July 3, 2025 • 32 mins
Ever wonder what it takes to be a trailblazer in a male-dominated world? Nadine Sachiko Hsu shares her remarkable journey as the first female drift racer in America, and how that experience shaped her into the multi-talented creator she is today. Nadine is a business owner and an establish Author of children books. Truly and inspiring story.
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Episode Transcript
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Christine Zito (00:04):
Hello and welcome once again to Arcadia.
Fyi, my name is Christine Zitoand I'm so glad that you're here
, especially on this show.
If this is your first timeyou're probably asking what is
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The podcast will feature somereally great interviews that I
(00:26):
hope that will inform, enlightenand entertain it will.
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in our cities.
We will have some fun timeaddressing those issues.
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(00:47):
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(01:09):
com, you will find all theinformation about our guests
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Why?
Because your voice counts here.
And also I want to thank oursponsors yes Longo Toyota and
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(01:52):
Limeridian Pasadena Arcadia.
All right, For your information,I have someone very special in
studio.
Can you name this person Numberone?
She is a business owner.
She's in downtown Arcadia,she's a photographer, she's an
(02:13):
author of a book and we're goingto be talking about that.
But wait, there's more.
She's a former professionalrace car driver.
Let me introduce to you Nadine.
Now, Nadine, you have to let meknow if I get your last name
right Nadine, Sachiko, Sachiko,Sachiko, Shu, yeah, Shaku,
(02:37):
Because you own Shaku.
Wait a minute, I was practicingthis before you were coming
here.
Now that you're here looking atme, I'm like, Okay, I won't
look at you, nadine Sachiko-Sue,just say that, Sachiko Studios.
Yes, Sachiko Studio yes, andwhere is it located?
Your business?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (02:55):
I'm on Santa Clara right, pretty much near
Santa Clara and First, and yeah,I've been there since 2017.
Christine Zito (03:05):
Wow, and you know, know, I have to say, for
your information, she was in thesame building and moved out,
and then I come in.
That's right, you moved to abigger.
You moved to a bigger because Ilike your studio.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:16):
Oh, thank you, thank you but yeah, it all
started here and on First Avenue.
Christine Zito (03:21):
Yeah, and if you , go to my P ure Media Marketing
website, because I also dowebsites and do online video.
The pictures, what do you callit?
The portrait that's on there.
You took that picture.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:32):
I love it.
Thank you for using that.
Christine Zito (03:36):
Well, you do some really great photography.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:39):
All right, I'm going to ask you some.
Christine Zito (03:41):
This is getting to know, Nadine.
All right, Nadine.
What is your favorite boardgame?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:47):
Ooh, Monopoly.
Christine Zito (03:48):
That is so easy.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:50):
When I was growing up I would play Monopoly
and I wouldn't know the rules.
And then I'd play with mylittle brother and I would make
up rules and we'd go inlightning round and I'd be like,
oh no, he's going broke.
Okay, lightning round.
Christine Zito (04:09):
And I would just like dump the bank and like
give it to my brother.
So yeah, monopoly, I could not.
That's one game.
That's one game I could saythat I did not enjoy, but when I
did play it, I'd take all therailroads.
Yes, where were you born andraised?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (04:15):
Arcadia, California.
I was born at Arcadia MethodistHospital when it was called.
Arcadia Methodist and I went toTemple City High and I also
went to Arcadia Methodist and Iwent to Temple City High and I
also went to Arcadia High andwent to Longley Way Elementary,
First Avenue Junior High andfinished at Arcadia.
Christine Zito (04:32):
So I never left, you never left.
Native Californian, nativeArcadian.
Do you have family, married,single?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (04:39):
Wish you were single, I am very happily
married and I have fourdaughters.
No, yes, yes, oh wow.
Christine Zito (04:48):
Yeah, you look okay.
Can I say you, you look, youlook great as a mom.
Thank you, okay.
How old are they?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (04:56):
My oldest is 28.
My and then I have a 17 yearold, 11 and, yes, struggling to
remember their ages.
There's too many.
I think that.
I think that's right, prettysure all right.
Christine Zito (05:11):
Okay, are you a dog person or a cat person?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (05:13):
cats all day .
I grew up with cats, um, Ialways had about three cats, got
married with cats, um, and it'sreally funny because in my book
there's no cats.
So we're working on the thirdbook and guess what?
There's cats.
There's going to be a cat.
You obviously have cats.
I'm giving you the exclusivebecause nobody knows that this
(05:34):
is actually.
Christine Zito (05:35):
I've never said this to anybody Say anything
until it's published.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (05:39):
Shh, don't tell so you obviously have cats
at home.
I did, I did.
So you obviously have cats athome.
I did, I did.
And you know we lost onerecently.
It's kind of sad, but you knowthat's pet ownership.
Christine Zito (05:50):
Do you have any pets at home?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (05:51):
Not right now, still mourning.
Christine Zito (05:55):
I can't.
And then I can't ask you thenext question Do you believe
that love is blind?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (06:04):
Love is blind.
Now that I think about it, I do, and and it's funny, because I
ended up falling for a guy thatdrives a really nice car, like
you know, cause, see, I'm a carperson I would judge people, you
know, based on what car theydrove.
And I really liked his car andhe's he's cute, but like
furthermore, he was like toogood to be.
Really liked his car and he'she's cute, but like.
(06:25):
Furthermore, he was like toogood to be true, and and he was
so beautiful inside as well.
So I really got lucky.
But I think if I hadn't evenmet him in person, it's just I
would have met my soulmatewithout seeing him.
It would be the same becausehe's just that's what really
connected us.
Christine Zito (06:44):
Yes, wonderful, the love of my life.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (06:46):
Yeah, benson we met from racing.
Do you believe in heaven?
Christine Zito (06:52):
oh yeah, it's there, it's there all right,
okay, so we can continue on nowwith the with the interview good
questions all right, I knowwell there's.
There's like what?
Six pages there?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (07:01):
I don't want to give them all to you.
Christine Zito (07:03):
There's so there were some.
I was looking at them all.
I think they do it like these,oh yeah okay, first question I I
need to talk about this becauseyou know, I love sports okay,
okay, I am go Dodgers.
Yes, I mean totally yep, yep,go Rams.
I love their anything LosAngeles.
So I want to talk about yourprofessional driving days yes,
yes you would okay.
(07:25):
Someone told me you you were adrifter.
Is that what it's?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (07:28):
called yeah, yeah.
So I joined drifting.
I was the first female in theUnited States to pursue drifting
, thank you.
And guess where it all started?
It started at IrwindaleSpeedway.
Yes, and long live IrwindaleSpeedway recently closed, but
yeah.
So my first driftingexperiences were at Irwindale
(07:49):
Speedway and those were thefirst sanctioned drifting events
in the United States of Americaand I was really lucky to be
the first female to stomp onthose grounds and I eventually
met some other girls.
I started mentoring a lot ofwomen because I didn't like
being alone and, come on, like,drifting is fun, it's like going
(08:11):
bowling to me, but it's withyour car and you slide in your
ice skate with your car.
But it's a professionalmotorsport in Japan that
migrated over here to the Statesback in the early 2000s and so
I pursued that and I went proand I drove the national
drifting series called FormulaDrift and I was a 14 sponsored
back driver and, yeah, I hadendorsements and I would ship my
(08:36):
car all over the United Statesand represent my sponsors and I
was brand ambassador for manycompanies like Yokohama Tire,
kumho Tire.
