Transformative Food

By M the Writer

Photo courtesy of Taylored Meals 

Entrepreneur Taylor Silva cooks up life-changing meals

Like many of us, Taylor Silva grew up eating pizza and hot pockets. When she began working out at her high school gym, she found herself craving more from her food. She wanted to eat to support her performance and get better results from training, so she started doing research.

Seven years later, Taylor’s obsession with food and fitness has turned into a brick and mortar reality - Taylored Meals - that is changing the way Kona eats. Along with a team of twelve, Taylor feeds over 100 people a week and growing with her healthy ‘meals to go’ business model. She has watched countless clients lose weight, sometimes as much as 10 lbs. per week from eating her meals and exercising. “It lights me up to see people transform before my eyes. They look different, feel different, their entire outlook on life changes,” says Taylor of her clients.

Taylored Meals began in 2014 when Taylor, a personal trainer, started cooking for a handful of her training clients at home. She would tell them what to eat to get the best results but found that most people were too busy with life to cook for themselves and lacked the discipline to change old habits at the grocery store. The clients she was training and feeding began to see immediate changes, and soon she was cooking for over 30 people on her home stove-top. Then one day, her husband surprised her with a key to an office space in Kona’s Old industrial area.

In her true DIY spirit, Taylor took the leap. She and her husband spent many long days and nights building a commercial kitchen from scratch. She commissioned her ubiquitous logo on the website Fiver and launched an Instagram account - which now has over 12K followers - as a marketing plan. “I slept in my kitchen for the first year,” says Taylor, who initially struggled to find employees. “I just refused to give up, no matter what.”

Her spirit and tenacity have paid off. Taylored Meals recently expanded to serve clients in Hilo and fed the National Guard during their response to the volcanic eruptions in Puna. Taylor herself is an example of someone who practices what she promotes. Last year she took second place in the NPC Sacramento Pro competition after training for 20 weeks and eating a steady diet of Taylored Meals.

Meals start at $13 for entrees and $7 for breakfast items. The meals are paleo inspired, using high-quality proteins like Big Island beef, organic free-range chicken, and wild caught fish, and a variety of locally grown vegetables. Vegetarian protein options are also available. House sauces and dips are made from scratch, like their delicious vegan ranch, and mango salsa. You haven’t lived until you’ve tried their Pronuts - gluten-free donuts packed with protein and good stuff - because your sweet tooth still needs love, OK?

For a full menu, visit tayloredmeals.com. To order, text 808 201 2301. Follow Taylored Meals on Instagram and like her on Facebook @tayloredmeals. 

Photo courtesy of Taylored Meals

Portrait of a Lava Chaser

PHOTOGRAPHER DEMIAN BARRIOS IS ON A MISSION TO USE HIS ART FOR GOOD ON THE BIG ISLAND

Demian Barrios got his first camera at 7 years old. Behind the lens of a 35mm film camera, he became obsessed with capturing the magic of the natural world - fleeting but powerful moments when he just happened to be at the right spot, at the right time.

Fast forward to May, 3rd, 2018. Grown up with a much bigger camera, Demian found himself at the right place at the right time - on top of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano during one of it’s most historic and destructive eruptions in modern history. On the ground for the first fissure eruption in Leilani Estates, Demian documented the flow as it consumed hundreds of homes in both Leilani Estates and Kapoho, where the lava continues to flow into the Pacific Ocean. 

Photo courtesy of Demian Barrios, Primary Focus Hawaii.

While documenting the ongoing volcanic activity, Demian has kept in close touch with those displaced by the lava, many of whom he knows personally. Hundreds of Puna residents have lost everything - homes, farmland, and businesses that made the fabric of a vibrant community. To help those in need, Demian recently launched the Lava Ohana Relief Fund. He is donating a percentage from the sale of each photo print - from a special collection of his work - to nine families. The proceeds will be directly distributed between the nine families to help them start over. Those who wish to donate can see photos and read each Ohana’s story on Demian’s website.

“Life can change in an instant. This experience has taught me to appreciate the simple things and shown me the incredible resilience that we have as human beings.”

