TalkBox Kauai

Zoli and her fiance Adam are old friends and permaculturalist farmers who own and operate the Ka 'Ohi Nani farm on the north shore of Kaua'i.   We talk about permaculture, approaches to farming, selling and distributing food, the role of technology in farms, how the process can be improved, WWOOFers, and much more.  

Will is the owner and operator of Lydgate farms, from which he produces cacao beans to make award-winning chocolate.  His chocolate was recently selected by the Fine Chocolate and Cacao Institute to represent the United States as an outstanding cacao farmer.  On Kaua'i, the Lydgate family has been contributing to the community for generations, and holds high public regard and recognition.  It was my pleasure to sit with him to talk story, along with my friend and returning guest contributor, Wissam Ali-Ahmad, to talk about the farm, challenges with Covid, new business ideas... and just to shoot the shit.  Hang around for the final 20 minutes of this podcast, ladies and gentlemen... 

Addison and I get together once again for a loose, off-the-cuff, unscripted, fun conversation.

James is a Kauai resident, entrepreneur, inventor, software developer, and founder of Garden Island Robotics Inc.  His product Growbot, a fully automated robot that grows a garden using artificial intelligence, is available for purchase at https://www.mygrowbot.com/.  James and I discuss a broad range of technology-based topics including the founding and early development of Growbot, UBI, education, the changing economy of Kaua'i, its unique place in the world, tourism, vision boards, and much more. 

What a great time I had with Addison this weekend.  Our discussion happened to be on primary election day, and the Kauai County Council candidates were cut accordingly from 21 to 14 candidates.  Addison made the cut, so it's on to phase 2!  Enjoy as our conversation cut from the embarrassment of taking complements, why millennials aren't treated fairly, our mutual love of Noah Yuval Harari, being an adult, and much more.  Special guest: my 6-year-old son Koa in the intro.  Good times!

Today I'm speaking with Joel Guy.  Joel is the Executive Director of the Hanalei Initiative (https://www.hanaleiinitiative.org/).  The Hanalei Intiative was founded in 2018 to address the flood of April 2018 which produced 49.69 inches of rain over a 24 hour period, the most ever recorded for that period of time.  Joel discusses the new Hanalei Initiative Creative Center, a shared work space in Hanalei, the community response to the flood, the impact of Covid on the local economy, the new north shore bus system, and much more.

Dr. Addison Bulosan is a candidate for the Kauai County Council, a practicing chiropractor, a musician, and a friend of the show.  Enjoy!