Maki Kitahara

She is the CEO of an educational consulting firm and founder of a women’s empowerment community. She specializes in coaching and consulting based on human behavioral science, which emphasizes that lives are shaped by identity, beliefs, and environment. In the field of education, she is a practitioner dedicated to the practice and study of universal educational practices essential to the next generation. At age 30, she faced challenges balancing career advancement with societal expectations of marriage and motherhood, leading to mental health struggles. This experience sparked her mission to support women’s empowerment. In 2018, she became the first Asian to win a grand prize at a social impact pageant in Cape Town and now serves as a judge and coach. She believes in the importance of collaborative leadership among women to address global social challenges and is committed to international contributions while considering the role Japan can play in this effort.