What I wouldn't have given to be a kid reading about my favorite sports hero—rugby legend Jonah Lomu—or picking up a comic book of an Oceania superhero. Well the Reading Warrior, David Riley, has created that and more, in the hopes of igniting the passion for reading within our Pasifika young in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It was indeed a great time to talanoa with David Riley and understand how a boy from Mangere became an author, playwright, and reading warrior.

In this episode we talk with Isireli and Elizabeth Vuetibau. They share their life journey from having great jobs before COVID and then pivoting to further their education and finding their passion — Intercultural Peace Building. They share tips in conflict resolution and mediation. It is a jam-packed episode with great advice. Special thanks to Monsignor Lix for providing the podcast Intro and Outro. Link for show notes: alfredtora.org/2024/06/13/isi-and-lisa-vuetibau-intercultural-peace-builders/

I spoke to Solomone Rabuli, a young and motivated man from Fiji who created a "Volunteerism" organization — Selfless Fiji — that focuses on community and individual development. We talked about Solo's interesting upbringing and its influence on the goals he had set for himself, his intense drive to better himself and the people around him, the "why." behind Selfless Fiji and his visions for the future. It's evident from the very beginning that Solo possesses traits and characteristics that would have made him an incredible business leader and so it was interesting to find out why he has immersed himself in community work instead. This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Alfred Tora. This episode is sponsored by Selfless Fiji — a volunteerism organization that wants to make a world a better place. If you're based in Fiji and would like to volunteer and/or donate then visit www.selflessfiji.com. This episode is sponsored by Cultural Fit — a LinkedIn newsletter on modern business practices and how it fits into Pasifika businesses. This episode is sponsored by the Alfred Tora blog — a website on topics that range from Pasifika indigenous knowledge, to organizational psychology, and everything in between.

Our first talanoa session is with BYUH junior, Emosi Sukanaivalu from Fiji. He is completing his bachelors in Applied Mathematics with minors in Anthropology and Entrepreneurship. An incredibly passionate and focused young man, we talk about a research project he conducted on the Lanahuli Gardens as well as life in general. This podcast was hosted, edited, and produced by Alfred Tora. This podcast is proudly sponsored by Selfless Fiji, Cultural Fit (LinkedIn newsletter), and the Alfred Tora blog.