As we approach the Winter Solstice on December 21st, I wanted to talk about Makahiki, which is a Hawaiian season of rest, gratitude, and renewal 🤍✨

Makahiki reminds us that slowing down is not falling behind. That rest is part of our cycles and allows us to then after step into a renewal 🌱

The winter solstice lands at the peak of this season of rest (celebrated from October to February), and serves as a turning point where darkness begins to turn to light 🤍

This season teaches us to honor both the dark and the light. How shedding what no longer serves us or our “darkness”, makes room for lightness, balance, and renewal. Like yin and yang, both energies have value and create a balance ☯️

I hope this episode grounds you as we approach the solstice and brings you some love, light, and aloha on your aloha Friday 🫶🏼🤍🌴✨

#makahiki #wintersolstice #seasonofrest #selfcare #alohafriday

With the holidays and New Year just around the corner, I wanted to create an end-of-year reflection episode :) And what better guest to bring back than my best friend, Maya Klein, who was also my very first guest on the show (Pharmacist & Home Organizer) 🤍

In this conversation, we reflect on our personal and professional journeys over the past year, sharing lessons learned, moments of synchronicity, and the importance of mindfulness, nature, and honoring life’s seasons 🌿✨ Maya also shares grounding practices she’s embracing around the Winter Solstice ❄️ and in her daily meditation 🧘🏽‍♀️

I also reflect on starting this podcast this year - what it’s meant to me, how it’s grown, and how meaningful it is to connect with listeners around the world 🌍 (I share stats of where everyone is tuning in from)

One of our favorite themes is the idea that there are many “New Years” - January 1st 🎉, Chinese New Year (year of the Snake), birthdays 🎂, seasonal shifts 🍂, or any moment you choose for renewal 🌱 It’s also okay to be in progress at these point, because life is all about the journey.

Tune in as we talk about gratitude, growth, reflection, and defining your own new beginning ✨ I hope this episode helps you reflect on your own path and how you define your on your timelines and renewals 🤍

If you are enjoying these episodes, please feel free to rate, review, & share the show :) And give with @love_and_aloha_life a follow on instagram :)

In this mini Aloha Friday episode, I’m sharing soothing coqui frog sounds, a few fun facts, and a gentle reflection inspired by them 🤍

Coqui frogs are only a couple inches big at most, yet their presence fills the night in the sweetest, most comforting way. They’re a reminder that something small can still have a powerful impact - that you don’t have to be big or take up a lot of space to be felt 🌿🩵

Let this episode fill you with some fun facts about our little coquis, and be a calm moment, a soft exhale, and a peaceful way to ease into your weekend 🌙

This episode was inspired by lyrics from a song called “Timelines” by Motion City Soundtrack 🎶 — a line that has quietly become a mantra for me over the years: “It’s not a matter of time, it’s just a matter of timing.” ⏳✨🩵

I come back to this phrase because it’s grounded me through so many seasons of my life 🌿. It’s helped me understand that life isn’t just about putting in the hours or pushing harder… there’s a luck element, a rhythm, a flow, and a moment when things finally align. And that alignment often shows up when we’re ready to receive it 🤍✨

In this episode, I talk about how trusting timing has shaped my perspective on growth, creativity, relationships, and big life choices 🌱💫 And how nature even shows examples of it (like the volcano 🌋 and waves 🌊). I share how this mantra has helped me soften into patience, and how it’s taught me to recognize that the right opportunities don’t disappear - they simply arrive when we’re able to receive them 🩵

I also compare this to waves — how there are always multiple sets rolling in, multiple chances, multiple moments we could catch one 🌊 But the wave you end up riding becomes your experience because you were ready for that one. Not earlier. Not later. That one 🩵

To me, that’s what timing is: the meeting point of readiness, alignment, intuition, and a little bit of luck 🌿

If you are enjoying these episodes, please feel free to rate, review, & share the show :) And give with @love_and_aloha_life a follow on instagram

Happy Aloha Friday! 🌴

✨ In today’s mini episode, I want to teach you a Hawaiian word, hoʻomanawanui — which carries a powerful meaning of cultivating deep patience, steady perseverance, and quiet inner strength. 🤍

We talk about how to pronounce it, and breakdown the meanings within the word: hoʻo (to cultivate), manawa (time, breath, the present moment), and nui (great, abundance).

And then after, explore how the concept of the word can apply to your life to create a sense of peace 🤍 Embracing this value can shift the way we move through uncertainty, waiting seasons, and personal growth. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is trust our own timing and breathe through what’s still unfolding.

This episode is a gentle reminder to be kind to yourself and trust the process and find appreciation in the in-between moments 🩵

If you are enjoying these episodes, please feel free to rate, review, & share the show :) And give with @love_and_aloha_life a follow on instagram

Today I’m honored to be joined by David Smith — a 15-year veteran police officer, former SWAT sniper, and now a dedicated wellness coach helping first responders take back their health, purpose, and emotional well-being🤍

In this episode, David opens up about the challenges of life on the front lines — the pressure, the trauma, the constant adrenaline — and shares his personal journey of how stepping away from the SWAT team led to a loss of identity and purpose. He walks us through how he rebuilt his confidence, clarity, and inner strength, while learning to navigate the unique mental and emotional demands of the job ✨

We also dive into the powerful work he’s now doing through Apogee Responders, where he helps first responders break free from burnout, self-doubt, and limiting beliefs so they can step into their full potential and live more aligned, fulfilling, purpose-driven lives 🌟

Join us for a meaningful conversation about purpose, confidence, resilience, and mental wellness — in a profession that’s both emotionally and physically demanding in unique ways 🩵

I always say wellness is for everyone - so we need to remember that even those that take care of us (first responders), need to be taken care of too 🤍

Connect with David: 🩵 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidsmithar/ 📸 Instagram: @davidsmith.ar & @apogeeresponders 🌐 Website: www.apogeeresponders.com

If you are enjoying these episodes, please feel free to rate, review, & share the show :) And give with @love_and_aloha_life a follow on instagram

Gratitude is usually tied to the moments that went well 🤍 But in reality, all of our experiences shape who we’re becoming 🌿 The good, the hard, the unexpected, the in-between — each offers a lesson, a perspective shift, or a deeper understanding of ourselves.

In this episode, I share a more expansive view of gratitude - one that honors the full yin & yang of life. 💛

I also talk about a practice I really love: keeping a gratitude jar. Each day, write down one thing you’re grateful for and place it inside. On the days when you’re feeling low, you can return to the jar and be reminded of your own light, your own growth, and the beauty you’ve already lived through. ✨

And for a fun synchronicity… this is Episode 37 of the podcast — and I just witnessed Episode 37 of the volcano yesterday 🌋💫 Kind of a special reminder that life is always offering us threads of meaning if we slow down long enough to notice them.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 🦃 With love and aloha, always 🤍🌺

This week’s Aloha Friday mini-episode was inspired by both my recent trip to the Big Island 🤍 and the cups of coffee I made with Jamey’s coffee enhancer earlier this week ☕️🩵 It got me thinking about Hawaii coffee, and especially the stories behind our famous Kona coffee 🤍

In this episode, I share the meaning of the word “kona” in Hawaiian and a little history of how Kona coffee began here in the islands.

From the first coffee seedlings in the 1820s to why Kona’s leeward climate makes it one of the best coffee-growing regions in the world… this is a sweet little episode with a blend of culture, nature, and fun facts to enjoy... maybe even with your next morning brew ☺️☕️🤍✨

If you are enjoying these episodes, please feel free to rate, review, & share the show :) And give with @love_and_aloha_life a follow on instagram