What Working With Nike, Adidas and Global Agencies Taught Me | Christopher Asahara

Belonging, identity, power, and the courage to build something new.

In this episode of Naked at the Top, Aleyx sits down with Christopher Asahara for a deeply honest conversation about growing up between cultures, being told you are not quite one of “us”, and learning how to turn difference into advantage rather than disadvantage.

Christopher shares what it feels like to be an outsider in certain rooms, how global perspective reshapes the way you see leadership, and why narrow “America First” thinking often fails in a world built on connection, collaboration, and cultural intelligence. From community building and leadership during moments of social tension, to speaking up, taking risks, and trusting your own judgement, this episode explores what it really means to lead with both confidence and conscience.

The conversation moves through entrepreneurship, imposter syndrome, redundancy, reinvention, and the responsibility that comes with influence. There are stories of starting again, building teams, protecting people, and staying calm when everything around you is moving fast.

At its core, this episode is about identity, voice, and learning to stand comfortably in your own power — not by dominating, but by serving, listening, and building communities that last.

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Transcript

Aleyx 0:05

And welcome to another episode of Naked at the Top. Today's guest is the kind of leader you want on your side, whether it's at work on a plane with a kid, or stuck in the middle of Turkey with no money. He's your guy. Born in Japan to a Chilean mum and a Japanese American dad. He's worked in ad agencies across la. San Francisco and Tokyo. He's held global roles at Adidas and Les Mills, and now he runs his own consultancy, helping brands build bolder marketing from the inside out. But what I really want to explore today is how someone who's been called a mentor, a calming presence, a fluffy bear, and a shows up and leads with heart. Chris, welcome to Naked at the Top.

Christopher Asahara 0:50

Oh, Aleyx, it's good to meet you. Thank you so much. It's exciting.

Aleyx 0:54

so you've got, you've got a very globally rich background, Japan born Chilean mum, Japanese-American dad. what was it like growing up between all those worlds?

Christopher Asahara 1:04

Oh, honestly it was a blessing. like I was able to get all those cultures together. it was a mishmash, I'd say, it was weird at the beginning because I never knew who I was. and so it was always trying to fit in into one culture, but then being told, you're not really one of us. so like growing up at, least it was, a bit hard at first, but then I finally figured out that, you know what? It's actually to my advantage. it's actually one of my superpowers and I would always kind of just start saying I'm a citizen of the earth, and I get all of these rich different cultures, which was really good. But yeah, growing up at the first time, like I remember in Japan. I would get Japanese people saying, racist things to me all the time in the States. People thought I was from China and I'm just going, oh my God, you uneducated, morons. yeah, no, it's, yeah, it definitely was interesting when I was, young to trying to find out, what my identity was. but yeah, no, I definitely look back on it and I go, man, I was so blessed to be able to have such a worldview. in my house, right where it was different cultures, different foods, different ways of thinking about things. my dad was super stoic, quiet Japanese man, and my mum was this fireball, Chilean just like rah all the time. And I'm in the middle going, oh my God, what is going on? that, I think from an early age it really taught me that people think differently, people act differently. and it's actually really helped me, through my career to just be able to understand people, understand how they work being able to adapt to that. but yeah, no, it was definitely fascinating at the beginning.

Aleyx 3:02

how did you switch to that? like at first, being, bullied or called names and then being able to actually see it as a, positive. Do you remember a time where that just switched for you?

Christopher Asahara 3:15

I'd probably say, the time that I saw the benefit of it, like a tangible benefit, was when I was 14 or 15 in high school in Tokyo, I went to an all boys school. We all started going out to the bars and the clubs in Tokyo, and this was a time when you could go to the clubs at 15. and I never paid cover. I never paid cover charge, and I never paid for drinks. And what it was that the Japanese audience, or the club owners realised. I bring foreigners in, I can bring in a bunch of Japanese people that wanna meet foreigners. and so that was the first time I was like, oh my God, there's an actual benefit to being something different, in this country. and no, it's the only time in my entire life that I've. Not had to pay for drinks or cover, everybody else paid for the drinks and covers. but I think that was probably one of the first like tangible instances that, that I realised that and then probably the second time was I was probably in university. that's where I really saw the difference of people, being in school. Where people had a very, this was a university in the States and people having a very narrow view of the world in our classes. And I would just come after being in Japan, with tri-cultural upbringing, being an international school and whatnot. I had such a bigger worldview of things. And so when we were talking about. Let's say, politics or economics or, governmental policies and everything. many of the kids in my class were very like America first, just looking at it very narrow and I'm like, Hey guys, the world is actually quite different. Maybe we should look at things from a different perspective and stuff like that. And it just made for just richer conversations. so yeah, no, those are probably the two instances, like early on that I saw. Okay. You know what this is actually not too bad having this. Yeah.

