PEP Talk

Ruta Tonumaivao: Raised in a house of 30 people — and called to serve her community | PEP Talk S2 E6

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:24:34 +0000

In this episode of PEP Talk, we speak with Ruta Tonumaivao — community leader, systems navigator, and co-founder of Tapasā Navigating Futures.

Ruta shares how her leadership journey didn’t begin in an office or a boardroom, but in a busy West Auckland home where multiple generations lived together and service to family was simply a way of life.

From helping her parents navigate systems as a child to supporting communities today, her story shows how leadership often grows quietly through responsibility, culture, and care for others.

This conversation explores:

How culture shapes leadership identity
Why service is stronger than status
Navigating two worlds as a Pacific New Zealander
Turning lived experience into community impact

PEP Talk shares real conversations with purpose-driven leaders building stronger communities.

Subscribe for more conversations with leaders creating impact.

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How to Bring Humanity Back to Business | PEP Talk with Colart Miles

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:49:10 +0000

In this episode of PEP Talk, Suitauloa Simon Young sits down with organisational coach and facilitator Colart Miles to explore what it really means to bring humanity back into business.

Colart shares his journey from sub-Saharan Africa to New Zealand, his experience working with startups and large organisations, and why he believes modern companies are still running on a 300-year-old operating system.

The conversation explores:

Why many organisations treat people like parts in a machine
How purpose shapes decisions and leadership
The difference between mechanical organisations and human systems
Why experimentation and failure are essential for finding purpose
The “scout and pioneer” mindset that drives innovation

If you’re interested in purpose-driven leadership, organisational culture, or building more human businesses, this episode is for you.

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Building Legacy & Breaking Barriers | Tuilaepa Tumama Tu’ulua | PEP Talk

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 10:19:06 +0000

In this episode of PEP Talk – the podcast for purpose-empowered people, we sit down with Tuilaepa Tumama Tu’ulua to explore what it truly means to build legacy and break barriers.

Born and raised in Ōtautahi (Christchurch), Tumama shares his journey from sport and education into consulting, community leadership, and anti-racism work — all grounded in a commitment to creating meaningful impact for future generations.

In this conversation, we discuss:

The responsibility of legacy
Breaking systemic and personal barriers
Leading with values
“Know better. Do better.” in action
Building pathways for the next generation

This is a powerful conversation about purpose, leadership, and stepping into impact.

🎙 New episodes every week.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with purpose-empowered people.

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This Is Just the Beginning | The Vision Behind PaCIVICa (PEP Talk S1 E3)

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:31:14 +0000

Something powerful is growing in West Auckland — and this is just the beginning.

In this episode of Pep Talk, we share a major update:

Salā Marie Young steps into the CEO role at PaCIVICa
The vision to see a Pacific Prime Minister within 20 years
How PaCIVICa was incubated through Purpose Empowered People
Why leadership pathways must begin early — from prefect to Parliament

PaCIVICa exists to create the conditions for greater Pacific representation in civic leadership — not by accident, but by design.

As Marie shares in this episode, Prime Ministers don’t “pop out of thin air.” They are shaped by pathways, governance experience, and community support .

We believe leadership should be normalised from a young age — so that Pacific voices are present at every table where decisions are made.

Purpose Empowered People (PEP) continues its mission to build strategy, systems and story — incubating bold ideas like PaCIVICa into reality .

If this resonates with you:

Like. Subscribe. Share.

Because this is only the beginning.

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I Broke My Neck. Then I Found My Purpose. | PEP Talk S2E2

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:46:46 +0000

Twenty years ago, Fonoti Pati Umaga broke his neck.

In a single moment, everything changed.

Paralysed from the chest down, he faced not just physical loss — but the loss of identity, independence, and certainty.

What he discovered next changed his life forever.

In this powerful episode of PEP Talk, Pati shares:

The mindset shift that helped him rebuild
The moment he confronted his own ableism
How serving others gave him renewed purpose
Why adversity doesn’t cancel calling
And what YOU can learn when life doesn’t go to plan

If you’re serious about finding and fulfilling your purpose — especially when life feels unfair — this conversation is for you.

Purpose doesn’t disappear when life changes.
Sometimes it becomes clearer.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations with Purpose Empowered People.

#PEPTalk #Purpose #Resilience #DisabilityAdvocate #Leadership

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From Reluctant Leader to Māori Tech Trailblazer | Lee Timutimu | PEP Talk S2E1

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 08:26:30 +0000

Season 2 of PEP Talk is here! 🎉

We open with a powerful kōrero featuring Lee Timutimu — Māori tech advocate, storyteller, and social equity leader.

