2024 OWL Fall Mixer at Arden Waikiki

OWL Visit to Shangri La

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Our July Luncheon speaker, Dr. Leslee Michelsen, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, made arrangements for OWL Members and guests to tour the museum on Saturday, October 15. It was a beautiful day to take in the amazing artwork and grounds at Shangri La.

OWL Pau Hana event, “Chocolate Connections”!

truffle chocolate taste-testing and chocolate connection demonstration

by Erin Kanno Uehara, artisan chocolatier and owner of Choco Le’a

April 26, 2022

On April 26, OWL held its first in person Pau Hana! We were treated to a fun chocolate experience with our guest speaker, Erin Uehara, owner and CCO (Chocolate Connections Officer) of Choco Le’a.

Erin is a local girl who had no intention of going into the chocolate business until she “found” a long-lost family member who taught her how to make chocolates and that’s where it all started. Erin had always dreamt of working with people and contributing to making the world a better place. The company mission is to “Bring peace to our world, one chocolate at a time”.

Erin shared the pandemic’s impact on her business, losing 70% of their business of which 30% was from Japanese visitors and a mix of hotel partners, catered events, and hands-on chocolate-making workshops to name a few. She shared having to downsize her business and provide walk-up/drive-up options to customers. She credits the ability to survive through the crisis to the local community who continued to support Choco Le’a.

As if keeping her business alive wasn’t enough to keep Erin busy, she authored and published a book entitled “Bringing Peace to Our World, One Chocolate Story at a Time” during the pandemic. Lessons learned, opportunity now, and hope for our future is the running theme of the book.

We ended our session with a “Chocolate Connections Activity”, which allowed our members to network while tasting more chocolates, some of which were being introduced for the first time to OWL!

Thanks to the OWL members and guests who made our first in person event a success, and thank you to Julie Arigo and Holly Hayashi for donating the evening’s libations!    

Pau Hana - Craft Night

August 26, 2021, Virtual

The August OWL Pau Hana featured a fun night of crafts and networking, as OWL member Lisa Ma showed members and guests how to make fun cards. Lisa provided all of the supplies for each lady to make their own card to give to a special someone, with a tag “just because.” After everyone finished their cards, member Julie Arigo then taught everyone how to make a cozy flannel blanket. The ladies learned how to cut and tie fringes on blankets and everyone was amazed how great they looked, even for the novice blanket-makers! Our wonderful blankets were donated to a women’s shelter. What an enjoyable Pau Hana – thank you to Lisa and Julie!

Pau Hana - Chocolate

April 29 2021, Virtual

April’s Pau Hana event featured Lisa Lee, co-owner of Lonohana Estate Chocolate where members and guests learned about chocolate tasting … and more importantly tasted chocolates!

Lonohana is a coined word made up of the Hawaiian words Lono (god of agriculture) and Ohana (family), which truly speaks to the mission and values of the company. Lonohana, one of the few tree to bar operations in Hawaii and the world, seeks to share and showcase the unique tastes of Hawaii. Chocolate is produced step by step and all by hand primarily from cacao farmed on the North Shore of Oahu and by two growers on the Big Island.

We learned about what goes into making a fine chocolate and different factors that affect the flavors of chocolate: from where it’s grown to the chocolate making process.

Lisa shared the tasting wheel to help us discern different flavors and encouraged everyone to use all senses to taste and experience the chocolates. FYI - Opposite of wine tasting, chocolate tasting should start with darks (bold flavors) and end with sweets. Everyone enjoyed discussing the flavors of the chocolate samples as well as drink and food pairing ideas.

Lunch & Learn - Personal PR & Brand

February 18, 2021, Virtual

Barbra An Pleadwell presented “Your Personal Brand and PR” for a group of more than 40 OWL members and guest on Thursday February 18th.

Barbra is a communication strategist and principle of Hastings and Pleadwell, with more than 30 years of professional experience helping nonprofit and for-profit organizations of all sizes with communication planning and implementation.

She shared many valuable tips and examples of how women can market themselves to advance their professional goals and the priorities of their organizations.

Some of Barbra’s key tips include:

• Need a current headshot that actually looks like you.  Shouldn’t be more than 5 years old.

