 Hi, I'm Rusty Komori, and this is Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. I was the head coach of the Punahou Boys Varsity Tennis Team for 22 years, and we were fortunate to win 22 consecutive state championships. My book Beyond the Lines is about leadership, creating a superior culture of excellence, and finding greatness, which is what this show is all about. My special guest today is making a huge positive impact in the lives of countless people through Hawaiian music and as a kumo. She is Pomeika Ileiman, and today we are going beyond Hawaiian culture. Hey, Pomei, welcome to the show. Aloha. Now, Pomei, you are so much fun to talk with, and you're making such a great impact in Hawaii. And I want to know about your early years growing up. If you can share what schools you went to and what activities did you do? Yeah, so I started at Punahou when I was in fourth grade. Before that, I was attending local private schools. I went to Hawaiian Mission Elementary, Island Paradise, long time ago. But I got into Punahou in fourth grade, and I graduated from there. And that was probably a very, very important time of my life. I think I had so many opportunities attending Punahou. I was able to experience the May Day program. I was able to experience having a teacher supervise me so that I could start in ukulele club during lunch. In fact, she still messages me occasionally. Mrs. Wilmuth was my English teacher. And then I had the chance to be a holoku musician, which in my eyes kind of kickstarted my career and really got me going where I thought I was just going to be my grandma's lead dancer. So Pomei, when did you first start playing the ukulele? And when did you first start singing? The first recollection I have of playing the ukulele was when I was about four or five years old. My grandma always had an ukulele available in our home for every mo'opuna. And she didn't buy the expensive kamakas. She bought swap meat grade, $20 ukulele, so that the kids weren't concerned about, the adults weren't concerned too much about it breaking. But you could teach the children how to handle it and just what it sounds like. And you can get them to practice and be good at it. So yeah, when I was young, she taught me a song called Ho'olako Hawaii, which was a song that was written for the year of the Hawaiian. And I believe that it was in 1986, if I remember correctly. Wow. That's so good. And Pomei, let's talk about your family, your husband Shane, and you have four kids. Are they all talented musicians like you? Oh, yeah. You know, it was important for me when they were growing up that they came with me, not just that I couldn't always afford the daycare, but I brought them with me everywhere. And I was still tagging along with my grandma to go to her various gigs. And I loved being a part of that action, so I would always bring my kids. And so they were constantly sorted by Hawaii's music, Hawaii's musicians. And then my grandmother always made it a point if she had children or grandchildren around to call us up and feature us during her set. So when it came time for me to start sitting in for her at our weekly Thursday night gig at the Waikiki Beach Marriott, they're one of like a pass off time that my husband and I would have where he wasn't getting off of work until after I started at my gig. So I had to come with my babies and leave them on the stage in their car seat and start the gig. And then he would come and pick them up offstage. And they would say, Aloha to everyone. And so literally that audience watched my children grow up to the point where they started playing instruments and joining in on the performance. Wow, that's teamwork for sure there. And oh, my why do you love performing so much? For me, it you know, and I teach this to my music classes, music takes all of the vibrations around us and kind of puts them into, I guess, a collective story or message that just helps us to helps us to feel at peace with everything that surrounds us. And that's what my grandma taught me is that music is healing and it provides a sense of comfort for people. So even after she passed, I continued to receive, you know, counsel from some of her closest friends. And one of those was Khumu Hula O'Brien Eselu and he told me, he said, you know, your grandma, she had 12 children and she had her own challenges, her own struggles. But when she stepped on that stage, it wasn't about what she was going through. It wasn't about anything bad that had happened to her that day. It was about making sure that the audience left smiling, making sure that the audience was able to sit and forget about their struggles and their challenges. And in doing that, it was like a service. It was an act of service for her to present her music and it helped her to overcome any struggles and challenges that she might have been experiencing. So that same experience happens to me every single time I perform. Well, your grandma is the legendary Jenoa Keave and she touched countless lives, you know, through her music and through her just being a great person. And you must really cherish those times that you were able to perform with her. I totally do. You know, I was lucky in high school after I started performing for the May Day program at Punahol. This picture was us performing at Moanalua Gardens, the Prince Lat Hula Festival. I had just completed my junior year and I was starting to do more performing with her. I started singing like her when I was about 14, but it took me two years of her telling me keep practicing, keep practicing. And finally, when I was about 16, she said, OK, you ready? And she took me on my first performance