 This is St. Tech, Hawaii, Community Matters here. Aloha and welcome to At the Crossroads. I'm your host, Keisha King, and I want to thank you for joining us at Life at the Crossroads, a wonderful show where we'll talk about all the intersections of our lives and in our community. We're broadcasting live from Honolulu, Hawaii, which is kind of considered the crossroads of the world. We have people from all over the world who come and enjoy the wonderful Aloha life and we want to talk about all the events and characters that we find here. We hope that you'll join us and have a great time. This show today is an example of just a wonderful group of people who do great things right here in our community. I think one of the things that makes it so fun to live in Hawaii is that you get to find out all this wonderful stuff about all the things that people do and you get to take part in it. Today's first guest is not a stranger to Hawaii, although she's not here any longer. Her name is Florensa Denise Lee. She's a friend to many throughout the island and she's just a beautiful ball of energy and positivity. Today, she'll share with us about life at the crossroads and how you can break forth from the crossroads and enjoy life at the crossroads. So please welcome with me today's first guest, Florensa Denise Lee. Hi, Florensa. Hello. Hi. How are you today? I am doing marvelous and I'm so glad to see you. Yes. Oh, I miss the island. I'm sure you do. It's a beautiful place. How can you not miss it? It's a beautiful place and beautiful people. Indeed. Indeed. You've got that right. So where are you now? We're currently in Hampton, Virginia. So a little bit different. Yeah. I think you guys just had some snow, didn't you? Not yet. No. The D.C. area got it. We were spared for now. Okay. Well, that's good. I'm glad you were spared. I wish you were here because even without snow, it's cold, I'm sure. And today, of course, it was just a beautiful day in Hawaii, as always, but I won't rub that in. I'm jealous. I'm jealous. Don't be. Just come on back. Florenza, I wanted to bring you on today just to share with us a little bit about who you are and what you do and just a little about life at the crossroads and how it's fun and sometimes it's a little bit scary and you can embrace it. So just elaborate with us a little bit about that. Okay. Okay. Thank you so much. I am Florenza and I wear a lot of hats. The ones that particularly fit our subject today would be my hat of being a life coach as well as a military spouse. And my husband just recently retired, so I very well understand being in those crossroads. He served 31 years in a few days in the army. So we are going through our own transition, our own crossroads right now as well. Wow. Well, thank you so much, first of all, to your husband for his remarkable service, 31 years. That's a long time to do anything. You know, I tried to get him to do 40, but he told me that my ID card was brown and I didn't wear a uniform, so my conversation ended. I like that. That's cute. You can't tell him what to do. You're not in uniform. I get it. Well, listen, what makes you an authority or just an influential person on crossroads living, life at the crossroads? What is your title? Yeah, you know, as a life coach and I have been tagged the term, the clarifier. And it's because anyone that contacts me if they are calling just due to being stuck in life itself or if they're stuck, say they're an author or speaker and they feel stuck in where they are right there. I have a way of just within a matter of a few minutes identifying the situation and just bringing them to clarity. And so that's my niche. It's just allowing clarity to come to that individual. And usually it's because they're at a crossroads. The crossroads simply mean that you were going in one direction and circumstances, situations, or whatnot has caused you to look at the direction in which you're traveling and take notice of a potential change. And we all know that change is a hard word for some. My mother used to say the only person that likes change is a baby. And so, you know, I bring all of that wisdom. I'm 54, a lot older than I look. It was that Hawaii lifestyle that did that. I was going to say, you look amazing. 54, I need to see some ID. I'm not believing that. You look great. But, you know, you touched on something. You said usually if you're at a crossroads in life, it simply means a change, a change in direction. And I have to agree with you. And sometimes those changes are dramatic, such as divorce, death of a loved one, change in career even. As you mentioned already, a change in your career is life at the crossroads. But then there are times when a change is good. Talk to us about being at a crossroads when it's a good thing. You know, I actually believe that there are negative situations that can turn our lives that we have the ability to create a positive outcome. And I am a firm believer in mindfulness. I believe that we are able to live in the moment right now. There are things that occur in our past that we're able to learn from. And