In this episode, Lee shares his journey from reluctant leader to trailblazer, how his lived experiences shaped his advocacy for Māori data sovereignty, and why creating safe, empowered digital spaces for our people is more urgent than ever.

🌱 From founding Te Hapori Matihiko and Te Matarau to shaping kaupapa with Health NZ and universities, Lee reflects on identity, digital equity, and what it means to step into leadership when nobody else will.

🔍 What we talk about:

How social justice pushed Lee into leadership
The role of Māori data sovereignty
Building digital communities for and by Māori
Navigating the tech world with purpose
Lessons from confronting NZ Tech

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts.

📹 Watch full episodes on our YouTube channel + follow for more Purpose Empowered People.

#LeeTimutimu #PEPTalk #MāoriTech #DigitalSovereignty #IndigenousLeadership #KaupapaDriven #Trailblazer

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PEP Talk Season 1 is a wrap

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 12:38:45 +0000

Season One of PEP Talk wraps up with a reflective conversation on purpose, governance, community work, and what we’ve learned along the way.

In this episode, Simon and Marie look back on a year spent working alongside purpose-led businesses, social enterprises, churches, and community leaders — people doing meaningful work, often under pressure and with limited resources.

We talk about:

• Why clarity matters more than more ideas

• The hidden governance load carried by Pacific and Indigenous organisations

• What it really takes to move from vision to proof of concept

• Lessons from launching PaCIVICa as a civic leadership pilot and trust

• Why learning by doing beats theory alone

This is a conversation about purpose in practice — not perfection, not hype, but real people building real things in real communities.

Thank you to everyone who has supported PEP Talk through Season One. Season Two returns in 2026.

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Capitalism, Indigenous Wisdom & the Honorable Harvest | PEP Talk with Simon & Marie

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 21:33:26 +0000

Capitalism promises progress — yet many of us feel the system is breaking under its own weight. In this episode of PEP Talk, Simon and Marie explore a different way forward, inspired by Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Drawing from Indigenous worldviews, the Honorable Harvest, and our relationship with whenua, they unpack what a values-aligned, relational economy might look like — one that honours people, planet, and purpose.

You’ll hear about:

Why capitalism leaves so many behind
The Indigenous principle of reciprocity
What it means to treat land and resources as kin
The Honourable Harvest and its everyday relevance
How business and Indigenous values can absolutely co-exist

If you’re exploring purpose-led leadership, social enterprise, or Indigenous thinking in modern business — this one will resonate.

✨ Join the PEP community: https://pep.nz

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From the Scrum to the Studio — The Lama Tone Story

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 02:40:50 +0000

Former Manu Samoa rugby player Pesetā Fa‘amātuainu To‘oto‘olea‘ava Lama Tone shares how a career-ending neck injury on the field redirected him toward a life of design, teaching, and cultural leadership. Now a Professor of Architecture at the University of Auckland and founder of New Pacific Architecture, Lama opens up about identity, resilience, and how Pacific concepts shape his work.

In this PEP Talk special (recorded in the Covid era, still completely evergreen), Lama reflects on:

Growing up between Auckland and Samoa, and how village life shaped his values
The injury in 2001 that left him briefly paralyzed and ended professional rugby
Returning to university as a mature student, relearning essays, and rediscovering curiosity
Being the only Pacific student in his architecture class and turning that tension into purpose
His Master’s thesis, “Designing with Pacific Concepts,” and why culture belongs in contemporary design
Navigating rejection during the global financial crisis and launching New Pacific Architecture
The Pacific legacy of navigation — from wayfinding on the ocean to charting a career on land

If you’re looking for a story about reinvention, cultural pride, and creative grit, this one’s for you.

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This Samoan Church Turned Their Empty Car Park Into Purpose

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 23:47:55 +0000

What happens when faith meets strategy? In this episode of PEP Talk, hosts Salā Marie and Sui Simon Young share the behind-the-scenes story of how EFKS Sandringham partnered with PEP to transform their unused car park into a community-minded income stream.

You’ll hear how cultural values, smart partnerships, and a spirit of stewardship led to one of Aotearoa’s most inspiring social enterprise initiatives.

