We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Juri Love. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Juri below.
Alright, Juri thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
I ran non-profit, Genuine Voices for 12 years after graduating Berklee College of Music in Boston. We taught music to juvenile offenders and it truly changed and touched many lives,
I have received Heroes Among Us Award from Boston Celtics in 2015.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Juri Love bio:
Juri Love (AKA Goddess of Connection) is a survivor of child sex abuse, domestic violence, bullying, and homelessness. She was born and raised in Japan and was greeted by the Japanese crown prince and princess, now emperor and empress, when she was sent to the U.S.A. as an emissary at age 18. She now resides in Foxboro, MA. She has two children, Jaden and Jayla, and is thriving in her life as a single mom and entrepreneur.
She has many accolades that include being a recipient of Heroes Among Us from the NBA Boston Celtics and a Volunteerism Award from the New England Patriots. She is also an award-winning TV/Film producer, journalist, musician, model, actress, and podcaster who uses her platform to bring awareness to people suffering from similar social issues she endured. Juri was the president/founder of a non-profit called Genuine Voices which taught music to juvenile offenders in the detention program.
As an actress, she appeared in the Oscar-nominated film “Don’t Look Up” as a Japanese Reporter along with her son Jaden Onwuakor who shared the stage with Sir Mark Rylance and was directed by Oscar-winning writer/director Adam McKay. Additionally Juri worked on the Marvel Studios movie Shang-Chi at Paramount Studio in Hollywood as a photo double of Michelle Yeoh.
She has also been featured on Japanese TV in a reality show that was viewed by 7.5 million people. As an author, her book “A Gift from Adversity” was #1 on Amazon’s New Release in 3 categories in 2020. Not only that but her podcast with the same title as her book is attracting guests from all over the world sharing adversities, tools to overcome, and a gift that came from it.
As a musician, she received a scholarship to attend the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. She then started to play piano at the age of 3 and joined her mother’s band at the age of 4. After graduation, she toured nationally with the singer from The B-52’s Kate Pierson and has played piano in many venues and high-profile political events.
She hopes to use her life story to inspire others and advocate for the victims of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and other social issues.
As a verified journalist, and award-winning film/TV producer, Juri feels compelled to create and hold a space for people to be able to share their adversity and mental health and remove the stigma from society so people can strive and not regret dwelling on their trauma and challenges.
Instagram @juripanda
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11050145/
Don’t Look Up interview
https://www.wcvb.com/article/massachusetts-mother-son-starring-in-netflix-dont-look-up-movie/38593988
Podcast
https://anchor.fm/agiftfromadversity
Album “Love Frequency”
https://songwhip.com/juri-love/love-frequency
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As a survivor of many extreme adversities, I felt growing up I had no voice but now I feel as an Asian Female journalist, TV/Film producer and Musician, that I was given a true voice to advocate for many not just about my life story but also as an author and podcaster that I was able to highlight people’s adversities and I am proud to be someone who came from hardship that can provide a good space for people to feel comfortable sharing their story.
I feel honored when people are willing to share their stories through the platforms that I have and I feel responsible of how I can utilize my challenges to apply for peoples’s different situations that I can echo and advocate.
I am proud to be standing here today after everything that I went through and live another day with all the love and support that I have received so far in my life in America.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
That I feel empowered that I get to pick a story or show that I want to put it out there and I have the team behind to do so. I feel proud that overtime of hard work, as an immigrant that I was able to gain trust from American people and be able to work as a journalist and creatives that people trust the resources that I put out there.
It is rewarding to me to hear great feedback about my work and how people can connect to the information that I put out there.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @juripanda
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juripanda
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juri-love-036b7716b/
- Twitter: @juripanda
- Youtube: @juripanda
- Other: https://muckrack.com/jurilove https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11050145/?ref_=fn_al_nm_2
Image Credits
Photo by Adam Erdossy Hair Make Up by Seiko Kitagawa