Aloha Alive: The Dawn O'Brien Podcast

Pure Aloha vs Street Life | The Transformation Is Real

Lightning strikes a plane outside your window and suddenly every “later” turns into “right now.” That’s where we start with Keikoa Carvalho of Pure Aloha and Rasco Idayan of Building Bonds Through Burpees, two men who know fear, addiction, and pressure firsthand and still choose to show up with love. We get honest about what aloha really means when it costs you something, why sacrifice is the clearest proof of love, and how faith changes the way you read the hard moments. We also talk about sobriety as a lifestyle, not a finish line. Keikoa shares how recovery shifts when you stop feeding the old addiction and start putting that same intensity into prayer, family, and community work. Rasco breaks down how burpees became a turning point, leading to a major health transformation and a new brotherhood built on accountability, service, and consistency. If you care about addiction recovery, faith-based healing, and real Hawaii community outreach, this conversation is packed with practical perspective. The most powerful thread might be forgiveness. We connect the dots between childhood trauma, generational patterns, and why letting go is not for the other person, it’s for your own peace. We also share stories from schools where testimony reaches the kids who feel unseen, reminding them change is possible because they can see it standing in front of them. If this hits home, subscribe, share it with someone fighting for their next right choice, and leave a review telling us: what does aloha mean to you today? IG @DawnOBrienHI FB Dawn O'Brien HI www.ChooseAloha.org youtube.com/@AlohaAlivePodcast

E:33 The Night God Broke Me — Pastor Andrew Yasuhara

Your phone says you’re connected, but your relationships might say otherwise. We sit down with Pastor Andrew Yasuhara and get into the kind of faith conversation that actually touches real life: how to reach youth who live online, how to rebuild trust after church hurt, and why the most effective ministry tool is still simple presence. Andrew shares why relationship beats trying to look cool, and how being genuinely interested in someone’s life opens doors that no trend can. We also unpack the Yasuhara legacy through his grandfather, Woodrow Yasuhara, a leader known for fighting for pastors, building literal churches with his hands, and living like a bridge builder long before that became a buzzword. If you care about leadership, discipleship, and healthy church culture in Hawaii, there are practical lessons all the way through. Then the conversation turns personal. Andrew gets transparent about marriage, pride, counseling, triggers, and the moment he realized he was the problem. We talk emotional health, “small t trauma,” and what it looks like for a husband to become a steady rock, especially when life gets physically and emotionally hard. We close with a forward-looking vision for Hawaii, from stopping the brain drain to seeing faith grow among students, and a definition of aloha that challenges all of us: being comfortable being uncomfortable for the sake of love. If this resonates, subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway. IG @DawnOBrienHI FB Dawn O'Brien HI www.ChooseAloha.org youtube.com/@AlohaAlivePodcast

E32: I Was Done With My Marriage… Then THIS Happened

Rock bottom doesn’t always look loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet dinner table, an empty house, & realizing the thing holding the marriage together is gone. I sit down with Leolani De Lima, wife of Kapena’s Kelly Boy De Lima, and we talk about what it takes to survive 38 years of marriage when fame, temptation, trauma, & family pressure all take their hits. If you’ve been searching for marriage rescue, press play. Encouragement? Press play! BFF LOLs? PLAY! Share with someone who needs strength today. And if U'd take an extra few seconds & leave the 1 line you’re holding onto from this conversation in comments below, that'd help us push this marriage-saving message out to more hurting homes. Mahalo! IG @DawnOBrienHI FB Dawn O'Brien HI www.ChooseAloha.org youtube.com/@AlohaAlivePodcast

Season One Recap Show

HAPPY 1ST BDAY! It's our "BABY LU'AU" Party  featuring da BEST OF BEST highlights for U! Enjoy our 1st baby steps from Dawn's only solo episode & first set (with awkward background & lighting LOL) & then a upgraded set & even our own Podcast mugs. FANCY PANTSY!  Time to rock ALOHA ALL OVER & share talk story time with Hawai'I heroes & sheroes. Grab yr popcorn & a favorite refreshing drink & LET'S GOOOOOO!  PLUS! BONUS!! Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, & leave a review with yr favorite moments. WE ALOHA U, MAHALO for growing our  'OHANA with YOU & YOUR FRIENDS our 1st YEAR. WIN-WIN-WINNING! ALOHA ALWAYS WINS!   IG @DawnOBrienHI FB Dawn O'Brien HI www.ChooseAloha.org youtube.com/@AlohaAlivePodcast

E31: What's S*x Got To Do With It?

"Your child isn't looking for porn, porn is looking for your child." Michele Okimura, Explicit Movement, talks plainly about s*x, p*rn, & more shocking stuff related to s*x. Why does sex matter to God? What is sacred (vs. secular) sex? And other questions even parents may not know the answers to.  Subscribe for more , share with a parent or friend or youth leader, & leave a review so more 'ohana can find help. What’s the hardest sex-related conversation you’ve been avoiding? Comment below, please & shine the Light on a too-often dark & diabolically dominated realm. Mahalo & ALOHA! IG @DawnOBrienHI FB Dawn O'Brien HI www.ChooseAloha.org youtube.com/@AlohaAlivePodcast