In this episode of Wildly Wealthy Life, Kat and Lee sit down with Jennifer Kumiyama, known as Kumi, a performer, disability rights advocate, and Citywide Accessibility Coordinator for Long Beach. Kumi shares her journey as a singer, her work on Disney's Aladdin, and her role as Dahlia in the animated movie Wish. Together, they discuss overcoming identity crises, balancing multiple passions, and using creativity in government roles. Kumi offers insights on cultivating a growth mindset in children, the importance of mentorship, and why empowering youth is essential. Join us to be inspired by Kumi’s journey of resilience, creativity, and service.

Discussion links:

00:00 Introduction to Jennifer “Kumi” Kumiyama: Singer, advocate, and performer

05:00 Kumi’s family background and how teamwork shaped her leadership values.

06:50 Transition from Disney’s Aladdin to a career in city government

09:03 Working with youth and helping kids with disabilities find their strengths

10:49 Kumi’s love for performing and what drives her passion

12:34 Navigating an identity crisis after Aladdin ended

20:38 Kumi’s role as Citywide Accessibility Coordinator and her vision for Long Beach

26:14 Why mentorship and guidance are vital for youth, especially those with disabilities

38:25 Kumi's definition of a Wildly Wealthy Life

Long Beach Disability Pride

https://www.lbdisabilitypride.com/

Wish (2023)

https://www.disney.com/movies/wish

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11304740/

"Ms Wheelchair is Disney Resort performer - 2010-07-02"

YouTube, uploaded by Orange County Register, 24 July 2015,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWfLU1UYfXo

Connect with Kumi

https://www.instagram.com/kumirocks/?hl=en

jnkumiyama@gmail.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Brilliant Minds Brave Hearts Program Priority List

Book Recommendation

Free Video Training

I think having the mindset of being able to be passionate and having

the capacity to allow yourself to be passionate about more than one thing

in life and the thing, those multiple things for me, our community and the

arts, um, in addition to, of course, like my family and things like that.

But I think.

It's completely possible to exist in multiple worlds, I guess,

professionally, you know, when the opportunity for Wish came along, um,

that was just another testament to God providing for my performer's soul.

I never really closed that door, right?

Um, mentally or emotionally.

Um, after I got over the identity crisis, I was like, well, I can be both.

And.

That's exactly the way that I live.

Today's guest is Jennifer Kumiyama, really known as Kumi.

She's a friend of mine and I worked with her together on the show Aladdin

at Disney California Adventure.

She was born with anthrogryposis and uses a wheelchair daily.

Um, she earned a spot on Warner Brothers reality TV show, Pop Stars,

and earned national accolades from many publications, including Variety

Magazine and TV Guide, referring to her as the girl in the wheelchair,

whose voice blew everyone away.

Everyone out of the water and she really does have an amazing voice.

If you get to hear her, listen to her in the movie, wish she is the voice of

Dahlia and she also won Miss wheelchair, California and Miss wheelchair,

America in 2011 as first runner up and.

During her reign, she really spread the message of hope through her platform,

empowering children with disabilities to make their own dreams come true.

And we are just so excited to share Kumi with you.

She is currently the City of Long Beach Citywide Accessibility Coordinator.

And I promise you, I know the cat is in front of our camera right

now, and it's jiggling the camera.

But I promise you watch this on YouTube, you'll see the cat.

Um, you are not going to want to miss this episode.

She is incredible.

Hey, my name is Kat.

And I'm Lee.

And welcome to the

Wildly Wealthy Life podcast.

In this show, we explore the journey of what it means to live a truly

exceptional and fulfilling life.

Each episode focuses on how a foundation of brilliant minds and

brave hearts Nurtured through the arts leads to lifelong success.

Get inspired with actionable tips to foster a growth mindset,

leadership values, and creativity in children and adults, turning

their potential into lasting contributions for their communities.

We hope you embrace the challenge to shift your perspective as we equip

you and the next generation for a

Wildly Wealthy Life.

Well, in a moment, we're going to bring Kumi in, but before we

bring her in, babe, what was your favorite part about that interview?

