Bianca Y. Michaels

Activist, Business mentor, Change Agent, Consultant, Educator/Teacher, Environmentalist, Event planner, Global soul, Idea generator, Life mentor, Social entrepreneur

Born in 1988 on the shores of the Black Sea, I grew up in Canada since I was 7 and came to Japan in 2011, after the Great Tohoku Earthquake. After graduating with a BA in Psychology, I spent the last 10 years in Japan advocating for the shift towards a circular economy, more sustainable lifestyles and ethical business practices centered on social welfare. I help social businesses and non-profits grow their impact by identifying key trends, up-to-the-minute innovations and collaborative opportunities. Utilizing my knowledge in a vast variety of fields, such as psychology, marketing, business, sustainability and economics, I strive to deliver holistic solutions through consulting, public speaking and creative workshops. I believes that a global perspective, a growth mindset, and a playful mind can bring visible change. I considers myself a visionary global citizen, a disruptive thinker and a creative problem solver. After working for the Corporate Value Creation Department of Toyota Motors Corporation and 5 years of business consulting at Japan Creative Enterprise (Ginza, Tokyo), I launched the Zero Waste Japan volunteer group in 2015, then the Zero Waste company in 2017. Two years later I founded the social business consultancy group, [The] Zero Way. I 2021 I founded Heal The World Japan, a non-profit organization focused on providing Education about solutions to combat the Climate Crisis. I am a polyglot public speaker, online magazine editor, soon-to-be author, and am currently working to help young minds succeed in business by volunteering as a mentor for YMCA Youth for Causes, Kyoto University of Foreign Languages and the Hult Prize, where I am both judge and advisor. Currently enrolled in Harvard Extension School, studying Global Development Practice, my future plans include receiving my PhD diploma and continuing to create a society based on sustainable development, ethical business development, social equity, cultural equality, physical and mental health, and lastly positive human progress in harmony with both nature and technology. After ending many of my projects due to Covid19, including a zero waste store which was supposed to launch during the first wave of emergency in Kobe, I never gave up on finding solutions for the Greater Good. I am currently actively involved in 3 major projects: > The Heal the World Japan non-profit organization, created with youth in mind, to empower them with the knowledge and skills to make their future a prosperous and peaceful one; > A website and afferent app that focus on sustainable living; > A video series of courses and workshops intended to provide a solid foundation for future world changers and pioneers. My specialties are Sustainability, Circular Economics and Zero Waste. Certifications: 2018 -- Sustainable Science @ Graduate University of Tokyo (JP) 2020 -- Achieving Sustainable Development Goals @ The SDGs Academy (UN) 2020 -- Microeconomics @ MIT (USA) 2021 -- Circular Economy - Sustainable Materials Science @ Lund University&IIIEE (NL) 2021 -- Climate Change -- From Science to Action from the Yale University (USA) Non-certification Courses: 2020 -- Circular Economy @ TU Delft (NL) 2020 -- Circular Economy @ Wageningen (NL) 2020 -- Macroeconomics for a Sustainable Planet @ The SDGs Academy (UN) 2021 -- Justice Today: Money, Market and Morals from Harvard University (USA)

All things sustainability, equality, equity, mental health, art, community engagement and love!

The Climate Crisis is real, it's dangerous and we need to fix it. And fast. We need to Panic. Not the toilet paper hoarding kind of panic, though! :) But the strategic type that gives us a healthy sense of Urgency. We need to Act Fast! But Change is hard! I mean, ask anyone what happens to their new Year Resolution halfway through January :) And Change when it comes to something as big as an organization or a company is even harder. But no matter if you're an individual or an organization, conducting change is not an art, it's a Strategy. One myth regarding Change is that it needs to happen instantly. Like going from Black to White. But it's actually a process. It's more like a dial going from Black to shades of Grey to White. Change doesn't happen over night, it happens over time. And that time can be as fast as a second, or as long as a decade. Regardless, the process of Change is the same. So what's the best Strategy for creating Change? Firstly, at the basis of every organization or company there are individuals. They're the one making decisions. So change must always start with the individual. Secondly, Change must start with the Mentality and end with Actions. Without a sturdy moral foundation, thorough education on the topic and strong emotional resilience, Actions cannot take place. Or rather, actions cannot be sustained until the Goal is reached. So we must start with the Mindset. Thirdly, Driving Change is just like driving a car. It needs Ignition, a Map, a Driver, a Car, a Road, Car Service and Fuel. Each element is crucial in conducting Sustainable Change. In other words, it needs a Reason, a Plan, Perseverance, Tools, Opportunities, Risk Management and Motivation. But more importantly, we need Hope. We need to believe that Change is possible and that we can do it. We need to trust in each other, to trust in Humanity. We need to Unite against a common enemy we ourselves have created. We owe it to our children and all future generations to leave behind a beautiful planet full of awe, wonder and surprise! Let's Heal the World together, by starting with the (Wo)Man in the Mirror!

Circular Economy, Climate Change Education, SDGs, Social Business, Sustainability, Sustainable Living, Youth Leadership, Zero Waste

I've always wanted to be a TED speaker, but after my speeches were rejected by a TEDx committee because I didn't fit in their categories, I decided to create my own TEDx events, where I found my calling. As an organizer I can have much more impact than as a speaker and I can use my extensive network to gather the most brilliant of ideas and communicate them to the world! All I want in life is to make the world a better place, to showcase solutions and to connect amazing people and ideas, in order to accelerate the solving of the greatest challenge human race has ever faced - the Global Climate Crisis.

Entertaining small children :)