"I felt the need to build my business acumen; I wanted to meet likeminded entrepreneurs, individuals who are doing different things in their spheres. I also wanted to find out how to run a business that is sustainable, not one that is launched one day and vanishes the next"

"As an entrepreneur your time is your money, and I couldn’t have my business affairs grind to a halt because I was studying,’ she says. ‘And as mother of two little boys – aged two and one – I have responsibilities on the home front that can’t be ignored, nor can they simply be moved down on my list of priorities"

"I started my degree in 2021, so it’s taken me four years to finish. The reason being that I had both my children during this time. At no point did Henley put me under pressure to finish my course at a time when it was literally an impossibility"

"I love the freedom to choose what I want to do, the freedom that comes with owning my time, while still being able to be present for my young family"

"My passion lies in cultivating a safe, loving and supportive home life for my children. One that I dreamed of as a child. In business my passion is to grow a beauty business by women for women, that offers simple beauty solutions that fit into their lifestyles. One of my biggest passions is always to finish what I start. It’s one of the key drivers that have gotten me to where I am today"

"Life is an accumulation of all our experiences. So I would tell her to explore more. To be more inquisitive. I would tell her to travel more, to immerse herself in different cultures at a time in her life where she is still unencumbered by the responsibilities of adulthood"

"Go for it! Don’t tell yourself this is not a good time because then you’ll always have an excuse to put it off. And if you’re worried about life getting in the way while you’re studying, don’t be. This is truly a flexible MBA programme that works with your goals in mind and considers your lifestyle. If you are committed, you will make it work"

"You cannot be free when other people around the world are not free."

"I think that this thing of men being the leaders and women having to follow is going to go away. In many parts of the world, it’s the rule of law that men and women should take the lead even though it’s very difficult in societies to find it that way. But in our band, we see each other as equals and my role in the band is my role in the band, so one can’t argue about that simply because I am a woman."

"We are all different and the most successful artists are those who come up with something unique."

"Too often, we like to think of ourselves as somehow being separate from nature when the truth is we belong to nature."

"As a human being, your priorities change, naturally, when you have kids, if you are consciously parenting. Things change. By definition, your identity changes as well, particularly if you’re a mother."

"Our world is changing. The old stories have worn thin. We're telling new stories now. We're creating new realities: ones which inspire and give us true power."

"Overcoming is not a one step process."

"I've got a new story. A new chapter - deliberately created. In this part I show respect for myself and my world."

"I also just think that in general about life, whatever you experience feeds into whatever you end up doing."

"I felt like a stir-fry and I wanted to be a stew so back to school it was."

"So, nature is a very big influence for me and conservation is close to my heart."

"My mom died when I was six. My fondest memory of her was colouring in. She taught me to colour in the lines. I felt so safe, like I was infinitely loved. When she died, I struggled to find a new way to colour in the lines."

"I didn’t have any fears because my mama said a prayer!"

"I’m geographically moronic!"

"Having a slush fund gives you the power to say ‘No!’ to that unspeakably CRAPPY job that will only serve to successfully drain your soul and retard your big career goals. It’ll sting, some months it’ll be nigh impossible, but DO IT!"

"When you get on set – steal with your eyes and shut your mouth! Sometimes the squeaky wheel doesn’t get the oil, it gets replaced. Pick your battles."

"Going on that inward journey has led me to this point where I feel I need to share my story for the benefit of others. To explore my individual voice apart from the collective."

"What’s next? I never know. I love it that way. Surprise me Lord."

"I don't think anything inspires creativity for me. I just wanted to write a story about black people."

"I'd rather someone talk to me about the characters in my books than my style of writing. I wanted it to appeal to someone on a social grant, to someone in an executive office."

"The fact that you have a gift that is different from a lot of people… that you can create things and the understanding of the value of that and what it can do for you. You need to understand what intellectual property is. Artists and creators, rarely ever consult an intellectual property attorney or ask questions or some of them don’t even know that those exist. So, you need to have that information. The research and the knowledge and protecting what you have created, there are ways to protect what you do"

"It’s very difficult to adapt a book into a film, especially a fictional book where I have the freedom to do whatever I want to do with the characters."

"There are things that you can’t translate into English, if you tried the sentence would be completely flat"

"It takes guts, patience and a lot of hard work. I think anyone who is passionate about writing and wants to own and be in control of their creativity can do it. I used my own money to publish, which was risky because I wasn’t sure how well my book was going to do. It took a while before the money I made from book sales was actual profit. But I’m at a great place now"

"I have rejected many ‘influencer’ deals, turned down many celebrity event invitations (not because there’s anything wrong with them, but because I know my limits and complications"

"Sometimes I don't even like or agree with her, but I can't change her or tame her just because I'm not happy with her decisions."

"I’m the most known person who isn’t a celebrity"

"If the assumption that I’m influential is true, then that’s the one issue I’m willing to speak about, openly and honestly."

"It is our responsibility as storytellers to promote a reading culture to communities, many of which are marginalised."

"Reading opens one’s mind to different things and different worlds and expands horizons"

"The truth is I would have been fine i it had flopped, because at that time I wasn't as invested as I am now in the business."

"In order to create a culture of reading among children, we need to make books accessible to them and write stories they can relate to"

"The greatest thing about writing fiction is you don't know where the story is going. When I was writing Hlomu I became her - you internalise the character and you let her lead you"

"February has always been a dull month for me, a dreadful period where I’m tired and irritable. My sister says it’s my mind rebooting itself. I say I don’t know and I don’t care because, ironically, it is also the period where I’m most creative."

"at no point in my life did I sit down in a garden and inhale fresh air, watch flowers blooming under the blue sky and become inspired to write about broken men and the women who try to fix them"

"I don’t have a sacred writing space, but I do write better after midnight, when I’m surrounded by creative energy"

"It is them — because they are still buying my books and hyping them even five years later — who motivate me to continue writing"

"So many things have come out of my writing journey and the risk I took to publish myself. The best one is the growing fearlessness about telling our stories as they are and using familiar language to tell them."

"The stories I write come from being a black woman in South Africa, the friendships and relationships I have had, families and what we perceive as love"

"It’s important to know where your strengths lie and solely focus on that. That’s why when starting a business, It is vital that you partner with people that compliment the skills that you have."

"It’s important to have realistic expectations about what you want to do, If you just want to handle the creative side, then partner with trusted people who can run the business side."

"We’re building a legacy, and I hope this inspires every young woman out there to pick up a camera and tell her story."