Aleyx 5:33

And I could see how that would play out in your later career. building, building communities across, what your time at Les Mills, and I think you run the Marketing Club Dinner Club now. And I'm sure like some of that comes to play in it from your earlier background.

Christopher Asahara 5:50

A hundred percent. Les Mills, running social and PR for Les Mills. that was, I think that was really my biggest superpower was that. It is a, Les Mills is a New Zealand based business and sometimes Zealand businesses and with other businesses that are in like smaller countries, you just focus on the immediate surrounding around you. But with Les Mills, they have a huge global footprint. there are about 20,000 clubs around the world. They've got about a hundred thousand instructors around the world. When we're doing something on social. You need to be very, highly acute of what's happening in the world, how people are gonna react to it. and then how as a brand do we navigate, those different intricacies of cultures, what's happening geopolitically and whatnot. so yeah, no those that kind of understanding and just that worldview that I've always had. Really came in handy a lot of times. more times than you can imagine.

Aleyx 7:01

That would be really hard to navigate.

Christopher Asahara 7:03

no, it was, I think the biggest one was probably Black Lives Matter. like obviously in the States, like that was a massive deal in New Zealand. Nobody cared, right? It's kinda oh, that's an America thing. Don't worry about it. Let's not get involved. And I remember. Some of my senior people were like, oh, US thing. And I remember going to the CEO and going, Hey Clive, like our biggest audience cohort is in America. biggest customers are in America. It doesn't matter that we're a New Zealand brand. They are gonna want a viewpoint or response on Black Lives Matter from us. Because as far as they're concerned, we're an American brand. And so that, yeah, that propelled us to put out, commentary on social, it led to new DEI guidelines and commitments from our brand. and yeah, no, I had to play an intimate role in, in driving all of those just because we, it was, yeah, it was super tricky to navigate, but, maybe'cause I was like the token American guy. like, okay, Chris, what are we doing? So I was like, all right, let's go figure this out. but yeah, no, it definitely helped to have that worldview for sure.

Aleyx 8:22

Does that happen a lot for you, when you feel passionately about something and you're, you'll just go, like you just said, you just went to the CEO and said, no, we need to do something. Is that, something that you've, done throughout your career? Yeah.

Christopher Asahara 8:36

never to shy away from a conversation. it's. Yeah, I don't know if it's from my upbringing, but I've always said my piece. like in Japan, which is a culture that is very much group consensus. Don't be straightforward, beat around the bush, have the conversations, after the meeting when you're having a beer or you're on the golf course. I'd be the first one in the meeting right there and I'd go, I don't get it. I don't understand this. Why are we doing this? This is so wrong. there were plenty of times that people got really mad at me because they're like, you can't say that in the meeting. I'm like, but I don't understand this concept or this concept is super wrong. no, I've always been very outspoken. I'm a firm believer that. I try to teach this to my teams is people pay you for your opinion, right? Regardless if it's right or wrong. people pay you to have an opinion, that's why you get hired. otherwise they probably just have a machine do it right, or just an intern. the more senior you get, you just have to have that opinion and it. And I've never been, never been shy. I've been told a few times to shut up or that you're wrong, but, you can't keep me down too long.

Aleyx 10:10

it's so true though, being able to share opinions, that's how, we, come up with creative new ideas. But a lot of people also feel like they can't feel like maybe it's not a safe enough space to be able to open up. so it's about the, culture as well and actually, and the team and the leader saying, this is okay. It is okay to have an opinion. And it's also okay if that doesn't go ahead.

Christopher Asahara 10:37

No, that's so true. not saying that, you should go in, all cowboy, American Cowboy where you just go, come in guns blazing and going, you're wrong, It's gotta be this and my way is right. Or anything like that. There's so many different ways to give your opinion, right? Like in Japanese culture. It is about being a lot more subtle or, working through the intricacies of, let's say, the hierarchy of the people in the room, or making sure you say something, but without offending. Let's say the other person that's in the room, right? Or without offending the boss that might have had a different opinion from you versus in New Zealand in the US you can be a little bit more straightforward, right? And just put it out there and see where the chips may fall. but yeah, the number one thing is you've gotta say something like if you're just quiet and silent in the room, it's like, why are you in the room in the first place? Yeah. and I definitely tell my team like, speak up or get out.

