Introduction
Hi, I'm Hijiriko Castleman, someone who has spent a lot of my own life figuring out how to turn barriers into building blocks. Boy, are there a lot of building blocks! Some of them have been knocked down and rebuilt more times than I'd like to admit, but I'm still building, and I've accepted that's just part of the human condition. There's a Japanese proverb I hold close: 七転び八起き (nana korobi, ya oki), “fall down seven times, get up eight”. That's been true for me more than once, and I know that will continue to be true for me throughout my lifetime.
I grew up working class in a rural Oregon small town, a first-generation college student, and I'm biracial, raised multicultural, late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD, and queer. None of that made things easy, and the road from there to here was anything but straight (and I've come to find very few trajectories in life are). Every step of that journey is why I do this work the way I do.
My Story
I was born in Japan and raised in Oregon, and I've spent my life moving between cultures, languages, and identities: Japanese and American, disabled and high-achieving, working class and highly-educated. I studied Japanese, German, Spanish, Arabic, and Russian languages and cultures at varying depths because I've always been drawn to understanding people through the lens of where they come from. I studied abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo and later worked as an Assistant Language Teacher in Osaka through the JET Programme, an experience that deepened both my cross-cultural fluency and my belief that identity is something we build in community, not isolation.
Earlier in my career, I created and ran a life skills program for people re-entering society after incarceration, from both the juvenile and adult systems, helping them rebuild practical skills (organization & accountability, financial wellness, and personal wellness) and a sense of self-worth. I've also worked in autism research advocacy, serving on a research advisory board helping shape more inclusive, equitable assessment practices for late-diagnosed autistic individuals from under-served backgrounds.
On a personal note, I've also done my own work around sensory seeking and stress eating that made weight management difficult for me for a long time. This year, I finally found an approach that works for me, one that doesn't require giving up the foods I love, and that's built around movement that feels good in my body. In keeping with my Mainichi philosophy, it didn't happen overnight. It came from small, consistent changes that compounded faster than I expected. I went from needing a cane to walk and being at risk for a heart attack and stroke, to running, lifting weights, and managing stress in a way that lets me actually enjoy my daily life. It's also helped reduce my sensory sensitivities and improve my self-regulation. I've lost 25 pounds, and my hope going forward is simple: to age with grace and regular activity, because motion is lotion.
My Special Interests
Outside of work, I love playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure, and I'm a big fan of South Park, 90s-early 2000s sitcoms, and cerebral, thought-provoking films. I also make it a priority to stay active, whether that's lifting weights, dancing through a round of Just Dance, traveling, or hiking with my Morkie and domestic partner. And when I'm in the kitchen, I'm usually reworking recipes for foods I love from cuisines around the world, many inspired by my travels, to be more macro-friendly without sacrificing flavor or texture.