Social Impact Founders Club
B e n e f i t s
• C o m m u n i t y o f l i k e m i n d e d s o c i a l e n t r e p r e n e u r s
• P e e r m e n t o r s h i p a n d a c c o u n t a b i l i t y
• P r i v a t e c o m m u n i t y c h a t g r o u p • M o n t h l y s k i l l s w e b i n a r
• A c c e s s t o e x p e r t m e n t o r s t h r o u g h t h e M e n t H e r R o t a t i o n S i g n a t u r e p r o g r a m m e
• A s I A m P u r p o s e P l a n n e r ( d i g i t a l )
n M e n t H e r M a g
e
A R E Y O U ?
R e a d y t o p u r s u e y o u r d r e a m s ?
W a n t t o l i v e a l i f e o f p u r p o s e ?
W a n t a b u s i n e s s t h a t c r e a t e s p o s i t i v e i m p a c t ?
W a n t t o m a k e m o n e y a n d d o g o o d ?
H a v e a n i d e a a n d n o t s u r e w h a t t o d o n e x t ?
W a n t t o a m p u p y o u r s i d e h u s t l e ?
R u n n i n g o r v o l u n t e e r i n g w i t h a n o n p r o f i t a n d w a n t t o c r e a t e m o r e s u s t a i n a b i l i t y ?
Contributors
Elena Pappas-Gishen Alice Dlamini Advocate Aurelia Nxumalo Candice PillayKelebogile Molopyane
Kholeka MkhizePublisher’s
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Our health is our real wealth and without it we have nothing and are not able to accomplish much. We have often heard rich people say that all the money in the world cannot buy health or time. We find ourselves post-pandemic, nearing year-end and dealing with various global crises, and all that adversely impacts on our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. So the question becomes, how do we maintain overall wellbeing and find balance?
An image I like to keep in mind when it comes to balance, is that of a lesson from one of my mentors, Koo Govender. In one of our first mentorship sessions she said to me that life is more of a juggling act, balancing a glass ball and a rubber ball. The rubber ball represents everything in your life (business or career wise) that if you drop, will bounce back – in a week, a few months or years – but at some point will bounce back. The glass ball represents all the things that are important (your health or relationships), these are the things that if you drop them, they will crack or break, and will be difficult to mend. In your journey, life is about how well you juggle these. Yes, there will be seasons when you focus on rubber ball items, but in that time be
careful to not drop those things which form part of your glass ball.
In this edition we share various thoughts, tips and support on ways to help you juggle. Perhaps the most challenging part of this juggling act in life for a woman climbing the corporate ladder or growing her own business is the transition into marriage and motherhood. We sit down with entrepreneur, wife and new mother, Elena Pappas-Gishen, who like many of us launched her business during COVID and has managed to grow from strength to strength, as I hope many of us have as well.
When you feel as though that journey to ‘balance’ is seeming more like an uphill steep climb than meander on a scenic route, remember the words of Hellenistic philosopher Zeno of Citium; “wellbeing is attained little by little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.” It may take time, but however long that time might be, it is worthwhile for yourself, your loved ones, those you serve and add value to and your business.
Purposefully Yours
Ntsiki Mkhize
Founding Editor
SEPTEMBER HEALTH & WELLBEING EDITION
MEET THE MENTORS
LEADERSHIP
INCLUSIVITY
MENTHER MASTER CLASS
PERSONAL GROWTH
WELLNESS
STRATEGY
CLUB
RESILIENCE
quality
Joni Peddie
FEATURE
Mona Willis
IMPACT SUMMIT
SOCIAL
MEET OUR MENTORS
MentHer has a unique mentorship programme wherein different experts from around the world host Master Classes each month based on their discipline. Mentees will have the opportunity to attend each master class as a group and will have access to the mentors after their session. Meet the fantastic team of mentors joining us, the mentors featured here are only those who will be hosting master classes in the first half of the year.
PROFESSIONAL ETIQUETTE AYANDA NGALO
Founder: Dial a Legal Assistant
MENTORS
A young professional carrying a blended academic record comprising of Bachelor Degrees in Finance, Marketing, and Law. Ms. Ngalo is the Founder of Dial a Legal Assistant, a company specializing in the provision of Ad-Hoc Legal Assistant staffing solutions which allow Companies, Law Firms and Government Institutions to temporarily outsource Legal Personnel for short periods of time and for specific seasonal needs.
After graduating for her LLB degree at the University of the Witwatersand, the struggle and pursuit of securing a job as a Candidate Attorney inspired her to innovate a solution that will bridge the gap between understaffed Legal Entities and recent Law graduates that are in desperate pursuit of gaining experience and securing jobs in the legal industry. Through partnerships with various Clients including national Legal Giant: LegalWise, the Dial a Legal Assistant team has been able to create valuable and substantial job opportunities for over 40 unemployed Law Graduates across South Africa.
PERSONAL BUSINESS STRATEGY ANELA MAHAMBA
Founder and Managing Director: Kore Business Solutions
Executive Director: ACCSA
#Mail and Guardian 50 Powerful Women of 2021
#Sunday World Heroic Women 2022
Experience: 8 years experience in Entrepreneurship specializing in Business Strategy, Business /Community Development, Leadership, Human Capital and Operations.
Extended Profile: Business Mentor and Speaker, former @AfricaLeadsLeadership Ambassador, Guest Lecturer, Woman Empowerment Advocate, Event facilitator and Master of Ceremonies. 18 years experience in Pubic Speaking and a Master of the craft. Client Network: Social Entrepreneurship Academy, Vusi Thembekwayo Book Launch, Student Employability and Entrepreneurship Development, Nelson Mandela University, Multiple KBS Events and so many more.
MENTORS
@ursulabotha_
CONFIDENT VOICE AND PRESENCE URSULA BOTHA
Founder & Coach: Confident Voices
Ursula combines her specialisation as a speaking coach, actress and voice artist to enhance the confidence of others.
She is qualified with a Master of Fine Arts (with distinction), an Honours in Live Performance and a BA in Drama from the University of Stellenbosch.
Ursula’s keynotes are value packed with practical tools that you can actually use to make an impact in the way you show up and communicate.
