Wisdom Personified - Conversations with Dudu Msomi

Rick Warren, an author echoes what I believe, which in part inspired the creation of #WisdomPersonified Conversations with #DuduMsomi. He said, “While it is #wise to learn from experience, it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others.” The more diverse the people you are exposed to, the more enriched your life is. It is projected that by late 2022, the world population will reach 8 billion...

Irene Kiwia is from #Tanzania. But is at home in any country in Africa as she grows her Pan-African empire. Irene is a co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer (CGO) of Adanian Labs, a #tech venture studio for #African start- ups. A former Ms Tanzania, her beautiful looks may initially draw your attention to her. However, her mind and her heart are what will keep you for a lifetime. Irene has not had a...

Buyani Zwane is the Founder and Cheerful Engagement Orchestrator of #BreakthroughDevelopment, a management #consulting firm providing managerial and #leadership development services. It is an honour to share Buyani, a fellow child of the Black Management Forum (#BMF) on this June, his birthday month with you. Having known him for about 24 years, this conversation exposes a rare side of Buyani. Vul...

Prof Manoj Chiba is an Associate Professor at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) & Data Scientist and principal consultant for ATBMI Advisory. You can undermine Prof Chiba at your own peril, but you certainly cannot deny the positive impact he has in our society. True wisdom is displayed through our actions. This is evident in the way Manoj has lived his life thus far. He is what can...

Nadia Bilchik is President of Greater Impact Communication, is an internationally renowned television personality, communication and professional development based in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, but operates globally. You can get in touch with her at https://nadiaspeaks.com/keynote-speaker/ Nadia Bilchik was born in #South Africa and still calls it home. Nadia anchored for MNET TV in So...

Though laws are in place for the advancement of #women. The women carry a disproportionate burden of physical work and emotional labour in the workplace and in the home. It may require South Africa to adopt the Nordic Region practices where there is shared participation in childcare, a more equitable distribution of work at home and a better work-life balance for both women and men. Women encounte...

Ambassador Nozipho January-Bardill is the Chair of the Council of the Nelson Mandela University & UN Global Compact Local Network Board. She believes that the beginning of wisdom is living consciously, meaning being aware of where you are, what you are and who you are in any point in time. Sis’ Noz, as we fondly call her is serenity, calm personified. Hear her speak about the injustices of soc...

February is my favourite month of the year. One, because it is my birthday month. Celebrations literally start well before my born date of the 24th. And last sometimes until September 🤣🤣my second favourite month. Plenty of time to be spoilt and to drink in the fact that I am still ALIVE! Secondly, because it is the Love month. Valentine may only be on the 14th. But the entire month does seem to...

There is a quote by Avijeet Das, “There are moments in our lives when we meet someone, and we feel as if we have known them all our lives.” That is how I felt the first time I met Brigitte Dzogbenuku. Brig, as we commonly call her, is the Founder and Executive Director of Mentoring Women Ghana amongst other roles she has. A former Miss Ghana, a mother of one precious son and Ghanaian #Presidential...

"Labels are filing. Labels are for clothing. Labels are not for people." Said Martina Navratilova. Rehema Isa defies labelling. The closest label she fits is that she is an #African and an enthusiastic advocate for #women and intra-Africa #trade. Talking about identity, she reminded me of the derogatory, painful, and Soul-destroying term and song “Makwerekwere” that was used to describe African fo...

Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to work for myself, either on my own or by creating a business with like- minded individuals that will attract more people that want to do great things and push the boundaries. Entrepreneurs are said to have certain qualities that hold them in good stead to succeed and some have become clichés such as having a vision, persistence, being innovative, c...

here is something so distinct and remarkable about a man who sights as one of his most courageous decisions in life, cold calling his now wife to introduce himself and express his interest in her after he saw her at a function many moons ago. I knew this was going to be another fascinating conversation. Ashraf Garda is the founder of Champion South Africa. He sees his purpose as to Champion people...

With Nonhlanhla Koza, your first impressions will most likely be wrong. Thirty years of knowing her, she still manages to surprise me. Over the past few years, I have seen her evolution as she acquires wisdom from the good, the bad and the ugly of life which inspired this conversation. Einstein said: “Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” This certainly...