And I was brand ambassador formany companies like Yokohama
Tire, kumho Tire and lots ofother like Sparko, the people
who make the racing suits, hjchelmets.
So yeah, I had a lot of reallycool sponsors and I competed and
(08:57):
you know then I retired.
I mean, did you winchampionships?
I think I was really successfulat the smaller, local, non-pro
competitions.
Professional driving is sonerve wracking and it's not.
It all of a sudden separatesthe people with the strong head
game versus the people that likethey have great skills.
(09:18):
But you've got to have both.
You've got to be thinking likea killer, like a champion and
you know I crashed a few timesand it really kind of messed up
my confidence and you know itjust gets in your head and you
see it in the movies but likeit's a real thing.
So then, any time I would eversee K-rails when I'm drifting, I
would think about the time thatI ran into a K-rail and it was
(09:38):
just like messing with my headand people paid me a lot of
money to drive and you have alot of pressure.
So when it's not fun you don'twant to do it.
So I love driving localdrifting competitions and
whooping everyone's butt so muchfun.
Do you still drift?
I still drift to this day.
Christine Zito (09:56):
I want to be invited.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (09:57):
Yeah, I should throw a little chamber
Arcadia Chamber of Commercedrifting event that would be
really funny.
We should, I know right, KarenMcNair, are you listening?
And Santa Anita racetrack Ineed your parking lot.
Christine Zito (10:09):
You know what?
Pete, pete.
Where's Pete?
We need to get Pete, yeah weneed to have a talk.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (10:15):
Yeah, we need to.
Christine Zito (10:15):
Yes that is just you know.
I just think that is just acool part of your life, yeah
it's so interesting it's.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (10:21):
It's a lifestyle and it was a chapter
of my life, but it's a lifestylethat I'm currently still.
It's still very much a part ofmy life and we're going to talk
about your car and where's that?
Christine Zito (10:30):
at a little bit later, because I do want to get
into what I really brought youin here for Thank you.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (10:36):
You wrote a book.
I wrote a couple books.
Christine Zito (10:39):
Yes, you wrote a couple of books and I'm holding
both the books, both of them.
Oh man, okay, this is so unique.
Okay, I'm telling you this iswhen I grow up, I would like to
be Nadine.
I mean, she's a photographer,business owner, first woman to
be a drifter in car racing, andshe's an author of two books,
(10:59):
and they're children books.
And so let's talk about theBully.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (11:04):
Yeah, sachiko and the Bully.
This book I wrote and thesebooks are all tightly based on
my experiences in racing.
And I wrote this book because Iwas bullied and it was really
difficult being one of the onlyfemales in my drifting field to
go out on the track.
So I was bullied on theinternet and a lot of people
(11:29):
said some really mean thingsabout me, but of course they
weren't there with me driving,it was like behind their
computer screen and I.
It was very difficult becausewhen you're the only one, it's
kind of like the reputation ofall women are on your shoulders
yes and so that, like, my timewasn't very easy, and so I
wanted to write about that.
So I I didn't say the internetin this book, because it's kind
(11:50):
of weird, because it's a kid'sbook, so I just said there's a
bully named Ned, but Ned is arepresentation of the haters on
the internet that I had to dealwith.
But, um, you know, it's a very,very true story and I had
people laughing at me, um,talking behind my back,
whispering about me, and and youalways feel that all eyes are
(12:10):
on you when you're kind of thespectacle, which I was at the
time.
So, you know, it's not alwayslike easy peasy and fun, and
it's not fun being a trailblazer, and so, yeah, that's what the
book is about, but it's got areally happy ending actually.
Christine Zito (12:26):
You know this is I do.
Yeah, it does have.
This is a serious issue.
So, just talking about thatbullying, yep, did it take you
down a road of, I'll just say it, depression and you know,
trying to find your identity.
I mean, and then did you gethelp, Did you?
(12:48):
I mean, what would you say tosomebody?
You know, I go through this.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (12:52):
Yeah, a lot of it.
It magnifies your self-doubt andit magnifies your imposter
syndrome, because we all have itright To a certain extent right
, and it just balloons it and itbecomes so overwhelming that
then you don't realize what'struth and what's actually
something you've made up in yourmind, because one person said
(13:13):
something that was hurtful butit's really not indicative of,
like, what the world thinks andalso, what do you care about
what they think?
And so that was a big thing inracing was trying to remember
that like it's about yourdriving.
It's not about what peoplethink about you and and bullying
, it's just.
Like it's about your driving.
It's not about what peoplethink about you and and bullying
it's just like it's the samething.
It's like I don't really yeah,so you don't like me, and this
(13:35):
guy's threatened by me, and sothat's why he's taking out on me
and bullying me.
But it's like trying to makesure that you keep that
perspective that he may bestruggling with something and
maybe that's why they're sayingsomething but how did you, you
get there?
Christine Zito (13:46):
I mean, you didn't do that right away?
No way, no way it can take youdown.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (13:51):
It can take you down.
But I really looked to myfriends and told them, and I
opened up to them about how Ifelt and they they instantly
told me they're like why do youlook to put salt in your wounds
and keep reading all those badcomments about you?
And and I just I couldn't.
It was like also my fault, forI just kept going to look for
(14:14):
the bad things, all the bullyingcomments, and I got a lot of
reassurance from not only myfriends but my mentors and they
really told me the mostimportant thing was to just
focus on moving forward and notworry about what people think of
me.
And they kept saying it overand over again and they said if
you're not having fun, you'renot going to drive well and you
(14:36):
need to remember that.
And so it was very difficultfor me and I think that's
probably why I didn't continueprofessionally racing, because
the bullying was too much for me.
So then I kind of retreated andkind of went back to my roots
and realized I have more funjust competing locally and
having fun with my friends and Idon't want all this pressure
(14:58):
and I don't like the spotlightbecause it brings this and my
mental wasn't like the A game,so I think over time, did you?
ever want to quit All the time.
Christine Zito (15:09):
All the time.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (15:09):
Every time I failed, like if I had a bad
race or if I crashed, or youknow, everybody has bad days,
that's.
It was like you know what?
I think I should just stop.
And I told my significant other, benson, who I'm now married to
, and I would tell him everytime and he's like just go to
bed and like we'll talk about ittomorrow and if you feel like
(15:34):
that again tomorrow or in a week, let's talk.
But right now you've really gotto get out of your head.
And so I needed someone to kindof remind me like you are
talking nonsense, wake up and um, and so that was.
It was really hard.
But and then when I would spinout, if I do a drift, and then I
wouldn't finish it immediately,i'm'm just like you're so dumb,
you're so dumb, this sucks.
I'm so stupid.
Everyone's watching me, Ishould just go home.
So it was like a constant fight.
(15:57):
And how did you overcome that?
Failing so many times andrealizing this is a part of my
progress, and I would mentorother women who were going
through it and that kind ofbrought me out of it.
Because then I'm like I knowexactly how you feel and let me
tell you it's not right, you?
You're getting in your own head.
(16:17):
No one's watching you and noone really cares, it's only you.
And then I started mentoringthat and then all of a sudden
you become a better teacher whenyou teach people.
Yeah right, I was just gonna sayyes, it does make you stronger
when you can share.
That's right.
So I think when I was mentoringmy students, I think that's
what really, you know, healed me, yeah, and I went on to do many
(16:39):
more, greater things than justdriving and to me it was like a
stepping stone that gave me thisreally strong foundation to
rock it off of, to do amazingthings like write books and
start a business and startanother business.