I liked Kumi's heart for people and her, her willingness to like, really

serve her community, but also just people at large, uh, her connection.

To the youth also was really touching.

I think seeing her come alive when she's working with those kids and the messaging

that she's able to share with them.

There's just so much in there that is, is really special.

Yeah, I really love, you know, I know I've known Kumi through our work

together on Aladdin, um, but I, you know, You know, I don't, I know her from there,

but it's not like we talk every day.

So I didn't even know, um, the stuff that she does with the youth and,

um, especially, you know, youth with disabilities and how she's really giving

them a way to know themselves a way to also exercise their leadership values

and skills, a way to help them, uh, know who they are as people and their worth.

And so I just really love what Kumi is doing.

So if you're a parent, uh, or an educator, and you just want some

tips on how to mentor the youth, this is an episode that's for you.

Well, Kumi, I want to get started with, um, you have done some pretty incredible

things and it's really awesome to just watch you and just be such an inspiration

to so many people around you, you know, knowing you from Aladdin, like everybody

just loves you cause you are truly like an inspiration to everybody growing up.

What are some of the leadership values that you feel like you

learned as a child that you carry on?

To now as an adult that has allowed you to accomplish so many things.

I'm the oldest of six kids and my father was in the military and the

mindset in my household was you all either swim together or you sink together.

And I think that really made us as threatening and, and, and traumatic

as that sound, I think that really made us six kids learn how to.

Live as a unit and a team.

Um, and I think we really did develop those, uh, those team skills.

You know, we were there for each other.

Chores had to be done by a certain time.

So if one person was finished before they'd help the other

person and vice versa, we were all responsible for making sure that

our homework was done before dinner.

Um, so it was a lot of us sitting around the table and helping

each other complete homework.

And of course our parents were there to guide us and, and, and what have

you, but Um, you know, because there was six of us, there was somebody

at the table who knew what somebody might need help with in homework,

um, aside from me being the oldest.

So, um, you know, it was very much, um, that mentality in the

household that we are a team and that we need each other to thrive.

And when somebody, um, needs help, you're always there for

that person and vice versa.

Um, so I think that really, really, um, helped develop my mentality of kind

of, um, Really focusing on community.

I'm very, very close with my community outside of my family.

Um, the people that I live next to and with each other in this great city, like

it's the same thing when we were kids.

Um, you know, what does somebody need?

How can we help?

How can we connect them to the resources that they need to thrive?

Now that you're sharing this, I could totally seem like, Oh

yeah, that's exactly how you were when we were working together.

That's really awesome.

Do you see yourself like as the big sister when you step

into the room for everybody or?

So funny that you asked that because, um, when I started working after

Latin closed in the local councilman's office, I was a 36 year old intern.

Like that is not something that you really hear of.

That's not normal.

Yeah.

It's not typical.

I don't want to say normal, but, um, so I found myself really learning

people and having to be okay with, I don't have an issue with how

old you are, how old you're not.

Um, but if, you know, if you can help me learn, better understand something,

um, so I can therefore help somebody else and do my job better, then, then

that's the kind of relationship That I'm open to work wise, but sometimes

I, you know, where I do definitely feel like sister, especially when I see

chaos and people stressed out, I'm like, everybody, stop, what are we doing?

What needs to be done now?

What can we not help that?

We just, we just have to let it go.

Cause there's not, sometimes there's nothing you can do about things.

So my mentality is always to help people differentiate.

What is worth stressing out about and what you have to kind of let go.

We can't have control over everything.

And, you know, we live in such an urgency culture and it's so

unhealthy, you know, what needs to be done right now in this moment.

Not everything is a priority.

We have to learn how to set realistic priorities.

Yeah.

And that's already, again, another leadership skill that you have

actually being able to pinpoint, um, what is actually important right

now that's going to move the needle.

And then the other thing that I really love is, uh, humility.

I think humility is such a, uh, leadership trait that I think gets really overlooked

and, uh, you know, going back to what you said about being an intern who's older,

then that's not usually the case, right?