we have the ability not to fret over what could come because it's not here yet. And so I would challenge anyone who's feeling like they are at a crossroads to just pause where you are and look at what you have, not what you used to have, not what you want, but what do you have right now? What are you able to do right now with what you have? And sometimes when we're able to do that, we're able to free ourselves from the weights of the past and the uncertainty of the future and just take what we have right now. And once we do that, it allows us to see clearly to better make that decision. If we should go right, left, stay put, or maybe that road in front of you that looks like it's not passable that you just need to break through. And so there are many options that we have. We just don't always see them as being viable options. You know, you're saying something so good right there. First, I love the fact that you say pause and you should write that down. Pause and think about what you do have. And I think a lot of times introspection and truly just being grateful. I think there is a moment in our lives when we are not as grateful for what we have as we should be or could be. And I think that often when we are able to pause and reflect and take in what we do have, that gives us clarity as you know, as the clarifier that sometimes life at the crossroads is not as bad as it may seem. Is that right? Correct. That's correct. That's correct. And the beauty of being mindful is enjoying a space free of judgment. And when we free ourselves from that, judging and just experiencing that moment, then we're able to see earlier, we're able to make wiser decisions for what it is we are supposed to do. That's right. That's so good. You see? This is why I love you. This is why it is so amazing to just have you here today. Just to talk and to help our viewers to learn that it's okay. And it's going to be okay. I could sit here and talk to you all day. How can people get in touch with you? I know we have some information that we can share. How can others reach you? Well, I am everywhere. So the fastest way is to go to florenza.org. I'm also on Facebook, Florenza, Denise Lee. I am on Instagram, Florenza Lee. I am on Twitter, LinkedIn. I am everywhere. WordPress. I have an amazing WordPress blog that you're able to create. All of those, just remember florenza.org. Go to my website and it has all the amazing information of everything that I'm doing right now and ways that you are able to contact me should, in fact, you need clarification. Okay. So you've heard it. If you need clarification, call the clarifier. Yeah. Awesome. I look forward to just sharing more with you. I know you wear many hats. I know there are wonderful things that you are involved in and that you do for others. And so we're looking forward to sharing and seeing you right here again at the crossroads. Florenza, thank you. You're welcome. Thank you for being here, for being my inaugural guest. And we will be right back after this. Aloha. Aloha. This is Think Tech Hawaii, raising public awareness. When I was growing up, I was among the one in six American kids who struggle with hunger and hungry mornings make tired days. Grumpy days. Kind of days. But with the power of breakfast, the kids in your neighborhood can think big and be more. When we're not hungry for breakfast, we're hungry for more. More ideas. More dreams. More fun. When kids aren't hungry for breakfast, they can be hungry for more. Go to hungarees.org and lend your time or your voice to make breakfast happen for kids in your neighborhood. Welcome to Sister Power. I'm your host, Sharon Thomas Yarbrough, where we motivate, educate, empower, and inspire all women. We are live here every other Thursday at 4 p.m. and we welcome you to join us here at Sister Power. Aloha and thank you. This crazy world. So caught up in the confusion. Nothing is making sense. For the end. There's got to be solutions. How to make a party. The Japanese language show on Think Tech Hawaii called Konnichiwa Hawaii, broadcasting live every other Monday at 2 p.m. Please join us where we discuss important and useful information for the Japanese language community in Hawaii. The show will be all in Japanese. Hope you can join us every other Monday at 2 p.m. And welcome back. I am Hisha King, your host right here at the Crossroads. And I have with me a very special guest. My friend Tina Daggad, right? Daggad. Daggad. Daggad. I'll get it right eventually. Forgive me. We are at the Crossroads and we are talking about your company, Mele Mirals. It's not actually yours though. It's Mele Mirals Foundation. Yes. Founded by Estria. Estria Mirashiro, yes. Awesome. So talk to us a little bit about Mele Mirals. What type of foundation is this? Well, we're a non-profit foundation and we basically go from island to island throughout the state and teach young children how to paint murals and learn about the story of their place. Okay. Yeah. Oh, painting murals with children. Yes. Okay. The program Mele Mirals is actually a program that we work with students in the