The Squeeze - Miku Martineau: Turning Insecurity Into Confidence

Episode Date: September 23, 2026

In this week's episode, Tay sits down with actress Miku Martineau! Miku shares all about her new Netflix show Crew Girl, what it's about, what people can expect from it, and how she relates to her character Teagan. She talks about what got her into acting, opens up about growing up as one of the very few Asian people in her community, and how she had to deal with unkind kids and bullying that led to real insecurities. She shares how that journey has evolved into a deep pride in being a Japanese Canadian woman and how she came to accept and embrace who she is over time. Miku gets candid about balancing work while also just being a 21 year old girl, why representation matters so deeply and what it can mean for young people who see themselves on screen, and what self care looks like for her. She also reflects on traits from growing up in a Japanese household that have inspired her and left a lasting impact, and shares what parts of herself she wants to protect as she continues to grow in this industry!Be sure to follow Miku on https://instagram.com/miku.martineau/!Check out Crew Girl on Netflix! https://www.netflix.com/title/81991578To email us your questions or share your story, you can reach out to [e-mail] sure to rate, review, and follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode! Plus, follow us on all of our socials:The SqueezeInstagram: https://instagram.com/thesqueeze/TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@thesqueezepodcastTay LautnerInstagram: https://instagram.com/taylautner/TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mrstaylautnerAmazon Storefront https://urlgeni.us/amazon/FDXj7 To learn more from The Lemons Foundation, follow https://instagram.com/lemonsbytay/ and visit https://lemonsbytay.comEpisode Sponsors:Get up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at square.com/go/SQUEEZE! #squarepodGo to tempomeals.com/squeeze for 60% off your first box.Shop Honest on Amazon, Walmart and Target.Take 10 minutes to get covered today, with life insurance through Ethos. Get your free quote at ETHOS.com/squeeze.Head to ladder.fit/SQUEEZE and take a quick quiz to find your perfect Ladder plan. Use my link and get a free 7-day trial with NO credit card, and $10 off your first month if you join.Limited Time Offer – Make healthy eating simple. Get Huel today with my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code SQUEEZE at huel.com/SQUEEZE. New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The following podcast is a dear media production. It's juicy. There's a lot of abs and a lot of rowing. Oh, my gosh. Niku, welcome to squeeze. Thank you for having me. The topic of mental health is so important, especially amongst young people when it is such a confusing time. Kids growing up in a generation that's so online,

you're basing your reality on what other people say at that age. People would say really weird things. It would impact me at that time because I didn't have to be. strong sense of self. I just did so many things to please other people's opinions about me. And what a waste of time that was. I wish I could go back and just be like, girl, live your life. Be who you are. Because once you have that feeling of like knowing yourself so much and being that rock and just being like, this is just who I am. If you're content with who you are at the end of the day, it's like those kinds of comments they can kind of hit you, but it just like deflects off. You have a

protective shield of just power. Everybody should see. celebrate their differences and their uniqueness and their culture. Culture is such a beautiful thing. I think the energy you put out is the energy that you receive. So like the busiest time in my life right now, in my career, I'm like, what a perfect time to receive that. Because I feel so solid. And I feel so mentally great, fulfilled, and like content. So I'm just like, bring it on.

This week's guest is hands down one of the sweetest people I have ever had in the studio. Lemon Drops, let me introduce you to actress Meku Martno. Meku stars in the new Netflix show Crew Girl, which you all know, I love a good YAA show, so I am so excited for this show. She shares about the show what viewers can expect and also some behind the scenes of what it was like for her to actually learn the sport of rowing. She talks about what got her into acting and opens up about growing up as one of the very few Asian people in her community and how she She had to deal with unkind kids and bullying that just led to real insecurities. She shares how that journey has evolved into a deep pride in being a Japanese-Canadian woman and how she came to accept and embrace who she is over time.

We dive into the topic of why representation matters so deeply and what it can mean for young people who see themselves on screen. Muku talks about what she does for self-care and shares what parts of herself she wants to protect as she continues to grow in the industry. I truly had the sweetest time with Meku. She is one of a kind. I'm so excited to watch her career just grow and blossom because she's so deserving of every good thing that comes her way. Well, Meku, welcome to squeeze.

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited. I'm excited. I feel like we've just been like chatting this whole time. I know. I know. Our lemon drops are our listeners. Lemon drops, sweet.

That's adorable. That's so cute. Hey, lemon drops. I'm excited for them to get to know you today and to. Learn more about you and your story. But we start each episode off with this jar. So it's a little game called Citrus Got Real. If you want to pull a piece of paper out of there.

Wait, that's so fun. And you can read it too. Or lemon drop. Wait, this is so fun. Okay. Okay, if you had to compete on a reality show, which one would you choose? Oh my gosh. Definitely not a dating one.

Yeah. Like, I've actually, because when I'm working, I feel like I can't, um, watch regular shows because like my work schedule is so it moves so fast and I'm already reading so many episodes for certain things and I'm like trying to stay on track with my own plot line. Yeah. So the only thing I can really watch while filming if I have time is a reality show. Yeah. So and I'm still not finished and I know everybody knows the result of it or the end of the show, but I just watched Love Island. Okay. For the first time. Have you seen? Okay. Wait. I want to know how you liked it because I've given it, I gave it a shot two seasons ago, but then I felt like,

I think it's because I tried it at the same time as everyone. And it was like, I'd watch four episodes and then I fell behind. And then I was like, well, I don't like, then it was just, it was too much pressure. Yes. It was a lot. Yes. Well, I didn't watch Love Island, but I feel like people have been on like Love Island for years. Like they've been fans for years. And it was just never my thing. And then one of my co-stars on Bet season two was like, you should, you should give it a try. And I was like, okay. So we all had dinner one night and we just watched it. I'm like, wait, this is kind of funny and good.

And maybe it was because of my, like, castmates commentary that made it so funny. Yeah. And then we, like, we were invested. We were like, oh, like, I'm reading for them. But, I mean, I could never, like, they are so brave. Was it this past season that you watched? Yeah, the most recent one, the U.S. one. Okay.

So I haven't watched any other season, but maybe I will. But I'm still not finished. I don't think I'm even halfway through. It's a lot. It's probably good like comfort background noise. That's what it was. It was like my brain is so busy all day. And bet season two is really crazy. Like we are, I wish I could say what the plot is and all the things that I've been doing for these past three months. But it's nice to kind of just like turn my brain off. Yeah. To just like watch it. But so if it wasn't a dating show, it would be when I was younger, I really wanted to go on Survivor. like really badly because I kind of grew up more outdoors yeah and it was the one show I think that me

my brother and my dad would all watch together yeah and so yeah I would still be down to go on survivor oh gosh I think I'd be a little bit more scared now but I'd be down oh that's good for you good for you I don't okay I want to talk about crew girl I'm excited I love a good YA show um the lemon drops now that I. That is like my favorite form of television. And I'm really excited to get to watch this. But for anyone who hasn't heard of crewgirl, can you get them a little detail about the show? Yes. I think my first thoughts when I think of crew girl, it's juicy. There's a lot of abs and a lot of rowing. But it's overall, in my opinion, it's such a nice coming of age story. And, and it's a nice coming of age story. It's a YA series.

It's about this young rower named Tegan. And after a huge family scandal, she's forced to relocate with her mom. And Tegan is an athlete. She's 16 years old. She's opinionated and a bit fiery. And she has a great passion for rowing in a single school. And she wants to pursue this,

but the new school that she goes to doesn't have a girls' team. lame. And through a series of events, she's forced to become the coxswain of an all-boys rowing team. So she's kind of going from a solo athlete to not only being a member of a team, but also kind of being the leader of a team. If you're listening and don't know what a coxon is, it's basically like the leader. Yes, it's like the person who sits at the front of the boat, the rowing boat,

and there's eight seats and every rower has a different position in the seats. And the coxin is like the leader of the boat saying the calls, directing them through races. And so it's about the story of that and these young rowers and a lot about adolescence and navigating friendships and romances as we do when we're teenagers. And family dynamics as well. And I'm so happy to be here today because I feel like, first of all, the topic of mental health is so important, but especially amongst young people when it is such a confusing time. I think from when you're young to your 20,

throughout all life, we experience it, especially when we're young, we're really trying to figure out who we are as people. And that mixed with the navigation of all these things revolving around mental health, it can be hard. So I'm so happy to be here and to talk about all of that. That was such a good description.

Oh my gosh, really? I'm like, sign me out. That was really good. Like I actually don't think I'm, heard someone describe a show of theirs. I don't know. I don't have to saying that. I was like, oh, okay. No, I'm, I'm there. Like, I was fully like in it. Okay. Okay. That's good. That's good thing. You're like, I needed that going into my day. Thank you. Thank you. No, I love it. Okay, wait. What was your, what was your knowledge of rowing? Because I have,

I knew nothing. I don't, I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I didn't grow up around rowers. I wasn't. Besides what I see in like my mind of like, I don't know. I know. I same. Like, I think more of the notebook kind of rowing. Yeah. But I learned so much. So I was shooting an independent sci-fi film in Ithaca, New York. And I had already known that I had booked Crew Girl before I was there, but I was there for a month.

And so I needed to learn how to row before I started shooting the show, because especially when I'm taking on a role that's so specific to a certain sport, like obviously I want to do it justice. Yeah. And I'm a person that I, you know, when I get a role, I work with. really hard to represent it correctly, in my opinion. Yeah. And so while I was shooting this movie in New York, I was doing rowing training on the

weekends at a random lake in New York. And I learned so much. I had such a lovely coach who was a professional rower growing up. And I was out on the water in a single school. And the boats are so thin. So they're very, you can fall in. Yeah. And I did.

I fell in a few times because when I think about rowing, I thought, okay, only moly, like, I need to get strong fast. Yeah. But it's not just about strength and endurance. It's so technical. And it's so much about balance and coordination. And that I had no clue. So learning was such an amazing process. And then when I went to Victoria, B.C. from New York to start shooting crew girl, we had like a two-week period without.

everybody in the cast to learn together. So I was focusing on single skulls, but also learning how to become a coxswin. But it's also, I think, important to know for me to the audience that Tegan in the show also has never been a coxswain before. Of course, she's grown up with the sport of rowing and all of that knowledge. But being a coxin versus rowing in a single skull,

they are separate things and they require separate things. So we had a great professional team who taught us and it was so much fun. Like I love learning a new skill for a role. Like I think I'm so grateful for my job. Like I genuinely think I have one of the coolest jobs in the world and like I enjoy it so much. Yeah. So I had a blast learning how to row and I have so much respect for rowers. Like it's insane.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm excited to get to watch it. I'm also ready for like a new sport. I feel like we've been stuck on hockey for a little bit. So I'm excited for like, don't get me wrong. I've loved all of the shows. But I'm excited for like a new sport to like make it's debut in the YAA category.

I know. I'm excited too. There has been a lot of hockey. And I actually grew up playing hockey for years. Oh, wow. Yeah. So I don't know. When I was younger, I was like maybe I could do a role with hockey.

But I never would have thought I would be doing a role. of a rower. I would have probably guessed like a few other sports. I know before rowing. But it's so cool because once you learn more about rowing, the rowing community is actually huge and like the people that are in it are so tight knit

and know so much. And it's so interesting to have been a part of. Yeah. Yeah. That's cool. What do you think will surprise viewers most about the show? I mean, when you make something, It's really, it's kind of like I leave it in the hands of the viewers now.

It's like take anything you'd like from it. Like I had such a fantastic experience making it. And I think we love entertainment and media because we feel like we can resonate with it. Or we feel understood or connected or we just have a great time or we can turn our brain off. But I think they'll just have a great time. I mean, I'm biased. I think it's just a bingible show. Yeah.

Maybe they'll be surprised to see what unveils in the love aspect of the show. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. How do you relate? You said your character's name is Tegan. Yes. How do you relate to Tegan?

Is there any characteristics that she has that you feel like you can easily relate to or maybe the opposite? Right. I don't know. Honestly, like honestly, when I play characters, I try to pick characters that are actually quite different from myself. But obviously when you're playing a character, you're like how you try to relate to certain things. But for Teigen, I think what I relate to most and also what I just love about the story so much is that she's a young woman pursuing what she's super passionate about. But throughout the series, she recognizes that she, she recognizes that she. She's young and it's like okay to make mistakes and still learn. And I feel that very much because, you know, I've been acting since I was 13. And I think because of my work and working so much, I have matured fast in certain aspects of my life. Sure. And I'm so passionate about it. I genuinely, I love being on a set so much.

But also, it's important for me to remember. that I'm 21 and that I'm still learning and growing and figuring out who I am and to give myself grace for that. So I relate to her on that level and also maybe just the athlete level. Like I grew up doing a lot of sports like hockey for years, gymnastics for years, figure skating, volleyball. I was very like my dad put me in a lot of sports and it definitely taught me a lot about resilience. And I think Teigen carries that with her a lot through the series. So, yeah. One of the things I notice when I walk into a small business that has it together is how the whole

checkout experience feels. It's fast, it's clean, everything works, and it doesn't feel like they're fighting their own system just to take your payment. A lot of the time, that's square. And what I love about square is that it doesn't sit still. They just keep adding tools that actually make a difference for the people running these businesses. The newest stuff is genuinely impressive. Square's AI tools can now take all your business data and turn it into answers you can actually use. Like what's selling where you might be losing time or money without having to dig through a bunch of reports yourself? Square savings can automatically set aside a percentage of your sales for things like taxes or slower months so you're not caught off guard.

and eligible square businesses can now show up AI-powered experiences like chat GPT and Claude which means customers can actually discover your business browse what you offer and in some cases place orders all connecting back to your existing square system without you having to manage anything separate and all of this lives inside the same system that already handles your payments, staff, payroll, scheduling,

online, and in-person selling with synced inventory and square checking for instant access to your money Square launched its most powerful tools yet, designed to give local businesses a competitive edge without the complexity. If you're ready to sell smarter, run faster, and stress less, right now you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at square.com slash go slash squeeze. That's S-Q-U-A-R-E dot com slash go slash squeeze. Run your business smarter with Square. Get started today. The question I dread most at the end of a long day is, what do you want for dinner? Because by that point, I have zero bandwidth left or any kind of decision making, let alone one that requires thinking about what's in the fridge or whether we have the right ingredients and how long it's going to take to actually make something. My brain is just done. And we always end up in the same back and forth where we spend 20 minutes deciding before we even order anything. It sounds dramatic, but if you've been there, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Tempo has basically. eliminated that whole cycle from my life. Tempo delivers fresh chef-crafted dietitian-approved meals

right to your door, and they're ready in just two minutes. Plus, it's actual real food that was made by someone who knows what they're doing, just waiting in your fridge for whenever you need it. I open a tempo meal, and it genuinely feels like I made a real choice for myself instead of just collapsing into whatever was fastest. What I also love is that there are 20 new recipes every week, all made from nutrient-rich ingredients, so it never gets repetitive or boring. And there's something for whatever your goals are right now. Protein-packed meals with over 30 grams of protein, fiber-rich options, calorie-conscious, gut support, and even GLP-1 smart meals that are full of protein and fiber to help you feel your best.

