Time to hear the Lionesses Roar!

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept

“But every person in poverty, they dream of a better life, they want a better house, they want to provide for themselves, they want better roofing, they want water inside, they want electricity inside their homes.”

…so said an inspirational Lioness who is setting the world alight winning awards for her work to bring clean water to villages and into homes in Rwanda. At the tender age of 26 (so she is still a Lioness cub!), she is of course Christelle Kwizera of Water Access Rwanda.

How To Tame The Inner Critic, Stop The Circling Thoughts And Own Your Headspace

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Lori Milner

‘My mind is like a bad neighbourhood, I try not to go there alone.’

– Ann Lamott

We all experience the typical daily dose of circling thoughts – like a recorder going off in our heads reminding us of what needs to happen in the day from who needs what books for school to what projects and tasks need to get done for work.

6 Steps to be an entrepreneurial woman

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Josefa Massinga

I have been an entrepreneurial woman for five years. In my opinion, I think it is very important that women develop their own businesses. I am not saying it is easy because until each one of us is sure that she is capable and that she will succeed, it will continue to be challenging.

How Deliberate Practice Supports your Growth

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Kathy Mann

Perhaps you have heard of the 10-year rule or the 10 000 hours that are required to become a master at something. This is known as deliberate practice, a concept made famous by Anders Ericsson, a Swedish Psychologist who conducted significant research on the subject. He studied what makes people world-class in their area of expertise, be it violin, ballet or chess.

Choice... is mastery

November 22, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Ashika Pillay

Our worlds are in a state of flux and change and we simply cannot control what’s going to happen around us. This is the nature of the uncertainty in the world and in our worlds. We can make plans for the future to some extent, and even that is somewhat filled with a sense of what might “not happen”. Are we going on holiday? What will happen next year? Will we have a second wave?

Mapholo Ratau, a champion of South African culture through design

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Lioness Weekender Cover Story

Mapholo Ratau, a South African entrepreneur creating a contemporary, clothing and accessories brand.

Entrepreneur Mapholo Ratau knows how to spot a gap in the marketplace, and for her, that gap was creating high quality, contemporary clothing and accessory designs that are a celebration of South African culture. Her solution was to create a premium brand and range of clothing and accessories that are unmistakably her own.

Emmanuella Aboa, an entrepreneur in Kenya passionate about developing people and businesses

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Emmanuella Aboa, founder of Transolution Services Africa Ltd (Kenya)

Startup Story

For any individual or business wanting to achieve their full potential, it is often essential to get the right training, skills development and advice. Based in Kenya but with a pan-African presence, entrepreneur Emmanuella Aboa, founder of Transolution Services Africa Ltd, is focused on helping individuals and businesses thrive in their eco-systems.

Anne Drane, championing artisan women in Kenya with her slow fashion brand Sawa Sawa Collection

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Anne Drane, founder of The Sawa Sawa Collection (Kenya/USA)

Startup Story

One of the biggest challenges for women artisans in Kenya is getting their handcrafted products into global markets. The Sawa Sawa Collection, founded by Anne Drane and her co-founders looks to help change that narrative, empowering women to make a sustainable living from their work and contribute to local economic empowerment.

Lioness Launch / Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions launches its new #WONDER Initiative in South Africa

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Josephine Katumba, founder of Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions (South Africa)

Lioness Launch

Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions, founded by Josephine Katumba, is an urban agriculture social enterprise based in Johannesburg, South Africa, whose mission is to reconcile city dwellers to their food and environment through urban agriculture. The #WONDER initiative is launching this month which invites city dwellers to experience the #Wonder of food. Whether you have a small balcony space or a backyard, Biakudia Urban Farming Solutions will assist you in creating your own edible wonderland.

Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters by Kara Goldin

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Book Review

Don’t let anyone crush your dreams! Whatever you want to achieve, no matter how hard it might seem, you owe it to yourself to read Undaunted: Overcoming Doubts and Doubters by author and entrepreneur Kara Goldin. Undaunted will inspire you to move past your fears and defy the doubters. It doesn’t matter whether you feel confident; it matters what you actually do.

Dream with ambition

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

By the Lionesses of Africa Operations Dept

“Dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not, simply because they've never seen it before.”

…and so said the brilliant and inspirational Kamala Harris in a speech that many of us feared might not be possible as we saw the initial numbers coming out of the US Election on the night of the 3rd November 2020.

4 actionable ways to end micro management and build trust with your team

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

Lori Milner

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”

— Ernest Hemingway

Working from home has brought up many challenges - the main one being a pandemic within the pandemic namely ‘performance anxiety’. It’s this need to be constantly on for dread of appearing like you aren’t doing what you need to. Never mind absenteeism, we have gone to the other extreme to overdo presenteeism.

Starting something new is never easy

November 15, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Mbaliyethu( Lisa) Mthethwa, co-founder of Frutee Belliez

When we started our journey in 2009, my sister Lona and I just wanted to sell fresh fruit salads to students in school, so we could promote a healthier lifestyle. We are meant to have a minimum of five fruits and veggies a day but some of us don't even have one. Growing up, fruit salads were always perceived as a dessert. Veggies were always seen as something that is nasty.

Cybersecurity awareness

November 14, 2020 Melanie Hawken

by Lufuno Khorommbi

Understanding cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from cyber-attacks. It is important to note that the word practice means that cybersecurity should be embedded in the organisational day to day functions. Thus, it is not an event.