Keys To Life - Marianne Yamamoto

In this heartfelt episode of The Keys to Life, host Algie Mosley sits down with Marianne Yamamoto, whose remarkable life has been shaped by constant change, quiet resilience, and an unwavering commitment to treating every person with dignity. Born on a U.S. Army base in Japan to a military father and Japanese mother, Marianne spent her childhood moving from country to country—Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Germany, Maryland, and Taiwan—learning at an early age that while cultures may differ, kindness, respect, and compassion are languages everyone understands.

Marianne reflects on a lifetime of embracing new beginnings, from becoming one of the youngest sales managers in Macy's prestigious Junior Executive Program to eventually owning and operating her own business. Yet as she looks back, she shares that the greatest rewards in life were never found in promotions or professional accomplishments. Instead, they were discovered in the relationships she built, the people she mentored, and the privilege of caring for those she loves most—including her father-in-law and now her 96-year-old mother.

With honesty and humility, Marianne opens up about the painful experiences of trying to fit in as a teenager, witnessing bullying firsthand, and learning that our differences are not weaknesses to hide, but gifts to embrace. She reminds us that every person longs to be seen, heard, and accepted, and that one simple act of kindness can leave a lasting impact on someone's life.

Throughout the conversation, Marianne shares timeless wisdom about the importance of staying true to yourself, listening before judging, respecting people regardless of their title or position, and remaining curious enough to keep learning throughout every stage of life. Together, Algie and Marianne also reflect on the challenges facing today's younger generation, the importance of accountability, the power of reading and mentorship, and how lifelong learning keeps both the mind and the heart alive.

The conversation concludes with a heartfelt rapid-fire round and a beautiful message for the next generation: never lose yourself trying to fit in, treat every person with respect, stay curious, and remember that your greatest growth often begins the moment you're willing to learn something new.

This is more than an interview. It is a reminder that a meaningful life isn't measured by how many places we go or how many titles we earn—but by how we treat people, how we continue to grow, and the legacy of kindness we leave behind.

Her Three Keys to Life

Be Yourself — Your uniqueness is your greatest strength. Don't spend your life trying to become who others expect you to be; embrace the person you were created to be.

Listen and Respect Others — Every person has a story worth hearing. True character is revealed by how we treat others, regardless of their age, background, or position in life.

Keep Learning — Life never stops teaching us. Stay curious, welcome change, and never lose the desire to grow, because the moment we stop learning is the moment we stop becoming.

Transcript

Introduction

SPEAKER_03 0:00

My name is LG Mosley. There is a treasure walking around on this planet Earth right now. And it isn't money, it isn't fame, it isn't status, it's wisdom. Wisdom carried by people who've lived 60, 70, 80 years carrying stories, scars, victories, prayers, and truth. But every day, we lose a little more of it. So I made a decision. Before that wisdom disappears, I'm gonna capture it. Every episode, I'll ask one simple question: what are your three keys to life? And then we'll go even deeper. If you could travel back and place those three treasures into the hands of your 15-year-old self, what would they be? Because somewhere, someone is standing at life's crossroads, searching for exactly the wisdom you're about to hear. Welcome to the keys to life. Unlocking life's greatest treasures. One key at a time.

SPEAKER_04 1:02

Hello and welcome to the keys of life, the podcast where wisdom speaks. I'm your host, Al G Mosley, also known as Coach Amo. And on this show, we sit down and talk to people 60 years or older to capture their life lessons to the younger generation that really needs to hear this information. Today I'm honored to be joined by Miriam Yamamoto. Mary Ann is a beautiful lady I met at Pete's Coffee Shop. Mary Ann, thank you for so many things, but more importantly, thank you for being here today.

SPEAKER_00 1:37

Thank you for the invitation.

SPEAKER_04 1:40

I know you just a tad bit, but I know you are an awesome lady. I think you mentioned that you were from Japan, which was kind of interesting

Marianne's Background & Journey

SPEAKER_04 1:50

for me. So tell the listeners where you're from and a little bit about who you are.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Okay. So I was born in Japan, Kampsama, Japan. So my dad, who army was stationed in Japan, met my mother, and so they were there for several years. And when people ask, where did you grow up? My answer always is all over the world. The most incredible childhood with the privileges of being a military dependent and of course an American citizen living abroad. That really created who I am and have an interest in people, what they're after, what they want to do, what they aspire to be. And so my career took me into retail. And I love retail because you're thinking on your feet, nothing is the same. And from working at a military post exchange in Taiwan as a 17 and 18-year-old at a dollar an hour and working with the citizens, the Taiwanese who were there, they were working for 25 cents an hour, but then just having a great relationship with them, but then really seeing the disparity. And that funneled, oh, in college, this is what I want to do, business. And I didn't at one time I was thinking the military, but I thought, no, it's too structured. I just got to be somebody that wants to create, wants to do events, and so forth. While I was going to college, I began working at Macy's. And that actually happened to be Macy's in Monterey. And there I was accepted into the Macy's junior executive programs. Boy, did that open up a world at say an experience and an education that would be very hard to purchase actually anywhere, because it is training right then and there. And then as you're going through, you have responsibility of million-dollar and multi-million dollar businesses all on your own. It was one of the youngest sales managers there at 21. And I just thought, wow, the responsibility. But I've always been told it's because you understood how to work hard and very respectful because generally the individuals I worked with were considerably older than I was. So that experience took me up here at Citrus Heights for the Birdcage Mall when that store was opened. So one of the opening managers, training managers, then to San Francisco. And then I wanted to go back to Monterey and then went into the elements of human resources and a regional training trainer. So spend a lot of time down south training the department managers. That was incredible. And then it got to a point because at that time I was commuting about an hour, and my son was a sophomore in high school. And I just thought, ah, we just I just need to spend more time. And the element of really the amount of hours, I says, no. So I just took a step back and said, this is my career. I'm going to go on and do something else, in which I tested out a couple of different things. And then at that time, my husband's career was really booming. And so he needed to be back up in Sacramento to be near an international airport for the travel that he needed to do. So I came across a business called the Report Card Stores. And I walked in and thought, how come none of this existed when our son was growing up? And it just fit the bill again. It was like, okay, I got to do what I needed to do to expand the business. And so I had two stores that I was managing and was just absolutely thrilled, met a lot of people and parents that I still to this day will stop and say, I think I know you, but you're not wearing an apron and need tall. And um, even kids that used to come in as kindergarteners will see them somewhere and they'll just say, Oh, Miss Marianne. And Dan also worked there for a while, and they'd say, Oh, Mr. Dan. So it was really neat. And I would look at Dan, I'd go, We I must have thought really nice of us, because like sometimes I could be like, Your child is misbehaving in this store, so please. And then he we just said no, it was respect. Yes. And then there were needs for my father-in-law at that time when the report card store closed and I was going through some health issues. I just I just need to take a step back and just help wherever I can help, but I can't be committed to a job that I need to report to on a timely basis and all the hours that were. And so I am here today when now we've embraced my mother into our home. So that is my day-to-day life is making sure she's comfortable, good years old. So I must be doing something right.

SPEAKER_04 7:01

Yeah, she's probably saying, Well, you're taking care of her, so she must have done something right.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Oh, yeah, I didn't think about that because my sister and brother just don't want to have anything to do with it.

SPEAKER_04 7:12

There we have it, right? That's a very long journey that just sounds like so many lives, and uh, your father in the military, and you've traveled many different destinations, many different languages, I would assume. And I know a friend of mine that she was fluent in she was African American, but she was fluent in the Spanish and uh Japanese. And uh, one of the things I remember she would always say, mushi, right? Which I think means hello or something like that.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

Yes, basically on the phone. Wow, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 7:46

But beautiful, beautiful, big long journey in your life. What's one thing people should know about your life journey?

SPEAKER_00 7:54

I appreciated it. Sometimes I go back and think about a place my dad would have been that he was stationed in, and I go, wow, my mom pens it exactly correct because she's often asked why she doesn't travel anymore. And she says, No, I've done it and I've did it in the good times. So she likes to just be comfortable in here. I and absolutely enjoyed being the daughter of my mother, who was a full-time mom. She married a little bit later in life, and my dad was younger than her, and my mom became an outcast in her family because she married an American and he was a military GI. And until I was born, then my sister and my brother did the family embrace my mother again. And so we spent a number of years living with my grandparents while my dad was stationed in Korea and then stationed in Vietnam. So we always chose to go to Japan and live there. And the all the other opportunities to travel and live somewhere was based on the fact that my dad always was able to have the family accompany him. So he had great positions that were given to him, and so that he was able to do that. And one of the things that taught my brother, sister, and I is in certain places that we lived in Germany and also in Taiwan, that the children, the military dependents, must be absolutely well behaved, be a good representation of the United States. And when we saw some kind of trouble happening in a family, it tended to be some the child did something. And the dad, and most of the time it was a dad, not a mom that was in the military. So the dad was actually reprimanded. So it was the dad was held responsible for the behavior of the children or the wife. They were then sent back to the United States in some other posting because we could not have a representation in that way. So that kind of thought, boy, bad behavior impacts so many different people.

SPEAKER_04 10:15

That's true.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Not just that. And that was so evident. And so we were always like, okay, mind our manners, dress nicely. So and be very respectful. We might not, in some cases, have learned the language like we didn't learn Taiwanese only because English was a second language. And so we were just like, oh, okay. And we could pick up words. So if we needed to go somewhere, the group of us teenagers would go take a taxi and we could give them directions of where we're going. So that we didn't make the effort, and I am disappointed, but my mother made the effort. She could speak a little Taiwanese, she could speak a little Italian and German, but that made it very clear. And so when we see in today's age where a child has done something that really has disrupted, and one of it is guns. So a parent who had the gun in the house, and you always will hear the parent was responsible.

SPEAKER_04 11:19

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

They should have followed and that. And it makes sense. So some people will say, no, it was the child or that teenager should have known better. No, it's aren't there.

SPEAKER_04 11:30

That's interesting because my mine was a little bit different. My my grandmother made it very clear to us. She just used to say, baby, you can give your soul to the Lord and your ass to me. And you didn't want to give it that. So with that said, what's the season of life that you think shaped you the most?

SPEAKER_00 11:52

So let me have a clarification. So are you talking about one of the four quarters of the year or a segment in my life, whether it was as a teenager, a young adult, a mature individual?

SPEAKER_04 12:06

It could be either one of those. It could be two or three. I don't know, but what do you think? What do you think of what season of your life shaped you most, right?

SPEAKER_00 12:16

So the reference of the four seasons would be fall. And fall just and is one of the most beautiful seasons in Japan, but it's because it's change and colorful, very colorful. And the weather is just kind of cools you down, and it's a slower pace of life. And in reference to the times of the years, I think really I'm living the best time. I wasn't my teenage years, they were very good. And it was where we happened to be living because we were living in Maryland, so freshman and sophomore high school, and then the rest of that time was in Taiwan and very safe, very protected. And we had communities that really watched out for each other's children and gave you just the opportunity to do things, things like scouting and after-school activities, was so much easier to do at that time. But then you also have the growth. What do I want to be? What do I want to do? And my young years, basically going 20s and 30s and 40s, were all very hard work. I used I would sometimes bring Brandon in to work with me when he was a little one. And because it was going to be an all-nighter. We were getting corporate from New York coming in. So you have to look very pristine. And he'd be there helping. And then when he's tired, he'd just get on one of those little furniture dollies and sleep. But I go, I put a lot, I missed some opportunities. And but then Dan was there because he was self-employed and he was also in a business that their business actually slowed down during the fourth quarter of the year. So then my business would ramp up. So it was a nice balance, but it was like I never got to take a breather. And then, gosh, when I hit my 50s and I went through a health struggle there, and just we've always, my husband and I have always taken an opportunity to make sure that each and every day we appreciate each other. There are times where in our careers we didn't see each other for weeks because he was out traveling and I was here, and it was like a very quick, maybe at the airport, hi. Yeah, because he's on his way to somewhere else. And then other times where we were almost like, oh my gosh, you guys, you're always together. And I go, Yeah, but there are times that we didn't have that opportunity. So that appreciation, we took every opportunity to visit with friends, have friends over. So we have a great connection of friends that we've known for quite some time, and then also recent friendships as well. And as we're hitting kind of this stride, we're our friends that are this stage are a little bit older, some so aches and pains, some health issues, and you're just go, and I hear it in my mom. You'll find out. Take care. A lot of it has been about okay, the weight. And I remember my dad once saying after I came back from a doctor's visit, there's nothing wrong. I've got perfect scores. And my dad would go, Oh, I'm gonna call your doctor because your daughter should be telling you to get some more weight off. Um, I'm licensed. That's not needed. I'm active, I walk, and being in retail, you do it all. So, you know, you are the stock individual, you are the janitor, you are that's right, head salesman. So, and you negotiate with customers and vendors, so you do it all, but you're on your feet. I'd say I'm healthy. So it's this time that we just kind of take a step back, relax, and figure out how we have some time. It's just not an opportunity to go away for a weekend or anything at this point in time with my mom needing us. So yeah, so yeah, very good.

SPEAKER_04 16:20

Now, whoo, that sounds like a a lot of life experiences, right? And just love hearing you talk about Cap and Dan, and more importantly, hearing the stories about your mom and dad. Wow, what an incredible venue, watching them through your eyes. So, but based on all that you've been through and all that you lived from different

The Three Keys to Life

SPEAKER_04 16:43

places, what do you think are the three keys to life? If you had to go back to yourself at age 15 and say, look here, little Marianne, this thing called life is real, and you need to embrace this thing. And these three things are the keys to life, and what would they be and why? Let's start with the first one.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

It would be, and it's a challenge now. I would not want to be a teenager now, is to be yourself. It is really very difficult. I had two different experiences. So I had my experience in a large, very large high school in Aberdeen, Maryland. And then I had the experience of a moderately sized high school in Taiwan that was, though the Department of Defense supported the school, it was considered a private school because many Japanese, Chinese come and they board there to get that exposure to that school. So I saw two different things. So when my ninth and tenth grade year, it's a traditional American high school. So you have the cheerleaders, you have the football players, and you have the highly intelligent, and then you have those that are very involved in activities. And I always found it a little bit difficult to be myself because I have a huge cafeteria, and then there are those that are all going to sit together, and then those are the outcasts. And I always felt, do I have to be like them to do and be considered popular? And I actually was on a field hockey team, and that got you into kind of a group, and most of us were athletic and also we were studious, we were really good students. And then I felt like people that were left out. And my sister, who is one year younger than I am, who had just an acne issue when she was younger, and she always was left out. And I always felt for her, and I go, why is that like that? And I don't know if you're familiar with the DARM, the DARM videos. I think it's six years or seven years that he has been producing these incredible videos about life and experience. And a lot of times when I'm watching a high school one, I go, aha, that's exactly how I felt. Or why are they like that? Why are they movies? And the perspective of life. So then when I we went to Taiwan, it was like, okay, everybody's independent and they're here to learn the language because a lot of them are children of civil service employees, but also like so the big tech companies at that time. So I would always kind of consider them privileged. And I thought, how am I going to fit in? I'm just starting my junior year in a high school way across the world. And I was fitting in over there and think, okay, so then you start to get yourself involved in all these different activities. And I'm going, no, I'm not being myself. That's not really what I want to do. So it's important to be true to yourself and don't let others say, no, you should do this, or just say you're not going to get anything out of that, whether it's a club or a committee or so forth. So I just went in my own different direction. So it was like they didn't have anybody to run the junior carnivals. And I go, Oh, I like to do stuff like that. So then I met other people. And of them at the end of the year, I go, Oh, wow, I'm with the group that I'm not a cheerleader, but I'm the with the group that are cheerleaders. I'm also with the group that's right. That's right. But then I'm also with the group that really believe in politics and things. But it was just being myself. So that's important. It's hard. There's so much, so many things that are pulling you, but just you other opportunities open up that you would never have known had opened up from that and also broadened my horizon, also gave me that ability to speak and feel comfortable. Not to I was not perfect in any way, but I just think be yourself. And to this day, everyone needs to be themselves.

SPEAKER_04 21:23

Be themselves. So that is a very beautiful key. Your story kind of resonates with me because I had a severe case of acne, as they used to tease me, and called me the acne or algin peppers or crater moon face, and uh used to tease me about the girls because I was real shy. And actually played the role of Cinderella when we started going to parties as a teenager, and then when the lights come on, I would leave early, right? So that nobody would see me with my face like that. Very uh troubling time in my life. But do that and see if this resonates with you. You know I do poetry. I wrote a poem called Believe in Yourself. So as we tap on that key, let me just kind of read through it and see if it resonates with you. Believe in yourself, the world's waiting to see. The masterpiece hidden inside your destiny, not shaped by the others whispered or told, but by the fire within that refuse to grow cold. You are not what you've been programmed to be. You are infinite, potential, wild and free. You're more than your mouth, ears, eyes, and nose. You're the breath of creation, the life that grows. The mirror may show your reflection each day, but your truth lies deeper in the words you don't say. It's not in the noise of approval or fame. It's the quiet conviction that calls you by name. The gift isn't out there, it's alive in your soul. It whispers you're worthy, complete and whole. Don't chase what fades or bows to applause. Be still and remember you're already the cause. So walk in your purpose, let your heart sing loud, rise from the ashes, stand tall and proud. The world will follow the light that you bring. For believing in yourself changes everything. Absolutely. So number one, believe in yourself. Let's skip over to number two. What was number two? What would you tell yourself? Number two, number one, believe in yourself. Very important for you for so many different reasons. And number two, it's gonna be what are the three keys, right? What else do you think it would be important?

SPEAKER_00 23:41

Oh I know one of the things that I did say is to listen, be respectful of others, and we can have difference of opinions, and that will also help us grow. And when you were mentioning about acting, which kids have, and I remember the singer Seal, and people would ask, and they would avoid me and says, No, I don't need to put makeup on, I don't need to have cosmetic surgery, I'm who I am. And then in reference to your poem, I was thinking the man in the mirror, Michael Jackson. And just going, Oh, actually, her son and I would sing that song. And as he was going through some challenging high school times as well. Yeah, but is respect and just listening. And it's one of the reasons why to this day that I will avoid certain subjects with someone because I says, no, they're not going to be the individual that will listen and allow me to talk. And then, of course, they're going to be able to say, but it's like everything is wrong. And and it's respecting anybody at any age. We always say, respect your elders. Oh no, you respect that child, and you speak with that child as if he was the most important person in your life at that point in time. That makes a difference. Someone walks away with, oh, and it's the same thing with dogs. I've been reading a lot about training dogs, and it says the same thing. You use a loud voice, and you know, you're not understanding what the dog is going through. And it's like with my mom, sometimes I have to say, okay, Mary Ann, patience, absolutely patience, your elders. But sometimes, and I just quite honestly say, Mom, I'm really tired because you had me up all night. So I don't have patience right now. So you can do what I'm asking you to do. And I think being forthright and sane, I think that is also showing respect. But that is so important. I when everyone's saying respect your older elders, it says, No, you respect everybody. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 25:55

Yeah. Talking about the man in the mirror. Don't know if you know that in it or not, but that song actually, I you know I used to impersonate Michael Jackson, right?

SPEAKER_02 26:03

Oh, you did?

SPEAKER_04 26:04

Oh.

SPEAKER_02 26:05

Or I'd love to.

SPEAKER_04 26:08

Let me see if I can get him. Hold on just a minute. Now, this is back when I had Jerry Curl and all that other stuff. And uh, we'd go up and I used to perform quite a bit. And uh, we'd go up on the microphone and I go, I'm so glad you're all here.

SPEAKER_05 26:23

We're gonna make this world a better place, aren't we? Wow, we're gonna change this thing, Marianne. And all the children and all the people across the world. Doom dum dum d-doom dum. We're gonna make this place a better place. Where did you come from, B? Oh, let me take you there right away. Oh, baby.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

I was thinking of something. I rem oh gosh, I remember once when a and this was at Macy's, and I think this was the Macy's in Monterey, and a manager came up to me and said, How did you get and that that janitor to come over right away and take care of the spillage that occurred in your department? I ask and he doesn't do anything. I says, you know what, he's not a janitor. This is his name, and he does a lot. And if he didn't, we would not have clean bathrooms, we would have aisles that are a mess, we wouldn't have the garbage. And I says, Did you notice something? And I'm gonna, this is gonna be hard because I don't want to say the manager's name. You'd never say hello to them, you just walk by them and they says, You need to do that. Say hello, and they'll respond back. First, they might be a little bit leery because they're thinking you're going to ask for something, just get to know the person. They're important, their job is just as important as the job that we do. And this is where my outspokenness gets to me because we'll be at a manager's meeting and there's a subject that comes up, and everybody's just sitting there, no one's saying a word. They're all thinking, and then I'll speak up and I try to do it as diplomatically as I possibly can. And oh, all right, all right, Mary, we'll take that into advice. Yeah, and then as we're leaving, some managers huddle up to me and say, Oh, you said exactly what I was thinking. I said, Then you need to speak up, Marianne.

