Advertise on podcast: Keoni Chats

Rachael Kranick joins me for this week’s episode! We first met through dragonboating in Portland before the pandemic. Since then, Rachael moved to California and took the leap into entrepreneurship with her own company, Rachael Kranick Design, LLC. We talk about the highs, lows, stress, and rewards of the entrepreneur lifestyle, navigating life between jobs, and the importance of finding ways to keep moving forward. Rachael also shares how fashion became her way of breaking the ice when she transitioned from homeschooling to public school. It’s a great conversation about taking chances, adapting to change, and finding your own path.

Nick Moses joins me in this week’s episode of Keoni Chats. Nick grew up alongside my brother and former guest David Rodriguez. We talked about that connection carrying them from high school through college. In the case for Nick and David, we also spoke about their cross country road trip while in high school.  Nick is a mechanical engineer. He has traveled to nearly 10 countries, using his skills to support communities around the world. We talk about what it’s like to step into unfamiliar environments, embrace discomfort, and grow through those experiences. Now, he’s entering a new chapter—one that blends his engineering mindset with his passion for music. He’s the creator of TravelTone Guitars, a guitar designed for people who are always on the move. Here is a link to learn more: https://www.traveltoneguitars.com/.

This week on Keoni Chats: I’m joined by Chris McMullan, an up-and-coming therapist I met through a mutual friend. When I heard about Chris and the work he was doing, I knew I wanted him on the show. Chris is a native Irishman who fell in love with a small coastal city in Oregon—a major life transition that helped kick-start his path toward becoming a therapist. We talk about that move, the challenges that came with it, and how it shaped his purpose. Chris specializes in Solution-Focused Therapy and uses hope as his primary tool. We dive into how hope has carried him through different stages of his life—from the obstacles of getting certified to sustaining a long-term marriage. Chris brings a powerful belief in himself and in others that makes this conversation both grounded and inspiring. Learn more about Chris and his practice here: https://www.hope-filled.com/

This week on Keoni Chats: I sat down with Geleen Abanjoa, owner of Shop Halo Halo. Geleen was originally set for a career in nursing, but she made a bold pivot—moving to Oregon to pursue her passion for baking. We talk about the challenges of that life-changing decision, how her family supported her from afar, and the journey of turning her festival-based bakery into a brick-and-mortar shop. That shop became reality thanks to a unique partnership with a plant nursery owner—something I had to learn more about. ➡️ Check out Shop Halo Halo’s website to see where you can grab their delicious pastries!

Cameron Jerde finds a rare break in his packed schedule to sit down with me for an insightful and inspiring conversation. Cameron and I met Boy Scouts as kids. After our time there, he poured his energy into various pursuits — one of which was music. What began as a student passion in band eventually evolved into a career, leading Cameron to become a Band Director at a local high school. In this episode, we explore his journey from scout to educator, and we dive into his work with SIMDE, a nonprofit organization he's passionate about. SIMDE focuses on providing equitable opportunities and resources through music education. 🎧 Listen in as we talk music, preparation, and finding downtime. 🔗 Learn more about SIMDE: simde.org 📲 Follow Cameron: Link 1 | Link 2

Pauline Lee joins me for this week’s Keoni Chats. Pauline is the founder of the Program for Intellectual Empowerment (PIE). We talk about the beginning of the program and the challenges she encounters with keeping it going. Pauline shares how her religious following has kept her going on the path she is on. She has a strong passion to give neurodivergent individuals opportunities. This led her to create the Unified Art Studio. A place for students to paint and take on real world challenges and provide a safe space for them to meet new people. Follow Pauline here: https://bit.ly/3Sfjq4n. Check out their website here: https://www.piempowered.org/.

Arturo Basurto joins me for this week’s Keoni Chats. Arturo and I were one time co-workers and from that time together, he made a positive impression on me with his positivity and curiosity. Arturo is a professional Disc Golfer and we talk about how he discovered the sport. He grew up in California and decided to move to Oregon on a whim. We talked about that decision and all the life adjustments he had to make once it was complete. Follow Arturo here: https://bit.ly/4beatAZ, https://bit.ly/43b6LGr. Read Arturo’s stats here: https://bit.ly/3D5q7Cj

In this third episode of the Creator Check-In: The Struggles with Creativity, I discuss editing and marketing. I open up about my overly ambitious approach to weekly episode releases and the mental and emotional limits that took me. As this show was finding its format, I didn’t have the financial capability to purchase the software that was available to me in college. This made me have to resort to stock software and be limited by their abilities. In the beginning, I was using Zoom to supplement the interview. As I was shifting from Zoom to in-person interviews, I had to slowly make investments to improve the quality. Due to the weekly episodes format, there was no marketing strategy. As that changed, one started to take form and it felt great giving the episode more attention. Just as the new adjustments are being applied and the excitement is building, tragedy struck.