But you stepped in being fully okay with learning from someone younger than you.

And that really goes back to growth mindset, you know?

And so as a child, just looking back, how did you develop that growth mindset?

Especially, you know, with your situation, right?

Like, how did you grow up?

thinking, okay, I am enough.

I can do things.

I am capable, like all of these things.

How did you develop that?

Or did you have a mentor aside from your parents?

Like, did you have like a mentor that really helped you

and guide you through that?

Yeah, I think it was really fortunate to grow up in an environment

outside of like my immediate, immediate where like my extended

family was like, that's just Kumi.

That's how she, she's in a wheelchair.

She just thinks differently or sometimes she needs help.

Um, I think, I really found myself in kind of exercising growth mindset when

I hit about my thirties, right after I took over the Miss Wheelchair California

Foundation, um, and was working at Disney full time, I was juggling multiple tasks,

including my day to day job, which, you know, was the primary source of income

for, um, Me to do things outside of that job, like, like Miss Orchard, California.

So I think just relocate, well, I have to do the show now.

It started really simple.

I have to do the show.

Now I have to do these four shows.

What can I do during break?

I'm during breaks.

I prioritize things that I need to do, phone calls that I need to make.

And even today, like, you know, as a former legislative staffer, um, I had

a great experience and I'm not knocking that experience at all, but I think, cool.

Working in the political realm can really lead to like an unhealthy

lifestyle of, you know, again, like living in that urgency culture or,

you know, prioritizing work over self and health and things like that.

Um, I think that's where I was like, okay, what can I do now again?

And then what, what can I focus on later?

Because not everything is going to be, you know, the best that it

could potentially be unless it's.

Receives the amount of focus that it deserves

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I have a question because being in, in the politics side

of things and then, um, the Ms.

Wheelchair also with Aladdin, um, You've been just exposed to different levels

of theater, of play, of creativity, just solving different problems in

different creative ways in that.

When did that creative bug kind of come to life for you?

Like, where did that start in your life?

I grew up in a very musical family.

instrumental vocal and creative too.

Um, like my mom was a very great artist that can paint, you know,

drawing and things like that.

Um, but I think it really hit me like in middle school, uh, when we started

doing like curriculars, um, like the choir joining the band and things like

that, and, um, I grew up in a Catholic church choir, um, and singing there.

And that was really fun for me.

Um, I learned a lot there.

Um, but then in the summer when I'd visit my mom's father, my grandfather, um, he

was Southern Baptist and we would go to a Baptist church and then I would sing

with the choir at the Baptist church.

Now that's two.

Two completely different types of music.

I think realizing that there is more types of music out there really

sparked this and I think, you know, my parents were like, okay, uh, uh,

every, every one of the kids had.

Something to do after school, um, it, most of the time it was

sports and with me, they were like, well, what do you want to do?

And you have to do something.

You can't just do nothing.

I think essentially they're like, you have to get out of my house

after school because we need time.

All these kids need to go do their extracurriculars, but

I think it was really at that time where I got bit by the bug.

You know, making friends and choir and theater and going to, um,

other shows, you know, like, uh, community theater or high school.

And then, you know, in high school, going to like regional

theater and so on and so forth.

I think that's when I really realized that, um, singing and performing

was something that I could not live without and be happy and be satisfied.

Yeah.

Cause you have such a, There's like a presence about you that I always

loved when I got to go to watch you guys do the Aladdin show and that, and just

having you come out and just like your facial expression, just the joy of that,

but it's also like now thinking back, it's, you know, you really paved a way

for other, other people to have that.

And then now too, with.

Uh, Delia in, in Wish, there's just that extra layer of like your, your

voice coming through to this like character on screen and when we went

to go see Wish and like, you were there and just like the audience

erupting and screaming and all that.

How have those happened?

Moments kind of inspired you to, to keep going, to live your best life, you know,

to really kind of raise the bar in, in your own, um, process of doing life.

First of all, I was so grateful to share that with both of you at theater.

