The Essence of Steph: I'd Rather Be Behind the Camera

For episode 30, releasing October 30th, Steph Lokelani turns the mic around and interviews her most familiar guest yet: herself. The Essence of You almost became "The Essence of Steph," and in this solo episode, recorded at the In Real Life Films studio in Boise, you finally get it.

Steph starts where she starts every episode, with how she met her guest. That was 1980 in Hau'ula, a country town on Oahu's North Shore, where she grew up among banana and coconut trees, made leis, and watched monarchs emerge on the family's "butterfly tree." She traces her love of film from renting E.T. on Betamax with her dad, to writing Pippi Longstocking episodes for her siblings, to drama club in Federal Way, Washington, and editing videos with two VCRs. A first lead role in a San Francisco short film taught her she'd rather be behind the camera.

From there: a self-taught leap from data entry to video at HP, a valedictorian finish at Full Sail University, launching OMGFemaleFilmmakers in 2017, leaving HP in 2022, and rebranding to In Real Life Films in 2026. Steph shares the nonprofit mini-documentaries she loves making, why this podcast focuses on the individual, what she does for fun (brunch, lifting, yoga, half marathons, and her senior dog Frodo), and her dream of taking the podcast on the road.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

- Your earliest play can point to your purpose. Steph's backyard Pippi Longstocking episodes were her first productions.

- Self-taught counts. A homemade how-to video on changing flashlight batteries landed Steph her first real film job.

- Practice can be real. Told not to buy her LLC during a class exercise, Steph bought it anyway and started her company.

- Leaving security for your own work is hard, and it can still be the right call.

- Every person has a story worth an hour. You don't need a topic to be a guest.

- Listening is a way of knowing people. If Steph is quiet in a room, she's taking you in.

- Watching a pet age is a reminder to slow down and make time for the ones you love, and yourself.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Cold open: a false start

0:16 Welcome to a solo 30th episode

0:59 Steph introduces Steph

1:47 How I met my guest: Hau'ula, Oahu, 1980

2:44 The butterfly tree and making leis

4:02 Why film? E.T. and Reese's Pieces

5:25 Writing Pippi Longstocking episodes at nine

6:31 Federal Way, drama club, and latchkey years

7:43 A camcorder and editing with two VCRs

8:41 Colorado, San Francisco, and a first lead role

9:42 "I'd rather be behind the camera"

10:09 Moving to Boise and self-taught filmmaking

10:30 HP and the flashlight battery audition

12:31 Full Sail, valedictorian, and Angry Birds math

14:24 Filming in Prague, Rome, New Orleans, and LA

14:48 Buying the LLC: OMGFemaleFilmmakers is born

16:20 Volunteer videos for nonprofits

16:43 The HP owl during Covid

17:43 Leaving HP to go all in

19:50 Opening OMG Studios Boise

20:35 Rebranding to In Real Life Films

21:37 Nonprofit clients and mini-documentaries

23:15 Documenting two Idaho candidates

24:16 Why The Essence of You?

26:30 Interviewing herself

26:48 Fun: Sunday brunch and Bloody Marys

28:06 The bike and the unopened paddle board

28:30 The gym and a 24,000-pound water truck

29:02 Becoming a certified yoga teacher

29:38 Half marathons and Robie Creek

30:11 Frodo, Osiris, and Tyke

32:53 Taking the podcast on the road

35:14 How to be a guest or sponsor

37:26 Why talking about yourself is hard

38:13 Thank you + Idaho Community Foundation

40:05 Next week's guest + the episode one shirt

41:33 Early voting and Idaho's state gun question

43:17 Hawaii's state fish

44:01 Dreaming of being an oceanographer

45:07 The awkwardness of going solo

46:21 Outro