In this episode, Celeste Connors, the new President of the East‑West Center in Honolulu, shares how Hawaiʻi’s core value of aloha can guide global diplomacy. Raised in Hawaiʻi with over 25 years of experience as a U.S. diplomat and policy advisor, she brings a distinctive island‑rooted perspective to international relations. Listeners will hear stories of how aloha values such as care, respect, and relationality shape complex global conversations and foster meaningful cross‑cultural connections. Influenced by her dear friend and colleague, the late Pono Shim, she reflects on how Hawaiʻi can serve as a bridge within the Asia-Pacific region, cultivating mutual understanding and shared values through the work of the East‑West Center - and beyond. This conversation offers a fresh, values-driven vision of diplomacy that centers humanity and hope.

Episode Highlights

01:56 Celeste Connors' Career Journey

03:41 First Foreign Service Assignment

04:30 International Assignments and Graduate School

06:36 Return to the White House

07:58 Sustainability and the SDGs

10:08 Returning to Hawaii

12:09 Hawaii Green Growth and Community Impact

19:16 Meeting Pono Shim and Coming Home

27:11 The Essence of Aloha in Achieving SDGs

27:58 Hawaii's Leadership and the Aloha+ Challenge

29:53 Hawaii's Next Generation of Leaders

33:56 Reflections on Global Movements and Peace Seekers

35:42 Hopes for Hawaii's Economic Future

39:09 Honoring Pono Shim

48:21 The Role of the East West Center

54:06 Final Reflections

Resources

East‑West Center – Promoting Asia‑Pacific dialogue and research

Hawaiʻi Green Growth – Advancing sustainable growth and environmental stewardship

Aloha+ Challenge – Hawaiʻi’s statewide sustainability and SDG initiative

Aloha+ Challenge Program Details – Learn more about Hawaiʻi’s action plan for the SDGs

Aina Aloha Economic Futures – Supporting Hawaiʻi’s sustainability and community initiatives

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – Global framework for sustainable development

Welcome to the Above the Sides podcast! Join us on our journey to uncover what it means to think, act, and live aloha. The inspiration for this podcast is the late Pono Shim, former President and CEO of the Oʻahu Economic Development Board. His stories capture the essence of what it means to live aloha. He made it known that aloha is a lifestyle. It is not a solution to problems, a marketing brand or to be used as an advantage over anyone else. Aloha is to be honored and practiced.

The name of this podcast is in reverence of Hawaiʻi's Queen Liliʻuokalani, who wrote: "To gain the kingdom of heaven is to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable – that is Aloha. All things in this world are two; in heaven there is but One.” Through these episodes, we seek to find that singular perspective, the one that is "above the sides" as we strive for universal peace.

We welcome you to pause with us as we share the stories and voices of Hawai’i business leaders, educators and community members who have chosen to be lifelong students of aloha. Mahalo nui loa for listening.