Power Women: Irene Nakamura iDepo Reporters On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As A Powerful Woman
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
As a leader, I believe it’s imperative to focus on your beauty and health. Working out, and physical exercise is a part of beauty, and mental health is part of beauty too. It’s not just makeup and hair. It’s the way you take care of yourself overall, and what you project to others.
How does a successful, strong, and powerful woman navigate work, employee relationships, love, and life in a world that still feels uncomfortable with strong women? In this interview series, called “Power Women” we are talking to accomplished women leaders who share their stories and experiences navigating work, love and life as a powerful woman.
As a part of this series, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Irene Nakamura.
Irene Nakamura has been breaking barriers her whole life. Despite the suppressive cultural traditions of her traditional Japanese-American upbringing, such as having to wait for her younger brother to graduate from college before she was even allowed to enroll, Irene is no stranger to powering through tough situations. It is through Irene’s persistence, that she became the first JA Official Court Reporter for the USDC, Central District of California, and then founded her company, iDepo Reporters. As a business owner with 3 locations in 3 different states, she embraces a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. As reflected in her own staff, her business is 100% culturally diverse.
Today, she uses her experiences to empower and provide minority women with resources to launch and grow their businesses. Mentoring women like herself who were taught to be limited to break the cultural mold and become limitless so they can thrive personally and professionally. As an advocate, Irene speaks on diversity, inclusion, and the marginalized population’s well-being, having personally been faced and overcome these challenges herself. Irene is also very involved in non-profit work, having participated in pro bono services. She is a member of the National Court Reporters Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Korean and Japanese American Bar Association, and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood “backstory”?
Although I was raised in America, Japanese culture was prevalent in my life. Its cultural and societal norms set strict rules and conventions on both my behavior and my choices. My future was chosen for me. My husband was chosen for me. My role and destiny were chosen for me. I was expected to put my career, dreams, and future on hold and support my brother. As the male in the family, his education, career, and future were not only more important than mine, they were a prerequisite for mine. A subservient role had been hard-wired into my brain from an early age by my mother. She had, after all, done the same for her brother in Japan. In the male-dominated Japanese society, there was only one place for women — behind men.
Over time, I learned to suppress my wants, goals, and desire for freedom. Mother had raised me to be a ‘proper lady’, directing me to the ‘acceptable’ activities of her choosing — playing the violin instead of the drums, learning how to play the piano instead of dancing, forbidding me from cheerleading and certain sports but learning how to sew instead. I must be in a controlled lady-like environment or how will she be able to select a suitable husband for me and make the family proud? I may only have relationships with friends of her choosing until I was older, of course, and she could no longer control that.
There is a word in Japanese ’gaman’ (pronounced gah-mahn) which means to tolerate or put up with. The idea of ‘sucking it up’ was part of my DNA. I had mastered that skill, but it hadn’t broken my spirit… My story has a happy ending!
Can you tell us the story about what led you to this particular career path?
I vividly recall a time in high school, wondering why I should put in the effort to remain at the top of my class. My brother, five years younger than me, would have all the benefits of my hard work. I should just give up. According to my mother’s mandate and that of my culture, I could only begin to pursue my education after my brother completed his. It was my responsibility to support him in every way possible. In fact, by the time he received his double Master’s Ivy League education, in his early 30s, I had paid for the majority of it. Not just with my hard-earned dollars but with my future.
Although I was not allowed to apply to college until after my brother’s graduation, I decided to enroll in court reporting school, a trade school, which was 1/8th the cost of my brother’s tuition. My mother was unhappy with my decision. I did it anyway.
I didn’t even know what court reporting was at the time. I thought it was a news reporter, reporting courthouse verdicts, asking “What did you think of the verdict?” I soon learned that it was actually a career where I could make 6 figures — even working part-time — with jobs waiting for me immediately after certification.
I launched myself into a career where I capture attorneys’ clients’ stories that make history… in order to change the future.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The winter holiday was approaching, and I’d just received frightening news — a cancer diagnosis. My shock was compounded when the company’s scheduling coordinator approached me with a special client request to take on a multi-party case with a demanding lawyer with whom I’d previously developed a rapport. It was a client they wanted to please at any cost. I agreed on the condition that the job did not interfere with my scheduled surgery or recovery. I was assured it wouldn’t and agreed to take the job.
