The Pacific Current

Shownotes and Links Uncle Wes takes us on a journey that has lasted over 40 years learning the ancient Hawaiian art of kapa making. This journey started here in Hawaii and took him all around the Pacific where he learned from the many practitioners of the art. We thoroughly enjoyed hearing stories about the various plants, varieties, and styles of kapa making across The Pacific. Uncle Wes sought out knowledge from many of these people who perpetuated this art and style of clothing that was near extinction in the 1970s. Lucky for us, we still have this knowledge to pass on to our keiki today. Joining us on this episode is guest host and fellow Native Hawaiian artist and graphic designer DJ Kekuaokalani. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Mana Up 2016's Women to Watch - Entrepreneur.com As successful as Meli James has been throughout her career, she had a strong desire to return home to Hawaii and apply what she learned through school at Cornell and working in Silicon Valley for over ten years. Her goal was to come home and establish an innovation ecosystem here in Hawaii. Her newest venture, Mana Up, aims to build the next 100 product companies in Hawaii earning $1 million or more in annual revenue through a 12-week acceleration program. Using a variety of connections and a vision for the future of Hawaii, Meli brought her ideas to fruition with the successful completion of the first cohort and an excellent showcase at the end of the program. The next cohort is just around the corner and Mana Up is currently looking for applicants looking to scale their Hawaii-based business. Meli is one of the most accomplished female entrepreneurs in Hawaii and was recognized as one of the top female entrepreneurs to watch back in 2016 by Entrepreneur Magazine. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Kai Capital Group Hawaii Golf Experience Activiter Hele Fitness For Brook Emanuel, the foundation for everything he does goes back to his entrepreneurial process model. This is something that he has developed over the years and has become the cornerstone for how he works. While starting and running multiple businesses in a myriad of industries, networking with like-minded professionals, and consulting others on strategy and transformation, Brook has found a way to do it all. One of Hawaii's up and coming leaders in the business and entrepreneurship sector, Brook has had his fair share of learning experiences that led him to this model. Lucky for us, we were able to hear some of his thoughts on this and where he sees our island community, how it's grown, and what he's doing, along with many others, to ensure our success moving forward. The mantra of his company, Kai Capital Group, is to profit with a purpose. He has used Kai Capital Group to help other companies in Hawaii do the same. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links https://www.hiohia.org/ In the 1830s, the Hawaiian Nation became one of the most literate countries in the world. Mo'olelo could now told both orally and through print and at one point there were more than 150 newspapers in the islands. To preserve the moolelo for our keiki today, Ka'iulani Kauihou founded a non-profit organization, Hi'ohia to revitalize the stories and translate them into other languages such as English, Japanese, and Korean. Ka'iu has taken 8 stories originating from the Wai'anae district using Native Hawaiian models, photographers, and make-up artists from that district to re-enact these same mo'olelo. Hi'ohia has been invited to many other districts throughout Hawaii to fulfill the same mission for other districts whose stories may have been lost over time. Her goal through this organization and the many other ventures she is currently pursuing is to promote Hawaiian awesomeness (her own words). Her positivity and infectious can-do attitude made her a perfect fit for this episode. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links In the late 80s and early 90s, higher education was not as available to residents of American Samoa as it is today. With a job offer in the American Samoa government, Dr. Ken Galeai moved back home to American Samoa from Hawaii and was able to engage the local government so opportunities of education and training could be provided to the local community. Dr. Galeai established the first training program of its kind on the island of Tutuila to provide the opportunity to gain competencies, skills, and ultimately a Master's Degree from universities in the continental United States without leaving their home land. Through partnerships with universities, colleagues, and government grants, he was able to establish similar programs in rural areas throughout the Pacific. These programs ultimately led to degrees for an underserved community that would not have had the opportunity otherwise. In recent years, Dr. Galeai has continued his work in education, teaching at BYU-Hawaii, raising the next generation of leaders, and speaking at many events throughout the world. A recent study of his focused on decolonizing education, a topic especially for our people here in the Pacific. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links The Pacific Current Now two months, 10 episodes into the journey of launching our very own podcast here in Hawaii Nei, we take time to reflect on the many lessons that we've learned from our first nine guests on the show. We are extremely grateful to all our supporters; those who have tuned in, gave us feedback, and kept us going. We continue to be amazed by the many inspiring stories we come across every single day and hope to be able to deliver those inspiring stories to our audience. Mahalo nui loa to our Pacific Current family! In this episode, you'll hear a recap of our first episodes. Check them out if you haven't already to hear about your brothers and sisters doing some amazing things right here in our islands. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Lady Pasifika It's been a vision for over ten years to have a magazine created specifically for women of the Pacific Islands which celebrates the rich cultural heritage of our people. For Tolua Samifua, the realization of this dream has come to fruition with the release of the first issue of Lady Pasifika. It took courage, perserverance, and a strong belief in herself and her team to accomplish this feat. From her childhood, growing up as a Samoan female in Hawaii to eventually reaching out for an interview with Hawaii's leading Republican gubernational candidate, Andria Tupola, Tolua has plenty to share about her journey to the first issue of Lady Pasifika, entitled Reconnect. Join us as we hear this journey from the mouth of Lady Pasifika's visionary founder, Tolua Samifua. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Keiki Kine Designs With the encouragement and inspiration of her grandmother, Naleisha started her very own kids clothing line right out of her home in Nanakuli and named it Keiki Kine Designs. Naleisha was able to carve out a nice niche in the kids apparrel industry for people who are “‘ono” for those local sayings we all grew up with. She runs this business on the side of her main job all while being a full-time mother of two. The incredible journey she takes us on is one that we can all relate to and be inspired by as we find ourselves facing life's everyday challenges. Naleisha has a deep-seeded passion for her roots in Nanakuli where she's spent most of her life. Her passion is not only to create a cute clothing line for children, but to do it in her hometown and be a role model for the keiki growing up in her community. Along the way, she's inspired her own keiki to dream big with her grandmother and husband as her biggest supporters. Don't miss out on this episode where we take you into the creative mind of this do-it-all local girl. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links (Island Topsoil)[https://www.islandtopsoil.com/] Lorra Naholowaa, soil operations and conservationist at Island Topsoil shares her thoughts on how we can improve and restore the health of our aina in Hawaii. After taking an hour-long tour around the facilities on the Waianae coast, we sat down with her and listened to the wisdom she's gained over the past 25 years in the industry. An incredible resource who's helping restore what the land once had, Lorra literally turns your rubbish into money for Island Topsoil and a healthier environment for all of us. As we become more conscious of the waste we produce and how it affects this beautiful place we call home, we learn how to care for it. Whether you have a small container garden or acres of land, Lorra and Island Topsoil are here to help all take care of our land. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Chris Fuamatu-Maafala grew up in Mayor Wrights Housing in Kalihi, Hawaii as the youngest of eleven children. At the age of ten, his father passed away and he was raised by his hero, his mother. With the help of his family, community members, coaches, and teammates, he was able to make his dream of playing in the NFL a reality. He talks about some of the struggles he went through on his journey to the NFL and the people around him that helped him get to his dream. His humble and focused attitude and faith in God has helped him throughout his life now that he is a husband and father. Chris was an excellent running back with a rare combination of size and speed. One of the best at that position to ever come out of the state of Hawaii. In 2015, he was ranked as the 9th best running back in Utah Utes history by the Deseret News. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links (Polynesian Cultural Center)[https://www.polynesia.com] Seamus Fitzgerald, Human Resources Director of Talent Management and Maori Cultural Specialist at the Polynesian Cultural Center shares his mana'o with us on how he teaches cultural values to all employees at PCC. Hawaiian values such as mālama, kōkua, and aloha have helped to drive an increase in employee satisfaction in recent years with the alignment of cultural and company values. He shares stories of our brilliant ancestors to help inspire the youth of today to excel in all things including academia. Weaving in his own experiences growing up in Aotearoa and learning to be proud of his heritage, Seamus' journey is an inspiring one. Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Manu Mafi, owner of MB Construction, talks about the ins and outs of running a successful business here in Hawaii as his full-time job. From competing with large corporations to dealing with customer complaints and everything in-between. His competitive advantage is seeing the customer face to face and delivering excellent service. Even if it means taking a loss on a job, reputation is everything to Manu. Inspired by his father who immigrated from Tonga to America to find a better life, Manu has capitalized on his upbringing by getting a good education, starting a company, and seeing the many opportunities that abound. He realized that showing confidence in himself gave others confidence in him despite being one of the youngest construction business owners around. MB Construction Intro Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Nomana Angelo, life coach, shares the story of how he climbed his way out of a rough situation through the intense study of successful life coaches and teachers of personal mastery. With the support of his family, he moved back home to Hawaii and embarked on a journey that would help him regain confidence in himself and achieve his goals in life. Now a successful leader in his day job, Nomana is giving back to the community by coaching others and helping them achieve their life goals as well. Join us as we hear from Nomana the key principles in conquering life's toughest challenges by training our minds to overcome whatever we encounter. Intro Music – Tiare Tahiti by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album Tamari'i No Tahiti.

