Aloha Alive: The Dawn O'Brien Podcast

Hawaii doesn’t feel like “paradise” when you can’t afford to live here and you’re watching friends and family move away. We’re talking with Hunter Harris, a 23-year-old Native Hawaiian who went from student government to the State Capitol, about what Gen Z is facing right now: crushing Hawaii cost of living, housing prices that make independence feel impossible, and the quiet mental health fallout...

A tied election is rare. A tied election decided by drawing lots in a lauhala box is even rarer. But the real twist comes after that: District 43’s result gets overturned in court, and now voters in Makakilo and Kapolei are heading into a court-ordered revote that could reshape how Hawaii handles razor-thin races going forward. We sit down with Sheila Medeiros, candidate for Hawaii House District...

A small cross on a restaurant wall shouldn’t feel like a turning point, but sometimes the smallest moment lands with the most weight. We sit down with Tricia Ma’ae Liupaono, CEO and founder of My Sister’s Keeper Ministries and Reckless Love, and talk about what it means to be seen by God when life feels like a full-on spiritual storm. The conversation is candid, funny, and direct, and it keeps com...

A child trafficked for a cheeseburger?! Once you hear it, you can’t unhear it & you start seeing why prevention has to be specific, honest & urgent. We’re joined by Tammy Bitanga, Director of Community Engagement at Ho’ola Na Pua, a Hawaii nonprofit working to prevent child sex trafficking and care for youth who’ve been exploited. Tammy breaks down the real legal definition: when anything...

A simple family favor turns into a wild twist: Champ Kaneshiro gets ordained so he can officiate a wedding in Hawaii, and the paperwork starts showing up with a new title, “Pastor.” That’s where the real conversation begins. We talk about what it means to treat marriage like a covenant, why taking responsibility seriously matters, and how a “wedding performer” can still carry a message of faith wi...

He can make a TSA line laugh in ten seconds, then turn around and say something that hits your heart. We’re joined by longtime Hawaii MC, TV host, and fitness trainer Champ Kaneshiro, and we talk story about the real source of his energy: gratitude, faith, and an intentional choice to bring aloha into every room he walks into. Along the way, Champ shares how his dad shaped his outlook, why joy is...

He was a football standout. Then he lost his way, lost his identity, and ended up homeless, addicted, and ready to give up on life. Kuhio Thomas now leads Adult and Teen Challenge as a director, and he joins us with his wife Rachel for a raw, hope-forward conversation about what actually breaks addiction for good. We talk about why addiction is often the visible “fruit,” while the real work is get...

A tux, a princess dress, a red carpet, and a ballroom full of dads trying not to cry. That’s the surface story of the Daddy-Daughter Prom, but the real story is what happens when a father chooses to show up on purpose and speaks identity into his daughter’s life with no sarcasm, no conditions, and no half effort. We talk with Russell Kimura, one of the founders of Fathers With Daughters, about why...

Hawaii’s spiritual history is bigger than the version most of us inherited, and it gets personal fast. We sit down with Kahu David Blevins of Imiola Church in Waimea to talk about the historic Hawaiian awakening of the 1830s, the legacy of Lorenzo Lyons, and why the gospel’s ripple can still be felt in Hawaii today. Along the way, we tackle hard themes that many people avoid: local anger toward “h...

A sidewalk so narrow a wheelchair can’t pass. Speeding that tops the complaint list across District 43. And a community that keeps hearing “we’ll look into it” with no timeline in sight. That’s the real-world backdrop for our conversation with Sheila Madaris, a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, neighborhood board member, church leader, and weekly food bank volunteer who’s running for Hawaii State H...

If Hawaii had to live off what’s already on the islands for two weeks, would your neighborhood be ready, or would it panic? I’m talking with Daniel Anthony, a subsistence farmer, father of seven, and longtime community advocate who’s now running for lieutenant governor, and he doesn’t treat food as a “nice to have.” He calls it the real economy, the real security, and the fastest way to lower fear...

Hawaii does not feel “political” until the potholes wreck your car, the floods hit your street, or a disaster response arrives days late. We sit down with Tara Malia Gregory, a Honolulu City Council candidate, to talk about why this local seat matters so much and why she believes real authority is servanthood, not status. From East Honolulu and Hawaii Kai to Waikiki and the broader City and County...

