Our Team at Polestar Gardens is a core group of intrepid souls that includes over 150 years of combined experience in intentional spiritual community!
We have expertise in meditation, raja yoga, community management, finance, construction, organic gardening, permaculture, vegetarian cooking, farm-to-table culinary arts, education, woodworking, sewing and handwork, land stewardship, earth moving, astronomy, music, astrology, ayurveda, therapeutic yoga, accounting, graphic design, web design, recording and videography.
Our Polestar “Ohana” (extended family) includes a network of educators, spiritual teachers and guides, musicians, and many friends and neighbors here on the Big Island.
Michael and Ann Gornik, Co-Founders
Michael and Ann Gornik founded Polestar together, in Santa Rosa, California, in 2000. After living in an intentional spiritual community for over 20 years as they raised their two children, and started a large construction firm, Michael and Ann decided to start a community of their own. Polestar was born. They moved Polestar to the Big Island of Hawaii in 2005, and moved to the current location outside of Pahoa, on the East Side of the island, in 2008. After much building and developing, through times when flowing lava was threatening the small town of Pahoa, and Hurricane Iselle came through the property, they have stayed the course to keep Polestar moving forward.
Michael co-founded and currently co-directs Polestar Gardens along with his wife, Ann. Michael and Ann bring with them over 36 years of experience in intentional community, sustainable living, education, raja yoga, meditation, music and more.
A devoted student of Paramhansa Yogananda for almost 40 years, Michael has a rich history as a leader, successful businessman, community planner, builder, educator, athletic coach and musician. He has worked directly throughout the years with public, private and charter schools in creating workshops, apprenticeships and mentoring programs.
Michael inspires our team at Polestar Gardens with his cheerful even-mindedness and indomitable joie de vivre! When he is in the room something fun, inspiring and serviceful is sure to happen. He has a deep and sincere respect for people of all ages and from all walks of life and has personally mentored hundreds of students in ‘skills for living’. Through this and along with many inspirational events, service projects, wilderness trips, sports and performance art programs, he has provided students of all ages with opportunities for life-long educational expansion and personal growth.
Ann left her college studies in Lexington, KY. in 1978 to travel west with Michael and explore the possibilities of life in California!
They soon landed at Ananda Village, a spiritual community of several hundred souls dedicated to a life of meditation and service, and spent more than 20 years there, raising a family, building their own home and co-founding a large construction firm. Ann provides a calm, steady presence to every undertaking she is part of, and has been the main force in guiding all of the financial and organizational aspects of Polestar since its inception fourteen years ago.
She has mentored hundreds of students, sharing her love of horseback riding, astronomy, volleyball, astrology, photography and vegetarian cooking and provides the ‘glue’ for countless community events and undertakings. Under her care, Polestar’s annual ‘Family Campout’ has become a celebrated tradition; running successfully every summer for the past 38 years. A co-founder, dedicated board member and major IT player, Ann continues to quietly inspire and guide Polestar’s growth and development.
Rich and Bernadette
Rich and BernadetteRich Mills was born and raised in Pennsylvania, however his welcoming smile and thoughtful manner convey the Aloha spirit to all he meets. Rich grew up helping his father build and operate a saw mill. He has since branched into many other endeavors. Just a few of his handmade creations include beautiful benches and tables, Ukuleles, and wood frames for artwork.
Rich is a Kriyaban and an indispensable member of our team at Polestar Gardens, as he keeps the infrastructure up and running on a daily basis. He is responsible for the off-grid water catchment and purification systems, and he facilitates the intricate dance between the solar panels, batteries and generator. He also keeps the farm machinery and construction equipment in good, working order, both for use at Polestar and for neighbor’s projects.
While living in Hawaii, Rich has learned to play the Ukulele and developed his singing voice. With his beloved instrument, he leads chants at Polestar, writes and sings songs, and teaches uke to anyone who wants to learn, especially those with no musical background!
Bernadette Sabath found Michael and Ann in the process of building Polestar in 2005. A meditator since the age of 16, she found Yogananda’s path in 2004. She is a Kriyaban and meditation teacher. She has us frequently laughing at her antics, which stem from her background as a professional clown and stand-up comedian. She has a good handle on the emotional pulse of the community and works with and takes care of both residents and guests alike. You can also hear her beautiful singing voice at morning circles, on our Polestar CDs, and during Wednesday night Kirtans. When Bernadette is around, the house is cleaner, the dishwasher is stacked in a professional manner, and the mowed grass is a sight to behold!
Bernadette was trained at Dell’Arte International, a theatrical company based in northern California, and performed in over twelve productions with them throughout Europe and the United States. She was also cast in the movies “Roxanne” and “Clan of the Cave Bear”. Bernadette performed her one-woman show, “There’s a Chick on the Field!” at festivals, universities, and theatre’s in California and Australia.
David Zuhars
David ZuharsDavid has lived and travelled all over the world. He has called many different and diverse places ‘home’, including: Iowa, Japan, South Carolina, Idaho, Florida, and England, all before coming to our team at Polestar Gardens in the summer of 2015. He has held various jobs such as actor and model, cook, Scuba Dive Master and equipment repair specialist, and laboratory chemist, to name a few.
Here at Polestar, David spends much of his time in the kitchen. Cooking for large groups of people with any number of food preferences and dietary restrictions is not an easy undertaking by any means, and David has been doing this successfully since we found out how comfortable he is in the kitchen. David is a calm and quiet presence at Polestar.