Episode 38: Peace Mavens Chris Bayot and J’aime Kailani

Heather Newman:  Hello everyone. We are here again with another episode of the Mavens Do It Better podcast where we speak with extraordinary experts who bring a light to our world. And I am excited yet again to talk to a couple of wonderful ladies that I know today on the podcast. We're going to have Chris Bayot and Jamie Kailani who are working together on a, an amazing adventure and venture for Mama Earth. And I know Chris from back in the tech world in the SharePoint world, which we'll probably talk about a little bit and I know Jamie through Chris. So, ladies, Chris say hello to everybody. How about that?

Chris Bayot:  Hello everyone. Thank you Heather for having us on. This is wonderful.

Heather Newman:  Ahh, awesome. Jamie.

J’aime Kailani:  Yes. Aloha! Thank you so much Heather. We're honored to be on today.

Heather Newman:  Absolutely. So, folks, I've known Chris for a really long time and her family and, we, Chris used to head up the SharePoint Saturday Honolulu. And so we met many years ago doing that. And I have had the wonderful fortune to be a part of that for a long time as a speaker and a sponsor and all kinds of stuff, and stayed with your beautiful family and your home and gotten to see all kinds of wonderful things in a Oahu and Honolulu and all over Hawaii as that's where she lives. And then I got to meet Jamie, last year in the midst of one of those. And then back in the holiday time, For Mama Earth was putting on an event here in Los Angeles. And so I got to see them in action as well. So I, I keep following the goodness of you ladies and what you're doing. And, and Jamie, I know that For Mama Earth was your brain child and I'd love for you to tell everybody about what that is and where it came from and what's going on. So,

J’aime Kailani:  Oh, yes. Well, you know, it started about 12 years ago. Um, and it, it all started from I, I, I'm a jewelry maker too. I love to work with beads and crystals. And I found this bead called a Malachite Azurite. And basically it's a recycled beat. It's, it's bits of Malachite and Azurite that they bond together to make it into this tiny bead that actually looks like the earth. And so, when I saw it, I was like, wow, I've got to do something with this. And you know, during that time, my son was, um, on a gymnastics team and they needed to do some kind of fundraiser. And so I thought, hey, let's make wish bracelets out of these beads. So we just put them on hemp string and you know, when you tie it on, you make a wish and that intention gets put into you know, the world. And, and so, um, it kinda started there. And at the same time I was also booking shows in town here in LA, uh, for my brother. Um, you might know him, his name is Bruno Mars.

Heather Newman:  Uh, yeah, who?

J’aime Kailani:  But I was booking his shows, this was before, you know, the fame and all that. Um, and so we were doing, you know, these small little shows around town and I was really creating some really great relationships with the owners of, of these, uh, these clubs. And so one of the first places was The Temple Bar in Santa Monica, which is no longer there, but it was definitely like one of my favorite clubs, bars that I've ever been to in my life because they, it was just like a very sacred place almost, which is weird to say because it's a bar, but they would have amazing, you know, musicians come through and, and so, um, our first event, you know, I thought, why not make it a charity event? Like we should be giving back. So we ended up doing an event right after the Haiti earthquake and there was an organization by the name of Boo May Say Haut (sp). And they were midwives who went to Haiti after the earthquake to help women give birth. Because as you can imagine, the, you know, the conditions were not good. And so they needed to build a birthing center and they needed a water system. And so at the time, you know, we, we really didn't make that much, but at the door, you know, we made about $3,000 and Bruno played and, and it was kind of like Mama Earth was kind of the way we kind of started getting a following of people, you know, to be, to start to know about Bruno in town and people were coming to our shows and, and so we, every time we did a show, we would donate proceeds to an organization. And so with that one, we were able to help put in a water system. And you know, although it was just a small thing, it really helped, you know, and we, and I realized like, wow, this is like, you don't really have to do that much to, you know, to, to help another. And I'm, and it was fun, you know? So in another way, Mama Earth has become kind of a way to get my creative energy. I'm an artist, so like there's different, I get bored. Like once I'm doing one thing, it's like I have to move on to the next, you know? And so it's a nice way to kind of get that creative energy out and have different projects going. And you know, you know, we have so many different initiatives now. Um, and it's all because I, you know, I mean some people might think I'm a scatterbrain, but I'm just an artist and I'm just trying to find different ways to get that artistic energy out. So, so that is how it all started.