E-COMMERCE AND SOCIAL MEDIA TENDANI HLONGWANE
Founder: Revived Online & Areshumeni
A qualified small business owner and entrepreneur with a Diploma in marketing and small business. She started her fist job as an Entrepreneurship tutor at the University of Johannesburg. After graduating, she was headhunted and hired as a junior account manager, before being appointed social media manager.
‘ I am a founder of all great things being my small e-commerce businesses known as Revived Online and Areshumeni.
I am learning & Growing in digital spaces and I seek to intentionally add value in all businesses, initiatives and spaces I find myself in. I believe in shaping and curating my life into gold and those of others once my cup overflows.
I believe that one of the greatest ways to see growth in my ventures, is to constantly believe in my WHY and HOW. ‘
A WISE PERSON RESTS; A FOOL WORKS HIS FINGERS TO THE BONE
“By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on the seventh day
He rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work of creating that He had done”. Genesis 2:2-3
Denzel Washington, puts it like this, “don’t confuse movement with progress. Just because you are doing a lot more does not mean you are getting a lot more done.” Too many of us fall into that trap. Why are we being deceived into believing that being busy and showing the world that we are always in motion is progress and/or a sign of success? When did rest become offensive or a sign of laziness? Why have we allowed the culture of people’s perceptions about achievement and fruitfulness dictate what is right and good for us and our growth?
We’ve forgotten that the One who created the universe often took time away from the crowd to rest, to find peace in the midst of chaos so that He could have His
cup filled for the next mission. We have distorted the truth and created a hostile approach to what was prescribed to us by God.
If the creator of the universe can say “I need to rest” surely, we need to learn and respond in the same manner. No one can work without resting. Rest and restoration have been instituted for our benefit. There’s importance in working hard, but there’s equally, if not immense importance, in rest and restoration because that’s the opportunity for the mind, body and the soul to rejuvenate. Scientist will tell you that rest is
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a fundamental part of how the body heals itself. The mind and the brain need to rest to be able to cope with daily demands.
We know that the brain uses approximately 20% of the energy generated by the body. The brain is in charge of responding to the stimulus in our environment and informing the body on how to react. If the brain is overcharged, over stimulated and under nourished, then we run the risk of destroying the neurotransmitters that help send signals to the various parts of our bodies to function optimally. Rest is important for the brain to function as well as for you to have clarity to focus. The industrial revolution has boosted economic growth in astronomical ways that we would have never imagined possible at the beginning of the 20th century. However, it has brought with it too many distractions and demands that people don’t know how to let go and schedule time to wind-down and take care of themselves.
People have forgotten what it is to live and breathe and most specifically to pause, unplug and unwind. Mental health (physical exertion and emotional stress) diseases have resulted in much of the personal and social conflict we are experiencing today.
As a wife to the most incredibly gifted human being on earth (biased but true, all the same) that I have the privilege of calling my husband, a mom to three wonderful yet demanding children, a deacon for children’s ministry at our church, a businesswoman and many other titles, I ensure that I intentionally rest. I do the activities that I enjoy doing that not only keep me healthy and grounded, but extend joy to the soul - my inner person. I sprint, I do CrossFit, I grow my own vegetables, I tend my hives (and eat some of the honey). I don’t look at my phone after supper time and family time. I intentionally take my time to kneel before God and thank Him for the day’s work and the opportunity to get what I could get done, and the ability to get through it. Leaders need to understand that there’s a correlation and causation between illness and rest.
We see this clearly outlined in Exodus chapter 18 when Jethro, the high priest of Median, visits Moses, his-son-in-law, in the wilderness. He saw Moses attend to the matters of the Israelites from morning till evening and this is what he said, “This is not good. You’re going to wear yourself out and the people too”.
There’s a constant “go-go-go” culture that builds economies, but destroys people physically and mentally.
When the body is constantly on overdrive and in distress due to stressful circumstances then the result is mental breakdown, depression, anxiety and other more serious illnesses and autoimmune disorders or diseases. It’s up to leaders to promote mental health and personal wellbeing with their teams. Doing so may boost creativity, increase productivity, reduce stress, stimulate the immune system and over-all vitality and well-being. Adequate rest is required to be able to perform daily tasks, without rest people suffer mood swings, angst and stress.
A ‘great’ leader knows when to stand up and appoint other great, capable, honest, diligent men and women leaders of integrity to help carry the load. A leader teaches and is willing to be taught.
A leader gives instructions and delegates work with humility, confidence, and honour. Take time out to enjoy yourself and the activities you enjoy doing. Intentionally focus on pursuing your health and wellness activities. Focus on positively re-framing your mind and body and pre-framing your future health and walk.
When the job is too heavy for you to handle by yourself, seek help. There is no shame in saying “I need help.”
HOW TO BET ON YOUR OWN SUCCESS
Our lives are punctuated by episodes of setting
goals, working towards achieving our goals, experiencing obstacles along the way, achieving the goals; and sometimes failing to achieve the goals. When we set goals or make plans we often see, through the eyes of our mind, victory all the way.
We see ourselves overcoming obstacles that come our way. We see ourselves conquering adversity of whatever form or magnitude. We’re blinded by the vision and we do this, without fail, every time we set our goals and make plans. However, in reality things don’t always work out as planned
When things don’t go according to plan there’s often chaos, unhappiness, disillusionment and stress as well. These things happen when we meet obstacles we didn’t
plan for along the way. Some people believe that it’s prudent to have a ‘Plan B’ whilst others believe you don’t make plans for an alternative plan, stick with ‘Plan A’. This is a debate for another time altogether. What I know, as a parent, is that through the journey of raising our children, alternative plans have made a BIG difference between having bliss or chaos. I’m saying this because how you get to your final goal is often not as important as getting to the goal - obviously within the legal bounds ;-).
One thing you can rest assured of is that life is great at throwing some curveballs.
So when those curveballs come our way, we better have a great plan and/or a better alternative plan on how to deal with those curveballs. So how do we ensure that we’re able to overcome these curve balls and boost our chances of success?
Based on my experience, here are some of my key factors on betting on your success in whatever you do.
Start with Clarity
Clarity is key. Starting with the end in mind is important. Before you jump into starting anything, be sure that you’re clear about what it is you’re getting yourself into and what your
desired outcome is. If you start without the clarity of the desired outcome, it might be difficult or messy to bail yourself out when things fall apart. This applies to your career choice, choice of job, choice of employer, personal relationships, and business opportunities. Lack of clarity can lead to desperation, which can lead to you grabbing any opportunity that comes your way. Organisations conduct due diligence before closing deals. So, you too should investigate opportunities and have the clarity you need.
