Happy International Women's Day!  In honour of International Women's Day, Fempower is releasing this special episode on the Powerful Women, the Mana Wahine, of Hawai'i and the Power of Land. This episode was recorded live onsite in Waikiki, Hawai'i and is a cumulation of Dr. Kraj's research and learning as a Fulbright Scholar on exchange. Dr. Kraj works with Indigenous communities, sustainability and community power for energy resilience. In this episode, Dr. Kraj speaks with Native Hawaiians Aunty Ku'uipo Kumukahi, an entertainer, award-winning recording artist and record producer, as well as an educator, social worker and administrator, currently the director of the Ho'okela Hawaiian Cultural Center at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki, and Aunty Jenine Heleloa, director of the Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society, founded by Aunty Ku'uipo. They discuss the power of land, the proper way to pronounce Hawaiian words, the importance of reciprocity in Hawaiian cultural values, and the deeper meaning of ALOHA. This powerful trio of women get to the depths of what is means to be part of a Matriarchial society, the Wahine (women) of Hawaii and the importance of reverence for the land and its people in the preservation and conservation of the land for future generations, and our need to Malama (take care of) the land. This episode is filled with golden nuggets of wisdom from Hawaiian values and teachings. And you'll get a treat of Hawaiian Pidgin language and get to know what the locals really think. Of course we talk about the Sustainability of this remote and sacred land, that energy is everything and the interconnectedness of it all; and Aunty Ku'uipo tells us about the power of poetry in preserving the land, the history of the place and its people and the protection of land rights - and how she set precedent in a court case using mele (song) and hula (dance) to make a case. The Mana Wahine of Hawaii remind us of how powerful we all can be, when we come together, as careholders of our land and resources: "Give someone kuliana and you awaken their mana." -Twinkle Borgess, Wai'anae. Full show notes and links at www.fempower.ca; link to the Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society www.hmpshawaii.com

On today’s episode, we talk about Joy, seeking joy, what happens when joy get interrupted by trauma and rewiring for joy in order to choose joy everyday. Today has been 1-year of “pandemic living” or lockdown and insecurity. The weight of which has left us all living with this collective trauma.  Today’s guest is Keira Poulsen, the founder of the Awaken Podcast, is a mother to 5 amazing children. She is also an intuitive, energetic healer and creator. Keira is a spiritual entrepreneurship coach for Lightworkers, healers, change-makers and leaders. She helps women create their soul work and successful businesses derived from their gifts and purpose. Keira believes that now is the time that leaders are awakened and share their light with the world. She is also the founder of Freedom House Publishing Co. where she helps writers and thought leaders become published authors! At Freedom House, she focuses on liberating authors and readers with powerful messages of light!

Keira believes that we all have a deep purpose that the world needs. And when we connect up to The Divine and remember our own inner Divinity, we can create massive change in this world.

I hope you enjoy this episode and find ways that you too can rewire to find joy!

In this episode we celebrate small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the people behind these businesses, the mom and pops, the CEOs, the people who are keeping our economy running during these incomprehensible times. Today’s guest is CEO Heidi Reimer Epp of Botanical Paperworks. Heidi and I originally sat down to record this episode about 10 months ago, in the early days of the pandemic. But, it couldn’t be timelier to release this episode then today – when 10 months later we look back on all we have collectively gone through and reflect on the lessons learned. We need to pause and celebrate the CEO – the toughest job in an SME, the burdens we carry and the decisions we need to make to survive: as a company, as individuals and as families. The topics Heidi and I discuss and the wisdom that she shares are relevant today as we navigate this pandemic, still under lock down in many areas, including mine.