From mindfulness apps to diet hacks, Hawai‘i’s grounded gurus have a wealth of wellness knowledge to share.
Nique Miller. PHOTO BY NIKITA MIROSHNIKOV
professional surfer
Competing on both the Longboard and SUP World Tour, this Afro- Latina surfer out of Waikiki has her sights set on becoming a world champion. Nique Miller started surfing just six years ago for fun with friends and got hooked. “About two years after my first-ever attempt, I competed in a local contest here in Waikiki and placed second,” she says. “Soon, I started winning or always finishing in the top five.” Now, Miller is a fully sponsored professional athlete (by Billabong) who competes all over the world.
Nique Miller. PHOTO BY NIKITA MIROSHNIKOV
“Wellness has long been a part of my journey,” she says. “Being a professional surfer, it’s super important to really take wellness into consideration with everything I do on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. You really have to be in the best shape possible to keep on a winning track. You’re normally not going to win just on sheer determination and skill; you need everything, which includes wellness.” The biggest part of her wellness routine is eating healthy and clean. “Another key part of my wellness journey has been practicing self-love,” she says. “Giving myself mental breaks from social media and my phone, taking more time to do things I love and really getting out into nature is so important to keep your mind sane and sharp.”
One thing she can’t go without is time spent in the ocean surfing. “This is my biggest therapy, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” she says. “This is where I take the most time for myself and where I push the limits of my body and mind on improving my skills and getting stronger. I love how free you are in the ocean with Mother Nature and that this sport is easily something you can do by yourself or with friends. Also, I really appreciate that the ocean does not discriminate on age, looks, weight, gender or sexual preference… We are all equal out there among the waves.” @nique_miller
BREAKFAST: Homemade fruit smoothies with chia seeds and oats
WAKE-UP TIME: 7: 30 am
DIET: Vegetarian
NEMESIS: Time
HOTEL: The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort
WORKOUT: Surfing and keeping up with my new puppy
LAST MEAL: Butternut squash ravioli
SUPPLEMENTS: Women’s multivitamin, self-love
MENTOR: My grandma and mom
WORKOUT SHOES: Nike
WORKOUT OUTFIT: Billabong women’s clothing
WORKOUT PLAYLIST: Nature sounds
BEST ADVICE: Follow your heart and dreams.
MANTRA: Never give up.
DINNER: Anything homemade
SOULMATE: My boyfriend
BEDTIME: Varies
ON MY NIGHTSTAND: Pictures of my loved ones, seashells
THEME SONG TO MY LIFE: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”
3 DESERT ISLAND ESSENTIALS: Italian food, water, surfboard
YESTERDAY: A day that is now a memory
ZODIAC: Pisces
Pi‘iali‘i Lawson. PHOTO BY NICK SMITH MEDIA LLC
energy healing practitioner, lauhala weaving teacher and practitioner
Native Hawaiian starseed, hala wisdom keeper and energy healing practitioner Pi‘iali‘i Lawson was born and raised along the Wai‘anae Coast on O‘ahu and descends from a long line of healers and lauhala weaving practitioners. His wellness journey started as a young adult on the family Kalo farm in Waipi‘o Valley, where Lawson’s granduncle Kia taught him lauhala weaving and lāʻau lapaʻau (plant medicine) remedies. “The more I connected to plant medicine, the more it would raise my awareness of what I was putting in my body, so I became more conscious of eating more locally grown, organic and non-GMO foods,” he says. Through practicing energy healing, Lawson began to have a deeper awareness of the vibration of foods and how it affected physical and emotional bodies. “It made me become more intuitive in what I was consuming overall from food, drinks, music, people I was surrounding myself with and places I would go, and also my thoughts and how it affected my overall wellness as a lightworker and healer,” he says. “I also realize that in order for me to be of service, it was important to keep my vibration high.”