It's genuinely flexible enough to fit the way you want to eat, which is what I think makes it so easy to stay consistent with instead of giving up after one week. And for a limited time, Tempo is offering our listeners 60% off your first box. Go to Tempom meals.com slash squeeze. That's Tempom meals.com slash squeeze for 60% off your first box. Tempomiles.com slash squeeze. Rules and restrictions may apply. This episode is sponsored by Honest. And honestly, this one feels really personal to me right now because as someone who is expecting,

I've been doing so much research on baby products lately, the amount of label reading, ingredient checking, and general overthinking I've been doing when it comes to what I'm going to use on my baby's skin is a whole new thing. And I feel like that's just what you do when you care because the decisions feel so important. That's exactly why I've been so drawn to Honest. They make baby essentials made for life's most delicate skin. And the whole brand is built around this idea that parents deserve to feel genuinely confident and what they're using on their little ones. Honest holds every product to their highest standard, the honest standard, thoughtfully choosing the ingredients they put in and the ones they leave out.

Their baby products are also hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested. And that combination, knowing someone else that has already done the work and held it to a real standard genuinely gives me so much peace of mind as a first time parent still figuring all of this out. As a parent, you want to feel like someone has your back when it comes to this stuff. And Honest genuinely does. I think what really sets Honest apart for me is that it doesn't feel fear-based or overwhelming. A lot of the conversation around baby products can feel really anxiety-inducing, like you're constantly

worried about making the wrong choice. And Honest just flips that. It's less about what to avoid and more about feeling good about what you're choosing. That shift in mindset has honestly made me feel so much more calm going into this whole new chapter. Knowing there's a brand I can lean on that has already done the vetting for me. Shop honest on Amazon, Walmart, and Target. If you can describe the show in three words, what would it be? Drama, abs rowing.

Great. Sign me up. Yes. That'll get the people watching. I love it. What made you get into acting originally? Did you want to do it growing up or did they kind of just like happen? It just kind of like happened.

I wasn't like my family was in a like we didn't watch that many movies together growing up. Yeah. I also grew up with like I grew up in Canada. Toronto, Canada. So my dad's French-Canadian, but my mom immigrated from Japan when she was in her late 20s, like close to 30s. So I feel like growing up, a lot of my friends, they've watched the classics, like growing up, like the American Canadian pop culture movie classics. And that was never my case. I'm still behind on them, I feel like. So I never like watched movies like that and was like enamored by the film or enamored by an actor and was like oh i want to do that

i didn't really know that was an option but i think when i was younger i just tried a bunch of things i was very i was very curious and like i had a big imagination i think so when i was in elementary school i joined a thing called show choir which is like singing and dancing just for fun and And my childhood best friends who are still my best friends to this day did it with me. So it's a really fond memory that I have. But we performed at this event called Show Choir Canada. And we had like a whole performance kind of like the Canadian version of pitch perfect. I was literally just say I was like Acapella too.

Pitch Perfect in my mind. Yes. It was acapella. I think part of it was. It was so long ago. I was this was the summer before high school. Okay. So I did that.

And then through that, at Show Choir Canada, I got this scholarship. So I don't know. To go to New York for this art camp at one of their colleges. Wow. And you had to audition, but you had to pick an art that you wanted to audition for and to see if you got into this program. I think it was like a three-week program during the summer. And I remember, you know, there's like singing and dancing, theater.

and I saw one for acting for film and TV. And I was like, what is that? Like, I kind of want to give it a try. So then I did that and I went there. And I just remember having such a great time. It was scary though, because I never, you know, we were like a small group. Maybe it was like 10 of us in the class, in the program.

And we take classes all day long. And we do monologues in front of you, other. We'd be doing scenes together. And I had such a great time, though. I enjoyed it so much that when I came back to Toronto and I was 12 or 13, I started to take workshops that I found. And then there was like a conference at these workshops where you could perform and be scouted by like an agent. And I was scouted by my agent and I'm still with her to this day. And she's so sweet. She's so professional and really cares about me like a mama bear. Because I'm so young in the industry. And I'm really lucky, I feel like, to have entered the industry when I did.

And also to be surrounded by such great people from a young age because it is like you're working on a professional setting young. So it's important to be surrounded by people that really care about you and not just the work. That's not true. Right. And I, I am just very, very fortunate for that and then yeah and then I just started doing self-tapes when I was 13 and then I booked my first role on Netflix which was an action movie um with Mary Elizabeth Winstead he's from Scott Pilgrim versus the world and and then I was 13 in Thailand shooting my first movie and I knew nothing yeah oh my gosh that really did just kind of like obviously not fall into your lap you were doing stuff before but it really just happened.

It really did just happen because I was having fun and my whole point the whole thing of me like you know then doing the workshop It was like I just wanted to continue having fun with this for sure So that's special. Yeah, it is and I feel the same way now. I think The reason that I'm here right now getting to talk to you about you know crew girl and everything is be Because I've just mixed you know hard work but with purely just doing it because I love it. Yeah So, yeah. Yeah, that's special. I want to touch on your upbringing a little bit.