Hema Vallabh is the co-Founder and CEO of the social enterprise, WomHub, which is a boutique incubator, accelerator and co-working hub for female founders in STEM (Stem, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing). From an insecure teenager sitting at the back of the classroom in a no frills and no fusses government school in Lenasia, Hema's exposure to a world outside of the bubble of her Indian c...

There is a quote by Manly P. Hal: “It is said that wisdom lies not in seeing things, but seeing through things.” This quote is so apt for this new episode of Wisdom Personified, Conversations with Dudu Msomi. Angelo Fick is the Director of Research at Auwal Socio-Economic Research Institute (ASRI). He believes that critical literate education would be useful to produce the kind of people who don’t...

Mrs Scholastica Sylvan Kimaryo is the Founder and CEO of Maadili Leadership Development and Lifestyle Coaching and Kilimanjaro Conscious Leadership Academy in Tanzania. She believes that humans are eternal spirit beings having a temporary human experience. However, the fact that our experiences are temporary because it is fact that none of us are coming out of this life alive, we owe it to our liv...

Nomso Kana is a Nuclear scientist by trade and an entrepreneur in the broadband infrastructure sector. She founded Sun n Shield 84 Tech, a broadband infrastructure solutions company that is designing connectivity networks and distributing passive fibre optic products. Nomso is not your stereotypical scientist – of an eccentric, isolated workaholic who is socially ill at ease. That image has not he...

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high, and we miss it, but that it is too low, and we reach it." – Michelangelo Abdullah Verachia, #CEO of The Strategists says, “I didn’t know that a life like this exists” to my question on what vision he had for his life. Abdullah is a poster man of a life created through a decision taken by default leading to unpredictable and magic...

"For everything you have missed, you have gained something else. And for everything you gain, you lose something else." - Ralph Waldo Emerson This quote encapsulates the ‘no regret’ attitude of Makhosi Mthiyane, CEO of Ingqapheli Security, (https://www.ingqapheli.co.za/) who are specialists in security solutions. There are genuinely few human beings in this world that I am in awe of. A two- time h...

Living consciously and with gusto are the greatest wisdoms I have learnt from Warwick Gill, CEO of Freethinking whom I have known since 2005 as our highly intelligent, raucous, and hilarious MBA classmate at Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Warrick is individual who in his youth was not guaranteed a long life because of fragile health challenges. Like all of us are not guaranteed. Some...

'Wisdom is like fire. People take it from others." – Hema proverb (DRC) You will definitely be enlightened by the fire shared in this Wisdom Personified conversation with Dr Tashmia Ismail–Saville who is the CEO of Youth Employment Service (YES). There is a saying that do not judge a book by its cover. You will fail miserably if you try with Tashmia, and you will also encounter an individuals who...

This Wisdom Personified Conversations with Dudu Msomi is with Nicola Tyler, Director of Business Results Group (BRG) who has dined with Presidents and danced with Paupers. Her self-effacing and self-deprecating mannerisms and humour belies the wealth of wisdom you gain from a conversation with her. I think these words from her capture her life wisdom. “We need Ego when we enter the race. We need H...

Teachers come in all shapes, ages, races, colours, educational level or lack thereof, class, fame or lack thereof and cultures. William Leach, former CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi Africa and co-founder of The Leach Partnership, Sydney, Australia has been one of the most significant and impactful teachers and mentors in my life with regards to Living, Leadership and Loving. His leadership instincts an...

I am in conversation with Soma Zaaiman, the Managing Director of BTS, who inspire and equip people to do the best work of their lives, creating better teams and better businesses. I have not met a South African more pained by our past, but at peace with how her race can be viewed by our history to not take things personally and to have the compassion to look forward and not minimise the pain and p...

Our guest in this episode is Tsakani Maluleke, the first woman to be appointed Deputy Auditor-General since the existence of the Office of the AG in South Africa. You are first struck by her beauty. The stereotypical tall, dark and beautiful kind. Then unarmed by her genuine warmth, intelligence and grounded-ness. An intoxicating combination. I keep telling her I love her surname – Maluleke. I don...