Hub Coworking Hawaii

Hawai‘i's Best Coworking Space

Humans of the Hub

#HumansoftheHub: Jimmy Lin

Jimmy Lin has been a member of the Hub for about a year and a half now. He works as a physical therapist specializing in orthopedics and sports. He is immensely passionate in the work he is doing because it allows him to work with others, and form meaningful connections.

Through his work, he is able to help people in both their physical and mental capacity. After talking to Jimmy, I think that I now see physical therapy as more of a mental transformation that only a physical one. People have to overcome a setback or injury, let a therapist in, and all the and while, push themselves to get better. 

Jimmy sees this as well as he and his close friends are currently working on a project to help young boys in the fifth to eight grade develop self confidence in both their mental and physical abilities. The group is working to show young ones that having the importance of relationship building, especially as they move into their teenage years. 

To get in touch with Jimmy and his team, email him at jimmy@jimmylin.fit 

What work do you do?

I am a physical therapist by trade, and then I was a personal trainer before that so then I kinda melded the two, so i’m a physical therapist that does orthopedics and sports. I’m passionate about sports so I started getting into more training and now i’m getting more into coaching as well. I specialize in orthopedic injuries and I do a lot of sports conditioning, so now it’s kind of like fitness training/personal training as well. 

I worked for a training clinic up until 2017, and then I moved back to LA for a little bit and then I came back and now I just do things on my own. I see a couple clients out of CrossFit, a few out of their own homes, and a few we actually run, so  every time we meet up, it’s kind of a path that we go train on.

 

Do you have a Passion Project? OR What’s your WHY?

I think it’s a little bit of both. I really do love what I do- from the relationship development aspect, to the fact that I really have to try to understand people in order to help them. Actually, I think that’s a growing realization that I am starting to see. That is, in order to really help somebody, they have to really believe that you truly understand them and you really have to understand them. I think through this thought process, on both levels, the personal training side and the rehab/healing side, they’re kind of one and the same and that’s why I love doing what I do. 

Now, I do that as my primary job, but I am working right now with a couple of colleagues, who are also close friends, on a project that is geared towards helping young men, around fifth to eight grade- that’s kind of around the age we are targeting right now- to help them learn to develop self confidence in both their mental and physical abilities. We are all physical therapists with specializations in orthopedics and sports, plus strength and conditioning. We are also all strength and conditioning certified and I think it further emphasizes the importance of being in a situation where you love working with the people that you are around since we’re close friends-and we see the physical importance of relationship building. I think having that as adolescents become teenagers is something that we want to develop for them so that they can help each other/support each other through their kind of psychologically adventurous years. 

What do people not know about you?

I don’t know I am a pretty open book. I think most people know everything about me. Well, I play the guitar (sort of) I like music, so I try to play some music. I like everything-I don’t know if people know that about me. I pretty much like everything. I find the world and people fascinating. And literally when I say I like everything, It’s hard for me to name things that I really dislike. 

Member Spotlight: Christina ‘Tippi’ Cogen of Thrive Global

This Member Spotlight features Christina ‘Tippi’ Cogen, the Founder of Thrive Global, a local non-profit that hosts international service trip opportunities for busy professionals. She describes the group as the ‘Forward Thinking Humanitarian Service Travel Team.’

We chatted with Tippi to learn more about her trips, the mission of Thrive Global, and how our members can be a part of these service travel opportunities.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about Thrive Global- it’s such a cool opportunity for busy professionals to take time out to travel and also to GIVE back during their trips.

Tippi Cogen (TC): Yes, I developed Thrive to do exactly that: to become a provider of short term international service trip opportunities. The trips give back to underserved youth, and focus on helping to break generational poverty cycles by broadening their worldviews and helping to build confidence for a great future. It’s great because adults can explore and serve foreign communities while supporting the development of youth here in Hawaii.

AB: Let’s talk more about the term ‘Travelatarian:’ how does this demographic of people come together to make a big difference?

TC: Travel-tarian describes what we were accomplishing in our mission. This is a person who has a passion to travel and serve – a combination of traveler and humanitarian. For our first two years of our organization, we really were trying to find the best word to describe our target audience. We word interchange common descriptors like travelers, volunteers, humanitarians, and others, but they weren’t capturing what we were trying to convey with this new mode of service support.

