Keep it Aloha

Connor Tomlinson from Georgia and Tanner Smith from South Carolina are two of the stars of Netflix’s hit show Love on the Spectrum. Best friends and autism advocates, they inspire people both on and off the spectrum to embrace their authentic selves. In this special Hawai‘i episode, we take a tour around Kualoa Ranch — home of the iconic Jurassic Park T-Rex holding area — and talk about their upbr...

Neale Asato is an entrepreneur from the island of O’ahu. He is the owner of Asato Family Shop, which is best known for making “Local Kine” sherbet that honors the past while sharing it with the next generation. Their sherbet is more than just a treat, it’s a memory inspired by the old-school flavors of crack seed stores, the Manapua man, and the local snacks we grew up with, every scoop is a taste...

Keao NeSnith is a Hawaiian linguist from the island of Kaua’i. He is an educator and translator who has taught at various universities in Hawai’i, Tahiti and New Zealand. His work on “Neo Hawaiian” as a separate variety of Hawaiian has informed debate in Hawaiian language studies, as well as broader issues in language revitalization. He has translated a number of books into Hawaiian, including The...

Cheyne Gitsham is a content creator from California. He is most known for his social media content sharing videos about his life in Hawai’i and street interviews in which he asks people what their favorite song is and what song they are listening to. With a collective following of almost 4 million on social media he is building an empire and he’s only 22 years old. In this episode we talk about gr...

Seven Suns are a collective of seven bandmates from all over the world. Their first full length album ‘Many Feathers’ was released in November of 2024 and recently they went on to win 6 Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards including Reggae Album, Single of the Year, Music video of the Year, and Group of the Year. Their band members include Justin Kawika Young (vocals, guitar), Shawn Kekoa Pimental (drums), Jas...

AJ Rafael is an accomplished Filipino-American singer-songwriter from California. He has amassed over 1 million subscribers on YouTube and 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. His debut album Red Roses has reached the iTunes and Billboard charts, and he has collaborated with artists such as Tori Kelly, Jeremy Passion, Kina Grannis, and past podcast guest Roman from Kolohe Kai. This popular YouT...

Sydni Kobayashi is a mother and entrepreneur from the island of O'ahu. She is the sister of Hannah Kobayashi, the girl from Hawai'i who voluntarily disappeared last year and was found in Mexico. In this episode we talk about growing up in Hawai’i with Hannah, the events leading up to Hannah’s disappearance, finding out Hannah was missing, her dad passing away, finding Hannah, moving forward after...

Kaniela Ing is a community leader from the island of Maui. He came on the Hawaiiverse Podcast over 2 years ago and now he is back to talk story once again. Check out episode 64 on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to learn more about him. In this episode we talk about what he’s been up to since his last podcast, Charlie Kirk’s death, everything politics, the Kamehameha Schools admissions issues, raising h...

Amy Hill is a legendary actress and comedian from South Dakota. She has over 180 television and film credits and has been a part of our favorite shows and movies over the past three decades. You might know her for her hilarious role as Grandma Kim on All-American Girl, Sue in 50 First Dates, Mrs. Ho-Kym in Next Friday, Mrs. Kwan in Cat in the Hat, or the unforgettable voice of Mrs. Hasagawa in Dis...

Princess Mae and Tony Gaisoa are entrepreneurs from the Phillipines and American Samoa. Princess is a digital creator, influencer and sister of internet sensation and past podcast guest Bretman Rock. Tony is the owner and founder of USO Muscle Detailing and the commissioner of our fantasy football league that all of us are in. Together they are proud parents of 5 kids and one of the the best peopl...

Keldin Calairo-Nakagawa and Lewa Davis-Medija are two singer/songwriters from the island of Moloka’i. They are the founders of the popular band High Watah which is a seven-piece reggae ensemble who is taking Hawai’i and the world by storm. With millions of streams and radio plays all over the world, they continue to share their music and captivate audiences. Their debut album, Watah Boys Vol.1, ca...

Lanai Tabura is an Emmy Award-winning jack of all trades from the island of Lānaʻi. Heʻs a DJ, comedian, chef, TV and podcast host, actor, and entrepreneur. He is the winner of Food networkʻs Great Food Truck race season 4, was a co-host with Anthony Bourdainʻs NO Reservations and currently hosts Cooking Hawaiian Style which is a tv show that airs in 7 countries.  He came on the Hawaiiverse Podcas...

We interrupt this weekly podcast to bring you some important Keep it Aloha updates with Kamaka. We will be back to our regular scheduled program next week. Enjoy! In this episode we talk about the new Keep it Aloha book, the upcoming Made in Hawai’i Festival, podcast updates, live podcast at the Blue Note, future plans, some Hawai’i facts and so much more. Find Kamaka here: https://www.instagram.c...