And I really loved having like my Aladdin fair and, you know, the extension of that

for others and kids and, you know, um, even mothers and fathers of, of our former

cast mates were, were, um, in attendance.

Um, and.

I think that, you know, I had a real identity crisis when Aladdin

ended because I was no longer singing and performing every day.

So for 13 years, people would ask you, what do you do?

I'm a singer.

I'm a singer.

I'm a performer.

That's what I do.

And then all of a sudden it just stops like cold turkey.

There's no phase out.

Nothing.

I'm having chills thinking about it.

Yes.

You remember that?

Yeah.

I just have chills of that, that identity crisis.

I it's so real.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I went through that for a long time while, um, being an intern.

At city hall, I was like, what do you do now?

I'm not just an unemployed person.

Like, you know, I'm volunteering.

I'm a community member and I'm still a singer and I'm still a performer.

And I think having the mindset of being able to be passionate

and having the capacity to allow yourself to be passionate about

more than one thing in life.

And the thing, those multiple things for me are community and the arts.

Um, in addition to, of course, like my family and things like that.

But I think it's.

Completely possible to exist in multiple worlds, I guess, professionally,

you know, when, um, the opportunity for wish came along, um, that

was just another testament to.

God providing for my performer's soul.

Um, I never really closed that door.

Right.

Um, mentally or emotionally, um, after I got over the identity crisis,

I was like, well, I can be both.

And that's exactly the way that I live.

You know, I still do have a regular nine to five job and I do go to school

and, you know, I still audition.

Yeah.

I audition, um, often, very often.

I love that.

Oh gosh, there's so many there to unpack.

Just the, even just the process of going through the identity crisis and, and,

and all of that, and the realization that we are multi multifaceted beings.

And just because we connected with being a singer as our identity, doesn't mean that

that goes away when that job goes away.

And it's really incredible that you share that.

Now, leading up to let's, the, the project would, would wish, right.

Leading up to that, um, Obviously, like, like, I feel that too, like, if I haven't

done a performing job in a while and I go to audition for something, right?

I have a lot of fears, right?

It's like, do I even know how to do this?

Do, do I, do I even belong here still?

You know?

So there's a lot of limiting beliefs.

Can you pinpoint maybe a specific limiting belief that really maybe gripped you?

And how you overcame that in the process of auditioning?

Getting into the movie wish

it's exactly that.

Like I don't sing every day, this instrument does not work the way it did.

You know, when we ended in 2016, but you know, I speak at a lot of schools, like

grade schools, and I think the one thing that I tell kids who are on that path to

be in this industry is that as performers, your only job is to do your best.

Your best.

You'll hear many, many no's, but there's no room to take those no's

personally because It's a very limited amount of people's like, dislike.

So I always see them as

like little gifts, right?

I, you know, it's so funny that just to go back a little bit, we always

think that we want what's best for us.

And we think that we know what's best for us, but I am a firm believer

that God will provide what is best for you when the time is right.

And I think that is very much so my, um, frame of thought.

When I go to these types of audition, and especially for Wish, I was like,

Oh gosh, first of all, I was really, I was really intimidated because they

were like, Oh, they're all teenagers.

I was like, I was like, I don't think I sound like a teenager, but okay.

So, you know, the best thing you can do is, you know, I, I got coached.

You have to hone your craft constantly.

And I think that people in this industry, even like people who are

super successful in this industry, um, still training with people.

It's so important to remember that there is no like, cap for training

when you're a performer, it's, it's kind of like working out, you have to

keep working out those muscles in your memory and in your, in whether it be

vocal or your movement to keep them at your best, at your personal best.

So,

yeah.

Oh, I love it.

It was so awesome.

Like I was so shocked.

I remember I was working for our former mayor at the time.

And my email went off on my phone.

It says audition Disney cartoon, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

And I was like, Oh, that's cool.

And then I remember going back and my agent called me right away.

And I was like, what is going on?

Everybody's calling me right now.

It was just blowing up.

And she goes, Oh, there you are.

I called her back and she was like, they want you to audition.

I was like, well, what is it?

She was like, well, we don't know.

