October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month, and while I spent the official day privately honoring my little ones, I also wanted to share my story 💜  to bring more light, understanding, and compassion to this topic 🤍

This year, I experienced both a failed IVF transfer and a miscarriage (early losses of two baby boys). And I wanted to share to bring awareness of what it really feels like — because I didn’t fully understand the depth and intensity of this kind of grief until I went through it myself 🩵

The first failed transfer brought its own wave of loss and heartbreak, even before the intensity of my miscarriage that followed. Both carried unique feelings that were hard to name but impossible to forget.

We’ll talk about:

If you’ve been through miscarriage or pregnancy loss, know you’re not alone. And if you haven’t but want to understand how to support someone who has, this episode can help you hold that space with more empathy and care. 🩵

✨ Please share this episode with anyone who this may help and allow them to feel seen — whether they’ve experienced loss themselves or want to better support someone who has.

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the “With Love and Aloha Podcast” 🎧✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG 🩵

In Hawaiian, ānuenue means “rainbow” — a symbol of harmony, transformation, and connection. In this episode, I share how to pronounce the word, the symbolism and meaning it holds in Hawaiian culture, the different types of rainbows and moonbows, and why geographically they’re so common across our islands. You’ll also hear a few fun facts from Hawaiian history — including how the rainbow became part of our state license plate. 🩵 

Tune in to celebrate the magic of Hawaiʻi’s most colorful symbol — the ānuenue 🌈✨

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the With Love and Aloha Podcast 🎧✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG :)

Today I’m joined by my colleague at AWS, Dan Girard — an IT professional with over 30 years of experience and a deep passion for car racing. From working at iconic companies like AOL to becoming a seasoned security specialist at AWS and running his own business that merges his love for technology and motorsports, Dan’s story is one of true transformation 🏎️

Growing up, Dan had a rough go. He was bullied, acted out, and was eventually sent to military school. But through a few powerful turning points — meeting the right people, small moments of kindness, and his own curiosity for video games, car racing, and tech — his entire path changed 💫

In this conversation, Dan shares his journey from a tough childhood to building a thriving career and business. We explore lessons and advice on navigating life’s challenges, building resiliency, giving yourself grace, and remembering that sometimes one small moment can change everything🌱✨

If you’re feeling stuck, facing challenges, or need a reminder that growth is possible no matter where you are, this episode is for you. 🎧💙

Dan’s contact:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-girard/

🌐 Website: https://www.osms.io/

🏎️ Instagram: @dan_osms.io

📚 Book mentioned: “The Comfort Crisis” by Michael Easter

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the “With Love and Aloha Podcast” 🎧🩵✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG :)

In this episode, I teach how to pronounce it's famously long name, the origin name, fun facts and unique traits of the fish. From its vibrant colors to its quirky behaviors, the humu humu has captured hearts - not just for its fun-to-say name, but for its deep connection to Hawaiian culture and history 🌴💙

I also talk about it's history in becoming Hawaii’s official state fish, which has fun and cute elements in itself 🐠

Tune in if you want to learn all about our beloved state fish! 🎧🩵

If you are enjoying these episodes, please feel free to follow, rate, review, and share my podcast :) Also, you can follow me on my life coaching IG at @love_and_aloha_life

Today I’m joined by Matt Ley for an enlightening conversation around fulfillment and the complex relationship between happiness and money 💰

Matt is a proud dad & husband, author of Manage Your Gaps, and co-founder of IPN Advisors, where he serves as a consultant and facilitator helping individuals and organizations through his signature framework, Fulfillment ROI.

In our conversation, we explore the plateaus where fulfillment peaks, how to navigate it, and how to define a true value for you in different areas of your business and life.

Matt’s Fulfillment ROI framework reframes ROI (Return on Investment) from a purely financial lens to one centered on purpose, performance, and wellbeing. It’s a model that shifts how we think about “return” - not just in dollars, but in joy, time, and energy 🤍

Join us as we unpack what’s truly fulfilling, and explore ways you as an individual or as a business, can invest your time, energy, and self for greater purpose and balance 🙏🩵

📚 Books mentioned:

 Matt's Contact:

📚 Book: https://www.amazon.com/Manage-Your-Gaps-Reclaiming-Awesomeness/dp/B0D9NBWFZ9 

Matt is a proud dad & husband, author of Manage Your Gaps, and co-founder of IPN Advisors, where he serves as a consultant and facilitator helping individuals and organizations through his signature framework, Fulfillment ROI.

In our conversation, we dive into the intersection of money, happiness, and meaning - exploring the plateaus where fulfillment peaks, how to navigate it, and how to define a true value for you in these areas.

Matt’s Fulfillment ROI framework reframes ROI (Return on Investment) from a purely financial lens to one centered on purpose, performance, and wellbeing. It’s a model that shifts how we think about “return” - not just in dollars, but in joy, time, and energy 🤍

Join us as we unpack what’s truly fulfilling, and explore ways you as an individual or as a business, can invest your time, energy, and self for greater purpose and balance 🙏🩵

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the “With Love and Aloha Podcast” 🎧🩵✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG :)

Today I’m honored to be joined by Joana Castro, a food therapy expert — who tuned in all the way from Portugal! 🇵🇹💫

Joana is passionate about the science behind food and healing 🌱- blending modern research, ancient wisdom from Traditional Chinese Medicine, and her own lived experience. She reached out to share her story of what led her to focus on food medicine, and I found it very inspiring (and relatable in different ways) 🩵

With an impressive background in biomedical engineering 🧬 working in hospitals, researching molecular physics, and later serving as an engineer and program manager at Microsoft for 7 years — Joana’s path shifted after a health collapse. That turning point led her to reprioritize her life and dive deep into medicinal practices, ultimately guiding her to food therapy.