• Need a current bio. Two to four sentences that highlight your professional accomplishments. Prioritize 1-2 awards if there are many.

• Resume should only be used when looking for a new job.  Otherwise send/use bio.

• Networking is key.  OWL was one of the best organizations that Barbra joined.

• Join boards and organizations that interest you and where you will actually participate.  Better to not join than join and be an absentee member.

• Reach out to fellow board members to build relationships and network.

• Make the time to attend organization’s social functions (when we get back to some kind of normal).  When you attend, don’t stand in the corner, actively work the room.  Introduce people and they will introduce you.

Virtual Etiquette:

• Think about your background. Nothing too busy or distracting.  Recommend against virtual backdrops.

• Lighting matters.  Natural light is best but an extra lamp can make all the difference.

• Suggest dressing up for zoom – no t-shirts, no workout clothes.

• Good examples of how important it is to have a quiet space with no distractions when presenting.

Pau Hana - Holiday Wrapping

December 2020, Virtual

The OWL Pau Hana’s just keeps getting better!  In keeping with the holidays, those who attended the December Pau Hana were treated to a fun hour filled with holiday games and a fabulous presentation on how to put holiday cheer into your gift wrapping by Kathleen Yoshinaga of Flora-Dec Sales Inc., a Honolulu craft store.

To start off our virtual Pau Hana, the ladies played a holiday guessing game.  OWL member Joan Randish came out on top and was declared the winner.  Who knew that Santa’s reindeer were all female (well, maybe not Rudolph)!  The ladies then broke into separate “rooms” and discussed our weirdest presents and favorite holiday dishes.

The highlight of the evening was Kathleen’s demonstration on how to giftwrap our holiday presents in order to transform the wrap, itself, into a part of the gift.  For example, Kathleen showed us how to change a simple brown paper bag into an attractive gift bag with just a few ribbons, clothes pins, twigs and leaves…..yes – twigs and leaves!  All you need is a can of spray paint (gold and silver looks great for the holidays), spray paint the leaves and twigs, and glue them to your bag.  This works with gift boxes too!  Kathleen also demonstrated an easy way to make roses out of red tissue paper, and the bit more complicated procedure for making ribbon bows!  By the end of Kathleen’s demonstration, all the ladies were eager to try at least one of the gift wrapping ideas!

Pau Hana - Howl-O-Ween

October 27, 2020, Virtual

OWL held its virtual Halloween Pau Hana and Costume Contest for members, guest, and their pets on Tuesday, October 27th. Several ladies and their pets showed up to share in the laughter and fun times after a long day at work. During this event, we played Halloween Trivia, shared our special Halloween experiences, and judged our ladies and pet costumes in various categories.

Our winners were:

Cutest Duo Costume (Pet and owner) Ananda

Cutest Pet – (Ananda’s pet) Coco

Most Creative Person – Pam (as “Polly Purebread”)

Cutest Person Costume (Bee) – Ananda

Best Background – Renee

Halloween Trivia Winner - Nancy

Most Creative Pet – (Pam’s Pet) Lucky (as “Underdog”)

Happy Howl-O-Ween from your OWL sisters!

Lunch & Learn #3 - Self-Care

October 7, 2020, Virtual 

As our homes have become offices and schools, and our roles as mothers, wives, and now teachers have amplified, one thing is certain, the “new norm” is ever changing. With this in mind, OWL set aside a few moments, 50 minutes to be precise, to gather and “Now, Relax”. This appropriately titled session was led by Makana Risser Chai, our October Lunch & Learn guest who shared with us timely and needed stress management and wellness techniques. The author of Mindful Multitasking: Timeless Techniques for a Vibrant Mind, Strong Body, Happy Heart & Light Spirit, shared five simple things to do every day to help us shift our mindset to decrease the stress and increase the joy in our lives. She encourages everyone to:

1. Be grateful and relishing in the things that make us go “awe”

2. Relax with a few simple techniques interwoven into our everyday tasks

3. Love everyone, learn to forgive, and identify your loved one’s love language

4. Move your body and exercise

5. Eat right

As our time with Makana came to an end, we committed to do at least one new thing for ourselves for 15 minutes. From starting a journal of gratitude to shaking our bodies like a tree to taking two deep breaths while washing our hands to identifying our loved ones love languages and many other techniques in between, we all left looking a little younger (because stress ages us faster!) and a little more relaxed. Mahalo Makana for sharing your knowledge and mindfulness!

