Keep it Aloha

Markian Benhamou is a content creator from all over the world. This popular influencer found success on YouTube and Facebook where he uses his platform, and smile to create positive, happy and healthy spaces around us. He founded Smile Squad with the mission to make the world better, one smile at a time. His hard work and dedication to his craft has garnered him millions of followers and over bill...

Jack Soren is a wave-surfing, graffiti spraying, mural-painting Native-Hawaiian artist from the island of O’ahu.  He has produced several solo exhibitions as well as contributed works to numerous groups and collective shows. Having developed an extremely applicable style, his work has been commissioned for major branding and marketing campaigns by organizations like Vans Triple Crown and companies...

Zion Thompson, Ikaika Antone, and Jordan Espinoza are 3 of the 5 current band members from the popular Reggae band called The Green. Zion, the guitarist, and Ikaika, the keyboardist, are former band members of a group called stir crazy. Jordan is the band’s drummer who joined the team in 2011. Together with their two other band members Caleb Keolanui and our past podcast guest Brad Watanabe they m...

Just a quick update for your loyal podcast supporters. This video was intended to be seen on social media, but I am sharing it here for the people who listen on Apple Podcast and Spotify. Quick summary for those who don’t want to watch the whole/listen video: - No new podcast episode or clips this week, all the focus will be on Maui 🫶🏽💖 - Let us know how we can help the community. Keep tagging...

Kini Zamora is an all-star fashion designer from the island of O’ahu. He is a Native-Hawaiian third generation seamstress who represented Hawai’i on the 13th season of Project Runway finishing as the 2nd runner-up and then soon after was selected to compete on the 5th season of Project Runway All Stars, finishing 2nd place. Balancing his cultural soul and flare in high fashion, his work has garner...

Eddie Flores Jr. and daughter Elisia Flores are entrepreneurs from the island of Oʻahu. Eddie is a husband and father of two who had success in the real estate industry before co-founding the popular L&L restaurant which now has over 220 restaurants across the country and in Japan. Elisia, who took over as the CEO and Vice Chair, is a business leader and proud graduate of USC.  This mother of...

Kalehua Krug is a Hawaiian language and culture advocate from the island of Oʻahu. Not only is this father of three an articulate educator with is P.H.D., he is also a traditional tattoo artist as well as a lyricist and musician who wrote Amy Hanaiali’i’s song Pa Aheahe, which was nominated for “Song of the Year” at the Nā Hōkū Hanohano awards. Currently he is the principal of a Hawaiian Charter S...

Oliver Steele is a singer-songwriter from Tennessee. He is most known for competing in season 21 of American Idol where he finished in the top 8th. Oliver brings soulful and powerful vocals with a hint of soft-spoken honesty and raw emotion to every performance. He captivated the hearts of not only America, but the people of Hawai’i as well, with his display of Aloha towards Hawai’i’s own American...

Moana Jones Wong is a professional surfer from the island of Oʻahu. In 2022 she became the first-ever winner of the first full women’s event on the World Surf League Championship tour where she made surfing history by winning the Billabong Pro Pipeline beating out five-time world champion Carissa Moore. She is also the first graduate of the University of Hawai’i West Oʻahu Bachelor of Applied Scie...

Taimane Gardner is an ukulele virtuoso from the island of Oʻahu. She is a singer, songwriter and theater producer who has established herself as one of the leading ukulele players in the world, known for her fierce and inventive style of play transcending traditional views of the instrument as a restricted device. In 2019 and most recently in 2023 she won the coveted Nā Hōkū Hanohano award for Fav...

Sam Potter is an Emmy Award-Winning executive producer, host and director from the island of Kaua’i. He is a local boy who embodies Hawai’i's Aloha spirit. This surfer, diver, and world traveler perfected his craft in front and behind the camera and has earned himself over a quarter million followers throughout his social media channels. Most recently he was nominated and won 5 Emmy awards for...

Steve Sue is a social venturer and jack-of-all trades from California. He is most known for innovation and entrepreneurship programs including Lemonade Alley, Project Lemon Tree and bizgym.com. He started out as a home builder founding bedrock development, INC. and also serves as the chairman of Bizgenics, a Hawaii-based 501(C)(3) specializing in creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship progra...

Daniel Anthony is a passionate food sovereignty leader from the island of Oʻahu. He is an advocate for sustainable agriculture and the driving force behind the movement to bring kalo, also known as taro, back to our classrooms, kitchens and local economies. This father of seven has become a prominent figure in the local farming community and co-founded Mana Ai, a company that produces, distributes...