How we nourish our bodies is at the core of our health and wellness 🍎 Tune in to hear Joana’s journey and learn how food, nutrition, and tailored meal plans can help heal your body from the inside out 🥘🤍

Joana now runs her own business, “My Own True Balance”, offering personalized meal plans and food therapy sessions. As a special gift for listeners of this show, Joana has provided discount codes for her services 🎁 :

🔹 Food Therapy Consultation (1:1) – promo code: TB20

🔹 Rebalance Meal Plan – promo code: TAKE15

📬 Joana’s Contact:

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the “With Love and Aloha Podcast” 🎧🩵✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG :)

Episode 21: Life of a Maui Girl - Meaning of “Opalite” 💃✨ (Life of a Show Girl 🧡)

Today I was inspired to make a mini episode inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album, Life of a Showgirl. I gave it a listen last night and also caught an early screening of the theatrical release today, where she gave her own commentary before each song. 🎬✨

And one song that caught my eye, even just by name at first, was “Opalite.” 💎 Because opalite is a crystal or man-made glass resin, that I associate with peace, inner healing, and manifesting balance in your life. So to see a song titled that, I was curious to hear it and know its meaning. 🌿☮️

In this episode, I share Taylor’s meaning of the song as well as my own interpretation (manifesting her next new era with Travis Kelce), and what opalite as a crystal even means to me. Tune in as I chat about themes in that song and in the album that go with the themes of this podcast — manifestation, creating your own happiness, and balance / inner peace 🤍

You don’t need to be a Swiftie to enjoy this, btw!  I am a Swiftie, but these concepts apply to anyone 🫶🏼💕

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the “With Love and Aloha Podcast” 🎧🩵✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG :)

Episode 21: Life of a Maui Girl - Meaning of “Opalite” 💃✨ (Life of a Show Girl 🧡)

Today I was inspired to make a mini episode inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album, Life of a Showgirl. I gave it a listen last night and also caught an early screening of the theatrical release today, where she gave her own commentary before each song. 🎬✨

And one song that caught my eye, even just by name at first, was “Opalite.” 💎 Because opalite is a crystal or man-made glass resin, that I associate with peace, inner healing, and manifesting balance in your life. So to see a song titled that, I was curious to hear it and know its meaning. 🌿☮️

In this episode, I share Taylor’s meaning of the song as well as my own interpretation (manifesting her next new era with Travis Kelce), and what opalite as a crystal even means to me. Tune in as I chat about themes in that song and in the album that go with the themes of this podcast — manifestation, creating your own happiness, and balance / inner peace 🤍

You don’t need to be a Swiftie to enjoy this, btw!  I am a Swiftie, but these concepts apply to anyone 🫶🏼💕

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the “With Love and Aloha Podcast” 🎧🩵✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG :)

Episode 20: 🌴 Aloha Friday 🌴 Words of Nature — Āina, Kai, Mauna, and Lani

In this Aloha Friday episode, we explore Hawaiian nature words that connect us to the land, ocean, mountains, and sky — and the deeper wisdom they hold. 🌿

I share four nature words — ʻāina, kai, mauna, and lani — along with related words that expand their meaning. These are all powerful and spiritual words, and these elements of the islands are often personified.  We touch on caring for these elements (mālama and kuleana), and how the Hawaiian culture promotes seeing all of nature as part of who we are. 🩵

Hope you find this informative and that you can learn that much more to allow you to carry aloha wherever you go 🌺

If you are enjoying these shows, please feel free to follow, share, and rate the “With Love and Aloha Podcast” 🎧🩵✨ and give @love_and_aloha_life a follow on IG :)

Episode 19: Sommer Bennett – Sound Healer & Sound Bath Facilitator 🧘🩵

Today I’m joined by the lovely Sommer Bennett, who I met on a trip to the Grand Cayman 🏝️🐠

Sommer is an experienced sound healer who facilitates sound baths as a form of meditation and therapy. Through her work, she helps people connect with the power of sound to calm the mind, restore balance, and support healing 🤍✨

In our conversation, we discuss:

🌊 How nature offers very healing sounds, like the ocean and birds (She has an ocean drum, btw! 🩵)

Whether you’re brand new to sound baths or simply curious to learn more deeply, this episode will leave you feeling informed, inspired, and ready to explore the healing world of sound 🎶🤍

If you’d like to get in touch with Sommer for a sound healing session, you can contact her at:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sommer-bennett-36b8882/

Instagram: @somlifeluv

TikTok: @somaste

If you are enjoying these episodes, please feel free to follow, rate, review, and share my podcast :) Also, you can follow me on my life coaching IG at @love_and_aloha_life