Gloria Sellwane Phala, a South African entrepreneur helping clients benefit from the transformative impact of yoga

July 19, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Gloria Sellwane Phala, founder and Chief Executive Officer, GangaYuj Yoga Studio (South Africa)

Startup Story

Gloria Sellwane Phala is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of GangaYuj Yoga Studio in South Africa. Drawing on more than 20 years of corporate experience, she established the studio in 2023 after completing a sabbatical year in India, where she deepened her practice and understanding of yoga. This transformative period inspired her shift into entrepreneurship upon her return to the workforce. The business is committed to ensuring clients benefit from the profound, transformative impact of yoga. She is currently the sole employee who arranges contract-based outsourcing of yoga instructors.

Lioness Launch / South African advanced ingestible skincare brand, Lumelastin, launches new anti-ageing elastin supplement to help women reclaim skin elasticity

May 11, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Maritha Broschk, founder, Lumelastin (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

Lumelastin, founded by Maritha Broschk, and based in South Africa, has developed a range of advanced ingestible skincare products rooted in science and designed to restore skin health from within. It’s flagship product, Lumelastin Skin Reverse, is an anti-ageing elastin powder supplement designed to help women reclaim skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, and support joints, hair, and vascular health. This first-of-its-kind ingestible elastin supplement, is clinically proven to deliver significant anti-ageing effects such as smoother, firmer, and younger-looking skin. By adding one scoop a day of Lumelastin Skin Reverse to your coffee, smoothie, fruit juice or any other beverage of choice, hot or cold, you should start seeing results within a month.

Lioness Launch / Feelgood Health, South Africa’s leading natural remedies company, launches new website for the holistic treatment of ADHD in children

April 6, 2025 Melanie Hawken

Michele Carelse, Founder, Feelgood Health and Clinical Psychologist (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

Feelgood Health is a natural remedies company that specialises in herbal and homeopathic remedies and essential oils for babies, children, adults, and even the family pet. The company’s mission is to make natural alternatives widely available to everyone and to promote the use of safe, natural holistic alternatives for better health outcomes. Feelgood Health products are available online as well as in health shops, pharmacies, vet shops and retail stores throughout South Africa.

Onkgopotse Khumalo, a South African entrepreneur democratizing access to mental healthcare

June 25, 2023 Melanie Hawken

Onkgopotse Khumalo, founder, The Pocket Couch (South Africa)

Startup Story

Onkgopotse Khumalo is a South African entrepreneur and the founder of The Pocket Couch, a health tech startup that aims to democratize access to mental healthcare. Her early professional journey saw her navigating financial services in the investment and portfolio management space, later transitioning to a management consultant role at McKinsey and Company. She then ventured into entrepreneurship after identifying that what she had initially thought was a problem unique to her own circumstance, was in fact more widespread across the globe. It was her personal journey trying to find avenues to better their mental wellbeing, that catapulted her journey into entrepreneurship, ultimately founding the startup with which she has a strong personal nexus. She prides herself first and foremost, however, as a dedicated mother to her 3 year old son whom she affectionately calls "boy genius".

Nara Cardoso Nunes, a pioneer of healthy food bars in Angola

December 18, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Paradise Saudável, a business focused on providing healthy and flavoursome eating experiences in Angola

Nara Cardoso Nunes is the founder of Paradise Saudável, one of the first healthy food bars, located in the heart of the Angolan Capital in Luanda. Nara is a leading entrepreneur in Angola when it comes to offering fast, healthy, natural flavoursome juices, smoothies and a variety of healthy dishes to suit all consumer needs. Nara’s business is focused on using locally produced fruits and vegetables to create tasty and healthy 100% fruit juices, smoothies, detox drinks, salads, soups, burgers, dried fruits foods, all freshly produced in-house.

Michele Carelse, a passion-driven holistic health entrepreneur in South Africa

May 29, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Feelgood Health, a growing online health store on a mission to promote natural and organic products

Michele Carelse is the founder and ceo of Feelgood Health, an online health store in South Africa. She originally qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in 1992 and ran a private practice for many years. Here, she saw the need for natural alternatives to prescription drugs. Initially a small range, Feelgood Health, which was started in 1998, grew exponentially to an online health store with thousands of natural and organic holistic health, beauty and lifestyle products, all 100% natural, environmentally friendly and cruelty free! Today, the business employs 14 people. Michele has three adult children, three grandchildren and lives in Cape Town with her partner.

Lioness Launch / The pioneering telemedicine platform, Dr Moz, launches in Mozambique

May 28, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

Dr.Moz, the pioneering telemedicine platform launched by Sabina Ali and Dr. Natacha Amin in Mozambique, is a digital platform that aims to assist any user and facilitate on services in the areas of health and well-being. One of the objectives is to reduce the distance the population has to travel to find a medical service in the country, but also to decongest some hospital services.

Dr Hajira Mashego, a South African business founder making fitness and exercise more accessible

April 17, 2022 Melanie Hawken

Dr Hajira Mashego, founder, Fitness Junction (South Africa)

Startup Story

Dr Hajira Mashego is the founder of Fitness Junction in South Africa. She is a qualified sport physiotherapist who studied further to complete a Master’s Degree in Public Health (with a focus on fitness) and a PHD in Human Movement Science (also focusing on fitness). She has vast experience in sport physiotherapy, exercise science and sport management and has served a combined 26 years in the health, wellness and sports sectors. Hajira resigned from a senior management government position, took her pension contributions and established Fitness Junction, a gym company in February 2018. The company has been bootstrapped and has grown organically, now employing 14 people. Fitness Junction is a provider of commercial, corporate and home gyms.

