ReadswithRosa Podcast

||  Creative Expression of the Soul. ||   This week on Episode 93 of the #readswithrosapodcast, I sit down and talanoa with singer/songwriter @eden.iati. I’m a huge fan, so it was really nice to check in with the sis and reflect on the past few years + life journey thus far. We chat about books, food, health, the song writing process, and how music + dance helps her to stay connected to...

||  Polynesian Women Are Dope. ||    This week on Episode 92 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I sit down to talanoa with Pauline Fonua the creator of @thevisionboardofficial, a platform that inspires, shares knowledge, empowers folx and speaks existence into Pasifika Culture through limited edition t-shirts. Pauline shares the backstory of #VisionBoard and why the first shirt she made w...

||  My School is the Hawaiian Hogwarts. || In episode 91 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I catch up with Oceanic Educator, practitioner and advocate, Kiliona Palauni.  Having stumbled into teaching by way of the Teach For America program, Kiliona shares his journey as an Educator, as well as the fulfillment he gets from working at what he calls ‘ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴀᴡᴀɪɪᴀɴ ʜᴏɢᴡᴀʀᴛꜱ’. He describes his scho...

||  It's A Family Affair. ||   We've reached another podcast milestone fam!! This is the 90th episode, which means we're getting closer to 100!!!  Thanks for the support!!! Our guest on this week's podcast is Meiolandre Tima, the owner of Third Day Floristry, a creative venture that has allowed her to share her passion and love for floral and artistic arrangements.  She is an a...

||  My Gender Doesn't Define Me. ||   Talofa lava folx! The #ReadswithRosaPodcast is back for 2023!!    I had the chance to sit down and talanoa with actress, theatre star and creative Petmal Petelo and I tell you, it was a blast and a great way to kick off this year's season of the podcast. There were a lot of laughs, stories, and plenty of gems 💎!  In her words, she was...

||  Move. Connect. Grow. Serve. Reflect.  || This week on Episode 88 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I sit down to talanoa with Dan Hytongue (@reflective_dan). He is the host of the Tali le Sua Podcast, a blogger, community organizer, and an educator based out in Nelson New Zealand. He is heavily involved in his local + regional community helping Pacific Peoples through language + wellbeing...

||  Uplifting Pasifika Communities  ||   This week on Episode 87 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast, I sit down for a talanoa with Hana Schmidt. She is a mother, an entrepreneur, an advocate for our Pasifika communities, the Director of Bluwave, Commissioner for the New Zealand Samoa Trade and Investment Commission, and one of the hosts of Bluwave TV's #PacificMorningShow.   Tun...

||  A Place Where Everybody Looks Like You ||   This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I sit down for a chat with my sis Elmeka Henderson, an Educational Psychologist based out in Malawi.    We chat about her experiences as a School Counselor and Educator in International Schools,  creating agency and responsibility in students, her work with the Association of Internation...

|| We Don't Claim To Be Perfect. ||   Talofa lava, Fakalofa lahi atu & Kia orana . This week on Episode 85 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I catch up with the bro Nick ‘Karnel’ Williams. He is the General Manager of #MataiWatches, the Pacific watch brand which was launched in July this year.    Originally from West Auckland, New Zealand, Nick shares a journey that leads his family...

|| Vulnerability is terrifying. || Kia Orana. This week on Episode 84 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I catch up with the bro Jayden. A proud Cook Island Maori and Dilworth Alumni from Aotearoa New Zealand, he shares his story of moving to Japan as an 18 year old for University and a rugby scholarship. He immersed himself in the Japanese culture and language, completed his studies, and continued play...

||  Your Health is Your Wealth  ||   Kia Orana 🇨🇰. This week on Episode 83 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I am joined by singer/songwriter Chantal Samuela aka Chonny.  It was great to reconnect with the sis again and provide the space for her to share her journey of resilience, perseverance, strength and life lessons.      Follow Chonny:  •   In...

||  Socks.....Wear (Where) do they go?  || This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast, I catch up with Words and Darnell, authors of the recently released children’s book ‘Socks’.   Follow for info about the Socks book: •   IG and Facebook:   @thesocksbook •. Purchase the book from Amazon:   https://tinyurl.com/thesocksbook Follow Wordsworth:  (author) • &n...

||  Children Are Capable Learners.  || This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast, I sit down for a talanoa with International School Leader and IB Educator, Vani Veikoso.  Based out in Shenzhen, China, she has lived abroad and worked in International Schools for many years. She is a life-long learner who wears many hats and has a wealth of experience as a classroom teacher, an edu...