tour with her. We went to Seattle and we performed for my auntie's Halao Hoike. And that was the first time I traveled with her. After that, I got to go to a few inner island performances and I also traveled to Japan with her. Wow. So, Pumai, why was your grandma able to connect with so many people? I think for me, the biggest thing is that she had true, genuine Aloha just for everyone. When she was younger, she prayed and she asked for the gift of being able to sing like the people that she heard on the radio, Lina Machado. And she received that gift. And as an act of gratitude for receiving that gift from her Heavenly Father, she made it a point to go out and to share that with others. And so, everywhere she went, she was singing from a place of gratitude. And when you're able to do that, you're also able to feel genuine Aloha for the people that you are presenting to. And everyone knows that if you ever had an opportunity to look into her eyes and hear her say, I love you, that is a moment that people have never forgotten. And to this day, I still have people coming up to me and telling me the exact instance that that happened and how it made them feel. And they start to tear up because they'll never, ever forget that. It just makes me think of that quote, yeah? People may forget what you said, but they'll never forget how you make them feel. And so, she made everybody feel good and that they were loved. Omae, tell me more about what you're doing to advance the Genoa-Kiave Foundation now. Oh, yes. So the Genoa-Kiave Foundation was the brainchild, actually, of my dad, who is her number 11 child, Eric Kaleolani-Kiave. And he wanted to create some kind of a vehicle for us to be able to continue to share her legacy of music and Aloha. So the Genoa-Kiave Foundation was born and Kumuhula O'Brien-Eselu was the first president. And now we have James Moikeha, who is a former musician himself. But those pictures that you see, basically, what we do is take music to those who are elderly, kupuna, to those who are sick. And it's educating. It's not just educating, but it's using music as a form of healing. And that young boy there, the one with the leon in the middle, his name is Mahoy, we started something called Mahoy's Ukulele Kani Kapila at Kapiolani Hospital. He was hospitalized there for three months, and I had left an ukulele with him so that it could help with his healing. He had a brain trauma incident. But by the end of his stay there, he was picking up that ukulele and playing and singing Heihevai'io. And it's just a miracle that he was able to walk away three months after what we thought was not going to be a good outcome for him. Wow, that's so great to hear what you're doing to further her legacy. And I want to know also, Pomei, about the Manamaoli, if you can tell me about what Manamaoli is. Yeah, so Manamaoli is another nonprofit that I work with. And they were first established 20 years ago to support the new Hawaiian-focused, at that time Hawaiian-focused public charter school, Halauku Mana. And so I started with Manamaoli just as a collective artist, one of the performing artists that they would call to go and interact with students and do various concerts. But then they kind of pulled me in as a kumu because one of the schools that they were serving was a school that my children were attending, Kekula Okamako in Kaneohe. And so they were looking for a teacher to teach Manamaoli classes at that school. And so they asked if I would do it. And I said, of course, my children are there, I would love to. And so I started teaching and eventually they brought me on board as part of the staff. And now I am the lead kumu or lead instructor. But I help to facilitate and make sure that all of our kumu that are teaching across 14 Oahu schools, I'm sorry, 16 now, we just increased with two more this past year. 16 schools on the island of Oahu. We have over 70 year-long classes and we make sure that they have the resources that they need to be able to carry out the curriculum that they would like to in their classes. And what I like too about Manamaoli is the Manamele project that a lot of local famous musicians like Jack Johnson and John Cruz and Paula Fuga, Kimi A Minor, all of your friends, they all love helping and they continue to help. Yes. So, you know, one thing about being a musician, we love to perform, we love to gig, we love to make money, but we also love to let especially the youth know that their dreams are achievable. And, you know, at one point, we all realized that we were those children, those youth that were sitting watching celebrities go out and perform and, you know, dreaming of the day that we might be able to do those things, that we might be able to sing the songs that we love and make money doing it, that we might be able to travel the world. And for some, it seems like it's just a dream, you know, nothing that they would ever be able to achieve. And so what I love about the Manamele project is that it puts these students or these youth in touch with what they would call celebrities, local celebrities and even international celebrities where they wouldn't normally get to, you know, it's different from attending a concert. These people are coming into intimate settings and having discussions with them, being able to take their questions one-on-one and then they get pictures with them, you know, these experiences wouldn't normally happen by just attending a performance. And so that's what the Manamele project does and that's what I love about it. It's so priceless for the students and it's so impactful and, Pomei, we're going to take a quick break and when we come