And you know like I feel likeracing to some people is huge,
but to me it was just like itwas a stepping stone and I owe a
(17:02):
lot to drifting, but I've goneso much further.
Christine Zito (17:07):
I think it just set the stage to where you're at
today.
You know life, how life doesthat.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (17:11):
It was the obstacle course.
Yeah, you know, I passed.
Christine Zito (17:14):
Yeah, well you did, because look at now, from
racing you married the dream ofyour life and then here you got
these books, yeah, and you canshare with other children that
life is scary.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (17:28):
Yeah.
Christine Zito (17:29):
But you can work through it.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (17:31):
Yeah, and also I want to show children
that girls race cars and I wantto normalize that, because so
many of the kids that I read tothey go this is not real right
and I go no, sweetheart, no,that's me Like this book is
about me, and they're like wait,you, you drive, and so just
kind of teaching kids that likedon't judge a book by the cover.
(17:53):
And yeah, plenty of women racecars, it's very common, and so
that's that's what I aim to get.
Like you know what I hope to dowith these books, and I've I've
had a lot of opportunities togo to schools, both public and
private, to read these books andI get such a good response from
not only the girls but the boystoo.
Christine Zito (18:13):
Yeah, because Ned ends up coming around.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (18:16):
Oh yeah, the bully.
Christine Zito (18:18):
I don't want to give it away, but yeah, but yes,
I mean it's a good book and Ithink it's a great book for any
parent to give to their childthey're having problems in.
Probably I would say I, I don'tknow.
You can tell me I I bullystarts in elementary, but I
could be younger, younger, yeahthat's right.
(18:38):
I think this is a great book.
Now on the back of your book itsays drifting pretty yes who
are?
Who are these people?
So these are yeah, that's my.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (18:47):
I ran Drifting Pretty.
I founded it in 2003, a yearafter I started drifting,
because I wanted to get morewomen onto the racetrack, and so
a lot of these females that Imet, we kind of got together and
we're like I'm going to doDrifting Pretty, we're going to
meet every month, we're going towork on cars together.
We're going to work on carstogether.
(19:08):
We're going to get carstogether.
We're gonna get sponsors, we'regonna go driving together.
We're gonna support each otherand, um, learn together and kind
of come up in the rankstogether, um and so, uh, those
are the girls that are indrifting pretty today.
It's still around.
They're all racers, their carslook like that in real life and
(19:28):
I love, I love them and we'vebecome such great friends and
they've went on to do so manymore amazing things than just
drifting like they need to do abook on their little story yes,
stories of the drifters andthere's a couple of guys in
there yeah, we my husband Benson, and he was our head instructor
, that kind of like helpedmentor the ladies and and then
(19:49):
Mark, okay, I'm showing this.
Christine Zito (19:51):
If you're watching this on YouTube.
I'm bringing this up there andI'll put a and I'll blow it up,
and so this is her husband righthere and I'm taking these are
your children.
Yeah, oh man what a beautifulfamily, thank you.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:03):
I'm jealous.
Christine Zito (20:05):
Oh, there's your wedding.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:06):
Yeah, we got married.
And my husband and I gotmarried and we both brought our
own race cars to the wedding, soour cars got married at our
wedding and then a car magazinecovered our wedding, so our
photos ended up in a carmagazine.
Christine Zito (20:22):
Whose car is faster, yours?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:24):
or yours.
Oh, mine all day, all day, girlAll day.
Okay, so that's the bullying.
Christine Zito (20:29):
I want to talk about Go Racing.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:31):
Yeah, sachiko Goes Racing is my origin
story, so this is kind of howit all started, because I dreamt
about it, I watched it and Iwould sit passenger in the seat
and it just wasn't the same.
I was like you know what?
I'm going to just do it myself.
And then it talks about justgoing through daily life,
(20:52):
anticipating what's going tohappen at the racetrack, and
you're scared and you mightcrash your car and you're
doubting yourself and you'regetting a stomach ache because
you're getting so nervous.
And then you know, at the endof the book Sachiko goes to the
racetrack and you'll have toread the book to find out.
But that's kind of how itstarted with me and I was in my
head a lot, and I don't know ifit's my personality or me being
(21:15):
a female or what, but you know,instantly when I think of
something new, I think of allthe bad things that are going to
happen, because I feel like animposter.
Right, I'm not owning, I'm nota driver, I'm an imposter.
And it's like OK, I think Imight crash.
Oh, okay, I think everyone'sgonna watch me.
Oh, I think I might get hurt.
And then it kind of ruins it,right, and then it's you should,
(21:37):
but you should really just lookforward to it.
So it's it.
We kind of talk about that inthe, in the book.
Christine Zito (21:42):
I do like.
Okay, on one of the page pagesit says it's my favorite page.
It's a picture of you and yourthinking.
There's these pictures of thesethoughts.
One of them are like theseghostly demons, and another one
is a car crashing up in flames.
And this is what she's thinking.
At school, she daydreams aboutracing her car.
And then she started worryingwhat if I'm not good at racing?
(22:07):
What if people laugh at me?
What if I crash my pretty car?
Her tummy hurt and her handsgot sweaty.
Was she ready?
You'll have to read the book tofind out, you'll have to read
the book yeah, I'm sorry, buthere it is right here, I'm
showing it again up into thecamera.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (22:27):
And that page I got feedback from a lot
of the the kids that have mybook is that that's actually the
scariest page in the book.
It is, and so some kids skipthat page because they're so
scared of the pictures of, likeyou know, the demons and the car
burning.
Christine Zito (22:45):
Those are true pictures that's exactly what was
going through my head of fearfear.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (22:48):
That's right , because our minds go really
far and it's just silly thatstuff didn't happen and it never
did all the times I've gonedrifting.
But it's just your mind createsthis weird.
Christine Zito (23:00):
What do they say ?
That your fears, most of them,never happen.
Yeah, they only happen in ourmind.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (23:05):
That's right .
Minds are a funny thing, aren'tthey?
They are Right.
Minds are a funny thing aren'tthey, they are Stop it mind, I
know, is there a way we can?
Christine Zito (23:11):
train them.
I just you know what, during myfears, I just ask God, please,
please, give me your peace.
And you know, the reason why Ibring this up and we have this
conversation is because when Istarted in the entertainment
industry, my first time ever onthe air it's funny how we
remember, out of all the yearsalmost 17 years I remember the
(23:34):
first call from a listener, thevery first call, and I pick up
the phone and she says why areyou so happy?
Oh, what?
You think that we want tolisten to happy people?
And it's, and to this day, Iday, I can hear her voice, I can
hear her tone and it's weirdthat our mind, and you know then
(23:56):
all the other calls that camein that said oh, we love you
didn't even, yeah, you latchedon to the one anomaly.
Yeah, the one that was just sonegative.
And you have to learn in theentertainment industry and I'm
pretty sure in any type ofsporting you just have to have,
you just have to learn in theentertainment industry and I'm
pretty sure in any type ofsporting you just have to have,
you just have to let the waterroll off a duck's trickle off.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (24:15):
Yeah, that's right just.
Christine Zito (24:17):
I had to learn.
I'm not saying I'm perfect atit.
I've been away from theindustry for a while and, being
a business owner, you're in awhole new world yeah, of
negativity that's right and youjust have to just work past that
.
That's right.
