On Change with Petro du Pisani

How curiosity became a technology business.

In the sixth episode of On Change: Powerful Women, Petro du Pisani speaks with Carmel Peinke, founder and CEO of eRoute2Market, a technology business that helps brands understand where their products are sold and how consumers buy.

Carmel Peinke built a business intelligence platform from scratch, without writing a single line of code, and kept it running for 17 years. This episode is for women climbing the corporate ladder or thinking about starting their own business who want honest proof that it is possible to lead, to grow, and to stay true to yourself while doing it.

Carmel shares how she landed in the FMCG industry by pure chance, launched Lipton Iced Tea in South Africa at Smollan, and spotted a data gap that became the founding idea behind E-Route to Market, a SaaS platform that helps consumer goods brands understand where their products are sold in real time, including in township retail stores. She talks candidly about the self-doubt that slowed her down, the male competitor who sold a similar business for millions because he simply backed himself harder, and how she uses structured self-talk and a blank piece of paper to push through paralysis.

The conversation covers authentic leadership, collaborative leadership style, how to build a business network through curiosity rather than selling, and what it feels like to work in a male-dominated tech environment as a woman. Carmel reflects on the moment she caught herself becoming someone she did not recognise, chose integrity over conformity, and how running her own company finally gave her the freedom to lead on her own terms.

Carmel also shares her 2026 ambition: getting into universities to show female first-year students that consumer behaviour insight is a superpower in data science and analytics, and that they already are the sample size. If you have ever told yourself you are not technical enough, not confident enough, or not ready yet, this conversation is the one to listen to. Connect with Carmel Peinke on LinkedIn · E-Route to Market - Business Intelligence Platform · Smollan Group - FMCG Sales and Marketing · Pioneer Foods South Africa · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

The civil engineer who built financial freedom and teaches others to do the same.

Ann Wilson, known as The Wealth Chef, built financial freedom in eight years starting from debt - and has now been financially free for over 20 years. This episode is for women who feel overwhelmed by investing, who have handed their financial decisions to a partner or advisor, or who sense there is a gap between earning money and actually building wealth. Petro du Pisani and Ann dig into exactly what that gap is and how to close it.

Ann explains the fundamental difference between earning income and building wealth through assets - shares, real estate and diversified index trackers - and why women have historically been excluded from the asset-owning side of money. She unpacks the 'pay yourself first' principle, the myth that investing must be complicated, and why broad market index trackers beat most financial advisor products. She also challenges the cultural conditioning that pushes women to outsource financial decisions and warns that without financial empowerment, women will be overpowered in relationships, careers and life.

Topics covered include: calculating your 'enough number', the debt trap and status symbols that masquerade as success, how financial safety unlocked Ann's authenticity in male-dominated engineering environments, transitioning from a career to an entrepreneurial business (including the Paris chapter and launching The Wealth Chef online), and the 'enough rock' story - a physical reminder that worthiness cannot be found in external achievements or net worth.

Ann also addresses financial dynamics inside relationships, inheritance versus financial education for children, conservation and legacy, and why she now spends roughly one hour a month on her personal finances. Her five-day Wealth Made Simple challenge is available free for listeners and linked in the show notes. Connect with Ann on LinkedIn · The Wealth Chef - Ann's website · The Wealth Chef book by Ann Wilson · Free 5-Day Wealth Made Simple Challenge · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

The confidence gaps, pivotal mentors, and leadership lessons behind a 17-year tech business.

Carmel Peinke built a business intelligence platform from scratch without ever writing a line of code. This episode is for women in mid-to-senior leadership who are weighing up a leap into the C-suite or entrepreneurship and want an honest, practical account of what that actually takes.

Carmel traces the full arc: a chance entry into the FMCG sector, launching Lipton Iced Tea in South Africa for Smolin, spotting a data gap that no one was solving, and persuading a tech partner to build what became E-Route to Market - a real-time analytics and route-to-market platform now 17 years in market. She opens up on the self-doubt that nearly stopped her going after big clients, the moment she nearly lost herself to masculine leadership expectations, and the structured morning self-talk routine she uses to stay focused and move forward.

