Stephanie Morimoto plans her next leadership move with Asutra.
How can you lead with a defined purpose?
Stephanie Morimoto is owner & CEO of Asutra, a health and wellness company where they are focused on helping people take care of themselves on purpose. Asutra offers natural remedies for pain relief, sleep and mood. Asutra is women-owned and women-led; 60% of the team are people of color.
“Stephanie is hands down the best boss I have ever worked for. Her drive, determination, intelligence, courage and strength is unmatched. I have never had a boss who I considered a friend. Stephanie is more than a friend. She is family for us. She pours the same care into her staff as she pours into her company. In one of my hardest life moments, she was the first call I made. I am forever grateful and honored to know her,” offers Shanika Grant (Smith) who is a Customer Service & Inventory Manager at Asutra.
Morimoto is a board member of HOPE Chicago, which sends students and their parents to college debt-free; Very Asian Foundation, which amplifies AAPI stories; Naturally Chicago, which creates an ecosystem for natural products companies to thrive; Global Cosmetic Industry, which delivers forward-thinking insights for product and brand innovation; and Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network.
“Over the years, my respect for Stephanie as a leader has deepened as I watch her walk her talk by leading the charge of active self-care while setting personal boundaries for herself and her employees. I’ve learned and grown considerably as an entrepreneur and employer by following her example and cultivating an environment for myself and my budding team to prioritize self-care so we can excel.
Not to mention how inspiring it is to see a fellow introverted woman of color standing proudly in her introversion while leading and excelling in an industry that often centers the bold, brash, and loud. I appreciate Stephanie’s mission and message, and her impact through Asutra is certainly felt across my family, friends, colleagues, and clients,” says Jacqueline Shaulis, Founder & Principal at Awesome Enterprises LLC and Executive Director at the National Center for Intersectional Studies.
Morimoto was honored to be named the Beacon Award Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021. Forbes sat down with Stephanie Morimoto to speak on her leadership journey and life lessons from entrepreneurship and beyond.
Goldie Chan: How do you define a sense of belonging and is that possible in the workplace?
Stephanie Morimoto: A sense of belonging means more than simply being surrounded by people. Belonging comes from feeling shared experiences, identity or values with our peers. When you feel heard and seen as your authentic self, and you know it’s safe to make a mistake around others—that’s a sense of belonging.
That feeling is more powerful than a lot of us give it credit for. More and more research is showing that belonging contributes to personal happiness—people who feel strong social ties to those around them are more resilient, more authentic, more creative and better able to cope with stress.
I absolutely believe that it’s possible to cultivate belonging in the workplace. In fact, I think it’s a key factor in business success. DEI, productivity, innovation retention rates—all fare better when employees feel that they belong in a company. But leaders have to be intentional about company culture to make it happen.
In my experience, a leader has to model the behavior they want to see from their team. You have to be open and vulnerable to make them feel safe and encourage them to be authentic, too. Create judgment-free spaces for employees to talk about their work experiences, both the good and the bad. Encourage people to admit when they made a mistake, then have a conversation about what was learned and how to move forward, versus placing blame. Most importantly, be very clear about your core values and make sure you hire and celebrate people who uphold those values. That’s what will bind a team of people together.
Chan: How has your identity factored into your journey?
Morimoto: As an Asian American girl in the Midwest, I grew up with little representation to help me envision everything I could be and all I could accomplish. Even in college, there wasn’t an Asian American affinity group that I could relate to, since I’m of Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian descent. Finally, I realized that I wasn’t the only one lacking representation. Through my work, I could be that representation for people who look and think like me—the proof that an Asian American woman can be happy, authentic and free as an entrepreneur, following a path that may not be linear or expected.
I’ve always had a strong desire for belonging, to see myself reflected and understood by my surrounding culture and community. I’ve channeled that desire into my leadership style and values. Diversity and inclusion are central both to my business and my personal life. This is also part of the reason why the Asutra team places such a strong focus on living in accordance with our core values.
My mother was what you might call a “tiger mom”. As a kid, I was pushed to do many things and worked hard to succeed in them all. While that did have some downsides—for example, I am now a recovering perfectionist!—it also taught me to have confidence in myself and my abilities. I believe that if I set my mind to something, I can do it well, even if I’ve never done it before. Time and again, that belief became reality for me. This sense of self-efficacy and experience succeeding in new arenas led me to take over Asutra, even though I had next to no experience in the industry. To this day that’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
Chan: Describe your career path.
Morimoto: I grew up in a Midwest town called Joliet, and I spent my childhood working hard to make it out of there. I got my wish when I was accepted to Brown, worked at McKinsey after graduation, then started a fast-paced career in nonprofit fundraising and management. I found success there, eventually becoming the youngest VP at a national nonprofit, leading increasingly bigger teams to reach increasingly lofty targets.
All this was made possible by an unsustainable work ethic. Driven by perfectionism that was ingrained in me at a young age, I worked 18-hour days, rarely took time off and drove my health into the ground for the sake of productivity. When I proposed to my manager changes to improve work-life balance and job effectiveness for our employees, I was shut down.
