- This and more coming up on The Whitney Reynolds show.

- I mean, I think, I know that I'm in such a privileged position now where I am, that I've made a number of movies and I can help other people to also bring their stories to life.

- There's so many elements of Maui that I've known since I was a child, that we've known about Maui's story, Maui in Polynesian culture.

He's our superhero.

You know, he was the superhero god of Hawaii throughout different parts of the Pacific.

- And then people start saying racial slurs, like Chinaman, slant-eyes.

I think initially, you know, you're shocked.

- Yeah.

- And so you absorb it and you don't know what to say.

- We understand the families and I think that's what's so dynamic and beautiful about this show, is that Jess and I are coming in as ourselves.

We're not playing a character.

- The Whitney Reynolds Show is supported by BMO, fully grow the good in business and life.

The Together at Peace Foundation, remembrance, resilience and comfort, creating a hopeful space for those who are grieving.

Kevin O'Connor Law Firm.

When it comes to your injuries, we take it personally.

10 West Real Estate Group, providing multi-family investment and property management services.

Center for Beautiful Living.

Empowering people to live rich, robust, and beautiful lives.

Additional funding provided by facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Stacey McClain, Lifeway Kefir, Respiratory Health Association.

Kevin Kelly, Kid Friendly Venues app, joecarrillo.com HI-FIVE Sports Club, and by these sponsors.

- Hello and welcome to The Whitney Reynolds Show.

Today's topic, "Unfiltered Conversations Where Honesty Reigns".

And we get down to the heart of what really matters.

We're glad you're joining us for it all.

Awakening the soul of our stories.

♪ Come for the stories ♪ ♪ Stay for the heart ♪ ♪ where every journey is a work of art ♪ - And sharing those in a safe space to inspire others.

♪ Faith and truth in all you see ♪ ♪ Whitney's here to share your dream ♪ ♪ It's The Whitney Reynolds Show ♪ - I'm watching The Whitney Reynolds Show.

♪ Straight from Chicago to your home ♪ ♪ Real voices, real lives in every episode ♪ ♪ This is The Whitney Reynolds Show ♪ - Our first guest joined us all the way from California to our Chicago studio.

Dave Gibbons opens up about his bullying experience as a kid that made him one of the strongest voices of change.

In a world searching for hope and healing, one man has dedicated his life to guiding others through their struggles.

Meet Dave Gibbons, pastor, author and compassionate leader.

Who also struggles with PTSD.

For decades, Dave has inspired countless individuals to find purpose and peace using his experiences and insight to uplift those in pain.

But what drives his passion?

Well, it's a story rooted in childhood trauma.

A journey from hurt to hope that fuels his mission.

Now he's helping others who feel lost, find their way.

Welcome to the show.

- I'm so glad to be with you.

- I am honored that you are here because you flew in and you are a busy man.

You are leading so many people just to find themselves and embrace who they are.

- Yeah, that's, it's a dream come true for me.

I've always looked to help people to flourish wherever they are in the world.

- This is a really vulnerable spot for you to say like, this is exactly what's made me get to where I am today.

- Yeah, it took a while.

You know, there was several incidents that occurred in my life that caused me to say, I think I need to tell this story because I haven't heard too many Asian immigrant stories, especially coming from men about their journey in America.

- Born to an American soldier and a Korean mother in the wake of the Korean War, Dave struggled with his identity.

Eventually his parents made their way to the United States from Japan.

Yet this compounded his lost roots and longing to fit in.

- I was probably, I tell people one of like maybe five Asians, I felt like in the whole state, there weren't any Asians in our school that I can remember.

And then people started saying racial slurs, you know, like Chinaman, slant-eyes.

- Did you ever say anything back in those moments?

- I think initially, you know, you're shocked.

- Yeah.

- And so you just absorb it and you don't know what to say.

And then eventually I just started fighting.

Like, I remember getting in fights, especially when they started messing with my mom, you know?

And then my sister and my brother.

I felt I had to defend in a way.

- When you were in the throes of growing up, feeling like you were defending your family, what got you to the point of saying, you know, I am who I am.

- Kids would make gestures where they take their fingers and move their eyes upward.