Our search for the best Traveltarians come through social engagements, referrals, and local supporters. In order to build a team that will function well abroad, we set the groundwork well in advance of taking off. This includes team socials, trainings, and meetings. What begins as a bunch of strangers coming together for a great cause, finishes as a great foundation for lasting friendships.

AB: What’s the next trip and why did you choose this destination?

TC: In November 2019 we are headed to Brazil for the first time to conduct a 3-day Jiu Jitsu Youth Camp for at-risk youth in the favelas, and we’ll be hosting 5-day community support projects repairing homes, working in urban gardens, doing graffiti clean up and mural projects, and supporting women- and youth-focused educational opportunities.

There are so many factors that go into selecting our trip locations. We felt especially moved to serve in Brazil this time because it’s an outstanding location, and more importantly, we felt a great need to serve in the favelas and empower youth. We see the similarities of struggles between Hawaii and Brazil, and feel good about the partnership and friendships that have already been in established in advance of our arrival.

AB: Our Co-Founder Anne Weber has recently started a fun challenge: tell us more about how you’re working with Anne and Impact Hub HNL to raise funds for your group?

Thrive decided to implement monthly challenges that could raise funds for our youth program in a unique and fun way with the community. Partnering with influential business leaders can help share the good work we’re doing and further our mission.

As a long-time Member of Impact Hub HNL, it made sense to partner with Anne (Impact Hub HNL Community Director and Co-Founder). We came up with the idea of “What Costume?” for her challenge – this means she has been wearing random costumes throughout the month of September, while pretending nothing is different. We do eventually let them in on what’s going on so they can donate and help spread the word. The challenge kicks up a notch when donors make a donation of $150 or greater where they get to pick her costume. Anne has raised more than $500 for the organization AND had tons of fun dressing up as a hamburger, a ‘bronie, Rosie the Riveter, and more.

Justine Espiritu of Biki Hawaii hosted her challenge in August. The goal was to raise $500 by entering into her first longboard surf competition at Duke’s Ohanafest. Justine not only raised $645 but also went on to dominate in the competition and placed third as a FIRST-TIME competitor. This has been an amazing start to a great fundraiser. We couldn’t have asked for a better lineup of community to get things started.

AB: There’s another trip coming up Spring 2020: where in the world are you going this time?

TC: We just announced our two returning Spring trips to Bali and Philippines. In March the team will travel to Bali, Indonesia, for a turtle conservation, composting, gardening, recycling and education project. In April, we’ll go to the Philippines to work on a water filtration and youth outreach project. This will be our second time to both Bali and the Philippines and these locations are always interesting and engaging – it’s a great opportunity to give AND both are great places to vacation.

If you’re interested in learning more or traveling with their team, find Tippi and Thrive global on their website or our social media: Instagram and Facebook.

Member Spotlight: Nick Galang of The Creative Co.

Today we’re sharing a Member Spotlight featuring some of our original members, the team of Nick, Chris, Jordan, and Micah of The Creative Co. They run a Honolulu-based digital marketing firm based out of our upstairs offices.

They work with companies in Hawaii and beyond to build beautiful, optimized websites and help with graphic design, photography and videography, and social media. You can find out more about them on their website, The Creative Co.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about the vision of the company.

Nick Galang (NG): As a creative firm, our goal is to create brands that make people’s jaws drop. We want our clients to be the best in every digital marketing sphere possible. It’s why we consider ourselves an all-in-one company. We find that clients prefer talking to one vendor instead of five or six, and that a unified ecosystem of marketing just makes things a lot cleaner, more efficient, and more cost-efficient for people.

AB: What awesome services do you offer?

(NG): We offer a suite of services for startups, non-profits, businesses and more.

