The Trailblazers Experience Podcast

EP48 Mariko Hill: Blending a Cricket Career with Nutraceutical Innovation for Women's Health & Well-Being

• Ntola • Season 3 • Episode 48

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Step onto the cricket pitch and into the boardroom with Mariko Hill, whose journey from Hong Kong’s cricket fields to the forefront of the nutraceutical industry is a masterclass in ambition and innovation. Mariko's story is one of drive and discipline, where the world of sports intertwines with a passion for nutrition and wellness. From her early days representing Hong Kong's national cricket team to her influential role as a global innovation manager, Mariko embodies the spirit of goal-setting and the relentless pursuit of success. Her candid insights provide a playbook for navigating the complexities of women's roles in sports and entrepreneurship, and her experiences serve as a rallying cry for all aspiring professionals.

Chapters
0:13  Introduction
9:27  Career Journey in Nutraceutical Industry
14:01 Find your purpose
22:01 Charity with Fairbreak , why it matters
26:32 Driving Innovation in Women's Health
30:00 Nutrition and Supplements
33:33 Journey of Learning and Self-Care
41:43 Believe in Yourself and Balance
 

In a rapidly evolving health market, Mariko Hill is at the cusp of cutting-edge product development. We unravel how the demands for personalized nutraceuticals are shifting the industry, and Mariko's leadership showcases the significance of consumer-driven innovation. Her reflections on monumental career moments like participating in the Asian Games offer us a clear view of how high-performance habits from sports can be translated into the business world. Moreover, Mariko's dedication to the growth of women's health products illuminates the path toward more inclusive and tailored health solutions.

Our conversation with Mariko goes beyond professional achievements and into the realm of personal growth and empowerment. She advocates for the power of education and learning through life's ups and downs, underscoring the importance of self-belief and resilience. Mariko's approach to wellness, which incorporates consistent routines and prioritizing health, is an essential lesson for anyone juggling the demands of a challenging career. As she shares her strategies for maintaining balance and overcoming imposter syndrome, Mariko's experiences become a beacon for cultivating a fulfilling career and life. Join us for an episode that promises to inspire and guide anyone looking to make their mark in the world of sports, business, and personal well-being.
Watch Episode on YT https://youtu.be/W-41-eY6V4s
Find Mariko
Mariko Hill | LinkedIn
FairBreak - A whole new world of cricket


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The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

Welcome to another episode of the Trailblazers Experience Podcast. As you know, we love to have candid conversations with women in business, stem content creators all across the board sharing their career journeys, and my next guest today is Mariko Hill. How are you?

Mariko Hill:

I'm very well, thank you. Thanks for having me.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

It's so lovely to speak to. I think this has been a long time coming and I hope the audience will be as excited as engaged just to hear your story and talk about your journey. So can we just start from the beginning, before we even delve into what you're doing now, as to what your early years have been and what sort of has led you on this journey, if you're to reflect back as to what's brought you to where you are now in terms of your sports and your professional career?

Mariko Hill:

Yeah, well, it probably rewinds back all the way to when I was 12, but I guess a bit of context. I'm 28 years old now and I was born and bred up in in Hong Kong, which is a very multicultural city, but from a young age I've always had a huge passion in sport. I've got an older brother, so I think that's where my competitive nature always came through and I started playing cricket at the age of 12 and then after a year got scouted to play for Hong Kong for the senior national team, and then went to Bangladesh for my first ever debut on a tournament so that was from a sporting perspective and from there obviously went to international school in Hong Kong, went to university as well, but throughout the years did my academics in nutrition as well as exercise science. So my whole background within sports, along with the applications in sort of I guess the human physiology and the biomechanics um, they kind of uh complemented each other and then um. Interestingly, how I got into my current job of nine years now, actually, um was from a cricket match where the umpire or some people might think of them as a referee um happened to be in this industry.

