The Lucky 7 Lessons They Don’t Teach You at Princeton, Yale, and Harvard

The Lucky 7 Lessons by Melvin Masuda
The Lucky 7 Lessons They Don’t Teach You at Princeton, Yale, and Harvard by Melvin Masuda

Softcover, 24 pp
Release Date: September 2021

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In earning degrees from three prestigious Ivy League universities, Mel Masuda learned valuable lessons that went far beyond the curriculum—from ethics to dealing with intolerance to the value of his working-class roots.

“You learn pretty quickly that the intellectual life of Princeton, Yale, and Harvard is different from the real world,” Masuda observes. In The Lucky 7 Lessons They Don’t Teach You at Princeton, Yale, and Harvard, Masuda lays out his top seven takeaways from his life of higher education.

This book is a customized version of the Print on Demand Package.

The Lucky 7 Lessons is available via online booksellers in print and e-book formats.

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What the World Needs Now

What the World Needs Now by Joyce Iwashita
Softcover, 48 pp
Release Date: May 2022
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How can you contribute to make the world a better place? That’s the question educator Joyce Iwashita asks in her new book, What the World Needs Now: A Guide for Helping Kids Make Good Choices. Simple actions and positive choices are rendered in vivid digital illustrations by Kelson Gallano, a senior at Ka‘ū High School on the island of Hawai‘i.

A retired school teacher and principal, and a graduate of Ka‘ū High herself, Iwashita found herself wondering during the pandemic, How could I help children, if I were still a school principal? “A global pandemic impacts everyone,” she notes, “but it presents especially great challenges for children and their families. Teaching students that they can make choices that will improve or enhance their lives—or someone else’s—helps bring out their best.” With that in mind, she wrote What the World Needs Now to spread the message that “Everyone can contribute to making things right in their schools, in their communities, and throughout the world.” 

When it came time to bring her lessons to life with artwork, Iwashita turned to her alma mater for a recommendation to a student illustrator. “I completed the writing in 2020, and in May of 2021 I was connected with Kelson,” Iwashita recalls. “He and I started communicating via Zoom and exchanged ideas and reviewed drafts in monthly conferences with his teacher and his parents.” Adds Gallano, “It was a great learning expererience for me and brought me out of my comfort zone—I taught myself to use the Procreate app on the iPad and used Mrs. Iwashita’s storyline paired with illustrations of what we as students go through every day. I’m thankful that she trusted and believed in me.” Gallano’s cover depicts the flowers spread across the hillside of Pu‘u Makanau, where the early Hawaiian navigators of Ka‘ū observed the stars—the “twinkling eyes” in the mountain’s name. The flowers, he explains, represent all the children of Ka‘ū.

The 48-page softcover, full-color book is a custom-quote project illustrated with original artwork provided in digital format by the client.

What the World Needs Now is available via our online store and at local bookstores and online retailers.

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Ha‘aha‘a

Ha‘aha‘a by Thao “Kale‘a” Le, PhD, MPH
Hardcover, 32 pp
Release Date: September 2023
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Beautiful, sweet, stunning Mango is praised by everyone. Compared to the leaves, the tree branches, the other mangoes, Mango is just…better…isn’t it so? When confronted with the sacrifices of those around them, Mango learns a valuable lesson in humility.

Written by Thao “Kale‘a” Le, PhD, MPH, a professor in the Human Development and Family Studies program in the Family Consumer Sciences Department at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa, Ha‘aha‘a is a creative narrative for encouraging humble appreciation of one’s own gifts and the contributions of others. Ha‘aha‘a is one of the components of ALOHA, as espoused by the teachings of Native Hawaiian poet and philosopher Aunty Pīlahi Pākī, otherwise known as the “Aloha Spirit Law,” HRS [§5-7.5].

Covers Hawaii Content & Performance Standards Database III Content Area: Health
Standard 1: Core Concepts – Understand concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention (Mental and Emotional Health); Standard 3: Self-Management – Practice Health: Enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks (Mental and Emotional Health, Factors Influencing Health Across Topic Areas); Standard 5: Interpersonal Communication – Use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health

This is the third book in Dr. Le’s series designed to teach children about ALOHA and mindfulness. 

The 32-page hardcover, full-color book is a custom-quote project illustrated with original artwork provided in digital format by the client.

Ha‘aha‘a is available via our online store and has been distributed through the author’s efforts via partnerships with educational organizations.

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Beyond the Lines

Beyond the Lines by Rusty Komori

Beyond the Lines: Creating a Leadership Culture to Achieve Extraordinary Results
by Rusty Komori

Softcover, 112 pp
Release Date: December 2017
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Beyond the Lines offers a game plan for any leader to help an organization achieve and sustain success. In direct, simple terms, author Rusty Komori lays out a path for achievement and excellence in leadership, drawing from notable examples in sports history, as well as his own experience during more than two decades as a successful, championship-winning tennis coach.

Rusty Komori is a motivational speaker, leadership consultant, and tennis professional based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. From 1994 through 2015, he was the head tennis coach at Punahou School, where his boys’ varsity teams won an unprecedented 22 consecutive state championships, a national record in all sports that still stands. His books are a component of his speaking engagements, providing lasting lessons and a reminder of Komori’s consulting services.

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

Beyond the Lines is available via our online store, local bookstores and via online booksellers.

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Educating with Aloha

Educating with Aloha by Jan Iwase
Softcover, 176 pp
Release Date: August 2021
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In Educating with Aloha: Reflections from the Heart on Teaching and Learning—her second book drawing upon the wisdom of 45 years as an educator—Jan Iwase offers fresh insights into creating caring school communities. Packed with succinct advice and thought-provoking anecdotes, Educating with Aloha is Iwase’s follow-up to Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office, her 2019 book that laid the groundwork for filling schools and classrooms with happy students, empowered teachers and involved parents. A longtime Hawai‘i public school teacher and principal, she envisions a system of learning in which teachers and students alike develop a passion for education. For Iwase, “Educating with Aloha” is more than a catchphrase; it embodies her career-long method of cultivating the best in adults and children through respectful interaction and cooperative effort.

A one-time district elementary principal of the year, Iwase rose through the ranks of Hawai‘i’s educational system, beginning in the Head Start program and ending her teaching years as principal of Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School. “After Leading with Aloha, I was often asked when I would write a second book,” Iwase recalls. “Frankly, I had not given it any thought, but when COVID-19 hit, I found myself with the time to think and reflect. As a retired educator, one of my major concerns was how this pandemic would impact our students, teachers, school leaders, and schools in general. This is the perfect time to discuss how to make schools more relevant in the 21st century.”

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

Educating with Aloha is available via our online store, local bookstores and via online booksellers.

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Beyond the Game


Beyond the Game: Coaching for Peak Performance in Business, Sports, and Life
by Rusty Komori

Softcover, 128 pp
Release Date: April 2020
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Beyond the Game: Coaching for Peak Performance in Business, Sports, and Life builds on the lessons outlined by championship coach Rusty Komori in his first book, Beyond the Lines. In Beyond the Game, Komori provides a toolbox for those who aspire to lead successful teams. Coaches, he says, strive to improve themselves first, to provide a foundation for instilling greatness in others. Smart coaches pay attention to what Komori calls the Three Cs of Leadership—Choices, Communication and Culture—and apply the Six Keys for Peak Performance—areas of focus to achieve the most and excel in life. Komori offers advice in direct, straightforward terms and draws examples from his decades as a successful, championship-winning tennis coach.

Rusty Komori is a motivational speaker, leadership consultant, and tennis professional based in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. From 1994 through 2015, he was the head tennis coach at Punahou School, where his boys’ varsity teams won an unprecedented 22 consecutive state championships, a national record in all sports that still stands. His books are a component of his speaking engagements, providing lasting lessons and a reminder of Komori’s consulting services.

This book is a customized version of the Professional Package, with increased print run.

Beyond the Game is available via our online store, local bookstores and via online booksellers.

Cover and sample pages from the interior:

Akahai

Akahai
Hardcover, 36 pp
Release Date: August 2021
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What does it mean to be kind? How do we decide who deserves kindness? Venturing through the beautiful Hawai‘i rainforest, Keiki encounters Nēnē, Pueo, Kolohala, Moa, Poloka, and Pua‘a, who provide the perfect opportunity for Keiki to practice loving kindness with the magical Akahai backpack. But does Kopiana, who hurt poor Nēnē, deserve Keiki’s help?