Key topics include: how to lead a technical team without technical skills; building a business in a male-dominated industry; why relationships and trust are the real growth engine in B2B sales; how to network with genuine curiosity rather than a sales pitch; the difference between masculine and feminine confidence in business development; values-based decision making and when to walk away from a client; and what authentic leadership looks like when you own the company. Carmel also shares her vision for getting more women into data science and technology - and why consumer behaviour expertise is exactly the skill the sector is missing.

Host Petro du Pisani is an executive coach working with women at middle to senior leadership level who want to step into more senior roles. If this conversation resonates, visit Petro's website to explore one-to-one coaching. Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

How women can take control of their financial destiny.

This is the fifth episode of the Powerful Women series of On Change, where we celebrate trail-blazing and visionary women who have chose to lead on their own terms.

In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks with Ann Wilson, best-selling author, speaker, and financial empowerment activist, also known as The Wealth Chef.

Ann’s journey to financial freedom began unexpectedly. Trained as a civil engineer, she managed billion-dollar projects around the world. Yet despite her professional success, she found herself struggling with debt and financial confusion. That realisation sparked a powerful personal transformation, from earning income to learning how to create wealth.

In this conversation, Ann unpacks the critical difference between being rich and being wealthy, and explains why true financial freedom comes from building assets that generate income without constant effort. She shares practical insights about investing, the power of paying yourself first, and why understanding your “enough number” is key to designing a financially free life.

Ann also speaks candidly about why women have historically been excluded from wealth creation and why its essential that women take ownership of their financial futures.

***

As a special gift to On Change listeners, Ann has made her 5-day Wealth-made-Simple available free of charge. Use this link to access it: https://go.thewealthchef.com/change

This 5-day Wealth Made Simple Challenge is designed to help you define what ‘Wealthy’ truly means for you. Discover the precise amount of money required to live the life you desire, identify your unique financial freedom number needed to attain this lifestyle, understand what you need to be investing in to create it, learn the specific investment strategy to achieve your goals, recognise what your potential obstacles are, and master the methods to overcome them. Do the Wealth-Made-Simple Challenge · Connect with Ann · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

Building businesses that last to drive social change.

This is the fourth episode of the Powerful Women series of On Change, where we celebrate trail-blazing and visionary women who have shattered glass ceilings, defied expectations, and have chosen to lead on their own terms.

This episode features an insightful conversation between Petro du Pisani and Catherine Wijnberg, CEO of Fetola, a serial entrepreneur and adventurer who has built five businesses across three countries.

Catherine reflects on her early life in Zambia, her studies in biochemistry and agriculture, and the pivotal moment at age 27 when she successfully influenced national economic policy. She shares how losing everything in her personal life became the catalyst for launching Fetola in 2006, an organisation dedicated to supporting youth and women entrepreneurs across Southern Africa.

The conversation explores Catherine’s approach to purpose-driven leadership, authenticity, and creating businesses that last. She offers practical insights on avoiding burnout, building thinking capacity in future leaders, and using entrepreneurship as a tool for social justice. Catherine also discusses her research into what developing nations are doing right and how these lessons can inspire global change. Connect with Catherine · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

From the deepest mine to the highest mountain in the world.

This is the third episode of the Powerful Women series of On Change, where we celebrate trail-blazing and visionary women who have shattered glass ceilings, defied expectations, and have chosen to lead on their own terms.

In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks with Jeannette McGill, who in 2025 became the oldest South African woman to summit Mt. Everest. Having walked the Three Passes Trek with Jeannette in 2024, Petro had some insight into how Jeannette had been preparing herself physically, mentally, and emotionally for her summit.

