Heartbeat Narratives

To celebrate the 62nd Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo, Hawaiʻi this week, we honor the legacy of Karl Veto Baker, a kumu hula of Hālau I Ka Wēkiu, alongside Michael Lanakila Casupang. With five decades of experience as a hula dancer and teacher, Kumu Veto reflects on his journey that began in 1975 under the mentorship of renowned Kumu Hula, Robert Cazimero, whose 50th year of dancing is being honored this spring. Kumu Veto shares stories of learning hula during the Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970s, his ʻūniki (graduation exercises), and the founding of his hula school, Hālau I Ka Wēkiu, in 1998. We explore the joys and creativity of teaching, the dedication of his haumana (students), and how hula positively shapes lives both on and off the stage. From honoring family legacies to reviving powerful moʻolelo (stories), Kumu Veto offers reflective insight into the vision, research, choreography, and spiritual essence that fuel his artistry. With contemplations on his love for the hula community, this episode honors hula as the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people. Mahalo for tuning in! 

Episode Highlights

0:22 Introduction to Kumu Hula Karl Veto Baker of Hālau I Ka Wēkiu

0:47 Gratitude to his teacher of 50 years, Kumu Hula Robert Cazimero

4:12 A family legacy of hula dance

5:31 The Hawaiian Renaissance

6:42 ʻŪniki: the process of becoming a kumu hula

8:09 Establishing Hālau I Ka Wēkiu in 1998

8:33 The joy in watching students excel

9:51 Preparing for Merrie Monarch 2025

11:08 Students rising to the occasion in all areas of life

15:45 Hula is the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people

19:14 Abundance flows from aloha

23:12 Striving for the excellence: performances and connecting to the audience

27:14 Newness each year

27:50 It all began in1975

28:10 50th celebration: Reviving the saga of Halemano and Kamalālāwalu

33:33 Peʻahi o Makana written by Kumu Hula Devin Kamealoha Forrest

36:41: Vision, research, choreography, mechanics, spirit, strive for the wēkiu 

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Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

Snap happy is a real thing. In this episode, Tâm Koppelaar, our new Dutch bestie shares about why he loves photography. From an unexpected airplane friendship to scenic hikes and a cozy Friendsmas party, Tâm brings a sharp eye and sarcasm to our conversation. We follow his journey from the Netherlands to Hawaiʻi, tracing the spark that turned a “real” camera into a gamechanging tool for storytelling. Tâm opens up about documenting weddings (cue unhinged uncles), and his love of capturing fleeting memories. Of course, no Dutch guest leaves without some good travel tips from charming windmills to biking culture. Come say "cheese!" and see the world with fresh eyes through Tâm's lens.

Episode Highlights

0:22 Meeting Tâm and airplane friendships

2:25 Hikes and Friendsmas parties

3:28 Traveling from the Netherlands

3:48 What makes your heart beat?

4:27 Love of photography

5:31 The spark + real cameras

7:30 Memorizing the moment

8:43 Favorite wedding moments to document

10:17 Advice for aspiring photographers

11:06 World travels through photography and family - Netherlands, Vietnam, Hawaiʻi

12:45 Love of Hawaiʻi

14:24 Upcoming travel destinations

15:06 Travel tips for The Netherlands: Amsterdam! Windmills! Cheese! Trains! Biking! 

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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

For our first LOVE STORY of Heartbeat Narratives, we welcome middle school sweethearts, Gigi and Jesse, to reflect on nearly 20 years of being together. With their baby daughter, Samara, in tow, they reminisce about Jesse's memorable *first sight* of Gigi at age 13, their slow-burn high school romance, and the perks of growing up together in Minneapolis. They talk about their cultural backgrounds and how these influences have shaped their relationship. Gigi moved from Italy to Minnesota and has Ghanaian roots, while Jesse was raised in Minnesota and identifies with the Hawaiian diaspora. From midnight phone calls in the early 2000s to starting a family in 2024, they share their hopes for the future, all while staying forever kids at heart as they navigate life together. Host, Molly Mamaril, looks forward to sprinkling in occasional love story episodes as a way to honor - and answer - the question, "Who makes your heart beat?"

Episode Highlights

0:23 Intro to Gigi, Jesse and Samara

1:10 What brings you joy?

