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How SoLight Design Aims to Have One Leg Up in Maui · OneLegUpAlex Media

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  Well, last time this guest joined me, I was actually in her own
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  living room as she welcomed me into her own home. Alice Chun, who
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  was actually fresh off a trip from the Turkey you know earthquake and then the
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  Ukraine hospital that she visited, the children's hospital, and now she's got another
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  disaster that soul Light Design is really on top of the ball of First of
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  all, Alice, thanks for joining me once again. Oh, it's a
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  pleasure to be here. Alex. Always wonderful to talk to you again.
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  Let me talk to you about firstly, before what soul Light is doing,
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  what your thoughts personally are on what's happening MAUI. I mean, it's just
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  tragic, isn't it. Absolutely Apparently there's a lot of there's a lot of
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  moving parts happening there on the ground. There's apparently some challenges in terms of
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  getting proper, proper aid there. Most of it seems to be with right
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  now finding you know, the bodies. They're still looking for bodies. But
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  apparently a lot of the people have either moved into hotels or airbnbs, but
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  there's still a great amount of people that were homeless before the fires, and
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  there's some communities that are creating ten ten camps that you know are are not
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  able to get into housing. There's issues with tribal lands versus government lands,
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  versus NGOs coming in to help. Apparently, there's challenges, you know,
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  in terms of being respectful of the culture in Hawaii and the tribes that are
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  in Hawaii. But I am. I have a contact on the ground,
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  which is a local community, and you know, I talked to them and
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  I said, you know, when should I come. I was thinking about
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  coming in September, and then they said, well, we need we need
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  your help now. So now I'm flying out on Sunday in a couple of
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  days, so and I'm putting about two hundred and forty lights in my luggage
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  and bringing it there, and I'll be there next week and I'll meet with
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  this community, and hopefully I'll also make other connections while I'm there to get
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  help to other communities. A lot of times when I go, you know,
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  it becomes a fluid ripple effect of connections, and sometimes I end up,
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  you know, getting other communities that need lights and I end up going
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  there as well, where in the beginning I might not have planned on doing
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  it, but while while I'm there, you know, things become more fluid,
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  and so I would expect something like that would happen on this trip as
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  well. Well. Kudos you for going to do is to provide these lights.
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  You know, I feel like we rely on government so much, and
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  yet here you are an independent person who's built this business, Soul Light,
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  doing more there I said in the government. I know that might be a
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  little controversial to say, but that's how it feels that the people on the
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  ground are doing more than our US government right now when it comes to relief
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  efforts. Well, I think that there's been a lot of different news and
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  you know, information going out there. It's apparently this is this is a
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  very kind of complex situation because we are dealing with native Hawaiian tribe and that
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  is kind of the impetus of the challenge. Apparently. So I don't know.
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  I mean, I was thinking I'm flying into Maui. You know,
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  I'm not flying into a war zone, so there's not this kind of danger
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  of being bombed or shot. But apparently there's some sort of complexity of being
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  in Maui. So I guess I'll learn more once i'm there. But apparently
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  it has been a little difficult for for nonprofits or aid organizations to get in
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  there to help. Well, how did you connect on the ground. Did
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  you already have people there that on the ground before this disaster happened? How
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  you build out there? No, I mean I just reached out to a
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  whole you know, from my experience of just with nonprofit partnerships that we've we've
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  worked together in different countries, like Operation Blessings. I've also been I have
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  a friend that has a home in Hawaii and he also has connections down there,
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  and he connected me with a community, and then they connected me with
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  another community, and and then I've been speaking with this one person who's actually
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  gonna take me to their community once once I'm there. So it's it's really
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  just, you know, I kind of think that it's it's the stars aligning
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  when things like this happen. When it comes to my my work, it
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  seems like it always aligns this way just from the pure magnitude of all the
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  people that I have met or spoken to throughout this time with you know,
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  with the solar pop and so light and the people that I've met along the
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  way, and or even people that interview me for for radio shows or podcasts
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  or TV shows. They they end up you know, I'll reach out to
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  two people and and you know, just knowing certain things about them, like
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  knowing that you know, this one friend lives and lives in Hawaii is able
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  to connect me with the community on the ground. And it wasn't a nonprofit
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  or a government or you know, it wasn't the Red Cross. I usually
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  don't. I usually don't go with the big ngeos because it's very complicated in
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  terms of their bureaucracy or you know, their their rules. It's kind of
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  strange that way because they're a nonprofit. They're supposed to be helping people.
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  But sure, but it's it's been difficult for me to work with them in
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  terms of helping people anyway. I'm not going to mention any any names,
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  but well that's why I being on your own it's so powerful to me.