  • Web Development – We offer full web development, working primarily with Webflow, WordPress, and Squarespace. We are code designers, meaning that almost anything you can think up, we can do.
  • SEO – No matter how beautiful your website is, it won’t matter if people can’t find you. SEO, or search engine optimization, is the way to point your customers in the right direction online. This may be the most important/overlooked aspect of digital marketing.
  • Social Media management – All of us are millennials. We love our phones, and we love attention. So naturally, coming up with fun content that engages your users is second-nature to us.
  • Videography/Photography – We’ve invested heavily in our digital services and have the right equipment for both photography and video. This investment pays off when we create great intro videos and company portraits – the kind you will actually want to use on LinkedIn.
  • Graphic design – Let us put our extensive Photoshop/Illustrator skills to the test to help you redesign your logo, business cards, marketing collateral, and more. Can we all agree that we won’t use logos created in Microsoft Paint?!

AB: Do companies really need to be online? What’s the value of diversified online presence?

NG: Y-E-S. Think of your online presence like an automobile. Each part of your online presence helps to make the machine run. Without one or the other, there will be faulty functionality. What we’ve seen is that every part of digital marketing is interconnected. That’s why we offer so many services, they all affect one another and can either appreciate or depreciate the value of your company.

AB: What is the number one piece of advice you have for someone who wants to build a new online presence for their brand?

NG: Create a true and in-depth marketing plan. For every new client, we have Discovery meetings to analyze on a granular level how specific services fit into their overall marketing strategy. There needs to be a plan. If you just throw yourself out there on the internet without a thoughtful marketing plan, then you’ll eventually end up having to untangle your chaotic online presence just like you untangle those annoying iPhone cables in your pocket.

AB: How did you find this work (aka: what inspires you to do this work?)

NG: We found this work because we saw a problem in local marketing strategies. Companies have operated a certain way here in Hawaii for YEARS, and now that we’ve arrived in 2019, many local companies are being out-muscled online by companies that have adopted modern marketing strategies. We saw this problem and now offer a solution for local businesses to thrive in today’s market.

AB: Your brother is on your team: what advice do you have for people that want to build a business with family? How do you build a team that includes family + coworkers? Is this an issue for either of you?

NG: I love my brother! I think it’s important to have processes built into your company that rule out any sort of possible nepotism. Everything is based off accountability, ownership, and excellence. That being said, it is imperative for startups and small companies to hire workers who are self-motivated and who are problem solvers. That’s what makes our company successful: everyone here is self-motivated, solves problems independently, and will just make things happen.

AB: What were some of the big wins you had this year and what are the goals for 2020?

NG: We’ve moved into the realm of mid-sized business clients, which has been very encouraging. We’re hoping to create more partnerships, subscription-based services, and high-level marketing strategies for businesses in 2020. An achievable goal in 2020 would be to have five new mid-sized business clients. As we continue to gain more work, we lose more hours in the day. We are looking to make sure we are a good fit for potential clients and vice versa.

Thanks, Nick for taking the time to chat about your cool biz. Be sure to check out the great discounts The Creative Co. offers Impact Hub HNL members. Find them online and on Facebook.

Host Spotlight: Randi Lee

You probably recognize Randi Lee – she’s one of our Host team that helps greet our members and guests and make our space awesome.

Randi is a Business-Mindset coach and a world-class powerlifter, and has a bunch of cool projects on the side. I chatted with her about some of the projects she’s working on outside, and what we can all learn from her motivational mindset reset.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about WomanSpeak, the event you are part of here at Impact Hub HNL? Who comes to WomanSpeak events and why?

Randi Lee (RL): WomanSpeak is a public speaking circle for women that is held on the 2nd and 4th Monday of every month, here at Impact Hub HNL. I got involved with WomanSpeak when the circle started in June 2018. I joined WomanSpeak as I was looking for a way to improve my public speaking skills and loved that WomanSpeak did this with a more feminine approach- instead of the typical masculine approach. At the time I was preparing for my first live workshop. Since then, I have hosted several live workshops, launched a podcast, and spoke on stage at the International WomanSpeak festival.

WomanSpeak believes that unleashing the brilliance of women’s voices is the key to positive change in the world. Women with all different experiences and backgrounds come together to learn how to become more effective public speakers so they can make a bigger impact in their communities.

AB: You got to travel with WomanSpeak a few months ago to Arizona and share your story with women from around the world. What was that experience like for you?

