --> 00:17:01.519
And the volleyball coach, again, was just like, How tall is your child?
00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:02.879
Yeah, 10 years old?
00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:04.960
Like they were just like, hello height.
00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:06.319
And I was like, Yeah, I know.
00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:07.599
She's really tall.
00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:11.599
And but what was interesting is they ran some drills.
00:17:11.680 --> 00:17:16.160
And the coach came over to me and he pulled me aside and he says, I need to ask you a question.
00:17:16.319 --> 00:17:18.319
He's like, Does she is she tired right now?
00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:19.599
And I was like, I don't know, ask her.
00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:21.440
He's like, no, no, it's really weird.
00:17:21.599 --> 00:17:22.400
I said, What do you mean?
00:17:22.559 --> 00:17:26.799
He says, We've been running drills for 45 minutes nonstop.
00:17:26.960 --> 00:17:30.079
I'm getting tired, and she's not slowing down.
00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:33.279
And I said, And I said, Well, let me ask her.
00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:34.000
I said, Are you tired?
00:17:34.079 --> 00:17:36.720
She's like, No, this is easy compared to Muay Thai.
00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:40.559
And I was just like, and I was like thinking about that.
00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:47.519
We don't realize those little things that we learn along the way that teach us resilience, that teach us how to keep going.
00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:48.880
Absolutely.
00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:52.400
What are the things that helped you learn that resilience?
00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:58.079
Well, even in figure skating, we fall tons of times.
00:17:58.480 --> 00:18:04.319
But I think that a lot of people don't understand that rejection is a real thing.
00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:11.759
People think just because they see, I'm only posting good things in my life, you know, and people only remember good things.
00:18:12.000 --> 00:18:15.279
But just like any other person, I face rejection.
00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:19.200
I've heard things I didn't want to hear about myself.
00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:23.839
Um, in figure skating, we're constantly judged for how we look, how we perform.
00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:26.160
And it's on a numerical scale.
00:18:26.319 --> 00:18:33.680
And then when I did pageantry, it's now not even numerical, it's the judge's own opinion of you.
00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:33.920
Right.
00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:38.400
And that's right, you know, it's another scale of judgment.
00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:41.680
And even in high school, people don't know this.
00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:43.599
I was not popular at all.
00:18:43.759 --> 00:18:45.359
Very people barely knew me.
00:18:45.440 --> 00:18:47.599
I was known as the geeky ugly girl.
00:18:47.680 --> 00:18:48.880
I was the ugly duckling.
00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:50.880
I was You and me both.
00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:52.160
I'm with you.
00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:54.559
And it was so bad.
00:18:54.720 --> 00:18:58.559
Like it definitely got to me and my self-confidence.
00:18:58.720 --> 00:19:10.559
But I think that also, not in a revenge sort of way, but in a way that I wanted to prove to myself and my own confidence, like, no, Kaya, you are pretty.
00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:17.440
And so what I when I entered a pageant, of course, I entered because I I had hope for myself.
00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:19.839
And I believed in myself.
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:28.400
And I didn't care that maybe so and so might think, well, Kaya is not my type or doesn't really fit my bill.
00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:33.759
I wanted to fit my own bill and later look on and be like proud of myself.
00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:38.000
And so I knew that there's a chance I'm not gonna win.
00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:42.640
When you enter any competition, you know that there's a chance you're not gonna win.
00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:43.680
And that's okay.
00:19:43.839 --> 00:19:46.640
That's part of your learning and that's part of growth.
00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:49.200
And it has nothing to do with you.
00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:55.519
Um, and that's something really important that you need to learn that you can't control certain things.
00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:58.880
And I I learned that really early along the way.
00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:02.079
I was always the ugly duckling.
00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:04.160
I was always goofy, I never dressed well.
00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:08.960
Luckily, I have a wife who pushes me in a certain direction, but I still have my own style.
00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:11.200
I have a I have my own thing I do.
00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:19.599
And what was interesting is the other week I was in Vegas at um my wife was singing at a big big nightclub there, and I'm filming it, and I was walking here.