Mariko Hill:

So I just graduated and I was like I'm in Hong Kong, have a degree in nutrition, yet you have to speak Cantonese to really pursue nutrition, um, to be a consultant in that sense. So I was like, oh god, what do I actually do? Um, and then my teammate at the time was like, oh, have you heard of what Venkat does? Um, he's apparently in this nutraceutical business or nutrition industry. So after the game I was like Venkat, can you have a drink? You know, had a beer and sort of caught up and, um, ultimately it led me to do an internship at this b2b company in the nutraceutical or dietary supplements industry. Um, and that really opened my eyes up to this whole entire industry in itself.

Mariko Hill:

And within a month of an internship I flew to Vegas actually, which is a crazy place to go for a business trip, but in a month, right. So put that into perspective. And I think when I was just on my way there, I was like this is incredible, like what an opportunity to go overseas to represent the company, but really sort of flourish and kickstart my career within this nutrition space. So, yeah, fast forward sort of nine years and I'm still within the company as a global innovation manager related to product development in the dietary supplement space and helping brands like the, my proteins or the science and sports that you might see, um, help them develop the product and then from there we've kind of branched out into different areas where I've I think we'll probably elaborate more in this sort of uh podcast, but, um, yeah, I sort of dabbled around entrepreneurship and starting my own nutrition consultancy, um company, along with um being a director of a few other b2c um companies as well now and you're only 28, just to add, and this has all happened.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

You know, in this it's a short span um of time. That's really amazing. At what, Mariko, did you then say, because obviously you still play cricket. Did you then say, well, nutrition A, why nutrition? Why is that something that you were interested in? And was there a moment where you said I don't think I will be continuing for a long term in the professional cricket sphere? This is why I actually want to have some solid foundation from a business perspective um, I'd say yes and no.

Mariko Hill:

I think how I got into nutrition first of all was probably by playing sports.

Mariko Hill:

I've always thought about how can I try and be the best athlete that I can be and ultimately nutrition or such a pivotal aspect on performance and recovery, and you know whether it's especially as a female body composition is something that you think about, and sort of looks and aesthetics, and that was more from like a high school age and era, I suppose, but that then ultimately grew into right.

Mariko Hill:

What can I do to actually help and make a difference to the world by supporting other companies and developing other good products. So that's how I sort of got into the industry. And regarding your question on, I think, professional sports, yeah, I haven't stopped, and it's been gosh 16 years, or 17 years still representing Hong Kong. And and again, I think we all know that when you, when it comes to women's sport in general, there's been a lack of growth within this particular category because women haven't been seen or heard in performing or, you know, you don't actually see them on TV in the 2000s or even the 2010s of the time. So it's only really now, starting probably last year, where there's been a huge growth in the global side of women's sport, and um hong kong specifically, as the women's team only just got contracted, so wow it was never really professional, so we did this out of our pockets.

Mariko Hill:

Um, we went on tournaments and it was a great time, not only to represent your country, but you're amongst all your best friends, within a team traveling to all these incredible countries like Kuwait and Singapore and Thailand, and you know, that was kind of the huge benefit of playing cricket. It wasn't not, it wasn't just performing for Hong Kong, but it was also just something that really adds value to your life and it's something that I really, really enjoy.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

So really expanded your horizons, meeting different cultures, traveling to different countries. You know that camaraderie and the teamwork and team you know building those relationship has been a key part and you've touched an important point. I mean the disparity I in terms of what women are earning in professional sport versus, you know, our male counterparts, is just astronomical. You know, I think only now has a NBA female basketball player. Has she now gotten a major contract with a sports brand? She now gotten a major contract with um, a sports brand? And you're thinking we're in 2024 and we're still having to fight to say actually we deserve to have those endorsements, contracts etc. Which, yeah, which probably, if you had, maybe you may not have gone into the um, entrepreneurship or um, you know, being an employee because you could have sustained yourself just through sports. Is that fair to say? Perhaps?

Mariko Hill:

for sure. But I think because my backgrounds and sort of my academics was still at the forefront. You know, I did graduate from a very good university and then went to the University of Oxford for doing some research. I didn't want to sacrifice all of that hard work of my academics and you know my parents paying for international schools which isn't, you know that cheap. So I was like I need to utilize this and I think um, especially in sport, you never know how long your career is going to be. It could be tomorrow where an injury can arise, and that's it right. So life after sport is just an unknown um. But I'm very fortunate where I did have an academic background to pursue in different um paths and I think I'm just trying to really juggle those two and balancing those um aspects right now yeah.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

So let's talk about the entrepreneurship what what does a nutrition consultant do? And what are some exciting projects that you are working on? And entrepreneurship has its challenges. I mean A first of all kudos to you for even saying I'm actually going to embark on it and I have an idea and bring it to fruition, but it does have its challenges. But maybe for the audiences what does a nutrition consultant do? And talking about that part of the journey, yeah.

