Fear of presentations

I used to be TERRIFIED of public speaking.

What would people think of me? I was sooooooo worried even when I was speaking in English (and all the more in Japanese). I wanted to say the right thing and sound good.

When I gave my first proper presentation in a seminar, I was an experienced translator. Most of the audience members were new to the industry. But there was one American gentleman who had been translating for years.

He kept interrupting me and sharing his opinion with the audience.

To be honest with you, I was quite relieved because it took the attention away from me!

Do you know what I mean?

But afterward, I received feedback from the organizers. One participant wrote, “It would have been nice to hear more from Helen, the speaker, and less from Bill in the audience.”

That really struck me.

People actually wanted to hear what I had to say.

After that, I started to study presentation skills intensively and ultimately became one of a handful of McKinsey’s certified trainers throughout Asia.

I could share with you sooooooo many more stories about my presentation nightmares and disasters…

But, right now, I just want you to understand that I can help you to communicate clearly, convincingly, and confidently in business precisely because I’ve gone from terrified to terrific and from fear to fun in my own presentations.

Now, presentations isn’t the only thing I’m here to help with…

Burnout as a working woman

My biggest passion now is supporting professional women to go from self-sacrificing and overwhelmed to self-prioritizing with high impact through the power of the Sasuga! Success Cycle.

Where did this passion and concept come from?

One day, I came home from work. My darling Japanese husband had prepared dinner. But when I sat at the table, I couldn’t even lift my chopsticks.

I was sooooooo exhausted.

Somehow, I stumbled to my bed.

My heart was beating irregularly.

My eyes and fingers were twitching.

I attempted to pick up my BlackBerry to send a message to work.

I didn’t even have the energy to do that.

A few days later, I found myself in a psychotherapist’s office.

He listened to me for two hours as I cried and told him all the things that I was stressed about – all the pressures that I’d put on myself about my work, all the responsibilities I was taking on about my team members, and how I felt like I was failing miserably as the working mother of a small child.

I’d like to say that everything changed after that and I made an amazing recovery.

Nope. It wasn’t that simple.

It was only when I started to receive regular coaching, surrounded myself with a wonderful group of supportive people online, and completely changed my thinking and habits that the transformation finally really started to happen.

It’s been a long journey.

And along the way, I created the Sasuga! Success Cycle to help women do the right things in the best ways at the best times in their cycles as women.

I incorporated the most valuable insights and practical techniques that I’d learned in my career about mindset, business skills, and habits, resulting in an incredibly powerful way for professional women to change their lives and the way that they work – to go from stress to success.

Now, I’m thrilled to share this with more and more women through the Sasuga! Podcast, my weekly newsletter Sasuga! Tips For You, my signature three-month online group program – the Sasuga! VIP Women’s Coaching program – and the Sasuga! Mastermind.

Start your transformation by signing up for weekly techniques, inspiration, and resources in my Sasuga! Tips For You newsletter.

Professional background

Helen Iwata – known as “The Less Effort More Impact Coach” – helps busy business professionals in Japan and beyond to do brilliant work without sacrificing their personal lives.

Originally from the UK, Helen has lived and worked in Japan for over 30 years.

During her ten years with McKinsey & Company in Tokyo, she served as manager of client communications and trained consultants and clients in leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, including presentations and meeting facilitation.

In May 2013, Helen established her own business and is now the go-to expert for multiple multinationals to design and lead their high-level training and coaching programs.

Helen served for 6 years as faculty for the Tokyo University Executive Management Program and won the 2017 Waseda University Teaching Award for her Strategic Thinking and Communication MBA course.

She’s coached thousands of business professionals throughout Japan, as well as in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

She is a popular and energetic speaker, having taken the stage at FEW (For Empowering Women), Google’s Womenwill, Nikkei’s Woman Expo, TEDx Roppongi, the British, French, and Swedish Chambers of Commerce, and numerous corporate events.

Helen is a Nikkei Woman Smart and Nikkei doors columnist, author of the Japanese book Eigo no Shigoto-jutsu, published by Shogakukan, and host of the Sasuga! Podcast, which ranked #2 in Apple Podcast Japan Careers All Time ranking in 2021.

She’s a wife, mother, and… a karate world champion!

10 Fun Facts About Me

• I studied German at university (and the last time I went to Germany, I struggled to order a beer)
• I first started learning Japanese from the TV series Shogun in the 1980s and later by watching Wataru Seken Wa Oni Bakari
• My favorite movie is Love Actually
• I love 80s music and am quite a fan of Pitbull after he was a surprise guest performer and speaker at a conference I attended in Singapore!
• I’m a karate world champion (Malaysia, 2009)
• My team – Team Sasuga! – is small, spanning four countries, all working mothers, and outstanding
• My go-to quick lunch is natto tamago-kake gohan (raw egg on rice with fermented soy beans)
• Favorite things to do are lovely dinners with family or friends, walks in nature, spas, and reading on my beautiful multicolored sofa with a cup of Yorkshire tea
• I love tea, but have a strong aversion to tea-flavored things – ugh!
• My superpower is seeing people’s potential – I know how great people are going to be before they even realize it for themselves