In this eighteenth and final episode of this season’s Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu wraps up an incredibly turbulent 2020, as well as wrapping up the first beautifully wild season of Womanifesto! 18 episodes later, after many powerful engagements with powerful women, many difficult conversations and a trove of innovative ideas, we’re closing off the year with meditations of gratitude, joy and navigating loss during a time of year where many of us are tired and settling in to celebrate with loved ones. This episode is about the complexity of feeling: navigating both joy and excitement as well as loss, grieving and being present in where we are, in this body, with this mind and within this reality. Sharing a deeply personal experience of loss and immense sorrow, this episode explores how we make meaning when facing realities of death, love, gratitude and the choice to live, the opportunity to create and contribute in love and light while we are here.
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In this seventeenth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu is joined by Fumani Mthembi, an incredible entrepreneur and leader within the renewable energy industry. By sharing gems about her journey and the importance of aligning your entrepreneurial vision with adding value and not necessarily pursuing profit, this is all about reimagining the world we were denied because of our historical positionality. Considering the socio-economic realities we face as Africans, we can now build a world that reflects who we are, as we express our creativity and innovation in ways that resonate with us at our core. This is about the value we would like to create in alignment with our own potential, ideas and conceptions of development. Don’t miss the incredible insight from one of the leading young women in industry, unpacking the realities of pursuing an entrepreneurial venture as a young black woman and the experiences that shaped this successful journey!
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In this sixteenth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu reflects on some of her first introductions to the academic and teaching world, and has the privilege of gaining insight from an incredible woman flying her flag within the energy space through her impact in academia in South Africa. Professor Roula Inglesi-Lotz shares some of her journey within the research arena of energy, and how to engage experiences like load shedding. Looking at the tension between the functionality of business and the idea of access for all, she shares some insight on the many factors that result in the national energy crisis we face, touching on business, infrastructure and socioeconomic realities. Not only is this episode about gaining more understanding of the system in which we find ourselves, but also noting how women within energy and engineering are few and far between with a serious lack of representation and role models. Join the conversation where we tackle some of the realities in the industry, from board rooms to classrooms and bridging these gaps through changing the way young girls see science! This is about shifting and moulding mindsets that encourage, support and inspire young women to pursue careers in innovative science and technology, by being stewards and thought leaders ourselves.
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In this fifteenth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu reflects on some of the stepping stones that have created the mosaic of who she is. By looking at all the hands that led to her development, exposure to the many different realities and opportunities, this episode is all about looking at the defining moments and how people’s actions have influenced her thinking, growth and success down the line. Part of WOMANIFESTO is rooted in the idea of paying forward our resources, knowledge and experience to those who come after us, and honouring these people, opportunities and stepping stones are vital in each of our journeys. We are because others are, and this week is about reflecting and acknowledging the true impact of UBUNTU and the execution of actions and goals in our lives ,from the day to day, to life changing moments!
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In this fourteenth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu speaks about something everyone wants to enjoy and experience, and very few want to talk about honestly: MONEY! Reflecting on her experience and shifting relationships with how she spends and why, this week is all about understanding why conscious spending and consumption impacts your relationship with money and the access money enables. From making small, consistent mindset and structural changes, it’s all about being honest about our realities and finding ways to actualise generational financial growth. Money consciousness underpins an awareness and an understanding of how money and finances impact the way we value things, experiences and the decisions we make when creating holistic abundance for ourselves and those who come after us.
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In this thirteenth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu speaks to Dimakatso (Nono) Sekhoto about her career in Agriculture and the untraditional journey that led her there. Through using her background in finance, business skills and acumen to engage the agriculture industry in an incredibly impactful way, they talk about how to leverage skills in different spaces! They touch on building an integrated knowledge base, navigating the realities of funding and scaffolding support structures in order to best vocalise what young farmers need in South Africa right now. With so much potential within the sector, they engage what change is needed in order to actualise the future of agriculture.
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In this twelve episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu speaks to an old friend who shares her journey about being malleable, and following her calling despite what she thought she was supposed to do! It’s all about seeing your current situation as a stepping stone instead of a wasted stumbling block - WE ARE ALL A CONSTANT WORK IN PROGRESS! Thembi's journey about moving from the engineering space into business is incredibly insightful and inspiring, because it speaks about the realities, the difficulties, the learning experience and crafting the reward in the process. From listening to yourself, balancing your priorities and being bold in how you invest in rest as part of your success, this episode is all about figuring out what’s possible! Moving toward the things that drive you aren't always as clear cut as we may think, and this conversation may just be what you need to push you there! The path to success is paved by the stepping stones we are bold enough to face, to build and to overcome. This story emphasises the importance of being teachable despite the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
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In this eleventh episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu shares her own story about navigating tiredness, not simply at a physical level but an emotional level too. We are so influenced by the people who teach us, consciously and unconsciously, and inform how we navigate the world in our formative years. This episode unpacks just how much her childhood impacted her understanding of work, and how this moulded her relationship with rest as an adult. Join her for a conversation about how vulnerability, communication and expectations can shift the way you understand exhaustion, as well as seeing the value of reflection and deep rest, not just physically, but making time to declutter your mind,body and spirit.
