Have you ever asked your children what you taught them about money?
I asked my three children this question recently, and what they shared was funny, honest, and such a lovely reminder of the people they are becoming.
Ryan is my eldest, 33, married, an entrepreneur and a new dad, which still feels quite surreal to say. Josh works in corporate and currently lives in London, far from home but making the most of a wonderful opportunity. Gabi is my youngest and in her third year of engineering at Stellenbosch. She is an artist at heart, and I am excited to see the creative approach she...
What Losing our Parents Teaches us about Death – and Life
The reality of grief in midlife
It’s disorientating. Your parents are the people who knew you first. They hold your history and memories, and suddenly they’re no longer there in the same way. You may also be supporting your own children through the grief. In Lorna’s case, her daughter was only 12 years old. You are often trying to hold everyone else together while managing your own sorrow too.
Grief cannot be rushed, but midlife often leaves very little space for it.
“It’s hard because life just carries on like nothing happened. Work needs your attention, your family is still...
Why you feel stuck with money – and what may be causing it
After working with clients for many years, I’ve realised that the stories we tell ourselves about money are often like old songs we play on repeat. It’s almost like a radio station in your head, feeding you the same message over and over again, and most of the time you’re not even aware that it’s there.
When your thinking feels scattered
Have you ever noticed how your thinking changes when life feels stressful or uncertain?
You may find yourself going around in circles, delaying decisions you know you need to make, or avoiding your finances altogether because it feels easier not...
Why a neurologist changed the way she helps people care for their brains
There comes a point when the life you have built no longer fits in the same way.
Dr Kirti Ranchod spent years helping patients as a neurologist in private practice. She could explain what needed to change for brain health, but she could also see how difficult that advice was to follow in real life.
She treated patients with neurological conditions linked to stress and lifestyle, and she knew that good advice on its own was not enough. People needed support that felt practical, sustainable, and easier to follow.
From the outside, her career looked established and successful. But...
If you don’t plan your life, someone else will
And the same is true for your money
Here I am with my daughter Gabi and my vision board. I’m so excited to gift you my new Vision & Money Journal, so you can design your year with intention.
Every year, I ask myself the same slightly uncomfortable question: Am I living my ideal life? Or am I living a life shaped by other people’s expectations?
I was talking about this recently on the Life Chapters, Money Choices podcast with Michael Avery. We were discussing vision boards and why I take them so seriously. Because this question sits at the heart of it.
“If you...
Four Money Questions Worth Asking Right Now
“Don’t leave your life to chance – you’ll end up living a life someone else plans for you.”
That’s a reminder I come back to often, especially at the start of a new year. It’s a good time to pause and ask yourself a simple but important question:
Are you still writing the life and money story you want to live?
These four questions are an invitation to reflect, to notice what’s changed, and to consider whether your money is still supporting the life you want going forward.
1. Is my money still aligned with the life I want to live?
Life changes us. What mattered to you ten...
Always Under Construction
The foundations I trusted shifted. Plans I held for years suddenly didn’t fit anymore. And parts of my life — marriage, work, and family rhythms — all needed reinforcing, rethinking, and rebuilding.
But the cracks taught me something unexpected:Life can hold the hardest and happiest moments at the same time — and we can hold both.
Unexpected Detours
While I’m still adjusting to life as an empty nester, this year also brought a new role as Managing Director at Chartered. It asked me to move from focusing on my own career to creating space for my team to flourish in theirs. It...
From “Not Enough” at 50 to Freedom at 70
So Lynda set herself a new goal: to keep working and earning until seventy. She needed to give her investments time to grow – and to create income that was both sustainable and fulfilling.
Today, almost twenty years later – with just fourteen months to go – Lynda can look back and see how that one decision changed everything. It secured her financial future and allowed her to build something extraordinary. Lynda founded 50Plus-Skills, a vibrant community helping people across South Africa shape meaningful pathways into their next chapter – earning, serving, and learning together.
A...
Money is the Fuel, Purpose is the Map
Money lessons from watching his parents lose everything
Michael grew up in a home where money meant survival. He remembers his mother counting every cent, stretching groceries to the end of the month, and sometimes relying on the church to cover gaps.
“The message was clear: money isn’t just numbers on a bank statement. It’s the difference between dignity and dependence. It made me hyper-aware, from a young age, of both the fragility and the power of money.”
His father, a talented mechanic who once worked on Jody Scheckter’s Renault R8 Gordini, lost everything, including his...
Redefining success and purpose at 56
Cheryl had already achieved so much. She’d built a successful wellness business, travelled the world learning from top nutrition experts, and inspired hundreds of clients to take better care of their health. But in midlife, Cheryl felt a nudge she couldn’t ignore. There was more she wanted to learn, more impact she wanted to make – and it meant stepping into an entirely new space.
“It’s now or never. Why not me? Why not now?”
That one question became the turning point.
The nudge to recalibrate
Cheryl’s work had always been about helping people live healthier, more...