Shownotes and Links Maka Keone Instagram Maka and Tamsin Keone, financial coaches share their insight into how they are helping people turn around their financial woes into strengths. Through their own trials, they were able to make sound decisions about their own personal goals which allowed them the financial freedom to pursue their dreams. By owning real estate and having side hustles, Maka and Tamsin are able to sustain themselves in Hawaii despite the high cost of living. Join us as we learn the steps to ensuring a financially sound future and getting out of the rat race.

Shownotes and Links Ohana Car Detailing Kamu Unga, owner and operator of Ohana Car Detailing talks about what it's like to start his own family business. From inception to operation, how he was able to startup a small side business to help his children learn the value of hard work. Learn about how he continued to hone his skills starting in the lot at Honda Windward to Tony Group Autoplex to eventually starting his own business with his children. Kamu explains what drives him, why detailing the perect startup business for Hawaii, and what the future holds for OCD.

Shownotes and Links Join us for Season 1 of The Pacific Current. We'll take you on a journey throughout Hawaii as we interview successful local people who've been able to keep up with the high cost of living and enjoy their piece of paradise. Jeneka and Andrew, hosts of the show, detail what the upcoming season will be about, why they decided to start a podcast, and what they hope to accomplish by creating a podcast for the modern-day Pacific Islander. On this episode we give you a small taste of some of the things we will be talking about throughout the first season. Enjoy! Intro Music – “Tiare Tahiti” by Clint Mariteragi from the 2009 album “Tamari'i No Tahiti” Listen on iTunes