Conversation Mill

Moku Roots is a plant-based restaurant in Lahaina on Maui. Owner Alexa Caskey, sat with me to talk all things Moku Roots. Alexa and team have created a restaurant that is Yelp's Top 100 Places to Eat in US 2021, Yelp's Top Vegetarian Restaurant in Hawaii 2020, 2019 Hawai'i Magazine- Best New Restaurant, and has been on many more awards and top restaurant lists. 

Born from filling a need for a plant-based restaurant on Maui, Moku Roots is now expanding into open mic nights, comedy shows, and maintaining a place for the community to come together to eat locally sourced food. 

We talk about the importance of food in our communities, the challenges of opening a restaurant, how they achieve zero waste, and more. 

Follow them on Instagram: mokuroots

In this continued conversation with, Kelly King of Pacific Biodiesel, we discuss food security. Pacific Biodiesel® is taking strides to join those who are taking action on food security and walking the talk.

Their upcoming Sunflower Festival on Earth Day will support local food hubs. Kelly explains how the food hubs drive food security and support local farmers.

Visit Pacific Biodiesel or Mana'o Radio to purchase your tickets.

Founded on Maui in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel® is the nation’s longest operating biodiesel producer. Today with nearly 100 employees statewide, the company recycles used cooking oil from restaurants statewide to produce its clean, 100% renewable fuel. Pacific Biodiesel is the only commercial producer of liquid biofuels in Hawaii.

Founded on Maui in 1995, Pacific Biodiesel® is the nation’s longest-operating biodiesel producer. Today with nearly 100 employees statewide, the company recycles used cooking oil from restaurants statewide to produce its clean, 100% renewable fuel. Pacific Biodiesel is the only commercial producer of liquid biofuels in Hawaii.

https://www.biodiesel.com/about-us/

Co-founder, Kelly King sits with me to talk about what biodiesel is and why it is crucial that we continue developing renewable energy and petroleum replacements.

In this first of two episodes, we dig into the vision and mission behind Pacific Biodiesel and the circular economy they have created.

Learn More: 

https://www.biodiesel.com/

Pacific Biodiesel Marketing Director Joy Galatro Presents A Virtual Farm Tour in the Maui Sunflowers: https://youtu.be/rOndAs9RGmE

Biodiesel 101: What Is Biodiesel, Who Uses It & How Is It Produced: https://youtu.be/EgYMONqXFsE

Sustainable Agriculture & Clean Energy to Grow Hawaii's Diversified Economy: https://youtu.be/O8Ib2TK7lSM

Do you have a plan? Are you a spender or a saver? What is your relationship with money? Taylor and I discuss why it is crucial to examine your attitude toward money, fears many of us have for the future, and much more in this 2 part Bonus Episode.

Meet Taylor Schenone, Financial Planner with Edward Jones. In Part 1 of this bonus episode, Taylor walks us through his journey to becoming a Financial Planner and how his experience in small business prepared him to assist future business owners with their planning.

This is the first of Conversation Mill's Cornerstone Episodes. Part 2, 80/10/10 will be featured on Substack at: conversationmill.substack.com.

Join today to receive all bonus episodes, articles, and exclusive content right in your inbox.

Tiffany and Christian Chou are the sister and brother team behind the new store, Depo Market, opening soon in Wailuku, Maui. Tiffany, a fashion and jewelry designer, living in New York City returned to help Chris live a more fulfilling and independent life.

Tiffany realized quickly that creating a schedule for Chris, who has autism, was difficult, and finding opportunities for him to be integrated into the community was even harder. They decided together to create a pop-up jewelry business, that would also provide opportunities for other differently-abled adults to work 'front of house'.

As Tiffany puts it, jewelry and their soon-to-be brick-and-mortar location are their vehicles for creating more visibility and opportunities for adults with autism and down syndrome.

View and purchase Tiffany and Christian's beautiful jewelry at: Depo Market

Be sure to follow them on Instagram and Tik Tok to follow their journey.

Welzie is the visual pick-me-up you need today. A lifelong artist, who set his sights on building a life around his art. From living in his van painting surfboards to the artist in residency at the Andaz Resort Maui; Welzie has evolved into the artist we catch up with in this episode.