Aleyx 11:42

Yeah. and that came through from, your, old colleague, Zoe that, I spoke to, said that you were very empowering as a leader. You would empower them to speak up, to have an opinions and to fail as well. It's okay to fail sometimes.

Christopher Asahara 12:02

so if anything, social media teaches you to fail fast, right? I think so many times people like, they're So caught up with what's the perfect post or whatnot, and I just go, nah man, just get it out there and let's see what happens. but yeah, no, I, love empowering people. I've, I'm a firm believer of hiring people that are smart, smarter than you, and then to build people to be smarter than you and to be faster, better and whatnot. that's actually what happened, at Les Mills is literally. I think it was two years ago, somebody asked me what my role is and I said, oh, yeah, my job is to train my team so I become useless and become redundant. And then because two years after that, back in April, they said, Chris, you built a team so good, so we don't need you anymore. So goodbye. And so that was, like my, it all came true. manifested, I lost my job because of it, but then at the same time, I go, that's what leaders are made to do. that's what we're for, is really to build teams that are amazing that can move on to the next thing, and that team is set up, to thrive and succeed even without you. yeah, no, in a way I'm proud that they realised that I'd done such a good job, that they didn't need me anymore.

Aleyx 13:33

How did you feel in, that moment? Because it's, happened to me as well. After maternity leave I was made redundant and actually I'm really happy'cause it's why I set up my business. But, it's a mixed emotions when it happens, right?

Christopher Asahara 13:48

everybody freaked out that I was so zen about The whole experience. And I think it was probably because I had a good six year run. I had accomplished everything that I needed to, and I knew the team was set up to succeed without me. and I think probably similar to you, Aleyx, gave me that nudge go out and do my thing, and to build my business and then to, have those new challenges, have those learnings, and go okay. 20 plus years that I've put together, how do I put that into my own thing and see if that works? so yeah, no, I, was super zen about it and very actually relieved and excited to go, okay, hey, what's my new challenge? What's this new adventure that I'm going on? I've always been, I've always been blessed that I've had cool adventures. In the various countries that I lived in the various jobs that I've had, and I went, okay, this is a new one that I've never had before. like it's one thing to jump from one company to another, right? Because it's the end of the day, it's similar. But then to go from having, steady corporate job with a steady paycheck to go, then go, okay man, this is all on you, man. That challenge is wild to say the least.

Aleyx 15:12

That's exactly the word I was thinking. it is wild. And I love that you said you were excited because that was exactly how I was, I worked out, I was being made redundant. There was a few clue. And I remember sitting next to, the guy I used sit with that, that did sales. And I was just about to walk in with the meeting with my boss and I'd said to him, I think this is what's happening. He said, how are you feeling? I was like, I'm excited. I'm gonna be disappointed if I'm not major dumb because I'm gonna start. And he was just like, you are mad.

Christopher Asahara 15:43

Oh, most people think that you're mad, right? They, think you're crazy and you're like, but this is a sign. And the, and they're probably gonna give you a little package to give you a little runway to figure it out. And I was like, here we go. Let's do this. no. Yeah, it's been a wild ride, to say the least. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. Like I'm so glad that it happened. Because it's opened so many doors and so many adventures, new avenues, new people. yeah. So

Aleyx 16:14

So, tell us what are you doing now then Chris? We've, jumped ahead and I do wanna back, but, tell us what, doing since.

Christopher Asahara 16:25

Oh my God, it's been wild. Yeah, so I started my own, social media and branding consultancy for startups. I've focused startups just because startups are those ones that, don't have the resources, don't have the time, don't have the people. I didn't want to go do social for. Like big brands per se, because, they've got a ton of money they can find resources, but it was really trying to help the small guys, to be able to get started and whatnot. So I've been doing that. and then I also took on a fractional head of marketing role with an AI tech startup, where we're building a sports psychology. App for high performance athletes. And so that's a new area. So I've got like these two roles happening at the same time. and my wife keeps going, Chris, just take it easy. Take it easy. Stop taking on so much stuff. And I'm like, oh, but this is so much fun things, like I'm doing startup world. I got my own consultancy where I'm working with various brands around different industries, be it, fitness or beauty or CPG and stuff. so yeah, it's just, there's so many new things that I'm getting exposed to, that I just didn't have when I was at Les Mills.'cause you're, when you're in corporate, you're talk, you're thinking 24 7 about that product. Versus here. It's such a plethora of different, different things. So it's been a blast so

Aleyx 18:03

How do you find, switching between all the, different brands and having the different hats? Like how are you finding that?

Christopher Asahara 18:12

sometimes it gets confusing. Like sometimes like I've had a, like one or two times where I'm on with a client call and I just go, shit, what was their product? And I just go okay, wait a minute. Let me just double check. it, I think the principles of what they need are similar. the, especially when it's like startup world, it's all about, okay, how do I build my community? How do I build a following, how do I build awareness? of them are like, Hey, I just want to start driving sales right away. And it's, trying to figure that out. a lot of the issues are similar, so it's applying. Those learnings from one to the next and going, okay, that's what had happened with this one. This is what works here. marketing's not rocket science, right? A lot of it is just like good common sense, and just good practices. And yeah, no, it's been fun just bringing those together and just going, okay, all are coming from different backgrounds, but you all kinda have similar problems. How do we solve that for you all?

Aleyx 19:22

Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Nice.

Christopher Asahara 19:25

Yeah,

Aleyx 19:25

so let's go back Chris, because you've worked with, you've worked with some incredible brands when you were agency side, so who have you worked with and can you give us a bit of an insight into, what agency, agency life was like? I used to, when I was a market manager, I used to look after the creative agency and I would go and shoot some stuff with them and some of them would tell me like the hours they worked and that. I'm like, whoa, that sounds, agency science sounds mad.

Christopher Asahara 19:57

no, if you want to talk about hours, probably the most famous one, for ours was the agency that I worked for, TBWA\Chiat\Day. I actually did two stints with them because either I love them so much or I'm just a sucker for pain. But, the joke, amongst, the people that worked at Chiat\Day was, we used to call it Chiat\Day and night because you put in, some hours there. and, they actually had, the office was built. So you, it was like a casino where, you know, no clocks. I'm sure they pumped in like pure oxygen. They had a bar, they had a rest, a huge cafeteria, a basketball court, everything. so you forgot what time of the day it was, but at the same time, we had so much fun. some of my best memories were literally, AM eating cold pizza and we're, shooting the shit and brainstorming ideas. but yeah, no worked. So I worked at Shiat, worked on everything from Pennzoil Motor Oil to Southwest Airlines,pioneer Electronics. what else did I work? Call of Duty. like a broad range. Oh, Gatorade as well. Shiat to this day is my favorite agency that I've worked at, and. Why I love them is that they always consider themselves the pirates of advertising. if your big agencies were the Navy, like Chiat was, we were gonna be the Pirates. and I still to this day, like I still have my Chiat\Day jersey with the crossbones, and skull and like I, I'm like a pirate for life for sure. it doesn't mean, that they did. Things just randomly, like they actually had organising principles and strategy of how to do creative. And I think to this day, still some of the best strategic thinking that they had with clients. they had this model called disruption, which like anybody that's into advertising or marketing should go read about disruption. it's just a fascinating model that really simplifies of like, how can you find. Your brand's white space and how do you differentiate yourself from your competitors in the market. but there, there was such a great strategic framework them, the creative to come out of. And so that's where yeah, just working there like it was so much fun, but it was all grounded in solid strategy. but yeah, no chiat was to this day, god, way too many good memories.

Aleyx 22:43

And what was your role there when you did, so were you on the social side when you were in the agencies as well?

Christopher Asahara 22:49

no, when I was an agency, I started in media, I had a blast because, media, that's where all the money is, and my first clients were. Casinos in Vegas. And so I was going to Vegas as a 22-year-old almost every other weekend. And, checking out the new bar, checking out the new club, checking out the new restaurant. unhealthy three, three years, but still a blast. no, then I switched over into account management. and that's where most of my career in agency world is. partly it's just because I loved having that full picture. Of what happens with a brand. when you're just in, in the media or the creative, you only just see a small bit of it versus account management. You get to see the whole picture, you get to see how it all works together. When you see that billboard or that TV ad, everything that went. Into it and the stories, behind it and all the little nuggets and crazy stuff that never see the light of day. You go, I know what actually happened there. so yeah, no, I did that. And then it was really just, last agency role in Tokyo, AKQA, I was running Nike, Japan's social, and that's where I really jumped into, the social space. Before that I actually hated social media. I was such an anti-social media person, and I remember specifically, I refused to go on Facebook until the first day that I joined AKQA and everybody's Hey, so Chris, what's your Facebook account so we can connect? And I was like, oh shit. Oh shit. I need to create a Facebook account only to find out that my best friend. I created one four years ago without me knowing. And so I was like, what the hell? I'm like, I need the password. And he is eh, you're gonna have to pay me money. I was like, yeah. but yeah, that's how I got into social was purely because of, Japan.