Mariko Hill:

So typically a nutritionist would probably help clients in various avenues, whether it's trying to lose weight or maybe they've got certain conditions.

Mariko Hill:

All of that should go more into dietetics and dietitians. To say some dieticians, my journey as a consultant kind of stopped in prior to COVID, I'd say, when I think everything the whole world stopped really. But my real sort of career is in this B2B global innovation manager for Gencor, who's in the nutraceutical space and that's really ultimately underpinning sort of the trends of the market in in certain continents, along with the science of today, with then marketing and really helping um communicate effective ingredients whether that's, you know, the protein powders or the curcumin or the omega-3 fish oils to brands and pitching those ingredients with the science, because it's always science-based and they then ultimately make a finished product according to to the evidence. So that's kind of my um, I guess, role within the, the company right now for gencore um and then I guess, when it comes more to bC, so creating a brand. That's then evolving all this science into a really good product, essentially like really manufacturing the best product possible to better people's lives.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

And it feels like there's, you know, some McKenzie reports I've just been reading about how the reading about how the if you're looking at a pie chart of how people are taking a priority in their health and their wellness and their well-being has sort of accelerated over the years. Are you seeing more and more uh, brands and businesses putting more focus into what's actually going into the nutritional products and that market that they're serving?

Mariko Hill:

I think.

Mariko Hill:

So you know, I think five, ten years ago it was more so the brands pushing out products according to what they think, but now we're ever more connected than before with social media, with consumers being more engaged with the brands as well, so in fact, it's funny because it's the consumers that are actually demanding the product, so you then develop the product according to the needs's the consumers that are actually demanding the product, so you then develop the product according to the needs of the consumers.

Mariko Hill:

Um, and yeah, sort of touching on what you mentioned about sort of the science, it is very important because now there are more brands also starting because of entrepreneurship and everyone wanting to be an entrepreneur, so sort of the barrier to entry into creating a brand is actually quite easy. Um, but it's really growing that brand into the next phase and really developing a community that, um, understands the brand and really values the brand is the challenge, um, but yeah, absolutely, I think science is always key and I I think obviously there's different thoughts into what really makes a good brand, but my whole sort of background is on science, so I really want to sort of drive this message that it should always be evidence based.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

Talk about some milestones that you've had within your role and your career so far that you'd like to talk about and share.

Mariko Hill:

A lot of it would actually come from my cricketing accomplishments, whether that's sort of playing the Asian Games. So the Asian Games is known as sort of the Olympics of Hong Kong, and I went to that at the age of 12, as well as 16. So it's every four years sort of different to the Olympics. And I remember going to the Asian Games in Guangzhou in China, and it was exactly how it's mimicked with the Olympics, where you've got an athlete village amongst all the other superstars in the world. So I went in. I saw Yao Ming and all these other incredible athletes in the world. So I went in.

Mariko Hill:

I saw Yao Ming and all these other incredible athletes, um, but for Hong Kong cricket to just be within that massive international olympic council was just an eye-opening experience. Um, you know not to say that we didn't do bad, but we didn't do too great either, but the whole experience itself was something that you need as a team to to grow um. But you know other aspects of sort of um going overseas to playing professional cricket in Melbourne, australia, um, as well as sort of going to England to play cricket overseas.

Mariko Hill:

That's also another accomplishment in the sense of you know, it is scary to sort of drop everything and go overseas to really pursue a sport, but those were during sort of my gap years, so I didn't have as many risks as I do now after being older, to really sort of, yeah, enjoy my time playing cricket.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

Oh, that's amazing.