In the second episode of the Creator Check-In: The Struggles with Creativity, I discuss my growth with interviewing. I grew up with an extroverted father so casually talking with people was easy for me. The issues I encountered was having a guided interview while trying to push a narrative forward. I talked about being too reliant on retaining information (all from memory) and how that led to a poor interview with the first stranger of the show. I didn’t even mention how long it took to get use to hearing my voice and overcome my stutters and pauses. Next episode I discuss the editing process and the countless hours.

In the first episode of the Creator Check-In: The Struggles with Creativity, I broke down the latest break from the Keoni Chats podcast show and the thought process that led to this mini series. As I did the NFL Roster Breakdown series on the KCM Sports show, I realized that I can produce a show that is not in an interview format. Once I got a layout of the topics I wanted to speak about in this episode, I got back behind the microphone and opened up about my own struggles with creating the Keoni Chats show. In this episode, I talk about taking the idea and starting to run with it. Next episode I discuss my struggles with interviewing.

Josh Stofiel of Evoke Visual Solutions joins me for this week’s Keoni Chats. I met Josh through my last job. The company he was working for at the time was being absorbed and I remember when I first saw him, I thought that this is a guy that I could enjoy working with. As his time grew at the new place, our passing interactions grew more friendly and memorable. When he left that job for another opportunity, we lost contact with each other but those fun moments stuck with me. When I found out that he co-found Evoke and continued with his printing career, I wanted to bring Josh onto the show. We talked about his printing career but he opened up about his struggles with education and the extent he went on to avoid repeating his mistakes. Check out Evoke here: https://www.evokevisualsolutions.com/ .

When making a trip back to Portland, Brian Weber stops by and is this week’s guest. Brian and I were high school classmates. During this conversation, A lot of his stories and experiences started to emulate my own. We talk about his pathway to becoming a Police Officer with the city of Astoria, Oregon. He opens up about the many rejections he faced and how he was able to find an alternate route to achieve his dream. The last memory I have of Brian was a kid that blended into the background. But when he was with his friends, lit up and was very engaging. Brian opens up about how his training to be an officer helped him grow as a person. Follow Brian here: https://bit.ly/3TC3WYF

Adam Becenti becomes the newest member of the two-timer club, as he returns to be this week’s guest on Keoni Chats. A lot of Adam’s first episode revolved around his participation in the Black Lives Matter movement and his support to community causes. We built off that episode and talked about his work as the Tribal Affairs Director at the Oregon Department of Human Services and having a balance between his work and his culture. What always sparked my curiosity about Adam was how he finds the line between work and culture when his job involves his culture. We also talked about his participation at speaking engagements at schools such as University of Colorado and University of Oregon. Follow Adam here: https://bit.ly/3wlbVkX , https://bit.ly/3uxp9un , https://bit.ly/3UGDXRQ

Confessions Of A Tiny Teacher Founder Tasha Emmerson joins me in this week’s Keoni Chats. Tasha and I have similar social circles, but this was the first time we’ve talked with each other. Her openness and engaging nature made this conversation quickly comfortable. We talked about her upbringing with absentee parents, and having to be the parental figure for her sisters. Tasha opened up about her marriage to her husband and being involved with each other for almost two decades. As Tasha became a mother of 2, and her teaching career was taking off, the world was introduced to COVID. This would lead to the creation of Tiny Learning Box. Follow Tasha Here: http://bit.ly/3tiPCeE . Visit Confessions Of A Tiny Teacher website here: https://bit.ly/3tsHEiU

I met Keith Nelson for the first time in this week’s Keoni Chats.  He was born and raised in Portland, OR and we are both alumni from the same high school and college. I reached out to him through our high school’s facebook group and he graciously accepted. This chat was a challenge for me, not only because this is our first time meeting, but because of his extensive resume and figuring out where to go first. Keith is a Comedian and Actor of over 30 years. Outside of the comedy stage, Keith has been in projects such as: Electives, Not for Nothin’, and Mobsters and Mormons. Keith and I talked about the importance of being on time in his world and he shared some stories from the stand up comedy world. Check out his website here: https://www.keithrossnelson.org/ .