Kava Club Podcast Ep 25: Polynesian women striving to be entrepreneurs, breaking barriers, criticism

Poly stories interview: Leilani Tukuafu

Leilani shares her experience being a Tongan woman and deciding to become a entrepreneur. She shares all the negative criticism, judgment and hate she experienced from her close family, friends and community for being different, going outside and against the cultural expectation, norm, the gender role and expectation for Polynesian women. She shared how many people in her life didn't support her, didn't believe in her and secretly wanting her to fail.

Leilani shares in her experience that one of the hardest challenges striving to become a entrepreneur as a Polynesian woman, was dealing with all the unsupportive and negative people in her life who didn't agree, support or accept her for what she wanted for her own life. She shared how it was hard for her to stay motivated, confident and disciplined in her work when many people were negative towards her and many times she felt discouraged and wanted to give up.

In the Polynesian culture, the expectation and role for women is to become a house wife, to rely and depend on a man to take care of them and just get a average job to assist the household but not be the primary provider or "bread winner" of the family. They are expected to stay home, cook and clean and be "worthy enough" for a man to be interested in and to marry. This gender role makes a lot undervalue their own self worth, value and confidence in themselves, in their potential and in their own abilities of what they are capable of doing and achieving in this world.

Leilani shares in her experience that after high school, she realized she wanted more for herself, to be independent and become a entrepreneur. She shares that in her experience and journey, she learned that there will always be haters and critics of people who won't agree with your life choices and what you want out of life especially for women, she learned to focus on the positive side and aspects of her life, to feel empowered, to keep going and not fall victim to the negative side, to feel discouraged and give up.

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