Mariko Hill:

Yeah. No, it was honestly like I would never go back and change anything because all of those experiences has led me to be who I am today. But in terms of businesses I'd say I think really going to London so I moved, I'd say, two years ago still still going back and forth, to be honest, I'm living half half Hong Kong in London. But really putting my foot down to saying I'm going to try and develop sort of the European business for my company right now was again a huge kind of milestone into, I think, more of my career path, into being who I am today and sort of the roles that I handle within the company.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

I mean, with such a diverse background in sport you've talked about, you know your participation in all these events, your academia. I think that really speaks true to your passion for you know your passion for your education, your research, your business and what you're doing. How do you set goals, meaningful goals, for yourself? So you've just said you've now sort of relocated to London. Still, you know, have one foot in Hong Kong. But how has this helped you set meaningful goals and what are some of your ambitions that you have at the moment?

Mariko Hill:

I think my goals are always driven to my dreams.

Mariko Hill:

So it's funny you actually mentioned this question, because every quarter I do have this massive whiteboard in my room that I write, you know what goals I want to try and achieve according to my dreams and then what are the habits that I need to do to achieve those goals.

Mariko Hill:

And obviously you would pivot every week, every month, depending on your sort of chaotic schedule and and what you've achieved. But, um, I think typically all my goals are based on my dreams, which are within cricket it's to really help the Hong Kong team qualify into a major global tournament, so perhaps the World Cup one day or the Asia Cup, which are within the cricketing world that's sort of the top standard within associate nations. And then for my career path, it's to really launch a finished product brand, um, and, yeah, develop ultimately various ranges of products and SKUs that can, um, betterment people's health and well-beings, whether that's skincare or dietary supplements in the sports and active nutrition world. Um, but yeah, those are two branches. And then within that I've got sort of many daily habits to try and tick off, which you know if you trust the process and you stay consistent, um, hopefully that that will come.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

That will be the end result there's definitely something to be said about having a passion for something, finding your calling and purpose and, like you said, you know setting those whether it's three buckets or looking at your tree of saying these are the things I want to focus on and have a vision, but know that it takes time to build on these things. There is this myth I would call it the Instagram social media myth that you know, successful businesses or careers are just built just like that, but there's a journey that's involved. Even from what you've just described of starting your cricketing career at 12, you know you're 28 now, even in your nutrition business and also with your career that's. You know that's all taken time. I think that's an important thing for people to note that set a goal, but also know that there will be a journey that's involved.

Mariko Hill:

No for sure. And again, I wouldn't have even dreamt of being in this spot right now. I wouldn't. I didn't even know what nutraceutical meant when I was in university, I mean really. So it's kind of staying present in the moment you also have to be. I am quite lucky for the opportunities that have arisen, and the biggest thing is saying yes to all of these, because you genuinely never know who you might meet or what you might do. That eventually leads to another opportunity or another door opening, and I think the more you kind of open those doors and and really pursue it, um, despite how scary it might be, um, it will lead you somewhere, you know, and that somewhere is now of right. What can I do now to be better than yesterday? So, um, yeah for sure it's, it's, it's crazy, the journey itself, but who knows where I'll be in five or 10 years time?

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

I see a very bright future. I mean, also, you're specialising in an area which I think sort of has to do with people. You know we are in a day and age where people as you said, the consumer are curious about what's going in their food, their nutrition, and I think it's a good industry which I'm sure presents its challenges to be in. Now you're also the co-chair of the webinar committee for women in nutraceuticals that's a tongue twister and also an ambassador of Fair Break Global, and you're deeply involved in empowering women and advocating for gender equality. How has networking and collaboration played a role for you in your journey, and is there any advice you'd give to others looking to build, you know, connections and finding things that are meaningful to them in their journey?

Mariko Hill:

Yeah, I mean first of all, networking is so important.