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  And are you visiting children this time or just any kind of relief that you
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  can bring through these solar lights? Oh? I mean I always run into
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  children, of course, I hope so, But right now it's it's a
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  community. You know, I actually know very little. I'm just going to
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  go there and and you know, meet with the people that I've I've been
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  talking to this past week and and you know, of course I know that
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  for sure this one community meets our lights, because that's why I'm leaving on
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  Sunday, not not you know, a week later. And so I'm sure
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  about that. And then while I'm there, I'm sure I'm going to meet
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  other people. So I guess I'll let you know when I get back,
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  Alex, that would be great just to hear on the ground reports. Now
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  have you ever been to Malli before all of this happened. No, never,
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  never been to Hawaii. I am not, but just the pictures of
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  the images just looks really rough. I mean, it's it's why, by
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  the way, how how does it feel? That's so I can have continue
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  to have this impact tragedy to tragedy. Just be on the ground there.
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  What's that like for you? It's not you know what it's it's the light
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  at the end the end of the tunnel. So when I go in,
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  it's more like I'm giving the light at the end of the tunnel. And
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  people say that when you know, don't so many people they don't realize what
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  an inspiring and empowering environment. It is to go in there and create hope
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  and and make lives better and to help others. It's an incredible experience,
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  and it's also a rewarding experience, and it's a gift to me as well.
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  It's not just about you know, giving to others, but it's also
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  giving to my spirit and soul of my purpose. So it's not I mean,
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  when I went into Ukraine, everyone said that it would be terrible,
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  you know, the bombings, and and I met such amazing people and you
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  know, resilient people with great sense of humor, and the Ukraine they're so
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  strong, and stories of incredible children that were so strong and resilient and beautiful.
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  So it's it's not. You know, people think that it's this terrible
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  thing to go into these disaster zones, but it's actually you know, being
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  on the threshold that costs between the light of the end of the tunnel and
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  being out side of the tunnel. So it's not it's not as tragic as
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  you think. Of course, there are incredibly traumatizing and tragic stories that you're
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  going to hear and discover and realize through the experience, of course, of
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  course, but the The thing to think about is that the is beyond that,
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  to think outside the box. That the only way we're all going to
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  heal is by doing something, a little something, however small, it is,
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  to help in order for us to move forward and progress and to heal.
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  We filmed for about an hour or so when I was last with you,
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  and I didn't mention or asked this one question I've been thinking of as
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  we're talking today. When you go there, Alice Chun, do they just
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  get the lights or do you talk with them? And do they do you
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  walk them through? How does that process go? I do all of that.
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  I talk to them, and if there's children, I always talk to
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  them about the power of the sun and how they have power inside of them,
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  which is a light in their hearts and their minds, and how powerful
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  that is, and that they need to use that light to fight for their
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  dreams and ambitions. I always, you know, no matter where I go,
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  I always run into children, and I want to if I get a
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  chance to to share the story of the Solar Puff, I'll always do that.
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  And of course I do you know, you know, if I'm with
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  people, then you know, I train the people that I'm with, you
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  know, to distribute the lights and tell them how it works so that they
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  can continue to distribute on their own as well. Well, I guess that
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  is part of it, to make them sustainable after you leave. Now,
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  we didn't get a chance to talk about the Turkey earthquake trip. Tell us
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  about a story that stuck out to you while you were out there. Well,
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  I did visit a tent camp for children, and it was it was
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  thousands of about maybe five thousand children there. It was a school set up
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  and tents everywhere. It seemed like rows of tents for miles and miles.
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  And it was set up by the Ministry of Education and NATO, and it
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  was gated and I was able to visit each classroom with our lights and distribute
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  them to the children. I would ask each class how many of you are
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  going to be using these lights in tense tonight? And they all raised their
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  hands so and then I also tell them the story about how important and powerful
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  sunlight is as well as the light inside them. And many of the children,
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  really, you know, could could relate to that that. You know,
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  many of the children lost loved ones in the earthquake, lost their home,
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  lost any sense of you know, history of their lives before that,
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  so they you know, some of the children started crying when I started telling
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  that story because it was so moving. But I think the beauty of it
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  is that, you know, they're able to use that as a way of
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  empowering themselves to keep going and hope. Basically, I mean, if if
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  anything, I think the biggest gift that I give try to give is hope.
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  So you know, many many of the people that we visited were intent
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  and many of the you know areas that we visited in Turkey hate Turkey was
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  very, very damaged. Apparently it was the closest city to the epicenter,
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  and it looked like a war zone. These buildings had huge holes in them,
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  They're falling apart. There's rubble everywhere, and fields and fields and fields
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  of concrete rubble of all the you know, the demolition and clean up they
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  had to put that somewhere, So they're just fields and fields of rubble from
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  all of the buildings collapsing, and many people just starting their lives over again.
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  Like I met a woman with three children. They're living in a tent.
