“.. Burnout is when you have nothing left to give, there is no bandwidth left. When we have no bandwidth, we get really impatient with the people we love, we start making mistakes… and we lose the ability to celebrate what is wonderful in life…”We are nearing that time of the year when time seems loopy and we feel tired and unmotivated, which is understandable. In our practice, we have Wellness Days to help us catch our breathe and press pause.

“If you aren’t able to commit to a full body yes, it is a lot more respectful to say thank you, you’re so kind, I’ll consider the invitation, please give me time, so that you when you do finally say yes, it is a full body yes”.When you agree to join someone in a thing they have invited you to or take on an extra assignment at work when already stretched, consider the domino effect for yourself and for the other person.

“Joy for me feels a lot more dense than happiness.” How do you nurture your joy? Listen. Comment. Share. Let me know which topics you would like me to speak on.

“If you are going to wait for the perfect conditions, then your boat is never going to leave.” A good friend of mine once said “Boats are not built to stay in the harbor”, and this remains true. The truth is that conditions will never be perfect and you cannot control or create an excellent external condition, what you can do is build a brand/life that you are proud of.

Phakamisa Ndzamela is an award-winning former business journalist for Thomson Reuters, E-News Africa, Moneyweb, Business Day, Financial Mail and Financial Times of London. He holds an honours degree in journalism from the University of Witwatersrand. He lives in Cape Town.  The story of black business in South Africa remains under-explored and poorly understood. Dispossession of fertile or mineral-rich lands through colonial wars, as well as the landmark 1913 Land Act, are among the root causes of the economic precarity of black South Africans to date. Inadequate attention has been paid to how racist policies and discriminatory practices thwarted black business initiatives and success. That’s why Phakamisa put pen to paper to present the world with his book – Native Merchants: The Building of The Black Business Class in South Africa  In this episode, Sizakele and Phakamisa explore the root causes of the current material imbalance in South Africa and he, through structured thought and deep scholarship – presents a case for correcting stereotypes and according due praise to those forebearers who founded and grew businesses in the darkest times of South Africa’s history. Despite these biased systemic impediments, black South African men and women built successful enterprises in industries as diverse as hospitality, mining, media, agriculture, financial services, and real estate among others. Phakamisa seeks to show the long tail of entrepreneurship among black South Africans and to consequently correct a historical stereotype that implies that black people in South Africa are only able to do business as ‘tenderpreneurs’. More importantly in bringing these stories to the fore, he offers, the young black girl and boy – a NorthStar - as well as a renewed sense of pride premised upon an unshakeable truth, that they descend from a lineage of people who, from the beginning – we remarkable and resilient.

“When you place the human at the centre of everything that you do, then you can truly design for inclusive futures.” Designing for inclusivity is not about meeting a quota, it is about considering the complete human and how their daily experiences may be intertwined with your business. These futures ensure that no community is marginalised and that the collective thrives. Listen. Comment. Share. Let me know which topics you would like for me to speak on.

Future-ready brands are understanding more and more that you pay attention to what is happening in culture... and apply your creative lens in a way that solves for society” High-influence brands are intentional about placing humans at the centre of everything as this benefits them commercially and aids in their reputation. Connect with us so that we can elevate your brand to a high-influence one. Listen. Comment. Share. Let me know which topics you would like for me to speak on. #SizakeleMarutlulle #FutureReadinessWithZa #HowToSeries

Today marks Women's Day in South Africa and we thought it would be wonderful to offer you a gift of reflective thoughts to feed on today and the days ahead.

“Returning to wholeness is about slowing down and paying attention to how things feel.” During the pandemic, we were forced to slow down. Most of us vowed in that period to be more present and engage in experiences that bring joy. Have you kept your vow to fully immerse in moments or have you returned to the “busy-ness” of life? The How To Series is my guide on how to go through life in the most humanistic way based on my own experiences Listen. Comment. Share.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr Aba Mortley – an Engineer and Fentrepreneur who is continuing the family business Cher – Mere, a multi-generational personal-care business whose vision is to “make natural, eco-conscious, personal care products for people of all ages and skin tones –inspired by the mosaic of Caribbean people”. I had the absolute delight of meeting her in Kingston, Jamaica, where we both were invited to UN Yemanja Collaborative: Leadership and Networking Workshop to share our respective entrepreneurial journeys.   Aba, as she introduced herself to me, wears multiple hats, and her more prominent one is that of legacy extender. Che-Mere, an ode to her grandmother, was started in Trinidad by her grandmother, who used natural products on her body and turned that into a business that her daughter, Aba’s mother, later joined. Aba, who is/was affectionately called “Little Boss” by the community, was raised in the business, from picking the aloe leaves to bottling the products. She has known and been part of the enterprise since she was in diapers and is emboldened by the immense opportunities that lay ahead for the business.   In this conversation, we talk about running a family business and the fine art of working with a parent. Balancing sheer might and gentleness Aba is evolving the business without altering its history or watering down its magic. She found her lane – and is infusing an emotive feel to the business and product design process. We speak about the journey that she took when opening a spa in Canada, in a community with folks who didn’t look like her, the detours along the path, and the wisdom in leaning on a community when starting or growing a business. Her secret lies in trading on trust and finding the right tribe of ambassadors. You can connect with Aba: linkedin.com/in/aba-mortley-b2388a12  You can visit Cher-Mère here: https://cher-mere.ca/ and  https://www.chermerecaribbean.com/