Mariko Hill:

I don't think I ever really realised how important talking to other people was, let alone face-to-face interactions as well. You know, nowadays, especially after COVID, everyone thinks you can just do sort of Zoom calls and have meetings. But really having a handshake and getting to know an individual personally outside of business sort of having a coffee or having a drink after a dinner or something really allows you to bond with the individual a lot more than a 30 minutes meeting, I suppose, over zoom. But yeah, definitely go to as many conferences or trade shows or social events as possible because, like I mentioned, you never know who you might meet, because you might resonate with that person and you might start up another company, who knows? Or they might be able to help you in your journey or your company from the conversations that arise. So for sure, it is so, so important. But yeah, I think within this whole networking space, typically it's the people around you that um help support your business and I think you can also add a lot of value to those as well.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

That is so true. There's something to be said about. When you meet someone, you intuitively, once you've had a conversation, you you know if you've got shared values, shared goals and that sort of sparks the conversation, for you know potentially working together, or you know being introduced or your name being mentioned in the room when someone's talking about things that match to you and them as well. Do you want to talk to me about? So what is Fair Break Global for?

Mariko Hill:

for the audience, so, ultimately, fair break is a movement for providing equal opportunities, independent of, you know, gender, race, geographical location, and it's trying to create an equal playing field with women and men to really be on par when it comes to payments, um, the amount of games that you might play.

Mariko Hill:

This is using cricket the amount of games, the amount of media or even just being showcased on television. So it's using cricket as a vehicle for progressive change really, and trying to really create and reach gender equality and equity across all boards, whether it's sport, business, art, culture. It's an incredible, incredible movement started by Sean Martin, underprivileged in other associate nations that typically don't even have the financial support to have their own sort of cricket equipment. So, you know, when they get selected, because they do have the genuine talent to being an international player, um, when they get the opportunity or the um spotlight, they get sponsorships. You know they do get the opportunity. They play in major global tournaments by being known, whereas previously I never knew a single player from Papua New Guinea or Vanuatu. And now these are real strong, independent sort of female athletes that are playing in these global tournaments because of Fair Break.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

That is brilliant and we'll definitely put that in the show notes so people can actually learn more about the organisation. It's like you said, in third world countries there's so much talent but it's the equipment, it's the training facilities, all the things that probably in a first world country one takes for that.

Mariko Hill:

they have, uh, within their clubs or organizations that support that yeah, because I mean, I've been to, you know um various places, whether it's namibia, to rwanda, to indonesia or thailand, and you know, all these girls are training without spikes, and in cricket you need spikes because it's going to cause injuries otherwise, as well as these girls sort of changing their bat or their pads when they get out, so when they cross, they literally take five minutes to change their pads because they only have two pairs. And to see that they don't have those equipment yet have the basic skills and the assets without having all of these one percenters, it it makes you think, oh, my goodness, what kind of athlete can they actually be if they had all of these um base standards as us in society, and sort of the first world culture, culture, um having the privilege. So, yeah, it's, it's um, I think, an inspiring movement in itself, because it's yeah has impacted so many people's lives.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

So let's talk about transitioning from a professional cricket career, which you sort of haven't gone 100% yet. I think you know at some point you're gonna have to hang your uh cricket cricket gear and call it a day. But now, as you transition, you know, into the corporate world and entrepreneurship, of course it's a shift. Can you just share your insights of some of your experience and how actually being a sports person has influenced how you approach things from a business angle?

Mariko Hill:

yeah, you know, I'm so glad for my coach when I was a lot younger to sort of implement all these small things such as discipline, organization and teamwork all the words, the common words you always hear but genuinely all of those attributes has helped me in the business world.

Mariko Hill:

Because, you know, again rewinding, when I started playing cricket, I was waking up at 6am to get to trainings at 7, to get to school by 8, 30 or 9.

Mariko Hill:

So, um, those small discipline, um attributes, along with the element of teamwork because cricket is a big teamwork sport where you've got 11 players on the field those are all things that you need within the business setting because, ultimately, to grow a business, you have to have the help of other people and especially those that are better than you at other elements, to really collaborate and have this interdisciplinary team to growing this brand because, um, yeah, all of that's so, so vital but, yeah, ultimately, the, the whole crickets, trainings and the early mornings and the late nights, um, that really drilled down onto my ability to just be super organized and I think, if you look at my Google Maps, this is one thing about me I'm just a bit of a manic when it comes to organizations. I've got like pins and color codes and all these kind of things for places I want to go or things I need to do, and I just tick them off.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

I mean that's amazing. That's good. They're good tips there in terms of organizing yourself. Yeah, just circling back and talking about what you're currently doing in your global innovation manager role, you're deeply involved in driving innovation because you know, at the core of it it's not just looking at nutrition but innovating so that you're creating products, brands, for the future. What excites you now about what you're doing? Are there any interesting things you'd like to share?