Though my mind should have been focused on my health and impending surgery, I remained professional and did my due diligence, connecting with each of the 40 lawyers working on the case. Each agreed to allow the final transcripts to be turned in after the holiday. With everything in order, I left for the hospital with the hopes I’d be leaving the toxic cancer behind and starting fresh.
The surgery was successful. My doctors removed the toxic invader from my body. I was elated. I returned from the hospital, however, to find numerous emails and a full voicemail box. The messages complained of my unprofessionalism, ungratefulness, and thoughtlessness for not returning calls. These issues were not ones I was able to address from my hospital, nor were they part of our originally agreed-upon arrangement. Although I was now cancer-free, toxicity continued to invade my life.
As I began radiation treatments, the cumulative effect of toxicity in my life overwhelmed me. I wanted my own identity, to earn my own income, to be successful, and be independent.
Sometimes bad things happen to give you clarity on your path ahead. They help you see the challenges in front of you, to face them, and become the person you want to be. My cancer diagnosis was just that. I no longer wanted to be a victim of the choices others made for me. I vowed to start my own company and create an environment where people were treated with empathy, compassion, and equity. A workplace that empowered people and gave them the freedom to make their own decisions. Where they were treated fairly. Where race, religion, gender, and life choices had no bearing on their ability to do a good job.
From this place of newfound clarity, iDepo was born. In its first year, iDepo had two clients and made less than $10K, but I felt empowered. Ten years later, the company is nationally certified, as well as specially certified in five states, and as a minority and woman-owned business. My offices in California, Washington State, and Hawaii have 23 full-time employees and hundreds of contracted court reporters. Last year, iDepo recorded 7 figures in gross sales.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success?
Determination
Commitment to Learning
Willingness to Change
Can you please share a story or example for each?
Determination: Despite the roadblocks that I came across on my journey, such as not only not being invited to the Old Boys’ Club but being shunned from it, I persisted in procuring open-minded clients. I may have been told “No” a hundred times in a row, but I was determined to continue to pursue until I reached my revenue goal without compromising my morals.
Commitment to Learning: I am a stenographic court reporter by trade and a great one at that; however, I did not have much knowledge of running a business. I had made several mistakes in hiring the wrong people who endangered my company and later revealed their toxicity. I once had a team leader who demanded a $20 gift card simply because they made it through the week — I always assumed that was called a paycheck! I had hired a bully who suppressed her direct reports (later revealed after her departure) thus causing a retention issue and revenue loss. Their toxicity spread and I needed to take immediate action to ensure it spread no further. I realized quickly that I needed to invest in education; not only for myself but for my team.
Today, my educational investments in each employee have a twofold return. Happier employees and higher productivity.
“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” — Benjamin Franklin
“It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” — Zig Ziglar
Willingness to Change: “This is how we’ve always done it” just isn’t enough.
During the pandemic, many businesses failed and ceased trading. Some of them could have been saved if they were willing to change. Change is the one constant in the world. We need to adapt and change.
The world of remote proceedings had been few and far between. As I pivoted my company, we were one of the first out the door to provide moderators for our remote deposition proceedings. Moderators, a term I created for this type of position, are a combination of tech support, diagnosing technical issues online on the fly, and exhibit presenters, presenting exhibits via share screen, chat, or link during the proceedings so that attorneys may focus on their jobs, which is to cross-examine witnesses instead of fussing with technology.
We were the first in Hawaii to provide this type of proceeding with this high level of assistance. We also provided Zoom and other remote platform training tailored to the legal field. Some reporting firms were reluctant or simply didn’t know how to change. Some Hawaii competitors actually joined our training to learn how to conduct remote proceedings for their companies.
I embraced this change and ran with it. We are known for our excellent moderators today. As a matter of fact, the moderator term is now the accepted terminology for the exhibit tech and tech support in Hawaii.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. The premise of this series assumes that our society still feels uncomfortable with strong women. Why do you think this is so?
Fear. Fear of losing power. Fear of intimidation. Fear of incompetency being revealed. Fear of the ‘tables turning’. We need way more strong female role models for society to get comfortable with strong women… After all, we’re here to stay!
Women have always been viewed as the weaker sex. When a woman accomplishes something unexpected from her gender, some men, more concerned with their egos, bravado, and pride, will attempt to tear apart that powerful woman’s confidence with condescending, self-serving remarks to assuage their own insecurities and lack of accomplishments.
The confident man will applaud a woman’s power and achievements.
Without saying any names, can you share a story from your own experience that illustrates this idea?