Cover all corners in your planning
Once you have the clarity you need, setting goals is the next prudent thing to do. There are different ways of doing this. The most basic way of setting goals is SMART goal setting - (SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant and Time specific). Setting SMART goals ensures that your goals are clear and specific, measurable, relevant and are time bound. This method of setting goals helps you to not be all over the place, bite more than you can chew, and find yourself out of your depth. It enables you to track your progress. This also helps you to be sure that the goal is really part of your dream and not someone else’s dream. So, cover all corners in your planning process.
Stay the Course
I am old enough to have attempted a number of ventures. Some I have walked away from, not because it was time to walk away, but because walking away was the easiest thing to do. I can guarantee you that if you’re in the habit of walking away when the heat intensifies in the kitchen, the only thing you’ll be great at will be starting. Success requires finishers. Finishers stay the course. When you have covered all the corners in setting your goals, the next thing should be about building a habit of executing to finishing the race. Finishing is very important. It reduces the rate of regrets. So be kind to yourself and finish what you start. All creations are a result of ‘finishing’. So, be a good finisher.
Embrace Failure
Here’s something we need to get used to: Failure is part of success. It always has and always will be. That’s just how life has been. Here are some people who have failed before they succeeded: Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria’s
Edison (inventor of the light bulb); JK Rowlings (author of Harry Potter books); the oppressed in South Africa; all children (learning to walk). You and I have also failed before. We have been through failure, but we don’t get used to what it does to us, do we? The trick is in how we relate to failure. Persevering through a series of failures requires the right psychology towards failure. Embrace failure, it’s here to stay until success arrives. Thomas Edison did it 10 000 times.
Have ‘Plan B’
No one plans to fail, but failing to plan is planning to fail. I’m one of the many who believe that you must always have a ‘Plan B’. Businesses have contingency plans as part of their risk management. That is ‘Plan B’! You should have one too for your personal success journey. The challenge is that we often heavily invest, emotionally, in ‘Plan A’ such that we don’t have enough motivation to invest further in ‘Plan B’. See ‘Plan B’ as part of your planning. Ignore ‘Plan B’ at your own peril, you have been cautioned.
Through all of it, bet on you, bet on your success.
PUTTING ON YOUR OXYGEN MASK
Stepping to something different gives your mind something different to focus on
Candice Pillay | Director Norton Rose Fulbright SASometime ago, Joseph Prince, a television evangelist, talked about the safety demonstration on an airplane.
The instruction to put on his oxygen mask before helping others was so profound that it changed his philosophy on rest and wellness.
In a corporate environment or as an entrepreneur, rest or taking time out can be a dangerous past time. When your time is devoted to building your career or your business, strategy tells you that you always have to be alert, always on the lookout for the next opportunity, always ready to adapt should the market change.
The safety demonstration however spoke to a much deeper truth and that is the rate at which
many entrepreneurs and corporate climbers’ burn-out before they reach the levels expected. Here are some truths to help you focus on your well-being and health. The absence of mental illness is not mental wellness.
Working 24/7 might be the cathartic exercise you need to achieve great things and many pride themselves on getting up and working despite their worlds falling apart. But the absence of a mental illness or a mental health issue doesn’t mean that you’re mentally well or that you’re in a state of mental health wellness. Much like pushing our bodies to the limits, the body gets exhausted. We all suffer from mental fatigue, we all get tired, the hustle stretches us to the limits and there are moments when we
all have to take off the masks. Take care of your mental fatigue. Rest.
The shackles that anchor after me.
Identify the things that are causing you stress. Relationships, people, revenue, expenses – these can all be stressors that affect your mental health and create imbalance.
Some of these stressors may be your shackles, the things you feel that you can’t get rid of in your life. We often look at our anchors as the good things that happen to us and the shackles as the bad things in our life. But imagine what happens if we change that perspective. Try seeing your stressors as the very things you need your anchors - and immediately they no longer are
a stressor, but something that is vital and essential to grow your business. What previously was a grudge purchase now is a real and valuable aspect of your business.
The fruit is not harvested the day it is planted
We push ourselves to optimum performance all of the time. We expect great things from ourselves and from others. However, you should manage your expectations. It reduces the levels of stress that you feel and that you impose on others. Not everything will happen immediately, as the saying goes, the fruit is not harvested on the day it is planted. Worrying about the outcomes and pushing yourself and your team to achieve the outcome creates unnecessary stress. Take two steps back, allow the opportunity time to grow and acknowledge that timing is everything.
Sending out your SOS
One of the biggest failures as human beings is not asking for help or seeing a request for help as a sign of weakness. I get it, the hustle is tough, and you can’t show weakness. If you can’t ask for help, then delegate the responsibility to someone else and lighten your workload. Everything buckles under the strain when it is overloaded – you will too.
Heal so you don’t hear things from the filter of pain
Disappointment and rejection is the name of the game when you are shooting for the stars. Very seldom are our career
paths created for us to sail through. There are going to be disappointments along the way, a delayed promotion or a rejected bid. This is part of the learning journey. But the emotions of pain behind that rejection and disappoint need to be dealt with.
To deny that it hurt only makes the problem bigger. So heal from these wounds, because as you grow, these lessons will come around and again. The rejection you received today might be your joint venture in the future.
For it to succeed you need to release the negative emotions and embrace the renewed opportunity. Reward yourself and give to yourself in equal measure
Giving ourselves to our business or jobs can deplete us. We give to our team members, we give to our families, our business partners, our customers, our suppliers. We give of our time, our resources, our advices, our empathy, and our emotions. What do we give to ourselves? Reward yourself with
rest, but also reward yourself with the things you need and want. Give to yourself in equal measure of what you give to others. There is nothing more damaging to your mental health as the feeling of being depleted by others or the feeling of ingratitude of those taking and not giving back to you. The best way to remedy this, is not to wait on others to return the favour or pay it back/forward. It’s to reward yourself by being good to you. Take a day off, go for a massage and yes retail therapy is actually therapy (within reason).
Refocus in rest
It is always important to step away when you’re feeling stressed. In doing so, however, it’s important not to dwell on the thing stressing you, because then you’re not resting. Rather focus on something that motivates you.
