The Renaissance Effect
By Ty Robinson
This personal “Renaissance Effect” is shaping countries, economies, and businesses.
Discover new mental models for success in business, personal finance, investing, productivity, relationships, creativity and more.
The Renaissance EffectNov 30, 2018
Ep.#8: Choon James- A Campaign for Truth, Justice and Ethical Government
My special guest for episode #8 is Choon James.
She is a licensed real estate broker in Hawaii and has a B.A. in English and TESL as a minor from BYU - Hawaii
Choon is originally from Singapore and has been involved in various environment and social justice causes for decades. She has been actively participating at Honolulu Hale for the past 12 years.
She is a founding member of both the Defend Oahu Coalition and Save Oahu Farmlands.
She is on the Ko'olauloa Sustainable Communities Planning Advisory Committee
Kahuku Hospital Board of Directors
Laie Point Community Association President & Board Member
BYU-Hawaii/CCH Alumni Association President
Shes a member of the Sierra Club
An Amnesty International Freedom Writer
Shes the Host of - Country Talk Story - which airs on Olelo Public Television
And shes also a North Shore News columnist
Just as a heads up, this is not a political podcast or episode, but I found Choon’s story very compelling.
Choon’s been a lifelong activist, and has also recently thrown her hat into the ring, in running for Mayor of Honolulu in 2020.
As a differentiator from most or all of her opponents, She's not accepting donations from Lobbyists or PACs, and in our conversation, much of her focus in running, is on restoring ethics to government.
Choon has a unique voice in the political arena and is laser focused on bringing an efficient, inclusive, ethical government to the city of Honolulu.
She also wants to bring back a strong sense of fiscal responsibility and accountability to city spending.
We had fun doing this episode but unfortunately my SD card failed halfway through the interview and we had mic issues throughout. I managed to salvage the episode however but I had to do a little more editing than I normally like to and the sound quality suffered so I apologize for that. That being said, I hope you guys enjoy this conversation with, Choon James!
Ep.#7: Blockchain and the Rise of the Digital Community- George Samuels
My guest for Episode 7, is Geroge Samuels!
I've known George for many years and in fact I met him when he interviewed ME for a film I was producing when I had my animation company back in the day.
Kinda cool that I get to return the favor.
George is the Managing Director of Faiā, a consultancy he describes as bridging gaps through community & tech.
He has long been a "community guy" with entrepreneurial tendencies,
George, like many entrepreneurs, is something of a jack of all trades: his career has spanned from programmer to animator, salesman to Enterprise Community Manager.
Then Bitcoin exploded onto the world stage:
He first got involved with Bitcoin technology in 2013, was labeled a Key Person of Influence by Adobe in 2015, and was dubbed one of "Australia's Best Community Builders" by Pause Fest in 2017. His company Faiā is one of the first in APAC to offer exclusive BitcoinSV blockchain integration services.
George could easily be credited as the first person to really push me into the blockchain world, and my life has been much the better for it.
We talk about everything from growing up in Bangladesh and Australia, identity issues, entrepreneurship, business, and of course, Bitcoin!
I had a great time doing this interview and I hope you guys enjoy it!
When he's not advocating for BitcoinSV or writing about communities, you'll find George boxing, reading, or playing weiqi (Go) over tea.
Ep.#6: For the Love of Paddling- SUP Racing with Kenny Kaneko
Kenny is a 3x All Japan Champion and 2018 Asia Champion.
Interestingly, he was Born in Chigasaki Japan but raised in Southern California.
Kenny started surfing from a young age but actually was drawn to another sport entirely- a sport played ON LAND, and that experience actually helped to shape his career in the water. We dive deep into that on the podcast.
In his second year of college, he started outrigger canoeing under the influence of his father and became addicted once again, to the sea.
Once he started SUP racing full time in 2013 he Won the All Japan SUP Championship the following year.
Since 2015, he has raced overseas. In 2016, he won the 2nd Hong Kong International SUP Championship.
In 2018, he won his third All-Japan title.
Kenny is known as one of the absolute hardest working SUP racers out there. I interviewed him right before his most recent Molokai to Oahu SUP race which is known as one of the most brutal races on earth.
Kenny’s full stats, race schedule, results and more can be found at http://kennykaneko.com/