When dating, I found men disappearing as soon as they found out I own a successful business. During the initial date, when we were discussing our jobs/careers, most of the men said things such as “Oh, so you can just fire people whenever you want?” “That’s scary. You’re scary.”
Or: “So you’re the boss. You must just like bossing people around all the time.”
“You must have it easy if you’re the boss. Don’t have to do anything at all. Lazy job.”
What should a powerful woman do in a context where she feels that people are uneasy around her?
First, it’s important to remember that we can’t control how other people feel around us. We must learn, as women, to stop dimming our light to try to make others feel more comfortable around us.
That said, strong, confident leaders are good at gently drawing others into conversation, asking them about themselves, and listening intently to what they have to say. Genuine authentic interest in the other person’s life will help to create a sense of worth and value.
A genuinely powerful woman knows her importance and seeks to make others feel important too.
What do we need to do as a society to change the unease around powerful women?
We need to educate people about gender equality. Exposure to more strong women is needed. Businesses have a duty to promote more women into positions of influence.
In my own experience, I have observed that often women have to endure ridiculous or uncomfortable situations to achieve success that men don’t have to endure. Do you have a story like this from your own experience? Can you share it with us?
At conferences and networking events, I’ve had men blatantly dismiss me because I’m a woman or say things like “I’ll give you the business. Just come up to my room.” They would show a complete lack of respect for female business owners.
In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women leaders that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?
The societal perception that women are less worthy and less capable than men.
Let’s now shift our discussion to a slightly different direction. This is a question that nearly everyone with a job has to contend with. Was it difficult to fit your personal and family life into your business and career?
Yes and no.
For the benefit of our readers, can you articulate precisely what the struggle was?
Having been conditioned to not prioritize myself throughout my upbringing, fitting in personal time was an immense challenge. I was conditioned to put my family first and career second, so I gave time to my family and career at the detriment of my own health. I had worked at the Federal courts reporting trials that required daily final transcripts, which meant no sleep. However, I was obligated to make sure my husband, mother, and brother had their meals, laundry, and house cleaning all taken care of, which, somehow, I managed to do. I needed to work to pay for livelihood essentials, and I was fully supporting my mother and brother. I had 365 days of expenses. It was relentless. I simply needed to make money.
I had no rest and no time for myself. Everything and everyone else were a priority. I started to deteriorate. I started to become sick — often. I began to spiral towards depression.
What was a tipping point that helped you achieve a greater balance or greater equilibrium between your work life and personal life?
When I was forced to cut off my right hand in order to save the body. What do I mean by that?
Due to the pandemic and other reasons, our revenues had dropped significantly, and I was forced to make the difficult decision to lay off my right-hand woman.
What did you do to reach this equilibrium?
I reclaimed my power.
Once I eliminated some toxic influencers from my life, I began to refocus my efforts. I reexamined my goals to identify what was preventing me from achieving them AND where I needed to direct my energy to reintroduce some balance into my life.
What did I do?
- I found true supporters and spent more time with them and other positive, like-minded people. I continue to do so.
- I consistently read books by authors successful in life, health, and business, or listen to or watch inspirational content.
- I enrolled in programs and classes to improve my mindset and learn new business skills, and life skills.
- I also hand wrote goals, affirmations, and gratitudes every day in a journal.
- I hired a mentor/business coach to help me navigate away from toxic influencers and toward self-power generators, and to focus on reaching specific targeted business goals, and keep me accountable.
I work in the beauty tech industry, so I am very interested to hear your philosophy or perspective about beauty. In your role as a powerful woman and leader, how much of an emphasis do you place on your appearance? Do you see beauty as something that is superficial, or is it something that has inherent value for a leader in a public context? Can you explain what you mean?
As a leader, I believe it’s imperative to focus on your beauty and health. Working out, and physical exercise is a part of beauty, and mental health is part of beauty too. It’s not just makeup and hair. It’s the way you take care of yourself overall, and what you project to others.
There’s a popular misconception that women spend too much on beauty, but what the masses misunderstand is that when a woman feels beautiful, she feels powerful. Have you ever seen a powerful woman speaker or leader look disheveled? No!
Why is that? Something happens INTERNALLY to your mindset. Yes, you look amazing. Yes, you feel good. Yes, you are a powerful woman leader!
How is this similar or different for men?