Fitness Tips for The Holidays

December 12, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Emily Kandanga

The holidays are a festive time of year with seemingly endless opportunities to cheat on your diet and skip a workout. Weight gain is almost an assumed part of this season. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We have carefully crafted a few tips that you can use to stay on track with your fitness this holiday season!

Cheat Days

November 19, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Emily Kandanga

Committing to a healthier lifestyle often requires giving up some of your favorite sweet or fried treats, that won’t help you with achieving your overall goals. Undoubtedly this is one of the biggest challenges you will face along your journey, because it requires you to give up on food that you actually love and enjoy eating.

Catherine Nakayemba, a Ugandan entrepreneur manufacturing menstrual kits for rural women and girls

October 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Catherine Nakayemba, co-founder, Safe Girl (Uganda)

Startup Story

Catherine Nakayemba is the co-founder and administrator of Safe Girl in Uganda, a business on a mission to lower the cost of menstruation by making safe and eco-friendly reusable menstrual kits. Each kits consists of two reusable sanitary pads, a knicker, storage bag and a piece of soap. This lasts for 12 months hence enabling a rural woman or girl to save from buying monthly pads. Since launching the business, it has produced over 1000 reusable menstrual kits and distributed them all around Uganda. The business employs 20 women working in both production and marketing of the pads.

Kathy Mann, a South African stress specialist creating positive change in people’s lives

October 24, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Startup Story

If the past 18 months has taught us anything, it’s the need to better cope with stress, and in South Africa, a real specialist in this field is Kathy Mann. Her consulting business offers help and advice to all those who are finding it difficult to cope with stress and looking for a better way of managing it.

Lioness Launch / South Africa’s Champions Uncovered, launches a new wellbeing personal coaching solution for women entrepreneurs

September 12, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Launch

Champions Uncovered Pty Ltd is a personal leadership development company founded by Carla Wasserfall in South Africa. The vision is to encourage and to inspire people into becoming their best selves. Be it inspirational podcasts, wellbeing coaching, the online learning academy (launching soon), wellness solutions for business to keep you moving! Champions Uncovered believe an inspired growth mindset leads to you move with intentional action, and so is launching a new wellbeing personal coaching service.

Surfing the Emotional Waves

September 3, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Ashika Pillay

Have you ever surfed at the seaside or perhaps watched people surf? One minute an incredible high, and then diving down into a blinding low. The ups and the downs. The high highs and low lows. Living and working in the world right now, feels that way. Riding the waves of uncertainty where we see the glimmer of hope and then plunge back into not knowing and fear. How can we manage these waves? Is it even possible?

Fauzia Malik, a fitness enthusiast building a high quality activewear brand in Tanzania

August 29, 2021 Melanie Hawken

Fauzia Malik, founder, Pure Fitness Activewear (Tanzania)

Startup Story

Fauzia Malik is the Managing Director of Cool Blue Pure Drinking Water, Tembo Tiles Limited, and the recently launched Pure Fitness Activewear. Despite having two companies to run, Fauzia has gone ahead and launched a new company selling active wear. She has successfully implemented policies, strategic plans and financial controls which allow her to work as a visionary leader for the businesses. Fauzia believes in learning and is constantly on the lookout for learning opportunities. In 2014, she joined Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) which has been a stepping stone to accessing a wealth of knowledge from the global community of entrepreneurs. Away from office, Fauzia is a mother of three children and a fitness enthusiast who strives to promote a workout culture among women for improved physical, and mental wellbeing.

Are You a Workaholic?

July 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Safiyyah Boolay-Jappie

If 2020 were a person, he would no doubt be in therapy, and not simply because it has become the butt-end of countless jokes and the face of endless memes. No, 2020 would be in therapy because it has had to shoulder the blame for upending ‘normality’ and wreaking havoc on legions of lives, households, careers and businesses across the globe.

To All My Fellow Strong Women – It is okay to show some vulnerability!

July 30, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Edna Reis

Even though many of us associate vulnerability with weakness and being out there in the world fully exposed, Brené Brown tells us that “vulnerability is the core, the heart, the centre of meaningful experiences”. Now we are being presented with a different view of vulnerability, on how it can actually be a deep important part of the human experience and not a sign of weakness, and although it can be extremely uncomfortable, we now understand that being vulnerable can put us in a place of joy, creativity, authenticity and love.

Harnessing ADHD, OCD and Anxiety for Career Success

July 4, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Lisa Malek

Being diagnosed with Adult ADHD in my 30s was both bewildering and enlightening. Suddenly there was an explanation for my constant vacillation between distractibility and hyper-focus. My brain is always flailing about, struggling to hold onto one thought for more than a few seconds – while simultaneously clinging to unresolved problems and manifesting new ones. It’s like listening to 13 blaring soundtracks from 13 genres at once. Further aggravating my overwrought mind is an urge to obsessively over multi-task, a side-effect of working from home since lockdown.

Women – Educate yourself on Mental Health!

May 2, 2021 Melanie Hawken

by Edna Reis

As a woman who is a psychologist and an entrepreneur working in my field of study, it would perhaps not come as a surprise that I have a major interest for words and definitions. As a result, It is never too much to talk about the meaning of life impact topics such as Mental Health, that is why I shall begin my article with a few definitions.

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