Jeannette shares how she went from being a geologist working in the world's deepest mine to standing on the summit of the highest mountain

This conversation touches on building resilience and chasing goals both in the mountaineering and corporate world. Jeannette speaks about committing to goals, consistently putting the work in to achieve them, and then having the courage to follow through on your dreams. Connect with Jeannette · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

On shaping the future from the inside out.

This is the second episode of the Powerful Women series of On Change, where we celebrate trail-blazing and visionary women who have shattered glass ceilings, defied expectations, and have chosen to lead on their own terms.

In this energetic and insightful episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Carmen Murray, CEO of Carmen Murray Communications and the Founder of the Conscious LeadHERs movement.

Carmen Murray is a reformed marketer and a futurist who wants to not only predict the future but shape it. She shares how she designed the Authentic Intelligence Framework as a counterpoint to blindly believing in AI. Her take on AI is that it mirrors human beings and that we should be feeding it with more positive and constructive messages if we want to create a more hopeful future.

The conversation explores how women can disrupt without losing themselves, the importance of building inner capacity before chasing external success, and Carmen's vision for a more inclusive future. Carmen shares how the Conscious LeadHers movement was born and how it is now helping women to step into visible and meaningful leadership.

"...and that's how authentic intelligence framework was born. It basically says in order for us to work in tandem with artificial intelligence, we need to be our best versions of ourselves because technology is a reflection of who we are. It's a mirror to who we are." - Carmen Murray Connect with Carmen · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

Reputation, Authenticity, and a Radical Redesign of Leadership.

This is the first episode of a brand-new season of On Change. In this series about Powerful Women, we celebrate trail-blazing and visionary women who have shattered glass ceilings, defied expectations and have chosen to lead on their own terms.

In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks with Charlotte Otter, author of We Need New Leaders, a book about what leadership should look like in a world that’s hungry for authenticity, clarity, and connection.

Charlotte Otter is a speaker, leadership coach, and former journalist. She has over twenty years of experience in leading executive communications especially in global tech and industrial firms. She shares her personal journey from aspiring writer to corporate communicator to author, and how growing up in apartheid South Africa shaped her passion for better leadership.

Drawing on her MSc in Change Leadership (HEC Paris, Oxford Saïd), for which she interviewed 40 diverse leaders, she challenges the traditional archetype of leadership and advocates for a radical redesign of leadership rooted in empathy, credibility, and inclusivity.

“By showing up for yourself, owning your reputation, keeping a stellar record of success, and doing the effective telling - you’re showing the next generation how to lead. In fact, by doing that, you’re building the system. It’s extremely important work.” – Charlotte Otter Read 'We Need New Leaders' · Connect with Solid Gold · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

The Power of Rest: Embracing Cycles of Rest and Renewal.

Episode 16 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work.

In this last episode of the sabbatical series, Petro du Pisani interviews Amy Martin about her research on rest, renewal, and life’s natural cycles.

Amy shares how burnout led her to explore seasonality, and rhythms like menstrual, circadian, and academic cycles. She discusses integrating these insights into coaching and organisational development, emphasising the need to honour energy fluctuations.

The conversation highlights how organisations can support different work rhythms, the importance of self-permission for rest, and key resources on rest and renewal. More about Petro du Pisani and On Change · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts · Solid Gold Podcasts

Burnout: A Warning Sign, Not a Weakness.

Episode 15 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. This is a special focus episode on Burnout.

In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks with burnout coach Shannon Royden-Turner about the causes, prevention, and recovery from burnout.

Shannon explains that burnout isn’t just stress — it’s a gradual decline into exhaustion, often caused by disconnection from purpose.

She shares her personal journey into burnout coaching and highlights three key indicators: scattered focus, depleted energy, and withdrawn connection. Shannon emphasises that burnout is not a weakness but a signal of misalignment with one’s values.

This insightful conversation explores how to recognise burnout and realign with a more fulfilling path More about Petro du Pisani and On Change · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts