healing

There are weeks that stretch you.

Not because you have failed.
Not because you have lost your way.
But because life sometimes has a way of testing just how committed you are to the person you say you are becoming.

This was one of those weeks.

Emotionally draining would probably be the simplest way to describe it.

I celebrated another career milestone, and while milestones are supposed to be moments of celebration, reflection and gratitude, this one also came with a sobering realisation:

Not everyone will celebrate your growth.

And, if I am honest, that hurts.

It hurts to realise that while you are busy doing the work, showing up, contributing, growing and trying to become better, there may be people who don’t necessarily wish you well.

Perhaps that is one of the more difficult realities of growth.

The further you move along your journey, the more visible you become.

And visibility doesn’t always attract applause.

Sometimes it attracts comparison.
Sometimes it attracts resistance.
Sometimes it simply reminds people of where they are in their own journey.

But this week taught me something important:

I cannot allow someone else’s perception of my growth to become a detour in my journey.

I have spent enough years learning who I am, what I bring to the table and what I am capable of.

At this stage of my life and career, I simply cannot afford to give too much of my emotional energy to things I cannot control.

I don’t want to spend my days trying to understand everyone’s intentions.

I don’t want to constantly question whether everyone around me is genuinely rooting for me.

I don’t want to make myself smaller to make someone else comfortable.

And I certainly don’t want to allow circumstances around me to determine the direction of my life.

So, I am choosing something different.

I am choosing to stay the course.

To remain focused on the bigger picture.

To continue positioning myself for the opportunities that align with where I am going.

To keep learning.

To keep showing up.

To keep building.

Because there are still things I am working towards.

Rooms I haven’t entered yet.

Conversations I haven’t had yet.

Opportunities I haven’t discovered yet.

And dreams that are still taking shape.

I don’t need to announce them before they happen.

I simply need to keep preparing for them.

And perhaps that is another lesson in this season: not everything needs to be shared while it is still becoming.

Some things need to be nurtured quietly.

Some plans need room to breathe.

Some doors need to open before we announce that we are walking through them.

For now, I am content knowing that there is more ahead.

Because there is a lot happening around me.

There are things at home that aren’t looking the way I would like them to.

There are uncertainties I don’t have answers to yet.

There are situations that have challenged me emotionally.

But none of those things have the authority to cancel what is happening within me.

My growth continues.

My ambition continues.

My purpose continues.

My vision continues.

My journey to 50 continues.

And perhaps that is what this chapter is really about.

Staying the course.

Because challenges are inevitable.

People will disappoint you.

Plans will change.

Things won’t always make sense.

Some people will misunderstand you.

Some will underestimate you.

And sometimes, you may even find yourself questioning your own next step.

But none of that means you have to change your destination.

You may have to change your route.

You may have to pause.

You may have to rest.

You may have to rethink your strategy.

You may even have to leave certain things behind.

But you don’t have to abandon the vision.

This season is teaching me that resilience isn’t always about fighting.

Sometimes resilience is simply saying:

“I see what is happening. I acknowledge that it hurts. And I am still moving forward.”

That is where I am.

I am not pretending everything is perfect.

It isn’t.

But I refuse to let imperfect circumstances create an imperfect vision of my future.

I refuse to allow other people’s opinions to become my identity.

I refuse to allow difficult seasons to convince me that I am not capable of more.

I refuse to allow uncertainty to erase everything I am building.

And I refuse to let fear make decisions that courage should be making.

I am learning to keep some things close to my heart while I work on them.

To let the results speak when the time is right.

To trust that what is meant for me will find me.

And to remember that sometimes the most powerful move is not announcing your next move at all.

And perhaps that is the greatest lesson of Chapter 05:

Stay the course.

You don’t have to have everything figured out.

You don’t have to know exactly how the story ends.

You don’t have to silence every naysayer.

You don’t have to prove yourself to everyone.

You just need to remember where you’re going.

Because sometimes the greatest act of self-belief is simply refusing to turn around.

So, here’s to the next chapter.

To courage.

To quiet preparation.

To new rooms.

To new possibilities.

To trusting the process.

To protecting the vision while it is still becoming.