Brandon Maka'awa'awa is a Native-Hawaiian sovereign leader from the island of O’ahu. He is the Vice-President, Deputy Head of State, and Executive Advisor at the Nation of Hawai’i, the oldest Hawaiian independence organization in Hawai’i. He is a long-time resident of the Waimanalo Hawaiian homestead community called Pu’uhonua O Waimanalo where he also helps to manage the community’s broadband net...

Luciane Buchanan is a Tongan actress from New Zealand. She started acting as a young teen in Aotearoa landing roles in some local series, the Netflix series ‘The New Legends of Monkey’, ‘Sweet Tooth’, and Apple TV+’s ‘Mr. Corman’. In 2020, Luciane was a recipient of the Script to Screen 'Fresh Shorts' program for her first short screenplay 'Lea Tupu'anga/ Mother Tongue'. The Un...

This is basically Keep it Aloha's version of the Protect Our Parks episodes on Joe Rogan's podcast. In this episode we get to know Josh Namba of Maoli, Ricky Kuntemeyer of Mean Training, Jordan Tano of Dakine Media and High Watah, we talk about male friendships, comparisons, life philosophies, and so much more. Find Josh here: https://www.instagram.com/joshnamba/Find Ricky here: https://ww...

JR De Guzman is a musician and comedian from the Philippines and California. He began performing comedy as a music teacher in a classroom before taking his talents to bigger stages. He has entertained all over the world, having performed for Stand-Up Tokyo and Tokyo Comedy bar in Japan, the Jokers Ball in Indonesia, the Badaboom Comedy series in Amsterdam and countless other international shows. H...

Irie Love is an R&B Reggae singer and songwriter from the island of O’ahu. She first came on the scene as one of the finalists on the “Brown Bags to Stardom” competition in 1999. She then booked a tour as a back-up singer for the artist Pink and continued as a back-up singer for the next three years for artists like Dave Hollister and Chaka Khan. This island girl then took her talents to Kings...

Kyle Quilausing is a motivational speaker and former Hawai’i’s most wanted from the Big island of Hawai’i. At the age of 5 he was introduced to golf and quickly fell in love with the sport dedicating every waking moment to perfecting his craft and becoming a six-time state golf champion, winning 16 titles, coming 4th in the world, and playing against Tiger Woods at 10 years old. Things took a turn...

Hayley Cheyney Kāne is a former miss Hawai’i from the island of O’ahu. In 2013 she was crowned Miss Hawaiʻi’s outstanding Teen, then in 2024 she was crowned Miss Hawai’i becoming the first openly gay Miss Hawai'i in history as well as making her only the second person to ever capture both the Teen and Miss titles of the Miss Hawai'i America system. This Native-Hawaiian is also a trained hu...

Oliver Widger is a former tire company manager turned sailor from Oregon. Last year he quit his corporate job of 11 years, liquidated his 401(k) and bought a sailboat with the intention to sail 2,400 miles all the way to Hawai’i. After 25 days at sea he arrived in Hawai’i on May 25th all while going viral and documenting his whole journey on social media. In this episode we talk about his upbringi...

We welcome back singer/songwriter Roman De Peralta to the podcast to talk about his newest album called What Aloha Means. Check out episode 123 to see Roman's first episode and learn more about his life story. In this episode we talk about his new album, catch up with each other on life, talk about the state of aloha in our community, go over some of his favorite songs off his album, shed some tea...

Randy Kosaki and Kimi Werner are a long lost brother and sister duo from the island of O’ahu and Maui. Kimi is a past podcast guest, a National spearfishing champion, an award-winning environmentalist, amazing chef, mother, wife, and sister. You can learn more about her if you check out episode 3 recorded almost 3 and a half years ago. Randy Kosaki is a recently retired research ecologist. He was...

Kale Afong is a self-taught chef from the island of Oʻahu. He is the executive chef and owner of Kaleʻs Hale, Hawaiʻiʻs newest dining hotspot featuring an all-you-can-eat Japanese Yakiniku experience with a Hawaiian twist. This father and husband also started Hawai’i’s first “Ocean to Table” experience, offering guests the opportunity to dive or fish, then learn to prepare their catch in a beach-p...

Kimo Leong is an influential Native-Hawaiian from the island of Oʻahu. He is the CEO and founder of Kanaka Solutions which is the number one security for surf events. He is also a father, husband, and Makaha beach boy. In this episode we talk about growing up in Kalihi, experiencing other cultures at a young age, leaving Hawai’i for college, starting his business Kanaka Solutions, working with sur...