SPEAKER_04 28:23

You know, they don't teach character anymore. There's no course called character, right? And so everybody tries to be like Mike, right? Because they taught them eyes, nose, ears, mouth, right? To be like and don't ruffle any feathers. But you don't want to, what is it? The I can't even remember, but the just you don't want to be an irritant. But I remember John Lewis once said, There's some good trouble.

SPEAKER_03 28:53

I like that phrase.

SPEAKER_04 28:55

I'd rather do too, right? It's almost when I was going really going through it at when I was working security at Kaiser and trying to get my education and dealing with all this jealousy and envy, right? It's just stuff. And I remember I found this poem by Langston Hughes that was very simple, but I put it on my locker and it says, What seems to bother me don't have no effect on you, but I'm gonna keep on keeping on until it affects you too.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

So anyway, we got a little sidetracked on a t-shirt, completely on a t-shirt.

SPEAKER_04 29:29

Um, and you know what I'm gonna put on a t-shirt is same that same type of cliche, but it's like a a glass and of water and ice. And the statement is the ice doesn't say nothing to the water, yet it has an effect. Be the ice, be the ice, right? And it's the whole notion that you have the capacity in which to affect your environment by who you decide to be, your character, right? But this podcast is not about me. And we got two keys that you just gave me, and I'm gonna try to see if I can squeeze one more out of you. Come on.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

Learn, keep learning. School is not the end of learning. I my friends and I will sometimes go, gosh, I didn't know that. And I learned something new today, and we kind of laugh and think it's funny. And sometimes we'll go, Oh, I learned five new things today, but it is, you'll just kind of stagnate. And how you learn is listening to others, participate in your community. Yes, watch the news, but you don't need to be overboard with that, and always be interested in someone else. They have things to show you, and where I get that from is in my career at Macy's, the most effective position I had was being what we call a tabletop manager, and so that's the person that is the group, sales manager, operations manager of Fine China, Crystal, the flatware gifts, and numerous other things. It is a very one of the most challenging departments because of the ordering system and how much the staff had to know. And I always was proud that I had a very low turnover because we took pride in the fact that, yes, I'm a success, but I'm only a success because each and every one of the associates contribute.

SPEAKER_04 31:45

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 31:46

So, in between the different Macy stores that I worked in, because I had done ready to wear and just, oh, ready to wear is fun. And you're constantly moving and changing and parting information to the buyers about what is selling or what the customer demographics is here, but I just never felt, oh, this is not really challenging me. So I would be asked to go manage an area that was very weak and take care of it. And someone asked me once, they go, you seem to keep going back to managing a tabletop department, whether it's in Sacramento or when you were in San Francisco or here in Monterey or you went into a administrative training or worked in a buying office. Aren't you bored? I said, No. I said, but the key is I don't go back and manage the exactly the same way each and every time. It has to be different. The staff is different, the customer is different. So I just can't say, this is the way it's going to be done. This is the way I've always done it, and this is the way we're going to continue to do it. No.