1:57 Middle school sweethearts

5:10 Grow up, glow up

6:48 *First Sight*

9:40 Gigi and Jesse's cultural roots - Ghana, Italy, Hawaiʻi, Minnesota

12:37 High school was a sloooow burn

17:06 Getting the scoop from the hairdresser about Jesse's love life

17:35 Midnight phone calls, building the foundation

19:51 Mother-in-law's intuitive dream

20:42 Teacher observations of their budding romance

21:39 Who makes your heart beat?

22:00 Experiencing growing pains together

23:40 Love bubble, reading eachother's minds

25:06 Sprinting to Georgia's heart

26:08 Marriage advice

27:45 3 things you love about eachother

30:02 Forever kids at heart

Episode art photo credit: Molly Mamaril

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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

Valentina is a heart-forward social worker with a decade of experience serving houseless communities in both Hawaiʻi and California. Born in Honolulu and raised in San Diego, she moved back to the islands to attend the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Through her undergraduate capstone project, she discovered a deep passion for helping others during an internship at a large shelter in the city. Since then, Valentina has helped about 1,000 individuals find stable housing by navigating social services resources, building a strong team of colleagues with a shared vision, and aiming to embody the principle of "cor ad cor loquitur," or "heart speaks to heart," in every interaction. It is clear that she thrives in environments where connection to people is at the center of her work. During her off-hours, Valentina is all about finding that elusive work-life balance. She embraces her downtime by restaurant-hopping, diving into books, experimenting with gardening, and playing the role of "animal auntie" to her sister's pets. Looking ahead, she is eager to continue her ʻohana’s legacy of social justice work, committed to another 30 years of uplifting those in need.

Episode Highlights

0:22 Intro to Valentina

1:30 Social work and serving the unsheltered population

2:31 Trust in relationships

3:30 Hawaiʻi is home, regardless of your housing situation

4:20 Focus on making the difference

6:36 Cor ad cor loquitur: "heart speaks to heart"

7:35 Making magic - working with clients and a good team

9:21 Check up with those who have been housed

9:40 How many people do you think you've helped over the years?

10:19 A family legacy of serving the community

10:50 Housing her first client

11:28 Finding her element at a Honolulu shelter, working with families

13:10 Neighborliness:"You've just gotta talk to people, you've got to listen"

15:11 Career highlights: keys in doors

16:17 If you could fix one thing to better serve the houseless community, what would it be?

18:34 Finding balance through reading, gardening, being an animal auntie and foodie

21:51 People connections are key 

Listen & Subscribe

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• Heartbeat Narratives Website

Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

What did we learn, honey? Let them bee!  In this buzzworthy episode, Darin Olson, a master beekeeper based in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, shares his deep knowledge of bees and their critical role in our food system. Originally from Illinois, Darin's beekeeping lineage dates back to the 1400s in Norway, giving him true perspective on the craft (and, of course, an inherited sweet tooth). He describes how bees strive for symbiotic harmony with bears (and humans) while also expressing the problem of antibiotics in commercial farming pollination practices. As an antidote to chemicals, Darin's goal is to create a natural bee feed from native Hawaiian medicinal plants to assist beekeepers and farmers in sustaining healthy hives globally. And we would be remiss if we didn't talk about bee stings, the infamous Queen bee, his bumbling childhood in the hives, and ways we can support pollinators. 

Episode Highlights

0:22 Intro to Darin

0:52 Moved from Chicago to Molokaʻi in 1997

1:14 Beekeeping is a family tradition from Norway

1:59 Healing generational trauma from forced immigration

2:30 Managing bee diseases by listening to the bees

3:49 Beekeepers as stewards

4:20 Symbiotic relationship between bees and bears/humans

6:30 Bees = food for humans

6:35 Learning to respect the hive at age 7  

9:40 Multigenerational perpetuation of the practice

10:03 Pollinators are integral to our food system

10:41 Bovine antibiotics and honeybees

11:38 The potential for "bee feed" that is medicine + food

12:18 How honeybees naturally select plants to pollinate

15:35 How can people support bees?  

17:26 Problem: Sick bees spread disease which threatens our food system

18:29 Solution: Awareness, remove antibiotics, grow medicinal plants (and buy local coffee!)