Heather Newman:  Yeah. You know what? I think, you know, there's a quote about like, Salvador Dali, it's like Genius Madman kind of thing. I think that people who are artistic and we, we have many interests, you know, but there always seems to be like a vein that like, or a swim lane that you find that you pick where you can like really like harness that energy. And I think, you know, Mama Earth for you sounds like it was that, which is super cool, you know?

J’aime Kailani:  Yeah. It was, and I mean, for a long time before we, you know, finally honed in on our mission statement, you know, people were like, what do you do? Like Mama Earth? Oh, you recycle, like what do you do? You know, and because of the name too. And really Mama Earth stands, MAMA stands for mothers about making amends, which amend is, you know, to make better, you know. So at first it was, you know, it's, it's um, we use the power of music, art and nature to make a change for the better. So that's what our mission statement is.

Heather Newman:  Fantastic. Yeah. And I mean I have, I put it on this morning because I was going to talk to you both and I have some of your beautiful essential oil as well. So you do that, you know, you have a line that is so great.

J’aime Kailani:  Thank you.

Heather Newman:  Yeah. That also, you know, and, and what I love about what you do is like you do, when you're doing things, it also benefits somebody else, right? So like the, you know, proceeds from different things. Like you have such a great mind around giving back and sharing and supporting and, and you know, that's obviously this through line through what you all are doing, which is super cool. Um, the, and, and talk, will you talk about the Pride for Philippines as well? I know that there's a connect in there and you're very connected to that organization as well.

J’aime Kailani:  Yes. Chris, you want to tell them about Pride for Philippines?

Chris Bayot:  Sure. I'll jump in on this one. Pride for the Philippines is our newest initiative among many others that we're working on and it is very environmentally focused but also with a very holistic approach. So when you're looking at the Philippines, it's a really important region geographically, environmentally. It is the single most biodiverse region in the world. So it's critical to our earth that this area be healthy. However, at the same time it's also highly polluted and they're the third largest contributor to ocean plastic. Which is hugely significant. So that's one of the key reasons that we're focusing on the Philippines in our environmental efforts. Um, so Pride for the Philippines is about bringing awareness to that region, just how important it is. Helping with existing efforts that are already ongoing to clean up and elevate and clean up the area. But also to take a holistic approach so that as we're doing that, we're looking at the people and the culture. So we're, we're working with a woman by the name of Gina Lopez, who is just doing amazing things in the Philippines. She's going in and she's doing full redevelopment in villages. So she's bringing in an economy, she's cleaning up the environment. She is partnering with what she calls loving organizations. It's organizations who are committed to giving back to the people in that, in that village. And they're contracted with her to do that. So these companies will bring in an economy, they will clean up the area, they will help provide housing, provide jobs, and bring income and sustainability into the region. So it's a holistic approach to cleaning up the environment, cleaning up what's feeding down the rivers and into Manila Bay and giving the people who live in that area a means to support themselves, put a roof over their head and, and come out of poverty. So it's, it's pretty amazing stuff. So with, with Pride for the Philippines, we're really trying to support those ongoing initiatives with fundraising. And we're doing it because we're fortunately connected with some celebrities who can help shine light on the matter. So we're using that star power to bring awareness and get the word out, help support our events. We're providing fundraising events to raise money to help the causes. Jamie, anything else you want to jump in on there with that?

J’aime Kailani:  Um, I, you said that well. I mean, the, the thing I love about it is that she's not, with this project, we're not exploiting the areas. You know what I mean? Because when you hear that, oh, you know, like area development and all that, um, you know, it makes you worry that maybe the culture is being exploited or that we'll bring too many people to the area. But I love the way she's doing it. It's not doing that at all. It's just helping bring families back together. Because I mean, I had an uncle who I couldn't believe, I found this out recently, that he, he moved from the Philippines to Hawaii. And I remember he just was staying with my grandmother, um, for 26 years. He didn't see his family because he had to come to Hawaii to make, make a living so that he could send money back to the Philippines. And, you know, this is kind of a problem. And I mean, this is not just kind of a problem, but it is a problem in a lot of third world countries where families are being broken up because there's no, there's, there's no economy there for them to, you know, to, to support their family. So, you know, I just love the way that Gina is going about it and it's not exploiting the area or the culture, you know, it's just really helping and I think that it's needed. So I'm really honored and grateful that we're able to work on this project with, and the, the, you know, the person who thought of this, his name is Lanai Te Groa. He's from Hawaii. He's an old friend. And you know, I love the way it all came about it. It kind of came up organically, but it's now rolling and it's really happening. And so we're so excited. We've got Leonardo DiCaprio on board. Um, he is one of, um, one of our main supporters.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, and he was there. Got to see him that night.