That was the last straw—I quit my job. I spent the next year recovering from burnout. I slept more, ate more nutritious foods, moved every day, and rediscovered the people and activities that brought me joy. It took time, effort and therapy, but eventually, the small steps I was taking every day added up to a positive path forward. I wanted to do work that honored what I had learned by prioritizing my wellness and joy. I realized that if I wanted to work in a company that valued self-care, balance and bringing your whole self to work, I would have to create it myself.
That’s what led me to acquire and recreate Asutra. Self-care and wellness have been swallowed up by companies and marketed back to us as an unattainable standard. Asutra recognizes that taking care of yourself happens in the small choices you make every day. Together with my incredible team, we’re creating products that help make people’s lives a little easier by easing pain, supporting sleep and boosting mood—affordably and sustainably. We’re also helping our employees make their lives better, in part through a workplace culture based on the values of authentic connection, wellness and inclusion. I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve built.
Chan: What would you like to build or grow, either in your industry or in your own career?
Morimoto: I don't want to be famous, but I do want my work to have a meaningful impact. When I was in the nonprofit sector, we were improving the lives of millions of children, so it was easy to see the difference I was making.
At Asutra, the impact is in the small everyday moments: when we get a great review about how a product finally helped with chronic pain or sleep issues, when a social media post inspires one of our followers to allow themselves to rest, when a member of our team reflects on how working at Asutra has changed their life. Those are the moments I’m working for.
I’m proud of Asutra’s impact. We’ve had our ups and downs in the past five years (especially with COVID and an inflationary environment) but it's been amazing to see us grow our bricks-and-mortar retail presence significantly within just four years. That means there are so many people across the country who are buying Asutra products, using them, seeing the difference it makes in their wellness journeys, buying again and recommending them.
On a personal level I’m putting myself out there on social media to share what I’ve learned and continue to learn. So many people are stressed out, burned out or simply lost. Having been in that position, I want to share how I created a life I don’t want to escape from but that I feel joyful in every day. I’m grateful for those who support me in my journey, so I want to pass on what I’ve learned so far and be that pillar of support for others.
By sharing my journey and reflections, I’ll be able to help and inspire more people. I want to spread the message that it’s okay to rest. It’s okay to take care of yourself before you give to others. In fact, it’s necessary to create a better world. You can’t make the change you want if you are exhausted.
Chan: How would you define a good CEO or leader?
Morimoto: In a word, balanced. So often we equate entrepreneurship with constant hustling which can feel chaotic–for the leader, her team and her loved ones. It doesn't have to be that way. It's been a journey for me to learn how to be a balanced leader. But I've found that defining and sticking to work/life boundaries, being my real self and consistently communicating a clear vision, expectations and specific praise when teammates do well helps my team and me lead sustainable work and personal lives. For example, my Asutra team has access to my calendar. They see when I'm making time for my weekly Pilates class or to take off early one afternoon to spend time with family. And because I'm taking that time for me, when I'm at work, I'm fully present. I model that behavior for my team and support them to do the same.
Chan: Any career advice for this year?
Morimoto: Self-discovery is a really powerful tool. I would advise anyone to get to know themselves better if they want to make meaningful progress in their career. The better you understand what inspires and energizes you versus what drains you, the more you can pursue the good and let go of the bad in your work. Managing yourself to be your best self is a game changer.
A great self-discovery technique for your career is long term goal setting. No matter where you are in your career, I encourage you to set aside time to identify a long term goal and a plan to get there. This might feel scary or overwhelming, but it’s worth it because then you know what you’re aiming for. By creating a plan and milestones along the way, you’ll also know if you’re making progress.
During your goal-setting session, start by getting in touch with your career—and life— aspirations through whatever self-discovery technique feels most comfortable (I like to journal, but you could meditate, sketch or dictate your thoughts into a transcription app). Reflect on the last two weeks: what activities did you enjoy the most, and which annoyed or drained you? When were moments when you felt like you were flowing easily, versus when were you frustrated?
Review these reflections, then ask yourself: what do you want your life to be like one, three or five years from now? How does your career play a part in that? What needs to change in your career to get closer to the life you envision for yourself?
Now pick just one goal that helps you progress toward that vision and is achievable. Don’t pick three goals or five. Trying to achieve everything at once will only leave you overwhelmed and frankly, unsuccessful. And when we don’t make progress toward our goals, it’s easier to give up rather than stick with it.
With your goal in mind, break it down into increasingly smaller time increments. Let’s say you want to change jobs within the next year. What do you have to achieve each quarter to hit that goal? What do you need to do each month? Each week?
Once you have a plan written out, all that’s left is the execution. When you can move forward with a vision and a goal, you don’t need to waste time thinking about what to do. You just do it. People underestimate how much uncertainty can hold us back. You might be surprised by just how much progress you can make in your career by simply setting a long term goal and writing down a plan.
Chan: What is a life lesson you’d like to share with a younger version of yourself?
Morimoto: Don’t worry about being perfect. As a kid and through my early 20’s, I was a perfectionist. With the help of a therapist, I worked on accepting that being perfect is not attainable. Instead, I focus on how I can learn and improve. It’s become much easier for me to celebrate successes and give myself grace—and move on—when things don’t go well.