Aleyx 25:05

And did it take a while to, to enjoy it or did you find you got into it pretty quick?

Christopher Asahara 25:11

No, I got into it really fast. I think one of the things that I love about social is it's just, it's, for better or worse, you get that little, that hit or that feedback if you are, on your creative right. You get to see it in real time of. Hey, that concept that we came up with or that creative execution, are people vibing with that or not? and, versus let's say a TV spot that might take six months to build it. put it out there, gotta wait some, a few weeks and see, if people reacted or if you know your brand lifted a little bit or whatnot. With social, you see it immediately and you, it's It's so iterative and you can just go so fast and go yep, that worked, that didn't, how do we change this? Hey, here's a new trend. Here's a new topic. And you just get to see how people react to it, instantly and get that real time feedback, which is amazing.

Aleyx 26:15

Yeah, and it's great for experimentation and also to build in a community. You can actually have that two-way conversation with your customers.

Christopher Asahara 26:25

a, absolutely. And Les Mills was, such a great, I guess exercise in community building just because, people were coming to us because of fitness and so we were building these communities yeah. And there were of times when have a huge fire, because somebody did something wrong or somebody complained and it just blows up. but then it was, at the same time, it was like great opportunities of Showing up as a brand the right way, and then actually strengthening that community, or even seeing some of our own community members coming to our defense, let's say. Oh geez. For example, like sometimes we had like ticket sales that the system would crash, right? And then people would get all mad and everything and then other people would be like, Hey guys, Les Mills is trying their hardest. It's 2:00 AM over where they are. It's give'em a break. They're trying as hard, and then just the, love that they would show us or love that they would show each other. It was just amazing to see that, all come together. no, Les Mills super strong community. It was amazing to see that.

Aleyx 27:35

Yeah. Yeah. I imagine with running social for a brand like Les Mills, you, always have to be on, you can't just switch off. It's not okay, it's five o'clock now. Let's switch off.

Christopher Asahara 27:49

true. But my teams, I would actually tell them to switch off. because they can't, they just can't be on social all the time because if not, they just get burnt out. And especially like our community managers, I would just be like. We're not doing things on the weekend. like you all need a personal life. You all need to be able to go out and see the world as well. stop being in front of your, that's like the biggest piece of advice I would give to my team is get off your phone. I know you work in social media, but get off your phone. Go out in the real world. see where real people are interacting, what they're doing. See where culture is, what's happening. Go see a movie, Not what's right on this screen. and so we actually were pretty good about not being on all the time. but yeah, obviously there was something that would, we'd wake up at six in the morning, go, everybody, it's hands on. Let's go. Something's burning in America. We gotta take care of it.

Aleyx 28:53

There must be a little bit of, I, I'm, I really, don't look at my phone. I try not to look at my phone until after I've gone to the gym and, I just really try and give that space.'cause there must be a real sense of dread if you like, pick up your phone and it's oh, there's like a fire going off. We've got, jump on this. Oh.

Christopher Asahara 29:12

It, is. there's always like I used to keep my phone next to my bed on my bedside table. Now I literally leave it in the kitchen, because I just go I need to go to bed. Without looking at my screen and I need to wake up in my bed without up my phone right away. I'm like, the world is gonna be fine. We're not all gonna die at the end of the day. It is just social media, like gonna be fine. even though sometimes I'd have my CMO or my ceo like, what's going on here? What's going up in this Facebook group? I'm like. Chill out. It's okay. We're on it. We're gonna be fine. the world's not gonna blow up.

Aleyx 29:57

true. A little bit of perspective.

Christopher Asahara 29:58

Yes, exactly. Exactly. We're not, building a rocket to Mars or curing cancer. we're selling fitness. It's not gonna be the end of the world if we're an hour or two hours late.

Aleyx 30:10

Yes. Yeah. Yeah. talking about that, your friend Lo did tell me about, a time that you went, was it fly fishing trip to Alaska? And you, had to make sure the lodge had wifi. was this like, can you tell us a little bit about this? Because I, feel like that goes against what we've just been talking about.