A single sentence can haunt you for years if you don’t finish it with truth. We sit down with the DeLima family again and go straight into a topic that hits home for parents, leaders, and anyone battling anxiety or intrusive thoughts: the tormenting voices that repeat discouragement on a loop and try to pull your mind into fear, depression, and doubt. We share a powerful testimony about surviving...

A streetball legend walks into Kalihi and doesn’t ask for a red carpet. We sit down with Philip “Hot Sauce” Champion, the face so many fans still associate with the AND1 era, and we get past the mixtape mythology to hear the true arc: daily work in the mirror, a season of trouble, and the wild moment his signature moves got him noticed even while he was locked up. He explains how quickly life can...

She came out of prison with no title, no money & no  plan yet still built one of the most practical, faith-forward outreach efforts in Honolulu. Triciaa Maʻae-Liupaono of My Sister’s Keeper is now under the nonprofit under the umbrella Reckless Love. It's all about addiction recovery, houseless outreach, housing life lessons & serving people who've been written off by everyone el...

The most dangerous place for a child can be the place everyone assumes is safest: home, family, and trusted circles. We sit down as two sister friends to talk plainly about childhood sexual abuse, incest & the generational silence that lets horrific harm repeat. Charlotte shares the reality of being abused at multiple ages, the freeze response that can make a child feel voiceless & the gut...

Charmaine Hauanio-Kuewa is a Miss Aloha Hawaii & Salvation Army Hawaii leader, talking on local disaster relief, ohana trials, & what real help looks like Hawaiian-style. • Why Salvation Army responds to both disasters and “daily disasters”  • What happened after Lahaina & North Shore storms  • How meals, shelter support & financial assistance work  • Why emotional & spiritual...

What's Hawai'i got to do with it? Where does Aloha fit into the Last Days? It's getting real with Pastor Jonathan Steeper--a pastor who refused to shutdown the church during global lockdown, who stood for religious freedom in a national war & looks spiritual war in the eye. After 15 years at Kalihi Union Church, Pastor John reflects on the “gentle” miracles of persistent faith....

A pastor walking into prison at 14 should not be normal, and yet Pastor Jay Puahi’s story makes one thing clear: God uses the willing, not the polished. We sit down with Pastor Jay and his wife, Sister Shar Puahi of Straight Up Ministry, to talk about what it looks like to live the aloha spirit as action, especially while serving at Wai'anae Boat Harbor among a large community of houseless ne...

He’s a beloved Hawaii musician with a reputation for warmth, humor, and that unmistakable “aloha” energy. But what happens when the person everyone loves in public becomes someone his family fears at home? We sit down with Kelly Boy and Leolani Delima for a candid, faith-forward conversation about anger, trauma, marriage, and the long work of healing what you almost lose.  We talk about the hidden...

Lightning strikes a plane outside your window and suddenly every “later” turns into “right now.” That’s where we start with Keikoa Carvalho of Pure Aloha and Rasco Idayan of Building Bonds Through Burpees, two men who know fear, addiction, and pressure firsthand and still choose to show up with love. We get honest about what aloha really means when it costs you something, why sacrifice is the clea...

Your phone says you’re connected, but your relationships might say otherwise. We sit down with Pastor Andrew Yasuhara and get into the kind of faith conversation that actually touches real life: how to reach youth who live online, how to rebuild trust after church hurt, and why the most effective ministry tool is still simple presence. Andrew shares why relationship beats trying to look cool, and...

Rock bottom doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet dinner table, an empty house, & realizing the thing holding the marriage together is gone. I sit down with Leolani De Lima, wife of Kapena’s Kelly Boy De Lima, and we talk about what it takes to survive 38 years of marriage when fame, temptation, trauma, & family pressure all take their hits. If you’ve been searching for marriage...

HAPPY 1ST BDAY! It's our "BABY LU'AU" Party   featuring da  BEST OF BEST highlights for U! Enjoy our 1st baby steps from Dawn's only solo episode & first set (with awkward background & lighting LOL) & then a upgraded set & even our own Podcast mugs. FANCY PANTSY!  Time to rock ALOHA ALL OVER & share talk story time with Hawai'I heroes & sheroes...

"Your child isn't looking for porn, porn is looking for your child." Michele Okimura, Explicit Movement, talks plainly about s*x, p*rn, & more shocking stuff related to s*x. Why does sex matter to God? What is sacred (vs. secular) sex? And other questions even parents may not know the answers to.  Subscribe for more , share with a parent or friend or youth leader, & leave a...