You mentioned to us that you grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood. Yeah. And just the struggle that you had growing up with fitting in, as most kids do and finding your identity. What was that part of your childhood like for you? I mean, there were, and I think a lot of people can relate, there's great parts of your childhood and there's not so great parts. But, you know, today speaking to you guys, if there's any Asian people or part of the community listening, I am so proud to be a leading Japanese-Canadian

actor and I wear that as a badge of honor. I am so proud. It really makes me who I am, my Canadian side and my Japanese side. But when I was younger, I unfortunately and regrettably, like didn't feel as as proud because growing up being one of the only Asian people in my school, there were very few of us. You definitely feel a little bit like an outlier or a little bit different. And you know, kids can say some mean things purely out of lack of education and lack of awareness because we're kids and we don't know better. But it still hurts. I think, you know, yeah, all you want to do. as a kid by nature is just fit into the group. So I think dealing with that kind of led me to have some insecurities for sure and feel different. And it was a thing where as I've gotten older,

I've realized how being unique is actually your superpower. And it makes you who you are. there's so many parts of myself that are so Japanese and I love it. Like I love it with my entire heart and I'm really lucky that I've been able to have that period and time of reflection and be so content with it now because I think everybody should be. Everybody should celebrate their differences and their uniqueness and their culture. Culture is such a beautiful thing. And I'm, yeah.

I'm so proud to be Japanese. Yeah. Did you ever feel like you had to change, like, parts of you to fit in? Yeah. Yeah, not even just being, you know, Japanese and Canadian. I think it's just a thing maybe we all feel growing up. I think, you know, especially with body image growing up and you're going through puberty and your body's changing. I think kids are brutal sometimes what they say.

Yeah. And I can't even imagine like now kids growing up in a generation that's so online. And maybe it's heightened. I'm not sure. But like I, yeah, I used to be, because kids would say things about I was naturally, I naturally had like a very fast metabolism was very tiny because of I'm, you know, just my Asian genetics as well. Like my mom was the same growing up, but people would say really rude things.

I was a late bloomer. So, you know, people were rude about that. And I would actually, it would impact me at that time because I didn't have a strong sense of self. And I was like, if you think that is, you know, the standard, then that's correct because you're basing your reality on what other people say at that age. Yeah. So I would wear things. Like, for example, I was so insecure about being thin and not, you know, volumptuous. And, like, beautiful.

I was, I would, like, wear always baggy pants. I would, like, never wear anything tight. I would also, like, I had a naturally very high-pitched voice growing up and people would tease me about that. So I would try and make my voice like, oh, my God. I just did so many things. I think when I was younger, subconscious. to probably to please other people's opinions about me. Yeah.

And what a waste of time that was. I wish I could go back and just be like, girl, live your life. Yeah. Be who you are. And like, because once you have that feeling of like knowing yourself so much and being that rock and just being like, this is just who I am.

And if like take it or leave it, you know? If you're content with who you are at the end of the day, it's like those kinds of. comments, they can kind of hit you, but it just like deflects off. Like you have a protective shield of just power. Yeah. Kind of. I think being in the industry and also being 21 and still like navigating life in your early 20s, how do you, how do you say content with who you are as a human and fight those thoughts, which I think no matter what industry or job, whatever form of part of life that you're in, you can definitely struggle with like wanting to change to fit

molds of whatever is going on in your life or the people around you or you want to, you know, fit in a little more, even if you are confident in who yourself, who you are as an individual. How has that been for you kind of navigating that into as you've gained more success and you're in the public eye more? Like how have you learned to kind of balance that? Right. Honestly, I taking care of yourself. You need to take, especially having such a busy work schedule now that I'm so grateful for, but it's really like, okay, sleep, eating properly, making sure you're strong physically and mentally. Yeah. So it's just having that certain understanding of yourself. and like I said, continuing to trust yourself and to take risks. I think in your 20s it's such a great time to take risks and try things.

And, you know, navigating your 20s is hard as well because it's like, yeah, I am a 20-year-old girl, 21-year-old girl. Like, I am still navigating my own personal life outside of work. And that's really important. And like I think also to just what will make me blossom into a better actor as I age is experiencing real life. Yeah. It's important for me to take those moments. And like I'm quite a simple person.

I like the simplistic things when I'm not working. Yeah. Sleeping in or going on a walk or hanging out with my pet or my friends. Yeah. Like those things really fill my cup. And this year, especially, this. this past year, I have gained such positive experiences like that. And yeah, I just, I have experienced a lot in the past few years.

And I think a lot of young people who are listening and who are maybe in relationships in your young 20s too, which is such a normal thing. I think that's really interesting and cool because relationships also teach you so much about yourself. For sure. It's like a mirror. and for them as well. And then it's like you're both learning who you are as people and what you need. And so I used to be in a longer term relationship. And that taught me so much that I'm so grateful for.

And I think this year of being single, I've learned so much on how to not forget to fill my cup. I think it's hard when you are young and you're so in love. And you kind of forget maybe you're starting to build a life with, somebody, but you know, we're young where our minds are allowed to change on what we envision for our future or what we want. And I think anybody, if you're in that scenario, like, it's okay to change your mind and to make mistakes and grow and learn from that. And so I've had such like a fulfilling and fruitful year, honestly, because this year has really been me deciding like, I want to spend time alone. I want to learn what I genuinely like. I want to do things because I like doing it.

