Vegan Entrepreneurship | Mindset Shifts Across Cultures | Noriko Shindo

Link for the show notes

In today’s episode, we’ll be talking to Noriko Shindo, a mind and business coach, entrepreneur, mum of three, and vegan who has lived in several countries around the world.
Noriko shares how veganism became part of a much bigger personal journey for her, connecting with mindset, purpose, entrepreneurship, family life, and how she thinks about raising vegan children.
We’ll also talk about what it has been like navigating vegan life in different countries, having conversations with non-vegan family and friends, and some of the places and experiences that have stood out to her along the way.
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There are a lot of resources, places, and ideas we touch on in this episode, so make sure you look at the show notes and blog post to get all the details.

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Transcript

Conversation format preserved. Lightly cleaned for repeated words, false starts, and readability.
[00:00:00] Brighde: Hello Noriko, and welcome to The World Vegan Travel Podcast.

[00:00:04] Noriko: Thank you.

[00:00:05] Brighde: Thank you. I'm really pleased to have you on. I think you are talking to me all the way from Israel, and you are the first guest that we've had from Israel. That's really exciting.
I'm curious, you've had such a fascinating career, from global corporate roles in various big companies, and now you're working in coaching and entrepreneurship. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey? Because I think they are both quite different from each other.

[00:00:32] Noriko: Yeah, sure. Thank you. I was born in Japan, but shortly after that, I grew up mainly in two countries: the United States and then the UK, hence my English. But I am fully Japanese.
That kind of led to getting an offer from one of the biggest American banks for my first career. This was back in 2009, so I don't want to make it sound like I didn't have a choice, but I did feel like I didn't have much of a choice when it came to where I worked. It wasn't like I had the clearest vision of, this is what I want to do, or this is my purpose. So I went with, okay, what is a good starting point for a career? And I just felt like finance was the one place I had one of the first offers from.
I went there, and after four or five years, I enjoyed the job actually, but at some point I realized I am not a numbers whiz. I never have been. And I thought, well, if I am going to stay in this career forever, then I need to reassess my career, so to speak.
I also had an unfortunate experience with a manager who basically harassed me into depression, and I had to take time off. I say this because it is relevant and we'll get to that. I took time off for a couple of months, but for various obvious reasons, I didn't go back to the same team afterwards. During that time off, I applied for an MBA and went to a business school called INSEAD. Thereafter, I switched careers to Amazon, another big corporate.
So that felt organic and flowing. And then at INSEAD, I was already interested in entrepreneurship. What happened during my time at INSEAD, at business school, was that I met my husband, who was, and still is, vegan. That obviously influenced me to also become vegan around that time.

[00:02:35] Brighde: Ah, okay.

[00:02:36] Noriko: I started a vegan website because back in 2017 or 2018 in Japan, I don't know if you know, but veganism was not what it is today. If I said that I had switched to a vegan lifestyle during my studies abroad, one of the first questions a lot of people would ask was, is it a religion? The next thing they would ask was, is it a cult?

[00:03:00] Brighde: And this was your Japanese friends and family?

[00:03:02] Noriko: Exactly.

[00:03:02] Brighde: Wow.

[00:03:03] Noriko: When I explained the context of how I became vegan, which is that I met a guy, they were like, okay, so he brainwashed you.

[00:03:12] Brighde: Right.

[00:03:13] Noriko: So I opened a website alongside my full-time job at Amazon. I guess I just wanted to do something about it, and that was my baby step towards entrepreneurship.
That was the first time in my adult life, not in school, that I had something of my own. It didn't make money, but it already was my own thing.

[00:03:43] Brighde: Right. You have lived in a lot of places, so what is your business now? You said you are in entrepreneurship and coaching, so what are you coaching people about?

[00:03:54] Noriko: That's a good question. My title, or what I say I do, is business and mindset coaching.
Going on from the previous story, I had my first startup, which I co-founded with a French woman. Long story short, we did that for a couple of years. It was about sustainability, including veganism. I guess you could say it didn't go as planned, or we decided to close it.
Then I did another startup back to back with another co-founder, this time a male co-founder. It was more social. It wasn't sustainability or veganism, but it was more about fighting against globalization.
By then, I think I had gotten to this point of knowing when to quit, so to speak. We did that for a year before I said to him, I'm not sure this is going to be the thing that I want to keep on going with. If I have this doubt, I want to pull the plug. I'm sorry, I want to quit.
That was around the time that I also realized I was getting questions, especially from women, who wanted to get into entrepreneurship, or entrepreneurship and veganism, or who wanted to make money doing something. I gave advice, or had coffee chats, but when people ask for advice, I don't know if you feel this way, nobody really listens to advice most of the time.
At the time it was more of an idea, but after I started coaching, this idea became a conviction for me: nobody listens to advice. If they seem like they are listening to advice, I think it's because they have internalized it and something inside them clicked, where they said, that is a good idea, I'm going to do it. It's not the quality of the advice. I think it's whether something inside you clicks.
That is how I turned to coaching. That's why the title I give myself, or the title that is easiest to market, is business and mindset coaching, because they often pair together. But in reality, I cover a lot of aspects: communication, family, life, et cetera.

