Hanging Out with Nolan Hong

Tessa is a veteran wedding planner and Joseph is an incredible wedding photographer, and together they launched "Unveiling Paradise" – a podcast focusing on destination weddings. They shared stories from working at countless weddings throughout the years, wedding trends they like, and how they each got into their careers (somehow their paths involved a PhD and culinary school?!). We also talked ab...

Heather is the Executive Director of the Hawaiʻi Health & Harm Reduction Center. We talked about seeing the effects of HIV in the San Francisco community where she was living in the 90s and how that inspired her work today. She also shared about her mental health journey, her recovery from addiction and how being open and vulnerable has made her a more effective leader. Learn more about the Hawaiʻ...

It's the follow up to Ep. 207 "Our Popos," this time we're talking about the grandparents we were close to, Jamie's paternal grandma and Nolan's maternal grandfather. Join us on zoom for a free workshop! We're teaching how to record an oral history interview with your loved one using your smartphone and things you have around the house – from setting up your camera, positioning everything to get t...

Maile is the CEO of INPEACE, a local nonprofit based in Waiʻanae. She talked about the organization's mission, how they provide educational programs to Native Hawaiian communities with ʻohana-focused models, how they develop their team and programs from within the community, and how important that has been to the success of their work. We also got into her personal story, how she found her calling...

Kelly has been a professional wedding planner for 20 years, getting her start before wedding planning was really a thing. She shares about the evolution of weddings over her career and how couples' needs have changed, her best advice for planning a wedding, and why things like a professional emcee are so important. We also talk about her new business, Borrowed Blooms, which brings ultra realistic...

Chardonnay is a recording artist, a business owner and a farmer! She shares the origin of her name, along with the funny way her dad tells people why they named her that. We also get into her music career and how that led to her meeting the woman who would become her wife. She also shares about helping run her wife's food truck/catering company, and her family farm where they have 600 pigs!! Needl...

Diana is an international speaker, author, master life coach and cohost of the Body Positivity Podcast! She's the daughter of Filipino immigrants and grew up in New York before making her way to Hawaii. She shares about being in class just 2 blocks away from the Twin Towers when the 9/11 attacks happened, leaving her career on Wall Street to become a chef and eventually cooking a Michelin-starred...

Keoni is Executive Director of Lanai Cat Sanctuary. He shares the incredible story of why and how it was created, and how houses more than 700 cats with zero fleas, and each cat has a name! Keoni's grandpa was a co-owner of the historic Oahu fine dining restaurant, John Dominis, and Keoni shares an entertaining memory of "fishing" in the restaurant's legendary fish pond and the fallout at school w...

With the new COVID Booster out, we all have many questions and so we are lucky to have Dr. Jill Omori join us for a live Q&A about the shot. Dr. Jill Omori (Ep 44) is the Infectious Disease Officer for the City and County of Honolulu and Director of the Office of Medical Education, John A. Burns School of Medicine. So if there's anyone I know that I can trust, it's her! Join our facebook group, Ha...

Nick gives stargazing shows all across Oahu with his company, Stargazers of Hawaii. We talk about how he left his career in construction to pursue his passion in astronomy. He answers my questions about the universe, distant galaxies, what the coolest thing he's seen, and yes, we talk ALIENS! He also shares about his other love – baseball – and working with the UH baseball team's video department....

Kara is the Hawaii Regional Director at Catapult Learning, an education service company supporting struggling learners. She shared her experience with learning struggles throughout high school and college, which inspires her to help educators and students through her work today. We talked about being the daughter of a teacher and how that influenced her to go into education, working with her inter...

Laura is a professional speaking coach who grew up with a stutter and is an introvert by nature. She shares how she became an award-winning speaker and now helps others do the same. We also get into how she got into stand-up comedy, what it's like to slay one night then absolutely bomb the next night, and a crazy story about getting stuck in Bali for 4 months at the beginning of the pandemic. Did...