RL: I am a member of the WomanSpeak mastermind, which is a separate program from the WomanSpeak circle. As a part of the mastermind, we worked with the founder of WomanSpeak, KC Baker, to create our signature talk and then in May, we got to give that talk on stage at the International WomanSpeak festival.

I was blessed to have several women from the Honolulu circle travel to Arizona to the festival. It was so incredible to be able to look out in the audience when I was on stage, and see a row of women from my circle at the event, cheering for me.

Speaking on stage at the festival was one of the most transformative experiences of my entire life. As someone who has felt like she has had to try and be someone else for others to earn their love and acceptance, speaking on that stage was the first time I felt fully seen and accepted for my TRUE SELF.

AB: I watched your video, and it’s really powerful. You said in your talk, “Self acceptance is a necessary step on your path to greatness.” Tell us more about this important concept, and how people can start embracing themselves in a fuller capacity:

RL: I believe that we must accept ourselves fully if we want to be able to create the biggest impact possible. If we are consumed by a part of ourselves that we cannot accept, this takes away mental, physical, and emotional energy that could be put towards something that is actually going to help you make a difference in the world. When we accept ourselves unconditionally, we free up all of that energy that was once used towards not accepting ourselves. It frees up so much space in our lives to focus on the things that truly matter.

The first step to accepting yourself is to identify the areas that you are currently struggling to accept. Many people are not even aware of the part of themselves that they are not accepting because it has become so ingrained in who they are.

Once we become aware of those areas- we can determine what the limiting beliefs are that are holding us back from accepting ourselves. For me, the part of me I always struggled to accept was my body. When I identified this, I was able to start breaking down the limiting beliefs that were holding me back from accepting my body at any size.

Watch Randi’s powerful talk at Women’s Speak below!

AB: What’s your newest project?

RL: I recently launched a 16-month calendar with other super heavy weight powerlifters from around the world. As someone who once said, “I will never be a super heavy weight powerlifter,” to currently being the #4 strongest super heavy weight powerlifter of all time- this calendar is my way of showing the world that you can be beautiful and strong at any size. The calendar includes exclusive photos from some of the top ranked female super heavy weights and body empowerment quotes. Use discount code IMPACT to get 25% off on the online shop.

AB: Tell us more about the coaching work you do and how can people work with you:

RL: I work with women to help them build and scale the business of their dreams so they can quit their full time job and make abundant money doing what they love. I have a very high-touch coaching style- I work closely with my clients in all aspects of building their business from creating coaching packages, to marketing, to increasing profit margins. I work with my clients to help them fully embody their mission and purpose so that they can show up fully in their power so they can make the impact and income they desire. Learn more and set up a complimentary breakthrough call by using the link here.

Find more about Randi on Instagram and on her website.

Thanks Randi, for sharing your story and encouraging everyone to share their gifts with the world. 

Member Feature: Alex Teece of Dreamhouse Ewa Beach

Today we’re sharing a Member spotlight featuring one of our original members, Alex Teece. Alex is the founder of Dreamhouse ‘Ewa Beach, a public charter school focused on empowering homegrown leaders for our island community.

The mission of DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach is to “[open] doors of opportunity through high expectations, consistent support, and a culture of achievement.” We chatted with Alex, the Chief Education Officer, to learn more about what he’s building and how his school hopes to bend the trajectories of our islands’ most disadvantaged children.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about the vision of the school? What does this charter school offer that’s different than the public schools available in Ewa Beach?

Alex Teece (AT): At the core of the vision is empowerment. We believe that children have incredible potential that can be unlocked through putting them in situations to develop positive practices and leadership skills. Our work is to build a culture and environment where developing unique, individual potential is a focus of every single day.

While we can’t speak to what all public schools in Hawai‘i offer, what we offer is a smaller environment that focuses on leadership and identity development with a core curriculum that is grounded in inquiry and personal growth. Our learning philosophy centers around children making choices, studying those choices, their impacts, and altering their decisions, behaviors, and life based on learning new things every day.

AB: How does this fit into the bigger picture of Hawaii’s school system? 