And speaking of having your ownbusiness, you're a photographer
, I am.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (24:37):
I am.
Christine Zito (24:37):
I have a portrait studio let's talk about
how you got into.
Okay, so you go drifting.
Yeah, you're an author andyou're a photographer.
Now you have this business it'sall linked.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (24:48):
It's all linked from drifting, because
when I was in drifting, I wouldalways be photographed by these
guy photographers that werereally bad.
And you know, being a femaledriver, I want to be known for
my driving.
I don't want to just be sexy,I'm not a model, I'm a driver.
And so they would always belike show me sexy.
And I'm just like what Can Ijust show you happy?
They're like unbutton yourracing suit and I'm like, oh my
(25:10):
God, you guys, these are theworst.
And so it really.
And then I would photograph mystudents in Drifting Pretty and
I'm like you know what this iscool, like photographing people
and making them feel comfortablein their own skin, because
that's my thing is, these guysdid not know how to photograph
me Right, they were just liketreating me like I was meat and
(25:34):
so, um, I that kind of became myspecialty and I kind of learned
from my students like whatworked best in in photographing
girls who hate beingphotographed.
And then, um, and then I hadkids and then I was very
inspired by like just wanting todocument things.
And then people started askingme and I'm like you know what
this might not be a bad job,because this is, I find, passion
(25:54):
.
I'm passionate about makingpeople feel comfortable in front
of the camera and, um, I feltlike there wasn't enough nice
photographers that do that.
They're more just like artypeople that don't look at you as
a human, but they look at youas like a subject.
And so, um, I started SachikoStudio in 2011 and a few years
later, I got a studio in thisvery office building and, um,
(26:19):
yeah, and I, I grew, I doubledthe the space in two years and
then I quadrupled the spaceanother year later because of
the demand for these kind ofportraits like people.
Really, it really resonatedwith people.
Like this is actually it makesphotography like getting photo
shoots like fun and addictiverather than like a chore, right,
(26:40):
Do you think that writingstories, your pictures, tell
stories?
Yeah, yeah, I mean my, when I'm,I don't illustrate these.
I have an illustrator, but whenI have her illustrate my
stories, they're myillustrations in my mind and I
tell her and everything becomesone in the book.
(27:03):
So I'm just I wish I could draw.
But if I drew, this is exactlywhat was in my mind and I don't
kind of let them deviate and um.
Christine Zito (27:13):
I think it's great.
I have to say this that when Ifirst met you and I was going to
my first photo shoot with youuh-huh, you sit me down and you
and I the very first thing Isaid to you I don't like studio,
I just don't want to be in thestudio because I feel like it
doesn't reflect me.
Yeah, you were damaged.
I was damaged, yeah, yes, andyou're all in.
(27:34):
And you were just like I justdon't want to be in the studio
because I feel like it doesn'treflect me.
Yeah, you were damaged.
I was damaged, yeah, yes, andyou were just like okay, I'm
pretty sure you already had itall set up, but you were so good
at changing plans, oh, thankyou.
So we went outside and we didoutside and I felt like I felt
great, yeah.
But then I liked your honesty.
When we were getting ready todo the second one, you're like
OK, I'm doing your makeup, I'mdoing your hair, because I want
(27:55):
there's more to you.
Yeah, that is great.
Yeah, nadine, that you you lookbeyond when it comes, and that's
why I asked you the questionabout story, because you're good
.
You're a good storyteller,thank you, and you know how to
share that in a picture ofsomebody to tell their story.
Thank you.
Yeah, I'm passionate about it,but I think it comes from being
(28:20):
photographed right.
Yes.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (28:22):
But I want to tell their people's stories,
pictures tell a thousand words.
They do If they can only talk,right yeah.
Christine Zito (28:29):
That's true Only if they can talk.
So where can people find your?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (28:32):
book.
You can find my book online atSachikoGoesRacingcom that's
S-A-C-H-I-K-O.
Goes Racing dot com.
Also at the Santa Anita Mall,if you're there at Kinokuniya,
it's a bookstore next to Adidas,on the second floor across from
See's Candy.
They also carry my book um,they're one of my biggest
(28:52):
distributors.
And also at the petersonautomotive museum in los angeles
.
They're another big distributorof mine and that's what we're
getting to.
Christine Zito (29:00):
and, by the way, I just want to let you know
also too, if you go to arcadiafyicom, I'll have all this
information on there also.
Your car is in a museum?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (29:12):
Yes, it's going there.
She's getting packed up rightnow.
Yeah, my car, my original racecar that I got in 1998, that's
when I got it and it traveledwith me and I crashed a million
times and changed the colorthree times.
But I'm in an exhibit with theJapanese American National
(29:34):
Museum and there's an exhibit atArt Center in Pasadena called
Cruising J-Town and they'refeaturing Japanese Americans in
the automotive industry and Iget to be in that exhibit in my
car and it's yes.
Thank you.
Thank you, it's an honor.
(29:54):
We've been working on theexhibit for five, six years.
I know that it's even longer inthe making, but that exhibit
runs July 31st through November12th.
You can visit janmorg for moreinformation on Cruising J-Town
that is the name of the exhibit.
Christine Zito (30:15):
Okay, and I'll get more of that.
Yeah, thank you so much.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (30:19):
Thank you, Christina.
Christine Zito (30:21):
For being on Arcadia FYI and for your
information.
You can her you also yourwebsite to your photography.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (30:30):
Yes, it's SachikoStudio.
com, that's s-a-c-h-i-k-o studio.
com, and again it will also beon arcadiafyi.
comthank you so much thank you,
Christina success and FYI, thisis super fun.
Thank you so much for theinvitation.
It's an honor to be here andlong live the city of Arcadia.
(30:51):
I love Arcadia, born and raised, never left, not going anywhere
.
Thanks, guys.
Christine Zito (30:58):
Isn't Nadine the greatest right here, an
Arcadian in the city of Arcadia?
For your information, you canfind all the information that
Nadine talked about atArcadiaFYI.
com, as you will for all theguests that come on this show.
Remember, you can hear ArcadiaFYI at ArcadiaFYI.
com or on your favorite podcastchannel like YouTube, Apple
(31:21):
Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon MusiciHeart radio , and if you have
anything you want to hear, Iwant to hear about it and you
can do that by going toArcadiaFYI.
com.
Fill out the form and I willget in touch with you and work
on getting that show on ArcadiaFYI.
I would like to thank our LongoToyota in El Monte.
(31:45):
You got to stop by.
They're on this huge acreage,it's like a mall.
You just got to check it.
Star 7 Financial with FrancineChu.
I love you.
The Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Chelsea.
You are wonderful.
Pete's even going to be on.
Pete Siberell is going to be ontalking about the Olympics and
other things that you probablydon't even know that.
(32:06):
Go on at the Santa Anita Park.
It's really a lot of fun.
And to Gabby and Blanca over atthe Limeridian Pasadena Arcadia
Hotel.
They're great people.
I love that hotel.
You got to go to the bar, yougot to go to the restaurant.
There's so many things thathappen in Arcadia.
Until next time, on Arcadia FYI, be blessed and make it a great
day.
(32:26):
Make it a great week.
Hello and welcome once again to Arcadia.
Fyi, my name is Christine Zitoand I'm so glad that you're here
, especially on this show.
If this is your first timeyou're probably asking what is
Arcadia FYI?
It's a show that is focused oncommunity here in the city of
Arcadia.
