It takes real courage, mana, and perseverance to break through in a space without much precedence for success; a space where there's a real gauntlet of challenges and adverse stereotypes to tackle—talking to Sachiko Soro, Director of VOU Dance, it was evident that she has those traits in buckets and is someone who works to instill the same in all those she works with.

VOU Dance is a world-renowned, award-winning dance company and school, having performed at numerous festivals around the world including Glastonbury and Edinburgh, where they've gone on to win numerous awards. It's a first of its kind venture in Fiji that has continued to have a rich, positive impact on society.

Sachiko created and leads VOU Dance—I had the honor of learning more from her about artistic entrepreneurship and the challenges and triumphs of breaking new ground in bringing the creative arts and dance from Fiji to the world—Sachiko's high energy and drive is amazing to be around and it is no wonder she has managed to grow an incredible team and company around her—a real treat to have had the time to sit down and talk with her, and now excited to share our chat!

Be sure check out more on VOU Dance here:

Website: https://voufiji.com
https://www.vouhubfiji.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VOUfiji/
A little taste of the performances:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm1sd...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cONNBLcCUw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/voudancefiji/

A Note: Covid-19 has, as you can imagine, greatly impacted the events space--VOU Dance, after having an extensive 2020 worldwide itinerary of events planned, is no exception to feeling this and especially its dancers. This is a Give a Little page set up to help out these incredible performers in the time-being, if you can.

This episode is also out now on Spotify and Apple Podcast—subscribe to Pod Bless Fiji!

I had the pleasure to dive deep on both style and substance with Sunjeev Prasad, the founder of men's image consultancy, Street Gentlemen, based in Calgary, Canada--he's been featured in GQ Media, CBC News, Buzzfeed, Shaw TV, and now Pod Bless Fiji!

We talked men's health, the place of image vs substance in a time of social distance, starting a business, spirituality, dealing with grief and more. It was amazing to talk to Sunjeev because of his bravery in being vulnerable and perceptive at the same time--a result of the work he's done on himself and with others over the course of his career. I'm glad to be able to share this episode and thank you Sunjeev for your time!

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YouTube: https://youtu.be/1qRum-F5OIc

Check out:
Website: www.streetgentlemen.com
Instagram: @streetgentlemen

Book mentions:
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma
The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone

The ever-smiling Rocky Khan--the first Fijian of Indian descent and the first Rotuman to ever put on the All Blacks 7s jersey, who's on a mission to positively impact the world.

We talked about journeys both in career and life, identity, mental health, personal development, rugby, mentorship, empowering others, community and more.

Rocky's positivity is infectious and is such a great energy to be around--really glad to be able to share his story and this episode with y'all!

Check out Rocky and his new venture on Instagram:
@rockykhan
@rugbyontherocks

This episode was brought to you by www.miphysio.co.nz

Also available to listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify--subscribe to be up to date with future episodes.

In this episode, I was lucky to chat with Bobby Singh--the only American Football player in history to have won the Super Bowl (NFL), the Grey Cup (CFL), and the Million Dollar Game (XFL), who happens to be born in Fiji. 

A real role model and contributor to the community, I loved chatting about the lessons that his unique career has brought--lessons that I'm excited to share with this episode. Huge thanks to Bobby for making the time--what a gem!


This episode is brought to you by www.miphysio.co.nz

Excited and grateful to have respiratory specialist Dr. Shivonne Prasad for "Episode 0" to talk about the microscopic elephant in the room, #Coronavirus, and what it's like to be on the frontlines.

We talk about:

1:50min: Most challenging part of being in the coronavirus wards, balancing personal and professional
5:00: How she tunes out during these times
8:56: Civil liberties and government powers in times of emergency
10:27: Tracking systems  
14:20: Adoption of technologies in developing countries like Fiji
16:35: Dr Prasad's memories of Fiji
18:58: Resilience of countries like Fiji in times of crisis
20:07: Whether Dr Prasad wishes anything were different growing up in Fiji
21:46: Mentors and role models
25:19: Looking ahead to the next few weeks in the covid world
26:40: Telehealth
27:35: Beyond medical relief--patient needs and the effect on doctors
30:15: The emotional dimensions of breathing
31:40: Balancing coronavirus workload vs other work
34:23: How coronavirus has affected a doctor's home life
37:04: Experts and the abundance of information around coronavirus
39:35: Dr Prasad's favorite food from Fiji!
41:15: Parting words of advice

Visit www.podblessfiji.com
Instagram: @podblessfiji
Facebook: @podblessfiji

Excited to announce Pod Bless Fiji - an original podcast, hosted by Niven Prasad, where you get to hear the personal stories of Fiji's most interesting people