To becoming the woman who no longer allows distractions to determine her direction.

And most importantly…

To staying on course.

#Project50
#Chapter5
#StayTheCourse
#TheJourneyTo50
#GrowthJourney
#PersonalGrowth
#Resilience
#WomenInLeadership

I have been thinking a lot about time lately.

They say time flies when you’re having fun.

I’m not sure I would describe the last few weeks as simply “fun”. They have been busy, stretching, surprising, emotional and, in many ways, incredibly affirming.

But what I have appreciated most are the moments when I finally sit down, breathe and reflect on what has actually happened.

Because when I do, I realise something:

The tides are turning.

And perhaps I’m finally starting to notice.

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

I had my first stint as a panelist at the Public Sector Leaders Summit 2026 #PSL2026.

And let me be honest.

I was nervous.

Very nervous.

I had second thoughts.

That little voice in my head started asking all the familiar questions:

Am I ready?

Do I really belong on that stage?

What if I don’t have the answers?

What if I don’t say the right thing?

For a moment, I could have allowed the nerves to win.

But I didn’t.

I walked onto that stage.

And then I did what I’ve spent years learning to do.

I showed up.

And you know what?

I owned it.

Not perfectly.

Not without nerves.

But I did it.

And when I walked off that stage, I had one of those moments where you almost have to laugh at yourself.

Because why was I so afraid?

I’ve spent years building experience, learning, leading, communicating, making mistakes, figuring things out and finding my voice.

Perhaps the woman who was nervous wasn’t lacking in capability.

Perhaps she was simply standing at the edge of another version of herself.

And she had to decide whether she was willing to step forward.

She was.

Then Limpopo happened.

Just days later, I travelled to Limpopo for the 20th PSI Conference, where Boxfusion sponsored the networking session.

Another event.

Another room.

Another opportunity to simply do my job.

Except this time, I was afforded the opportunity to say a few words on behalf of Boxfusion.

And again, I found myself standing there thinking…

Is this really me?

It almost felt like an out-of-body experience.

Not because I didn’t know what I was doing.

But because I could suddenly see myself from the outside.

A woman who once questioned whether she was good enough.

A woman who has spent years working behind the scenes.

A woman who has built a career in marketing and communications.

A woman who has learned to navigate rooms, people, strategy, pressure and uncertainty.

And now…

She’s standing in those rooms.

She’s speaking.

She’s representing her organisation.

She’s contributing to conversations.

She’s being trusted with the microphone.

She’s becoming visible.

And maybe that’s what has been so powerful about this season of my life.

I’m not necessarily becoming someone new.

I’m finally seeing the person I’ve already become.

Showing up

There is something I’ve been learning about courage.

It isn’t the absence of fear.

Sometimes courage is simply saying:

“I’m nervous, but I’m going anyway.”

That has been my lesson these past few weeks.

The nerves can come.

The self-doubt can come.

The imposter syndrome can have its little conversation.

But I don’t have to give any of them the final say.

I can still walk onto the stage.

I can still take the microphone.

I can still contribute.

I can still learn.

I can still grow.

And I can still be surprised by myself.

That, perhaps, is one of the unexpected gifts of approaching 50.

You begin to realise that you have spent decades becoming.

And every now and then, life gives you a glimpse of the woman all those years were preparing.

So here I am.

Still on this journey.

Still figuring things out.

Still learning.

Still occasionally terrified.

Still navigating life, career, relationships, wellness and all the beautiful chaos that comes with being human.

But I’m showing up.

And I’m beginning to trust myself a little more.

#Project50 was supposed to start on 1 July.

It didn’t.

Life had other plans.

But perhaps this is exactly how it was supposed to unfold.

Because if the first chapter was about coming back, and the second was about recognising my expertise, perhaps this chapter is about finding the courage to be seen.

The journey to 50 isn’t about becoming perfect.

It’s about becoming more fully myself.

One first at a time.

One stage at a time.

One uncomfortable moment at a time.

And apparently…

one microphone at a time. 🎤

#Project50 | Chapter 03

The Stage I Almost Didn’t Step Onto

Sometimes the biggest evidence of growth is simply having the courage to show up when every part of you is wondering whether you belong.