Here in Hawaii

Discover how ulu (breadfruit), local farmers, and regenerative agriculture could help rebuild Hawaii’s food system.
🎙️ Listening on a podcast app? See the video version → https://youtu.be/xQGEbn-GqFY
In this deep dive, we explore how local farmers, traditional Hawaiian staple crops, and innovative partnerships could help Hawaii build a stronger, more resilient food system. Join Nolan Hong on Hawaii Island to see how Kona Brewing Hawaii and the Hawaii Ulu Cooperative are working together to turn locally grown ulu, also known as breadfruit, into a new product and a new market for local agriculture.
The challenge goes beyond growing food. Fresh ʻulu has a short shelf life, small farms need reliable ways to reach customers, and increased production means farmers need more buyers. The Hawaiʻi ʻUlu Cooperative helps address these challenges by processing breadfruit into products such as flour and frozen ʻulu, giving farmers more time to get their harvest to market and creating opportunities to grow the local food economy.
We also explore agroforestry and alley cropping, traditional Hawaiian food systems, and the potential of breadfruit trees to support more sustainable agriculture. Along the way, we look at how globalization and colonization helped shape Hawaiʻi’s dependence on imported food, why consumer awareness matters, and how partnerships with local businesses can introduce traditional crops to new audiences.
Why does ʻulu matter? It can provide a locally grown alternative to imported ingredients, support Hawaiʻi farmers, and bring a culturally significant staple crop back into everyday life. Whether through buying local products, trying ʻulu flour, or supporting the farmers who grow it, consumers have a role in strengthening Hawaiʻi’s food system.
Watch through the end to learn more about breadfruit flour, pancake mixes, frozen products, and ways to support the local farms and organizations working to make Hawaiʻi agriculture more resilient.

Kona low flooding trapped some Hawaii families for days — this is what one community is still dealing with, one month later in Waianae.

🎥 Originally recorded & posted April 2026

🎙️ Listening on a podcast app? See the video version → https://youtu.be/f3CHq_yEOwM

In March 2026, back-to-back Kona low storms brought some of the worst flooding Hawaii has seen in decades, dumping up to 30+ inches of rain across Oahu and triggering widespread damage and evacuations. This video takes you inside Paʻakea, a community in Waianae, through the eyes of singer, farmer and Paʻakea resident, Chardonnay.

This community deals with getting trapped by flooding with every storm, but this time was much worse than usual. From families trapped without power or safe water, to farmland turned into toxic standing water, this is the reality many are still facing one month after the storms — and why help is urgently needed.

Chardonnay walks us through the drainage issues, community impact, and her “big ask” to fix the root problem so this doesn’t keep happening.

DISCLAIMER: This video is for awareness and informational purposes. While we strive for accuracy, conditions may change. Always verify local updates and official guidance. No financial or material compensation was received for this video.

What happens in the Koolaus when nobody is looking for miconia anymore?

🌱 Support legislation that funds invasive species work and biosecurity → Follow your island committee below 👇

In this episode, we head into the forest with the Oahu Invasive Species Committee (OISC) to see what’s really at stake when invasive plants take over Hawaiʻi’s mountains. What looks like “just another plant” can actually increase flooding, landslides, erosion, and damage to nearshore reefs that entire communities depend on.

Along the way, we learn how miconia spreads, how healthy forests work like giant sponges, and what local crews are doing every day to protect Hawaiʻi before these problems become impossible to reverse.

In this video, you’ll learn:

• Why miconia is considered one of Hawaii’s most dangerous invasive species

• How healthy watersheds protect communities below

• What happens when invasive plants replace native forests

More than a story about an invasive plant, this is about how fragile Hawaii’s watersheds really are, and how much of modern Hawaii depends on work most residents never see.

Follow the Invasive Species Committee on your island:

💛 Oʻahu (OSIC) – https://www.instagram.com/oahuisc/

❤️ Big Island (BIISC) – https://www.instagram.com/bigislandinvasivespecies/

🩷 Maui (MISC) – https://www.instagram.com/mauiinvasive/

💜 Kaua‘i (KISC) – https://www.instagram.com/kauaiisc/

💚 Molokaʻi (MoMISC) – https://molokaiisc.org/

Mahalo to Dr. Leah Bremer at the Institute for Sustainability and Resilience for making this story happen!

Aloha, and welcome to the final episode of the Here in Hawaiʻi podcast. We're taking the podcast off podcast apps on Sept 29, 2026.

The show itself has evolved quite a bit since those early podcast days. We're still having the same kind of relaxed, authentic conversations, but now they're more immersive. Instead of just sitting down for an interview, we're hanging out with people in their world — trying what they do, going where they go, and getting to know them along the way.