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  The father was off in another city trying to get work as a bus
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  boy or a waiter. But their life in hate was that they had a
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  very prosperous life with a grocery store. And now that grocery store is gone
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  and their home is gone, so they're just building their lives again. And
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  there's many many stories like that, and there's many children that are living in
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  tents and there's they're going to be there for a while until you know,
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  their government, I think, is trying to build rapidly, trying to build
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  you know, temporary housing, transitional housing. But in any case, I
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  think, you know, it's it's a dire and long rebuilding process that's going
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  to happen. Same thing with MAUI ma always it's going to be even more
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  complicated, I think because of all of the the issues with tribal land.
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  But yes, so Light by the Way has us a reach all over.
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  I want to ask you if last time we talked you mentioned Hillary and you
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  are friends. When you go on these trips, do you alert the Clinton
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  team, Hey I'm doing this. I mean, did they support you in
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  any way or was it just the TV series? Right? How does is
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  there still a connection to the Clintons. I did reach out to Hillary and
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  she did give me some advice about about Maui. It was very it was
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  very brief, and I don't know. I don't speak with her that often,
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  but I did. I did have a brief text with her last week
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  about this trip. I know that her president that she was Vice preen under
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  was, you know, born in Hawaii. Hawaii's aint his son, So
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  I'm sure she was out there through the Obama's as well as well just personal
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  trips. I just didn't know if there was any connection to that, Alice.
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  When you leave these places of and bring light to these places, when
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  you leave, how do you keep the connection going? I mean, how
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  did you keep the connection going? And you crating? You mentioned you were
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  still connected to the ABC reporters that were talking about Good Morning America. So
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  it's just your nature to stay connected like that, or is there is there
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  like part of the purpose is just stay connected after you leave these different areas.
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  I think it's probably a combination of both. I mean, it really
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  depends on the chemistry. And you know, I mean, anyone anyone can
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  also Alex, anyone can do what I'm doing. Honestly, I'm not a
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  superhero. I'm just a mom. I'm a woman, rhean woman, and
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  and I tend to like people. And I think you know anyone and make
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  friends when they travel. I think it's a natural thing to do. So
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  that's all I have to say about that. You know, people, everyone
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  has the power to make friends wherever they go, whether it's at home or
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  abroad, or when they're traveling or or on a humanitarian mission. It's it's
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  up to you to make that decision. And I think I just appreciate people,
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  and I'm curious about people, and and and I tend to I tend
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  to keep connections because they want to keep connections with me as well. So
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  does it so like ever? Die? I mean, obviously, if it's
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  not in the solar energy field, if you will, like under the sun,
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  it will not gain its energy. So how do you find it tough
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  for people to keep that light under the sun? Or are they pretty good
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  with it once they get the soul light, they're pretty good with it.
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  Yes, they understand right away. But that's pretty good. Well, you
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  know, when my dad actually did pass about a month after we met,
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  and that light that you gave us really shine in the home after he passed,
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  So thank you for that. Oh I'm so sorry to hear about your
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  father passing. I'm sorry, it's you know, he died in peace.
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  And you know, I just remember I visited you right as that whole thing
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  was going on. So I want to thank you for giving us that light
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  through that time. Oh you're welcome. It's my pleasure and I'm you know,
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  my condolences. I'm so sorry about your father and I hope you and
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  your family are are all right and healing from that. Uh, thank you,
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  thank you, and thank you for that interview during that time. It
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  kind of gave me a calm actually on St. Patrick's Day weekend. Uh.
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  One last thing is where can people find Soul Lights social media and website?
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  And also will you be posting pictures from Mauie with these lights. I'll
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  probably be sending out a newsletter of the trip to Maui and they can find
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  us at you know, Solight das Design dot com, so O l ight
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  Hyphendesign dot com. And we do have a give a Light page right now
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  with Maui disaster relief and I'm flying there on Sunday to deliver lights to people
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  that need them. Well, that that is good. Do you have I
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  know you're a faith believer, do you do you pray when you go to
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  these different areas and do you pray with the people while you're on the ground.
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  It depends on the community if they want to pray, I'll, you
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  know, I definitely will will participate and and honestly, I pray every day,
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  so it doesn't matter whether I'm going somewhere or not, I pray.
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  I pray all the time. So in any case, thank you so much
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  for having me, Alex. It's really great to talk to you again.
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  Alice Chun, thanks so much, and God bless you on your flight to
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  Maui and your trip to Maui, and please stay in touch with us and
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  keep us updating what goes on while you're over there, and of course we'll
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  talk after you get back. All right, Thanks Alex, take care,
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  bye bye. That was Alice Chun of so Light Design. She is the
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  CEO and founder and she's been working to have one leg up in Hawaii in
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  Maui as they go through this rough time of devastation and really trying to piece
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  their lives back together after these wildfires. And always respect Alice's trips to these
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  different areas and bringing light to really those who need it. On the Alex
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  Garret Podcast Network. Thanks for listening.