On Monday 4 May, my husband Heinie and I boarded a plane to Johannesburg together. He was only stopping over on his way to London, I was visiting Joburg for my book launch at Exclusive Books in Sandton City, amongst other things. Every six weeks or so I drop my husband at Cape Town airport for his London visit (he still works for his company over there) so this time it felt like a real bonus to get on the plane together!

In Joburg I stayed with my childhood friend Lizelle, someone I had not seen in over twenty years. We could not stop talking and reminiscing about the old days. What a beautiful trip down memory lane.

Last week was my first opportunity to launch MOAR! and ROAR! in stores. MOAR! hot off the press, and ROAR! making its South African store debut six years after I first published it in England. That felt extra special. Exclusive Books agreed to host the launch and promote both books, and from June they will be featured in the shop fronts of all forty-four stores across South Africa. When my publicist Helen phoned me with that news, I was absolutely delighted. I am still pinching myself that this is happening.

Here are my highlights from the three days.

My talk at RMB: ROAR for MOAR_Powered from within

Note the uncanny resemblance between the RMB lion and the ROAR! lion. A magical moment that made me smile at the Universe.

Tuesday morning arrived, and I knew I had a big day ahead. The RMB lunchtime talk first, then the book launch in the evening. Two moments that matter tremendously to me, and I felt the weight of both.

Lizelle and I had breakfast that morning with one of her friends. And it was in that conversation, sitting across the table, that I noticed something: I was not breathing properly. Not that I had stopped altogether, but I was not breathing out. The stress response had quietly taken hold, and for a few moments I felt the edges of an anxiety attack.

It was a reminder. Not a setback. A reminder of how much I have carried to get here, and how far I have come.

Before, I would have let the nerves win. I would have walked onto that stage anxious, distracted and overthinking things. Instead, I did some tapping and breathing exercises with the help of a doTERRA essential oil blend called Breathe. Slowly, steadily, I came back to myself. Regulated. Grounded. Ready.

I walked onto that stage still vulnerable, still feeling it all, but from a place of inner strength, courageously sharing my story with an open heart.

About fifty people in the room and close to three hundred joining online. The questions were real, and the conversation had the kind of substance that reminded me why I wrote my books in the first place.

The next morning, walking into the office with Lizelle, someone who had attended the session online stopped me in the corridor. He said: 'Thank you so much for yesterday. This was the session I did not know I needed.'

His feedback meant the world and reminded me that it is not the number of people who turn up or the applause afterwards that matters, but the one person's life you touch through showing up as your full authentic self.

The main event: MOAR! + ROAR! launch @ Exclusive Books, Sandton City

Before I knew it, it was time to head to Sandton City for the book launch. I met my publicist Helen for the first time in person that evening. Months of working together and finally in the same room. I also met Niven Postma, my emcee, in person for the first time, even though we have been connected for years. She was so prepared, so present, so genuinely spot on. We vibed on that stage in a way that made the whole evening feel alive and fun and real.

It was a rainy Joburg evening and there was a thunderstorm earlier in the day so a few people understandably pulled out at the last minute. I was deeply touched by every single person who showed up, some of whom I did not even know that well. This was a real eye-opening moment and I am truly grateful for every person who was in the room.

Amongst the many great questions on the evening, one stood out. A young teacher in the room, openly sharing about the extraordinary work he does in his community with children, confessed that he felt completely burnt out. He wanted to know: how does he get his energy back?

I shared the solar-power story from MOAR! — and it went like this:

‘I became particularly fascinated by energy generation during our first months in our newly built home. We’d just moved in and were completely off the grid, using solar power exclusively. It was the culmination of an intense year-long building project that became our ultimate daily test training ground.

Going off-grid wasn’t a deliberate choice: we were still waiting for Eskom to connect us to South Africa’s power grid, and it was taking what seemed like forever. Our solar-power system made us acutely aware of the amount of electricity being generated and how much we were using. Even though our appliances had not yet all been connected, we had to use our electricity very sparingly. It took a few experiences of the solar-charged batteries running flat to figure things out while we waited for Eskom to come to the party.

Living entirely on solar power for months taught me a priceless lesson in personal energy management. Just like our solar-power system, I need to generate enough energy each day to meet my daily demands as a mom, wife and business owner. That means I have to generate enough energy for starters, then proactively manage what I spend my energy on and recognise when it’s time to recharge my batteries.’

The moms' book club: fire, food and real conversation

The following evening was a different kind of magic altogether.

I joined a group of women at one of the moms' homes for a book club dinner. Eight of us around the table, a wood-burning stove going, dinner, and the kind of conversation that only happens when women feel genuinely safe to speak.

I shared more vulnerably that evening than I had on any stage. The setting invited it. We talked about the day-to-day obstacles we navigate as women, as mothers, as businesswomen. The very real, very human challenges that do not always make it into keynotes or LinkedIn posts. Open sharing, honest laughter, and a few things said around that table that I think we all needed to hear.

We even ventured into AI territory, and one of the moms created a song for me titled Marilise’s Crown. The following line from the chorus perfectly summarised the song’s essence: ‘Tears to glory, that’s your story.’

That evening reminded me why the intimate spaces matter, perhaps even more than the big rooms.

No place like home

I arrived back in Stellenbosch early Thursday afternoon, absolutely shattered but with a full heart. My mom had come to look after the boys while Heinie and I were both away, and it was so lovely to see her at the airport and share a quick lunch and sneaky glass of wine together at Lievita in Stellenbosch Square before she headed home. Moments like these remind me exactly why I came back to South Africa. There really is no place like home.

MOAR! How to Play to Win Without Burning Out and ROAR! How to Tame the Bully Inside and Out are both available now in Exclusive Books stores across South Africa, and online. From June, look out for MOAR! in the shop fronts of all forty-four stores nationwide.

Takealot: https://www.takealot.com/moar-how-to-play-to-win-without-burning-out/PLID101316903

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1049244788

Exclusive books: 

With much love and deep gratitude,

Marilise