AT: Our hope is that DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach becomes an example of how leadership and identity development can unlock academic potential in an unprecedented way in public school. We believe that children who are grounded in who they are, and feel like they are in charge of their lives and the trajectory of their lives, can perform better in their classes and schools.

We are small and nimble, and offer an opportunity to try new things in our school; we have the capability to find what works, revise it, share it, and scale. This is where we fit into the larger system and hopefully will be able to share and spread innovative solutions for our islands’ school.

AB: How did you get involved in education? Has this always been your passion?

AT: I joined Teach For America right from college, in 2008. I joined the organization because of my interest in positively affecting the lives of others. I did not see myself as a teacher or an educator really, but over the years I have been able to blend education, business, leadership, and community service into one. This is not only a passion project of mine, but it is my job, my work, my responsibility, and really, it is my calling.

AB:  You’ve just opened your doors for the first year of 6th grade students! Congratulations! What’s enrollment like and what are you goals for attendance?

The founding 6th grade class of DreamHouse Ewa Beach is 100 seats. Our goal is to provide an opportunity to all families who are interested in our school, but per our charter, we only have 100 spaces allocated to us each year. We do keep an active waitlist, and we will let families know if and when they are next up on the list if another student/family decides not to attend.

AB: What are some of the big wins you had this year and what are the goals for 2020? What good things can we expect in the coming years from Dreamhouse?

AT: Our big wins including hiring all of our founding team, finding and renovating a facility to launch, and most importantly – welcome 100 families in our founding class. 2020 will be the first year a class promotes from one grade to the next, and we will add a 7th grade; essentially we double in staff, students, space, and supplies – it is a big growth for the first year!

And there are more good things coming:

  • An innovative partnership with Good Clean Food Hawai‘i (healthy food for the kids!)
  • STAFF POSITIONS OPEN! We will be growing and hiring, so please have a look at our website to consider joining the team!
  • Changing locations – year two will feature us moving to our new space over in the Kalaeloa region of Kapolei – this will be our long-term home.
  • Children creating and leading change in Hawai‘i! Keep an eye on the socials (Facebook + Instagram) to see our keiki growing into impactful leaders across our islands.

Watch our video below to see Alex and the Dreamhouse kids in action:

Member Spotlight: Talking Trash with Nicole Chatterson of Zero Waste Oahu

Today we’re sharing a Member Spotlight featuring Nicole Chatterson. Nicole works for the University of Hawaii Office of Sustainability and she is a co-founder/director of Zero Waste Oahu. ZWO, as the name implies, is focused on a zero waste future for the island, and she’s working to bring awareness to our various waste streams. ZWO advocates for an integrated approach across the island and a move towards the four R’s: reduce, refuse, reuse, recycle.

Right now, Zero Waste Oahu is organizing community members to get their voices heard about the new Honolulu Waste Management Plan, and is advocating for inclusion of more sustainable solutions, like a policies or programs that reduce the amount of waste created in Honolulu, a large-scale composting network system that would serve residents, and better recycling (by creating less items to recycle!). Sign-up for Zero Waste Oʻahuʻs email to stay in tune and check out web feature here.

Andrea Bertoli (AB): Tell us more about the vision of the Zero Waste Oahu: what are your goals and how are you going to get there?

Nicole Chatterson (NC): Zero Waste Oʻahu envisions an equitable, waste-free future. We are achieving this vision this through policy support, community engagement, and demonstration projects that demystify waste reduction actions.

Our work starts here on Oʻahu and we plan for our impact to ripple throughout Hawaiʻi. Our goals include developing a Zero Waste Plan for Honolulu, working with the County on waste reduction policy, and reaching out to a wide range of audiences and businesses so we can help people understand how zero waste is relevant and approachable for everyone!

In the next year, we have a goal to launch a more waste reduction demo projects (like the food waste diversion demo project we are working on with the Impact Hub using Bokashi buckets), and increase our capacity to support the business sector through waste audits that will help them transition to zero waste.

AB: What does a zero-waste future look like?

