KITCHEN CHEMISTRY · Today we’re joined by Rachel Fukumoto and Micah Kekoa Davis to share their unexpected - and adorable - love story that all started in the kitchen. The two met in culinary school on Oʻahu and quickly became best friends, never expecting their connection to turn romantic. Now married and living in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, Rachel works as a farmer grant writer while Micah is a sous chef. Together, they’re building a life of joy and presence, indulging inJapanese comfort food, pasta nights, and endless teasing. They reflect on the funny turns their relationship has taken, from late-night talks and awkward DMs to a rom-com-worthy reunion in New York City. They also share stories about living in a jungle yurt during the pandemic, navigating a millennial + Gen Z age gap, choosing not to have children, and learning how to communicate well. Their banter strikes the balance between playful and reflective, and centers on navigating life with your best friend. Enjoy!

Heartbeat Updates

00:06 launching my substack! + heart circles subscribe here 🤎

01:03 Uncle Monroe / Sulubika positive health update

monroe's openkeys benefit concert details - june 6 @ international marketplace center stage from 12-2pm

• monroe's episode on apple podcasts
• monroe's episode on spotify

Episode Highlights

02:29 welcome to the menu
03:30 food is their love language
05:14 aloha rachel & micah
07:45 a culinary school meet-cute
09:50 besties first
10:51 foodland to forever: the turning point
15:28 first date
17:53 "last hurrah"
21:09 getting back together
23:11 long-distance: hi > nyc
23:37 the vegas plot twist
24:56 *the rom-com moment*
25:57 the rules of long distance
27:21 lāhainā fires bring micah home
29:22 yurt life on the big island
31:20 new york through her eyes
32:37 navigating a 7-year age gap
36:51 the things they love most
40:25 what's next?
42:06 soulmate à la carte + fav movies

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Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

A CUP OF PEACE · In this episode of Heartbeat Narratives, a quiet walk through the streets of Kamakura, Japan leads to an unexpected conversation with Naoko Noguchi-san and her husband, Katsuyo-san, the couple behind and owners of, Idobata Coffee, a small coffee truck they began together after retirement as part of their “second life.” Naoko-san reflects on the joy of meeting people from around the world and the peace found in global connections. From across the Pacific, this episode celebrates aloha, kindness, and the quiet ways coffee can bring people together.

Idobata Coffee: http://www.idobata-kotsubo.net/

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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

YOGA · What if the way you move on your mat could change how you meet the world? Today’s guest is Devi Sakti, a Honolulu-based yoga teacher (RYT 500) who was born and raised in the Bay Area. She honors her Indian heritage while staying rooted in ancestral wisdom and grounded in the modern world. She moves between the lineage of yoga and her lived experience as a millennial woman who works in tech and loves pop culture. Devi's teaching style blends Sanskrit, philosophy, playfulness, and real life in a way that feels both accessible and intentional. She teaches a strong, fiery Vinyasa practice shaped by movement, dance, and creative expression. This conversation offers a refreshing perspective on yoga that is expansive, relatable, and lived rather than performed. Mahalo for tuning in!

Follow Devi's yoga journey here: https://www.devisaktiyoga.com/

Episode Highlights

01:27 Finding joy in teaching yoga ✨

03:14 Devi’s origin story on the mat 🌱

04:11 Culture, roots, and movement

06:28 From physical practice to deeper philosophy

08:01 Yoga in the West and the teacher’s responsibility 🌍

10:27 Honoring lineage while teaching in modern spaces

15:03 Joy as resistance 🔥

18:07 Lessons that follow you off the mat

19:45 Sanskrit, made simple 📖

20:32 Saying yoga words without fear

21:18 Language, loss, and what gets erased

21:41 Teaching Sanskrit with care and respect

22:45 What yoga really means

23:51 Practice as liberation

24:49 Living yoga beyond the studio

25:43 Anxiety, awareness, and reframing the mind

28:04 Finding the students who find you

30:17 What makes Devi’s heart beat

31:20 Pop culture, joy, and the little things

32:53 What’s next for Devi

35:52 Namaste

Listen & Subscribe

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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

WHIMSY · What if the cure for burnout was… bubbles? 🫧✨✨In this episode, Molly chats with David (aka Uncle Bubble), the human behind Honolulu’s dreamy nighttime bubble parties where strangers become a community and “dancing ugly” is highly encouraged. What started as a quirky pandemic experiment turned into a full-on movement of joy, play, and unexpected healing.

Alongside his bubble work, David is also pursuing his doctorate in occupational therapy, exploring how to help the body release tension and reconnect through movement, play, and presence - something that subtly weaves its way into every bubble-filled gathering.

They talk about following what lights you up, creating spaces where people can just be, and why a little absurdity might be exactly what we all need right now. Consider this your official invitation to let loose, chase some bubbles, and remember how to play.

Episode Highlights

00:53 meeting uncle bubble 🫧

02:04 how the bubble journey began

02:59 pandemic “joy drops”

05:42 what actually brings us joy

06:29 dancing ugly

07:54 bubbles meet bodywork

11:29 enter the joy portal 🌀

14:16 wild & wholesome bubble encounters

17:16 purpose, passion & ikigai

20:44 self-care pillars that keep us grounded

25:04 big dreams: the nonprofit vision

28:13 where to find david + upcoming events 📍

Check out Davidʻs bubble adventures at:

https://www.instagram.com/thatbubbleguyhawaii/

https://www.instagram.com/bubbaloha/

Listen & Subscribe

• Apple Podcasts
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• Heartbeat Narratives Website

Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

"Love is all that matters" · This dynamic conversation with Chaplain Brianna Higa of Kailua, Hawaiʻi was the culmination of an unexpected meeting that unfolded into something beautiful. She shares what it looks like to sit with people in moments of fear, transition, and letting go, and how presence alone can be an offering. We learn about the role of a chaplain, how it differs from traditional roles in church settings, and the importance of meeting people where they are by honoring and respecting their individual belief systems - whether rooted in Buddhism, Christianity, Islam or beyond. We explore the path that has led her to a life of purpose through interfaith care and hospice work, supporting individuals and families as they navigate grief, loss, and end-of-life transitions. From the quiet moments of honoring a person’s story to witnessing love at the end, Chaplain Brianna offers a grounded perspective on what it means to be present with another human being. We are reminded that, in the end, everything comes back to love.

