Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Nana Kailiwai

Nana Kailiwai shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Nana , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
Free time. The freedom to wake up when my body is called to and simply bask in what the day has to offer in gratitude before even thinking to deep into what is to come. For the last 2 1/2 years I worked as a remote customer care operator and although my job had many wonderful benefits including me being at home it almost instantly took a toll on my will to explore outside of the typical M – F work week. At first I assumed I was being selfish in my desire to follow my heart and seek work that felt more freeing because there’s this idea that dances in mind that there is no job that provides such freedom. I now know this isn’t true. There are dream careers and spaces to apply your gifts that don’t drain your desire to live and be free but to get to them you have to say no to what’s typical for you in response to your circumstances. Finding myself has seemed to always come in the form of release and exploration, and most importantly surrender to change.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Halo all, my name is Nana Kailiwai. Nana being a name my padrino (god father) gave me being he had a thick cuban accent the pronunciation of my name “Raina” would sound like “Nan-Na”. Kailiwai deriving from my great grandmother Ruby, a Hawaii born and New orleans bred angel + spirit guide of mine. My choice in these two names in particular were through my calling to Nana Buluku, an african deity and sign that you are in connection with your deepest roots. She’s been a constant reminder on my journey of self. The names we give to ourselves are very important, and through the choosing i’ve learned that nothing about our choices are random at all. We are called to be who we are before we ever arrive and for me that is what my art is about. The exploration of spirit and evolution, starting at the root. I’ve grown to practice many mediums – writing, producing films, spaces + events, modeling, creative directing, set design etc. but overall i find myself to be a healer of sorts through my vulnerability. There’s something special that happens when you choose to open up to someone. Not only do we get the chance to speak and release, they also get the chance to feel seen or heard through likeminded experiences.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
What breaks bonds between people, from my most recent experiences seems to be communication. Are we being honest? What grace are we extending? Are we speaking to communicate and listening to hear? Or are we simply saying things with self only in mind? In any relationship understanding is yearned for and I think we often bypass the actual process of learning our peers. We get ourselves into friendships and relationships in hopes the dots magically connect and when things start to get more intense we lack clear communication to better help the understanding of it all. The only way to build a healthy foundation in any relationship is self regulation. Taking the time to understand ourselves & regulate our emotions can help us restore what is lost when communication and clarity lacks. It gives you a baseline to understanding yourself so when misunderstood you can communicate your emotions properly.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Well, in all honesty this is a loaded question for me. I wouldn’t say my life has been full of turmoil or trauma… although to bypass the acknowledgment of my suffering would be silly because it truly has sculpted my reality in a way that has grounded me more than anything. I think the most important thing that suffering has taught me that success cannot, would be that grief is ok. For a long time my spirit felt distorted by the reality of such heavy loss throughout my life but mostly my early twenties. Throughout 2020-2022 each year I lost a loved one to gun violence. During this time I moved away from home to LA, my first time ever making such a big change. I mention the two as one because through my loss there was a repurposing on my life. You are never the same once you experience such extreme grief. However it has the power to better help you understand that suffering is inevitable and so are the blessings + the joy that come from your angels / guides / God when you can rejoice in such heaviness.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I’d have to say my angels, and my over-all communication with those that have passed on. Sometimes I try to think logically about it all like ok… These signs are just appearing because I’ve developed a sense of awareness of my connection to the things that surround me. The whole “you are your thoughts” thing, which is true. However I do believe strongly there are times when spirit sends you signs exactly when you need them and there’s no way you can ignore the message because of how clear the sign is. For instance if there’s a certain time. number. color, name, or place associated with a lost loved one i’m almost positive if you fine tune yourself to be a little more aware you’ll start to see that they can communicate to you through there favorite things along with things shared throughout life.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Interesting enough this question has been at the forefront of my life. The line can be very thin. For a long time i thought my worth was dependent upon finding my way financially and artistically in the sense of accolades & wealth. While those things are nice to have the last couple of years have shown me that I shouldn’t have to separate my passions from work in order to ‘survive’. Once you become aware of Gods calling on your life anything out of alignment with that calling will start to chip away at your spirit. I was recently ushered by spirit to release a job that was my main source of income for 2 1/2 years. Through this release i’ve been forced to make new choices, follow new callings and most importantly doing what I was born to do which is healing others through my leadership & awareness.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
@raggedysmiles
kayla rose @thecreativemuva x 2wo unit
will willoughby @willsodope
@sukisavehim

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