NC: By definition, zero waste means keeping 90% of the waste stream out of the landfill or incinerator and creating production systems that are not harmful to people or the planet. A zero-waste future would follow the waste hierarchy, meaning we do our very best to reduce waste first. We will realize recycling is a tool to be used in moderation, not an excuse to overconsume. We would stop sending our trash and recycling overseas and into low-income neighborhoods.

We will stop wasting land, water, and energy to produce things that are designed as single-use or designed to become obsolete. We will stop using toxic and fossil fuel-based materials (like plastic) to over-package our food. Our economy would become circular, where any waste that is produced is designed to be a resource. In a circular economy we would compost and turn our food waste into a nutritious resource to grow food, instead of letting it off-gas methane in a landfill or be incinerated at H-POWER.

A zero waste future is a decision to design our society to produce less waste, instead of resigning to engineering our open spaces to become waste repositories.

AB: You were just granted a fellowship through WildGift – tell us more about that organization and how it’s going to help you here.

NC: I am soooo excited about this! Wild Gift is a year long leadership development program for social and environmental entrepreneurs that are in the process of building a social enterprise. Five of us were selected into the cohort and we will kick off our year together with a backpacking trip in the Bould-White Clouds Wilderness in Idaho – the final wilderness area created during the Obama administration.

This 3-week trek is designed to give us the gift of time, of connecting with ourselves, and our cohort away from the grind of daily life. We will then meet virtually over the next year, along with our mentors, and culminate the program in 2020 with a rafting trip.

This program will help me develop Zero Waste Oʻahu through peer-to-peer mentorship with other entrepreneurs that are launching a social venture. I also expect this program will help me become a better leader for Zero Waste Oʻahu by allowing me to unplug – there is nothing like time away from the computer, social media, and other distractions. to recharge and create clarity and direction.

AB: What’s your favorite trashy subject?
NC: Soooo many.

Fruit wrapped in plastic. Why? Why! Why?! The Simply To Go Store at UH Mānoa sells apples and oranges wrapped in plastic. I’ve been told people think itʻs more sanitary, and yet it is well-documented that plastic leaches into/onto our food, so there is really no logic here.

Also, trashy guilt is another topic I could go on about. For me, this the feeling when you end up with plastic regardless of how hard you try to eliminate it from your life. This happens to me at restaurants too often: I forget to say “no straw please” … and then Iʻm stuck with plastic.

AB: If people want to get better about reducing their waste stream, what are three easy steps they can take? 

NC:

1. If you like getting coffee or smoothies out, BYO cup! It makes a huge difference, about 30% of our waste stream is made up of single-use packaging and containers! If you do not want to buy a fancy mug, a mason jar (with a cozy to protect your hands from heat) on works perfectly! Currently, none of the single-use cups are recyclable in Honolulu. Some other cities offer compostable cups, which are a better option because they will cause less damage if they get into our natural environment. Even then, the best thing you can do is AVOID any single-use packaging because they all take a lot of resources to make and transport–which seems ridiculous when you realize that you use the cup for a matter of minutes.

2. Sign-up to opt out of junk mail. Most junk mail cannot be recycled because glossy paper and plastics are mixed in the envelopes. You can opt out of junk mail using these directions:

  • To opt out for five years: Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. The phone number and website are operated by the major consumer reporting companies. To opt out permanently: You may begin the permanent Opt-Out process online at www.optoutprescreen.com.

3) Buy less packaged food by shopping in bulk bins. Shopping in bulk bins means you get to choose and reuse the packaging. This is made easy by stores like Down to Earth, Kokua Market, and Safeway (the Kapahulu, Piikoi/Beretania, and Mānoa stores) which offer bulk bins for things like snacks, grains, nuts, oats, legumes, and candy. They key is to BYO container. You can tare (which means pre-weigh) plastic or glass containers at the register before shopping, and write the weight with sharpie on a sticker to put on the bin. At the check-out they subtract the weight . The tare process is not necessary if you use the light-weight reusable bags instead.

AB: How can people get involved in the organization?

NC: The best way to get involved right now is by sharing your thoughts with the County of Honolulu on a zero waste future before August 27th: find out the details on our website. Honolulu’s zero waste future needs your voice. You can also stay in touch by signing up for our newsletter on our website and follow us on Instagram, too.