Pau Hana - Pupus with Pam

September 24, 2020, Virtual 

September’s Pau Hana was all about food. We started off with an icebreaker about your favorite childhood comfort food.  After lots of good small-kid-time stories a few favorites seemed to resonate with the group….among them the most popular answers were rice, bread and ice cream.

The main attraction for the evening was our own OWL sister Pam Martin sharing stories about her culinary journey, the foodie influences of her grandmother and a ‘not so favorite’ roommate along  with a few of her favorite recipes.

Her first demonstration involved the creation of Olive Tarts. These are large pimento stuffed green olives encased by a crunchy cheese flavored cracker.  They are little globes of golden goodness when baked but getting there is half the fun, as the assembly involves mixing the dough with your hands and mashing it around the olives. Very tactile and a great stress reliever.

Next on the menu was a Blue Moon Beer Cracker.  This crispy, tasty treat includes sharp cheddar and blue cheese mixed with flour and other ingredients then rolled out and cut with a crescent moon cookie cutter.  They bake up golden and delicious and melt in your mouth.  Trust me you really cannot have just one.

In keeping with the olive theme of the evening Pam’s third suggested hors d'oeuvres is perfect for busy professionals.  Mussels on a half shell purchased from The Olive Tree and arranged beautifully on her best serving platter.  Delicious, esthetically pleasing and easy to grab after work or on your way to an event.

We wrapped up the evening talking about food favorites from vacations and travel.  It was enough to make your mouth water…  so many places to go so many good food suggestions.  Can’t wait until we can travel again!

Thank you Pam and all who joined for this fun evening. Bon appetite.

Lunch & Learn #2 - Coaching with Grace

September 14, 2020, Virtual 

Grace Hao is a Certified Business Coach and joined OWL for our September meeting to discuss “Courage in Leadership” and how increasing our Emotional Intelligence can increase our results personally and professionally.

Reason for Courage

Courage is stepping outside our comfort zone. We are more likely to have courage if we have a purpose/reason. This is what some people call “your why”. Making time and space to reflect and monitor our own emotions will help us to be clear on “our reason” and create our vision beyond our current circumstances – especially in challenging times.

• How can we expand our comfort zone? Our greatest competition is the best version of ourselves from yesterday.

• How can we do or be better than we were yesterday? When we help ourselves, we can be a courage multiplier for others.

Leverage imagination

Most profound ideas come from imagination. Imagine what courage looks like. You tap into imagination with open ended questions. They start with who, what, when, where and how. Be careful of “why” because it can carry judgement. When helping others through challenges, the most caring way is to give them an opportunity to express how they are feeling. When they describe their emotion and put a word to it, they are more able to cope or strategize about solutions. Emotional intelligence questions to help with coping or solutions:

• What do you believe can be done about it? OR What could have been done differently?

• What are you willing to do about it – go into solution?

• What would you prefer – transitioning v. staying in the negative space?

Postured for Courage

How we talk to ourselves and how we hold ourselves matter. Pay attention to what you are thinking. Sometimes we give ourselves a self-sabotaging tone we do not use with anyone else. Instead, ask yourself questions in the way you would ask someone with

great respect, love and admiration. This simple question postures us for success and support others.

• What is within my sphere of influence?

• What is within my realm of responsibility?

• What are my options?

• How can I make the most of what is happening?

These tools will help us be a victor, not a victim. Victor statement: “I get to, I prefer to, I choose to, I have an abundance of options.”

Thank you Coach Grace for sharing with us the courage and grace needed for today’s leadership!

