Afeaki-Mafile'o was born in Tonga to Pat and Edith Afeaki. She said that she never read a book until she was nineteen[1] however she later attended Massey University where she graduated and then took a master's degree in philosophy.[2]
In 2001 at the age of 25[1] she was running her own mentoring service.[2] The service went on to employ 100 people to deliver support to 5,000 Pasifika young people in Auckland.[2]
She runs a community café in the Auckland suburb of Ōtāhuhu. She and her family own a coffee factory in Tonga and the coffee is sent to New Zealand to support her work.[2]