J’aime Kailani:  Yes. He was. In December at the One Peace event that we did. Yeah. He's one of our biggest supporters.

Heather Newman:  That's awesome. You know, I think that, you know, you, you both have, um, it's all about connections and relationships at the end of the day for everything we do. Right? You know, and I think that when you tap into your, your family network and then your larger networks, I mean, that's what it's about, right? And always, you know, people like Leonardo and your brother Bruno, you know, and, and John Valentine, your lovely husband Chris. Who is an amazing musician outright, like the what, the most gigging musician in Hawaii, part of so many things and such a love, you know. Like I swear, you know, John stayed on his way through LA. And you know, I have a guitar on my wall that I can half play, you know, and I'm all like, it's the guitar's fault. You know, and he pulled it down and he's like, (fast guitar playing sound). And I was just like, it's not the guitars fault, you know? But my point is I think, yeah. Like we need to use all the resources that we have in our arsenals to get the word out about making change and about how we can help affect things in the world. And I love it that you are both mindful of that and also doing it a way that's just that super heartfelt and wholehearted, you know, and that's, that's what it's about. Right?

J’aime Kailani:  Thank you. Yeah, it's really about, you know, figuring out what your gifts are and, you know, using that to, you know, to create your, you know, to support yourself but also support others.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, absolutely. That's so cool. And I know that, um, you have some things, um, you know, actually, you know what? I want to talk about one thing first. So Chris, um, I know that, you know, you've had a pretty major shift in your life and careers and stuff lately and you know, you and I have done many a tech show together and you are a,

Chris Bayot:  Yes, we have.

Heather Newman:  Just like I wear the producer hat many times in the world. I know you've worn the producer hat. So, um, with, with, you know, the transition from, you know, working as a, you know, a SharePoint consultant and business group owner and all of that and, and then moving into this, I dunno, like, how's that transition been for you? I know that, you know, that was a pretty big shift for you recently.

Chris Bayot:  It wasn't huge shift. Um, although working in the tech world prepared me well for what I'm doing now because working in the nonprofit world, it's important to be streamlined and have your ducks in a row because there is never any budget. We got to keep that administrative overhead down. So, so my tech experience really serves me well while I'm working in the nonprofit field. And not going to lie, I'm much happier now. I love, I love what I'm doing. I mean, I enjoyed SharePoint, I enjoyed technology and I had great clients, but my passion is with what I'm, the work that I'm doing with Mama Earth. It's exciting and it's fun. And I really enjoy producing events and that's a big part of what we're doing because we produce our events so that we can raise money for these great causes. And it's, it's a really satisfying way to work. Pay is not nearly as good, but I'm a whole lot happier.

Heather Newman:  Hey, you know what, that balancing act there. You know what I mean? It's like the shift is a good one, I think sometimes. So that's awesome.

Chris Bayot:  That's right. It was, it was a great quality of life shift. And I've got Johnny Valentine taking care of the mortgage, so we're good.

Heather Newman:  Hey, you know what? That's awesome. Yeah. Well, so you both, J’aime, did you, where did you grow up? Here in LA or did you spend, were you in Hawaii?

J’aime Kailani:  No, I grew up in Hawaii. And then I moved to LA when I was 19 or 20. I'm still trying to figure that out. It was right after the Northridge earthquake that I moved to LA. I just realized that yesterday. But anyway, um, yeah, yeah, I've been in LA for a while. I'm actually doing the math. I think I've been in la longer than I was in Hawaii now.

Heather Newman:  Oh Wow. Wow. Yeah. And Chris, you're a, you're a transplant. You're a Midwesterner. Like myself.

Chris Bayot:  Yeah, that's right. I'm originally from Ohio, but I've been in Hawaii for 31 years, so that is definitely home.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And it's been fun, you know, uh, you know, getting to know you Jamie, and then get, you know, being able to be privy to your kids and your boys too.