Episode highlights

01:33 What chaplains really do

02:37 Interfaith care and presence

05:25 Finding chaplaincy through Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE)

09:35 Hospice work and death talk

11:50 Self care in nature

13:07 Everyday chaplain moments

13:54 Navigating cultural differences with authenticity

18:18 Witnessing grief without fixing

21:25 Confession and forgiveness

23:03 Living differently and practical tips

24:38 Presence before disaster

25:40 Presence over hustle

26:57 End of life truths

28:49 Silence as ministry

31:04 Training a quiet mind

32:02 Retreats and emptying out

33:43 Faith practices worldwide

36:14 Becoming a chaplain

38:12 Interfaith respect required

42:05 Books for the journey

45:46 Hope and softening

47:02 Gratitude

Books mentioned by Chaplain Brianna Higa

• A Course in Miracles – Dr. Helen Schucman
• A Course in Love – Mari Perron
• The Book of Joy – 14th Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
• The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective – Richard Rohr
• The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery – Ian Cron & Suzanne Stabile
• Mother of the Unseen World: The Mystery of Mother Meera – Mark Matousek

Episode Photo Credit: Brianna Higa

Listen & Subscribe

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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

Meet Kai Uyehara, originally from the south shore of Oʻahu, who is helping revitalize the traditional art of making Hawaiian fishnets. Kai shares about his love of the ocean and how his reverence for Hawaiian culture continues to grow. From learning how to throw net to spending long hours observing the shoreline, he reflects on how slowing down and going analog has shaped the way he approaches fishing, community and life in Hawaiʻi.

In this conversation, Kai explains how so many parts of his story begin with - and circle back to - the YMCA. It’s where his parents met, where he first discovered a love for ʻāina as a teenager, and where he has now worked for more than a decade. Along the way, mentors welcomed him in and shared their knowledge and practices, from farming to making throw nets, that continue to guide his path today. Through these relationships, Kai has paid it forward by mentoring youth and helping keep cultural traditions alive in the present day.

Episode Highlights

00:49 Throwing net, making friends

03:28 Growing up on Oʻahu's south shore

05:23 The moment throw nets clicked

06:52 From looking cool to cultural perpetuation

09:21 Learning how to make Hawaiian fishnets

12:02 Belonging and hā (breath)

18:29 What fishing looks like today

21:05 ʻĀina and spirituality

21:59 When nature responds - the puhi (moray eel) story

23:47 Knowing when to stop

25:01 Chanting at the lele (altar)

28:30 Kilo and reading ocean signs

29:17 Why I never sell nets

31:13 Trading, time, and value

34:13 Teaching takes commitment

35:47 YMCA roots

39:11 Coming full circle

Check out Kai’s work at the YMCA and their student spring break trip on Molokaʻi:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCItXIhxl6g

Photo Credit: Kai Uyehara

Listen & Subscribe

• Apple Podcasts
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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.

ALOHA ʻĀINA & ART · In this episode, Lily Māhealani Mitchell invites us into the in-between - between Hawaiʻi and England, painting and design, emotions and healing. She traces her path from meticulously painting roses as a kid to creating protest-inspired archival work like a hidden-ink Kumulipo typography piece that questions who knowledge is really for. Living abroad sharpened her awareness of aloha ʻāina, water, urbanization, and what it means to carry culture in spaces that don’t always reflect it back. We talk murals in underground markets, research as resistance, and why sometimes the message chooses the medium, not the other way around. This conversations is about staying rooted while roaming and becoming the sun wherever you land. Mahalo for tuning in!

Learn more about Lily's art:

Website: https://mahealily.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madebymahealily/

Episode Highlights

00:00 meet lily māhealani mitchell 🌺

01:49 a multi-medium artist — why pick one when you can do it all? 🎨

03:22 home: oʻahu, hawaiʻi island, england & choosing leeds beckett university

06:25 storytelling, culture, and the heartbeat behind the art

06:51 roses, realism, and learning to really see

08:58 letting the message choose the medium

10:37 inspiration abroad: missing hawaiʻi, aloha ʻāina, and community contrast

14:58 reforest leeds: water, biophilic design, and reconnecting people to ʻāina 🌿

19:12 save our surf (sos): archival posters, shoreline protests & urbanization 🌊

21:36 research as healing: archives, primary sources, and cultural continuity

25:04 kumulipo typography project: hidden knowledge, reverence, and decolonizing text

30:21 making the work: emotion, therapy, and the leeds market tunnel mural

33:37 art is for everyone

36:30 leo rising ♌

Listen & Subscribe

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Guest Inquiries
Interested in sharing what brings you joy? Complete our Guest Interest Form

Heartbeat Narratives Book Recommendations
Our curated reading list that inspires and connects: Heartbeat Narratives on Bookshop.org

Credits
🎙️ Host & Producer: Molly Mamaril
🎸 Guitar: Amund Gismervik

A Diversity of Experiences: Guests on Heartbeat Narratives share their own perspectives and experiences. Their views do not necessarily reflect those of the host or the podcast. We invite you to listen with an open mind and enjoy the joy and insight offered from many different vantage points.