back, we're going to continue going beyond Hawaiian culture, okay? All right. You are watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii with my special guest, Pomei Ka'i-Lyman. We will be back in a quick minute. Aloha. I'm John David Ann, the host of History Lens on Think Tech Hawaii. History Lens deals with contemporary events and looks at them through a historical perspective or what we call a history lens. The show is streamed live on ThinkTechHawaii.com. Thanks so much for watching our show. We look forward to seeing you then. Mahalo and Aloha. Welcome back to Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii. My special guest today is a very popular Hawaiian musician and a kumu. She is Pomei Ka'i-Lyman and today we are going beyond Hawaiian culture. Pomei, I want to ask you about my book Beyond the Lines. What's something that stood out to you in my book? Okay, so that was an easy ask when you brought it up before this interview but there is a part in there and it's one of your keys that has to do with pursuing your passion or be passionate about what you do. And I think passion is so important in everything we do. It's what drives us and I've had so many projects and things that I've had my hand in that I've been able to see from start to finish. But the most important thing is that I had a vision of the outcome before I even started it. Why? Because it had something to do with something that I was passionate about. So in your, I'm looking here, oh, it's key number six, but there was one part of that section where you said that you need to make people believe. Yeah, and that the very first couple sentences, if you don't mind, I'm going to read it because I feel like everyone needs to hear this. Okay, go ahead. It says, A great leader can make a good person great. She and I love that you use she She can make a great person greater. She can make an ordinary person extraordinary and she can make an extraordinary person even more so. Successful leaders do this by inspiring beliefs in their team members. And I think for me, in everything that I've done that has been so key. And I think the skill that I've had to learn to develop is how to express my dreams, my visions to people so that I could get buy in from them so that I could have them see and understand why me taking time to do these things is so important. And it's not just about turning people into leaders, but it's about being able Being able to lead in a way where you are sharing a vision with people that they're able to see what it is that you see and say, Yes, that is important. What do you need me to do for my Kai, let's do it. And That that part of your book just was like, Yep, I love this and everybody needs to do this. And that is why I think I've been able to do a lot of the things that I've done is that I've, I've not that I've mastered, but a lot of my time before I embark on any project or any venture, whatever it is, is I am taking all of the people around me and building my support system and saying, Look, here's what I see. This is why it's so important to me. I love that you highlighted that part about finding your passion and another part in my book that it reminds me about you is finding your greatness and I know you found your greatness through Hawaiian music and as a kumu because you are a fantastic teacher, but you're also helping others countless others find their greatness. Oh, and, and you know, I'm able to find if that's the word we want to use greatness. I don't know. I think I would replace greatness with the word ability to ability to do just people believing that they can do something is what will make them great. When you have that belief, then you can move forward, you can get people to support you and you can do the things that you set out to do. And when you do those things, a lot of the time doing things doesn't just come, you know, some of it might seem a little selfish at first. But the lives that you touch, the lives that you're going to impact by doing the things that you set out to do are are endless. So it's so important. It's so important for you to always remember to pursue your passion and then finding your passion. That's a whole nother, probably a whole nother chapter. How do you know what you're passionate about? Well, now, now I need to get you my second book beyond the game because that one just came out and I'm hoping that you're going to really love that second book as well. And Pomei, I want to ask you another part in my book. We talk about, you know, welcoming adversity and looking forward to challenges and what's a what's a personal challenge that you had to overcome in your own life? I think, you know, I've had many different challenges, probably the biggest challenge to date was losing my grandma in 2008 from the day she went into the hospital. You know, our grandparents, they're supposed to be these immortal beings that never leave this earth because they're the most comfortable and loving people, right? And when my grandmother went into the hospital during that last month, she still went in with smiles. People were visiting her. The music was still being played and she was singing along. And so even then, I didn't think that, you know, that was the end. But in February of 2008, she spent the entire month of February in the Queen's, Queen's Hospice, and then she came home, February 22nd, and she was home in this room, in fact. This is, this is her room that I'm in. And three days later, she is when she passed. I at that time was going through my own personal struggles. And kind of it was a, it was a self reflection time of my life, but it really kind of forced a