Lauren Teruya is the former Miss Hawaiʻi 2022 from the island of Oʻahu. She is also ateacher, journalist, news reporter, freelance writer and performer. With her Miss Hawai’i win last year, she and her sister became the first sisters to win the Miss Hawai’i competition. During her reign she traveled all over spreading her message of Arts for All, a program that brings the arts into the classroom t...

Kulani Watson is a Native-Hawaiian and Māori content creator from the island of O’ahu. He is a comedy writer and actor with over 62 thousand followers on Instagram and 54 thousand followers on TikTok. After going on his LDS mission during his time in college he found his passion in writing and filming comedic sketches for social media. He is one of my favorite accounts to follow and has been bring...

Kelly Boy Delima is a Native-Hawaiian, Portuguese singer, songwriter, and ukulele superstar from the island of O’ahu. This husband and father of three is most known for being the founder and lead singer of the legendary band Kapena, which he formed with two Tongan brothers. He is a multiple Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner and has over 20 CDS. Today you can see him onstage with his wife who is a wond...

The Chu sisters are former Miss Hawaiʻi USA sisters and entrepreneurs. The older sister Julie is a former Miss Hawai’i Teen USA and Miss Hawai’i USA. During her reign she wrote and illustrated her first children’s book, Curly the Doxin and has traveled around the world promoting her book which was written to teach the importance of self-love for children. She also dedicates her time serving as a b...

Joe Jitsukawa is an Asian-American YouTuber and entrepreneur from California.  He is a writer, director, actor, comedian, public speaker, investor and is the co-founder of Just Kidding Films and Just Kidding News which are YouTube channels that take on social, contemporary and cultural issues with a comedic edge. His Just Kidding channels as well as his personal accounts have garnered millions of...

Our guest today is a Native-Hawaiian professional MMA fighter from the island of O’ahu. She is the inaugural and former Bellator Women’s Flyweight World Champion. Currently she is the 2nd ranked women’s flyweight fighter in Bellator and the 5th overall pound-for-pound fighter in the women’s rankings. This wrestling state champion received her Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology and her Mast...

Jared Kushi is a Japanese local boy from the Big Island of Hawai’i. He is the CEO and co-founder of Hawaiiverse, the largest online local coupon directory which was voted as the HVCA’s 2022 People’s choice of startup paradise. He is also the CEO of Koosh Media, an agency that helps local  businesses scale using targeted online ads and an automation capture system used by global high growth compani...

Ed Sugimoto is a 2nd-generation Japanese-American from the island of O’ahu. He is the owner and founder of VH07V, also known as Aloha Revolution which is a rotating collection of shirts, caps and sweaters for men and women. The VH07V logo which spells Aloha upside down, when worn is a subtle reminder to keep aloha in our hearts.  Before starting his entrepreneurial journey, he worked at Spectrum a...

Daniela Stolfi-Tow is a Sinti Gypsy digital marketing manager grown on the island of O’ahu. She is a published photographer, videographer and writer and has over 14 years in the music industry as an executive assistant to legendary rock promoter Barry Fey, as well as production assistant for several national artists such as Prince, Metallica and KISS. Dani currently manages a network of 18 various...

Kimié Miner is a Native-Hawaiian, Portuguese Grammy Nominated, producer, singer-songwriter, and recording artist from the Big Island of Hawai’i. She has written and co-produced five award-winning albums including the Grammy Nominated album, “Hawaiian Lullaby,” and most recently produced “Children of the Sea - Na kama Kai” a full length album from her free community mentorship program called MeleCr...

Kalani Pe'a is a three-time Native-Hawaiian Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter from the Big Island of Hawai’i. His debut album “E Walea” won him his first grammy award in 2017 for Best Regional Roots Music album and a Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for best Hawaiian contemporary Album, making Hawaiian history as the only album to ever win both a Grammy and a Nā Hōkū. He sings everything from class...

Alexis Akiona is a Native-Hawaiian designer from the Big Island of Hawai’i. She is a local fashion entrepreneur who launched her business, Lexbreezy Hawai'i, during the Merrie Monarch in 2016 and has since climbed her way to the top with her creative designs that blend classic island style with a modern, sophisticated aesthetic.  This second generation Alohawear designer is also a wife and mot...