👥 Featuring:

Rev Dr Featuna’i Liua’ana & EFKS Sandringham

Stellar Car Parking

PEP (Pacific Enterprise People)

🌐 Learn more

🎧 Subscribe for more Purpose Empowered conversations

#PacificEnterprise #SocialEnterprise #SamoanChurch #PEPTalkPodcast

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Australia’s First Pacific Professor: A Story of Pride & Purpose

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:43:56 +0000

In this inspiring PEP Talk replay, Professor Jioji Ravulo — the University of Sydney’s first Pacific professor — joins Salā Marie Young to explore identity, belonging, and purpose. From his roots in Ra, Fiji, to his rise in academia, Jioji shares how family, culture, and education shaped his journey. Together they reflect on honouring Indigenous peoples, celebrating Pacific heritage, and leading with purpose in a changing world.

🎧 A timeless kōrero about space, place, and the power of knowing who you are.

#PacificLeadership #PEPTalk #JiojiRavulo #PasifikaVoices #IndigenousIdentity #PurposeEmpoweredPeople

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His Rugby Dreams Were CRUSHED… But He Found His Purpose

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 03:35:46 +0000

Talofa and welcome to PEP Talk!

This episode hits different. We’re sitting down with Tunganekore Kevene Fuavao, founder of Manu Golf, where Pacific culture meets the golf green. Kevin’s story? It’s about picking yourself up when life hits hard and finding a way to stand tall with purpose.

We’re talking:

🏉 Bouncing back from a rugby injury that could’ve crushed him

⛳ The real meaning behind Manu and why it’s bigger than just golf

🌺 Holding it down for Pacific culture in spaces that need our presence

💡 How mentorship, hustle, and heart brought Manu Golf to life

💪 Why mindset is the game-changer when life gets tough

If you’re about that grind, hungry for inspiration, or just need a reminder that setbacks can fuel your biggest comeback—this one’s for you.

🎯 Like, subscribe, and share with someone who needs that motivation today.

Join the PEP Talk community! Visit www.pep.nz/peptalk

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How Stage 4 Cancer Gave Me a New Purpose | PEP Talk S1 E5

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 04:30:34 +0000

💬 “Cancer gave me clarity—it was the start of a new mission.”

In this powerful episode of PEP Talk, Karen Daniels shares her journey from being diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer to living a purpose-driven life.

Karen’s story is one of resilience, faith, and transformation. As a Cook Islands-born mother, cancer survivor, and mental health educator, she reflects on how her toughest challenge became the foundation for Thrive Together: Mind Your Health.

Listen as Karen discusses:

✨ Finding strength in faith and reflection

✨ Practical steps to embrace mental and holistic wellness

✨ How community and connection fuel personal growth

Mentioned in this episode:

💬 Contact Karen: thrivetogether@outlook.co.nz

💡Plan your business growth with the Lean Canvas

🚀 Want to stay inspired and connect with our community? Join the PEP Talk Community Waitlist for updates and resources at www.pep.nz/peptalk.

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🌟 Take the Leap: Tiare Rose’s Inspiring Entrepreneurial Journey! 🌟

Wed, 11 Dec 2024 00:04:56 +0000

Meet Tiare Rose, the founder of Tiare Rose Cosmetics, as she shares her incredible journey from a simple idea to launching a Pacific-led business. In this episode of PEP Talk, Tiare discusses the courage it takes to step into entrepreneurship, the power of faith, and how representation inspires the next generation.

👄 From creating vegan, handmade lip products to empowering young entrepreneurs, Tiare’s story is a testament to passion and perseverance. 💪

🔗 Listen now and discover how to “own your narrative” and turn your dreams into reality! Find Tiare Rose Cosmetics on Instagram: @tiarerosecosmetics.

#Entrepreneurship #PacificLeaders #Inspiration

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PEP Talk: Who are we?

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 08:09:35 +0000

Talofa lava and welcome to PEP Talk! We’re Suitauloa Simon Young and Salā Marie Young, here to share a bit about who we are and what drives Pacific Enterprise People (PEP). 🌊🌺

This episode’s all about the roots of PEP and the faces behind it. You’ll meet our managing director (and soon-to-be Doctor!) Salā Marie Young as she tells her story, from growing up in Christchurch and Samoa to the journey of building PEP. Our goal? To uplift and connect Pacific communities, creating spaces for culture, innovation, and impact.

PEP Talk isn’t just a chat – it’s a movement. We're here to laugh, share, and celebrate everything Pacific, from resilience to leadership and those powerful voices in our communities. Whether you’re here for a cultural deep dive or just a bit of fun with us, you’re in the right place!

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