school, in the Department of Education. And we teach them how to paint murals. But most importantly, I think what we do is we teach them about their place. Art is not just a pencil to a canvas or a spray can to a wall. It goes more than that. And I think what Estria has done successfully in creating this program for Hawaii, for us, is to share the story of where we come from. Not many kids know where they come from. So by incorporating art and modern muralism, we're not just teaching the kids how to paint. We're teaching them how to take care of the land, take care of their place. We teach them how to meditate and get inspiration for their gardens. Wait, stop right there. This is getting really good. So you teach painting. Yes. You teach them where they come from. Yes. And you said meditation? Yes. Explain to me how this process works. How do you teach children how to meditate while they're painting? Is it while they're painting? Well, actually, it's a process. So it's kind of complex when someone asks what Melly Murals is about. Everyone has a different interpretation of what Melly Murals is. From my perspective and what I've witnessed, I'm not the artist Estria is. So what's your title? What are you doing? I'm the operations manager. I do the behind the scenes. Wonderful. And so what I've learned through this process, as I experienced it with Estria and our team, is that we teach kids how to ground themselves. Most times when we're taught as far as education, we think from here. And what Estria has tried to portray to the kids is that if you can actually think from within. And so when we meditate, we're not just thinking here, but we're thinking from within ourselves and trying to connect from above to the ground. And so by learning that, the kids are able to meditate with each other and to get ideas and then to transfer them to the wall. So we work with Kapunas in the area. Kapunas in the area. Plus, we work with community members. So melee murals is a lot bigger than just painting a mural. It's not just one artist. It's a bunch of community. Yeah, I was going to say that. It sounds like there is a lead artist. Yes. And then children who have never painted before. No. No. Oh, goodness. This sounds wonderful. You know, it really is because it's not just about one artist, but it's about several artists. I think we actually have some of your work. Yeah. It sounds like this is amazing. I want to show our audience just how awesome your work has been as you have worked in the community. If you want, you can share a little bit about these pictures. This is a mural that we did with Stevenson Middle School. Okay. Beautiful. Within this school, there was a lot of colors. Yeah. It's amazing. We served about over 600 students here at this school. Beautiful. Gorgeous. And then this one is actually of our co-founder, Estrella Michiro. And he's actually painting a mural at the HPM building in Kona. Okay. That's beautiful. Now, is this an owl? Yes. It is. Okay. I've seen those all throughout. Oh, look at that. That's gorgeous. Yes. This mural is actually at Kaneki High School. And this is where we're based. We're actually based here at Kaneki High School. Okay. So you're local? We're a local company. Yeah. Yeah? Right here on Island. At Kaneki High School? Yes. Wow. Look at that. Absolutely gorgeous. This mural is in Kaneki actually next to Winward Mall. Gorgeous. And so all of these participants had an opportunity to paint? Yes. Well, I called them participants. I hope they were. Yeah. And volunteers. And volunteers. Yeah. Volunteers from where? From the community, from the school. Really? Yeah. If a person wanted to, they could volunteer is what you're saying. Yes. And that's how they can support our cause. Okay. A lot of ways that they can help is really, they can even donate a wall if they're a property owner. They can purchase a membership. We have annual memberships. And 100% of the proceeds go towards supporting our programs. Wow. We also have generous support. So if someone wanted to, how could they participate or make a donation to your foundation? They can visit our website at estria.org. Okay. So visit the website at estria.org. And you can make a donation to help support melee murals. And all the wonderful things they do throughout the community with painting murals, working with young children. Yes. Right. And the work is just absolutely gorgeous now. This is Blanche Pope. Where is this? Where? This is at Blanche Pope Elementary. Oh, gorgeous. So it sounds like you were very closely with the DOE. Oh, yes. A lot of our projects are with it. And this is here at Cathedral Catholic Academy. I know. Because I was there. Yeah. And I might be in this picture. I'm not sure. It's a distinct pleasure and honor of working on several projects with your organization. So I kind of cheated. I know. I know a little bit about what you do. And I'm so glad I've had the opportunity to work with the entire team of artists and volunteers as a volunteer. I found that painting calms me down. It is therapeutic. Others express that same thing. Yes. Yeah. A lot of our students who come through our programs actually, you notice a change, almost quite like a transformation. I've had one student tell me that by meditating, he's able to calm himself. So now he meditates before he gets upset and he reacts. So we teach our students how to meditate. We have classes. We have our classes at Kamikia High School as well as Kuhio Elementary and Halolo Elementary. So we're trying to just keep on reaching as many students, as many kids as we can through our various programs, not just through the melee murals. Melee murals is our flagship. We are known for that. But we also have a professional development course that we offer teachers within the state. So by doing that, we're affecting change more in the classrooms through the teachers that sign up through our program. So that's just one of it. Wow. There's so many aspects to this company. There is. And so many wonderful things that you do. And I'd like to kind of share a little bit about when do you see the transaction or the transition or transformation happen for children while they're meditating or going through that process? I guess from day one, really, when we talk about the kids, our number one goal is to have service to inspire, whether it's through art. For me, the experience goes deeper than just art. I see transformation through the kids by just how they interact with each other. It's not just about one student. It's about all students. So we encourage teamwork, collaboration. And most importantly, we want the kids to have fun. So Estria, he comes up with these ideas. And so we also have a summer program that's funded mostly by private foundations. And we're able to provide this for students who would not necessarily have the opportunity to spend five, six weeks creating art, going on field trips, learning about their land, learning about the community. And you see a transformation happen because it's not just the kids. You see the parents. You see the teachers. You see the community just come out and just support this program. And so we are continuing to look for support, whether that's through corporate sponsorship or through just volunteering. Yeah. So people can volunteer. They can come out, paint with you all, have fun. Because we're talking about meditation and painting. But it's also fun. It's fun. It's also fun. I mean, let's face it. The number one thing you think about when you paint is I think Bob Ross. Happy little trees. Happy little trees. No, it's so much fun. But when I'm with you guys, it's not about happy little trees. I mean, we've got rainbow colors. We've got students running all around. We've got paint all over the place. Do you have a big project coming up? We're going to wrap up right now. Yes. Actually, our next project on our calendar is a project with Aliyah Lani Elementary School, which is in Kaimaki. So that's probably going to be our next big project. OK. So come and volunteer. I just might. I just might come and volunteer. I love hanging with you guys. You're like family. You know, I was at the crossroads when I met you all. I just moved to the island and I was walking down the street. It's a funny story. I was walking down the street. I think that was South King Street I worked with. I don't know if we have that picture. We probably don't. But I was working there and I saw this group of people and I said, oh, hey, would you guys like to be interviewed for my blog, which I did not have. And the artist says, yeah, sure. And would you like to paint? I'm like, OK. And that's how I got started. Minimal experience. But I had a lot of fun. And I've learned a few things. But I mostly, as you've stated, learned about myself. And I think that's the beauty of what you all do. It's so much deeper and it means so much more. And it means a lot to the community. So as she has stated, thank you, Tina, if you would like to reach them, they can reach Mellon murals. You can reach them at what's the email? www.estria.org and that's spelled E-S-T-R-I-A. Awesome. Thank you so much for coming on with us today. I'm so happy to see you. And I'm so happy to hear all the wonderful things that you are doing in our community for the land, for our people, all people. Yeah, all people. Awesome. All ages. Thank you so much. All ages and all experience levels. Yeah, you don't need to know. There are several artists that are out there, right? Yeah. So if you make a mistake, they'll fix it. Don't worry about it. Whether your trees are happy or not, they'll get it for you. Thank you so much for being on with us today. So we've talked a bit about life at the crossroads. And we will talk about it some more. We'll talk about things that are going on in our community. We'll talk about all the wonderful people and what they do to help make us stronger and better as people. And hopefully, you'll get drawn in and find out that life at the crossroads is a lot of fun. So, Tita, it's been great. Thanks, Kisha. Lorenza, I believe, is off the line now. But thank you so much for being here. And thank you, our viewers, for watching today. Thank you.