And I was like.

So, you know, and I also, I also make it a point like after auditions to make a plan,

like I, you know, auditioned virtually, but I also made a plan afterwards to

the person that helped me audition to go out and see a movie, like just to get

distracted and not, I don't want to allow any like downtime for my brain to start

spiraling because that's just who I am.

Yeah.

And I love that, you know, that about yourself and you know how to kind of.

Navigate through all of that because I think as performers, as artists,

we there's so many things going in the brain and, you know, and,

and the stuff that we, I mean, the imposter syndrome is, is huge, right?

Like that it's, it's just so real and that's just us in the artist world.

But I think with, with everybody, I think we just, there's just this

epidemic of, we feel like we're never enough, you know, because of everything

that we see on social media, it always feels like we're not enough.

Yeah.

Yeah.

There's this like unhealthy perfectionism that comes along with,

I mean, not just this industry,

right?

It can't just be this industry.

Um, and I think it has to do with the culture of work in this country.

Yeah.

Awesome.

So with the, um, more on the, the political realm that you're in right now,

um, do you feel a lot of similarities between that, uh, Cause you said you

were a 30 plus year old intern, kind of a new, new area, new ground now, you

know, with the work that you're doing, um, do you feel like a lot of those

same fears and kind of burdens you have to kind of press through every day?

Do you feel confident now where you're at?

I do feel confident where I'm at, but there's always room to learn more.

In my day to day job, I'm the Citywide Accessibility Coordinator

for the City of Long Beach.

This, um, role requires me to make sure that the city is in

compliant with specific titles of the Americans with Disabilities

Act, which is pretty much basic.

people with disabilities civil rights law.

And I don't have a law background.

So of course, it seems very intimidating, but I feel like I

learned something every single day.

If you know, Sometimes even from hour to hour, and it's just great to be able

to build that like toolbox of things that I need to help me do my job, um,

at the level that I need to, to better serve the community, but I definitely do

feel a lot more comfortable navigating, um, you know, the local government.

Process and helping people navigate the local government process on

the other end, a government phone.

You'll find very often that people are calling you at their very last straw.

Like, they've talked to everybody and gotten nowhere at all.

So I think.

You know, it's really helpful to have had that experience of, you know, knowing,

um, how to dispatch issues to different departments in the city, um, into how

to really talk to, and I like people, I've always liked people, so how to talk

to people and kind of bring them down a little bit and help them figure out the

issue, but also empower them to be able to address issues on their own in the future.

Yeah,

I think that's where I feel really confident.

I love that.

When it comes to creativity, what do you think is, um, you know, your kind

of like your definition, your view on creativity and how does that help you,

especially in your position right now?

So when a lot of people think about government, they

think about so boring, right?

So, um, and it can be.

If you deliver it in a boring manner, and it's so interesting because I'm

taking this communications class at school right now, and I'm reading

this book called to facilitate student success and lessons from instructional

communication and educational psychology.

So what can I do to make this information both for people and as you

know, When we were locked down in that dungeon, we are very creative beings.

We made all kinds of videos.

We, we, you know, and I think, you know, it helps to have that

entertainment background and to be able to facilitate meetings that would

typically seem kind of boring and make them more interesting for our audience.

A wide variety of people, and I think that really helps, uh, my job also, um, entails

a lot of event planning and executing and that for me is where I feel like it can

really execute like, or you utilize my creative side, you know, and making sure

that, you know, People feel welcome and prioritized when they come to, you know,

they take these courses or these classes or attend these meetings and are, are

connected to these resources and programs.

But, you know, it's been really helpful in the smallest of ways too.

Like one time we were planning to have a state of the district event at night

outside and nobody thought that we would need a spotlight , but for months

I said we need a, we need a spotlight.

And we were going the two days before and they were like.

It's dark.

I was like, you think ? What do we need?

And everybody was like a spotlight.

I was like, alright, thank you, . They're just simple things, you know?

Yeah.

They're not listening to the one who's had years performing.

Come on guys.

No,

nobody's gonna look at somebody in the dark.