SPEAKER_02 32:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 32:56

It has to, you have to adjust. And that's like in life, you can't just say, Dan will tell me, where did you move this thing again? And I'll say, it didn't work that way anymore. So I've moved all this over to this, like changing things in cabinets. So that kind of is like a little simple thing, but it didn't work. So I could have just left it alone because the example was we have cupboards in the utility room, we have lots of cupboards in the kitchen. And we had that very, very hot summer two years ago. And so all the food happened to be in the utility room and cupboards there, but the wall is the garage. And so it got very hot. So I says, Oh, this is gonna be a lot of work. So just taking days and doing that, and it was like, well, you could have just left it alone, just run the air. I was no, no, it doesn't work. We move it around, and that was the also the thing that happens in retail is that you walk into a department, and if you're a customer that just wants everything to be the same, well, you're not gonna walk into my department because I'm gonna move things around to freshen it up and things that sell do better. So that makes a successful manager who can adapt, so uh as well as an individual who can adapt into the different changes, because boy, our lives changed when my dad, my father-in-law became ill and we had to figure out care at home, and then there was a break, and then my mom, but every kind of segment of life is Dan and I just don't sit there and go, okay, that's the way it is. It seems to have worked for now. No. And so it happened at work and it happens at home. And I also in friendships, and I say this as well, is that sometimes in friends, you just say, no, this is not my time in life that I can give that friend that kind of time because either they're always so negative, or it just is very difficult to get together. So then we change it. So it's not a sit-down meeting, but it happens to be one by a telephone or something like that. And so it's just change. I mean, you hear so many people say, I don't like change. No, change is good. Change is good. You embrace that change. That's why the fall season is so important because change is happening, the leaves are falling, so all that stuff you didn't like, it's going away. Let your body rest, the ground rests, and then it then hibernates and then comes back up in spring.

SPEAKER_04 35:37

But change is good. I always say change. Nobody gets the glory, nobody gets the fame. There's really nobody you can sit and blame, but it's life, just green after green, right? It's just change. So, with that, change and three beautiful keys, and definitely believing yourself. And as you look at the world

On the Younger Generation

SPEAKER_04 36:01

today, why do you think the younger generation is struggling in their little struggles? Although there are some that are doing some awesome stuff, as I see some of them graduating from UC Davis and many different colleges across the world. But we also see the youth struggling, and partly the the younger generation. The older generation says the younger generation is going astray, right? But in our society, uh we keep them at bay, right? And so there's this lack of community communication. When I grew up, there was Big Mama, right? That was part of the household, and now there's very few because people have kids at a younger age. But what are your thoughts on that? What do you think that the younger generation are struggling with today?

SPEAKER_00 36:46

Cosh, it starts really in their younger years. They ask for structure, they ask to be held accountable. And and I saw this myself too, as Dan and I both working, and then Brandon needed to go into childcare. And I remember the the woman I had said something to her once about I didn't appreciate how this interaction happened. And she said, you know what? You want to raise your son to the way you want it, then you shouldn't be working. You should be at home. And I thought, wow, she told me. So there are things that we say, okay, that we're gonna flex, but it's not happening. And they're asking, but I see kids today, and this is just so scary that no one is saying, no, that's wrong. So here in the Elk Grove community, we have issues with students after school, and they have those motorized scooters and bicycles, and they're playing chicken in the middle of the road, and it is really a danger zone around a school area. And so it has been brought up to the community, to the police, and so forth. It's like nobody has an answer. And I'm going, somebody's got to have an answer. It won't be the perfect, but somehow some child is going to get hurt, or some adult who wasn't aware what the traffic is like and is going a little too fast or so forth, and doesn't pay attention, and unfortunately is the cause of a child's death. That person is going to be like for the rest of their lives. Oh my gosh, I wish something had been done. And that's what they're asking for. I remember the parents coming into the report card store and they would say, I want my child to study for the gate program, and I need everything that there is possible. And I'd say, that's not really, you don't study for it. It's just something that's innate, but there are other kinds of aspects. And then I remember a parent, it's always Asian parents, and I'm Asian, so we're I'm okay to say that, right? And it's second grade because kids at kindergarten are this school, this is fun. And first grade, okay, I'm just starting. And second grade, the parents are so involved because this is now real school. This is happening. And they'd come in and ask, and then I remember one parent who, yeah, it's great to spend lots of money in a store. I'm responsible for, but I go, no, you don't need all this. So here I am at the counter saying, let listen. And so someone had said, that went from a $400 sale to little a little under 100. I said, because I don't need all that. There's nothing wrong with that. That same parent came back after the gate testing and said, my child failed. And here's the little girl just standing there. And I'm going, and so we had a discussion about no, that's not failure. We all learn differently, and it is a different type of program. Oh, and I says, if you're starting this at this age of life, it's going, it's going to be miserable going forward. So I remember the parent coming back even after that, and saying, Oh, okay, my child excels in these aspects. And that's what I said, that's great. You're encouraging that. So it's like parents themselves also have their own issues and what they've gone through. There's not a book on how to be a parent, and there's so much physical and mental and just everything out in this world that's bombarding them. So it's like there's no book, there's no instruction because every child learns differently, and you just have to find. So that's the saddest part because if it's not done in elementary school, it's going to be very difficult in middle school. And then in middle school is really brutal. And then high school. And the other part of it is what we see. Dan and I know a number of students that have graduated from college in the last couple of years, and also in this year, and they're struggling to find employment in their field. And I go, why does this have to be so hard? For there are counselors, coaches. Why can't we get them? Because then if you're here in high school, why am I going to? Because my brother or sister hasn't been able to get a job. Why? So it has to start way back down here. We have to get the arts back into the schools. Art is so important. Music, drawing, anything that's tactile that's just so important because those are the students that are great in math really pursue science. We just need to get back to the basics. We need to get back to understanding that children are important and get them involved, whether it's in school, after school programs, or community programs. So there isn't just there is playtime, but I think the play time kind of needs to be directed. But we have parents who just feel guilty. They work so hard. Oh, yeah, you can go by that. Or, oh, I'm sorry, I don't have time for you. Okay, here's some money with your friends. Go to the movies or whatever. There's no direction.