So if you liked the podcast, come check out Here in Hawaiʻi on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook & TikTok, and we'll be coming to OC16 in November.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for being part of the early days of Here in Hawaiʻi 🤙

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@hereinhawaiitv

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/hereinhawaiitv/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hereinhawaiitv

TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@hereinhawaiitv

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane is a professional MMA fighter and proud Native Hawaiian born and raised in Honolulu. Known to fans as "The Ilimanator," she made history as Bellator's first-ever women's flyweight champ and built a reputation for her grit and submission skills.

In this episode of Here in Hawaiʻi, Ilima gets personal. She talks about her deep love for adopting rescue dogs (especially the scrappy, medical-case ones), why her family is her greatest blessing, and the unexpected way her parents responded when she told them she was ditching her academic career — master's degree and all — to become a fighter.

She opens up about her healing journey through therapy and the mental toughness it takes to step into the cage. We also hear an incredible story about her dad discovering that one of his closest friends from high school was actually his half-brother — and a heartfelt moment from Nolan about how Ilima's dad helped him graduate from Punahou.

Ilima also shares her advice for getting through heartbreak, and walks us through all the emotions leading up to her first fight at the Blaisdell — check out Episode 12 to see clips from that unforgettable night while she's talking about it.

What if the real legacy of Hawaiʻi's plantation days isn't just in our food, slang, or aloha shirts — but in our fight for solidarity?

In this episode we sit down with Dr. Kealani Cook, Associate Professor of History at UH West Oʻahu, for a mini-history lesson on how plantation-era Hawaiʻi shaped the cultural and political landscape we live in today. Dr. Cook traces his own journey — from a kid fascinated by Hawaiian history to a disillusioned teen tired of colonizer-driven narratives, and finally to a historian who now uses history as a tool to analyze power.

We dig into how racism was weaponized to divide immigrant laborers, and how, in response, powerful moments of cross-cultural union and resistance emerged. This episode is for anyone curious about what truly connects us here in Hawaiʻi — and why understanding our past is key to building a stronger future.

You can find the TV episodes of Here in Hawaiʻi on our website, https://hereinhawaiitv.com

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What does it take to become a doctor when no one in your family has even gone to college? In this episode, we sit down with Emily Erika — a first-generation Filipina and medical student — as she shares her incredible journey from doubting her dream to becoming the first in her family to pursue a career in medicine.

Emily opens up about the cultural and financial hurdles she faced, learning she had ADHD after struggling through her first board exam, and why representation in medicine matters. She also talks about the mentors who helped her along the way and how she landed a full-ride scholarship to med school — changing not just her life, but her family's legacy.

If you've ever felt like your dream was too big or too far out of reach, Emily's story will remind you: you belong here.

Learn more about the scholarship Emily talks about at https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/scholarships/overview

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✨ https://www.instagram.com/ee_to_md/

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In this episode, we sit down with Daniela Stolfi, the local girl behind 808 Viral — one of Hawai'i's biggest digital platforms. From her early days growing up on O'ahu into the wild world of viral content, Dani shares how she built and continues to nurture a space that celebrates local humor, culture and community.

If you're not already, follow https://www.instagram.com/808viral and https://www.instagram.com/hawaiicreators/ for all kine good fun local content.

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We did not expect this interview to be so much fun! 😂 Lauren is the owner of Hawaii Flora + Fauna in Makawao. She shared about building her bespoke lei business, how she forages for lei ingredients, and the burnout and fears that come with owning a business. And just when you think the interview is over we start talking about the "fauna lei" 😲🤯

🌷 Follow Lauren's shop at https://www.instagram.com/hawaiiflorafauna/

Here in Hawaiʻi is now on TV – catch it Sundays at 5pm on KHON2! If you forgot to set your DVR (or if you're not in Hawaiʻi) you can find the TV episodes on our website, https://hereinhawaiitv.com/category/tv-show/

🌺 Please join us in supporting our partners

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Come join us in our facebook group, Here in Hawaiʻi! https://www.facebook.com/groups/hereinhawaii

Julia is the founder and director of Reach for the Stars, the first and only student-led dance program for special needs students in Hawaiʻi. She shares what she saw lacking in opportunities for students with special needs like her sister Lilia, and how Reach for the Stars is addressing those needs.

🌟 Learn more about Reach for the Stars at https://www.reachforthestarshi.org/

🌺 Please join us in supporting our partners

🫶🏼 https://www.instagram.com/hawaiistatefcu

🫰🏼 https://www.instagram.com/citymill

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🫰🏼 https://www.instagram.com/eliteparkinghawaii

🫰🏼 https://www.instagram.com/uhahealth

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Come join us in our facebook group, Here in Hawaiʻi! https://www.facebook.com/groups/hereinhawaii