[00:06:07] Brighde: Yeah, of course.

[00:06:08] Noriko: Yeah.

[00:06:09] Brighde: Oh, nice. And you fairly recently moved to Israel, right?

[00:06:14] Noriko: Yeah.

[00:06:15] Brighde: How has that transition been?

[00:06:20] Noriko: It has been interesting on many fronts. The human aspect of it is, of course, complicated. If this airs in the future, maybe there will be a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza. When we moved here, they were still at war, and actually our flight was cancelled because of the war.

[00:06:43] Brighde: Oh yes, I remember. Yeah.

[00:06:47] Noriko: I had family and friends who thought I was crazy to move. I knew indirectly that some people had distanced themselves from me, or they just told me, I don't think I can talk to you. Then there were the remaining people who were like, this is cool; good luck with your transition. So it was an interesting thing for me.
But just personally and at the family level, it has been great. I had already been coaching online for a year, so I didn't have to adjust to a new manager, a commute, or a workplace. That has been fun. And I think the kids enjoy it. Compared to Japan and Tokyo, there is a lot more green, a lot more space, and it is more forgiving for rowdy kids. I think they enjoy it more, which has also been great.

[00:07:36] Brighde: It's my understanding that most people who move to Israel have some sort of connection there that draws them there, unless of course they're going there for work. So, as a fully Japanese person, I'm guessing you don't have that kind of connection there. Maybe your husband?

[00:07:52] Noriko: He is from Israel, right.

[00:07:54] Brighde: Ah, so it's like he is going home.

[00:07:56] Noriko: Yeah.

[00:07:57] Brighde: All right. So how has it been moving to a new country with your family as vegans? By the sounds of it, you've lived in so many different places, so maybe you are used to new changes at this point, but I'm curious how that has been, transitioning to this new country.

[00:08:17] Noriko: It's the first time I have changed environments with children, so there is nothing to compare it to. In that regard, everyone has adjusted well.
We also have a dog that we adopted back in Japan. For me, that was the biggest source of anxiety, because you can do the paperwork and get everything right, but it was probably the second flight in her life. She was rescued from the streets of Hiroshima in Japan, which is a bit south. Then she flew to Tokyo, because that is where there are more opportunities for adoption.
Then there was this flight from Tokyo to Israel, which is eons longer than the one or two-hour flight. So that was my biggest source of anxiety. But she was fine. Everyone is fine.

[00:09:11] Noriko: I think in general, Tokyo is harder when you are vegan as a family. Thanks to tourism, there are more and more restaurants now that, even if they are not fully vegan, have started to label things. Even if they don't label things, at least if you ask them, they are more aware of what it is. Maybe they might confirm with you, like, do you eat eggs?
With regards to raising kids, I remember when I went to the nursery or daycare that we sent the kids to in Japan, they were like, what? You're raising your kids vegan? What does that even mean?
Versus Israel, for example, their daycare from day one, when we said they are vegan and asked if that was possible or if there were options, they were like, yeah, there are options. Just please tell us in advance, or please tell us clearly. They have made a few mistakes, but at least it has been a lot easier to tell them and then get the respective food for them. So I think it is actually easier to move outside of Japan when you have kids.

[00:10:21] Brighde: As somebody who runs vegan trips in Japan, I can say it's not easy. It's not easy at all. So, yeah, I'm not surprised it feels a little bit easier.
I'm curious whether you have had the opportunity to travel around Israel at all since you've been living there, or in the surrounding countries?

[00:10:43] Noriko: Not on this particular move, because at the moment my visa status means I'm not supposed to leave the country. I'm in the visa application stage.
But when I went to school in France, I was already vegan early on in that school year. As a vegan, I traveled to Morocco and a couple of other places, like Eastern European countries and things like that.

[00:11:12] Brighde: Okay. And are there any interesting places that you can recommend for visitors to Israel to go to eat, see, or do?

