We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa Tauai a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us today. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

The defining moment in my professional career as a United States Air Force officer and Registered Dietitian occurred when I met my mentor, Brigadier General Al Flowers. General Flowers taught me invaluable lessons on how to be a true servant leader. The wisdom he instilled in me revolved around having a positive, “can do” attitude, working hard, and treating everyone with dignity and respect. These lessons reshaped my leadership style and undoubtedly resulted in a very successful final assignment in the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel and Squadron Commander.

Lisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My journey has been an exciting, rollercoaster of events that have made me into the person I am today. I experienced severe bullying as a child through high school and vowed that I would prove everyone wrong. I redirected my time and attention to doing well in school, which earned me multiple scholarships and paved my way through a successful college. experience. During my senior year in college, an Air Force recruiter spoke to our class about the United States Air Force Dietetic Internship program. It sounded like the ultimate challenge and terrific opportunity, so I applied and was accepted into the country’s most rigorous dietetic internship program, which kicked off my career as a Registered Dietitian and Air Force Officer in the United States Air Force! I honorably served 20 years in the Air Force, earning over 40 awards and decorations and retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel and Squadron Commander. After retirement, I volunteered to help at a local pageant and was inspired by the contestants’ poise and courage as they competed on stage. Within a few months following this event, I competed in my first pageant, where I garnered the “Miss Congeniality” award. I competed in three other pageants before earning the title as Ms. International 2023-2024 and, later, Ms. USA International 2025. These titles opened up so many doors within the modeling and pageantry industries that ultimately led to countless podcasts, monthly nutrition talks on News 3 Las Vegas and Fox 5 Las Vegas, modeling and fashion show opportunities in Las Vegas and Chicago, and over 20 magazine covers and feature stories. What I am most proud of is becoming the host and producer of “Vegas Saints”, a segment of “Las Vegas Tonight with Dale Davidson”. In this television segment, I highlight stories of people doing extraordinary things for the community and overcoming unimaginable obstacles that inspire others to do the same.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

The pivot in my career occurred at about my 10-12=year-point in the Air Force. I met a Squadron Commander while being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He became my mentor and later, my good friend. He was loved and respected by everyone. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for his people, knew their names and their families, and stopped what he was doing to stand up and speak to them when they came to his office. He taught me the art and science of servant leadership, which changed how I interacted with everyone. not just those who worked for me. By taking care of your people and genuinely caring about them, they will move mountains for you! I owe much of my successful career to my friend and mentor, Brigadier General Al Flowers.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Looking back, there are so many stories that I could share with you that illustrate resilience. The one that truly tested my resilience the most was in 2003 when my first son was born. He was born extremely premature at 25-weeks-gestation weighing only 1 pound, 15 ounces. At that time, only 10% of babies born that early survived. I would wake up every morning at 4 AM, go to the hospital to see him, go to work, and then go back to see him after work every day for over 3 months. I never knew if he would still be with us each day due to his extreme prematurity and his multiple complications. I remember being very angry and even resenting my friends who would have normal pregnancies and deliveries. I did not like the person I was. After all was said and done, my son is a thriving 21-year-old with no major medical problems or conditions. It took me a very long time to see how lucky I was that he survived and dodged so many problems that could have impacted his life forever. What I was originally angry about has melted away to reveal complete gratitude.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisatauai/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.tauai
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-tauai-38886353/

Image Credits

Georgina Vaughn Photography