ka ʻimi ana

Seeking Wisdom From Within

About Me

ICF PCC Coach, Mentor Coach, & Bodyworker
2nd Gen Diasporic Kanaka Maoli | She/Her/ʻO ia | Mixed Race BIPOC

I have always had a deep love for and relationship with my home in the pae ʻāina (Hawaiʻi) despite my diasporic experience of being born on the continent. I was clear that he Hawaiʻi au, but also wrestled to understand place, belonging, and identity as a mainland Hawaiian.

I began practicing Somatics in 2013. The work helped me explore the questions and contradictions I held within my racial identity. And it gave me the resources I needed to seek out support that could help me with my trauma. I practiced listening for and building trust in my own wisdom. I learned to operate from a centered and honest place, to speak my longings and requests into the world, and to create practices that move me closer to them.

As a Coach, I am most passionate about connecting with and working with Clients who are daring to trust their inner wisdom. I am a fierce advocate for harmonizing dual and multi-racial identities, and healing the parts of ourselves that limit our potential.

I began my Somatic Coaching training program through the Strozzi Institute in 2018. I am currently an PCC certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

In addition to my ongoing Somatic training, I work with the concepts of Internal Family Systems (IFS) or ʻParts Workʻ, Cognitive Behavioral Coaching (CBC), and continue my ongoing learning and integration of Hawaiian ʻike kūpuna.

Outside of my role as a Coach, I am lifelong learner, community member, family member, and healer of self, lineage and inside community.

As the largest step in my own journey, I made the final step to move home to Hawaiʻi nei in May of 2022. My life now consists of learning our home from within our ʻāina, practices, community members, and ʻohana. And through this hulihia, I have commited to my own somatic practices that keep me in consistent reflection of embodied change and healing.

If you feel ready to deepen into your path and create action toward your longings, letʻs connect.

*With gratitude for the guidance from my kūpuna and those who went before to light the way. Mahalo to nā wahi pana that held and nourished me along the way. And mahalo kākou for visiting!

Tidbits from under the couch

the practice of resilience

Resilience practice has been the single biggest resource in my own transformation work. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from or heal from struggle. In my personal work, as well as my coaching, I rely heavily on resilience to prepare us for the hard days of growth and healing.

I have several practices to strengthen this, but my favorite is working with ipu, or hard-shelled gourds. Each one is a new move to express something from deep within my history, longing to be brought forth and shared in the present. Craftwork empowered me to trust my creative and cultural instincts, strengthening my connection with home.

As you dive into your transformation, what are the practices that will best resource and support you as you begin to feel the stretch of growth?

#ipubebesforlife

More reasons to nap with the dog

I used to feel guilty about taking naps with this guy. I operated in a world of tight timelines, chronic stress, fatigue, overwork, and burnout. My need to be on-the-go was constantly activating my Sympathetic Nervous system, or 'fight or flight' response. What I didn't know is that in this state, my non-essential bodily functions like digestion and immunity were de-prioritized, keeping me on constant high alert for danger, but neglecting my overall wellness.

And meanwhile, my Parasympathetic Nervous System was waiting to work it's healing magic. This part of the nervous system is responsible for repairing and rebalancing the body's internal functions. When the Parasympathetic is activated, the heart rate slows, digestion increases, and muscles relax again. You can activate your Parasympathetic Nervous System in many ways: meditating, reading a book, working on art, and yes, napping.

So, next time your dog invites you to snuggle on the couch, re-consider the guilt, and imagine kickstarting your Parasympathetic as you cozy up for a snooze.

What is Center?

I visited a vortex twice when I lived in Montana. As I approached it both times, I got dizzy, and eventually motion sick. It was hard to move in the swirling energy. But when I finally made it to the spot marked as the middle, it was quiet and calm. I sat there for a long time, afraid to re-enter the swirling chaos that surrounded me. In the center of this vortex, I could look around and see clearly. I knew I couldn't stay there forever, but I could re-balance, resource and make my plan to exit.

Center is a place of balance within us as well. Located just below the navel, midway between your front and back body, your center aligns your length, width and depth. In Hawaiian, we call the center the piko, representing the navel or source of life.

To have access to your center is to give yourself a place of clarity and calm inside of the vortex. It's to bring energy and attention to your deepest source of life. And it is to call your body back into balance.

What becomes possible when we move through the world from a centered place?

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Sand and Somatics

There are few things I love as much as putting my feet in sand.

I remember the sensation when my feet first make contact with the sand. I feel the heat or cool stored just beneath the surface, the dampness, density, coarseness. I feel the presence of rocks, shells, seaweed, and creatures. And I can feel the quality of connection between the soles of my feet and the ground beneath me.

In sand, there aren't parts of my feet that don't touch the ground. Every corner of my footprint is fully supported by the 'aina, and sand created in the dance between the land and the sea.

In this relationship, I learned what it meant to be connected, held and supported in my whole truth.

Somatic awareness can begin with any experience, however big or small. Observing the sensations of a simple moment is a great place to start developing your somatic seeing.

Rates for Coaching

$140/50-minute session

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