[00:11:21] Noriko: I think if you know Middle Eastern food, or maybe Mediterranean food, the base is olive oil, a lot of vegetables, chickpeas, tahini, and that kind of thing. Then with the bread, they don't put butter, milk, or eggs in it. Pita bread is just flour, yeast, water, and salt.
Generally, in this region and in Israel, it is easy to just be vegan. Falafel, for example, as well. But within that, if you do get a chance to go to Tel Aviv, I would highly recommend a place called Meshek Barzilay. It depends what kind of vegan you are, because there are all kinds of vegans, right? Meshek Barzilay is, I don't know if they are organic, but everything is homemade and home-cooked.
For example, yesterday we went and they had a kebab dish. They are trying to mimic meat, but not by using Beyond or Impossible or fake meat. It's more like they are using spices, a bit of salt, a lot of herbs, and trying to mimic the overall experience of whatever that kebab dish as a meat dish would be. I personally like that kind of thing more than a lot of synthetic stuff. So I highly recommend it.
In general, Israel is good as well. Morocco is also not bad. I think in general, not just in tourist areas, Morocco also has a similar food culture. I don't know if they use a lot of tahini, but there are a lot of vegetables and a lot of olive oil. They don't really use a lot of butter, so by default, most of their side dishes would be vegan.
Couscous and tagine are also common.

[00:13:09] Brighde: Yes, the clay pots and lid.

[00:13:13] Noriko: Yeah. Those were really good, and any restaurant would always have a vegetable one. You might miss out on some protein, but at least it will be vegan.

[00:13:23] Brighde: It's so funny that you should mention that because my partner and I met in Morocco as tour leaders 20 years ago. I was just vegetarian at that point, and my partner wasn't vegetarian. We became vegan about four years afterwards.
We spent about eight or nine months living in Morocco, and we were with groups, so we were eating out constantly. I will say the couscous and tagine got a little bit boring after the hundredth time of eating it. You would go to a cafe or a restaurant and, if it didn't have anything vegan on the menu, the response was, it's okay, I'll make you a vegetable tagine.
Apparently, it has not changed, and tofu and beans are just not widely eaten there. One of our travelers just went to Morocco. She loved it, but she said it is very hard to eat vegan there. When you can, it's boring, and there is very little protein. So I think you have to be quite deliberate about finding something that is going to be satiating, and be okay with the same thing if you're traveling independently and just going to regular restaurants.
But yeah, I want to go back. I'm just not excited about the food.

[00:14:46] Noriko: Yeah.

[00:14:48] Brighde: Do you have any recommendations or favorite places in Japan or Tokyo? I know the scene changes quite quickly in Tokyo. Places start up and then close down quite quickly, so maybe your favorites don't exist anymore. But do you happen to have any favorites?

[00:15:06] Noriko: Yeah. There is one that I think has been around for quite a number of years, but I didn't get to know it until maybe a year before I left. It's called Kitchen Watarigarasu. It's a very long Japanese name, and a lot of vegans who live there don't know about it, or didn't know about it. So it was my go-to place to take people, because they would always be like, oh wow, I've never been, and oh wow, it's nice.
It's on the more healthful side. It's mainly Japanese food, though I don't know why, but there is a curry on the menu. The curry is more like a South Indian curry, or one of those curries where it is not just the curry, but all the different sides and accompaniments. That seems to always be there. I have no idea why, but I've had that once and it is amazing.
Everything else on the menu is Japanese: the rice, the miso soup, and the main dishes. It is an organic restaurant.

[00:16:04] Brighde: Yeah.

[00:16:05] Noriko: I'm sure you've heard this, but organic food does tend to overlap with it being a bit easier on animals too, right?

[00:16:11] Brighde: Yes. Their short lives are perhaps a little bit more comfortable.

[00:16:16] Noriko: Perhaps. I really like that place, and it's been around for a while, so that's one of my go-tos.
Another one that I have known for a couple of years is a bit more fancy. This one is in the centre of Ginza, which is the fancy area with Tiffany, Chanel, and all of those kinds of shops.

[00:16:37] Brighde: Yes, like New York's Fifth Avenue.

[00:16:40] Noriko: Right. It is a restaurant called Faro. I think it's Italian, but basically it has a Michelin star, or at least the chef has a Michelin star for the concept that he created for that restaurant.
It has two menus, just for dinner. You choose the vegan or the non-vegan course. I've been there maybe two or three times, and it's really nice to see that a lot of people actually go for the vegan menu. The vegan one is amazing.
From what I've heard from friends who have been there and are non-vegan, they actually choose the vegan one because they've heard it's so good. It's not one of those, I hate to say it, compromise vegan alternatives. It's actually that he made it vegan because that is also a great option.

[00:17:20] Brighde: Oh, that's fun.

[00:17:21] Noriko: Yeah.

[00:17:22] Brighde: It's very interesting. In Japan, not many non-vegan restaurants offer a vegan menu at all. In the UK and here in Canada, most restaurants will have one or two creative vegan dishes. But in Japan, that is the exception, not the rule.