Welzie says he isn’t trying to get a message across with his art; but he does and the message is be happy and have fun. The bright colors lift your spirit, and the smiling fish remind you not to take yourself so seriously.

Welzie’s medium to create his art is fiberglass derived from surfboards, with layers of paint and shine. But he is not just creating paintings or drawings; he is also creating colorful, joyful sculptures.

You can view and purchase his work at https://www.welzie-art.com/

And be sure to follow him on Instagram @welzie_art

Dale Zarrella is a world-renowned sculptor and multi-media artist, with sculptures featured at the Vatican, St. John's Seminary in California, and in dozens of private collections.

Originally, from Connecticut, Dale moved to Hawaii and embedded himself in the culture which quickly informed his work. In this conversation Dale shares some stories behind a few of his most notable sculptures. Through these stories, he reveals his heart, his talent, and shares his earned wisdom.

We met at his studio, located in Maui Tropical Plantation. Sitting among his sculptures in various states of completion, Dale gives us a behind-the-scenes view of his career.

To purchase Dale's work visit: https://www.dalezarrella.com/

Follow him on Instagram: @dalezarrella

See more of his work on Youtube.

We know that what we eat can affect our weight, cholesterol, sugar levels, and more; but we tend to forget that the mouth and our teeth are the first parts of our body affected and that what is scrubbed into the mouth and gums goes directly into the bloodstream.

This is one of the reasons, Dr. Sonia Gupta created AlohaBrite. AlohaBrite is toothpaste, tooth swipes, and floss geared toward preventing tooth and gum health problems. Dr. Gupta has spent 15 years perfecting her formula and she continues to tweak it to provide an optimal product.

But what sets AlohaBrite apart is much more than a patent-pending formula, AlohaBrite toothpaste is Zero Waste, Plastic Free, Vegan, Fluoride Free, Sulfate Free, and more. As Dr. Gupta says "badditives free".

Dr. Gupta dedicated her time to Operations Smile and other health initiatives that help inspire her work to contribute to a world where dentists are not in such high demand. She has participated in many of these missions with alohamedicalmission.org based here in Hawai'i

Join us in conversation as Dr. Gupta shares her journey to AlohaBrite.

AlohaBrite is shipped around the world and you can order HERE.

https://alohabrite.com/

Follow AlohaBrite on Instagram: @alohabrite

Meet photographer and artist Cassie Pali... did I mention she does her photography underwater?

Cassie Pali is an award-winning photographer, winning the Spiritual Art Award in 2021, 2020 & 2019. She has combined her photography and artistic eye to create one-of-a-kind images that give you the feeling of weightlessness.

Two years ago Cassie was diagnosed with breast cancer and after several surgeries and treatments; Cassie is healing cancer free! She is ready to dive back into her favorite place: the ocean and ready to dive back into her art.

Choices is her newest theme and having made the choice to fight through cancer and pursue her art; she is ready to create pieces that inspire us to stop, think and choose.

Join us in conversation as Cassie shares how she crafted her career, the challenges of underwater photography, and the direction she is taking her art in 2023.

To learn more or schedule an underwater session with Cassie visit her site: https://cassiepali.com/

You can also find Cassie's art at the following galleries:

https://www.shopmauiart.com/

https://mauioceancenter.com/shop/

https://turnbullfineart.com/artist/cassie-pali/

What do you think of when someone says 'Hawai'i'? Surfing, Mia Tia's, the beach? Many people dream of the chance to visit Hawai'i, to vacation in paradise. But what about the native Hawaiians who call this place home and who have had their culture commercialized?

The history of Hawai'i and the culture of the Hawaiian people can teach us invaluable lessons and give us tools to be better stewards of the land and better stewards of ourselves.

Kainoa Horcajo, owner and operator of Mo'olelo Group joins me in conversation and sets the stage for the conversations that will come in season 2, as we meet the community leaders, entrepreneurs, and change-makers of the Hawaiian islands.

https://www.moolelogroup.com/

Instagram: Kainoagram