And I think when you're young, it's important to start to fill your cup first, not in a selfish way, but in a way where if your cup is more full yourself, you can then have the water to fill other people's cup in a way better way. Yeah. So I've... Agreed. Yeah. I've just been like, I am also just like the timing of everything of me filming the seconds. I used enough bet coming to do promo for crew girl. I'm like, it's, I'm a person that I think the energy you put out is the energy that you receive.

So like the busiest time in my life right now in my career, I'm like, what a perfect time to receive that because I feel so solid. And I feel so mentally great and fulfilled and like content. So I'm just, Like bring it on. I love that. I love to hear that that's like where you're at.

Because in these types of seasons, it definitely can be hard because a lot of what goes on during this time period and the industry can be like very overwhelming. Absolutely. Grounded in yourself and your mental health makes of what you need and all of that stuff. It is so important to remember that because, yeah, things can get, you know, last minute in this industry and like, oh, you're going there and then going here. And then it's like if you feel like your sense of home is with yourself, you'll be okay. I think. We talked a little bit about representation and the importance. I want to know to you what is the importance of on-screen representation. Yes. And if there was ever a moment growing up that you felt represented, or even now today, that you feel represented. Right.

I mean, again, I'm so proud to be a leading Japanese Canadian actor because when I was younger, I didn't really see any Asian actors in the leading rules. So, and especially as a young Japanese girl, I was for sure, like I was saying, having those feelings of being. different. Yeah. And so it makes me so happy on both sides for people that are older than me and younger than me because hopefully maybe that will make a little girl feel like she belongs a little bit more. Yeah. Because she does and she's awesome. But also for all of the Asian actors that have come before me who have paved the path in the industry, who have created and done the work and like poured so much into making it possible for me to have the opportunity to play a leading role today, that means so much. And Michelle Yo is so inspiring to me.

And I had the privilege of working with her on Star Trek. And I got to tell her that I had booked my first leading role because I was auditioning for it at the time of filming Star Trek. I just got chills. No, it gives me chills. Oh my gosh. It gives me chill. I have a photo of it too. I've said this in so many interviews.

But it's so iconic to me. It's so iconic because I'm like, you mean, you're such a legend. And like, she has such a legend as a person and in the industry. And, yeah, to be telling, like, an iconic Asian actress that I had booked my first lead as an Asian actress was a very, very special moment for me. That's so sweet of like getting emotional. But it's the pregnancy. No, that's so sweet. You keep sharing that.

I love that. Yes. It's so special. But it also like reminds people because I feel like sometimes people can be like, why, like, why does representation matter? Like I feel like that question still is asked. But I think it's stories like those where it's like, oh, like this is why. Representation is so important.

It is. And we live in such a diverse world. Our media should replicate that accurately. Yeah. You know? So yeah, I feel so honored, really. That's so sweet. What is the question?

How long ago was that? That was, I was 19 when I started filming that. So 18, 19. Okay. No, but you're very well spoken. I appreciate that a lot. I feel like I used to not be at all. Really?

I used to actually hate, like when I think even, They probably exist online, watch my old interviews. They're like, I don't know what. I was so nervous. Yeah. But that comes with confidence. Yeah. And just speaking your truth.

It's so funny because I actually, I, my husband and I talked about this a couple years ago watching like old interviews of him compared to, he did Fallon maybe like three years ago. Right. And it was the most calm, relaxed, well-spoken thing he's ever done. And he came off and I was like, what, like, what switch? And I think he was just like, I just like felt like safe and confident in himself. But also like, I think because he grew up as a child actor and just there's so much pressure that I think your reps and people can put on you to say the right thing and make sure you're not saying the wrong thing. And this I think was the first time he was like, oh, like, he just like went out there and had fun.

Yes, that's the biggest honestly tip I would give. Go have fun. Yeah. I think you'll succeed so much more if you're having fun. I love that you've unlocked that already because he unlocked that at like 31. So it took him a little longer. Life insurance is one of those things that lives on the to-do list forever. You know, you should handle it.

You just never quite get around to it. And then something shifts a big life moment, a conversation with someone you love. And suddenly it stops feeling like something you'll get to eventually and starts feeling like something you need to handle now. That's exactly where ethos comes in. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy, completely online, and you can get a quote in seconds, applying minutes, and get same-day coverage. You just answer a few health questions online. You can get up to $3 million in coverage and some policies start as low as $30 a month for something that helps provide financial security for the people you love most that's genuinely accessible. It doesn't feel

overwhelming or complicated. Becoming a parent has a way of making certain things feel urgent. Ethos makes it easy to stop procrastinating and actually get it done. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through ethos. Get your free quote at ethos.com slash squeeze. That's E-T-H-O-S.com slash squeeze. Application times may vary, rates may vary. The hardest part about working out consistently isn't the workout itself. It's knowing what to do, when you get there. Because if you don't have a real plan, you're just kind of guessing, and I have done that for longer than I'd like to admit. I'd show up, do whatever felt right that day, maybe follow along with something I found online, and then wonder why nothing was really changing.