[00:17:52] Noriko: Yeah. We'll get there one day.

[00:17:55] Brighde: Yes, I'm sure. There are a lot of people doing some good work, and it's happening. Unfortunately, our behaviors can change very slowly.
All right. So you work with people on changing their mindset so they can be successful in whatever it is that they want to be more successful in. I've done my own studies and research into this, and I definitely get it. I feel like your mindset affects how you look at everything in life and the decisions that you make.
I'm wondering if there is a piece of advice that you might give to people that would help them shift their mindset a little bit from where they are to where they want to go.

[00:18:43] Noriko: Sure. What I have observed, not just through coaching but also through talking to people who consider coaching, is that the biggest blocker to being able to do what you want is often yourself.
There is so much that we tell ourselves has to be done a certain way. If you are going to have a career, it has to earn X, because maybe you feel guilt or a sense of owing something to your parents. Or it could be ego. It could simply be, everybody does it that way.
Or maybe you think most successful entrepreneurs never sleep, work from a warehouse, and are penniless for the first 10 years. If that is what you see as entrepreneurship, then obviously it feels really scary.
The fact of the matter is that I think we underestimate how limited what we know really is. Even in the age of social media, where we are seeing all the bizarre and wonderful extreme ends of what humans do, I don't think you can ever really figure out that all entrepreneurship is this, or all successful people did this.
Anyway, I would say it doesn't matter, because what matters is what works for you and what you feel comfortable with. You just need to figure that out. If that's not your way and you don't feel comfortable with it, then it won't work for you, so don't do it.
We are wired to always consider, what is the secret sauce? What works statistically? How do I hack the system? Is there an algorithm? Do I need X number of followers? Because all these people seem to have X number of followers on these platforms to be successful. I get it. It's totally normal to feel that way.
But from a logical perspective, if you are going down the route of asking what is best for you, you have to figure it out for yourself, and the only way to do that is to actually do it.

[00:21:02] Brighde: Yeah. That's trying things out and seeing what you feel good about and what works, that's for sure.
I'm curious to know, if people wanted to work with you for coaching and they feel like they wanted to change their mindset and delve into this world of entrepreneurship, how might people work with you and find out about what it is that you do?

[00:21:21] Noriko: Usually on Instagram, or wherever you can find me. My Lady Startup is the name. My biggest recommendation is to get onto my mailing list, because I send out a Friday newsletter where people can get a sense of who I am as a person and what I am sharing.

[00:21:39] Brighde: Okay. I'd love to ask you a couple of questions before we say goodbye. What is your biggest tip for traveling with family?

[00:21:47] Noriko: For context, I have a five-year-old, a three-year-old, and a one-year-old.

[00:21:51] Brighde: Oh my goodness. Three kids. Wow.

[00:21:53] Noriko: And a husband and a dog. My husband and I call each other zookeeper colleagues, as if we are in the zoo or something. It's just a literal zoo.
Aside from moving, relocating from Japan to Israel, I don't think we have really traveled in that family structure, except for that big move. I would say, though, as a vegan, just carry your own food. It's the same as if you didn't have kids, but with kids, you just cannot say no when they are hungry. You don't want them to be hangry, hungry and angry at the same time.

[00:22:27] Brighde: So before we say goodbye, Noriko, is there anything else you would like to share?

[00:22:36] Noriko: Yes, there is one thing that came up as we were talking, from that earlier question about how you find what works for you, or what to do if you are interested in entrepreneurship. I just wanted to share that basically, you just try.
What I thought at the time was what I cared for the most is how I went from a free vegan website to coaching women, and sometimes men as well, to help build a business that embodies their life purpose and what feels great to them. Many times, I haven't had vegan business owners, but I have had people who do really nice sustainability work, or handmade teas, for example, and things like that.
I do believe that if something is your thing, then there is no right or wrong. Pursue that path. It may change a bit. I've gone from a free vegan website to coaching, which doesn't connect for anybody else but me. But I know that at each step of the way, I felt something wasn't right, so I changed a little bit, and now I'm here. For me, it was a very coherent story.

[00:23:45] Brighde: I love it. Thank you so much. How can people find your website and join that all-important newsletter?

[00:23:51] Noriko: Thanks for asking. The URL is myladystartup.com, My Lady Startup with no spaces and no symbols. If you scroll down, it will ask you to go either to the Japanese or the English version. Go to English, and somewhere on that screen should be the signup for the newsletter.

[00:24:09] Brighde: I love it. Thank you. Thank you so much, Noriko, for taking the time to be with us today. I really appreciate it.

[00:24:15] Noriko: My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.