— Demian Barrios

Photo courtesy of Demian Barrios, Primary Focus Hawaii.

If you have the opportunity to speak to Demian about his work, it’s clear that his entire heart and soul goes into it. As many creative, passion-driven professionals know, this can be a serious leap of faith. Sometimes, the Universe, or whatever you prefer to call it, gives us a powerful push onto our path. For Demian, this came in the form of the sudden death of his long-time friend and fellow lava chaser photographer, Sean King, who passed away in February. The pair had recently spent time on top of Mauna Loa to photograph the lunar eclipse on January 31st, where they talked all night about their passion for photography. 

“Sean didn’t just talk about his dreams, he went out and got his hands dirty building them. We shared a mindset that you first must dig the trenches and make the bricks that will eventually build your castle. It’s about intention and placement. His death made me question in my own life what I was doing to seize the moment.”

— Demian Barrios

For other creative professionals out there who are afraid to take the leap, Demian says that the most important thing is having a sense of urgency; you can’t postpone passion. To that, I would add a whole lot of courage and a vision with heart - two qualities that this talented photographer definitely has.

Follow Demian Barrios on Instagram @dbphotogallery, and on Facebook at Db Photo at Primary Focus. To learn more about him and his photography, visit his website: www.primaryfocushawaii.com.

The artist at work. 

Truth in Writing

Someone asked me the other day, “how do you write?”

What came out of my mouth was - “stay true to your voice”. Don’t conform to what you think others want to hear or expect.

When it comes to content writing for businesses, it’s about learning the voice of my clients and staying true to their voice. This means really getting to know them as a person, not just as a business owner. How do they speak? What is their sense of humor like? What do they love, and what do they hate? I’m a big believer in the law of attraction - you get what you put out.

I’ve found that getting clear on who you are, what you stand for, and what you want - in your business and life is the starting point for great things. As I gain clarity, I attract more clients who have a clear vision, which makes working together feel like a flow, rather than fighting a lion.

Instead of trying to be someone or something I think people will like, I strive to just be me - and I enjoy working with people who are true to themselves. Often times, they happen to have a business that they wholeheartedly believe in - a strong emotional connection that goes beyond the profit motive. The profit comes naturally because of their solid foundation. I would say this is the philosophy behind my work as a writer and business owner - to thine own self be true. It’s also my philosophy for this blog.

As a recovering perfectionist, starting this blog has been on my to-do list but I always have an excuse. The mother of all my excuses is rooted in a fear of insignificance - a feeling that there are so many writers, bloggers, and content creators out there that my voice will just be one more adding to the deafening noise.

But that’s not true - for any of us. My voice and my experience are unique and valuable. So is yours. There may be someone out there who needs to hear what I have to say, or what you have to say. Don’t deprive them of those words. I know there are many people in my life where if they had remained silent, I would not be where I am today. They opened their mouths and saved my life, many times without even knowing it.

So here’s to speaking up. Stay tuned for a new blog on the 8th of every month. I’ll be diving into topics on writing, creativity, entrepreneurship, and more… until I run out of words… which will be when my cat grows thumbs and starts helping me type this stuff.

Until next time --

M

MY STORY

IN MARCH 2012, 

I was enroute from Auckland to Philadelphia after spending three months on a solo backpacking trip across the North Island of New Zealand.

I was sitting in the San Francisco airport during my layover, when I suddenly decided I didn’t want to go back to the East Coast. I got up, walked out of the airport and caught the subway. I rented a bunk at a hostel. Two weeks later, I bought a one way ticket to Kona, Hawaii.

The thing was, I’d never been to Hawaii before, and I didn’t know a soul.

I landed on the island with a backpack, $500 dollars, and the phone number of a guy from couchsurfing.com.

Six years later, here I am. And, I’ve still got the backpack.

So, what does a grimy old backpack have to do with writing?

As a writer, my talent is “packing light”. You dump your proverbial suitcases on me - all the nitty gritty details of your story as a business owner - and I “pack” your backpack. You get the essentials - the WHY of your business told in a concise, creative way.

It’s amazing where you can go when you travel light!

Need help packing your backpack?

LET'S CHAT!