00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:20.559
It's awesome.
00:20:20.720 --> 00:20:25.440
My wife is super cool, and that's why I'm so proud of my daughter because she's so much like her mom.
00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:26.880
Thank God.
00:20:27.119 --> 00:20:35.839
Uh, but I'm walking down the hallway, and I was gonna go pick something up downstairs, and I guy turned and looked at me, and he's like, Man, I like your style.
00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:38.000
And I was just like, What?
00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:38.799
What?
00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:42.319
And it was something that was uniquely mine, and I was like, Well, thank you very much.
00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:44.559
But you know, I failed many times.
00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:48.480
There are many times that I put things together, and I am not a fashionista.
00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:50.240
Like, I that is not what I am.
00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:54.720
But like in other areas of my life, I have failed so many times.
00:20:54.880 --> 00:20:57.200
I have done things that did not work out.
00:20:57.440 --> 00:21:04.640
I was flying back to Southeast Asia after the um filming in the US, and I watched Batman.
00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.359
And I was watching, rewatching Batman with Christian Bale.
00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:10.319
Christian Bale! I like I can't even do the voices.
00:21:10.559 --> 00:21:12.799
I don't know how he did that for four movies.
00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.240
All right, three movies.
00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:15.519
It's such a difficult thing.
00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:23.359
But I love the line where Alfred comes up to Bruce Wayne and says, Why do we fall?
00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:25.680
And do you know this line?
00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:26.640
It's so good.
00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:31.839
He says, We fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up.
00:21:32.240 --> 00:21:33.200
And I love that.
00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:37.680
And I was just like, whether it's judo or figure skating, we fall so we can learn to pick ourselves up.
00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:39.920
And it goes into my next question.
00:21:40.640 --> 00:21:44.400
You've competed at high levels and spoken on big stages.
00:21:44.640 --> 00:21:50.799
How do you handle pressure when all eyes are on you and when you feel like falling is not an option?
00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:57.039
Well, that also comes with a lot of experience, you know.
00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.759
Um, it wasn't something that happened overnight.
00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:07.039
And I had spoken about this briefly previously, but pressure is a privilege.
00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.559
That was something Billie Jean Jean King said.
00:22:10.880 --> 00:22:22.960
And it is so important to know that you're gonna in life experience very uncomfortable, very nerve-wracking things, whether that is in your control or out of your control.
00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:27.039
And for me, I was a terrible speaker at first.
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:44.720
For example, I would shy away from reading a page in class because I wasn't confident in my ability to speak English from a young age and turned to forcing myself to be social, to um, you know, meet new people and to speak.
00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:51.039
Because at the end of the day, even if I'm nervous, even if I don't want to do it, I wanted to be heard.
00:22:51.200 --> 00:22:52.400
I wanted to be seen.
00:22:52.720 --> 00:23:01.920
And that want was more stronger than my fear of being, you know, in front of people and performing.
00:23:02.240 --> 00:23:04.880
And that essentially pushed through.
00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:15.839
So what I taught the girls at Miss University Japan the following year, because I became their speaking coach, I told them when you're nervous, we feel nervous listening to you.
00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:20.480
And so I want you to think deep down, how much do you want this?
00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:25.680
And I know you guys all really want this, otherwise, you wouldn't be here, you wouldn't have applied.
00:23:26.000 --> 00:23:32.400
And I want you to push past that nervous voice in your throat with your want.
00:23:32.720 --> 00:23:36.799
So you push it and you break free from restriction.
00:23:37.039 --> 00:23:41.839
And that first step is huge for those young girls.
00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:45.519
And that's what I did with my body as well with skating.
00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:49.119
You want to freeze up, you don't want to move because you're so nervous.
00:23:49.440 --> 00:23:57.359
But if you push yourself with like some imaginary force, I don't know how to describe it, your body will do the rest for you.
00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:59.920
You've prepared so much muscle memory.
00:24:00.160 --> 00:24:02.079
So that's what I did.