Mariko Hill:

Yeah, I think trends continually evolve at the nutrition space, specifically in dietary supplements, like I mentioned previously, of clinically backed ingredients are always going to be sort of the drivers of innovation because, again by evidence, you know that there's a benefit of a certain ingredient for a particular need state.

Mariko Hill:

So that's kind of what drives innovation, along with the push-pull effects of consumers wanting a certain benefit. So during COVID you saw a spike in immunity products, for example. Right now, within the sports world you're seeing a lot of products that help prevent injuries and sort of being specific for the female physiology or women's health. Right, you know, five years ago women's health was just one product and it was probably a pink label with maybe smaller than a men's sort of multivitamin, whereas now we're really especially women. They are demanding products specific to them. So whether it's for menstrual pain, to hormonal imbalances, to menopause, there's so many different need states and demands that need to be catered for. So as that evolves, I think innovation and products will also evolve and sooner or later you'll see, when you walk down the aisles of a Holland and Barrett or the GNCs in America, you'll see an aisle dedicated to women's health or menopause itself.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

And right about time, isn't it? Because we've always known as women that you know there are differences in the various stages of your life, from being a teenager, 20s, 30s, 40s, and then also, you know, research has shown, depending on your ethnicity, there are also different challenges that you may have depending on the type of sport you play. So I mean, finally, that there it feels like it's an exciting time to be in your industry and, you know, be at the forefront of just developing things that are catered to the consumer.

Mariko Hill:

But really, you know, on a granular and micro level as well, no for sure, and to be honest, I'm the consumer in mind always. I am a massive user of supplements and products in general. So you know, when I look to innovate and develop products, I put myself at the forefront and go what do I take on a daily basis or what do I need, and then kind of go from there.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

Yeah, I mean, I can talk about when I was um in high school. I was really into track and at that point, you know, stemming back to what you were talking about, how, um, so I grew up in Zambia and I only had one pair of trainers. I always find it very interesting with the kids. Now they've got things with spikes, they've got, you know, trail shoes, running shoes, and then they've got shoes, I know they've got an array of supplements and it was you always think in hindsight, you know, if one had had those things and also just the there's the right supplements. Where could that have you, you know, taken me in terms of the, the career? But even now with crossfit, which I'm really into, I'm so excited of, you know, being able to have the right nutrition and know what supplements to take. It's really come a long way. So this for this next phase of my life I'm 43 um I feel like I'm well equipped for the next stages. So I I'm excited about that as well, so really passionate about this sector too.

Mariko Hill:

I'll tell you what I would have said. You're in your 30s number one.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

Oh, I like you, monika, you're so right like the whole, the whole supplements.

Mariko Hill:

I'd say they're the one percenters. You know they are. If you look at the pyramid, it's at the top and the fundamental importance is the right nutrition, the right training, the right mindset, and you probably flourished in your track and field because of the mindset that you had of just being super disciplined and just getting to the track day in, day out. Um, obviously nutrition could have taken, supplements could have maybe given you a tiny, tiny edge, but, um, really the tiny edges in the one percent doesn't make a difference, for, like Olympic athletes, where they're assuming seconds can be 0.5 milliseconds to win that gold medal and also genetics.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

I mean, let's face it, isn't it? That's also a key deciding factor as to how far you can go with that. Now you've talked about you know your career and there's so much more in store for you as to where this is going to go, so I really look forward to watching the space.

Mariko Hill:

But talk to me about challenges you have faced as a woman in sport, as a woman you know in the industry, and any advice that you could give to you know women who might be embarking on a similar journey as yourself um, I think, one that comes to mind especially because of my early career being very young, um, whether you're in nutrition, whether you're in finance, whether you're in, um, another industry itself, it's always going to be scary putting your foot in and starting a career, um, and there might be those elements of imposter syndrome that I think everyone suffers at some point in their life of am I good enough, do I belong here?

Mariko Hill:

Um, but really just to get your head down and do it because you know it's, it's the best um sort of um aspect for you.

Mariko Hill:

Do it for yourself ultimately, um, and really chase the fear because, again, you never know where it might lead to. But yeah, I think, um, one of the challenges always was that imposter syndrome of thinking do I even belong? Because I'd be going into meetings when I was like 21 or 22 years old, going, you know, a bunch of PhD students are all 50 plus a lot of them typically being men as well and here I am sort of presenting in the room going. Are they listening to what I am and do they respect me? But I think, just trust what you have, because once you deliver that message and you do present, you are probably credible enough to be there already. You're there for a reason, right? So I think, yeah, that was always one thing that I always told myself, constantly and gradually you kind of get over that fear and you want to get over that fear, but it gets better because you learn how to handle those thoughts and also there's something to be said.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

You've started at the beginning of the podcast talking about how important education and academia and learning and getting those credentials behind you so important, because I was just thinking about the dropout and that whole, you know scandal and really you know, as as a woman, to be respected in an industry that relies on the science, it's really important to make sure to get that education and experience behind your belt so that you are, when you're in a room there with people in their 40s and 50s, you have the science, the education, the experience to back it.

Mariko Hill:

That's so key yeah, no, for sure they're not shortcuts, are they really, marika?

Mariko Hill:

no, they're not shortcuts, but I think, especially in science and being a female, you always want to make sure you're sort of following this one pathway and you keep your head straight and you try and you know, achieve all these things. Um, but once you get your bachelor's, ultimately you've got. Not even you can. You can be a dropout, but so long as you try and pursue entrepreneurship and you learn from the less the failures throughout developing a company. That is what makes you, because all these failures are ultimately lessons learned and, um, yeah, you can start a multi-billion dollar company just without a bachelor's. I've heard so many people that have done that and I've met so many people that have done that as well. So, um, it's just really getting your foot stuck in and starting, because that's always the hardest bit. Just start literally yeah.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

Now you talked to me about your background. I feel there's or from what I'm hearing just having spoken to you, there is a strong foundation that's probably been set from your family, your culture. What are your core values and ethics that you think underpin everything that you've sort of experienced so far and given you the confidence to say this is the direction I want to take, whether it's from entrepreneurship perspective or even just sports as well core values, um, I'd say, is consistency and commitment.

Mariko Hill:

So once you set your mind to something, um, whether that's trying to hit your pbs in the gym, to, um starting a brand, I think it's really keeping that as at the forefront of in your mind. Of all the actions that I take today will lead me to this goal, um. But that really comes down to consistency. Doing it day in, day out, whether it's rain or shine outside, um whether your laptop breaks down, you've got to try and find different ways to chip away at achieving that goal, um. And then, of course, like other values, like family and friends, is always really important to me, sort of that social yeah, my social life outside of my career, because that's what keeps me sane a lot.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

Your circle really matters, isn't it? I think we we underestimate that, but I think as you get older, you tend to want to have well. In my perspective, I've sort of seen smaller circle and people who will empower me, inspire me, who I can learn something from, but also will call me out on my, on my bullshit.

Mariko Hill:

Basically, if need be yeah so true, you know, all my best friends were just so transparent with each other. But, um, you know, I think someone once said the the five closest people around you will always be your biggest influence. So make those five people that can really inspire you and motivate you and to really dig um you up or out of when you're feeling down, because they're the ones that can influence you or help you um and and vice versa as well, and you just want to be surrounded by good people, exactly yeah, life's a journey that you need some really cool people to go through it with, isn't it?

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

yeah, yeah, talking about self-care, how do you even balance that? Is that something for you that is important to you in your life self-care and well, well-being and are there some tips or some tricks that you have to share of how you're making that work for you?