Christopher Asahara 30:33

So wrong. My God. man, he's got a good memory. I'd probably say it's the difference of earlier in my career. and Later my career as a leader. in my earlier days as a, up and coming leader, I had this philosophy that I had to be available for my team at all times, and even like for my team and then even for my senior people, right? Because when you're like in that middle management, you're so focused on. Making sure your team is executing and then making sure that if there's a crisis, your senior people are aware. and so I was like horrible in terms of signing off and so fishing in Alaska on vacation, but I was like, no, can I have my laptop? Can I have my phone? I gotta be accessible.'cause if something is happening, gotta be readily available. and that's, the one with Ro where. In Alaska, we were at a lodge out in the middle of nowhere, and I'm going, this is not gonna work. I need to be able to, excuse me, I need to be able to find somewhere where they can get ahold of me and as running around like crazy. but now as a much more seasoned leader, I've realised that I do need to clock off. I need to be inaccessible. I need to let the team. Be empowered to sort out things themselves. and I didn't realise that until much later on, that being online all the time was actually a sign of not trusting the team to get things done on their own. That I have to be available, they have to run it by me. Versus now I'm just like, alright, I'm gonna Japan, I'm gonna Chile peace out. if you really need to get ahold of me, call me. But otherwise I'm not checking email. I'm not checking Slack. You guys will be fine. And if it doesn't, we'll survive. yeah, which has been so much better for my mental health as well.

Aleyx 32:43

Yeah. It shows that level of trust of that. I really relate to that. when I was a manager in my early days, always, and I don't know if this resonates with you, but for me, certainly, it was always being online because it was a global company and if it went on holiday, I have a laptop. But I think for, me, that was almost a way of proving myself as well. Oh no, I can do this. I can do this. And, wanting to, prove I, I knew everything. And I think as you get older you're like, no, I don't need to prove anything.

Christopher Asahara 33:13

No, it really is true and it's, a quite, it's almost like you're proving it to yourself and proving it to others, right? That I've got this. I can be that super. The super dad, super coworker, super husband, like super, everything. Like you're always on top of everything. yeah. And that's just not sustainable. so no, I'm glad I got off that.

Aleyx 33:35

you certainly did because, Zoe said that, you really did empower others and you use your position of power to empower others, never for personal gain. and I thought that was, that line really landed with me. Oh, that's all, that's such a nice thing for her to say that she'll never, admit saying that to me directly, but, this.

Christopher Asahara 33:59

oh, no. there you go. That's true. There you go. yeah, no, I'd probably say yeah, the later in my career I really just enjoyed, Being that person that just enabled the team to be the best that they can. And really my job was to provide, 30,000 foot air cover, for the team to be able to do things. And I think one of the best compliments that I always got even at, or Les Mills, is once I left the people that reported. To me, or, that worked with me, always come back and say, my God, Chris, how did you deal with all this crap that I have to deal with now? What the hell is going on? And I'm like, yeah, that was my job. My job was to shield you from so much of, the politics or BS from other places, that would get in the way of you all doing your work. And Yeah, to hear that kind of feedback from the team would always be like, okay, I did my job, but I'm like, sorry that you guys have to do that now, good luck now you're learning how to do it. but yeah, no, I think that's, what I've always enjoyed is to be able to be that shield so that the teams could do the great work. and especially social media where. sometimes you can have, luckily we didn't have it at Autodesk or Les Mills, but you could sometimes have, CMOs or brand directors that really want to get involved in it. And social is one of those spaces where you just have to move fast. You have to have very, very little layers of approvals. You just have to go super fast. And So making sure that, people are protected to be able to do that.

Aleyx 35:56

How did you get, how did you get round that, red tape was, there a lot of it?

Christopher Asahara 36:02

How did I get around that?

Aleyx 36:03

the reason I ask why you think about that is in one of my jobs, we had to, when I first started, so I, led the content and social team. We first started, believe it or not, every single post had to be checked by legal. And I was just like, we can't, like we, and sometimes it would take three weeks. I'm like, the moment's gone guys.

Christopher Asahara 36:26

Oh my God. That's wild.

Aleyx 36:29

So that, that, that eventually changed, but it took a lot of change. but that, it wasn't a brand like Les Mills or Adidas. It was a lot more of a conservative brand. But even that, it was just that you can't run social, you can't run every post by legal.