J’aime Kailani:  Aww, thank you.

Heather Newman:  Yeah. No, it's been super cool. I mean, you have a really great family.

J’aime Kailani:  Thank you. Yes, I do. I'm really grateful for my family.

Heather Newman:  Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. And you know, Chris's sons are both artistic and amazing and you know, it's been able to watch, you know, Daniel especially, you know, with his composing and all of that stuff. Like, it's just fun to watch y'all just do your thing. You know, like it's super fun from an outsider's perspective.

Chris Bayot:  Well, you know, we live in gratitude and I think that when you live in gratitude then things just come. So I feel very fortunate. Very blessed.

Heather Newman:  It's super cool. So, um, you have a bunch of wonderful things coming up and so is the One Peace Festival that's happening in June in Honolulu, Hawaii, sort of a continuation of sort of the One Peace sort of, you know, set of events or is it its own thing? Will one of you talk about that a little bit too?

Chris Bayot:  I'll start and let Jamie jump in. Yes, it absolutely is a continuation. Our One Peace events, Jamie started doing, I don't know, five or more years ago, did an amazing job with. And then she allowed me to come in and assist. So now I get to have fun doing it too. But for the Honolulu event, we are focused on Pride for the Philippines and earning proceeds that will benefit Mama Earth programs including Pride for the Philippines. And it's going to go from June the 26th through June the 30th with our big night really being Friday, June 28th. We'll start on Wednesday the 26th with a film screening at the Hawaii State Art Museum and it'll be an environmental film. So you'll have to pay attention to see which one we select. We have, we have three in mind. Um, so we'll be screening a film on Wednesday the 26th and then on Friday the 28th we have the One Peace Festival, which Heather will be very much like what you came to Los Angeles one that Leo attended. So we'll have a pop up art auction. Johnny Valentine will be doing a concert for us featuring the classic music of the 70s, the classic music of Hawaii from the 70s. So for those who are Hawaii folks out there listening, the music of CNK, Call Upon Us, Sea Wind, many more acts. But it's going to be, it's going to be a fun show. That we'll be doing as a part of that. And we'll also be doing film screening. That event is going to take place at Laniākea which is at the YWCA downtown, a beautiful historic building. And we have taken over the whole first floor. So we'll have the auction and a courtyard open with a bar. We'll have a VIP room if you want to hob nob with the celebs, you gotta get your VIP ticket for that and get into the VIP room where we'll have complimentary drinks and pupus, or hors d'oeuvres for those of you who don't know what pupus are. And then the goal is to do a beach cleanup on Sunday the 30th, so that we'll do an active beach cleanup. Now that's not all set in stone yet. We're still working that piece, but that's how we're looking for the festival to shape up over the few days.

Heather Newman:  That's amazing. So and folks we'll put all of this in the show notes, but it's One Peace Festival, June 26th to 30th in Honolulu, Hawaii. I might just have to get myself a ticket. I don't know.

Chris Bayot:  You might just have to. I could put you to work my friend.

Heather Newman:  Always happy to help. That's for sure. That is awesome.

J’aime Kailani:  Heather, you were amazing that night. You just jumped in and, you know you were working, working it and we were grateful for that.

Heather Newman:  Oh, you're so welcome. Yeah. You know, I mean once a producer, always a producer, you know what I mean, with friends and stuff like that. You know, the only time I usually, you know, I'm like no, it's when I'm at a wedding, but you know, even then I can't help myself. Right? You're just always jumping in and you're like, all right, I'll help put the tape on the cards and the gifts. It's fine cause it's going to be a mess if not or whatever. But yeah, no,

Chris Bayot:  And I could say you're welcome to come and attend, but we both know it would never work out that way. Let's just be real.

Heather Newman:  Yes. Let's be real about it. Oh my goodness. Yeah. That's cool. So with the, so the On Peace Festival started five years ago, so how, what was the first one Jamie, and how'd that come about?

