Meet Mary Nhin, a successful children’s book author and business owner who lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. In 2010, she and her husband founded Nhinja Sushi & Wok, a popular Asian fast-casual chain in the Oklahoma City metro. Amidst it all, she balanced running a business with raising her three sons, who inspired pursuit of her dream of writing children’s books. Over 100 books, five restaurant locations, and a nonprofit later, Mary is just getting started. In this episode of Flyover Stories, Mary explains why Oklahoma gives her the best of both worlds — and the freedom to enjoy them both too.
Hi. I’m Mary Nhin, author of the Ninja Life Hack series, co-founder of Nhinja Sushi, mom of three, wife of 29 years, and nonprofit founder of Collective for Children. I’m living my flyover life in Oklahoma.
I’m a transplant from Texas, and when my parents got divorced, my mother moved to Oklahoma City. As a kid, I felt really different, and I didn’t feel like I fit in. Growing up in Texarkana, Texas, I didn’t realize what I was missing out on until I came to Oklahoma City and found an Asian community with a very culturally diverse population, and I fell in love with Oklahoma.
When we opened Nhinja Sushi in 2010, we were the first sushi restaurant in Edmond. And some people were shocked that sushi was being offered in Oklahoma. The name is a portmanteau of our last name and ninja, so N-H-I-N-J-A.
Oklahoma provides such a unique opportunity for creatives. Being an author, I always get asked about how I was inspired to write Ninja Life Hacks. It was founded on the premise of empowering children with life skills. I help kids get into the zone and stay in the zone.
It’s one thing to get into the zone, and then another thing to stay in the zone. I’m able to do that because I feel a lot more stress-free in Oklahoma.
You can have a career and still have a family. In Oklahoma, you can have both.
There’s always something going on. There’s a moon festival. The OKC Thunder. Pristine lakes and nature trails. We love playing pickleball and tennis together. We just enjoy being outdoors. And with Oklahoma having such wide open spaces, it makes it easy.
I can’t speak on that enough. Oklahoma is a state that gives you access to the opportunities to stay at home and be a mother, pursue your dreams and goals, and be able to raise a family.
