On June 10, 2025, Haruna Shiga, CEO of BeLiebe Inc. , the company that operates EggU, appeared as a speaker at the online seminar " Work-Life Planning Based on the Body " hosted by EY Japan . The seminar was designed as an opportunity to consider how to view pregnancy, childbirth, and other life events while working at EY Japan, and how to approach one's career .
On the day of the event, a system was introduced that allowed viewers to anonymously post comments and questions, which led to a steady stream of empathetic comments about the speakers' words and frank opinions regardless of position. This gave participants an opportunity to not just listen, but also to think about what they would do in the situation, creating an atmosphere in which they actively participated in the sessions .
To make your own choice, it is important to first "know"
-- Thoughts of the seminar planner
The background to the holding of this seminar was the personal experience of the organizer, Mr. Kamiko.
"There was so much I learned for the first time since starting infertility treatment, and I felt that if I had known, I would have taken action sooner. Even though I'm busy with work, I want many people to have the opportunity to think about their own lives after gaining the appropriate knowledge. I also want to reduce the number of people who regret, saying, 'I should have done this at that time.' With this wish in mind, I learned about this seminar and decided I wanted to hold it."
The starting point was the idea of holding a seminar to convey the importance of "knowing" in order to create a society where people can make their own choices .
As part of promoting DE&I, we are taking the opportunity to focus on our own bodies and careers.
EY positions diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) as a core part of the organization, and is committed to creating a workplace where everyone can be themselves . As part of this, the company decided to hold this seminar with the aim of creating an environment where people can be more proactive about their own bodies and careers.
Learn about the reality of pregnancy, childbirth, and work, and chart your career path
The seminar was divided into two parts.
Part 1: Input seminar
BeLiebe gave a lecture on the topic of " Physical changes during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum and their impact on work ." The lecture covered topics familiar to the participants but surprisingly little known, such as the current state of infertility testing and treatment, the relationship between age and pregnancy rates, the period required to conceive, and the difficulties facing working women in balancing work and family life.
The message that "it's important to take care of your own body, no matter what stage of life you're in" resonated with many people.
"Participants told us that they learned a lot they didn't know, so I feel that this seminar was necessary to increase literacy." (Seminar organizer: EY Joko)
Part 2: Workshop
In the second half of the workshop, Ms. Takemura of EY shared her own experience of balancing work and childcare, followed by a planning exercise looking at life events and careers at the same time.
Participants used planning sheets to chronologically organize life events such as childbirth, child-rearing, promotions, and job transfers, along with their career plans, creating a realistic schedule. This provided an opportunity to face their own future and turn the vague notions they had in their heads into concrete actions .
" When I actually visualized things I had only vaguely thought about, I realized things I hadn't seen before . I feel that setting aside time like this provides an opportunity for each person to really think about their own life . Because circumstances change, I think that by doing this kind of work regularly, we can correct our course and plan our lives." (Seminar organizer: EY Joko)
An opportunity to confront your body and envision your future
At the end of the seminar, participants were asked to write down what they would like to try starting tomorrow .
Rather than simply expressing their opinions, many participants seriously considered their own lives and careers and spoke of concrete actions they would take, such as "talking to my partner" and "rethinking my efforts to conceive."
This was an opportunity for many people to take a powerful first step in turning their learning not just into "knowledge" but into "action."
- "There are more people who need fertility treatment than I thought, so I felt that we needed to act early, counting backwards from the age at which we want to have children."
- "I had vague ideas about when to get pregnant and give birth, but when I used the worksheet and compared it with other life events, I realized that some of it was unrealistic, and it made me reconsider."
- "I thought I'd talk to my partner about our plans for the future."
- "I decided to face my own body and consider the possibility of infertility, so I talked to my partner about wanting to try to conceive as soon as possible."
Participants were particularly satisfied with the workshop, with many saying that it was a valuable opportunity to think together about careers and life events .
To make your own choices, consider the perspective of your body axis.
In this seminar, we utilized the content of `` EggU '' provided by BeLiebe to encourage ``knowing,'' ``thinking,'' and ``getting motivated to take action .''
This "body axis" learning serves as the foundation for each employee to take the initiative in designing their own life .
BeLiebe will continue to support the creation of an environment where people can "work in their own way."