Registered Nurse

I am step-mom to 5, grandmother to 6. I am a full-time nurse and caregiver to my elderly mother. I've been married for 18 years to a police officer. Being a nurse allows me to give love, compassion, support, and care to those who need it. I started dancing hula at the age of 6 in Wahiawa, HI. Growing up in Mililani, HI provided a great atmosphere to embrace diversity and a sense of community. Both my parents were born and raised on Oahu, and I have 2 older brothers and a younger sister. I am Filipino, Okinawan, and French.

What are your thoughts on aging? Growing up I would imagine aging the way I personally experienced seeing my mother and grandmother age. Believing at the time I was not going to control any aspect of aging, I pursued getting older without deliberate action. I figured if I too used some of the same skincare products and mimicked rituals; I would look as good as my mother at every stage of her life.

Now, at 56 years old, I realize I had a choice to choose a path that was better. Besides feeling the physical and emotional effects of being a nurse, I can say I feel great! I am more active than my mother ever was after 40 years old, and I continue to pursue goals that my younger self would not have.

What wonderful things can younger women look forward to at your age? Younger women and girls, might think that it's scary getting older. Let's inspire them! If I had the opportunity to advise both my younger self and the new generation, I'd say "your best self" is at arms reach, so run towards it. Not only will you embrace having worked through challenges, accomplishing goals, and healing from heartache, you will arise a more polished you! Finding out the real you was meant to be done at a pace that resembles years and seasons of growth; not at any specific one point in our life.

Share tips on how you celebrate yourself, what you do for fun, and self care. Relaxing and bringing myself back to a peaceful state requires deliberate action; one that only you can prioritize. Once you know the value of how good it feels to just sit in the backyard listening to birds, gentle rustling of the trees, or the ocean from afar. You will never be the same and will re-organize life to experience these feelings on a regular basis. Listening to island music and dancing hula has always been so important in my life. Dancing keeps me agile, coordinated, and my mind sharp. I cannot image my life without hula.

Share one experience/story. We all have life struggles. But the big share is how did you over come and lift yourself up? Advice to other women to empower them. I overcame most of my struggles knowing without a doubt that I had parents, and friends who loved me unconditionally. More importantly, I allowed myself to be known to a few special people who I could trust. Basically, I felt safe and secure that when life got very difficult, not only was I equipped with the knowledge to overcome, but I had the support system to help as well.

What would you tell your 14-year-old self? Dear Jamie, although you've been afflicted with more health issues and emotional challenges, know you will overcome. Yes, it doesn't look like it, but you will be an amazing woman with a story to share that even you will be inspired. So, breath, love yourself, embrace the decades ahead with the assurance of a life well lived because you chose to keep going.

What is your definition of success? As I mentioned in my yearbook when I graduated in 1987, success is not measured in physical things; instead, it's the things that build character. Success is knowing myself and my abilities, independent of comparison to what others have achieved.

What is the best advice you have been given? Learn to love yourself.

Twenty years from now, when you look at these portraits we took together, what do you think you will say to yourself? I will look back and see a very happy, peaceful, loved, and accomplished woman.