Our attempt at telling the stories of our grandparents. We started with the grandparents we didn't know as well - Jamie's maternal grandparents and her paternal grandfather (whom she called Popo), and Nolan's maternal grandmother (whom he called Popo). We ran out of time so come back for Part 2 😊 Learn more about Pop Legacy Videos at https://poplegacyvideos.com/ and Love Stories at https://poplov...

Dr. Fong started his podcast, "Asian America: The Ken Fong Podcast", in 2015 and it currently has over 600k downloads. He tells his story of how he was a Biology major when he got his calling to become a Baptist pastor, which he did for over 30 years. We also go into how he became a LGBTQ ally and advocate in his church and now thru his podcast, and how he met his kamaʻāina wife and his connection...

In 2004, I discovered the most beautiful singing voice I ever heard — it was Kauʻi. Instead of becoming the next Whitney Houston, Kauʻi dedicated her life to teaching and even created a nonprofit that connects students to Hawaiian values and life skills through music. We talk about working with students on the west side of Oahu and the missing bridge between many Hawaiʻi students and education. Le...

John is the CEO of Kupu Hawaii, a local nonprofit that provides hands-on training in conservation, sustainability, and environmental education for young adults, with the goal of fostering our next generation of environmental and cultural stewards. We talk about how he and his wife came to start the org, the funny story of how he and his wife met, growing up with entrepreneurs (his family owned Wai...

Arliss is a business and life coach who teaches people the art of self love. She shares how she was studying for her PhD in Neuroscience when a diagnosis of terminal rare genetic disease changed her life to a path of radical self love and care, and how she has made it her life mission to share that with others. Learn more about Arliss at https://soullutions.com/ https://www.facebook.com/arliss.dud...

Clyde has over 300 film and TV credits!! We talk about growing up in Hawaii, being one of the few Asian actors getting consistent work in Hollywood, choosing not to fall into the stereotypical portrayals of Asian characters (even when he was directed to do so), his journey to sobriety, and some really cool stories about auditioning and working on some of my favorite shows and movies of all time --...

TIA CARRERE hangs out with us for Episode 200!!! She shares about getting discovered at the Food Pantry in Waikiki at age 17, singing with Daniel Ho at Brown Bags to Stardom, what she learned about how to survive and thrive in Hollywood, and lots more. It's a great discussion about self-worth and staying grounded when you're in an industry that doesn't make that easy. We also learn that Nolan eats...

Olin is a serial social entrepreneur, innovator, and community organizer. We talked about growing up in KPT where he was stabbed at the age of 7, serving in the Peace Corps in Russia in a city where the economy was collapsing, how Asperger's Syndrome is his super power and curse, and why his mission in life is to spread kindness. Olin is currently focused on clean energy and STEM education. He fou...

Dr. Aquino is president and founder of Hawaii Workforce Pipeline. She shares about her career journey -- from going to school as a data research analyst doing testing on mice and the effects of marijuana and other drugs on humans, then finding her calling through interning at hospitals, and how she is now working to help connect students with internships to get real life training, experiences and...

Steven is a growth cultivator and founder of Humanity Consulting. Before this, he was an Air Force Officer, research program manager, and astrophysicist. We talked about his love and interest in the stars and space, and if he knows if aliens are real or not 😲 He was really open about his personal journey, how he found his calling to help people grow from struggles and trauma, and find their purpo...

Geoff is the owner of Dream Float Hawaii. We talked about what floating is, how he got started in his business, his interest and passion for learning about health and healing, and stories from driving Uber. Learn more about Dream Float Hawaii at https://www.dreamfloathi.com/

Jen is the Principal and Chief Joy Officer of Community Impact Advisors. She shared about her fascinating background -- her parents worked for the FBI (?!!) and her dad analyzed surveillance footage and worked the Imelda Marcos case (?!), they adopted Jen from an orphanage in Japan, which she was able to visit as a young adult. We talked about how she supports nonprofits by helping them fundraise...

Ken is the principal instructor of Pearl City High School's broadcast and digital media program. We talked about his 20+ years in television as a director and technical producer for all the major Hawaii news stations and video production companies, how he got his college degree 20 years after dropping out, how his high school teacher changed his life, and his work with the students at PCHS. Go to...