Kimi Werner, a national champion freediving spearfisher and chef who lives in Waiʻalua with her ʻohana, recently shared her secret to swimming to the bottom of the ocean and more at a talk story event hosted by Honolulu-based solar company, RevoluSun.
“Itʻs a state of calm and Zen,” she told an audience of community members at Thirty Eight Honolulu on April 21. “When you feel the need to speed up, thatʻs your indicator to slow down. ... The main thing I have learned from the ocean is to embrace the stress and take the fear and donʻt panic, but turn it into courage and do something good with it instead.”
Werner says she has her dad to thank for taking her out to spearfish at a young age off the coast of Maui. Her family would prepare the catches in whole, which she describes as a “simple lifestyle.”
She took some time away from the sport, until it called her back in her mid-20s and by 2008, Werner became a U.S. National Spearfishing Champion. From there she received multiple recognitions in the sport, as well as for her efforts in environmental sustainability.
Her most recent endeavor is the launch of “Kimi’s Kitchen: An Ocean Woman's Guide to Wild Home Cooking” a cookbook and biography in partnership with Nicole Gormley and Jennifer Fiedler, published by Penguin Random House’s Ten Speed Press team.
“It’s been a lifelong goal to write a cookbook,” the certified culinary chef said at the event. “Food has always been a part of who I am. It’s been a part of my roots and values and passions and creativity for so long. … It was important to create a tangible thing that would be a legacy piece.”
But the main inspiration for the new cookbook, she added, is gratitude.
“That’s what life is. I love every part about it. I love the highlight moments and I love the humble moments. I wanted a piece that would capture it all.”
As a mom, she noted the book also serves as instruction for her son, Buddy, whom she dedicated it to. “I want him to be able to feed himself,” she said.
Werner is also a customer and brand ambassador of RevoluSun. She told Aloha State Daily at the event that the partnership has been ongoing for a few years.
“As Hawaiʻi continues to navigate rising energy costs and grid uncertainty, it’s important for us to create opportunities for open dialogue and education,” Eric Carlson, RevoluSun co-founder and chief innovation officer, said in an emailed statement to ASD.
“Events like ‘A Full Circle Talk Story with Kimi Werner’ bring together leaders, customers and community voices to explore how sustainability and energy independence intersect. It’s a reflection of RevoluSun’s mission to provide not just solutions, but guidance and partnership for a more secure energy future.”
RevoluSun will be hosting an event on May 14 focused on the topic of the Safe Harbor timeline and future of commercial solar in Hawaiʻi. More details.
Check out this video of the two coming together in 2025 on Wernerʻs home project.
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
