LanguaTalk

Behind the Lavalava

Welcome to Behind the Lavalava! Here, you will find authentic, firsthand perspectives on Pacific Island culture and life from a group of seasoned veterans. We share stories and express our opinions, all drawn from our own life experiences. This podcast places a special emphasis on all veterans, the people and cultures of the Pacific, and small businesses.

#112. Fa'alavelave 101: Breaking Down a Samoan Tradition

54 mins; September 12, 2025

#111. THT Cyrus Returns: Men’s Mental Health & The National Anthem Debate

71 hours 56 mins; July 01, 2025

#110. What Every Young FOB Should Hear

38 mins; June 16, 2025

#109. From Gorilla Battles to Village Leadership

48 mins; June 15, 2025

#108. Mixing More Than Kava: Culture, Connection, and Care

33 mins; May 05, 2025

#107. The DEI Debate: Are We Asking the Right Questions?

57 mins; April 02, 2025

#106 New Year, New Chaos: Catching Up on Life, Politics, and Global Conflicts.

58 mins; March 22, 2025

#105 Reflecting on 2024: Growth, Gratitude, and Goals

42 mins; December 22, 2024

#104 Empowered Living: Navigating Alzheimer’s, Cancer, and Caregiving.

45 mins; November 11, 2024

#103 Crying Out Loud: Men, Emotions, and Vulnerability

65 hours 14 mins; October 23, 2024

#102 Building Confidence in Cyber: The DTA Approach.

25 mins; October 06, 2024

#101 Empowering Small Businesses with Comcast: A Conversation with Bryce Scanlon.

21 mins; September 16, 2024

#100 Navigating Medicare: Insights for Veterans and the Community

41 mins; August 27, 2024

EP 99. Am I the Fiapoko?

53 mins; July 27, 2024

EP 98. From Bomb Technician to Entrepreneur: Eduardo Marquez's Journey.

27 mins; July 10, 2024

EP 97. Toa Ole Afi Pati Levasa: Australia's First Ailao Afi Fire knife Competition.

21 mins; July 07, 2024

EP 96. Inside Millcreek Advanced Dental: A Conversation with Dr. Oblad.

22 mins; June 28, 2024

EP 95. Navigating Faith and Society.

56 mins; June 23, 2024

EP 94. Celebrating Pacific Heritage: The 2024 Utah Fashion Cultural Extravaganza.

33 mins; June 07, 2024

EP 93. Magic Pay: Expanding Payment Services to U.S. Territories and Beyond

29 mins; June 06, 2024

EP 92. Football with Heart: Inside the Utah Islanders.

39 mins; May 30, 2024

EP 91. The Second Act: Resilience and Renewal with William Fanene.

96 hours 11 mins; May 14, 2024

EP 90. From Politics to Property: A Conversation with Josh Emfield.

42 mins; May 01, 2024

EP 89. Miss Tausala America: Empowering Tama’ita’i Samoa in the US.

28 mins; April 21, 2024

EP 88. Mindset Matters: Unlocking Financial Success.

73 hours 42 mins; April 12, 2024

EP 87. Identity and Resilience: Jaiyah Saelua's Path as a Fa'afafine Athlete

46 mins; April 08, 2024

EP 86. A Year in Review: Unpacking 2023 and Embracing 2024.

51 mins; March 31, 2024

EP 85. Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Matai's Journey Through 2023.

92 hours 14 mins; March 25, 2024

EP 84. Behind the Pages: Neena Love's Publishing Story.

41 mins; March 19, 2024

EP 83. Beyond the Airwaves: Frankie and Jess Unplugged.

63 hours 1 min; March 11, 2024

EP 82. Exploring Identity Through Art with David Laumatia.

32 mins; February 29, 2024

EP 81. Supporting Veterans: The Frontline Heroes Home Ownership Program

26 mins; February 19, 2024

EP 80. Bringing to the Stage: Mycal Alo's Vision for Stage Excellence

30 mins; February 16, 2024

EP 79. Anchored in Service: Kenn Gerber's Journey from Service to Financial Security

29 mins; February 06, 2024

EP 78. Beyond Beauty: A Holistic Approach with Jojo & Co Salon.

27 mins; January 27, 2024

EP 77. Seasons of Doubt: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

29 mins; January 18, 2024

EP 76. NiuOla Health Unveiled: A Conversation with Dr. Tui Lauilefue

49 mins; December 20, 2023

EP 75. Crucial Lessons in Friendship: Trust, Respect, and the Art of Letting Go

72 hours 57 mins; December 11, 2023

EP 74. Beyond Business Advising: Nurturing a Veteran Business Community

41 mins; November 27, 2023

EP 73. Keep Walking: Transformative Gratitude with Jake Thomas

57 mins; November 21, 2023

EP 72. Color Blind 801: Blend In and Stand Out

70 hours 59 mins; October 29, 2023

EP 71. Embracing Diversity: A Journey Through Multiculturalism with Fred Smith.

64 hours 16 mins; October 13, 2023

EP 70. Think Brilliantly: Redefining Marketing with Analei Samasei’a.

29 mins; October 06, 2023

EP 69. Samoan Fa'alavelave: Balancing Tradition and Financial Considerations.

64 hours 15 mins; October 02, 2023

EP 68. Veterans' Stories: A Pacific Islander Perspective.

85 hours 23 mins; September 20, 2023

EP 66. New Hope Counseling: Bridging Gaps in Mental Health

43 mins; September 11, 2023

EP 67. Heart of a Warrior: The Inspiring Journey of Fa'apepele Hunkin.

64 hours 45 mins; September 11, 2023

Episode 65. Cultural Nuances: Polynesian Customs and Father's Day

73 hours 10 mins; September 02, 2023

Episode 64. NMMI Football Uncovered: Coach Kurt Taufaasau's Story.

73 hours 18 mins; August 21, 2023

Episode 63. Crafting Stories Through Beats: Mareko's Unique Approach

44 mins; August 10, 2023

Episode 62. Finding Balance: Uptown Swuite's Personal and Artistic Growth

63 hours 10 mins; July 30, 2023

Episode 61. Myths, Legends, and Personal Stories: Exploring Samoan Folklore and Unexplained Phenomena

73 hours 56 mins; July 02, 2023

Episode 60. Best States for Pacific Islanders, Life Insurance Insights, and Samoan Matai-hood.

32 mins; June 23, 2023

Episode 59. Embracing or Exploiting? Non-Pacific Islanders and Graduation Leis

23 mins; May 28, 2023

Episode 58. Celebrating Iam Tongi's Historic American Idol Win

50 mins; May 24, 2023

Episode 57. Empowering Samoan Nurses: The Samoan Nurse Initiative with Nicole Tofi Rice.

52 mins; May 12, 2023

Episode 56. Sisters in Surf: Lucy and Sive Jarrard's Surfing Story

55 mins; May 08, 2023

Episode 55. Utah Jumps 4 Autism: A Father's Journey

83 hours 22 mins; April 25, 2023

Episode 54. Hunting, Naming, and Labels: A Pacific Islander Veteran Roundtable

77 hours 58 mins; April 17, 2023

Episode 53. Albie Roebeck: Bringing Mental Health to the Forefront

67 hours 49 mins; March 30, 2023

Episode 52. Behind the Flames: A Conversation with Fireknife Expert Rex Tiumalu

73 hours 6 mins; March 19, 2023

Episode 51. From Challenging Times to Chart-Topping Hits: Lesā Lani Alo and His Music Career

91 hours 1 min; March 11, 2023

Episode 50. One Woman's Journey as a US Marine Recruiter in American Samoa.

80 hours 12 mins; March 06, 2023

Episode 49. Jesse Sapolu: From Samoan Roots to NFL Glory

106 hours 32 mins; February 10, 2023

Episode 48. The Heart and Humor of Kuldip Shergill.

79 hours 44 mins; February 03, 2023

Episode 47: Staying Grounded in Success: A Talk with Ray Sefo

68 hours 49 mins; January 20, 2023

Episode 46. 2022: Lessons Learned and Insights Gained

50 mins; December 30, 2022

Episode 45. What It Means To Be A Veteran.

50 mins; December 26, 2022

Episode 44. Rising to the Top: Thomas' Journey as a Polynesian Trailblazer in Concrete Cutting

63 hours 58 mins; December 20, 2022

Episode 43. Comedy, Community, and Leadership with Samson and Harris of Yo Samo

102 hours 59 mins; December 09, 2022

Episode 42. Making a Mark in Film: An Inspiring Chat with Freelance Director Dave Parker

61 hours 44 mins; December 01, 2022

Episode 41. What is a Man?

52 mins; November 17, 2022

Episode 40. Saved by a Hug: Joe's Journey to Preventing Suicide with the I Love You, Bro Project

53 mins; November 06, 2022

Episode 39. Building a Legacy with Matai Watches: An Interview with Andrew and Nick

49 mins; October 23, 2022

Episode 38. Let's Talk About Core Values.

61 hours 5 mins; October 10, 2022

Episode 37. Sosefina Movie: A Groundbreaking Polynesian Film Reviewed

83 hours 15 mins; October 01, 2022

Episode 36. THT Cyrus: Elevating Polynesian Music and Advocating for Social Change

80 hours 57 mins; September 21, 2022

Episode 35: Some "Samoan Food" We Grew Up Eating.

28 mins; September 11, 2022

Episode 34. Catfishing, Scams, and Manti Te'o

49 mins; August 28, 2022

Episode 33. Someone Call Security [Explicit]

30 mins; August 24, 2022

Episode 32. Why Samoans Put Each Other Down

28 mins; August 13, 2022

Episode 31. Samoans and Displays of Affection.

32 mins; August 06, 2022

Episode 30. Interracial relationships are still an issue?

25 mins; August 02, 2022

Episode 29. Addressing Post-Roe v. Wade

34 mins; July 14, 2022

Episode 28. Finding Resilience Through Support: Fesauai Thompson's Story

27 mins; July 03, 2022

Episode 27. Being comfortable in life

31 mins; June 28, 2022

Episode 26. What's your pet peeve?

28 mins; June 26, 2022

Episode 25. Accountability in school shootings

29 mins; June 21, 2022

Episode 24. Blame the shooter not the guns?

31 mins; June 16, 2022

Episode 23. Trust in others.

28 mins; June 13, 2022

Episode 22. Addressing school shootings, gun violence, and gun control.

29 mins; June 07, 2022

Episode 21. AAPI Heritage Month and Anti-Asian Violence

24 mins; May 25, 2022

Episode 20. Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

25 mins; May 15, 2022

Episode 19. Addressing Samoan Stereotypes.

29 mins; May 11, 2022

Episode 18. Getting Lei'd at Graduations.

16 mins; May 05, 2022

Episode 17. Trauma: Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse

24 mins; April 29, 2022

Episode 16. Effects of Social Media & Drugs in American Samoa

30 mins; April 20, 2022

Episode 15. Samoans in the Military: The Pros and Cons.

31 mins; April 13, 2022

Episode 14. Samoans in the Military. Why We Joined.

29 mins; April 07, 2022

Episode 13. Relationship with siblings and parents

25 mins; April 01, 2022

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