And then parents, you'd see parents laughing and then them doing the same thing as a, you know, 10-year-old kid, I'm saying, what the heck?

I don't want to be this different.

So I would go in the bathroom trying to force my eyes downward so that it wouldn't go up.

'cause you know, I didn't wanna live a life where I'd be called slant-eyes, the rest of my life.

- When did that moment for you and your life actually come together that you're like, okay, I'm not a misfit?

- You know, I don't think it's a problem to feel unique.

You know, I kind of liken it to X-Men, you know, they're mutants and they're like these people who have these superpowers, but yet they're also incredibly still broken.

I didn't see being a mutant or a misfit as something negative, but something that could be like a positive characteristic.

- What you're saying is that this is really what's helped you elevate.

- I realized something that it seems in American culture, it's all about strength and giftedness.

And in the Asian culture, the more I studied Asian history, Asian beliefs and ways and values, I saw how they look at suffering as a normality of life.

- Mm.

- And so I said, could it be that the opposite's true, that maybe it's not always about the strength that's the greatest thing about a person.

Our deepest wounds can be become our greatest calling.

- There were several things in your later life, we started with this that you got diagnosed with PTSD.

- Yeah.

- Here you are a pastor and PTSD.

- My kids were having some mental health challenges and I knew it wasn't just them, that you know, it's coming from me probably.

And so when I went in for a brain scan, he says, Dave, look at your scan.

And he showed me like these four red dots in my brain.

And he goes, "You know what that's called?"

I go, what?

He goes, "That's PTSD."

- Wow.

- And I go, what the heck?

And he goes, "Yeah Dave, what type of traumas have you gone through?"

First, when I came home, my mom, I found her in a car and she was ripping the seats apart with a knife, and then three police cars had converged on her house.

There's a look of horror on her face, almost like utter terror.

And I saw that in my mom's eyes and it just frightened me.

And I think that just never went away for me.

And I found out later she was in despair because she found out my dad had an affair.

- The pressure of that and then the actual loss of your mom to a drunk driver, how did you cope?

- I got a vision of things where, especially at my mom's funeral, you know, it was packed out.

'cause all her friends from around the country were there.

And I saw her line in state and then suddenly there's this epiphany.

I said, man, everything she strived for, everything my mom and dad thought was the American dream.

It means nothing to them right now.

- You know, it's interesting because your dad was a mystery your whole life, but you didn't know it.

- My dad told me, "Hey, you're from me."

When I asked him straight up as a teenager and I go, dad, you can tell me now.

really It's okay, he goes, "No, you're my son.

You're American."

- What made you, other than the looks, ask because some people, you know, people just can feel a difference.

Was there something else where you're like, he might not be my dad.

- No, it was all looks, - Your mom always stuck to the story too.

- Yeah, because if you look at my birth certificate, his name's on the birth certificate.

I just assumed it so, but then I found out through a DNA test and found out that, dude, I'm a hundred percent like Korean, are you kidding me?

- And by this time your father had passed.

Do you think that maybe he didn't know?

- I don't know if my dad knew.

'cause I asked his wife Carolyn, I go, did dad ever talk to you about this?

And she goes, he always said that you were his son.

- Wow.

- He never said anything else.

And then I talked to all the friends, all his siblings that I could get to.

And none of them thought otherwise than I was, you know, son of my dad.

- If you could pinpoint the emotion when you got that DNA test back, because there had always been this chirping of like, well dad, you don't look really like me.

- Yeah.

- But when you actually saw that, can you name that emotion.

- This affirmation, like these questions and these hidden components of my life that there was clarity just felt like things were sinking into place.

But then I think in that moment things just sunk.

Oh, that's part of the reason why I don't feel at home sometimes.

And I don't feel like I fit in.

There's this like vibe in the energy or the culture atmosphere that was always there, that was unsettled, - Owning his truth and all the pain that came with it, he took to writing.

And each new sentence found a way to channel that childhood trauma into more.

A book that could actually help others in life's hardest moments.

From moving forward to finding forgiveness and understanding.

Its okay to be different.

His story goes there.

I would love for you to walk us through when you need to find forgiveness, but the person's not around to forgive.

- It's really not for them.

