03/08/2026
Soooo, don’t mind my crazy facial expressions in these photos … 😂
A kind stranger offered to take pictures and just started snapping… and I didn’t check them before I left. So here we are.
But I had to post this moment.
Today at the IVAT Trauma Conference I met Roman De Peralta, lead singer of Kolohe Kai — and I’m a huge fan.
He shared how mental health treatment helped him through difficult seasons in life and how those experiences shaped his music, including Round and Around, a song about not giving up.
What struck me most was hearing him thank the mental health professionals in the room for the healing work we do.
Because honestly…
his music and that incredible voice have had the same healing effect on me and so many others.
Also a full circle moment for me — when I first moved to Hawai‘i in 2008, Kolohe Kai’s music was part of the soundtrack of that chapter of my life.
Healing through music.
Healing through people.
A beautiful cycle that goes round and around. 🎶
⸻