00:24:02.799 --> 00:24:03.440
I love it.
00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:05.440
I love it, and I think it's so accurate.
00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:09.599
I think that we are think about it this way, right?
00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:16.240
When you want to try something new, you want to skydive, right?
00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:20.079
Jumping out of the plane is the hard, hard part.
00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:20.559
Yes.
00:24:20.799 --> 00:24:23.119
But the decision, the decision happens before that.
00:24:23.200 --> 00:24:24.799
And like, oh, I can't, I can't.
00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:29.599
But then there's this this mental shift of you've already done it.
00:24:30.720 --> 00:24:32.319
You've already you're past that point already.
00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:34.880
And you're like, I'm here, let's do it.
00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:38.000
Um, you know, and it's like it's easy at that point.
00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:42.559
And what we realize is that all the stuff that went on up here was actually just noise.
00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:45.119
That all you had to do was to take the step.
00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:52.640
But you know, I I I'm fascinated too, because you talked about coaching the Miss Universe the year after, uh, Miss Universe Japan.
00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:55.519
And like a lot of young people struggle to express themselves.
00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.200
And you were working with coaching them.
00:24:57.359 --> 00:25:00.559
When did you realize communication was a skill that could actually be built?
00:25:00.640 --> 00:25:03.119
And how do you help other people build that?
00:25:03.839 --> 00:25:11.920
Communication is such a strong skill for me and something that I value because it allowed me to meet so many wonderful people.
00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:26.400
And I think the whole for me, the whole point of living is to meet people, to interact with people, and to understand the different people that we're surrounded by, their backgrounds, their stories, their beliefs.
00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:36.240
We don't all have to agree on one thing, but I think it's important to have your voice out there and also hear other people's voices, like this, for example.
00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:40.960
And otherwise, you're gonna be in your own world.
00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:57.759
And whether that be a good thing or a bad thing, I think that at the end of the day, it doesn't hurt to have a friend or make a friend or have some small conversation because those small conversations can teach you so much, can lead you to different things.
00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:07.759
For example, if I had not talked to the girl next to me in my biology class, I would not have an amazing manager and best friend at this moment.
00:26:08.160 --> 00:26:14.319
And that's something I truly, truly value because you don't know who you're gonna meet or who it's gonna lead to.
00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:15.920
I think that's so true.
00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:22.400
You know, one of the things is I um I was sitting a long time ago.
00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:27.599
I got to work on this big movie, and we had all of these people and together in this one place.
00:26:27.839 --> 00:26:28.960
We were just sitting.
00:26:29.519 --> 00:26:31.519
And then people were just kind of doing their own thing.
00:26:31.599 --> 00:26:33.279
And we have been there for 12 nights.
00:26:33.440 --> 00:26:38.880
Everyone was kind of like, just like, you know, people don't realize on big movie sets, there's a lot of sitting that happens.
00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:42.160
And they're like, we're just not ready for this person yet, have them sit.
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:47.839
And finally, I just started talking to everyone and I said, let's let's see what people are all about.
00:26:48.000 --> 00:26:51.039
And I started telling my story, talking to people, telling them things.
00:26:51.359 --> 00:27:07.279
And what happened was wild because what happened was that those people that I started talking to uh started introducing me to other people, introduced me to other people in like my entire career in media came from that one event.
00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:09.519
And I remember there was this moment.
00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:15.119
There was a moment where I sat there and said, let's just do it, let's just talk.
00:27:15.359 --> 00:27:19.599
Let's just share and let's be, but it was sharing authentically.
00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:29.440
And it was one of those things because I had to find that courage, you know, and that so often we say what other people, we think what other people want us to say.
00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:31.279
We say what other people, you know.
00:27:31.599 --> 00:27:34.400
And I want to ask you that because there was a moment that I found my voice.
00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:38.160
But was there a moment where you felt like, okay, this is my voice.
00:27:38.240 --> 00:27:39.359
This is what I stand for.
00:27:39.440 --> 00:27:41.920
And what did that process look like?
