Kamalani Chock

In our current moment, "Hawaiian" has become a label slapped onto many labels, including spiritual practice, to make them feel grounded or exotic. Energy healing sessions with Hawaiian names. Yoga classes called "ho'omana." Generic breathwork rebranded as ancestral work. As I've grown in my own spiritual practice, I've become wary of anything that promises you need an external guide to access your inner landscape. Certain spiritual principles are universal. Connection to breath, to nature,...

I recently watched a webinar by the famous relational therapist, Terry Real, on building healthy relationships, and it left me reflecting on how I show up with myself, my family, my community, and the ʻāina around me. One of the most powerful takeaways was his reframing of self-esteem. He contrasted the definition of self-esteem that became popular in the 1980s work culture—confidence rooted in performance—with a deeper truth: our worth is inherent and unconditional. We don’t earn dignity...

In every professional realm I move through—ceremony and relations, conservation, sustainable agriculture, and collaborative science—there’s a common truth: when we choose the common good over individual acclaim, the impact endures. When we root our work in shared responsibility rather than personal expression, we create something larger than ourselves. This can manifest in beautiful systems that help communities regenerate, thrive, and connect. Often, these fields I inhabit drift toward what...