Whenever you take a holiday it’s an absolute change from work. So you’re supposed to come back refreshed, regenerated and ready to face the challenges you left behind. So too with rest, stepping away must also be a stepping to something different.
Stepping to nothing only gives you a reprieve from the stress. Stepping to something different gives your mind something different to focus on - perhaps learning a new craft or hobby.
You might be learning the very thing that will help you deal with stress in the future.
Whatever it is, allow it to motivate you, energise you and re-invigorate you.
THREE WAYS to BOOST your Resilience
Our Story
In 2012 when the ACTIVATE! programme was initiated, we reflected on the realities of young people who in their schooling years, were actively engaged in making a positive difference in their lives, livelihoods, family and society. We learnt that some of these young people were in employment, some were studying in tertiary institutions, others were self-employed and the majority were unemployed.
We saw an opportunity to create a network where these young people could gather in their diversity and meet each other. To inspire and motivate one another through a community in the hope that they would become a collective force to promote and advance their individual and collective drives towards building a better life and livelihood for themselves and their communities.
To this end, we designed the ACTIVATE! Change Driver (ACD) programme and opened an application process for enrolment in the programme. Ten years later over 4325 young people have been through the ACTIVATE! Change Driver (ACD) programme and have gone on to create centres in their communities that are answerable to the direct needs of those communities, some have been featured on international platforms as policy advocates, and emerge on national lists of influence as leaders in their respective industries, to date, these young people continue to create platforms that seek to ensure redress and the empowerment of youngpeople across the country.
Pappas-Gishen ELENA
Wellbeing
Navigating entrepreneurship, marriage and motherhood
There are many roles we as women show up in, which all place different and varying demands on us. Finding balance and maintaining our wellbeing as each season changes can be challenging. There can be great joy found in accomplishing both personal and business goals, and there’s no right way to go about it, except for what works for you. We sit down with Elena to find out how she’s maintaining balance midst a growing family and business.
Let’s talk about BODE and your process to starting and setting up your own business. What is BODE about and how did you get started?
Health and fitness has always been my passion. I studied Health Science at Monash University when I was still living in Johannesburg, and then did my fitness instructor course. At the time I was also modelling fulltime and wanted to milk that while I still could. When COVID lockdown happened, I started filming little workouts in the kitchen of my one-bedroom apartment, and I would post them on Instagram in an effort to inspire people to work out while being stuck at home. The response was great! I then used the small budget that I had at the time to get a website built to bring my dream of BodE to life. I remember saying to my husband, “if I can just get enough members to cover the cost of my website, I’ll be so happy.” And from there it just blew up into my full-time business.
It’s so great when you’re able to convert your passion into a business. You’ve gone from live classes on your Instagram to a platform where people can attend live or buy classes, to having active wear and equipment as well. What informed the process of deciding what your product offering will be or how you’re going to expand on your product offering?
It happened so organically. It was initially BodE with me being the only trainer, and now there are 5 trainers in total, as well as 2 dieticians who design meal guides. We are a team of power women! . Equipment started with recommendations on the kind of things you can use at home or things you can easily purchase , which led to me selling ankle weights, resistance bands & workout mats.
BodE has also expanded into a mobile App, which was always a dream of mine! Who knows what’s next for me, I am always trying to come up with ways to expand my business and give my members more!
I want to pivot a little bit to from a single girl, finding your identity and starting your business, to being a mother, the entrepreneur, and also the wife. I often find that when those transitions happen in life, we may find ourselves debating taking a back seat in our businesses. How have you navigated that space of figuring out how to show up in your role as a new wife, but still be the businesswoman that you are?
Stephen (my husband) and I have been together for 12 years and because we’ve kind of grown up together, there was never a sudden transition of being engaged or married. We travelled, partied, moved cities and both started our own businesses around the same time, so we have been through so much together and have always been each other’s biggest supporters.
Did you find that you had to rebalance or reorganize how you did things? Because you also shifted from living by yourself to living with another person full time.
A little bit, I moved to Cape Town on my own, because I doing my honours in nutrition at UCT, which I didn’t end up finishing (I realized, it wasn’t what I wanted to do).. And I think it was about six months after that, Stephen moved to Cape Town as well. The transition of living together wastricky at times , but I feel like that was probably the biggest test of our relationship. It was just the two of us with no family to support us at the time, so we had to get through the tough times together. It really brought us so much closer.
I want to talk about the other big transition. This is a space where women often struggle the most, when you have a newborn in your life or you have small children. That process of being pregnant and how your body changes, especially when you’re a fitness instructor to then having a newborn in your space, how have you navigated the past year?
Motherhood, it has been it’s the most incredible thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m so blessed and I’m so happy. But it’s also been the most challenging time for me. Pregnancy and becoming a mom is the biggest life shift that I’ve ever been through. It took me from “an ego point of view”, where it’s about you, your business, and everything you want. To a complete shift of being completely selfless., where you are no longer about yourself and it’s completely just about this little baby. Now, that’s what everything is about. And that is a very hard shift and something that no one can ever prepare you for. I was always very scared to fall pregnant because I knew that
it was going to be a big change and I thought it would be very detrimental to my business. And it wasn’t at all. Seeing your body change from always being in shape, being very strong to carrying a life was challenging. It felt like a roller-coaster; there were certain weeks that were terrible - some people love pregnancy, some people don’t - I can’t say I loved it, but I didn’t hate it. And then all of a sudden just having this little baby, it was just wild. The beginning was really hard for me, but now we are in such a great place and I think I’m getting a bit more used to it, and he’s just so amazing.
It’s so important for one to have the right mindset. Do you have things that you’ve practiced or that you were deliberate about doing, that made you feel better able to go through the journey of pregnancy and now having a newborn.
Definitely. I think that with growing an online fitness business, I was under immense pressure. A lot of women during pregnancy kind of feel like ‘now it’s my
time to let go and I can eat what I want and I can do what I want’, and I would’ve loved to do that, but at the same time, I knew that as soon as my pregnancy was done, it was back to work. There were a lot of days where I woke up feeling demotivated, but I kept that mindset of wanting to bounce back even stronger, so I made sure to keep active for as long as possible. . Even now, when I wake up after a sleepless night with my son Ethan, the last thing
I feel like is doing a workout, but I push myself because I want to
be stronger than I was before. I also want to inspire other women to try and keep active throughout their pregnancy.