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In this tenth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu will be unpacking exhaustion and fatigue and the attitudes we have developed around our needs, where many of us put the needs of others above our own. She’ll also be speaking about how to better identify what you need through identifying external and environmental cues! October, is a month set aside for reflection on health and wellness. Womanifesto is about more than just sharing and telling stories about success and achievement. It’s also about being honest about when we’re not doing so well, when we’re exhausted and need to take some time to assess our needs. Don’t miss out on this conversation!
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In this ninth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu will be talking about how we should acknowledge that being exhausted is a reality for many women. Once we acknowledge that reality, we can then talk about how we move beyond that phase. Only then can you have the energy to even start processing you and what you want. Over a series of episodes, she will look at how we think about wellness, holistically as women, not just professional wellbeing but wellness at its core relating to physical, mental, and spiritual health. The way we tend to ourselves, our needs, directly impacts the way we are able to engage the world, and for many women, the resources to do so are not accessible due to economic and mobility constraints. She will share her personal experience, where she has grown, where she has struggled, and what she is actively working on.
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In this eighth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu will be talking to her guest, Bronwyn Williams, a Trend Translator and Future Finance Specialist at Flux Trends. They are talking about the value of trend translation and analysis, and how we can equip ourselves with understanding trends to make holistic decisions, take informed risks and spot opportunities. It’s important for us to know what’s happening in our environment, especially when moulding an entrepreneurial mindset that is proactive and not reactive. Through understanding trends, patterns and how they shape where we are going, we are better able to spot opportunities and be disruptors for positive change. By staying ahead of critical data and analysing it in our contexts, we can be part of participating in the creation of a new norm that serves and includes us sustainably. It’s all about the foresight of hindsight, and staying ahead of the curve.
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In this seventh episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu will be sharing an incredible story about Sari For Change, an initiative founded by mom, entrepreneur, life coach and community change agent Rayana Edwards. Born out of repurposing materials and being innovative in the face of scarcity, this powerful story speaks to the importance of actualising self-mastery and community development, through upskilling and creating sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems with high impact! When looking at the African reality, and considering how many women find themselves with limited resources, especially in the covid moment, this story is particularly inspiring! It highlights once again just how important agency and access is for the collective, not simply the individual. These women are a great pillar of leadership, tapping into networks and building their own, something many of us often fear to do or even overlook. We are our own greatest asset, and the community we build with one another will bring us closer to the futures we want to actualise for ourselves! Sari for Change is a beautiful example of not only acknowledging one’s own privilege and access, but how one can enable the access and agency of others, putting people first.
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In this sixth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu looks at the power of discipline and diligence. To invest in yourself means you invest in your wellbeing, and this includes your sleep and the patterns you develop. By channeling your time and energy effectively, you are better able to process information and stay informed, making sure you are maximising your resources, your networks and ensuring you are committed to your growth consistently in a disciplined way. She’ll be looking at some of her own habits and reflecting on what has been effective on her journey. Stay tuned for a conversation that may just change your life, by changing how you think about time!
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In this fifth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu shares some of her self-discovery journey regarding her career and how she found herself in engineering. Touching on education as a fundamental stepping stone and catalyst, she unpacks agency, learning how to own her voice and navigating the biases and realities of the industry as a young black woman. She reflects on her familial influence and the power of decision making. This episode is about challenging yourself and your core driving force - are you running away or running towards?
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In this forth episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu interviews Sibulele Mvana who is the Managing Director of NetEquity Networks, an infrastructure sharing entity that is in partnership with Facebook to make high speed internet access affordable for everyone. The discussion unpacks why the internet is important and why as women we should engage in this conversation. Roughly 78% of the African female population does not have access to the internet. This episode challenges women with access to reflect on their privilege of connectivity and decide what their part will be in reducing the digital divide.
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In this third episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu interviews Lungile Mtshali, a female leader in the cyber security industry, to talk about cyber crimes against women. In an intensively connected world, cyber attacks are inevitable. The discussion unpacks what cyber crime is and what actions individuals and businesses can take to ensure online safety. For more information visit elendlovu.com or email womanifesto@elendlovu.com
In this second episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu introduces herself and shares some of the journey that led her to starting the podcast. Mapping the road she’s traveled and the people, places and moments that have been instrumental to her process and success, we learn more about who the person is behind the podcast, and what it is like to hold on to an idea until it is executed. She shares insights gained on why her goal of starting a podcast was delayed for almost 4 years. She shares self-leadership traits that were necessary to eventually achieve her goal.
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In this first episode of Womanifesto, Elekanyani Ndlovu introduces the podcast series, Womanifesto, by answering the question, What is Womanifesto?
Womanifesto is about educating one another through conversation, asking difficult questions, engaging our experiences holistically and challenging each other to grow, innovate, think and move in ways that will impact people positively. This is where we create a space for critical engagement, where we do not shy away from the holistic experience of being a woman and deal with that which is tender and difficult, as well as that which is exciting and beautiful.
It is a weekly podcast where sometimes I will share my thoughts, experiences and insights and other times I will invite female leaders from different spaces to share their stories and create our narrative. Being a woman is a complex undertaking so our topics will follow the breadth and depth of our complexity.
For more information visit elendlovu.com or email womanifesto@elendlovu.com. I would love to hear from you.