Christopher Asahara 36:45

no. You no, you definitely can't. I'd probably say the best thing that we did was, to, prove it out. And what I mean by prove it out is we would just ask, almost ask for forgiveness rather than for approval And we almost never had to ask for forgiveness. So anytime, like somebody would be like, Chris, I'm not so sure about that post. I would just take it up and man, the numbers show the people loved it, the comments, you know, people are loving it and stuff like that. so we would just proving it out like that. We would know, we know what we're doing and so you just gotta keep trusting us. yeah. And to this day. Even some of the more like fringe stuff that like, we're like, Ooh, this is gonna be questionable. We never have had to ask for forgiveness. And yeah, and I think probably also, it was just one of those that was my, in my nature to just go and run with a team until somebody told me not to. And then. Have the political and cultural savviness. And I think, that goes back to what we were talking about earlier, right? About understanding how people think different cultures or whatnot. And so I can navigate people and the way of working and thinking and making sure that they felt comfortable about stuff.

Aleyx 38:14

Yeah, you've gotta really, and imagine, you've gotta really know yourself and being confident in yourself to be able to run with that as well.'cause if you're stuck questioning yourself in your own decisions, that would be really hard to then run with that.

Christopher Asahara 38:28

Oh, no, for sure. And there've times where I've second guessed myself where I've stayed up, at two in the morning going, all right, how am I gonna get around this thing? but yeah, no, I've always backed myself to go, Hey, let's just go with this and see where it goes.

Aleyx 38:44

So Chris, this show's called, naked at the Top for a reason because even the most experienced leaders, are still figuring all this stuff out. So what are you still unsure about when it comes to how you show up?

Christopher Asahara 38:57

I'd probably say the biggest one is still imposter syndrome. on paper I've had an amazing career. I've worked at some impressive agencies with some really. Big global brands, working on client side with Adidas and Les Mills. and so when people look at me on paper, they're like, whoa, Chris, amazing career, great brands and everything like that. You must be brilliant and whatnot. and I find that hard sometimes to still be like, yeah, I am a badass. there's still doubt of okay, am I smart enough? Am I good enough? have I done the right thing? Do I belong in this room? so even, like it's hard to like always back yourself every single time, because there are so many other smart, capable people as well. and so yeah, that imposter syndrome is still, still creeps up there. And so it's trying to learn like. right, let's quiet that down as much as possible and back yourself. yeah, that's, a, that's always a learning process to say the least. and so that's, probably it. I'd probably say in my new role where it's really a more one man show. I don't have, it's like figuring out, okay. What are those key things that I need to focus on? What are the key projects? What are the key either to drive my own business or to drive this AI tech startup? I, but I think that's what's so fun, I think is because it's okay, this is a new territory that I haven't figured out. even though I have that 20, 25 plus of experience, this is so fresh and so new that I go. Oh man, I almost feel like one, account, junior account executive going, ah, I have no idea what I'm doing, what the hell? yeah, it's, been scary. but at the same time, super refreshing to get back into, yeah, having to figure it all out myself and lean on people or, mentors, advisors, friends, to go, all right, what am I doing here?

Aleyx 41:22

That was gonna be what? one, one of my questions is gonna be like, how, with the imposter syndrome, how do you push past that? Or how do you Quiet that. Quiet it down.

Christopher Asahara 41:33

I, I think the, good thing has been, being part of, like different communities of people going through the same thing. So be it, let's say the marketing club. Here in New Zealand, Australia where it's, marketers that are, doing the mahi, doing the work as marketers. And so we can always bounce ideas off of each other, get feedback. I'm also part of a founders like Slack channel and stuff, and so we're always sharing, Hey, this failure, that failure, I don't know what I'm doing. Help, so it's, just nice to see. In a weird way, it's nice to see other people fail because then you go, okay, I'm failing as well, but we're all learning from each other and stuff.

Aleyx 42:23

Yeah, exactly. It helps you feel not so alone. because often when we hold our problems inside, we think we're the only ones going through it. And then when you see other people, you're, oh, okay.

Christopher Asahara 42:34

Oh no, a hundred percent. it's the same. It's the same thing, you know as a parent, right? You're just like, oh my God, my kid's a total like crazy lunatic today. You talk to your neighbor and he is yeah, my son's a total, crazy nut job. And I'm like, okay, I'm sorry to hear that, but I'm glad you're saying that. it's okay, I'm not being that bad of a parent, just hard times. but it's the same thing with work as well. Like it's, and I think when. When we, when I see those or when we share it, it actually is super supportive because we all are being very open and honest and transparent of, man, this startup stuff is so hard. and going solo is really hard. It's not easy by any means, and so you're gonna have a lot more failures and successes, but that's okay. And yeah, it's been amazing to just have that supportive network.