The podcast will feature somereally great interviews that I
(00:26):
hope that will inform, enlightenand entertain it will.
Yeah, it's going to addresssome of the issues because I'm a
resident of the city of ArcadiaSome of the local issues here
in our cities.
We will have some fun timeaddressing those issues.
Furthermore, I will provideinformation about activities
(00:47):
outside our community so thatyou and your family and friends
can participate and enjoy.
Where can you hear Arcadia FYI?
Well, at ArcadiaFYI.
com or on your favorite podcastchannel like YouTube, Apple
Podcasts, Spotify, AmazonPodcasts and iHeartRadio.
Also, when you go to ArcadiaFYI.
(01:09):
com, you will find all theinformation about our guests
that we have here on the show.
But you yes, you can tell mewhat you want to hear on Arcadia
FYI, whether it be about yourconcerns in the city or if you
know of events in the city oroutside the city that you would
like to share.
Please let me know.
(01:31):
It's easy to do Just go toArcadia FYI, fill out the form.
It will come to me and I willlook at it and get it on the
show.
Why?
Because your voice counts here.
And also I want to thank oursponsors yes Longo Toyota and
Star 7 Financial Services, theSanta Anita Park and the
(01:52):
Limeridian Pasadena Arcadia.
All right, For your information,I have someone very special in
studio.
Can you name this person Numberone?
She is a business owner.
She's in downtown Arcadia,she's a photographer, she's an
(02:13):
author of a book and we're goingto be talking about that.
But wait, there's more.
She's a former professionalrace car driver.
Let me introduce to you Nadine.
Now, Nadine, you have to let meknow if I get your last name
right Nadine, Sachiko, Sachiko,Sachiko, Shu, yeah, Shaku,
(02:37):
Because you own Shaku.
Wait a minute, I was practicingthis before you were coming
here.
Now that you're here looking atme, I'm like, Okay, I won't
look at you, nadine Sachiko-Sue,just say that, Sachiko Studios.
Yes, Sachiko Studio yes, andwhere is it located?
Your business?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (02:55):
I'm on Santa Clara right, pretty much near
Santa Clara and First, and yeah,I've been there since 2017.
Christine Zito (03:05):
Wow, and you know, know, I have to say, for
your information, she was in thesame building and moved out,
and then I come in.
That's right, you moved to abigger.
You moved to a bigger because Ilike your studio.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:16):
Oh, thank you, thank you but yeah, it all
started here and on First Avenue.
Christine Zito (03:21):
Yeah, and if you , go to my P ure Media Marketing
website, because I also dowebsites and do online video.
The pictures, what do you callit?
The portrait that's on there.
You took that picture.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:32):
I love it.
Thank you for using that.
Christine Zito (03:36):
Well, you do some really great photography.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:39):
All right, I'm going to ask you some.
Christine Zito (03:41):
This is getting to know, Nadine.
All right, Nadine.
What is your favorite boardgame?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:47):
Ooh, Monopoly.
Christine Zito (03:48):
That is so easy.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (03:50):
When I was growing up I would play Monopoly
and I wouldn't know the rules.
And then I'd play with mylittle brother and I would make
up rules and we'd go inlightning round and I'd be like,
oh no, he's going broke.
Okay, lightning round.
Christine Zito (04:09):
And I would just like dump the bank and like
give it to my brother.
So yeah, monopoly, I could not.
That's one game.
That's one game I could saythat I did not enjoy, but when I
did play it, I'd take all therailroads.
Yes, where were you born andraised?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (04:15):
Arcadia, California.
I was born at Arcadia MethodistHospital when it was called.
Arcadia Methodist and I went toTemple City High and I also
went to Arcadia Methodist and Iwent to Temple City High and I
also went to Arcadia High andwent to Longley Way Elementary,
First Avenue Junior High andfinished at Arcadia.
Christine Zito (04:32):
So I never left, you never left.
Native Californian, nativeArcadian.
Do you have family, married,single?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (04:39):
Wish you were single, I am very happily
married and I have fourdaughters.
No, yes, yes, oh wow.
Christine Zito (04:48):
Yeah, you look okay.
Can I say you, you look, youlook great as a mom.
Thank you, okay.
How old are they?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (04:56):
My oldest is 28.
My and then I have a 17 yearold, 11 and, yes, struggling to
remember their ages.
There's too many.
I think that.
I think that's right, prettysure all right.
Christine Zito (05:11):
Okay, are you a dog person or a cat person?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (05:13):
cats all day .
I grew up with cats, um, Ialways had about three cats, got
married with cats, um, and it'sreally funny because in my book
there's no cats.
So we're working on the thirdbook and guess what?
There's cats.
There's going to be a cat.
You obviously have cats.
I'm giving you the exclusivebecause nobody knows that this
(05:34):
is actually.
Christine Zito (05:35):
I've never said this to anybody Say anything
until it's published.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (05:39):
Shh, don't tell so you obviously have cats
at home.
I did, I did.
So you obviously have cats athome.
I did, I did.
And you know we lost onerecently.
It's kind of sad, but you knowthat's pet ownership.
Christine Zito (05:50):
Do you have any pets at home?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (05:51):
Not right now, still mourning.
Christine Zito (05:55):
I can't.
And then I can't ask you thenext question Do you believe
that love is blind?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (06:04):
Love is blind.
Now that I think about it, I do, and and it's funny, because I
ended up falling for a guy thatdrives a really nice car, like
you know, cause, see, I'm a carperson I would judge people, you
know, based on what car theydrove.
And I really liked his car andhe's he's cute, but like
furthermore, he was like toogood to be.
Really liked his car and he'she's cute, but like.
(06:25):
Furthermore, he was like toogood to be true, and and he was
so beautiful inside as well.
So I really got lucky.
But I think if I hadn't evenmet him in person, it's just I
would have met my soulmatewithout seeing him.
It would be the same becausehe's just that's what really
connected us.
Christine Zito (06:44):
Yes, wonderful, the love of my life.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (06:46):
Yeah, benson we met from racing.
Do you believe in heaven?
Christine Zito (06:52):
oh yeah, it's there, it's there all right,
okay, so we can continue on nowwith the with the interview good
questions all right, I knowwell there's.
There's like what?
Six pages there?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (07:01):
I don't want to give them all to you.
Christine Zito (07:03):
There's so there were some.
I was looking at them all.
I think they do it like these,oh yeah okay, first question I I
need to talk about this becauseyou know, I love sports okay,
okay, I am go Dodgers.
Yes, I mean totally yep, yep,go Rams.
I love their anything LosAngeles.
So I want to talk about yourprofessional driving days yes,
yes you would okay.
(07:25):
Someone told me you you were adrifter.
Is that what it's?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (07:28):
called yeah, yeah.
So I joined drifting.
I was the first female in theUnited States to pursue drifting
, thank you.
And guess where it all started?
It started at IrwindaleSpeedway.
Yes, and long live IrwindaleSpeedway recently closed, but
yeah.
So my first driftingexperiences were at Irwindale
(07:49):
Speedway and those were thefirst sanctioned drifting events
in the United States of Americaand I was really lucky to be
the first female to stomp onthose grounds and I eventually
met some other girls.
I started mentoring a lot ofwomen because I didn't like
being alone and, come on, like,drifting is fun, it's like going
(08:11):
bowling to me, but it's withyour car and you slide in your
ice skate with your car.
