Meet Kristel Yoneda | Sad But Rad Club Founder & MFT Trainee

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristel Yoneda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristel, what is the most important factor behind your success?
My full-time job is in marketing, particularly a specific flavor of marketing I call purpose-driven marketing. Ikigai Marketing is based on the Japanese concept of ‘Ikigai,’ which roughly translates to “reason for being.” I work with a wide spectrum of clients, from adult performers, to magazines, therapists, restaurants, and so on. It may seem random on the surface, but the connecting factor between the companies I work with is their desire to represent their businesses authentically to their consumers. In my 15+ years in marketing, I have always been of the mindset that effective marketing helps connect specific customers with specific brands. My clients are interested in longevity in their respective fields and thus we are not trying to find any customer, but rather, the right customer for what they’re offering.

For Sad But Rad Club, I use the same “ikigai” framework that I preach to my marketing clients. My primary platform is Tiktok and it is a fickle thing. The algorithm both hurts and helps content creators. I found that when I post content that is authentic to who I am and what I’m excited about, I get much better engagement.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

By day, I own and operate my own boutique marketing and PR firm called Ikigai Marketing and work as a Creative Director at a production company in the adult industry. I am also a marriage and family therapist trainee finishing my practicum at the LGBTQ Center in Orange County.

Sad But Rad Club was a creative project I started during the first months of the pandemic when we were in lockdown. Like millions of people stuck in quarantine, I turned to social media platforms like Tiktok to feel connected to others. Like millions of people stuck in quarantine, I am also a dinosaur who did not know how to use Tiktok. I envisioned using Titkok to document my life working in the business sector of the adult industry, but surprisingly, the first video that spiked in popularity was a tongue-in-cheek humorous video I did about a therapy session I had. I began to notice a trend in which videos performed well and I decided to pivot my account to be mental health-focused. Sad But Rad Club seeks to change the narrative of mental health and wellness using me as a psychoeducational tool. Whether we are anxious, depressed, manic, etc., it does not take away from the value of our identities.

The account has expanded to include a small clothing brand and a Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/sadbutradclubxo) where I share with folks a bit more context about the videos I create. In the beginning, I struggled with authenticity and feeling self-conscious about talking about things like mental health and, specifically, my own depression. I was also very anxious about how I would be perceived and if I would be targeted for my identity as a queer person as I know the internet can be a very toxic place. I admit that I was lucky – the Tiktok algorithm pushed me into a very safe and affirming corner of the internet (despite the fact that my followers are mostly non-LGBTQ identified). Through trial and error, my biggest takeaway has been in the power of authenticity. When I create content that resonates with me most (and feels most congruent to who I am), it gets the highest traffic and engagement. I try to keep that in mind when I create content – I make videos I want to make and if I don’t want to do something, I won’t.

Currently, I have been creating a lot of content centered around inner child work where I have been documenting me adventuring around looking for Cats vs. Pickles or Squishmallows or whatever random thing brings me joy in that moment. It’s been wonderful seeing others get excited with me in this process and also hearing that it inspires them to do the same in their own lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ooh, that’s a good question! I think the wonderful thing about SoCal is that there is so much to do here. If my best friend was visiting, then we’d have to do something for our inner teens, which would probably include an obligatory trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios. As someone who grew up in Hawaii where those places were just too far out of reach, I love being able to go there now so easily. We’d have to put the Pantages on the list for musical theater and a long list of venues in Los Angeles for a concert such as The Wiltern, The Troubadour, Hotel Cafe, Largo at the Coronet, and the Avalon (and its connecting property, the Bardot). Also a must for me are the Iliad bookstore in North Hollywood and the Last Bookstore in DTLA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a humble, but loving shoutout to my partner for being on this adventure with me.

Website: https://www.sadbutradclub.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sadbutradclubxo

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/sadbutradclubxo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sadbutradclubxo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sadbutradclubxo

Other: https://www.patreon.com/sadbutradclubxo