🌺 “A Heart Between Worlds: How My Roots Shaped My Empathy”

Most people don’t know that I’m Japanese and German — and that I was raised in a Black community. That mix often surprises people, but for me, it’s always just been home.

Growing up, I learned to listen before speaking. I learned to feel people’s energy — their joy, pain, and truth — long before they put it into words. That’s where my empathy was born.

Being surrounded by so many different perspectives taught me to understand people on a deeper level. I could sense when someone needed encouragement, space, or simply to be heard. I realized early on that compassion doesn’t have one language or one color — it’s universal.

Being an empath, for me, is both a gift and a weight. I absorb the emotions around me — especially in my work and writing. But it’s also what allows me to connect, to heal, and to love people as they are.

My heritage gave me roots. My community gave me rhythm. And together, they gave me the heart of an empath — a bridge between worlds, where understanding is my language and love is my practice.