In true Inspired By Aloha (IBA) fashion, the crew gathers to reflect on a year filled with manaʻo, music, and meaningful connections. Joined by special guest, Camden the IBA Tech Guru, they look back with gratitude on the incredible guests who joined them in 2025 such as Keala Thompson, The Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society, Prime Hina, and Haunani Miyasato, each bringing their own ʻike, moʻolelo, and aloha to the table.

Things get even more fun when the crew opens a special makana from Kaulana Mahina, leading to plenty of surprises and heartfelt moments. This episode is full of giggles, storytelling, pidgin ponderings, childhood concert memories, and Pocho power! It's a perfect reminder of why gathering to talk story with friends is the best way to brighten your day!

As the IBA ʻohana enters a new year in 2026, the saying "Hiki Nō" or "Can!" rings true for the group. From our IBA family to yours...may 2026 be your year of doing, experiencing, and living a life of aloha to the fullest! Hiki nō!

Connect with your Inspired by Aloha (IBA) crew! We look forward to hearing from you!
Instagram: @inspiredbyaloha808
Email: inspiredbyaloha808@gmail.com

"...it wasn't till I actually started taking Hawaiian language classes that I learned a lot. And you know with language comes culture right. They're intertwined. You can't separate one from the other. So that's when I really learned my culture too."

~ Haunani Miyasato, Educator and Founder of Kaulana Mahina

The Inspired by Aloha crew welcomes Hawaiʻi island educator, entrepreneur, and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi advocate Haunani Miyasato, the visionary behind Kaulana Mahina, a cultural learning platform rooted in ʻike kūpuna, lived practices, and a deep commitment to giving our keiki the tools to kilo (observe) and connect with the ʻāina.

What begins as a talk story about learning ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to support her immersion-school children unfolds into a moving journey of persistence, identity, and purpose. Haunani shares how a rigorous college course on the mahina (moon) cracked her world open, revealing how lunar cycles shape fishing, planting, harvesting, and even our own energy. Using what she learned, she transformed her knowledge into a Hawaiian moon calendar, created entirely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to preserve the cultural meaning and mana embedded in the language.

The crew explore how aloha is perpetuated through intentional, high-quality work, such as research grounded in Hawaiian scholarship to collaboration with cultural practitioners and correcting inaccuracies in resources such as ahupuaʻa maps. Haunani also shares the practice of kilo, explaining how careful observation can support sustainability, mindfulness, and deeper connection to place.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt called back to language, culture, or ʻike and wondered if it’s “too late” to begin. Haunani reminds us that you don’t have to be an expert to start. You just have to take the time to learn and find a way to pass it on.

Mahalo nui to Haunani Miyasato for bringing the moon, the maps, the moʻolelo, and the mana to Inspired by Aloha. Your efforts keep Hawaiian culture alive for the lāhui and our future generations!

Follow Kaulana Mahina: @kaulana.mahina on Instagram and visit kaulanamahina.com.

Connect with your Inspired by Aloha (IBA) crew! We look forward to hearing from you!
Instagram: @inspiredbyaloha808
Email: inspiredbyaloha808@gmail.com

The Inspired by Aloha crew gather to reflect on their heartfelt conversations with three remarkable cultural practitioners: Aunty Kuʻuipo Kumukahi, Jeninne Heleloa, and muralist John “Prime” Hina. What starts as a casual catch-up evolves into a rich exploration of art as kuleana, connection to culture, and the transformative power of being given the space to grow.

Fresh from time spent with the Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society at their headquarters in Maunalua and a morning immersed in John Prime’s artistic world, the hosts unpack the magic of meeting people who live their craft with intention. They celebrate the aunties’ dedication to authentic mele, Prime’s journey from tagger to cultural community educator, and the many ways each uses their gifts to uplift the lāhui and inspire the next generation.

From moonlit mural sessions to memories of learning mele as keiki, this episode honors those who “plant seeds for trees whose shade they’ll never enjoy,” choosing to perpetuate Hawaiian culture with love, integrity, and aloha.

Whether you’re an artist, teacher, cultural practitioner, or someone still discovering your gift, this Talk Story gently reminds us that there is always time, always space, and always purpose in the journey of becoming.

Mahalo nui to Auntie Kuʻuipo, Jeninne, and Prime for inspiring us all to find and share our gifts with the world.

Connect with your Inspired by Aloha (IBA) crew! We look forward to hearing from you!
Instagram: @inspiredbyaloha808
Email: inspiredbyaloha808@gmail.com