It's so that those of us who've been hurt or traumatize or abuse can be released from the talons of those people who've hurt us.

- And you had to practice that a few times with your father from the divorce reconciliation and then even after his death, finding out, okay, you weren't my biological dad.

- It helped me to be so much more empathetic to realize, you know, dad was human.

- Right.

- And there's, it's an interesting thought that my counselor, he said, what's your dad's first name?

I said, his name's Gary.

I said, dang it, he's just Gary.

- Just Gary.

- He's just Gary, man.

It's not like if he's dad, he's supposed to be like superhero, never makes mistakes.

Then when I said Gary, it just released me saying, yeah, he's like me, we're all broken.

- What would your younger self tell you now?

- You're beautiful.

Stay a child of joy.

Don't ever lose your joy.

Don't let any criticism hold you down, but listen to the voice inside of you that inspires you to be everything you're called to be.

So my purpose is really coming alongside of people, helping them to understand their unique design and then help them to then accelerate into that.

- Thank you so much, Dave.

- Oh, I love it, thank you.

- The messy and silent struggles that mothers can face.

Well, we caught up with our next guest on the red carpet where she opens up about it all.

- Super cute.

Do you just love getting to be home with them all the time?

- You focus on really interesting things with your production company.

Like I love it, when I was reading more and more about you, I'm like, she's my friend.

She's my friend and this is why.

- This is why.

- Yeah.

- So why is it that you dig deep with what you do?

- I mean, I think I know that I'm in such a privileged position now where I am that I've made a number of movies and I can help other people to also bring their stories to life.

And I like stories that are about what makes us human beings flaws and all.

We tend to not let women characters, non-binary characters be like full 360 degree people.

And so it's about fully connecting us more to each other and our humanity.

When I was writing this movie adapted from Rachel Yoder's beautiful book, it was like I could take everything in my life and kind of channel it into the writing of the script.

It's like anything that was making me crazy about my kids that day, or my husband, I could kind of, it was like very cathartic.

- One thing is that, I love that, 'cause you went there as a mom of twins.

- Yes.

- I remember like, when mine were born, I literally thought someone was going to sneak in the window and all these things.

'cause there was a lot of hormones going through.

- Yep.

- You went there with this.

How did you make that play out?

- I think because I had already had my first kid six or seven years before.

- So you knew.

- I had a little bit of perspective, enough that I could look back and find some of it funny.

I could find some of my own kind of rage and hormonal psychosis that we all go through I think just varying degrees, I could find more humor in it all, and recognizing that it would end and that we were gonna come to the other side of it one way or another.

- How do you think this movie can really help people connect to what we go through as women?

- For me, reading Rachel Yoder's book, it made me feel seen.

I felt like, oh, thank God somebody's saying these things.

Somebody's like, finally talking about the things that are, we don't talk about that much.

So I hope the movie makes more people feel that way as well.

And I've had so many people tell me that it made them think about their mom, gave them new perspective about their mom.

Something that I feel like a lot of us go through when we become moms.

- Yes.

- It gives us new perspective on our parents.

And so I hope it just gives people that perspective as well.

- I love that, thank you so much.

Hitting the nail on the head literally, Lizzie Mathis and Jessica Alba join us with their honest conversations, bringing it to our viewers and theirs.

- This is Honest Renovation season two.

- We've been friends for years and we've really bonded over our love design.

- We're both parents and one thing that we know for sure, raising a family is hard enough.

- There is definitely not an adult space.

- Your house shouldn't make it harder.

- I just don't know where to start.

- That's right, Jessica Alba and Lisa Mathis are back with season two of Honest Renovations.

We caught up with the duo to hear how they're not only knocking down walls, but also real life barriers with their clients fostering a connection that values each family's story.

- So in every episode there's a nice mix of takeaways, but we also wanted the families to be at the core of these stories.

And I think people will see themselves between season one and season two.

I think the biggest thing is we have kids who are all different ages and depending on the different stage of parenting you're in with each kid, you need different things from your home space and your home needs to change and be updated.

We get to be these sort of fairy godmothers, come in and look at their circumstance and look at how we can provide more ease in their life.

- Yeah.