So it's just funny.

And of course, you know, the One Spotlight was one of our former cast members.

Oh.

So it's nice to be able to, you know, bring that.

entertainment side to this work that doesn't seem too

interesting to people who aren't.

Typically involved like this.

Yeah.

Was it Elijah?

It

was.

It was like, Elijah, I need a photo booth, I need a stage, I need a spotlight,

I need a DJ, and I need microphones.

He's got everything.

If you want, you know, costumes, he's got everything.

So,

yeah, he asked, he's like, do we need any wigs?

I was like, no, Elijah, it's not that kind of party, but hold that thought.

Let me just ask really

quick.

That's for the next one.

Okay.

Oh, I love that.

That's awesome.

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Kind of going back to you said you talk a lot to children.

Um, you know, one of the reasons why we are putting the show back on.

We had this idea about our podcast, but.

You know, I think everybody in 2020 started something and then

stopped and just kind of faded off.

Right.

And so that's kind of what happened to our show, but then I'm doing

this sort of shifting in like the way I teach my piano lessons.

And one of the reasons why we brought this show back on is because I really

want to explore with kids, right?

I think some people are born with an aptitude for leadership.

But it's not something that, you know, it's impossible at all

for for everybody else, right?

I think it can be learned and I think I do think it starts

with a growth mindset, right?

Like if you have a growth mindset and you know, you're you can always learn anything

then you can learn how to be a leader So when you talk to kids, you know, what are

some of the things that you feel like?

They really need help with the most when it comes to growth mindset

or maybe a lack of leadership skills or values that they have.

Um, what is that thing that you feel like they need the most?

I think there are two things that are really needed when we talk about kids

and developing growth mindset and skills.

One, it's the, their capacity to believe that.

They have what it takes and to their access to things that they think or know

will help them become better leaders.

So when I talk to kids, we spend a lot of time first, we talk about our dreams

and our hopes and our wishes, right?

Because we're all responsible for that wish.

Um, Yes.

Yes.

We're all responsible for all of that.

But then we talk about things in their life that they see as potential

roadblocks to becoming whatever it is that they want to be, um, and

being the leader of their own life.

Right.

Because there's some part of, you know, our day to day life where we

just have to lead for ourselves.

Everybody does.

Yeah.

And I think.

You know, sharing not only the good life, but the really hard things about life

and the potential hard things about life.

It's really important too, right?

Because I think there's, yes, people connect on the level of, um, positivity,

but we also connect on the things that brought us here and sometimes

that's not all, you know, Positive or even things that we want to remember.

Um, so acknowledging those traumas, maybe, and those scars and packing them away

in a healthy manner and just remembering that, that those are just steps is.

I know it sounds really complicated, especially for children, but, you know, we

do a lot of, um, exploring, we talk a lot about, um, what their home lives are like,

you know, how they perceive themself and how they think people perceive themselves

and how they want people to perceive them.

Um, we talk a lot about school, um, you know, the hardships in

school I'm finding more and more.

And I think it has a lot to do with the use of technology and just how much.

This generation has become dependent on it.

There's like a huge gap in, um, being socially, I don't want to use the word

trained, but just socially being okay.

And social matters, social settings, right.

Versus text mailing or talking through a screen.

Like a lot of people get a lot of anxiety and just the thought of

talking to somebody face to face or simply making a phone call.

So we, we address those things.

Um, and we talk about them.

Um, I love making lists.

Um, I share with them that lists are my way of making sure that, um, I do

everything that I need to do in order to have a successful day or event,

or do great on a test for school.

You can use lists for everything.

And then we also talk about journaling, you know, um, if kids don't feel That

they confidently can confide in somebody.

There's always a journal.

Yeah.

We talk about journaling.

All right.

We're wrong way to do it.

Just, you know, I call it mind dumping, soul dumping, whatever,

whatever you feel needs to be.

Put out on a piece of paper for you to visualize and see.

So we talk a lot about that when I talk about, when I talk to kids, I'm

mentoring an amazing student who's in the fifth grade, who is neurodivergent.

And they're starting their own little business to get other students that.

Um, have neurodivergence together, um, in a setting where they can just talk

about their life, you know, the joys, the sadness, the highs and the lows.

And, and how leaning on your community is really more helpful than people sometimes.

Wow.

That's amazing.

Yeah.

Question with.

That role, was that something that you like volunteered to step into?

Is it something that came from your time in the theater?

Is it time that came, or is it a position that came from like

the work that you're doing?

In the political realm, how'd that come to be?

So I, um, founded Long Beach Disability Pride toward

the end of the pandemic, right?

We were all finding ourselves isolated and people, many people,

disabilities already live isolation.

And that was just compounded by everything that was going on with the whole pandemic.

So sometimes at these events, um, I'll have people come up to me and

say, you know, I'm doing this project.

I would really love if you could take a look and you know, I'm very

realistic My schedule and my time.

And I don't want to half give myself to somebody as a

mentor or anything like that.

So some of these meetings turn into a mentor mentee type of relationship.

And some of them, you know, it's just a one off.

Do you have any advice for me?

That's it.

Um, there is someone that I met through Long Beach Disability Pride.

Um, and right now I have three mentees.

Um, uh, one is in college and they're neurodivergent as

well, and they're an author.

And then the other one is actually a parent who's significantly older

than me of a child with a disability, um, who really wants to get into, you

know, voiceovers and things like that.

And, um, so it just, it varies.

Um, I tend to go with my heart.

And typically my heart is pretty much.

Right.

You know, um, I don't just mentor everybody.

Like I, if, if I feel that the person is really, really like dedicated to doing the

work and, and, you know, being present, making the meetings and things like that,

then, you know, we, it's, it's give and take, but you know, somebody did it to

me when I was younger and many mentors, whether they were teachers or people

at church or people in the community.

So, and that's what.

Communities for,

you

know, and we're there to lean on each other and be there for each other

and talking about mentorship and, you know, coaching kids, right?

Being there for them and being that kind of guide for them.

Why is it important to, for kids to have that?

Because, you know, versus like looking up to their parents and

letting the parents to be the only guide, you know, why is it important

for a child to obviously have that?

Amazing parents, but also have a great mentor.

So when I was younger, my dad would come see my, my little concerts, right?

And he would say, you're the best.

And my response was, you have to say that because you're my dad.

You know, I think that, um, it's important for kids to have, you know, connection.

With people outside of just their family because human connection itself

is important and vital for life.

Right.

But also because to provide different perspectives, you know, and I'm not saying

that all perspectives matter, but, um, You know, I, I also think it puts the

onus on the child to become a part of a community to learn more and then turn

it, I always tell people, if somebody is pulling you up the ladder and there's

comes a, there will come a point where you feel like you can let go with one hand

and reach around and gritty behind you.

And that's always what the.

The mentor mentee relationship should look like, right.

Um, so, you know, I'm grateful for what my parents did 100%.

Um, but I'm also really equally grateful.

They pushed me to go outside of the home, to do community theater, to join

these choirs, to attend, you know, and perform in these concerts with friends,

et cetera, et cetera, and at church.

Um, it's just a part of, of life.

Two churches,

Catholic and Baptist.

One, it was not enough.

Yes.

Two churches.

Um, and my c I've definitely found like a church in my community, you know?

Yeah.

Mm-Hmm.

So I want kids to be able to feel like they can rely on their

community like that as well.

Yeah.

That's

great.

Wonderful.

Do you have any more parting questions for Kumi as we're wrapping it up?

I was going to, oh, yeah.

Okay.

I wasn't sure.

Go for it.

Feeling the vibe between the two

Go for it when not to.

Um, no, I just, I, it's more of like a comment and I don't know

if there's like feedback that you have on the end, but it's just.

It's awesome to hear, like the experiences that you've had, they've

all accumulated into where you are now.

And I'm sure it's going to continue on, um, going through and the gifts

that God has given you, um, in voice and talent and patience and, um,

leadership has really just accelerated, you know, as, as you go on with life.

And now what I'm seeing is.

