Meet Heather Tomoyasu | Content Creator & Momfluencer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Tomoyasu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As a lifestyle and family-focused content creator, this finding a work life balance is a true struggle. When my 3 kids were very young, I got small chunks of work done during nap times, when they were playing quietly, or after they went to bed at night. Now that they’re all in elementary school it’s become easier. I get a solid 6 hours of uninterrupted work while they’re in school, I try to stay off my phone and computer after school until they go to bed, and then can get another 2-3 hours of work in before hitting the hay myself around 11pm. Since a lot of our vacations and family adventures are sponsored or at least being covered on our platforms, I’m very frequently behind the camera and have to be careful to turn it off and be present. The years of having children who actually want to spend time with you are numbered, and I am constantly reminding myself of the importance (and JOY) of being with my family for all of these moments, not just filming and photographing them.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been writing and blogging for two decades now. It started very casually, just blogging privately for family during my study abroad in Germany and my years teaching English in Japan. I was published in an ex-pat magazine in Japan and got a very enticing taste of that world as well! Fast forward to having my first baby and realizing I did not want to leave him with a stranger to go back to work (no shade on those who do, at all, it just wasn’t for me and I feel so grateful for my husband and the fact that I didn’t *have* to go back to an office job). I immediately pivoted to a “real” blog, where I grew and evolved gradually from personal storytelling of motherhood to sponsored product reviews and eventually video content. A stop motion video I did of my twin pregnancy with my toddler by my side went viral and boom, I was suddenly jumping into the world of YouTube monetization! I cover everything from family vacation guides to DIY hair cutting and coloring (which got it’s own spin-off YouTube channel), and my love for helping shoppers through product reviews has led me to joining the Amazon Influencer program as well. It’s been a long journey, with many ups and downs, often questioning whether I’m creative enough for this work, whether I’m not growing enough, and whether I should quit and get a “regular” job. But ultimately, it’s my dream job. I love the work I do. I love the flexibility I have to be home and here for my kids, and to travel! I love when I get comments about one of my videos or posts having helped someone. It brings me joy and I think can bring others joy as well!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would spend the entire morning at the Desert Botanical Garden – it’s such a beautiful attraction that really kicks off your Phoenix or SW experience off with a bang! Then lunch and shopping in Scottsdale, of course!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a HUGE shoutout to mom-focused business coach Caroline Bussenius, who helped me work through a lot of questions I had about my career path during a difficult time where I was struggling to decide whether to push through my plateau as a content creator or pivot back to a traditional 9-5 job. She asked the tough questions, helped me dig deep to see what I was most passionate about, and when I finally realized my entrepreneurial spirit wanted to stick to the flexible (and fun) world of content creation, she helped me tremendously to learn to value myself more appropriately (imposter syndrome is a nasty thing!!) and finally properly price my services.

Website: http://usjapanfam.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usjapanfam

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-tomoyasu/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/usjapanfam

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/usjapanfam

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/usjapanfam

Other: https://www.amazon.com/shop/mama_heza