Keeping It Aloha, One Episode at a Time

If you’ve been anywhere near Hawaiʻi social media the past few years, you’ve probably felt it: the hunger for real talk-story. Not the polished, PR version—more like the kind you get at the beach park after pau hana, or in the kitchen while somebody’s stirring the pot and everybody’s laughing. That’s the lane Kamaka has been running in, and he’s done it by doing something simple (and surprisingly rare): letting people be fully human on the mic. 

Born and raised in Hilo on the Big Island, Kamaka’s background is rooted in culture and community. On his official “About” page, he describes himself as a local boy of Native Hawaiian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese ancestry, who grew up speaking Hawaiian as his first language while attending Hawaiian Language Immersion schools. That foundation matters, because it shows up in how he moves: he’s comfortable in cultural spaces without turning culture into a costume.

His path also includes stepping outside the islands and bringing that ʻike (and perspective) back home. After attending Kaiser High School for his senior year, Kamaka went on to graduate from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with a B.A. in Communications and a certificate in Spanish. Then came a major chapter: three years volunteering with the Peace Corpsin Madagascar. 

That overseas experience wasn’t just “travel.” It reshaped how he understood culture, language, and humility—especially the feeling of trying to speak someone else’s language respectfully, even when you don’t sound perfect. In a Hawaiʻi Public Radio interview, he described how leaving Hawaiʻi made him realize how small home can feel until you see the wider world, and how the experience flipped his perspective on what it means to be a visitor trying your best.

When he returned home, Kamaka didn’t just fold back into normal life—he set goals and rallied community support around them. In that same HPR story, he talks about becoming hyper-focused on missions he believes in, including a widely shared personal challenge to pay down significant student debt through donation-based odd jobs and community support. Whether you see that as hustle, service, or both, the thread is the same: he’s been practicing “community” long before it became a content strategy.

The podcast that feels like a backyard

In 2021, he launched Keep It Aloha—a show built around talk-story with influential figures in Hawaiʻi and beyond. The premise is straightforward: go deeper than the headline version of a person’s life, and talk about what “keeping it aloha” looks like in real situations. 

One detail that tells you a lot about how he approaches the work: consistency. In the show’s introductory episode description, the team promises new episodes every Thursday and daily social media clips—basically treating storytelling like a steady practice, not a once-in-a-while moment. That kind of rhythm is how a podcast becomes part of people’s week, the same way radio used to be.

And it’s not just “internet popular.” A Hawaii News Now feature described Kamaka as one of Hawaiʻi’s prominent podcasters and highlighted how he prefers to stay grounded, even as his audience grew and his interviews started including major names. That groundedness is a big reason the show works: the vibe is never “look at me.” It’s “come sit down—let’s talk.”

Bigger than the mic: outreach, live shows, and on-the-road episodes

As the platform grew, Kamaka began expanding the show beyond the studio. There have been “on the road” episodes—one episode description even notes a road episode sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines, which signals the kind of brand partnerships that usually come after a show proves it can carry real community attention.

He’s also brought the podcast to live audiences. A listing for a live taping at Blue Note Hawaii describes a special episode recorded from the Blue Note stage, blending live conversation with music (including an acoustic set). Live podcasting is different—you can’t hide behind edits—so when a show makes that jump, it usually means the host has earned trust, and the audience wants to be in the room, not just in the comments.

Behind the scenes, Kamaka is also tied into broader Hawaiʻi community storytelling work. Event materials for a CreativeMornings Honolulu collaboration describe him as Director of Outreach for Hawaiiverse—a role that fits his whole pattern: connect people, amplify stories, keep the community conversation moving. 

What he’s up to now

So when you ask, “what’s he up to?”—the clean answer is: he’s building an ecosystem.

• Podcast growth and consistency: continuing weekly episodes and frequent social clips (the engine that keeps the audience engaged). 
• Live experiences: taking the show into venues like Blue Note Hawaiʻi for special live episodes. 
• Community/outreach work: representing and supporting Hawaiiverse through outreach as noted in public event materials. 
• Expanding into publishing: he’s also teased a book project titled “Keep It Aloha” on Instagram—another way of sharing lessons and life story beyond audio/video. 

And because modern media is multi-platform by default, his presence stretches across the socials too—both personal and the show accounts—where the podcast highlights episodes, clips, and the ongoing “keep it aloha” message. 

Why this matters for Ninth Island people

For anyone living Ninth Island life—especially in Las Vegas—this kind of platform hits different. Being off-island can feel like you’re constantly translating yourself: explaining your humor, your values, why certain things matter, why certain things hurt. A talk-story podcast that centers island voices becomes more than entertainment. It becomes a reminder that you can be far from home and still connected to the heartbeat of home.

That’s the larger takeaway from Kamaka’s rise: he took something Hawaiʻi already does naturally—talk-story—and built a modern platform that honors it. Not by being the loudest, but by being consistent, respectful, and curious. Week after week, guest after guest, he’s proving that “keeping it aloha” isn’t a slogan. It’s a practice.

Quick Facts

• Name: Kamaka Dias
• Known for: Host/creator of Keep It Aloha (Hawaiʻi culture + real talk-story interviews). 
• From: Hilo, Hawaiʻi (Big Island). 
• Background: Hawaiian Language Immersion (Hawaiian as first language), later senior year at Kaiser High (Oʻahu). 
• Education: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa — B.A. Communications + certificate in Spanish. 
• Service: Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar (3 years). 
• Podcast stats: Updated weekly; long-running catalog (Apple lists 200+ episodes).

Where to Follow

• Website: Keep It Aloha — https://keepitaloha.com/
• Instagram (Podcast): @keepitalohapod — https://www.instagram.com/keepitalohapod/
• Instagram (Kamaka): Kamaka Dias (@kamakadias8) — https://www.instagram.com/kamakadias8/
• YouTube: Keep it Aloha Podcast — https://www.youtube.com/@KeepitAlohaPod
• Spotify: Keep it Aloha — https://open.spotify.com/show/3S4albn4TaWiwqcLVSnHNb
• Apple Podcasts: Keep it Aloha — https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/keep-it-aloha/id1592266675
• Facebook: Keep it Aloha Podcast — https://www.facebook.com/keepitalohapod/