00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:49.759
I think that, you know, as a woman in this society, we're constantly we're changing.
00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:51.839
We're completely different from our past.
00:27:51.920 --> 00:27:56.319
And I think that that's important to know because I can't.
00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:59.119
Well, I work as an EMT part-time.
00:27:59.440 --> 00:28:05.200
And in my experience, I see a lot of different cases and different people, different patients.
00:28:05.359 --> 00:28:15.119
And I had an instance where there was an individual that was, you know, abusing their partner or someone that they were very close to.
00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:29.759
When I saw that, I was really upset because, you know, we're not in a day and age right now anymore where a woman used to have to, you know, kind of marry someone for money because they didn't have a job.
00:28:29.839 --> 00:28:31.200
So it was stability.
00:28:31.440 --> 00:28:37.359
A man represented stability, but now the modern day woman, we're able to support ourselves.
00:28:37.440 --> 00:28:40.799
So we're able to choose for ourselves that.
00:28:40.880 --> 00:28:50.000
And I think that that is something that we're still in the middle of realizing that the next generation of women, we have taught them to be independent.
00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:56.000
And some people are not ready for that yet, that we're not, we're on the same playing field as men.
00:28:56.240 --> 00:29:06.319
And so when I saw that, I realized I want to speak up for people, for women, and use my voice and my background from what I know.
00:29:06.480 --> 00:29:19.759
So I talked to the woman, the patient, and I let her know that like, you know, this usually um we're we are allowed to talk to patients for matters regarding that, but I really wanted to let her know.
00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:23.039
It's not that I have to, but I wanted to.
00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:24.960
And so I did.
00:29:25.519 --> 00:29:30.480
And I felt good knowing that she has the information she needed.
00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:41.200
And that's when I realized that my small voice can change someone's trajectory in life if she chooses to do something different, or he, you know, depending on the situation.
00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:45.279
So I realized that I can actually do something.
00:29:45.440 --> 00:29:47.680
I can find a platform to speak on.
00:29:47.920 --> 00:29:56.240
And through the Miss Universe pageant, I was given the opportunity to speak on anything that I chose to and believed in.
00:29:56.400 --> 00:29:57.759
And that's what I did.
00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:02.400
So many people feel like they can't make a difference.
00:30:02.799 --> 00:30:05.519
You know, like you, what can I do in this world?
00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:06.319
What can I do?
00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:09.519
I'm just one small drop in the ocean.
00:30:09.839 --> 00:30:13.759
People don't realize that, you know, you can make a difference.
00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:25.440
You think about all of those little drops that hit the coast every day, and a giant piece of rock will just be worn down over time because enough drops are moving.
00:30:25.599 --> 00:30:28.480
And all it takes to start water moving is one drop.
00:30:28.720 --> 00:30:31.599
And I think that we have to realize that we have that power.
00:30:31.839 --> 00:30:41.359
And I want to ask you about that because, like, you know, what did representing Japan teach you, though, about responsibility and leadership and how you show up for others?
00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:46.480
So, first and foremost, Japan is a completely different society.
00:30:46.640 --> 00:31:01.440
And before I had, you know, represented the US, but it was a whole nother scale because I had to understand Japan on a whole new level and make sure that no one doubted me and my knowledge of my country.
00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:07.839
And it wasn't just these are the best foods of Japan, this is the best um places to go to.
00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:10.400
It wasn't tourism, it was more than that.
00:31:10.559 --> 00:31:12.079
It was diplomatic relations.
00:31:12.160 --> 00:31:15.759
And I think that's what people don't realize, even in pageantry.
00:31:15.920 --> 00:31:26.480
And it's because when you go to the world pageant, you meet all the other countries, and they know they're the experts of their country, and we need to be a representative in a way.
00:31:26.720 --> 00:31:33.039
We're not the United Nations, but we have to represent that there is unity uh amongst at least its people.
00:31:33.519 --> 00:31:56.000
And so I wanted to show that as a member of Team Japan and show that I know Japan and also understand and let the people of Japan know that I am Japanese because being mixed, it's really tough growing up in a society where they um don't really welcome foreigners and they seem that way.