- And really try and elevate and upgrade their home so it matches and fits their family's needs.

- The show is not just about renovations, it's about evolving with the needs of each family, from single parents managing on their own to those witnessing a loved one battling breast cancer.

Jessica and Lizzie are keeping it real, meeting each family where they're at.

- I think all of them touched us.

- All of them.

- To be honest with you, I think, when Jess and I walk - Into any home.

- They're also tender.

- We really do relate that family in some way.

And for me, even, you know, there was a single mom that really, you know, I resonated with because I was raised by a single mom.

There was a multi-generational family.

Jess and I both lived with our grandparents at different points in our lives.

We understand the families.

And I think that's what's so dynamic and beautiful about this show is that Jess and I are coming in as ourselves.

We're not playing a character.

This is who we are.

And so we are very concerned and very like, you know, tapped into - Yeah.

- Everyone's story and I think it just creates a much more beautiful, thoughtful design.

- And next up we sat down with the Moana team who's keeping it real when it comes to culture and diversity.

- Maui.

Oh, Moni.

- It's both of us, actually.

- Maui and me, it's part of a series.

- Wow.

- From the producer to the newest voiceover star, Moana 2 is making waves in the world of inclusion.

And we wanted to hear all about it.

- The thing that made me tear up and cry the most was being able to see so many different elements of our culture being depicted in such a film in such a way.

You know, there's so many elements of Maui that I've known since I was a child, that we've known about Maui's story, Maui in Polynesian culture, he's our superhero.

You know, he was the the superhero god of Hawaii.

throughout different parts of the Pacific.

- How did you accomplish taking such a great first and expanding it to a two?

- I mean, we're so lucky to be able to work with such amazing creatives at our studio.

There was such a groundswell, honestly.

Like we had no idea that people would love this movie as much as they did.

We always hoped for it.

But there's such a deep profound love within our studio for Moana, for these characters and for this world.

And it was really honestly, groundswell from the studio saying, what can we do?

How can she actually be the wayfinder she wants to be?

So in this one, she's three years older, she ventures out with a crew this time instead of the dead of night.

And really trying to find that connection among the people of Oceania.

- The people of Oceania.

How special is it for you to see your heritage recognized on this kind of scale?

- To see this come alive in such a film and be such a representation of who we are as Pacific islanders, not just for myself, but for everybody, was probably the most honoring and just the most emotional moment for me.

- And when you were growing up, did you see yourself represented in media?

- So, I mean, I'm super lucky that I come from a family of performers.

You know, my dad's an actor, my mom was Mrs. Hawaii.

- I saw that like, go girl, yeah.

- Yeah, 1997.

So I mean the limelight was no, we were not ashamed of that, growing up.

But I gotta say, we grew up without having a film like this, you know, and when Moana, the first film came out in 2016, we got that first glimpse of what it felt like to be represented.

- Wow.

- And I remember just, you know, aside from coming from a family of performers, you know, like I grew up from a family that was very well indulging of Disney stuff.

- Right.

- You know, like we were in parks every summer and we had all the posters up on the wall and the music playing everywhere and so on and so forth.

So I remember growing up and walking down Main Street and just thinking like, man, there's ever an opportunity to pair up my culture with what Disney does for people.

- Wow.

- Yeah.

- That'd be a dream come true.

So when we got the call, oh, I lost my mind.

- Christina, you've had shifts in your career.

I love that, I saw financial analyst and then came over in 2010 to Disney.

So for you being on a project like this that is so inclusive, what do you hope the viewers walk away with?

- I hope they walk away with a sense of community.

I mean, that's what really the second film is about.

And I feel so lucky that as I became a producer, I had a community around me of such amazing mentors.

And so I really hope that when people leave the theater, not only are they enjoying the music and humming in their heads, but they go and watch it with their friends and family and leave with a sense of appreciation for who they've come along with.

- My nieces were actually born, my niece and nephew were born in Hawaii.

And so I asked them to send me some questions that they wanted to ask you guys.

- Yeah.

- And so they wanted to know about what it was like growing up on the big island and what you're taking into the movie.

Did you weigh in on some of the things that maybe was in the script saying, actually it's supposed to be this way.