But it's a professionalmotorsport in Japan that
migrated over here to the Statesback in the early 2000s and so
I pursued that and I went proand I drove the national
drifting series called FormulaDrift and I was a 14 sponsored
back driver and, yeah, I hadendorsements and I would ship my
(08:36):
car all over the United Statesand represent my sponsors and I
was brand ambassador for manycompanies like Yokohama Tire,
kumho Tire.
And I was brand ambassador formany companies like Yokohama
Tire, kumho Tire and lots ofother like Sparko, the people
who make the racing suits, hjchelmets.
So yeah, I had a lot of reallycool sponsors and I competed and
(08:57):
you know then I retired.
I mean, did you winchampionships?
I think I was really successfulat the smaller, local, non-pro
competitions.
Professional driving is sonerve wracking and it's not.
It all of a sudden separatesthe people with the strong head
game versus the people that likethey have great skills.
(09:18):
But you've got to have both.
You've got to be thinking likea killer, like a champion and
you know I crashed a few timesand it really kind of messed up
my confidence and you know itjust gets in your head and you
see it in the movies but likeit's a real thing.
So then, any time I would eversee K-rails when I'm drifting, I
would think about the time thatI ran into a K-rail and it was
(09:38):
just like messing with my headand people paid me a lot of
money to drive and you have alot of pressure.
So when it's not fun you don'twant to do it.
So I love driving localdrifting competitions and
whooping everyone's butt so muchfun.
Do you still drift?
I still drift to this day.
Christine Zito (09:56):
I want to be invited.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (09:57):
Yeah, I should throw a little chamber
Arcadia Chamber of Commercedrifting event that would be
really funny.
We should, I know right, KarenMcNair, are you listening?
And Santa Anita racetrack Ineed your parking lot.
Christine Zito (10:09):
You know what?
Pete, pete.
Where's Pete?
We need to get Pete, yeah weneed to have a talk.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (10:15):
Yeah, we need to.
Christine Zito (10:15):
Yes that is just you know.
I just think that is just acool part of your life, yeah
it's so interesting it's.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (10:21):
It's a lifestyle and it was a chapter
of my life, but it's a lifestylethat I'm currently still.
It's still very much a part ofmy life and we're going to talk
about your car and where's that?
Christine Zito (10:30):
at a little bit later, because I do want to get
into what I really brought youin here for Thank you.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (10:36):
You wrote a book.
I wrote a couple books.
Christine Zito (10:39):
Yes, you wrote a couple of books and I'm holding
both the books, both of them.
Oh man, okay, this is so unique.
Okay, I'm telling you this iswhen I grow up, I would like to
be Nadine.
I mean, she's a photographer,business owner, first woman to
be a drifter in car racing, andshe's an author of two books,
(10:59):
and they're children books.
And so let's talk about theBully.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (11:04):
Yeah, sachiko and the Bully.
This book I wrote and thesebooks are all tightly based on
my experiences in racing.
And I wrote this book because Iwas bullied and it was really
difficult being one of the onlyfemales in my drifting field to
go out on the track.
So I was bullied on theinternet and a lot of people
(11:29):
said some really mean thingsabout me, but of course they
weren't there with me driving,it was like behind their
computer screen and I.
It was very difficult becausewhen you're the only one, it's
kind of like the reputation ofall women are on your shoulders
yes and so that, like, my timewasn't very easy, and so I
wanted to write about that.
So I I didn't say the internetin this book, because it's kind
(11:50):
of weird, because it's a kid'sbook, so I just said there's a
bully named Ned, but Ned is arepresentation of the haters on
the internet that I had to dealwith.
But, um, you know, it's a very,very true story and I had
people laughing at me, um,talking behind my back,
whispering about me, and and youalways feel that all eyes are
(12:10):
on you when you're kind of thespectacle, which I was at the
time.
So, you know, it's not alwayslike easy peasy and fun, and
it's not fun being a trailblazer, and so, yeah, that's what the
book is about, but it's got areally happy ending actually.
Christine Zito (12:26):
You know this is I do.
Yeah, it does have.
This is a serious issue.
So, just talking about thatbullying, yep, did it take you
down a road of, I'll just say it, depression and you know,
trying to find your identity.
I mean, and then did you gethelp, Did you?
(12:48):
I mean, what would you say tosomebody?
You know, I go through this.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (12:52):
Yeah, a lot of it.
It magnifies your self-doubt andit magnifies your imposter
syndrome, because we all have itright To a certain extent right
, and it just balloons it and itbecomes so overwhelming that
then you don't realize what'struth and what's actually
something you've made up in yourmind, because one person said
(13:13):
something that was hurtful butit's really not indicative of,
like, what the world thinks andalso, what do you care about
what they think?
And so that was a big thing inracing was trying to remember
that like it's about yourdriving.
It's not about what peoplethink about you and and bullying
, it's just.
Like it's about your driving.
It's not about what peoplethink about you and and bullying
it's just like it's the samething.
It's like I don't really yeah,so you don't like me, and this
(13:35):
guy's threatened by me, and sothat's why he's taking out on me
and bullying me.
But it's like trying to makesure that you keep that
perspective that he may bestruggling with something and
maybe that's why they're sayingsomething but how did you, you
get there?
Christine Zito (13:46):
I mean, you didn't do that right away?
No way, no way it can take youdown.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (13:51):
It can take you down.
But I really looked to myfriends and told them, and I
opened up to them about how Ifelt and they they instantly
told me they're like why do youlook to put salt in your wounds
and keep reading all those badcomments about you?
And and I just I couldn't.
It was like also my fault, forI just kept going to look for
(14:14):
the bad things, all the bullyingcomments, and I got a lot of
reassurance from not only myfriends but my mentors and they
really told me the mostimportant thing was to just
focus on moving forward and notworry about what people think of
me.
And they kept saying it overand over again and they said if
you're not having fun, you'renot going to drive well and you
(14:36):
need to remember that.
And so it was very difficultfor me and I think that's
probably why I didn't continueprofessionally racing, because
the bullying was too much for me.
So then I kind of retreated andkind of went back to my roots
and realized I have more funjust competing locally and
having fun with my friends and Idon't want all this pressure
(14:58):
and I don't like the spotlightbecause it brings this and my
mental wasn't like the A game,so I think over time, did you?
ever want to quit All the time.
Christine Zito (15:09):
All the time.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (15:09):
Every time I failed, like if I had a bad
race or if I crashed, or youknow, everybody has bad days,
that's.
It was like you know what?
I think I should just stop.
And I told my significant other, benson, who I'm now married to
, and I would tell him everytime and he's like just go to
bed and like we'll talk about ittomorrow and if you feel like
(15:34):
that again tomorrow or in a week, let's talk.
But right now you've really gotto get out of your head.
And so I needed someone to kindof remind me like you are
talking nonsense, wake up and um, and so that was.
It was really hard.
But and then when I would spinout, if I do a drift, and then I
wouldn't finish it immediately,i'm'm just like you're so dumb,
you're so dumb, this sucks.
I'm so stupid.
Everyone's watching me, Ishould just go home.
So it was like a constant fight.
(15:57):
And how did you overcome that?
Failing so many times andrealizing this is a part of my
progress, and I would mentorother women who were going
through it and that kind ofbrought me out of it.
Because then I'm like I knowexactly how you feel and let me
tell you it's not right, you?
You're getting in your own head.
(16:17):
No one's watching you and noone really cares, it's only you.
And then I started mentoringthat and then all of a sudden
you become a better teacher whenyou teach people.