greater reflection with the realization that my grandma wasn't doing well. And then when I lost her, I think I also, you know, and maybe call it timing and the Lord's message or coincidence or symbolic, but the week after she passed, I lost my voice. And for two years after that, I wasn't able to sing the same. I completely lost my voice the week after. And it didn't start coming back for me enough for me to be able to sing until about two to three weeks afterward. But for two years after that, I had to really take time to reflect and train myself and, and kind of reevaluate my purpose for, for doing what all the things that I do. And it took two years for my voice to recover fully to the point where I could sing, you know, without, without any difficulties. Wow. Holy moly. And, you know, oh my, I mean, I'm glad your voice came back because I want everybody, if they have a chance to see you perform, they need to see you perform. And, and I know that you and Christian Lape did the national anthem at the UH men's volleyball game together, right? Oh, yes. I love her. Yes, we were invited to open for the UH men's volleyball volleyball. And so she sang the Star Spangled Banner and I sang Hawaii Pono E. And there are so many things that led up to that point. But you know what's cool is that I was going through some boxes like behind me behind this flag is a lot of boxes with my grandma, old photos and files and cassettes and albums. So I like to go through the boxes every now and then. And I was going through one of the boxes and I'll come across envelopes full of pictures and I just so happened two weeks prior to doing that gig. I found a set of pictures of my grandma performing at a UH men's volleyball game on the court K5 filming her. So I know she was also asked to open with the Star Spangled Banner and Hawaii Pono E. And, you know, little things like that. I went years of not knowing that those pictures existed. And how is it that I find them two weeks before I'm slated to perform, you know, at the, at the volleyball game also. So little manifestations that, you know, someone up there is aware of me and the things that I'm doing. And I think I'm getting the okay. Oh, you're getting a big okay. And you just gave me major chicken skin right there too. And I want to ask you, why is the Hawaiian culture so, so special? Well, every culture is so, so special. But Hawaiian culture and, you know, without going too deep into it, we have Aloha and Aloha is not something that can be found. I have yet to experience Aloha in any other culture. There is no other culture that practices, you know, Aloha the way we do. And, you know, when I was, when I was in pageant, that was one of the questions that we get asked, you know, what is, what is Aloha to you? And my response was always that Aloha is when you take Ike or knowledge that was given to you and you pass it along to someone else freely without any expectation of anything in return. Except that they pass that knowledge on to someone else the same way you did. For me, that's what Aloha is and our culture so special. I love hearing that and Pomai, you know, I was so proud when you won Mrs. Hawaii International in 2016 and you were able to share the Aloha with everyone. I think that was absolutely wonderful and you looked beautiful and I think everyone in Hawaii was so proud of you. And I want to just ask you one more quick thing. What did you learn most from entering that pageant? Anybody can, anybody can do anything and you don't need a session crown to share your message. I think that's, I think that's the biggest thing is that we're all trying to seek platforms and it's, it's not a bad thing to look for a platform to stand on to be able to share your message. That's if you're trying to reach the masses, but every day that we walk, we stand on a certain platform. So every day that we walk, I think when I was in pageant, I always had to be prepared and my director was on my back all the time. You never know who you're going to run into, you never know what cameras are going to be going, you just never know. So you always need to leave the house looking ready for photo interview. That was where I learned how to do my makeup. I learned how to do my hair. Whereas I would wake up in the morning, just throw my hair in a tittle bun and throw on my workout clothes and I was out the door. She was not having that. And so, you know, I said, and it's not that I'm telling you that everybody needs to dress up when you go out. But when you do leave the walls of your own home, you just realize that there are people who are paying attention to you, who are watching you, who may not always come up to you to say hello. But they know who you are, and they're just kind of observing from afar. And so who do you represent? And how are you representing, you know, whether it's a person, a family, a business, an organization. I think that's what I learned from going through my pageant experience. Pomai, I want to thank you for taking time to join me on the show today and sharing your insights and really you're building your own legacy. And I really want to thank you for taking time to be with me today. Thank you so much, Rusty. I'll talk to you soon, okay? Okay, Aloha. And thank you for watching Beyond the Lines on Think Tech Hawaii and a special thank you to my clothing sponsor, Ilani Incorporated. For more information, please visit RustyKomori.com and my books are available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I hope that Pomai and I will inspire you to create your own superior culture of excellence and to find your greatness and help others find theirs. Aloha.