For Lawson, self-love and gratitude are essential parts of his wellness routine. “It sets the tone and vibration for the day through affirmations and speaking gratitude for the day and all my guides, ancestors, the land and god/source,” he says. “Starting the day with love and gratitude allows me to be in a high vibrational space that has a powerful impact on my emotional and mental health that ripples to my overall wellness.” In addition to his own practice where he offers energy realignment sessions and community-based weaving workshops in West O‘ahu and online via Zoom, he also has a unique weekly workshop, Sound Journey Experience, at the Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu at Ko Olina. @piialiihawaii
BREAKFAST: I often fast in the morning, but when I don't, I enjoy fruits and non-dairy coconut yogurt
WAKE-UP TIME: 6 am on average
DIET: Pescatarian but mostly plant-based
DOPPELGANGER: My husband. We always get asked if we are twins or brothers, which we find so funny.
UNIFORM: Linen shirt and shorts
HOTEL: Four Seasons Resort O‘ahu
WORKOUT: Walking in the park, basic yoga
LAST MEAL: Spicy ahi poke bowl
SUPPLEMENTS: Vitamin D3, quercetin, vita in C, zinc, magnesium, On-Guard, herbal tinctures
MENTORS: Anela Watson and Lal i Akana
WORKOUT SHOES: Nike Air Zoom
WORKOUT OUTFIT: Elastic workout shorts and a T-shirt
WORKOUT BUDDY: My husband, Lucky, and our furbaby Hilina‘i
BEST ADVICE: Listen and trust your na‘au (gut/intuition).
MANTRA: He aloha au (I am love).
STREAMING NOW:Hea ling Wednesday, Circle of Twelve
DINNER: Non-GMO plant burger with home made Korean sauce and brown or black rice
SOULMATE: My husband, Lucky Lawz
BEDTIME: Anywhere from 9pm to midnight
Tara Sachi. PHOTO BY MATTY LEONG
yoga instructor, health and wellness adviser
“My career in health and wellness first began with becoming a certified personal trainer in 2016,” says Tara Sachi. About one and a half years in, she felt the need to change her direction and received her 200-hour yoga and yoga sculpt certifications. “I had a new-found love for teaching and have been doing so for almost three years now,” she says. Her pathway has continued as she graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as a health coach in 2020.
Born and raised in Kaimuki, Hawai‘i, wellness is something Sachi holds very close to her heart. “Health to me is so much more than a workout and the food you eat,” she says. It’s the thoughts in your head, the way you speak to yourself and others—it’s far more complex.” After watching her father suffer and survive a heart condition, she is devoted to making lifestyle decisions for a long, healthy and prosperous life. The biggest part of her wellness routine is yoga. “It incorporates breath, movement, stillness, self-reflection and self-study,” she says.
When working with others, Sachi first caters to the individual, as health looks different for each of us, she notes. She then approaches how to make lifestyle changes accessible and paints the bigger picture for their wellness journey. Currently offering online yoga workshops and in-person private classes for small and large groups, Sachi also surfs and teaches small-group surf lessons. “In addition to my work in health and wellness, I’m also very passionate about surfing and sustainability, which is what you’ll see a lot of on my IG.” @tara.sachi
Tara Sachi. PHOTO BY MATTY LEONG
BREAKFAST: Pass! I typically fast until 12pm.
WAKE-UP TIME: 7am
DIET: Plant-based, but no restrictions
NEMESIS: Plastic/Styrofoam
UNIFORM: Oversized button-down
HOTEL: The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort
WORKOUT: HIIT, yoga, surf
LAST MEAL: Miso soup with bone broth
SUPPLEMENTS: Magnesium, B12, functional mushrooms, zinc
WELLNESS APP: Insight Timer
WORKOUT SHOES: Anything with good support
WORKOUT OUTFIT: Lululemon leggings and top
WORKOUT PLAYLIST: EPIC RUN on Spotify by yours truly
WORKOUT BUDDY: My boyfriend, Matty
BEST ADVICE: Be yourself and don’t worry about the rest.
MANTRA: What’s for you will not pass you.
STREAMING NOW: Demon Slayer
BEDTIME: 10:30pm
ON MY NIGHTSTAND: Bullet journal, candles, books
THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE: “Remedy” by Surfaces
GYM BAG: Aloha Collection
3 DESERT ISLAND ESSENTIALS: Sunscreen, water filter, machete
YESTERDAY: Self-care Sunday
ZODIAC: Gemini
Isaac Boots. PHOTO BY JEFFREY PATRICK O’BRECHT
celebrity trainer, choreographer and Broadway dancer
Born in the small town of Waimanalo on O‘ahu, Isaac Boots woke up the morning after high school graduation determined to succeed. With a mixture of drive, naivete and luck, as he says, he is now one of the most in-demand fitness trainers in NYC. Wellness has always been instinctual for Boots as a dancer. While performing in West Side Story on Broadway, he began a workout regime to help him stay lean, fit and be able to perform eight times a week. “Slowly but surely the rest of the cast started joining in before the show, and I found myself barking orders and feeling the rush of what was to come,” says Boots, who began livestreaming his fitness class, Torch’d, in March 2020. “Beyond the physical results you see quickly with Torch’d and the ability to do it anywhere, I continually hear that I make people laugh and enjoy themselves,” says Boots. “That sense of levity and humor keeps people going and it’s a nice perk that their booties look so good.”
What he’s most proud of through Torch’d “is galvanizing an authentic community around the world to not only take care of their bodies but also to think outside of themselves and raise millions of dollars for children in need,” he says. “I saw an opportunity to make a bigger impact and encouraged my daily viewers to donate to No Kid Hungry in lieu of paying me. Everyone came together and we raised over $1 million in six months.” Next up, he plans to raise awareness for the World Childhood Foundation as its gala co-chair on May 4 in NYC.
Torch’d has taken over his wellness routine, but he notes the one thing he couldn’t go without is being near an ocean. “Being native Hawaiian, I find that being near an ocean, putting my feet in the water and walking on the sand recharges me and keeps me grounded.” Join his free, live Torch’d workout every day, 6am HST. @isaacboots
BREAKFAST: Black coffee and a prayer
WAKE-UP TIME: 6am
DIET: Intermittent fasting, protein and veg
DOPPELGANGER: A toss-up between Kylie Jenner, Sal Mineo and Gizmo
NEMESIS: Carbs
UNIFORM: James Perse T-shirt, Marni cardigan, Rag & Bone jeans, Prada boots
HOTEL: The Carlyle (where I got married)
WORKOUT: Torch’d, duh
LAST MEAL: Vodka rocks
SUPPLEMENTS: Macrobiotic bowl
WELLNESS APP: The 72 Names of God
MENTOR: Carol Channing
WORKOUT SHOES: Prada x Adidas sneakers or Prada boots for dramatic effect
WORKOUT OUTFIT: Torch’d hoodie, Prada boots and impossibly short Terez tights
WORKOUT PLAYLIST: Custom playlists by my friend DJ Callie Reiff filled with everything from Madonna, Kanye, Kim Petras, Bone Thugs to Cher
WORKOUT BUDDY: Davis, my poodle
BEST ADVICE: Discipline mixed with love is such a good recipe.
PHILANTHROPY: World Childhood Foundation
MANTRA: More is more.
STREAMING NOW: Yellowjackets
SOULMATE: My husband, Jeffrey (and Timothée Chalamet)
BEDTIME: 10pm sharp
ON MY NIGHTSTAND: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and D.V. by Diana Vreeland
THEME SONG TO YOUR LIFE: “Express Yourself”
GYM BAG: Chanel
3 DESERT ISLAND ESSENTIALS: Rosewater, The Zohar and Ruinart Champagne
YESTERDAY: “A faded smile, frozen in time,” only worth a quick glance for reference and gratitude
ZODIAC: Scorpio
Photography by:
