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Pacific Empowerment
Pacific Empowerment Podcast was founded by a Tongan woman entrepreneur, Akanesi Kaufusi, to uplift and inspire Pacific Island people to take bold action, chase their dreams, and dream as big as they dare. This podcast challenges the limitations of traditional thinking and cultural expectations that often hold our people back. It’s a space to break free from fear, take risks, and rewrite what’s possible - no matter your background or environment. Your situation doesn’t define you. Your vision does.
Pacific Empowerment
Episode 22 - When Research Misses Reality: Why Kava Studies Don’t Reflect Pacific Life
Episode Description:
In this episode, I analyze Dr. Apo Aporosa’s article of the University of Waikato, "De-mythologizing and Re-branding of Kava as the New ‘World Drug’ of Choice” - a paper that defends kava as safe and culturally misunderstood. But here’s the real question: Can studies done on kava tablets in laboratories truly represent the reality of Pacific Island men drinking bowl after bowl every night?
I also share real testimonies from wives in Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, women whose husbands’ kava addiction and faikava lifestyle have led to broken families, financial struggles, and emotional pain.
Finally, I offer advice for women who are going through this: those dealing with cheating or addicted husbands.
This episode challenges the academic narrative with lived experience, exposing what happens when research misses reality.
Help us continue making great content for listeners everywhere.
You can watch the video podcast on https://www.youtube.com/@pacificempowerment