One of the things you mentioned was the fear of the impact that having a baby would have on your business. How have you balanced that shift?
I was so scared, because I thought that falling pregnant would slow down my business.
I had planned in the sense that I had filmed so many workoutsevery single day, so that
I had a library of well over 100 workouts to upload during pregnancy. Ironically, falling pregnant actually expanded the scope of my business, and
I was able to start a whole pregnancy and postpartum division of workouts. That growth happened with a lot of members who fell pregnant at the same time or after me are kind of going on the journey with me. They are so convenient because you can
do them in the comfort of your own home at any time of the day. No pressure of set class times. For a new mom, you don’t always have the luxury of planning your day ahead of time, so you just work out whenever your baby decides to take a nap.
to them. How do you manage that for yourself?
It has been really challenging. When I was pregnant, I had this idea that my newborn would just easily nap next to me when I needed to get work done, but I quickly realized that they aren’t little robots that sleep on demand. Stephen working from home has been a great help, because he knows how demanding my job can be, and he has really stepped up to the dad role. I couldn’t have done it without him! I often don’t get as much done as I would like, to but I’m learning to manage my time better. Accepting help is also so important for new moms! At first, I wanted to be a hero and do everything myself, but I was over tired and frustrated. Accepting help enabled me to be a more present mother, because now I have a better balance.
Do you have any systems in place that keeps you on track?
Do you have any tips that you can share for new mums?
Especially for women who are thinking “I didn’t do what Elena did and I don’t recognize my body”. Are there fun things women can do just to get themselves feeling more confident as they work towards getting into the shape they’d like to be in?
How have you worked on releasing control, where you can trust that you have a competent team and delegate
Absolutely, I have a great team of developers & trainers that are very efficient and hard working. I am also lucky that my BodE members have been very patient and understanding. They have been on this journey with me from start to finish, and a lot of them are new moms too, so they get it!
Well, the first thing is to be patient. Whether you had a C-section or natural birth, give your body time to heal. So many women rush back into exercise, but your uterus needs time to shrink back down to its original size. You need to wait a minimum of six weeks just for that healing to take place. 90% of women have some form of abdominal separation, so you need start with a postpartum program that is going to reconnect your core muscles & slowly build up your strength. Even if it feels slow and feels like you’re not doing enough, it is vital that you ease into it. BodE has recently launched an incredible 16-week Postpartum Program that I have been doing myself, and I am absolutely loving it. I recommend it for all new mammas!
Your story sounds like you were able to plan out when you wanted to be pregnant and therefore you were able to plan your business to run parallel to that. For people who haven’t had that opportunity, is there any business advice that you can
offer, especially on how to control of what we can control and work from there?
So actually, funny enough, I didn’t really have the chance to plan pregnancy. We would have waited another two years, but I was diagnosed with endometriosis, and I had to have laparoscopic surgery. After the surgery, I had a limited time that I could fall pregnant and it happened very quickly. But having said that. I was very lucky that I worked as hard as I did up to that point, I’m a bit of a workaholic and a perfectionist, which ended up being in my favor in the long run. My only advice would be never procrastinate thinking you can get more done at a later stage. Work as hard as you can now! I trained and filmed workouts almost every single day for a year prior to falling pregnant.
What’s your one thing, apart from working out, that you do that helps you keep your mental health in check?
Netflix, family & a glass of wine! I cherish those moments so much, because I don’t get to do them very often anymore.
Get in touch: www.bode.co.za
Top Social Impact Founders List 2022
Calling all female founders running a business that has a social impact!
Be it for children, the community, a specific people group, animals or the environment – any of the sustainable development goals, we want to hear about the incredible work you do.
Whether your business is registered as a non-profit; NPC, NGO, NPO, PBO or Co-operative or as a forprofit; Pty, Ltd., Ltd, Closed Cooperation or Partnership or even if you operate in a hybrid structure. We want to celebrate you on our 2nd annual Top 20 Social Impact Founders List 2022.
Top social impact founders
list for 2022. We here at MentHer Magazine are celebrating our second full year of publishing our digital magazine. What better way to mark this achievement than to acknowledge the impact that social entrepreneurs have made. You, the reader and those who aspire to feature in the magazine have an opportunity to participate in the listing of your favourite impact founders of 2022 and their organisations Criteria
• Female Founders
• Social Impact focused organisation
• Formally registered
• Running longer than 12 months.
To participate; you can nominate yourself and or an extraordinary female founder by visiting: www.menther.co.za/ nominations
Entries close Monday
31 October 2022 – keep an eye out for social media voting throughout November 2022
Follow our social media @menther_int on Instagram and Facebook for links you can share directly.
WLB
‘Work-life balance’
The reality of the current workforce is that as workers we hold a number of different roles in life. We’re constantly juggling a range of responsibilities, activities, interests and relationships outside of work, while still striving to meet the growing demands in the workplace. Work-life balance (“WLB”) amongst women has become a critical factor that could make organisations vulnerable to skills shortages, staff turnover and an inability to meet gender equity targets. There is accumulating evidence that excessive time spent at work is adversely affecting relationships, family and
personal life.
WLB continues to change today, with employees looking for more
flexible work arrangements that support their lifestyles. Balance means something different to everyone – even though balance is different for everyone most of us are striving for a wellbalanced life every day. The term ‘work-life balance’ is used to describe the achievement of a balance between the demands of familylife and work-life. The demands and pressures of work often make it difficult to live a balanced life. WLB is about adjusting one’s work patterns to achieve overall fulfillment. WLB can also be defined as having a satisfactory or comfortable level of ‘fit’ between the multiple roles in one’s life, resulting in a sense of harmony in life.
Based on research, the following factors cause employees to experience conflict between their work and family roles:
• Number of hours worked per week,
• Amount and frequency of overtime required,
• Inflexible work schedule,
• Unsupportive supervisors, and
• An inhospitable organisational culture.
The attainment of WLB is integral to a sustainable workplace and is necessary to meet the demands faced by employees. WLB can be attained by providing organisational support and accommodation for such policies and practices and by changing cultural, societal and gendered perceptions in this regard.
The drivers for WLB are policies and practices, including the evolving workforce and the impact of globalisation on business practices. WLB practices aim to provide the scope for employees to balance what they do at work with home responsibilities. Flexible working practices refer to any
type of working arrangement that provides a certain degree of flexibility regarding how long, where and when employees work.