The problem was never the effort. It was that effort without structure doesn't actually take you anywhere. And that's exactly the problem the ladder app has solved. And once you have a real plan behind your workouts. It shifts everything. The latter app is not a library of videos you scroll through and pick from. It's a real structured strength training plan built by certified coaches that gives you something new every week that builds on what you did the week before. It's progressive programming. The same thing you'd get from an actual personal trainer, except it's in your headphones guiding you through every set with cues, form reminders, and motivation while you work. What I love is that there's a plan for however you like to move or whatever equipment you have. Gym, home, dumbbells only,

glute focus, hybrid, it's all there. Your weights and reps get tracked automatically so you can actually see yourself getting stronger over time. There's also a real community behind it where your coach answers questions and members motivate each other. Remove the guesswork with ladder and get a real coach in your ear telling you exactly what to do for every workout. No thinking. Everything is planned for you. If you have an iPhone, head to ladder.fit slash squeeze and take a quick quiz to find your perfect ladder plan. Use my link and get a seven day trial with no credit card. And $10 off your first month if you join.

There's a very specific kind of afternoon where it hits you about two hours after lunch. You're tired, you can't focus, you're reaching for something else to eat even though you just ate, and you realize whatever you had for lunch didn't actually do much. That would happen to me constantly. I'd eat something, feel fine for an hour, and then completely fall off a cliff. I realized the problem was most of what I was eating wasn't actually keeping me full or giving me what my body needed. Hewled Black Edition is a complete meal you have instead of food, not a shake on top of what you've already been eating. It's 40 grams of protein, 27 essential vitamins and minerals, no artificial sweeteners, no colors, no flavors, and it mixes with water or milk in about 30 seconds.

The powder starts at less than $3 per meal. If you're on the go, they also have the RTD bottle, which is a grab and go version. It has 35 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber under $5 a meal. You just grab it and leave. No tabs, no spiral, and no decision fatigue. Make healthy eating simple. Get Hewled today with my exclusive offer, 15% off online with my code squeeze at huell.com I'll squeeze. New customers only. Thank you to Hewle for partnering and supporting our show.

What does mental health mean to you? What do your little, I call it like my toolbox of self-care tools? What do you do for self-care? I just, yeah, I do things that I love. Yeah. I go on a walk. I call a friend. I we gab. I rant to a friend. They tell me about their life. I tell them about mine. It's like, it's genuinely so refreshing. I love food. I eat a crepe meal. Yeah. I do things for fun. I try and live a very regular life. I think taking care of yourself is so important.

It's so important. And you're like sustainability as a person. Because if you're not doing little things every day to take care of yourself, it eventually you'll like crash. Yeah. You know, and it's harder to get up from a crash than to just like slowly take it day by day. I think when someone is struggling and they think about, you know, all, because now we have so, which is so great that we have so many ways to improve our life. And like even before we started rolling, we're talking about pregnancy, all these things that you can do.

There's so many resources, which is so great. But I think sometimes, you know, it can be overwhelming the amount of things that we can do to self-improve. And so I think my main thing is just doing little things that you genuinely enjoy every day. It can be so small, whether it is sleeping for an extra 30 minutes or calling a friend for 10 minutes. I think if you do that over time, it doesn't seem so big and scary. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. How is prioritizing your mental health while working for you?

Because I know your schedule can be a little crazy. Yeah, it is just those things because, you know, you know, you. Yeah, sometimes I'm, you know, especially for Bet and Crew Girl, it's like I'm there Monday through Friday and on weekends. I'm memorizing my lines and catching up on laundry and like, you know, and then repeat for like the certain amount of months that we do it. So it is really making sure I'm trying to get enough sleep, staying hydrated, eating enough, eating healthy foods, eating foods that I enjoy as well. It's all a balance. Yeah. And all of those things, I mean, this entire summer, I know I'm only 21, but I've been sober all summer.

Yeah. Because I knew how crazy of a work schedule that I would be having. And it just helps me stay refreshed, not even that, like, I don't know. But maybe it's easy for me because I've never really been like a big partier or a drinker. Yeah. Well, still, I mean, even because I think I relate to you in that. way like I'm I've never like I've never blacked out I'm not like a big drinker but I'll have one to two but like if I'm out with friends but if I am constantly doing that or having a glass of wine every

night like I feel like for me it does cloud me it does yeah same it just affects my body just like I did I the past two years well I mean this year I ended up getting pregnant so my dry January is still still going on um But the last year, my dry January, like, I, it lasted like four months for me. Like, it's just like, yeah. It's like something that it makes me feel better. Same. I think it affects people in different ways, too, depending on your body.

And for me, it really makes, like, it's like, I actually think I'm a bit allergic. Yes. Really? Yeah. Do you get, like, really red or, like, I get body aches sometimes. Even just like one drink. Yeah. I was thinking I was allergic to, well, I'm actually very curious once this baby comes out to try.

Because I was thinking I was, there's some wines that I'm allergic to. I don't really do like hard alcohol. Like I'll do an apple or all sprits. Yeah. Sometimes a dirty martini. But that's like all I got. But I actually, I found out that I'm allergic to a lot of red wine. And I would like, my tongue and mouth would get bumpy.