Men aren’t that dissimilar. They, too, need to focus on their beauty from inside and out to be a powerful leader. If they don’t look, feel, and sound polished, many people will not follow. Appearances constitute not only clothing and hair but attitude and facial expressions. If a person doesn’t feel good, you can notice it in their face immediately, which can result in them not getting their message across.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your opinion and experience, what are the “Five Things You Need To Thrive and Succeed as a Powerful Woman?” (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Surround yourself with power-people and remove toxic influencers from your circle
- Adopt a positive mindset and a grateful attitude
- Cultivate courage and determination.
- Hone the ability to pivot and adapt
- Be consistent
-Surround yourself with power-people and remove toxic influencers from your circle
I began to write that I intentionally surround myself with other powerful women. But I am truly intentional about surrounding myself with incredible power-people, regardless of gender.
Throughout my life I’ve had to repeatedly remove toxic influences — it’s something we all need to master.
I’ve intentionally curated an incredible circle of powerful people around me. Not only women, but I also have surrounded myself with powerful men.
I was fortunate to be able to work for the late Honorable Robert M. Takasugi, US District Court judge, appointed by President Gerald Ford, who changed my life. Since my father had already passed when I was 22 years old, Bob became a father figure to me.
He was a bona fide judge for the people.
From the get-go, from the moment I met him, he said to me, “It is an honor to meet you.” My first reaction was shock, “What? It’s an honor to meet YOU!”
I was shocked because most people of that status had treated me as if I had less value because I was not of the same stature in terms of job position and gender. I was not a lawyer. I was not a judge. I am a court reporter. He showed me that he valued the person and not the title or gender.
I pay this lesson forward every single day.
It’s true that people may not remember what you did or said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
Judge Bob Takasugi always made me feel valued and worthy. He would often say to me, “Irene, as a court reporter, you always take down everyone else’s record. Make sure you create your own record as your story is important.”
Surround yourself with power-people.
-Positive Mindset and Grateful Attitude
As a leader, I invest plenty of time and effort into helping my team develop personally as well as professionally. I offer them coaching and support to develop their own mindset and gratitude practices which I know will help them at work AND in their personal lives.
-Courage and Determination (stepping out of comfort zone)
One of the biggest fears I’ve faced is Public Speaking — especially on stage!
As a leader, I realized I can no longer be the silent stenographer sitting in the corner of the room unheard, unseen. I needed to speak up, embrace opportunities to be seen, and to lead.
Leaders cannot be silent if they want to be effective. I needed to boss up.
I was given an opportunity to speak on stage at a retirement party for the first minority female permanent law clerk lawyer for US District Court, Central District of California. Of course, there would be a slew of judges and lawyers in attendance. All of whom are natural orators and trained in effective public speaking. I was terrified and intimidated, to say the least.
Karen U. is one of the smartest women I know, a mathematician who became a lawyer. But more than her amazing ability to analyze cases and get to the heart of the matter, she is also the real deal. She took the time to counsel and mentor countless young lawyers who have come through the courthouse and helped them become not only better lawyers but better people. She asks questions and makes you feel like your opinions really matter. She even mentored me in my work as a court reporter.
Karen inspired and encouraged me to open my own court reporting firm after leaving the courthouse. And I am so thankful to her.
How could I not speak at her retirement party?
As my knees shook, I teared up while speaking about her and what impact this power-person made on my life. I bossed up and did it anyway, and I’ve never looked back.
-Ability to learn and apply
Introducing new revenue streams into a business, with efficient implementation is key to the longevity of a company. Powerful leaders have always prioritized seeking new revenue-generating ideas.
Artificial Intelligence is not popular in our stenographic industry, and I certainly don’t believe court reporters will ever be replaced by AI — rather they’ll be enhanced by it. But I am always keen to embrace and adapt to new technology. Stenographers partner with technology to enhance the speed at which the accurate transcription can be produced, such as real-time and expedited final transcripts, and even capturing non-verbal gestures.
I have previously provided 8 iPads to a courtroom full of attorneys and to the judge simultaneously, so they could all read my real-time feed of the trial, with every speaker identified with near-perfect accuracy.
We must be constantly ‘sharpening the saw’ when it comes to the service we deliver, and the ability to continuously learn and adapt is key to that.
-Consistency
Powerful women show up as their best selves every single day.
There’s a saying, how you do one thing, is how you do everything… powerful, successful women understand the importance of consistently showing up and ‘doing the work’.
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with,
Yes, easy — Oprah. Ms. Winfrey is the queen of powerful leadership.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much!
Power Women: Irene Nakamura iDepo Reporters On How To Successfully Navigate Work, Love and Life As… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.