WLB is threatened if people are too tired after work to engage with their loved ones at home, or perform any necessary work at home, with this in mind organisations should encourage a focus on productivity rather than hours.
It’s imperative that organisations must develop and implement WLB policies in order to assist employees in balancing their work and family lives. An arrangement that’ll promote better WLB, such as a hybrid working model, designing a culture that priorities safety, wellbeing, belonging and camaraderie.
Further, embracing the use of technology. Technology makes it possible for employees to work virtually and not necessarily having to commute to the workplace daily, which in turn creates flexibility for employees to support their lifestyles.
Unfortunately, as employees become more engaged with work at odd times, the boundaries between work and home life become blurred and
may in some instances lead to time mismanagement with the general perception being that if one is not at work, one is misusing the remote or flexitime instead of working. The other challenges being the absence of infrastructure in alternative work locations and the difficulty of disengaging from work hours, struggle to disengage from work when they participate in other activities.
Technology can cultivate or harm your workforce’s
WLB.
It must be emphasised that WLB is every individual’s responsibility. An employer cannot maintain a healthy WLB for the employees although the workplace can influence an individual’s ability to maintain a healthy WLB. Promoting a healthy WLB is key to the organisation retaining critical and scarce skills and avoiding losing their key knowledge.
MENTHER MASTER CLASSES
Our master classes are crafted for entrepreneurs with an idea or in the early stages of running their business. We have a great team of mentors who work in the field of their subject matter who will deliver dynamic and informative sessions to guide you on your journey of creating a business and life to drive social impact.
Date
Topic Mentor
Wed, 28 July Startup Strategy
Wed, 25 August Alternative Business Models
Wed, 28 September How to master your business on social media
Wed, 12 October Resilience – Managing Fatigue & Fighting Burnout
Wed, 26 October Speaking with Confidence
Wed, 9 November Servant Leadership
Wed, 16 November Taking your business to the next level
Dr Santie von Below
Micaela Mazzei
Tendani Hlongwane
Joni Peddie
Ursula Botha
Anela Mahamba
Ntsiki Mkhize
Join our community today,
TECHNOLOGY, THE SILENT THREAT TO BALANCE
The Worldwide Women in Innovation, Incubation and Technology Summit
(W-WIITS) is a platform intended to encourage advocacy, diversity and inclusion of women in the ICT sector.
The platform shines the spotlight on women in the sector, showcasing their achievements and thereby encouraging other women to take up the space. This is an international event which attracts over 2000 women from over 12 countries. This year the theme for the summit was: Mind, Business and Sole. There was greater emphasis
on the mind and wellbeing of the business owner and it was held on 24 and 25 August 2022 in Sandton. Too often the person behind the business has been overlooked. However, over the
past two years, the pandemic has highlighted how important mental wellbeing is, especially for entrepreneurs operating as “sole” owners that didn’t have the necessary support required to carry them through the challenges. As such a lot of entrepreneurs lost their lives figuratively and literally.
W-WIITS 22 consciously decided to focus on the wellbeing of entrepreneurs. The keynote speaker at the event; Ms Adelina Nyokong shared a very humbling background highlighting the challenges that she experienced as a woman and as an entrepreneur.
What captured my attention was her resilience. She chose to not be her experiences, but rather to create from her experiences. The work/life balance question surfaced a lot particularly given that technology never sleeps and that global transactions have added more hours to an average working day. This increased demand on time and the blurring of home and work lines, could be one of the reasons according to dataport report (March 2022), that women leave the tech industry at a 45% higher rate than men and only 24% of computing jobs are held by women.
In the panel discussion on mental resilience and reinvention for business success, a balanced and experienced panel of speakers;
Ms Makheni Zonneveld (based in Netherlands), Ms Akosua Dardaine-Edwards (based in Trinidad and Tobago) Ms Kwathi Koka (based in South Africa) shared their insights from their journey. Ms Koka provided insights from businesses that operate as cooperatives and advised that the women operating as cooperatives were
able to support each other during the pandemic. The cooperative structure also proved to provide support for mental wellbeing during challenging times.
Ms Dardaine-Edwards shared that she experienced depression and lost her own business. She indicated that mental wellbeing was crucial, but also highlighted that women were more resilient than they thought. When asked how she rose above her depression, she indicated that she had to remember why she had been in business in the first place. She also stressed the importance of taking time out to nurture the self and keeping in mind that mental wellbeing is vital in running any business.
Ms Zonneveld (the coolest granny) shared her experiences as coach, mentor and student of life. She reiterated that while technology has come with a lot of benefits, it has impacted lives negatively. This including the shift from “keeping up with the Jones” to people now wanting to “keep up” with the
Kardashians, as social media has offered a platform for sharing, where often people give false impressions of their lives and business success. She strongly urged everyone to live their own truth, keep good company and embrace being a woman with everything that comes with it.
If one choses to be a mother or a business owner, it shouldn’t have to be a choice, but rather a question of “have you created a support system for yourself?”
Women in tech, much like women in every other sector, face the demands of a working life and as such it is important to create a system that encourages growth and development both for the business and the owner. The tech space continues in its plea to attract more women participation and it shouldn’t at any point be a question of whether they’ll be able to balance work life and home life, but rather will they remember to take care of themselves and their mental wellbeing, while on the quest to success in the sector.
Balanced
LIVING
Mkhize
Balanced
life simply means being able to achieve an optimal lifestyle in all aspects of life, i.e. relationships, emotionally, work, fitness and health. One normally puts in more effort in work/business, family responsibilities etc. and we often forget to allocate some time for “me time”.
physical
Supplementation
to
In order to have balance in life women need a healthy body, a sound mind and to be spiritually fulfilled and one way to achieve that is by eating properly, as they say “you are what you eat”.
the day,
the day runs you.
This requires one to audit and perhaps challenge current eating patterns, which may be synced with going for what’s easiest and most convenient, which often isn’t healthy. One needs to move from eating to survive or eating for comfort to eating to thrive through a balanced nutrition. Just like a house is made up of bricks, the human body is made up of millions of cells which differ in size, shape and function. If the cells are fed well – that is given the right kind of food - then they will function properly and keep the person alive and healthy.