J’aime Kailani:  It was inspired by, um, by our late mom, Bernadette Hernandez, Bayot-Hernandez. Um, she was an amazing artist, painter and she really, my older son Marley, he's an amazing artist and he's actually attending Parsons right now in New York. He's in his second year. He's a visual artist and you know, she really believed like, she was just like Jamie, you got find a way to show his work. Like you got to get them out there. She kept saying he's got to go to New York, New York. And I'm like, mom, like, what do you mean New York? Like, what am I going to do with him in New York? You know, I just never understood it. And it's funny, he's actually going to school in New York. So, you know, she was right. Um, but it all started with wanting to somehow show his artwork. And so, um, at the time, my, I had a partner on board, Andrea Miller, who she was amazing and helped organize this One Peace of Festival here in LA. And, you know, it was just a beautiful day of art and music and, um, you know, it was unfortunately my mom never was able to attend. She, she passed away a few weeks before our first event. And so on our first event, we ended up, um, you know, showing some of her artwork and, um, and you know, it just, it was inspired by her. And so it's kind of like, you know, her legacy, you know, and I just, I love, you know, I love, I feel like she's a part of it. So, um, so that's how it started. And, you know, every year we show, you know, Mama Earth has been about supporting, you know, up and coming artists. So we love putting, you know, a very successful artist next to an up and coming, you know, and so it's kind of been like that with music and you know, also with, with art. And so that's, that's what it is. It's, it's a really fun evening full of culture, you know? And Mama Earth events are always sort of full of different cultures and, you know, exciting energy.

Heather Newman:  Absolutely. Yeah. I love that mandala at the holiday event.

J’aime Kailani:  Yeah, the Wish Mandala. Yes.

Chris Bayot:  Miya Ando is an incredible artist and she donated that to our cause so that, we're fortunate to be supported by some just incredible artists.

Heather Newman:  That's awesome. Well, and it's so great that you're giving people the opportunity to be seen. You know what I mean? Like that's sometimes really, that's all we ever are looking for is for somebody to be like, I see you and let's put your things out into the world. Right. I mean, that's such a great gift that we can.

Chris Bayot:  Yeah. And along with Miya's Mandalas, we're also showcasing a local Hawaii artist by the name of Jodi Endicott in June. And Jodi does fantastic work with ocean trash. When, when NOAA goes out and does cleanups and they bring all the trash back, Jodi collects a lot of that and she makes these just incredible sculptures. And um, she does mixed media on canvas where she brings in some of the ocean trash to the canvas and her work is just prolific. It's really about, you look at her work and it makes you think about your own plastic consumption and what you're using and how you might change that at the same time you're looking at this really amazing piece of artwork. So she'll be showcased as one of our artists in Honolulu. So I'm very excited about having her work in the show too.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, that's great. I'll put her in the show notes as well. Yeah, that's cool. And you know, J’aime, you just said something that sort of struck me, but it also sort of strikes me in general because of, you know, I, I get to work, I gratefully get to work in the diversity and inclusion space and in technology and sort of in the world. And it's something that's very, I'm very passionate about. And, um, I just, you know, I was just in India, I was just in South Africa and a friend of mine said to me, you know, I think you're being called to travel and called to see the world in a way so that you can talk about it and share it. And I was like, maybe, maybe you're right. I think so maybe I keep saying yes to these things so I can do that. And um, your events, you know, like, I don't know, how do you feel about sort of the world today and you know, we've had this surgence of really important movements happen around, you know, #MeToo and Black Lives Matter and you know, around ocean conservation and everything. Do you both feel a shift? Do you feel that people are searching a little bit more for something like Mama Earth to be connected to, to make a difference? Are you feeling that? Will you talk about that a little bit?

J’aime Kailani:  I do, I feel, you know, times are tough. I think we can say that about, you know, over time there's been so many, you know,

Heather Newman:  Tough moments.

J’aime Kailani:  Decades of chaos. I think, um, I think in a way it is waking up people and people are trying to connect with, just with technology and the way things are changing, it's becoming more and more apparent that people need to connect within and really find what makes them happy and use that, you know, and, and I think that you're right, like people are, are waking up and trying to, you know, to find their way. And I think the thing with, with Mama Earth, I love that we're able to incorporate the arts because that is, you know, I mean it's very connected to culture. And I think what's really needed is, um, is the connection, the connection to keep the connection with ancient wisdom. You know, and we, we have an initiative called Rite of Passage where, um, we're working on a film called Rite of Passage and it's all about, um, you know, a girl who is connecting with her culture. She gets taken out of, you know, where she's from and realizes, you know, that there's this, um, intrinsic connection to, to her culture that she doesn't even understand, but it's there. And so I think that that's, it's kind of happening. Like people are really starting to have pride in where they came from and who they are. And I think it's really important for us to stay connected to that. And um, and so with Mama Earth, I feel like that's what we try to do. You know, we like want to bring everybody into our events and into what we're doing so that everyone can connect in some way. So, um, to answer your question, I think that there is a big awakening happening right now.

