Court reporters are a critical part of the legal process

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, USA, August 10, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Irene Nakamura was a great student and a curious child. But she was also a girl. And growing up in a traditional Japanese family meant that her education was less of a priority than her brother’s. “In my family culture, women were not considered as important as men. So my brother was the golden child because he was male,” she explains. “Growing up, I was always taught to have a good education. However, my education always took a backseat to my brother’s. I was told by my mother that college was not in my future until my brother finished college. Once he graduated, then I would be allowed to enroll.”

Her brother ended up earning a double master’s degree at Yale University, graduated in his early 30s. He is five years younger than Irene.
Unwilling to be complacent with the status quo, Irene defied the suppressive conventions of her traditional Japanese upbringing, its relegation of women to the background, to pursue her dreams. Since college was not an option, she enrolled in a court reporting course at a trade school. “I enrolled not truly understanding what a court reporter does, but I did know that it did not require math class,” she laughs. “So I was, like, ‘Hey, sign me up.’” She knew she wanted a career.

After working for the US District Court, Central District of California and was the first Japanese American Official Reporter, she became a freelance deposition officer for court reporting agencies but found that her main agency embodied an exploitive culture. She therefore decided, against all odds and during receiving radiation treatments, to open her own shop. “It was terrifying,” she says. “I’m perfectly fine being a good worker bee, but to actually own a company and be a boss was terrifying and the fearful thoughts of opening the door to the old boys’ club to pursue business opportunities was crippling and overwhelming.” She did it anyway. And “I’m knocking on the door, but they don’t even open the door to see who it is because, apparently, I have the wrong knock. So it’s been a challenge. It still is a challenge.” Nevertheless, she persevered, and in the past 10 years, she has built a thriving team that operates out of three locations—California, Hawaii, and Washington State and provides services nationwide.

Her advice for other entrepreneurs is not to second-guess their dreams. Just take the first step. “Don’t wait until you feel you are ready, because nobody is ever ready,” she says. “And don’t worry about not knowing everything ahead of time. You will figure it out. Don’t worry if everything doesn’t go exactly to plan. That’s how life is; nothing ever goes to plan.” Most importantly, don’t discuss your big ideas and dreams with those who want to pull you down. “Sometimes you cannot completely divorce a toxic person in your life because maybe they are a family member. Well, don’t talk to them about your business. When they ask, ‘How is business?’ you say, ‘Great,’ and move on,” she says. “Talk to the people who will actually support you, who are genuinely happy with your success. Find your tribe of power people, those like-minded and positive people, and that is who you speak to.”

Irene has much more to share about how she managed to free herself of cultural expectations to stay in the background and ignore her own needs. You can find her story in the inspiring new book Asian Women Trailblazers Who BossUp, a collection of interviews with female entrepreneurs that is a rich resource for Asian women but also for all women looking for models and mentors to help guide their journeys to greatness. You can find out more about Irene Nakamura on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/irene-nakamura/ or at her website: www.iDepoReporters.com.

About the Women Who Boss Up Book Series

Whether you’ve been bossing up for a while or you’re looking for support on your boss-up journey, the Women Who Boss Up book series is your chance to take inspiration and advice from women just like you. These women come from all backgrounds, all walks of life, and all disciplines—STEM, healthcare, finance, coaching, nonprofits, and much more. You’ll read about women who left Corporate America to pursue their dreams of business ownership, women who faced seemingly insurmountable challenges but learned how to move forward, women who followed their intuition to create lives of fulfillment and financial success, and much more. Learn more at bossupbestseller.com.

Tamira Luc
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Don't Wait Until You Are Ready with Irene Nakamura