Kaena Gilman-Moeai

“After suffering multiple miscarriages, I started to dedicate my efforts to heal my traumas and overwhelming experiences. There was a point in my life when I was healing from multiple experiences that were traumatic in my life. During that time period, I realized that it was hard to heal within the Polynesian standard and the stigma that we had to be tough, be strong, and emotions are a sign of weakness. I craved a space that would welcome the talk of mental health, understanding traumatic experiences, and regulating emotional damage. On the other hand, I also craved a space where I would feel understood, due to my Polynesian background. Feeling alone in this era of my life, I had a dream of how to create that space. I started to post about my journey with a lot of skepticism of how people would receive my vulnerability, but knowing that there was so much power in my truth. Two years ago I would have never thought that I would be able to collaborate and join hands with many women and men who also felt alone. I have been a part of movements within the Polynesian healing communities, mental health, and have dedicated my efforts to perpetuating that safe space for our Polynesian people. My goal is to destigmatize the practice of healing in our Polynesian community while learning how we can all operate to be our highest selves.

My side businesses Sunseababes and Tuputimes are dedicated to the ongoing efforts of overall health and wellness for our people.

Sunseababes is a business purely dedicated to doing the inner work and healing within to achieve our highest self. We focus on body positivity and an emphasis on empowering women.

Tuputimes is a business that I co-founded with two other ladies, Kelcy Ponciano-Ahue and Pele Bennett. Our goal is to create a safe space to nurture and educate our Polynesian people through rooted practices of health and wellness.”