Yeah right, I was just gonna sayyes, it does make you stronger
when you can share.
That's right.
So I think when I was mentoringmy students, I think that's
what really, you know, healed me, yeah, and I went on to do many
(16:39):
more, greater things than justdriving and to me it was like a
stepping stone that gave me thisreally strong foundation to
rock it off of, to do amazingthings like write books and
start a business and startanother business.
And you know like I feel likeracing to some people is huge,
but to me it was just like itwas a stepping stone and I owe a
(17:02):
lot to drifting, but I've goneso much further.
Christine Zito (17:07):
I think it just set the stage to where you're at
today.
You know life, how life doesthat.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (17:11):
It was the obstacle course.
Yeah, you know, I passed.
Christine Zito (17:14):
Yeah, well you did, because look at now, from
racing you married the dream ofyour life and then here you got
these books, yeah, and you canshare with other children that
life is scary.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (17:28):
Yeah.
Christine Zito (17:29):
But you can work through it.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (17:31):
Yeah, and also I want to show children
that girls race cars and I wantto normalize that, because so
many of the kids that I read tothey go this is not real right
and I go no, sweetheart, no,that's me Like this book is
about me, and they're like wait,you, you drive, and so just
kind of teaching kids that likedon't judge a book by the cover.
(17:53):
And yeah, plenty of women racecars, it's very common, and so
that's that's what I aim to get.
Like you know what I hope to dowith these books, and I've I've
had a lot of opportunities togo to schools, both public and
private, to read these books andI get such a good response from
not only the girls but the boystoo.
Christine Zito (18:13):
Yeah, because Ned ends up coming around.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (18:16):
Oh yeah, the bully.
Christine Zito (18:18):
I don't want to give it away, but yeah, but yes,
I mean it's a good book and Ithink it's a great book for any
parent to give to their childthey're having problems in.
Probably I would say I, I don'tknow.
You can tell me I I bullystarts in elementary, but I
could be younger, younger, yeahthat's right.
(18:38):
I think this is a great book.
Now on the back of your book itsays drifting pretty yes who
are?
Who are these people?
So these are yeah, that's my.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (18:47):
I ran Drifting Pretty.
I founded it in 2003, a yearafter I started drifting,
because I wanted to get morewomen onto the racetrack, and so
a lot of these females that Imet, we kind of got together and
we're like I'm going to doDrifting Pretty, we're going to
meet every month, we're going towork on cars together.
We're going to work on carstogether.
(19:08):
We're going to get carstogether.
We're gonna get sponsors, we'regonna go driving together.
We're gonna support each otherand, um, learn together and kind
of come up in the rankstogether, um and so, uh, those
are the girls that are indrifting pretty today.
It's still around.
They're all racers, their carslook like that in real life and
(19:28):
I love, I love them and we'vebecome such great friends and
they've went on to do so manymore amazing things than just
drifting like they need to do abook on their little story yes,
stories of the drifters andthere's a couple of guys in
there yeah, we my husband Benson, and he was our head instructor
, that kind of like helpedmentor the ladies and and then
(19:49):
Mark, okay, I'm showing this.
Christine Zito (19:51):
If you're watching this on YouTube.
I'm bringing this up there andI'll put a and I'll blow it up,
and so this is her husband righthere and I'm taking these are
your children.
Yeah, oh man what a beautifulfamily, thank you.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:03):
I'm jealous.
Christine Zito (20:05):
Oh, there's your wedding.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:06):
Yeah, we got married.
And my husband and I gotmarried and we both brought our
own race cars to the wedding, soour cars got married at our
wedding and then a car magazinecovered our wedding, so our
photos ended up in a carmagazine.
Christine Zito (20:22):
Whose car is faster, yours?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:24):
or yours.
Oh, mine all day, all day, girlAll day.
Okay, so that's the bullying.
Christine Zito (20:29):
I want to talk about Go Racing.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (20:31):
Yeah, sachiko Goes Racing is my origin
story, so this is kind of howit all started, because I dreamt
about it, I watched it and Iwould sit passenger in the seat
and it just wasn't the same.
I was like you know what?
I'm going to just do it myself.
And then it talks about justgoing through daily life,
(20:52):
anticipating what's going tohappen at the racetrack, and
you're scared and you mightcrash your car and you're
doubting yourself and you'regetting a stomach ache because
you're getting so nervous.
And then you know, at the endof the book Sachiko goes to the
racetrack and you'll have toread the book to find out.
But that's kind of how itstarted with me and I was in my
head a lot, and I don't know ifit's my personality or me being
(21:15):
a female or what, but you know,instantly when I think of
something new, I think of allthe bad things that are going to
happen, because I feel like animposter.
Right, I'm not owning, I'm nota driver, I'm an imposter.
And it's like OK, I think Imight crash.
Oh, okay, I think everyone'sgonna watch me.
Oh, I think I might get hurt.
And then it kind of ruins it,right, and then it's you should,
(21:37):
but you should really just lookforward to it.
So it's it.
We kind of talk about that inthe, in the book.
Christine Zito (21:42):
I do like.
Okay, on one of the page pagesit says it's my favorite page.
It's a picture of you and yourthinking.
There's these pictures of thesethoughts.
One of them are like theseghostly demons, and another one
is a car crashing up in flames.
And this is what she's thinking.
At school, she daydreams aboutracing her car.
And then she started worryingwhat if I'm not good at racing?
(22:07):
What if people laugh at me?
What if I crash my pretty car?
Her tummy hurt and her handsgot sweaty.
Was she ready?
You'll have to read the book tofind out, you'll have to read
the book yeah, I'm sorry, buthere it is right here, I'm
showing it again up into thecamera.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (22:27):
And that page I got feedback from a lot
of the the kids that have mybook is that that's actually the
scariest page in the book.
It is, and so some kids skipthat page because they're so
scared of the pictures of, likeyou know, the demons and the car
burning.
Christine Zito (22:45):
Those are true pictures that's exactly what was
going through my head of fearfear.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (22:48):
That's right , because our minds go really
far and it's just silly thatstuff didn't happen and it never
did all the times I've gonedrifting.
But it's just your mind createsthis weird.
Christine Zito (23:00):
What do they say ?
That your fears, most of them,never happen.
Yeah, they only happen in ourmind.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (23:05):
That's right .
Minds are a funny thing, aren'tthey?
They are Right.
Minds are a funny thing aren'tthey, they are Stop it mind, I
know, is there a way we can?
Christine Zito (23:11):
train them.
I just you know what, during myfears, I just ask God, please,
please, give me your peace.
And you know, the reason why Ibring this up and we have this
conversation is because when Istarted in the entertainment
industry, my first time ever onthe air it's funny how we
remember, out of all the yearsalmost 17 years I remember the
(23:34):
first call from a listener, thevery first call, and I pick up
the phone and she says why areyou so happy?
Oh, what?
You think that we want tolisten to happy people?
And it's, and to this day, Iday, I can hear her voice, I can
hear her tone and it's weirdthat our mind, and you know then
(23:56):
all the other calls that camein that said oh, we love you
didn't even, yeah, you latchedon to the one anomaly.
Yeah, the one that was just sonegative.
And you have to learn in theentertainment industry and I'm
pretty sure in any type ofsporting you just have to have,
you just have to learn in theentertainment industry and I'm
pretty sure in any type ofsporting you just have to have,
you just have to let the waterroll off a duck's trickle off.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (24:15):
Yeah, that's right just.
Christine Zito (24:17):
I had to learn.
I'm not saying I'm perfect atit.
I've been away from theindustry for a while and, being
a business owner, you're in awhole new world yeah, of
negativity that's right and youjust have to just work past that
.
That's right.
And speaking of having your ownbusiness, you're a photographer
, I am.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (24:37):
I am.
Christine Zito (24:37):
I have a portrait studio let's talk about
how you got into.
Okay, so you go drifting.
Yeah, you're an author andyou're a photographer.
Now you have this business it'sall linked.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (24:48):
It's all linked from drifting, because
when I was in drifting, I wouldalways be photographed by these
guy photographers that werereally bad.
And you know, being a femaledriver, I want to be known for
my driving.
I don't want to just be sexy,I'm not a model, I'm a driver.
And so they would always belike show me sexy.
And I'm just like what Can Ijust show you happy?
They're like unbutton yourracing suit and I'm like, oh my
(25:10):
God, you guys, these are theworst.
And so it really.
And then I would photograph mystudents in Drifting Pretty and
I'm like you know what this iscool, like photographing people
and making them feel comfortablein their own skin, because
that's my thing is, these guysdid not know how to photograph
me Right, they were just liketreating me like I was meat and
(25:34):
so, um, I that kind of became myspecialty and I kind of learned
from my students like whatworked best in in photographing
girls who hate beingphotographed.
And then, um, and then I hadkids and then I was very
inspired by like just wanting todocument things.
And then people started askingme and I'm like you know what
this might not be a bad job,because this is, I find, passion
(25:54):
.
I'm passionate about makingpeople feel comfortable in front
of the camera and, um, I feltlike there wasn't enough nice
photographers that do that.
They're more just like artypeople that don't look at you as
a human, but they look at youas like a subject.
And so, um, I started SachikoStudio in 2011 and a few years
later, I got a studio in thisvery office building and, um,
(26:19):
yeah, and I, I grew, I doubledthe the space in two years and
then I quadrupled the spaceanother year later because of
the demand for these kind ofportraits like people.
Really, it really resonatedwith people.
Like this is actually it makesphotography like getting photo
shoots like fun and addictiverather than like a chore, right,
(26:40):
Do you think that writingstories, your pictures, tell
stories?
Yeah, yeah, I mean my, when I'm,I don't illustrate these.
I have an illustrator, but whenI have her illustrate my
stories, they're myillustrations in my mind and I
tell her and everything becomesone in the book.
(27:03):
So I'm just I wish I could draw.
But if I drew, this is exactlywhat was in my mind and I don't
kind of let them deviate and um.
Christine Zito (27:13):
I think it's great.
I have to say this that when Ifirst met you and I was going to
my first photo shoot with youuh-huh, you sit me down and you
and I the very first thing Isaid to you I don't like studio,
I just don't want to be in thestudio because I feel like it
doesn't reflect me.
Yeah, you were damaged.
I was damaged, yeah, yes, andyou're all in.
(27:34):
And you were just like I justdon't want to be in the studio
because I feel like it doesn'treflect me.
Yeah, you were damaged.
I was damaged, yeah, yes, andyou were just like okay, I'm
pretty sure you already had itall set up, but you were so good
at changing plans, oh, thankyou.
So we went outside and we didoutside and I felt like I felt
great, yeah.
But then I liked your honesty.
When we were getting ready todo the second one, you're like
OK, I'm doing your makeup, I'mdoing your hair, because I want
(27:55):
there's more to you.
Yeah, that is great.
Yeah, nadine, that you you lookbeyond when it comes, and that's
why I asked you the questionabout story, because you're good
.
You're a good storyteller,thank you, and you know how to
share that in a picture ofsomebody to tell their story.
Thank you.
Yeah, I'm passionate about it,but I think it comes from being
(28:20):
photographed right.
Yes.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (28:22):
But I want to tell their people's stories,
pictures tell a thousand words.
They do If they can only talk,right yeah.
Christine Zito (28:29):
That's true Only if they can talk.
So where can people find your?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (28:32):
book.
You can find my book online atSachikoGoesRacingcom that's
S-A-C-H-I-K-O.
Goes Racing dot com.
Also at the Santa Anita Mall,if you're there at Kinokuniya,
it's a bookstore next to Adidas,on the second floor across from
See's Candy.
They also carry my book um,they're one of my biggest
(28:52):
distributors.
And also at the petersonautomotive museum in los angeles
.
They're another big distributorof mine and that's what we're
getting to.
Christine Zito (29:00):
and, by the way, I just want to let you know
also too, if you go to arcadiafyicom, I'll have all this
information on there also.
Your car is in a museum?
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (29:12):
Yes, it's going there.
She's getting packed up rightnow.
Yeah, my car, my original racecar that I got in 1998, that's
when I got it and it traveledwith me and I crashed a million
times and changed the colorthree times.
But I'm in an exhibit with theJapanese American National
(29:34):
Museum and there's an exhibit atArt Center in Pasadena called
Cruising J-Town and they'refeaturing Japanese Americans in
the automotive industry and Iget to be in that exhibit in my
car and it's yes.
Thank you.
Thank you, it's an honor.
(29:54):
We've been working on theexhibit for five, six years.
I know that it's even longer inthe making, but that exhibit
runs July 31st through November12th.
You can visit janmorg for moreinformation on Cruising J-Town
that is the name of the exhibit.
Christine Zito (30:15):
Okay, and I'll get more of that.
Yeah, thank you so much.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (30:19):
Thank you, Christina.
Christine Zito (30:21):
For being on Arcadia FYI and for your
information.
You can her you also yourwebsite to your photography.
Nadine Sachiko Hsu (30:30):
Yes, it's SachikoStudio.
com, that's s-a-c-h-i-k-o studio.
com, and again it will also beon arcadiafyi.
comthank you so much thank you,
Christina success and FYI, thisis super fun.
Thank you so much for theinvitation.
It's an honor to be here andlong live the city of Arcadia.
(30:51):
I love Arcadia, born and raised, never left, not going anywhere
.
Thanks, guys.
Christine Zito (30:58):
Isn't Nadine the greatest right here, an
Arcadian in the city of Arcadia?
For your information, you canfind all the information that
Nadine talked about atArcadiaFYI.
com, as you will for all theguests that come on this show.
Remember, you can hear ArcadiaFYI at ArcadiaFYI.
com or on your favorite podcastchannel like YouTube, Apple
(31:21):
Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon MusiciHeart radio , and if you have
anything you want to hear, Iwant to hear about it and you
can do that by going toArcadiaFYI.
com.
Fill out the form and I willget in touch with you and work
on getting that show on ArcadiaFYI.
I would like to thank our LongoToyota in El Monte.
(31:45):
You got to stop by.
They're on this huge acreage,it's like a mall.
You just got to check it.
Star 7 Financial with FrancineChu.
I love you.
The Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Chelsea.
You are wonderful.
Pete's even going to be on.
Pete Siberell is going to be ontalking about the Olympics and
other things that you probablydon't even know that.
(32:06):
Go on at the Santa Anita Park.
It's really a lot of fun.
And to Gabby and Blanca over atthe Limeridian Pasadena Arcadia
Hotel.
They're great people.
I love that hotel.
You got to go to the bar, yougot to go to the restaurant.
There's so many things thathappen in Arcadia.
Until next time, on Arcadia FYI, be blessed and make it a great
day.
(32:26):
Make it a great week.
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