The word “diet” or phrase “I’m on a diet”, isn’t intended to imply an eating programme to lose weight, but rather, it more aptly refers to your consumption and how - what you eat daily (good or bad) is your diet.
Therefore, a balanced diet is one that contains carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables, fruits and water, which can only be achieved by eating a variety of food throughout the day divided in six portioned meals. The main meals are constituted by breakfast, lunch and dinner, while in-between these meals are snacks, which are important to help keep the body’s energy constant.
Balanced diet in conjunction with a good exercise helps the body utilize the food adequately and to keep fit; therefore with it is important to choose what is eaten wisely to get the ultimate health benefit that maintains the body, mind and spirit on a daily basis.
Avoid skipping meals, eating only high carbohydrate diet or only high protein diet. Avoid eating snacks high in sugar and fat because they are not filling and can lead to weight gain. Avoid fast food as much as possible, because these are often high in hidden fat, sugar and are highly processed.
They are rich in cholesterol lowering fibre (contain a valuable source of insoluble and soluble fibre. Soluble fibre effectively lowers blood cholesterol levels thus reducing heart disease and stroke risk. On the other hand, insoluble fibre promotes regular bowel movements thus reducing constipation and the chances of bowel cancer).
Make time to eat with family as work will always keep one busy as it doesn’t end. Dedicate dinner time to eat with family so children can be taught what sort of healthy and enjoyable food to eat; table manners; how to chew properly and have good quality time.
• They are nutrient rich (contain a combination of vitamins and minerals like Calcium, Iron, Zinc, Potassium, Phosphorus and B complex).
Most importantly make time to eat, even if it means taking a few minute’s break.
Remember to increase fibre intake to balance gut health by simply including legumes in the diet:
• They are a valuable source of protein (legumes should be served with other plants to ensure the availability of the deficient amino acids e.g. whole-grain)
• They can play a role in improved blood glucose control (gradually releases glucose into the blood stream.
Optimum choice of food for diabetics and people at risk of hypoglycaemia.
Good control of blood glucose and sparing of insulin).
• They have a negligible fat content (effective component for weight reduction and maintenance. The fat content is between 1 – 3g per 125ml. They enhance satiety, therefore, one is encouraged to eat less).
Work / Life Balance
Good, quality sleep is your superpower
There is no such thing as Work / Life Balance. Nobody manages to get that ‘see-saw’ hovering in the horizontal balanced position. One side is always ‘up’. Otherwise, ‘it’s on the way up’, while the other side is ‘on the way down’. Think about your own life: it’s always a juggling act!
One of my favourite sayings is ‘So what, now what?’ If we can’t ever achieve work / life balance… is there anything else we can do?
There are, of course, many, many ways in which you can ‘integrate work and home’ as two dimensions of your overall ‘life pie’. If you focus on these two… life becomes manageable, easier and hopefully full of meaning, and
you’ll have magnificent memories and a life that may still turbulent, but often ‘glazed with joy’! Less is more. Focus on…
1Being absolutely CLEAR on your Badass BOUNDARIES.
2Recharging your batteries, and BOOST your ENERGY… daily!
By focusing on both of these, you will have more ‘mental, emotional and physical band-width’, enabling you to
• Work SMARTER, not harder!
• Deal with the emotional roller coaster of life.
• Give your immune system an extra ‘kick’ in the right direction. In a world full of sickness and viruses, this is a ‘benefit’ that cannot be ignored!
BADASS BOUNDARIES
A friend of mine wrote a great book (& worthwhile read) called ‘Elegant Power’ (Nicky Rowbotham). One of her chapters is titled ‘Badass Boundaries’, I love that term. We are all vastly different from one another, so there’s no one way of putting ‘boundaries’ in place.
Here are 8 Types of Boundaries that You May Need;
1) Physical Boundaries
Sexual Boundaries
Emotional or Mental Boundaries
Spiritual or Religious Boundaries
Financial and/or Material Boundaries
Time Boundaries
Bad news bulletins Boundaries
Non-Negotiable Boundaries
HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A FEW FOR ME: Emotional or Mental Boundaries
• If my hubby, or young adult ‘children’ want to debate or argue with me (this happens fairly frequently, and is absolutely healthy, and necessary in a family), I never allow this just before ‘bed’. Around the dinner table is fine. I have a ‘personal time’ boundary for the last 60 mins of my day.
Time Boundaries
• That leads into my personal time boundary - a long, hot bath to read my novel. What’s your ‘time-out’ at the end of the day? Does it include a good magazine, novel or journaling?
• I have also realised (as I have matured) that I need one of the weekend nights just to chill: read and / or watch a movie. Often my week nights are booked with meetings in other time zones, and I then pack my weekend with loads of social activities with friends. Too much! So it’s often opting for one night out on a weekend and the other night to ‘reboot’ and cuddle up on my couch.
Bad news bulletins Boundaries
• I get up between 04h30 and 05h00 every morning of the week.
1I won’t look at work WhatsApp messages on my phone until 7.30am.
2
I no longer listen to the news on the radio and /or read the news in the morning.
I listen to world news during the day on a Podcast called BBC Minute, while I jump on my trampoline on my veranda (about 4 times a day).
For the rest of the time, it’s ‘good vibes music’ while I’m getting dressed in the morning or cooking in the evening.
3
Lastly I have a Boundary, which few people have and that’s, NO EMAILS on my mobile phone. My mobile phone number is for WhatsApp, calls and photo’s - all work is done on my computer!
Non-Negotiable Boundaries
• I end every day with a hot shower, saying out loud what I am grateful for, as a way of preparing for a deep restorative night’s sleep.
• I exercise 5 or 6 mornings a week, a non-negotiable for good health!
BOOST your ENERGY
is the second major way of ‘balancing and hence integrating work and home life’.
yourself time to sit quietly and write up examples of your various Boundaries under these 8 headings.
I’ll start this off with an ‘Energy’ chat, by mentioning another ‘Non-Negotiable Boundary’ for myself.