Mariko Hill:

no for sure. And actually something I forgot to mention about my value is my health and well-being. Um. So the biggest thing I do is making sure that I work out or exercise or do something active in the morning, because I know myself very well that if I were to delay at nighttime, I've got many hours in the day to think of many reasons to not do it. So me personally, I like to work out in the morning and that really gets my. It sets my day, it sets my intentions. I wake up at 6 30, get in the gym and then start my work at 9 um, and by then, you know, a lot of people are waking up at that point. So I've managed to be really productive already in the morning to really focus on sort of the main tasks at hand. But that also again keeps me really sane, um, and it keeps my health in check, along with sort of uh influencing my performance with cricket. But yeah, I'd say that's probably the biggest thing within health and wellness.

Mariko Hill:

And maybe because I travel so much for work, every two weeks on average I'll be traveling overseas. So I've just come back from Latvia. But traveling is quite demanding on the body. You're constantly flying within two day periods as well.

Mariko Hill:

So something like nutrition and the foods that you eat really impacts how you feel, because I'm probably one of the biggest foodies out there. I like literally eat anything possible, but when I travel, um, I travel to eat as well. So I look to go to the best spots for the local food and I want to indulge because, again, like you mentioned, life is too short and when I'm in this like different culture, I want to try and experience it too. But with that comes a? Um, a sacrifice, and sometimes it is bad food and it's not very healthy for you. So every time I go back to London, I get to really sort of get back to my routine and things like meal prep and prepping the whole week on the Sunday is so important for me because that keeps my mentality in check, knowing that I can actually get back on my own sort of momentum, I suppose. Otherwise I'd be probably delivering every single day.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

I mean, those are sort of like productivity and performance hacks, isn't it? You know setting yourself up to be, um perform, whether it's from a mental, physical, professional capability, and that it has to do with you know what you eat, um, how you start your day, where you put your focus, um, I can completely resonate. I think I'm in a stage now where I realise the meal prep is so that I'm able to fuel myself accordingly. And then, of course, when you're with your friends, etc, different countries, cultures, you know it's to indulge a little, because on our deathbeds I don't think we'll be thinking about macros and protein, fats and carbs.

Mariko Hill:

I remember that incredible meal that I had in Latvia, you know, with X and Y and what we did and sort of all the cherry liqueurs that we had and the night that happened. So, yeah, for sure, it's all about just sort of living in the moment and indulging yourself and, yeah, being kind to yourself, being kind to yourself, being kind to yourself.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

So we're now on to a section which is known as the trailblazer takeaway tips, and you've shared an amazing journey. What are three things if you wanted to leave with the audience of you know?

Mariko Hill:

takeaway tips from you that you'd love to share um, I think the first one is always to be continuously learning. So always ask questions, um, be curious, I think, um, the more questions that you ask, the more you learn. And again, it might, um influence the business that you're running or your daily habits. And, yeah, it's just a nice thing to always ask questions and be curious, um. Second one, perhaps, to believe in yourself.

Mariko Hill:

Um, there's always going to be moments where you doubt yourself or your abilities. And again, the whole imposter syndrome thing, where you might think you're never good enough, but what you have is already good enough. And especially if you've been asked to do a conference or lead a team or go to a different country, you're being asked because of the abilities that you already have. So genuinely just believe yourself. And then, maybe the third one is work-life balance. So make sure that you don't only just stick your head into business and your life revolves around your work. Of course, it's going to be times when you will be working longer hours, but it's so important for your mental health and your physical health to to do something physically active and to get out and socialize with your friends or have a movie night, um, or girls night, because, um, that keeps your sanity in check mariko, this has been amazing.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

You have really a colorful tapestry of you know, talking about your career and cricket is not, you know, something that a lot of women go into but you've shed light as to how that's developed and your passion behind it and all the initiatives that you're trying to drive as well, and also sharing the journey about you know. Working in the nutrition industry has been really exciting and I've learned a few things as well, so I look forward to following your journey forward to following your journey.

Mariko Hill:

Thank you, and I appreciate you and everyone listening if you're still listening to this um podcast to, yeah, everything that you've also done for this whole kind of movement, because I've watched a few of your episodes and I've also learned a lot of things from the many, many influential women that you've interviewed well, marie, though.

The Trailblazers Experience Podcast:

I wish you an amazing weekend, and for the audience, this has been the Trailblazers Experience podcast. You know where to find us. No-transcript.