Leading with Heart: Kevin Wakayama on Law and Justice in Hawaii

In this episode, we sit down with longtime Hawaiʻi attorney, Kevin Wakayama, to explore how a heart-led approach has shaped his decades of legal practice. From his roots on Kauaʻi to studying law during the Vietnam War, Kevin shares pivotal moments of his life and what led him to choose tax law over criminal law. Rooted in the Aloha Spirit Law and influenced by the late Alvin and Pono Shim, Kevin offers thoughtful reflections on his experiences interlacing aloha into legal work and leadership. He also reminisces about the late 1960s, when as a high school student, he was part of a movement where local visionaries imagined the year 2000 and ways to reach a diversified economy centered on peace through education and value-aligned industries. Whether you're curious about law, committed to social justice, or drawn to Hawaii's history of community leadership, we invite you to pause with Kevin's stories.

Episode Highlights

00:00 Introduction to Kevin Wakayama

00:50 Becoming an attorney: Kauaʻi to college during the Vietnam War

03:57 Choosing tax law over criminal law

04:51 The Aloha Spirit Law in practice

08:54 Reflections on the Aloha Spirit and community

21:21 Aiming for Prosperity in 1969: economic development and education in Hawaii

36:23 Aloha in action

39:53 Advice for aspiring legal professionals

42:48 Closing thoughts 

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.