• I prioritise my sleep. I absolutely don’t get less than 7 hours sleep at night. In addition, I don’t work after 8pm. If necessary I am asleep at 8.30pm and get up at 4am with ‘va va voom’ energy in my system (brain & body) in order to get two hours of work done. At that early peaceful time of the day – it’s physiologically easier to think clearly. Try this, I guarantee that you’ll take 2 hours in the morning versus 4 hours of ‘sluggish persistence’ the night before. Good, quality sleep is your SUPERPOWER! Everything else in life pales into insignificance (in my view). If you are battling to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night, or having interrupted sleep, then please contact us for a free sleep eBook as well as a
self-paced online course called ‘Sleep is your Superpower’. www.mybigsmartup.com/ offers/KBqFGvG4/checkout
• Another way to BOOST your ENERGY is to ensure that your brain gets enough OXYGEN – your brain needs this ‘fuel’! There is a lot of research about Alzheimer’s showing that exercise will protect you against this dreaded disease. We all know that exercise and getting oxygen to your brain is vital for your brain. One of the main benefits is that your brain produces a protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which is literally like a fertilizer for your brain. High levels of BDNF play a huge role in how well we age, how well we learn and perform mentally. BDNF can even be thought of as a natural antidepressant.
Here are a few ways to exercise, in a way that you don’t need the willpower or discipline to get going!
• 2 minutes on a mini-trampoline between your meetings
• Do squats every time you put the kettle on, refill your water bottle, and / or every time you flush the toilet.
• Set your alarm to go off 7 mins earlier in the morning and don’t hit snooze!
So what, now what?
If you would like to do a 10 min online assessment called Resilience Up (Underpinned by 25 years of EQ research and algorithms).
Please contact Joni Peddie: joni@resilientpeople.co.za. Mobile: +27824909975. If you like to read other blogs and do quick ‘wellbeing’ quizzes please go to our website: www.resilientpeople.co.za
Resilient People BOUNCE Forward !
Joni Peddie
CEO Resilient People Bounce Forward South Africawww.resilientpeople.co.za
My hear4elt Purpose on the Planet: To help people BOOST their mental, physical and emotional ENERGY, to navigate ‘adversity & change’. I share simple, actionable techniques for people to integrate into their busy lives, helping them to BOUNCE FORWARD ™ with agility and resilience.
Most popular Keynotes / Workshops
§ Five ways to BOOST your Resilience & Bounce Forward.
§ Sleep is your Superpower
§ IQ, EQ and Personality … what can you ‘shiB’?
§ Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom: The Enneagram
§ Leading through Change, be the difference!
§ How to balance the way you Work, Lead & Live in this hybrid world !
Joni’s areas of exper8se
§ Execu&ve Coach
§ Professional Keynote Speaker
§ Behavioural Strategist: maximising Team Cohesion & Performance in the new hybrid World of Work.
Focusing on…
A variety of Individual, and Team Emo8onal Intelligence Assessments, as well as the Enneagram Personality System.
As a Behavioural Strategist …
I love all things ‘people’, and especially how we 'Think, Feel & Act’. Post Covid, life will never be the same. We are all dealing with challenge, change, loss and adversity. I help people to find sustainable ways to BOUNCE FORWARD™ We never bounce back !
We all need to boost our Physical Energy, our EmoJonal Intelligence and our Mental Clarity ... In order to navigate in an ever changing world of pace, power and punch.
I share simple, fun and acJonable techniques for people to integrate into their busy lives. We will all cope far beMer with the ‘punches in life’ if we have abundant energy, coupled with mental and emoJonal agility. These are the dimensions of Resilience, which help us to Work, Lead and Live op?mally.
PRIZE GIVEAWAY
Win one of two 30 min FAB Resilience Coaching sessions with Joni Peddie, Valued at R1500.00 per session and included in this is a full FAB eBook.
ENTER:
• follow MentHer on instagram @menther_
• post this months cover to your page, with your fave personal wellbeing tip
• tag us in the post @menther_ and @jonipeddie
• use #mhmagwin
DOPAMINE
HIT
FULL VIDEO
PAIRED BACK ‘COOL’
It’s not as much about what you wear as it is HOW you wear it. See how I styled some of my favorites into an outfit that oozes confidence and chic levels without looking like you’re ‘trying too hard’.
GO TO SHOPBOARD
Mona is a qualified Fashion Designer turned Stylist. She’s been dressing clients for more than a decade, specializing in identifying their personal style.
PROMO CODE
MH22
off your tickets
MONARCH
Image | Style | Etiquette | Presentation | EQ Communication | Personal Growth & Development
As metamorphosis transforms a caterpillar into a butterfly, so do the many stages of life transform young girls into women. Monarch™, inspired by the Monarch Butterfly exists to equip women with soft skills as they evolve and discover the that power they have within.
School Programmes Young Proffesionals to C-Suite Executives
Princess Programme
• A confidence building programme for young girls aged 14 -18 to learn deportment, etiquette and presentation skills.
• Develop or improve on self-image, self-worth and personal growth.
Queen Status
• An entrepreneurship programme designed to empower young girls with business skills.
• Offers access to startup opportunities for secondary and tertiary learners.
A corporate development programme designed to grow with women in corporate.
Taking their confidence and people skills from good to great in how they show up in their role.
• Personal branding, digital presence, style and image design and consultation.
• Grooming, social and digital etiquette, wardrobe audit and style guide.
• As I Am: EQ, personal growth and development, with co-designed growth path commitments
• Building confidence through presentation & communication skills.
Our Contributors
Thank you for coming together to make this possible and for the work you do to support and empower women
Alice Dlamini (Leadership)
International Speaker and women in leadership development consultant
Advocate Aurelia Nxumalo (Legal)
CEO of Bliss | Director at Meraki Legal Co- Founder of Learned Friend & The Professionista www.theprofessionista.co.za www.learnedfriend.co.za
Candice Pillay (Strategy)
Director at Norton Rose Fulbright
Joni Peddie
CEO of Resilient People Team Performance Strategist www.resilientpeople.co.za
Kelebogile Molopyane (Technology)
Chief Executive @ AB4IR www.ab4ir.org
Kholeka Mkhize (Wellness)
Dietician / Nutritionist kholeka-mkhize
SA Harvest (Inclusivity) www.saharvest.org
Tumi Sibanda (Personal Growth)
Life and Business Transformation Catalyst and founder at Sahno (Pty) Ltd. LinkedIn (Tumi Sibanda), Instagram (@tumisibanda), Facebook (TUMI SIBANDA: Life and Business Coach).
Mona Willis (Styling) Virtual Stylist www.wearejona.com moh_nah
Cover Feature
Elena Pappas-Gishen Founder of BodE www.bode.co.za