00:31:56.240 --> 00:32:03.599
And I had to prove to my own people that I knew more about Japan than they did, so that they wouldn't doubt me for a second.
00:32:03.839 --> 00:32:23.200
So for me, it was the responsibility of learning to a whole new level, be more Japanese than your average average Japanese person, and also be more educated on diplomatic relations so that they don't have a way to attack me or, you know, criticize me.
00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:25.680
And I have more confidence in myself.
00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:34.480
So that's what it looked like in the beginning, but later on, it was a privilege because people loved my country.
00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:43.680
And when I said I represented Japan, I felt so proud to say that because people would scream my name even if they didn't know me.
00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:50.400
And it's it's such a huge honor um to be supported by people you don't know from other countries.
00:32:50.640 --> 00:32:58.960
And that was something that made me very emotional and um a privilege I still hold highly to this day.
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:00.400
That's awesome.
00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:06.799
Uh can you share a moment where things in your life didn't go your way and what that experience taught you?
00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:21.519
There were many moments, and I think the big one would be when I wanted to go to the Olympics, for example, and I had a back injury that prevented me.
00:33:21.680 --> 00:33:23.359
And it was out of my control.
00:33:23.599 --> 00:33:34.079
My my spinal, my thoracic lum area, burda rays, were just misaligned, twisted, and it was nothing I could do.
00:33:34.240 --> 00:33:39.119
So I switched to ice dance, which is a category that doesn't involve jumping.
00:33:39.200 --> 00:33:46.720
It's much more mild compared to singles, but it's just as hard, if not other challenges that come your way.
00:33:47.200 --> 00:33:53.839
And for me, it was tough because, well, it wasn't the direction I wanted to go to.
00:33:54.160 --> 00:34:02.799
And also because in I Stance, you have to find a partner, you had to find someone to stay with, and the men can reject you.
00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:06.880
And I was constantly being rejected and being declined.
00:34:07.200 --> 00:34:13.840
And I thought I saw my dream drifting away, essentially.
00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:24.960
And I just was lost in, I was in high school, I'm already so emotional, you know, everyone around me is going to the Olympics, and I felt like it's just me.
00:34:25.360 --> 00:34:29.039
And so that was really, really tough on me.
00:34:29.280 --> 00:34:32.000
And then having to create a new dream.
00:34:32.159 --> 00:34:37.280
And the created new dream wasn't created, it just appeared naturally.
00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:43.599
It was a new door that opened up, which was healthcare, because I was in so much pain from my back.
00:34:43.760 --> 00:34:49.599
I got to see so many athletes who also couldn't make it to towards their dream because of injuries.
00:34:49.760 --> 00:35:06.719
And I realized there's something I can do also in my part to prevent this from happening, whether that be educating younger children on how to take care of their bodies more and realize it's not a machine, and also to have better diet nutrition.
00:35:06.960 --> 00:35:11.280
And so that led me more interested into healthcare, luckily.
00:35:11.519 --> 00:35:22.880
Not just because my dad was a physician, but because I myself experienced that, you know, our bodies have limits and sometimes we don't need to test them.
00:35:23.039 --> 00:35:27.840
But in fact, we can find different solutions and educate the people around us.
00:35:28.000 --> 00:35:31.039
So that was a tough situation that I had, I think.
00:35:31.679 --> 00:35:32.320
I'm sure.
00:35:32.400 --> 00:35:47.360
I mean, it sounds like there was a lot that you had to go through, but I want to ask you something here because you as you shifted and you've stepped into this role of, well, actually earlier on you said something about communication being so important.
00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:51.280
And a lot of people think being a good communicator just means being confident.
00:35:51.920 --> 00:35:56.079
How do you balance confidence with actually being understood, you know?
00:35:57.119 --> 00:35:58.800
That is a great question.
00:35:58.960 --> 00:36:05.119
And the thing is, I don't expect to be understood by everyone around me.