- You know, so one of the things that I've been super lucky about is that we actually work with a Oceanic Cultural Trust under the direction of Kalikolehua Hurley which combines all these different elements of all these different cultural consultants from all across the Pacific.

So even before the film or any elements of the film even came to me, it wasn't so much reading things and being like, oh, that needs to be changed.

But it was more so reading things and being like, oh, snap, they put that inside.

- They got that right.

- That's so cool.

Yeah, no, for real.

I mean, and then even more so watching the film, seeing from the very first film, you know, we saw, I'm an advocate for Polynesian tattooing, so to see that was depicted in the film in the same exact way that I've gotten tattoos.

I mean, that's why we do it, is to honor our ancestors, to honor our culture, and to carry those traditions into the future.

And it's an incredible blessing.

- Yes.

- On behalf of our community and for myself to see that Disney cares about all those types of things.

- Oh, I love that, okay.

So my son, he always says, I have a TV voice.

So he's like, mom, you're doing your TV voice.

And then he says, you know, I have a normal voice, but do you have a voice that you had to put on for this?

Because that's what my son wants to know.

He actually asked, how do you speak in the real world?

Well, I think I'm getting you in the real world right now, but give us your voice change.

- I mean, I wouldn't say there's so much of a voice change.

I mean, there's different definitely a voice change that I would have depending on certain communities that I'm communicating with.

So obviously like if I'm talking to the masses, I try to put on my private school jacket.

- Oh yeah.

- Be a little bit more refined in the communication that I use.

And then if I'm talking to some of my friends, then the pigeon comes out and I stay talking all like this all the time, don't do that.

Like, that's dumb.

Like, you know, like all that kind.

- I love it.

- But I think regardless, the communication and everything that Moni brings to life in the film is really gonna make a lot of Pacific Islander people proud.

And a lot of people even outside the community proud.

- Yeah, it's interesting because not everybody gets to work with Disney, this is a big deal.

And to have it come to fruition when you watched it for the first time, what was that feeling?

- Oh my gosh, I mean it was unreal.

Like we've seen it through every single stage and we're lucky to work with so many different departments.

So we see so many aspects of it come together.

But when we saw it after through it was post-production, after it was the mix, it's incredible.

Like, I'm just so incredibly proud that we all got to do this amazing thing together.

- Yes I love that.

And you know, one thing talking about the music I have been singing all morning long, like if I could stand, I tell you, I can't wait to see what comes out in this film.

So you're bringing even stronger music in.

- Oh yeah, a thousand percent.

We're so lucky to be able to work with Emily Bear and Abigail Barlow, Mark Mancina and Opetaia from the first film too, do really have that beautiful marriage.

But yeah, these songs are absolutely incredible and he's in two of 'em too.

- Wow I love it.

Rumor is that your character is a big storyteller and that he kind of brings that all together.

What is in a high level the story you hope that people are really resonating with in this?

- Oh, I mean, especially for my community to go for it.

- To go for it, - That's it.

- To go for it.

You know, you have a vision, you have a calling, you feel something in your heart.

Or even, on a spiritual or cultural level, you feel like your ancestors left you a journey to go on.

Go for it.

You know, your life is yours to live, do it.

You know, don't be afraid of being in a tiny state or being in a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific.

You know, we have technology now.

- Yes, we do.

- It makes so much easier.

- Yes, we do.

- So go for it, go for whatever your heart desires.

- Well, today's topic is a reminder that in these unfiltered moments, it can help us find a deeper connection in our very diverse world.

Remember, your story matters.

(upbeat music) - The Whitney Reynolds Show is supported by BMO, fully grow the good in business and life, The Together at Peace Foundation, remembrance, resilience and comfort, creating a hopeful space for those who are grieving.

Kevin O'Connor Law Firm, when it comes to your injuries, we take it personally.

10 West Real Estate Group, providing multifamily investment and property management services.

Center for Beautiful Living, empowering people to live rich, robust, and beautiful lives.

Additional funding provided by facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Stacy McClain, Lifeway Kefir, Respiratory Health Association, Kevin Kelly, Kid Friendly Venues app, jocarillo.com Hi-Five Sports Club.

And by these sponsors.

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