Heather Newman:  Yeah. I feel it too. How about you Chris?

Chris Bayot:  Yeah, and I think for those of us who are in tune with that need and really feel that pull, for me, it's stronger than ever. You know, I see what's going on around us and I'm concerned by what's going on around us and that really sparks me to move forward and shine the light and share the positivity and do what we can to make a difference. An I'm grateful to have Mama Earth as a means to help make some things happen. But it just, it feels more necessary than ever. And I find that to be a real spark and a real driving force to keep moving forward.

J’aime Kailani:  And I think, I think the thing is like, people, you know, we've done events where, you know, I had, I went on stage, this was in the beginning, this is when it, this is what really triggered me. I went on stage and I introduced my brother and I just thanked everyone for coming and I said, listen, like your $15 that you paid to get in here is actually giving water to someone, you know, for a whole year. You know? And, and I remember I had a few people come up to me, one girl in tears and she was like, God, thank you for what you're doing because I want to do something, but I don't know how, you know? And so like giving, you know, sharing opportunities on how we can give back and making it more accessible I think is important. You know, because people want to do good. People want it to give back. They just, you know, in the midst of your busy life, it's hard. You know what I mean? So if, you know, we have these little events and things that we're doing to help, you know, people can jump in and it makes it easier. And it feels good. I think, you know, it's contagious.

Heather Newman:  Yup. Yeah. No, I agree with you. Yeah. There's a quote on a grave in Westminster Abbey, my dad gave me that quote a long time ago and it was, you know, like, uh, I wanted to change the world, but it was immovable and so I decided to change my state, it was immovable and it gets down to, and it's like, you know what the person I need to change is myself and then I can move my family and my community and my world. And I think you're absolutely right and on point with, it's so noisy. We're so busy. I mean, half the time people go to work, they hate their jobs and you know, they want to, you know, they get home and they need to deal with the children and they're going to soccer practice and all of that stuff. And it's like, who has time to look up which thing should I support and how should I do this? And how should I do that? You know? So, I think being a guidepost or a guidelight with what you're doing with Mama Earth and your One Peace Festival and this film that sounds amazing is, is huge and what, what should be happening in the world. You know what I mean? That's super, super exciting. And so, you both are, you both are busy women and you both have lots of things going on and you have, you know, I would call you both renaissance ladies in a way, you know, because you know, like you were saying J’aime, you've got a lot of interest in all of that stuff. Um, just for everybody else out there, there's a lot of people who I know, you know, like I dunno, I tend to attract a lot of people in my life that are similar to me and that we all are, we've got a lot of things going on and all of that. And how do you, how do you find some, some of that grace and downtime? Like where do you find the work life balance for yourselves?

J’aime Kailani:  I'm still working on that one. But I honestly think, and, and I'm really battling this right now, like, you know, with the times, like there's times where I'm just like, what for, you know? Like, why am I here? And it makes it really difficult to move, like to really honestly move, like get out of bed, you know? And so I, I find that it's important to keep moving in a way of connecting with your inner self and that is through yoga, going for walks and exercising, you know, like it really is important to, to exercise. And I feel like when I am moving my body and my blood is pumping and I'm like, you know, healthy. Um, and putting healthy things in my body because that triggers you wanting to eat healthy. You know what I mean? So that for me, that, that's how I, you know, I find that I'm able to keep a balance, but, but I'm working on it. Like it's definitely a struggle for me.

Heather Newman:  Work in progress, right?

J’aime Kailani:  Yeah. Chrissy, I want to hear yours.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, Chrissy.

Chris Bayot:  Well I agree with everything that you said. I would add to that when I'm out and doing my walks, I'm doing them with my husband. So that's part of my home life balance is we'll take that four mile walk together and that's our catch up time and our connect time. And we work quite a bit together. So in addition to Mama Earth where I'm hiring him and to do our concert, I'm also his manager. So I'm also booking other gigs for him and working on other things. So, so that's literally work-life balance because we live together, we work together and then we work out together and we certainly handle all those things at the same time, which which,

J’aime Kailani:  Which is so romantic.

Heather Newman:  Totally.

J’aime Kailani:  It really is.

Chris Bayot:  Which works for us.

J’aime Kailani:  You guys have like this, the ideal relationship, I really look up to you guys like relationship goals.

Chris Bayot:  Ahh, thank you. I got a keeper, I'm going to keep him around.

Heather Newman:  If his name is Johnny Valentine, he better be bringing the hearts, I guess.

Chris Bayot:  Right? How do you get a more romantic man than Johnny Valentine? I am the luckiest woman in the world. It is always a challenge and there always a lot of things going on. But J’aime, I really think you nailed it with, you have to take care of yourself, you have to keep yourself centered, and then I just take the extra step and, and do a lot of that with my partner.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, sure. No, absolutely. Yeah, I think it's something, you know, I talk to lot of people about it and it's, we all struggle with it. You know, and it doesn't matter how busy you are, it doesn't matter what your job, you can be a CEO, you can be a stay at home mom. You can, it's the same problem for all of us, you know, of taking care of ourselves. Um, so you both, just like, you get to be surrounded and you surround yourselves on purpose with people who are super inspiring, which is wonderful. And you know, Yay. Um, I'm curious about, I'm always curious about sort of like other people in the world or I dunno, Twitter accounts or other people or whatever, or places where you're like, this person either makes me laugh my ass off, educates me on something or just makes my heart sing. Is there, are there people that you can say that this is a person that lights my spark in some way?

J’aime Kailani:  I, you know, I, this sounds funny, but I love like following Snoop Dogg. He is really inspiring. I love, I love Snoop Dogg. So I mean that was the first person that popped in my mind.

Heather Newman:  He is one funny MF let's say that. How about you Chris?

Chris Bayot:  Well, I like the Maven. Not going to lie.

Heather Newman:  Me? Are you talking about me?

Chris Bayot:  You, I'm talking about you.

Heather Newman:  Wow. Thank you.

Chris Bayot:  I know it sounds really cheesy, but the two people that popped into my head when you were bringing that up where you and my husband. Because you're two really positive people in my life and you, everything that you put out Heather, is of a higher nature. There's never complaining, there's never anything derogatory, there's never anything negative. Doesn't mean you don't write about challenges. But when you face a challenge, you face that challenge as a challenge and something to be learned from and something to move beyond and take something away from it. So I find you pretty inspiring my friend Heather.

Heather Newman:  Wow, thank you. I'll slip you that $20 later.

Chris Bayot:  You set that up real good Heather.

Heather Newman:  I guess so, I know. I'm like, more, more, more. That's funny. Thank you Chris. That means a lot to me, so I appreciate that. So, um, so with, so you've got One Peace Festival that's, you know, that's a yearly thing that you've been doing for five years and then, gosh, this film sounds amazing. What, what else is on the horizon? I mean, if that wasn't enough, but I'm sure you've got things brewing. Is there anything you want to make sure people kind of keep an eye out for or?

Chris Bayot:  Do you want to talk about August, J’aime? you want to cover that?

J’aime Kailani:  August. Yes, we're doing actually another little pop up a One Peace. And this will be in San Francisco. Um, and we're, it's around a thing called Asap, a s a p, and a lot of Filipinos will know this, but basically Asap is through TFC. The Filipino Channel, ABS, CBN, they bring about 50 celebrities out to different cities. And they do this big like variety show concert at a big venue. And so, we're going to do like a little pop up dinner with Lanai and a little bit of art there too as well. So that'll be in August. I can't remember the date. Do you, do you remember that?

Chris Bayot:  It's the first week of August.

J’aime Kailani:  We'll have it up on our website.