Pau Hana - bingOWL

August 26, 2020, Virtual 

Our second Pau Hana event took place on August 26th.  It was Game Night hosted by Holly Hayashi and Lisa Ma.  We were lucky to have our September OWL Luncheon speaker, Grace Hao join us. We started the evening with a trivia game played via Kahoot! to answer questions online.  Some of the fun facts included:  a group of hippos is called a bloat, the first toy advertised on television was Mr. Potato Head and Vermeer was the Dutch painter of Girl with a Pearl Earring.  Our winners were:

• 1st Place - Laura Lott

• 2nd Place - Laurie Nakamoto

• 3rd Place - Pamela Martin

The second game was bingo also played online.  We had time to play two games and our winners were Laura Lott (it was her lucky night) and Renee Green.  Congratulations to our winners!  It was great to spend time playing a few games and catching up with each other.

Lunch & Learn #1

August 12, 2020, Virtual 

We hosted our first virtual lunch and learn on Wednesday, August 12th. Three of our OWL HR Professional Board Members put their 25+ years of talent together and came up with an informative, yet powerful session that offered loads of information that could be put into use immediately on writing a resume that puts yourself on paper and how to prepare for an interview in a virtual setting. The panel consisted of: 

• Mimi Beams, Former Executive Recruiter with Inkinen & Associates, Consultant 

• Erinn Tomlinson, Executive Recruiter with Bishop & Co. 

• Cheryl Cross, Corporate Recruiter with Booz Allen Hamilton 

There were several takeaways but three to remember when writing your resume or interviewing: 

Keep it professional! 

Keep it short, concise, and to the point! 

Keep it relevant! 


Please click here for the slides from the presentation.

Pau Hana - Voxologist

June 30, 2020, Virtual 

In light of our current COVID 19 situation and the elimination of in-person meetings & events, OWL remains committed to staying engaged with our members.  As such, we have begun Pau Hana and Lunch & Learn Events.  

On July 30th, we had our first Pau Hana event hosted by Julie Arigo and Ananda Chou Ferreir,  To start the evening off, a scavenger hunt served as our ice breaker….each member took off in search for 20 items they could find right there in their homes.  Participants found items ranging from a tape measure to fingernail polish to holiday wrapping paper!  And after a 5-minute scramble, the winners were: Malia Goldstein, Kendra Oishi, Georgette Chong, Alicia Yamachika and Joan Randish.  CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!
 
Straight after everyone had warmed up from the scavenger hunt, our main event started….cocktail making with mixologist, Alicia Yamachika (former bartender at Nobu Honolulu and Pint & Jigger, creator of bar menus at recognized establishments such as Livestock Tavern, Mahina & Sons, and Azure)! 
From start to finish, our OWL ladies had a great time learning about the ingredients chosen for our two cocktails -  Kō Hana (Kea) Daiquiri and Boulevardier.  Besides entertaining us with her bartending moves and delightful personality, Alicia also provided us with a wealth of information.
 
By the end of our session (which probably could’ve gone on longer), we all learned to use a bar spoon correctly, that a mason jar and strainer serves just as well as a martini shaker, and we now know how to make two beautiful cocktail concoctions!  I’m sure some of us now have a love for the art of craft cocktails.
 
Cheers to a very successful virtual networking event!!

Women's Legislative Caucus Breakfast

January 22, 2020, YWCA O’ahu, Fuller Hall 

More than a dozen women leaders from the Hawaii Sate Legislature shared their thoughts and priorities for the upcoming session at the annual Women’s Caucus Legislative Breakfast on Wednesday, January 22.  The event was hosted by the YWCA O’ahu and drew a full house at Fuller Hall.

Among the legislative priorities discussed where new laws to protect victims of domestic violence and trafficking as well as bills and resolutions related to workplace and tax issues affecting women.

It was very encouraging to hear that senators and representatives talk about working in a bi-partisan way to advance the issues that affect Hawaii families and women.  Washington could learn from the Aloha state.  This interesting and enlightening event takes place each January if you missed it please consider attending next year.

Wahine Forum

LIVE FEARLESSLY

October 24, 2019, Hilton Hawaiian Village

The 12th Annual Wahine Forum was held on Thursday, October 24, 2019. OWL again supported this great event for women in Hawaii. Several OWL ladies volunteered for the OWL booth, where we a chance to meet with many of the attendees and discuss our wonderful organization.

The Theme of this year’s Wahine Forum was “Live Fearlessly.”  The Wahine Forum is Hawaii’s largest leadership and career development conference for women.  The forum is attended by Hawaii’s top female executives, entrepreneurs, and up-and-coming leaders and others intent on advancing their careers. 