00:36:05.360 --> 00:36:07.360
Um, I kind of gave up on that.
00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:22.559
And the thing is, I used to want to explain myself and defend myself at every step of the way because someone online is always gonna say something or say you've had work done or you've cheated or something.
00:36:22.719 --> 00:36:25.280
And I always want to say, no, that's not true.
00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:28.239
I want to explain my side of the story.
00:36:28.559 --> 00:36:34.880
But what I realized is do I care about the opinion of others that don't know me?
00:36:35.119 --> 00:36:36.559
And the answer is no.
00:36:36.880 --> 00:36:49.840
And so I'm still confident in who I am, but I separate that from being understood by my close circle of people I truly, truly care about because those are the opinions I value.
00:36:50.239 --> 00:36:57.360
And um people might think I'm crazy, but I only have three to four friends in total.
00:36:57.599 --> 00:37:07.519
And outside of that, I don't consider them my friends because I I consider them people I know, but a friend is someone who I care about and they care about me.
00:37:07.760 --> 00:37:12.719
And so I just don't have to be worried about so many people.
00:37:12.800 --> 00:37:14.800
And I think celebrities worry about that.
00:37:14.960 --> 00:37:18.880
I think young children like your daughter worry about that growing up.
00:37:19.039 --> 00:37:24.960
I need to have more friends, I need to appear like I'm living a great life and in front of everyone.
00:37:25.119 --> 00:37:26.719
But that's not your audience.
00:37:26.880 --> 00:37:33.679
Your audience is your your close friends or your own circle, and that's what you should value the most, in my opinion.
00:37:34.079 --> 00:37:34.719
I love that.
00:37:34.880 --> 00:37:35.760
I 100% agree.
00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:37.519
I am with you entirely on that.
00:37:37.599 --> 00:37:39.599
But I want to ask one last question.
00:37:39.840 --> 00:37:46.320
When people look back at your work, whether in medicine, communication, or beyond, what do you hope they say about you?
00:37:47.039 --> 00:37:49.039
I hope they say she was nice.
00:37:49.280 --> 00:37:50.719
That's my only thing.
00:37:51.039 --> 00:38:01.840
And the reason I say this is yeah, people have great legendary stories, maybe like they were uh winning the Noble Peace Prize.
00:38:01.920 --> 00:38:02.239
I don't know.
00:38:02.320 --> 00:38:12.639
It could be the most honorary title, but how terrible is it that the other memory that they remember of you is, well, she wasn't a nice person, or she was mean.
00:38:12.800 --> 00:38:16.480
And that's the last thing I want people to remember about me.
00:38:16.559 --> 00:38:24.320
I think the most is not what I did or who I am, but more how they how I made them feel at the end of the day.
00:38:24.480 --> 00:38:27.920
So I would say, I hope she was nice.
00:38:28.880 --> 00:38:43.440
My brother uh works at a very nice resort, and he had this one person who came in, he was super excited, he was a film director, and he's like that person just wasn't a person that he enjoyed being around.
00:38:43.599 --> 00:38:43.920
Yeah.
00:38:44.159 --> 00:38:50.079
And he was really depressed, not depressed, he was really sad because it was like that was different.
00:38:50.320 --> 00:38:58.239
And you know, and it's challenging because at the end of the day you can be nice to someone.
00:38:58.400 --> 00:39:09.920
It's so simple to just be nice to people, you know, smile and say, I hope you have a beautiful, beautiful day, you know, and because everyone out there is is working through their journey at the same time.
00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:14.480
Uh, where can people go to find out more about you and what you do?
00:39:14.880 --> 00:39:22.320
Um, a quick and easy way is through my Instagram channel, which is my first name and last name, Kaya Tracker Borty, on Instagram.
00:39:22.400 --> 00:39:31.840
And I'm also going to slowly start doing YouTube to show a little bit more about a day in my life because I balance five different jobs, and I think that that'd be cool for people to see.
00:39:32.400 --> 00:39:34.960
But yeah, that would be where to find me.