Heather Newman:  We can put it up in the show notes too, so for sure. That's awesome. Um, so you both, amazing. I, you know, I knew like, it's, it's, so, it's always so interesting, you know, it's like we're friends and you know, and, and I've been getting to know you more too, so like my friend as well, girlfriend. And you know, and, and I love being able to have these, you know, I have these podcasts and I'm always like, wow! You know what I mean? Like you sort of like scratch the surface and then you're like, you're doing all kinds of what, like, this is amazing. So it's really exciting to hear about what you're doing and, and you know, I have one other question. Um, and then we'll, then I'll, then I'll wrap us up, but I guess, um, and it's about kind of where, where you live and where you're from. Like I find Hawaii to be so unbelievably magical. I've been so blessed, you know, I lived in Maui for a little while and I've visited you Chris many times. And, and then I'm a new transplant to Los Angeles and I think Los Angeles is magic as well. I've always wanted to live here and will you both talk about sort of like, I don't know how you feel about where you live and what's awesome about it? I'm always curious about that too. And they're both like, I don't know.

J’aime Kailani:  I'll let you go first, Chris.

Chris Bayot:  Well, I live in Hawaii, enough said.

Heather Newman:  Yeah. Paradise. Okay.

Chris Bayot:  It is. You're right. It's, it's paradise. It's magic. It's, I went out there for one year for a one year student exchange 31 years ago. And I cannot imagine living anywhere else. I find the water very healing. I find the energy of the place incredibly soothing. I just, you never get tired of looking around. I never take the beauty of Hawaii for granted. It's just, I just feel so grateful to be there and I'm away at the moment. I'm actually speaking to you from the Midwest, visiting my family and every time I come back from a trip like this and I return to Hawaii, even though Ohio is my hometown, Canton, Ohio is my hometown. When I get back to Hawaii, I'm home. It's truly home.

J’aime Kailani:  Yeah. I feel the same way. Even though I live in LA, like Hawaii will always be my home. There's just this energy there that, you know, this Aloha spirit that you just, you know, it's hard to find anywhere else. Yeah. It's real. And, yeah, for me, LA has been, you know, it's definitely a test. You know, I mean there are so many amazing people here inspiring, you know, a lot of people coming here with you know, dreams and goals and that's really like there's this energy that is whirling around, which I love. Um, I definitely coming from Hawaii, you know, Hawaii is so laid back, it took me years to really get used to the pace of LA. Like I just, I'm like really laid back and it's hard to keep up, you know, you feel guilty because you're not, you know, going out like everyone else is. Although it seems like, you know, it would be, you know, cause it's Southern California and it's sunny and beautiful and you know, people are doing things here. So in that way it's been really inspiring.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, definitely. I feel it, you know, it's like with Hawaii, and even with California, there are places that so many people like go to once or it's like that's their big giant thing, vacation, you know? And like my uncle for example, he always talked about California and he came here, he was an NFL football player, so he came here. But like his entire, you know, garage was decorated in like California Dreaming, you know, and people feel the same way about Hawaii too. It's like that one big vacation that they take with everybody, you know? And it is really a blessing to be able to just to live in these places and get to share out the goodness of them. I feel that way for sure too. Yeah, and LAs a bit of a rat race, you know, for sure. But I do, I think there, yeah, there's a lot of good energy here, but it is something to get used to.

J’aime Kailani:  Yeah, there's so much discovering to, you know what I mean, to be had here. I learned a lot living here. Like, I, you know, I think I woke up to spirituality and a lot of things just by the people that I met, you know. So in that way I was exposed to a lot of amazing people, which I love.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, for sure. That's awesome. Well you both are a delight to talk to as usual, so

J’aime Kailani:  Aww, thank you. You as well Heather. I see why you have a show.

Heather Newman:  Thank you very much. Thank you. Well ladies, thank you for being on and thank you for being my friend and thank you for being awesome and doing great things in the world, so I really appreciate that.

J’aime Kailani:  Likewise.

Heather Newman:  Yeah, absolutely.

Chris Bayot:  We will look forward to seeing you in June.

Heather Newman:  You know what I, I was like, I can't touch my computer cause it's gonna make noises, but um, you know, I'm going to be on united.com here very shortly. So anyway. Um, well wonderful ladies, thank you so much and thank you for what you're doing in the world. Really.

J’aime Kailani:  Thank you.

Chris Bayot:  Thanks for having us on the show it was a pleasure.

Heather Newman:  Absolutely. Well everyone, that was another version of the Mavens Do It Better podcast and you can find us on all of those wonderful places out there where you listen to podcasts. We're on iTunes, we're on Stitcher, and we are on Spotify and you can find us at the Mavensdoitbetter.com website. And here is to another beautiful day on this big blue spinning sphere. Thanks.