When I first got called to be on big talk shows like Steve Harvey and Arsenio hall the producers asked, “would you be willing to be on the talk shows, naked?” I’m not exactly sure how that would have worked out, but I didn’t wait long enough to find out. I immediately told them I would not go naked, but I’d be happy to wear “native dress” like I did on the island. They agreed but then suddenly I realized I was in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and wherever else the shows were filming and there were no coconut trees or ti leaf plants as far as the eye could see. So I called up my parents and my first surf coach Uncle Ina in Hawaii and asked if they could send me 200 Ti leaves and enough coconut hats to last me for all the shows. It was a hilarious behind the scenes adventure to actually get all the items to me and then even funnier when I set up a ‘ti leaf skirt and coconut bra making” studio in the backyard of various friends houses and hotels to make sure I was creating the most authentic wardrobe for not only me, but Jonathan who was my co-survivor on the show. I’m forever grateful to my extended Hawaii family for supporting the “wild haole wahine” through this process and I hope I made my homeland proud!
Leave A Comment