The, the gifts that you were given, you're sharing that downstream, so to speak,

but those kids now, like the one that you mentioned is starting your own business

or starting their own business, like that acceleration, you know, and the impact

that I think you're having without, maybe, you know, it, maybe not, but, um, the

impact that you have by giving back, you know, um, it's such like, uh, you know,

we can be that little pebble in a pond or we can be like a big boulder and throw

it down and huge waves and everything.

Um, it's just.

Yeah, it's just, I don't know.

It's, it's inspiring just hearing the way that you look at life, the way that

you're sharing your life with others and, and really pulling people up.

As you said, it sounds like almost like you're grabbing them and like really

nice hard whip to send them forward.

But, um, Yeah, I just wanted to comment on that.

That's all.

Yeah, for me too, Kumi.

I mean, you know, it's, it's not, we don't really talk a lot, you know,

so it's like, I mean, yeah, we work together, but it's not like we talk a lot.

So it's, I was just telling Liam, like, I really, I'm excited about this idea

of like, Putting up the podcast again, because it gives us an opportunity to

kind of just talk to people and like, Hey, learn a little bit more about them.

And, you know, so some of the things that you shared, you know, today, I

mean, I didn't really know about you, you know, and so it's just incredible

to, to learn that and to just hear of all your experiences, a lot of it, right.

And, um, and where you are now, it's, it's really incredible.

So thank you for being here.

Do you have any sort of, um, if you were to tell, you know,

especially parents, right?

What is like the one thing that they can do for their kids to really help

their kids grow up into this growth mindset and having a growth mindset and

and be leaders for life, not just in the future, In the present in there.

You know, how is this relatable to a third grader?

You know, like, how can a parent help that child become the leader that they need to

be in the present, not just in the future?

Yeah, I think it's really, I think it really boils down to providing your

child with the tools to recognize their leadership skills and opportunities

to use their leadership skills.

So that can be anything from, you know, You know, making sure you carve

enough time out to finish your homework before you go outside and play, or if

you want to join that extracurricular sport, you know, making sure your

grades are at a certain level.

And, you know, even like having friends over, like, is your room clean?

Is the bathroom clean?

What do we typically offer people when they come over to our house?

Something to drink, maybe some snacks or something like that.

Like giving them.

Real situations and treating them like they're in charge of their own life,

because at some point or another, they will be, you know, and I think it really

shows when people allow their kids to find that side of themselves, that leader

and that little adult who, you know, is good at planning and considers, you know,

what it takes to even play or work with other people is really, it really shows.

I

love that.

And what is your definition of a wildly wealthy life?

I think my definition of a wildly wealthy life is being

immersed in having access to endless amounts of what makes you happy.

It could be love.

It could be laughter.

It could be friendship.

It could be traveling.

It could be nature.

Wealth can come in many different forms.

We just have to realize that for ourselves.

Yeah.

What makes us happy.

I love it.

Thank you, Kumi.

Thank you both so much.

This is so great.

I love spending time with both of you.

It's really

fun.

Kumi, I forgot to ask one more question.

Um, where can people find out more about you, and if there's

anyone that wants to kind of get involved with what you're doing?

What you're doing, um, you know, how do they, uh, keep in touch with you?

Sure.

Um, uh, you can, um, visit my Instagram at Kumi rocks, um, and send me a

message or you can email me at J N Kumiyama, K U M I Y A M A at gmail.

com.

Awesome.

Is it rocks?

R O C K S.

Yes, R O C K S.

Because she rocks, you know?

You have to believe it, or else you're doing it.

Exactly.

100%.

You have to say it all the time.

I rock.

I freaking rock, okay?

You have to wake up, look in that mirror, and be

like, Good morning, beautiful.

That's how you start your day.

Then that's how you start your day.

Exactly.

Awesome.

Well, can we thank you again for just being with us?

I really appreciate your time.

Thank you all so much.

Have a great one.

All right, friends.

That's a wrap on today's episode of Wildly Wealthy Life.

We hope you're feeling fired up and ready to take on the world with

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