Japanese-American influencer, 60, who went viral saying it’s never too late to start over
Dana Nakagawa reinvented herself as a content creator and now posts videos on starting over, decluttering and her interpretation of ikigai
For Dana Nakagawa, the Covid pandemic was especially challenging.
“The day we went into lockdown, my mom passed away,” she says. “And then a couple of months later, I got laid off from my job.”
At the time, Nakagawa was a 56-year-old single mother living in the US state of California with her teenage daughter. She had been working in advertising as an art director after decades as a graphic designer.
“Suddenly I was jobless, and that was a huge shock … How was I going to survive?” she recalls wondering.
“That moment became a major pivot point in my life.”
First, Nakagawa needed to land on a viable means of support. She created a business selling modern and vintage clothing she found at thrift stores. She sold it on sites such as eBay and Poshmark, using the apt name Dana Findwell.
It became a full-time vocation. While she was not earning as much as she was in her previous job, she was managing to pay her bills. And she enjoyed the work.