I'm Chelsea,

I'm Chelsea

a Hawaiʻi-born creative passionate about environmental advocacy, mindful productivity and finding joy in everyday moments.

Aloha

The power of intentional living.

i believe in

In any given moment I have two choices:

challenge → uncertainty → avoidance
or
challenge → uncertainty → perseverance → growth.

My life is a testament to opting for the latter.

As someone born and raised in Hawaiʻi my passion for intentional harmonious living is rooted in the island culture I grew up in. These are five values which I strive to embody and to honor with my relationship to self and the work I put out in the world.

My Guiding Pillars

learning from hawaiian values

HOʻOMAʻEMAʻE – Living with respect and honoring one’s person and body inspires others by example. Pure, clean and to cleanse.

KULEANA – Right, privilege, concern, responsibility. Kuleana encompasses that for which one has ultimate responsibility.

ʻIKE – Knowledge, awareness and understanding. By fulfilling one’s responsibilities and providing the highest level of service, one demonstrates ʻike.

MĀLAMA – To care for, protect, nurture. To mālama means to focus on the needs and well-being of both the individual and the whole. Mālama ʻāina, care for the land, Mālama kai, care for the sea.

PONO – Goodness, correct, proper, righteous. Pono is a way of life. To be pono is to consider all persons, relationships and present situations when making decisions.

Podcasts with Chelsea

Listen to some

I've been told I'm too honest. Listen as we go deep into the topics of mindfulness, creativity and my journey with social media.

In people over profit

we believe

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my story

It started on Kaua'i.

On a small island there was a small girl who often had allergies. My story begins with an ending. For me, dropping out of architecture school was the thread that unraveled the blanket of the life I thought I was going to have. I tried so many different things from graphic design to selling jewelry. I stocked shelves in a grocery store. I was a spa attendant and a part time tour guide.

At the time my life felt like a failure - a former academic high achiever who fell off the wagon somewhere. I knew I wanted the freedom to create my own hours, to spend time outside, and to impact the world in a positive way.

But I kept creating..

I started sharing photos of the things I loved to do - a nature and adventure centric life of diving, hiking, and eating locally sourced foods. I never expected posting photos on Instagram to turn into a career. My growth on social media was always organic and steady, largely fueled by my underwater photos and networking with great creatives. There was no “viral” moment, instead it was a slow transition from side hustle to full-time, even employing my own team.

In 2016, things started to pick up as social media became a bigger force in the marketing world and I decided to leave my job to “try out this social media thing” full time. At that point I actually felt that I was late to the whole social media train!

Over the next few years, I worked with dream clients like Canon, Adobe, DJI and National Parks Foundation . I am proud to be supported by an all-women team of big dreamers who get things DONE.

1.1 million followers..

At the end of 2020, I hit 1 million followers while simultaneously hitting a pause on travel. With more time at home during the pandemic I launched a recycled swimwear collection and finally launched my own Chelsea Kauai presets too.

I still can't believe the amount of support I get from my community. I am so appreciative and grateful for the connection and lessons we are able to share with one another in this big, sometimes confusing world. You all make me feel less alone. My passion is taking all that energy given to me and reflecting it back to you in the form of writing, photos, and experiences which empower us all to live more intentionally and courageously.

Thank you for being here!

Book you’d recommend:

2.

Abundance: The Future is Better than You Think. The Rise of Superman, The Agony and The Ecstasy, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

Favorite thing about Kauai.

3.

The quiet. The way it smells. How pristine nature is. The abundance of fresh fruits. It's also THE perfect temperature balance.

What is your spirit animal?

4.

Hummingbird. A shaman in Guatemala told me that years ago and it keeps popping up.

Someday I want to_______.

5.

Freedive under an iceberg. Host a mini documentary series. Design a house.

Tips for aspiring travelers.

6.

You can literally find almost anything on the internet. Research beforehand vs falling into doing the same tourist itinerary everyone else does.

If you could only eat one meal for an entire week, what would it be?

Top 3 places you would visit over and over again?

7.

Indonesia, South Africa, my own mind.

how long can you hold your breath & whats your deepest dive?

8.

4 minutes & 104 ft freediving or 130 on scuba

Get to Know Chelsea

Pasta, or any kind of noodles. Oh gosh wait also buddha bowls with peanut sauce.

1.

q&A with Chelsea

In people over profit

we believe

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec viverra lacinia lacus, quis pretium felis placerat sed. In ut porta elit. Vestibulum quis commodo velit. Phasellus convallis massa non dictum varius. Proin at viverra diam. Aliquam ac dignissim.