20:02 Goodbye allergies! Benefits of eating local honey

20:53 Poi and its beneficial enzymes for the gut

21:21 Honey and infants

22:36 Bee sting remedy

23:03 The Queen Bee and reproduction

26:25 Hive health depends on the Queen

28:09 Honeybees naturally strive for perfection

29:07 Global food security and crop yield - killer bees vs. honeybees

30:48 Finding natural solutions in nature (as an antidote to antibiotics) 

Show Art Photo Credit: Darin Olson

Listen & Subscribe

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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

Monroe, known in the musical world as Sulubika, is an Oʻahu-based street musician. He is a gifted flautist who has spent years traveling with various artists and groups across Turkey, Italy and beyond, eventually making his way to Oʻahu. Urban Honolulu residents may recognize him by the trills of his flute at community parks and well-trod street corners. Monroe recognizes that music, and all forms of art, allow us to tap into a higher consciousness, giving way to our path towards divinity. He recollects his connection to his family, being in the flow state of sound, and his dream of returning home to Los Angeles one day.

Episode Highlights

0:22 Intro

1:11 Los Angeles origins

1:53 Force of truth and good

2:44 Los Angeles music scene - playing the flute

3:55 Traveling the world as a flautist

4:19 Music in Queen Latifah movies

5:00 Mission Impossible [plays song]

6:05 Hidden divinity - force and light

7:11 Birds interacting with music

8:04 Self taught  

8:58 Eric Dolphy and the sensitivity of musicians

9:29 See vs. Look

10:13 Music is a universal language

11:37 Jazz

12:11 Art and music as an entryway to opening of the mind

14:55 Our way of serving; the origin of the podcast

16:48 Traveling across Europe; "Be still and know that I am"  

20:28 Continue traveling to the continental and playing the flute

22:10 Music was an aid to show a deeper and profound reality of consciousness

24:24 Playing music across the island

24:47 Young people and connection to sense of place, culture, home

26:06 "Music will go on"

26:52 Expressing our deepest emotions

Listen & Subscribe

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• Heartbeat Narratives Website

Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

This is a mini episode to say Happy Heart Day ♡ Even if you don't celebrate Valentine's Day, it's always worthwhile to connect in a heart x heart conversation to unpack and reflect. Molly highlights the unexpected surprises of producing this podcast, shares a recent "heart" moment and introduces Roses & Thorns. She also has a few dream interviewees for future episodes so be on the lookout for storytellers who work civil service roles. This could include (but not be limited to) accountants, bus drivers and anyone (anyone!) at the DMV who loves their job and wants to talk about it. Sending you aloha from Honolulu!

Episode Highlights

0:23 Happy Heart Day ♡

1:25 A heart moment

4:55 Game: Roses & Thorns

6:55 Thorn: The news

7:30 Rose: Highlights of producing this podcast

10:47 Rosebud: Saying yes

12:50 Just reach out

13:58 Dream interviewees - DMV employees, accountants, bus drivers

Contact Heartbeat Narratives:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: @heartbeatnarratives

Listen & Subscribe

• Apple Podcasts
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• Heartbeat Narratives Website

Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

Meet Francine Clores, a recent medical school graduate with a heart that beats for two things: medical voluntourism and letter writing. Balancing her time between the Philippines, Maui and now Oʻahu, Francine is all about making real, tangible impacts. Whether she’s helping underserved communities get the medical care they deserve or sending handwritten letters to her grandma, she thrives in spaces where she can see the difference she’s making. In this episode, Francine takes us back to her roots in the Philippines, where she worked alongside other medical volunteers to bring healthcare to rural, indigenous communities. She balances the intensity of that work by indulging in a slower, cozier hobby - reviving the art of letter writing  where she gets lost in the simpler world of stationery, doodles, and stamps. Mahalo for sharing your time with Heartbeat Narratives.

Episode Highlights

0:24 Intro

1:22 Letter writing and mailing postcards

3:06 What makes your heart beat? What makes you feel alive?

3:58 Voluntourism during medical school in the Philippines, serving indigenous communities

4:23 "Bundok" (Tagalog) = mountain

5:26 The call of medicine

9:27 Deciding to go into the medical field

11:18 Holistic care for mental health

12:30 Family connections to Maui and Manila, Philippines

13:32 How our childhood societies shape us

15:05 Staying in Hawaiʻi to be a doctor

17:30 Collecting postcards as a kid

19:00 Rekindling joy: sending postcards from abroad

21:40 Receiving mail as a kid

23:34 Cathartic and creative  

25:52 "Mastermind" letter writing

26:50 Tangible keepsakes

28:53 Volunteerism: doing the work and being helpful

30:43 Nurturing all sides of us through our interests 

Show Art Photo Credit: Francine Clores

Listen & Subscribe

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• Heartbeat Narratives Website

Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

When life gives you perspective, share it. Born in Honolulu in 1937, Aunty June Naughton reflects on her lifelong spiritual journey to uncover what really matters. We get into some BIG questions about awe and purpose in this philosophical and honest episode. In her words, it all comes down to love: "Nothing is as important to who we are and what we are; it is the relationships we form with ourselves, with our God and with one another that are truly important." Aunty June shares about growing up in a Chinese neighborhood near Punahou, Oʻahu in the 1940s after the attack on Pearl Harbor, rollerskating through Maryknoll School's chapel and having an innate, childlike interest in Catholicism as an elementary student. She describes the power of expansive presence through Buddhist meditation as well as her internal struggles to answer questions about human existence. Is there a higher power - if so, then what? If not, then what? We follow her life path as she discerned the Catholic sisterhood, moved to New York to become a teacher and finally returned to Honolulu to work with international students at the University of Hawaiʻi. We are grateful to Aunty June for sharing her unfiltered reflections as she embraces her own spiritual journey in the wake of health challenges. We hope this conversation can be a catalyst for pondering. It is not intended to be prescriptive about what to think or believe, but rather document one individual's journey into love for life. Mahalo for listening.

Episode Highlights

0:23 Reflection on a lifetime of exploring spirituality

2:05 Born in 1937 in Honolulu

2:31 A love letter

4:27 Am I going to surrender?

5:49 Who is God?

7:10 Fighting doubt

7:40 Community is a reminder that we are trying and evolving

8:50 The power of silence (practicing Buddhist meditation since the 1970s)

11:05 Awe: Transitioning into the final years

13:02 Growing up in the 1940s in a Chinese immigrant community

15:06 Attending Maryknoll School; rollerskating in the church

16:01 Wanting to be a Catholic at age 6

17:37 We are all called to be mystics (called to experience God in a special way)

18:26 Awe and aliveness

20:14 "Just This" by Richard Rohr, learning to be open

21:21 Did Jesus know about quantum physics? Knowing vs. Being

23:34 Young adulthood - considering becoming a nun

24:37 Trying to figure it out: Is there a God or not?

25:27 Studying and working in New York

26:18 Moving back to Hawaiʻi to work with international students at the University of Hawaiʻi; sharing the spirituality of love with students to help them cross barriers

27:40 Encouraging students on their own spiritual journey grounded in their home culture

30:45 Grafetulness

32:02 Facing fear

33:24 Gratitude vibrates at a higher vibration

34:26 Love is the most important thing there is

36:01 Talking about spirituality is part of our growth

36:23 The word "love" is tiny, the feeling of love is expansive

36:45 Everyone's spiritual experience is different

Show Art Photo Credit: Molly Mamaril

Listen & Subscribe

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• Heartbeat Narratives Website

Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

Postal workers got your back. That is the theme of this lively conversation with Reyna, a charming (and sassy!) mail carrier who loves their job. Reyna shares about what it is like delivering mail to the masses. Have you ever wondered where your carrier eats lunch, how many miles a day they walk, how they manage zillions of Amazon packages and what its like driving the little box trucks? Reyna gets into the details of the all funny and strange interactions with humans, dogs (and yard decorations) on their California routes. We end the episode with ways that we as residents can support our local mail carriers. Mahalo for tuning in! 

Episode Highlights

0:36 What it is like to be a carrier for the postal service

1:00 Background - Pearl City, Hawaiʻi and San Diego

1:57 Being a frontline worker during the pandemic 

5:02 Walking 12-15 miles/day

6:22 Arm strength and Amazon packages 

8:23  Growing relationships with families and their pets 

10:26 The eyes and ears of a neighborhood; rewards of the job

13:00 Where do you eat lunch?

14:05 Friendships and teamwork

14:58 What are the qualities needed to make a good carrier?

16:23 Driving the mail truck

17:14 Doggies on the route!

18:46 Funny and weird interactions

20:20 Bella the Dog

22:52 Efficiency tricks 

24:18 How can residents be mindful of what carriers need? 

25:30 Postal workers got your back

27:14 What do you listen to on your route? 

28:00 Be nice to your postal worker :)

29:06 The ultimate icebreaker 

Show Art Photo Credit: Molly Mamaril

Listen & Subscribe

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Substack
• Youtube
• Heartbeat Narratives Website

Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.