What Our All-Women Team Learned About Being Brave

Photo Credit: The Brave Collective

Last week Friday, just ahead of Women’s Day, our all-girls team did something brave and landed on the other end of fear.

Johannesburg, South Africa (15 August 2025) – We left Brent manning the fort at Good Things Guy HQ and made our way into a sea of women, 400 of them, to be exact, for the Brave Collective’s Fortune Favours the Brave event. We were there to find out what ‘brave’ could look like in real life.

The day was as fabulous as promised, with colourful brand activations, a ‘spin the wheel’ for high-end beauty treats, and snack tables we kept circling. While we’ll never say no to spoils, what really struck us were the stories, the lessons, and the real-life bravery we took home.

Lira set the tone for the event with a talk that had us all reaching for tissues. It’s hard to overstate what she’s been through. In April 2022, the world-renowned South African star went through what most of us would call a nightmare: she suffered a stroke while travelling alone in Germany, which left her unable to speak, read, or write.

Lira. Photo Credit: The Brave Collective

She was diagnosed with aphasia, a language disorder that made every word feel out of reach. But in her speech, Lira didn’t dwell on loss or suffering. She described the life-altering moment as a ‘Stroke of Luck’, a strange kind of blessing, a season of silence that forced her to listen and, eventually, to heal.

Tyler, our Editor, who had written about Lira’s journey before, said it best:

“Bravery comes in many forms and watching Lira stand on stage and find the words needed to share her story embodies the bravery I love seeing in people.”

Lira’s story was the reminder we all needed: sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is be gentle with yourself, sit with the quiet, and slowly start again.

But the day didn’t end with Lira’s standing ovation. It also handed us practical life tips. There were sessions on financial wellness, led by Mapalo Makhu, who showed us how to change and take charge of our financial futures. It’s a topic that seems almost impossible to cover in one short sitting, especially for women whose pockets are all shaped differently, but the message landed.

Mapalo Makhu. Photo Credit: The Brave Collective

Mapalo gracefully schooled us on the importance of saving (and how to best do so), having policies and retirement annuities in place, and making sure your loved ones are always protected. It’s the kind of hands-on, real-life advice people don’t usually share in conversation. For some reason, money is still a taboo topic. Not in that room. We left itching to open tax-free savings accounts.

“[Mapalo] really opened my eyes to what I need to do for my financial future, saving now, setting up policies and plans, and protecting myself with financial padding,” says Tayla, Choreographer of all things good at GTG. The message that stuck with her went beyond just money…

“Women are a collective. We go through so many similar things, but often stay quiet until it’s too late. Sometimes, all it takes is 8 minutes to listen, guide, or share tools without judgment and together, we can honestly make incredible moves.”

Tayla Castle (L) and Nothando Mthembu (R)

There was also solid advice about building an intentional personal brand. Samke Mhlongo’s talk made us laugh and get serious about our LinkedIns. You write your own story, and there’s more than enough space for you to be heard, seen, and appreciated.

Karabo Peter, who has recently joined the team and made an incredible impact at GTG already, values Samke’s sage words about setting up the stage for yourself.

“Yes, it’s important to have a job and follow the roadmap to further yourself, but it’s also about how you present yourself to the world that’s important. When people think about you, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? That’s one thing that I really want to implement in my life,” she says.

Plus, Samke taught us that there’s strength in embracing your ‘crazy’, maybe that’s the most graceful way to walk through fear.

Samke Mhlongo. Photo Credit: The Brave Collective

Fear. That thing many of us see as an unshakable lump in our throats, telling us to run the other way. Taryn Sharman’s honest take shook things up. Fear was right there in the room with us, and, surprisingly, it felt good.

In a nutshell, Taryn didn’t sugarcoat it. Fear never really disappears, but maybe that’s not the point. The juiciest fruit are at the top of the ‘fear’ tree, and you have to climb. It’s about walking yourself through it, one brave step at a time. Using fear as a tool, not an impenetrable boundary. She’s writing a book about it.

Taryn Hunter Sharman. Photo Credit: The Brave Collective

That day, we didn’t walk away with a roadmap for life (that’s not realistic) but we did leave feeling like we had a few more tools in our kit, a little more bravery in our pockets, and a stronger sense of the good we could ripple out into our circles.

“As women, many of us, regardless of the journey we’re on and how it differs from the next woman’s, are all trying our best to ‘figure things out’. There’s something comforting about knowing there’s nothing wrong with doing something scared,” says GTG’s Nothando Mthembu, who says she is inspired to show up for herself more and use her impactful voice more confidently.

We all took something different home. My biggest lesson was this:

It doesn’t have to look like a solo act. Sometimes it’s about being brave enough to be vulnerable and ask for help. It’s also about sharing what you’ve learned, or having the courage to start over again – you’re the author of your own book. We aren’t alone in the chaos. You’ve got brave women (and a few good men!) rooting for you.

Photo Credit: The Brave Collective
Photo Credit: The Brave Collective