||  Audience of One.  || This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast we celebrate 80 episodes.  神はよいです☝🏽。 Thank you everyone for your continued support. This podcast and space is about uplifting one another, planting seeds of knowledge + inspiration, learning and unlearning, and sharing stories.   Where ever you are in the world, keep on keepin on 🤎✊🏽.   In epis...

||  Be someone who you needed when you were younger.  ||   This week, I catch up with an inspirational Educator, a wahine toa and tama’itai Samoa. She is a huge advocate for our young people and a leader in creating initiatives to promote achievement, engagement, learning pathways and leadership opportunities for our Pasifika students.  After 7 years of teaching at Avondale Col...

||  I have a new level of respect for Indie authors. ||   Hi everyone!!! We are 2 weeks away from dropping episode 80 + that much closer to the end of 2022!! Thank you for supporting the podcast.     - - - - - - -  This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I catch up with Samoan Author Kryssa Stevenson. Born in Laie Hawaii and raised in Utah, she is a proud tama’ita’i Sa...

||  Librarianship is fascinating! ||   This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I sit down for a chat with the sis Christina, #TheBingingLibrarian !! Originally from Ohio and now based out in Boston, she is a Librarian and Podcast host who LOVES to binge read books and then review them on her show.  Tune in to hear us talk about Librarianship, #TheBingingLibrarianPodcast, the famous i...

||  I may not look the part, but I feel it. ||   Ni sa Bula Vinaka. Happy Fijian Language Week!!!  🇫🇯   This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I sit down for a korero with best selling New Zealand author Vanda Symon who is of Fijian and European descent. She is a mother, crime writer, presenter, radio host, fencer, and research fellow at the Va’a o Tautai Pacific Centre at the...

||  Dance ..... My way of expressing what I can't say.  || This week on the #readswithrosapodcast I sit down for a talanoa with Shilohm Filipi, a creative and owner of the small business Teines Creations. She shares stories about her love for dancing, the inspirational movement that is Ura Tabu Pacific Dance, and how from a very young age she dared to dream that one day she would be able...

||  All teachers are language teachers. ||     Kia Orana! This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast, I sit down for a korero with Paul Maoate an IB Educator and member of the Senior Leadership Team at Tamagawa Academy in Tokyo. Having lived in Japan for more than 20 years, he is the chair of the Tokyo-based Nga Hau e Whā Kapa Haka group, and as a Math teacher he helps to fost...

||  How do we engage the next generation? ||   Happy Māori Language Week ! | Hari Wiki o te Reo Māori !   This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I catch up with fellow Sāmoan and Pasifika Educator, Afamasaga Uli Pesefea.  He is a classroom teacher and the Director of Māori and Pasifika Achievement at Shirley Boys High School in Ōtautahi, Aotearoa.   As is the case wit...

||  I'm very passionate about accountability. ||   Mālō e lelei.    This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast and in celebration of Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea Faka-Tonga ( #TonganLanguageWeek ), I sit down for a talanoa with the sis Lilika’imoana Funaki. She is an advocate not only for her Tongan people and Polynesian folx, but also for marginalized voices who continue to do the wor...

This week on the #ReadswithRosaPodcast I sit down for a talanoa with Emeli Sione. She is a mother, educator, writer, consultant and editor for Lift Education Publishers, and author of the recently released book - ᴀ ɴᴇᴡ ᴅᴀᴡɴ | ‘Ko e Pongipongi Fo’ou, a story about Emeli’s childhood dawn raid experience.  She shares her journey of healing, working with the Mila’s Books team, the importance of d...

||  Stereotypes of a Polynesian Misunderstood.  || On Episode 70 of the #ReadswithRosaPodcast , I sit down for a korero with Christichurch rapper Big Sima aka The Underground King. We talk about everything from his Maori and Tongan roots, family and fatherhood, and he takes us back to the days when he was known as Karizma and his introduction to Hiphop culture. He shares his journey as a...

||  Honoring our ancestors front and centre  ||   This week on the #readswithrosapodcast I sit down for a korero with Sarah McCann, a professional MMA fighter out of Purebred in Saitama, Japan. She is the owner of the セラ (Sera) brand, an avid reader and proud mother to three American Bullies: Bernie, Tamashii and Cowgirl. These are just some of the things we talk about in this epi...