Whoa. And I would get like red in my cheeks and like hot. Yeah. But it didn't happen right away. It was like over time for me, which was weird. Interesting. But then I felt like at the beginning of the year, I started having it with white wine. But then again, I was also pregnant and I didn't know.

So it could have also, it could have maybe been that. So I'm curious to see if that is the case. Wine for me as well. Okay. Actually, it gives a, I get, well, me and my Asian friends call it Asian glow. I don't know if that's a Canadian thing. One of my girlfriends from high school, we would call her Asian glow. Asian glow. But it's not just that. I get like body aches if I usually drink wine. Maybe it's the, I don't know what it is actually. I'd be really curious if there's like a study done like with like your like with Asian genes and. Because it is a common trait. A lot of my Asian friends also feel allergic sometimes. So I'm, yeah, it's it's. There has to be. There has to be some correlation. There's got to be something. Yeah. Um.

You, we've obviously been talking about your mom. I'd love to know if there's any, um, any traits from her growing up in a Japanese household, anything that she's taught you or you've learned from her that's really like shaped who you are. Yeah. I mean, I think it is very common in Japanese culture that they have such a strong work ethic so that my mom has been a like waitress all my life and she loves it. Like she has the most positive mindset that I've like, like she's always seemingly okay, which I'm not saying,

just always pretend that you're okay. Yeah. But yeah, I am always so inspired by that. And I think I'm a generally positive person because I've seen that. And I think I'm such a hard worker because I've seen her work so hard.

And I think also just her groundedness. I think my mom's Buddhist, so she prays every day. But usually it's not for yourself. You're praying for people and your family or for people that are going through a hard time. There's just so many things about Japanese culture that I love. I'll share one in specific because I think it's kind of cool. I think in Canada and America, we're kind of like we think of graveyards and it's a bit scary. But in Japan, I grew up with it being such a sacred, amazing space because my mother's father,

so my grandfather passed away when I was like one years old. And I met him once because she took me to go see him. And I've tried to visit Japan almost every year since I've been born. There's been some years where I've had to miss out. But every time we go, we go to her father's grave. and we don't just like, you know, I feel like here maybe it's more of like a mourning thing, which is also like valid. Yeah.

But we go and we clean his grave and we bring him food, his favorite foods. And it's like they, I can talk for hours about how enamelered I am with Japanese culture because I think it's so respectful. Yeah. And so honorable to like continue to honor and cherish and do. be there for people who are no longer even with us on this planet. So I think that kind of, growing up around that kind of energy has made me, I like to consider myself like a caring person with my friends or if, you know, whoever I'm with or like, I feel, I feel like it's important to take care

of other people around you as well. Yeah. So that I've definitely got. from my mom. Yeah. That's so sweet. Yeah. Such a good. Yeah, I'm going to be reaching out to you when I go to when I go to Japan because once this baby comes out, I've been so many recommendations. I've been to go to Japan. You never been? No, I've never been. Okay, you would love it. I'm going to, I'm going to need to get a whole itinerary. Yes, I will give you one. I know such great places. Love. Perfect. I'm excited. Okay, last couple questions I have for you. What part of yourself are you most committed to protecting as your career continued to grow. Wow, that's so sweet. Um, my relationship with myself, I think it is an industry where there can be perhaps, it's like a lot of people are involved.

A lot of opinions are involved. Oh yeah. And I want to protect the relationship with myself because I love acting so much, not because of, I mean, this part of it is great. Like, this is kind of, the celebratory part about it when you can talk about it and it comes out and you can see everyone's reaction and it's so nice. Almost selfishly in a little bit, in a little way, I love acting because I just love the experience of making whatever I'm making. I love being on a set. I love traveling to be there.

I love meeting new people. I love being an artist in itself and collaborating with so many wonderful and talented people to create one thing. I think that's a skill within itself and that's it's really fun. And I never, it gives me a sense of like childlike wonder when I act. Like I feel like a child when I'm like playing outside and like doing an imaginary game and like with my friends. So I never want to lose that. And I never, you know, yeah, I just, I want to protect that relationship with myself and keep that sacred. And so I can do it for a long time and keep doing it and love it throughout my career. Yeah, that's great. Last question is, what are you most proud of yourself for? I am most

proud of myself for my resilience. I think I feel, and there's so much more growing that I have to do, but I feel like from when I think of myself as a child, I've grown so much. And I'm so happy that I can stay here with you and be like, no, I have a strong sense of who I am. And that very few things can really rock me. I'm really proud of my resilience through my career. And yeah, through who I am as a person.

Yeah. I love that. What about you? Oh, my gosh. I'm proud of myself for getting through of this pregnancy. Yes. Almost. We're almost there.

Yes. Which is, like, what a beautiful thing. Yes. I cannot believe that a woman's body can create another human being. There's been so many times. Like, the fact that there's just like, like, she could come out right now and like literally be fine. Like, there's a little human inside of me right now. Like, that is crazy.

It's crazy. But women are so strong. I know. We're awesome. We're so awesome. best. Thanks for coming. This is so fun. I'm so excited to watch the new show. Thank you so much. For everything that was coming for you. Thank you. Thank you, lemon drops. You guys are so cute. Please note that this episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services.

Individuals on the show may have a direct or indirect financial interest in products or services referred to in this episode.