Written by Thao “Kale‘a” Le, PhD, MPH, a professor in the Human Development and Family Studies program in the Family Consumer Sciences Department at the University of Hawai‘i Mānoa, Akahai is a creative narrative for encouraging loving kindness. Akahai is the first concept in ALOHA, as espoused by the teachings of Native Hawaiian poet and philosopher Aunty Pīlahi Pākī, otherwise known as the “Aloha Spirit Law,” HRS [§5-7.5].

Covers Hawaii Content & Performance Standards Database III Content Area: Health
Standard 1: Core Concepts – Understand concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention (Mental and Emotional Health); Standard 3: Self-Management – Practice Health: Enhancing behaviors and reduce health risks (Mental and Emotional Health, Factors Influencing Health Across Topic Areas); Standard 4: Analyzing Influences – Understand the influences of culture, family, peers, media, technology, and other factors on health; Standard 5: Interpersonal Communication – Use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health; Standard 6: Decision-Making and Goal-Setting – Use decision-making and goal-setting skills to enhance health

This is the second book in Dr. Le’s series designed to teach children about using breath to connect with ALOHA as a mindfulness practice. 

The 36-page hardcover, full-color book is a custom-quote project illustrated with original artwork provided in digital format by the client. In addition to the print edition, Akahai was converted to e-book format for Amazon Kindle and Apple Books platforms.

Akahai is available via our online store and has been distributed through the author’s efforts via partnerships with educational organizations.

Cover and sample pages from the interior:

Mindfulness with Aloha Breath

Mindfulness with Aloha Breath
Hardcover, 36 pp
Release Date: September 2020
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Written by Thao “Kale‘a” Le, PhD, MPH, a professor in Human Development and Family Studies, Mindfulness with Aloha Breath incorporates Aunty Pilahi Paki’s meaning of aloha as designated in the “Aloha Spirit Law” (HRS [§5-7.5]) and basic concepts of neurological and biological function in a simple, expressive lesson for children.

Dr. Le created the book to teach children about using breath to connect with ALOHA as a mindfulness practice. 

The 36-page hardcover, full-color book is a custom-quote project illustrated with original artwork provided in digital format by the client. In addition to the print edition, Aloha Breath was converted to e-book format for Amazon Kindle and Apple Books platforms.

Mindfulness with Aloha Breath is available via our online store and has been distributed through the author’s efforts via partnerships with educational organizations.

Cover and sample pages from the interior:

A Promise: A Vow of Love for Baby and a Message of Hope for Mom

A Promise: A Vow of Love for Baby and a Message of Hope for Mom

Hardcover, 36 pp
Release Date: September 2020
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A Promise: A Vow of Love for Baby and a Message of Hope for Mom was created by Hawai‘i family psychologist Dr. Annie Rohr to reassure new mothers that motherhood doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful, and that it’s perfectly normal to struggle with adapting to life with a baby.

Rohr struggled herself with postpartum depression and wrote the book to create something that she felt would have helped her during those early days. In Rohr’s opinion, not enough is done to address postpartum mental health, and parenting discussions often fail to normalize the feelings of frustration, depression and isolation experienced by new mothers. Publications and social media emphasize the wonder of motherhood and that there’s a standard of “normal,” thereby increasing anxiety in women whose experiences don’t align. “I needed to hear that it’s all right to miss your old pre-motherhood life,” Rohr says. “I felt it was important to tell other moms, ‘I am a family psychologist, and this happened to me too.’ I want them to know that they aren’t doing anything wrong—their journey is just different. And most of all, it’s OK to ask for help.”

A Promise is presented in Rohr’s voice as a conversation directed to a newborn, with accompanying advice and affirmations for mothers. Rohr also includes a resource section with further guidance and a list of helpful organizations offering assistance with postpartum issues.

The 36-page hardcover, full-color book is a custom-quote project illustrated with original artwork provided as scans by the client.

A Promise is available via our online store and at local bookstores.

Cover and sample pages from the interior: