Common Threads

Within the unique stories that make up each of us as individuals we find common threads that run through our lives weaving together the larger tapestry of our shared humanity. We invite you to explore these insightful interviews with extraordinary people as they share the life experiences that shaped them and find the common threads that connect us all.

 Erica McMillan

Janet Jin: Sharing the Essence of Tai Chi for Personal Transformation

Janet Jin: Sharing the Essence of Tai Chi for Personal Transformation

HonoluluVibes.com Photo Ronen Zilberman Like many of us who call Hawai’i home Janet’s life journey began in a different place yet upon visiting the islands something touched her inside calling her back to make Oahu her home. A move that eventually led her full circle back to her childhood passion for martial arts when she […]

 Erica McMillan

Kalae Kaina: A Dance Journey into Self-Awareness & Empowerment

Kalae Kaina: A Dance Journey into Self-Awareness & Empowerment

Kalae Kaina has been enchanting audiences and empowering women through the sensual and evocative art form of tribal fusion bellydance for over two decades. In dance, she found solace, healing, and artistic expression that transformed her life as she built a life immersed in the performing arts performing, teaching, and leading the Shakti Dance Movement […]

 Erica McMillan

Hawaii’s First Lady of Taiko – Chizuko Endo

Hawaii’s First Lady of Taiko – Chizuko Endo

Chizuko Endo – a pioneer as a woman in the world of Taiko arts who has traveled the globe performing & teaching in addition to raising two sons and co-founding and running the Taiko Center of the Pacific here in Hawaii. In our latest edition of Common Threads, Chizuko shares some of the experiences that […]

 Erica McMillan

The Spiritual Midwifery of Medrakanoeonapua

The Spiritual Midwifery of Medrakanoeonapua

Medrakanoeonapua or Medra, as she’s fondly known, has been a figure of lore and legend within the birthing community of Oahu for over 40 years. Yet, you may not have heard of her unless, of course, you were planning a home birth. More and more women are choosing to give birth at home, desiring a […]

 Dina Pinos

How a local Boy’s Dream of Drawing Houses Became a Lifelong Passion & Career

How a local Boy’s Dream of Drawing Houses Became a Lifelong Passion & Career

INK Architects Maurice Kondo Speaks About Hawai’i Architecture Past, Present, and Future

Maurice Kondo of INK Architects is known for his passion to combine Hawaiian influences into modern designs. Kondo was born and raised on the Big Island of Hawai’i and speaks here on his career spent shaping the spaces of Oahu over the past 50 years. At 11 years of age, in 6th grade, Maurice Kondo […]

 Dina Pinos

Meleanna Meyer Speaks About Her Documentary – Mauna Kea: Sacred Mountain, Sacred Conduct.

Meleanna Meyer Speaks About Her Documentary – Mauna Kea: Sacred Mountain, Sacred Conduct.

Director/producer and Hawaiian activist Meleanna Meyer. (Ronen Zilberman photo HonoluluVibes.com) by Dina Pinos In the most recent show of support for all things ‘āina aloha- beloved of the land, Native Hawaiians, as kia’i—guardians and protectors, and thousands of supporters-peoples from all over the world, had spent eight months since July 12thof last year at the […]

 Erica McMillan

Common Threads: Part II with Kahnma Karnga – Biggest Thing Out of Kaimuki!

Common Threads: Part II with Kahnma Karnga – Biggest Thing Out of Kaimuki!

Kahnma performs at her ‘Bridges’ video release party in Waikiki. (photo courtesy of Kahnma) Kahnma Karnga escaped civil war in Liberia as a child, immigrating to the United States. In her new life, she learned to navigate an unfamiliar culture, finally following her passions to Hawaii where she re-connected to her African roots through the […]

 Erica McMillan

Common Threads: Part I with Kahnma Karnga on Coming to America

Common Threads: Part I with Kahnma Karnga on Coming to America

Singer/songwriter Kahnma Karnga shares insights on racism and her life in Africa, America, and Hawaii in this 2 part interview series w/ Common Threads

 Erica McMillan

Common Threads: Kirstin Pauka – Living & Teaching Asian Theatre

Common Threads: Kirstin Pauka – Living & Teaching Asian Theatre

by Erica McMillan We kick off this series of monthly interviews with all-around, interesting woman about town, Kirstin Pauka Ph.D., a Professor of Theatre at UH Manoa and the Director of the UHM Asian Theatre Program. I first got to know her through, the local West African Dance Band, Jamarek of which we’re both members. […]