Aleyx 43:29

Yeah. Amazing. Yeah, and what you said, just ask people and sort intercept for good people. And you always find, a way.

Christopher Asahara 43:36

You always find a way. You always find a way.

Aleyx 43:38

Yeah. Yeah.

Christopher Asahara 43:40

Yeah.

Aleyx 43:40

we're coming towards the, end of the episode, Chris and I always do a bit of a quick fire round. so just the, first thing that comes to your mind.

Christopher Asahara 43:49

Okay.

Aleyx 43:50

alright. Last Lego set that you bought.

Christopher Asahara 43:53

last Lego set was the Fast and the Furious. the Nissan GT-R Yeah, that one was my latest. I haven't built it yet. I do love my Legos. Yes.

Aleyx 44:09

amazing. Last dinner party you hosted.

Christopher Asahara 44:12

Last dinner party hosted, we hosted at, Japanese restaurant, so backyard and everybody loved it, so it was delicious food, good people, good connections.

Aleyx 44:25

The first person you'd go to in a moment of crisis,

Christopher Asahara 44:29

My wife.

Aleyx 44:29

what's one book or quote you keep coming back to?

Christopher Asahara 44:33

it's actually my dad's and the quote that he or the say that he would say is. Always ask before you ask. answer is no. But after you ask, the answer might be yes, which is a positive, or the answer might be no. But then you're still at the same place as where you started, so you might as well ask. You can't get any worse than where you started.

Aleyx 45:01

I love that since I was giving you permission to just do it.

Christopher Asahara 45:05

'cause. You're not gonna be any worse than where you were before you started, so you might as well ask, but if you don't ask, don't have that chance to get the positive. so yeah, I've always loved that one.

Aleyx 45:16

Yeah. I love that. Oh, beautiful. this has been great, Chris. I've really enjoyed it. I always do. One last question. and it's, it's a gift for the listeners. pass it on now. Zoe said to me that Chris empowered us. To try. Sometimes things landed, sometimes they didn't. But we always felt safe to experiment. So my question for you is, what's one lesson you'd pass on to the next generation of leaders, especially those that are just trying to lead with heart?

Christopher Asahara 45:48

I would say, I'd say be open. Be open with your personal life. people talk about like empathy, transparency and stuff like that, but too many people take that as being empathetic or transparent in the work environment. and I'm not saying share every single thing that's happening in your personal life, but when you do as a leader. you often feel like you have to be perfect or that is fine. You've got your life sorted out and whatnot. But when you show people that, Hey, I don't have everything right, or things are hard at the moment, people just gravitate towards You they see you as a human. They see you more than just. Their boss or a leader in the business. And for example, maybe a couple years ago I opened up to my team that like I was having really, I was having like mental issues and stuff like that. And they had no idea because I was really good at masking it. but it just, made us a lot tighter as a team and just more understanding. And then, they open up about their. Their issues and stuff like that. yeah. And that just made us a much stronger team. So I would just recommend as a leader, just, be open about what's going on in life, right? You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to put on this veneer that you've got it all sorted out.'cause we, all don't. so yeah, no, that would, be my advice. And you'd be amazed to see, the, rewards that come out of that and how. Your team can just be a lot better and stronger because of that.

Aleyx 47:38

Yeah. I think'cause people connect with that more because you can, feel it, you can feel the realness and people connect. But also what you do is. You give people permission for them to open up and be themselves as well, and I think that's so important.

Christopher Asahara 47:54

It's so important and they're, all actually waiting for those cues or those moments from their boss. And so when you give them that, you're literally empowering them. You're giving them that opportunity, like you said, to be a little bit more themselves, to be open up, and it just makes for better team dynamics and strength. Yeah. So definitely do that.

Aleyx 48:16

Beautiful, beautiful place to end on. Thank you so much for joining me, Chris.

Christopher Asahara 48:21

Aleyx.

Aleyx 48:21

People wanna connect with you and find you. Where's the best place for them to go?

Christopher Asahara 48:26

Best place is LinkedIn.

Aleyx 48:27

Yep.

Christopher Asahara 48:27

that's where I'm the most active and always responding and stuff. But yeah, find me on LinkedIn and connect from there.

Aleyx 48:34

Amazing. Thank you.

Christopher Asahara 48:36

Awesome. Aleyx, thank you so much. It was a

Aleyx 48:38

Okay.