OWL Fall Pau Hana 2019 Outrigger Canoe Club

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

The annual OWL Fall Pau Hana, held at the Outrigger Canoe Club on September 24th, featured an evening of networking for our OWL members and their guests. Over 40 ladies attended the Pau Hana, from both the pubic and private sectors, offering a wonderful opportunity to discuss in an informal setting leadership and management issue encountered in small businesses, large corporations, non-profit organizations, and state and federal governments. If you couldn't make it to this event, look for information on our OWL Spring Mixer!

The ladies of OWL again generously contributed door prize give aways - which is always a fun way to end the evening. Thanks to all the ladies who attended this fabulous event and contributed to an evening of networking!

OWL Spring Mixer

Thursday, April 18, 2019

The ladies of OWL and their guests had a great time at the OWL Spring Mixer. This year, the Spring Mixer was held at Nico’s Upstairs - a wonderful venue on Pier 38 offering the ladies a chance to network in an informal atmosphere while appreciating the beauty of our island home.

This year, Unyong Nakata from the University of Hawaii Shidler College of Business kicked off our Spring Mixer with an informal presentation entitled “She did it HER way: unapologetically leading with grace and humor.” Leading an interactive discussion of workplace leadership and management, the ladies of OWL engaged in a thought-provoking discussion of the issues.

The ladies of OWL also stepped it up this year with 12 door prize give aways - many left the evening not only after a great time with our OWL Ohana, but also with fabulous prizes!

OWL would like to thank Kaiser Permanente for sponsoring our OWL Spring Mixer!

Women's Legislative Caucus Breakfast

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

OWL again supported the YWCA's annual Women’s Legislative Caucus Breakfast on Wednesday, January 23rd at the YWCA’s Fuller Hall.  The caucus is a formal, bipartisan, and bicameral caucus that each year introduces an official package of bills and resolutions in both the Senate and House of Representatives.  The Caucus' legislative agenda focuses on women, children and families.

OWL Annual Meeting -- Luncheon at the Halekulani Hotel

Monday, November 5, 2018

Wahine Forum

WE ARE WAHINE

October 25, 2018
Hilton Hawaiian Village
The 11th annual Hawaii Business Wahine Forum was held on October 25th.  OWL once again supported this important event for women in Hawaii.  Thank you to all the OWL ladies who helped man our booth and promote our great organization!

This year's forum centered on the theme “We Are Wahine."  The theme was meant to encourage today’s women leaders to become mentors and sponsors for the next generation.  The conference featured about 35 local and national speakers in 13 sessions that focused on leadership, negotiating, building confidence and, especially, effective collaborations.

OWL Pau Hana 2018 Outrigger Canoe Club

The OWL Board of Directors would like to thank all of those who attended the OWL annual Pau Hana event at the Outrigger Canoe Club on October 3, 2018.

Our annual OWL Fall Pau Hana was a great time for our OWL members and guests to catch up and network.  OWL member Pene Paik (pictured below, top left) provided us with great public speaking tips - it is always nice to get a refresher in this area, as well as learn something new.  Thanks Pene! 

Another highlight of our evening was our annual door prize give-aways -- thank you to all who donated to make this a success!
 
The Pau Hana is a great way for OWL members and guests to get to know each other.  Offering an informal evening on the shores of Waikiki, the Outrigger Canoe Club is a special place to gather.  If you couldn't make it to this event, look for information on our OWL Spring Mixer!

A BIG thank you to our Pau Hana sponsor, Kaiser Permanente, for helping us enjoy our annual OWL Pau Hana and for their support for our organization.  Pictured below, top right, is Linda Puu, RN, Vice President of Quality, Safety, and Patient Experience, representing Kaiser Permanente at our Pau Hana.

2018 Spring Mixer

Thursday, April 26, 2018

The OWL Spring Mixer was a huge success with fun had by all.  The event was hosted at Allison Izu retail and production studio in Kaimuki.  In addition to great food by 12th Avenue Grill, yummy refreshing cocktails, fun  networking and shopping, we also learned from the experts about colors and dressing for your body type.

Mahalo for all those who attended and supported the event, especially Allison and her team.