SPEAKER_04 42:10

Yeah. And I agree with you. Learning, I was telling you, Michael Jackson, you know, man in the mirror. This gentleman on my transition said told me a man who don't read is no better than a man who doesn't know how to read. Right. And that began my reading. And but nowhere in my journey did anybody tell me that reading can actually take you places. Right. And that reading can make you vibrate in a certain way that we were talking character earlier, right? And I think you started reading so much, UC Davis, and then all of a sudden there I was in the White House, right? These incredible people. And uh and a lot of that comes from changing a lot of my dynamic. So, but we're gonna run, we got a little time left, and so we're gonna run into this this little area right here that we call rapid wisdom,

Rapid Wisdom

SPEAKER_04 43:02

okay?

SPEAKER_00 43:02

Rapid wisdom.

SPEAKER_04 43:04

Rapid wisdom, right? So it's a quick round of wisdom, right? So just say the first thing that comes to mind. All right. You ready? I'm ready. One daily habit that saved you. Breakfast. One belief you had to let go.

SPEAKER_00 43:23

That all people are good.

SPEAKER_04 43:25

One truth you want to pass down.

SPEAKER_00 43:29

One truth, honesty.

SPEAKER_04 43:32

And last question: what does success really mean to you today?

SPEAKER_00 43:39

That you are comfortable and happy with yourself. No matter Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 43:46

You can say that one again.

SPEAKER_00 43:48

Yeah. No matter what you're doing, you're happy and you're comfortable because that radiates from you.

SPEAKER_04 43:55

Very good. Above all things, be true to thyself.

SPEAKER_00 43:59

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 44:00

Marianne, thank you for sharing your wisdom. This has been a very powerful moment. I've really enjoyed this. Is there any way that the people that are listening to this can help support you on your journey and you and Dan and Rico? Mayor Rico. Or is there a final message you would like to say to the next generation?

SPEAKER_00 44:23

That's that. Emphasis. Be yourself. You have so much to give.

SPEAKER_04 44:29

Thank you, Marianne. And thank you for our listeners or listening to Keys of Life. If today's episode blessed you, please subscribe, share, and leave a review. Remember, your daily decisions build your destiny. Until next time, keep learning, keep growing, keep living with purpose, and above all things, keep the faith.

SPEAKER_00 44:50

Yes. Yes. Thank you.

Closing & Outro

SPEAKER_03 44:54

Every conversation leaves us with another key. Maybe today's story answered a question you've carried for years, or maybe it planted one for you to think about today before our next conversation. Ask yourself. If you could place three keys into the hands of your 15-year-old self, what would they be? And then ask someone who's lived just a little longer than you.

SPEAKER_01 45:22

You just might discover the treasure you've been searching for has been living right next door all along. I'm Hal Jim Mosley.

SPEAKER_03 45:34

Thank you for joining me on The Keys to Life. Where every scar tells a story, every wrinkle holds a lesson, and every human life reminds us that somebody, until next time, keep unlocking life's greatest treasures, one treasured key at a time.