We recently connected with Adam Maielua and have shared our conversation below.

Adam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

Kumumana – In Hawaiian it means “spiritual teacher”. My father is Polynesian, born and raised in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Aloha is a spiritual ideal we practice everyday. When I left the corporate world to own and manage businesses in the health and wellness industry I learned that a lot of customer loyalty is attached to the philosophy practiced by the owner or trainer she or he is working with. It doesn’t matter if it’s fitness, yoga, meditation, life coaching…the clients will spend time and money with the person that they “vibe” with. Do you relate to that person’s daily struggles? Can you understand the direction she or he is heading in life? To be successful in this industry you have to make it a lifestyle business and you have to preach and practice that everyday. So, I decided to put the Aloha spirit at the front of everything I do. No, it doesn’t appeal to everyone. It’s not supposed to. People are beautifully unique. Everyone has to find their own way. I only attract a segment of the population, but I give them all I can.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My father is Hawaiian. My mother is Korean. I was born overseas on a military base. That means my childhood was a bit nomadic. It taught me to quickly become independent. Learn fast, adapt, and let go without looking back. It was a lonely time in my life and I lived in my head. Being social was frightening. To this day such interactions drain me and I want to run home and hide. Eventually I was able to make lifelong relationships and I began to realize that there’s a lot of us overthinking everything everyday. Both my parents were very active so I was always playing sports or exercising. These became my primary outlet to slow down my brain. After I burned out in the corporate world I took a leap of faith and partnered in a CrossFit gym in 2009. From there I added every certification I could such as TRX and yoga. I left that partnership to manage yoga and fitness studios. I manage businesses, teach fitness and yoga classes, but those are simple tools. I’m motivating you to find personal reasons to adapt healthy changes to your everyday life, for the rest of your life.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I wanted to be successful. What’s popular? Where are people spending the fitness budget? What will make me an effective trainer? I was asking the wrong questions. Those topics are important but didn’t drive client retention and referrals. I’ve witnessed highly experienced and educated instructors go broke while far less adept but popular ones open multiple locations. Against all logic or science people often attach to what makes them happy and who makes them feel good.
So, while I’m continuously learning to coach what’s proper and healthy, I’m also providing motivation. I’m teaching people to find what truly makes them want to be their best. Most of that is uncovering what’s in the way. Except for unique genetic conditions, a lot of this associates with mental health. If you genuinely love yourself and are grateful for the life you have you’ll do what good for you to be a healthy person. I may manage studios, teach classes, but those are the means to an end. I’m actually coaching you get out of your own way. Stop the overbearing ego from holding you back. Face the fear of loving who you really are. Eventually you’ll no longer need my services and that’s a good thing. That’s success.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Referrals. No amount of advertising or marketing has proven more reliable. Show them why they love it and encourage her or him to be vocal about it. They’ll get everyone they know to come meet you and try what you have to offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kumumana.com
• Instagram: @kumumana
• Facebook: @kumumana
• Linkedin: Adam Maielua
• Twitter: @thekumumana
• Youtube: The Body Lab AZ
• Yelp: Adam M