On Change with Petro du Pisani

Health First: The Power of taking a Career Break for Self-Care.

Episode 4 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work.

In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Ntseiseng Lephole about her experience of taking a career break to focus on health issues and to further her studies. Ntseiseng highlights the importance of self-care, reflection, and finding a work-life balance. She emphasizes the need to listen to one's body and prioritize health over work demands. After her break, Ntseiseng returned to the workforce but faced challenges in managing stress levels again. She eventually found a better balance by incorporating healthy habits like exercise, journaling, and meditation into her routine.

The conversation underscores the value of taking breaks for personal growth, rejuvenation, and reassessing priorities. More about Petro du Pisani and On Change here · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts · Solid Gold Podcasts

The transformative power of a sabbatical.

Episode 3 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from work. In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Hermien Uys, a corporate lawyer in the mining industry.

Hermien took a sabbatical in 2017-2018. She discusses her motivations for taking the break which include a desire for travel and personal enrichment.

During her sabbatical, Hermien traveled to India, volunteered with underprivileged children, took a wine course, and spent time reading and reflecting on mindfulness and meaningfulness.

The key takeaway is the value of taking a career break for personal growth and finding fulfilment beyond professional success. More about Petro du Pisani and On Change here · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts · Solid Gold Podcasts

Self-care, adventure, and realignment to purpose.

Episode 2 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from the rat-race.

In this episode, Dr. Lizette Spangenberg shares her experiences of taking two sabbaticals from work. The first sabbatical was for a month in 2017 to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and travel through Kenya and Tanzania. The second sabbatical was for three and a half months in 2022 after completing her PhD, during which she took a break from work, traveled, planned her wedding, and reflected on her career path. Lizette emphasises the importance of self-care and seeking professional help when needed. The interview also touches on her passion for design, healthcare, and helping others through her work. More about Petro du Pisani and On Change here · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts · Solid Gold Podcasts

Rediscovering balance between meaningful work and personal fulfilment.

Episode 1 of a series of podcasts on taking conscious breaks from the rat-race.

Fatima Collins, Women in Mining Project Manager (Sibanye-Stillwater), shares her experiences of taking four different breaks throughout her career for different reasons, including travel, self-discovery, studying, and grieving. She emphasises the importance of introspection, finding meaningful work, and maintaining a balance between work and personal fulfilment. The conversation explores the motivations, challenges, and benefits of taking breaks, as well as strategies for reintegrating into the workforce afterwards. Key takeaways include the value of self-reflection, the pursuit of purpose, and the ability to design a life aligned with one's values. More about Petro du Pisani and On Change here · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

Three innovators talk about their experiences in mining innovation.

In this episode, host Petro du Pisani speaks to Elaine Hattingh (Exxaro Resources) and Sandiso Sibisi (COOi Studios) about innovation and technology in the mining industry. This conversation follows on from a panel discussion at the 2023 Mining Indaba in Cape Town which explored models on how to deploy innovation in the mining industry.

Key topics covered in this podcast include whether and why the mining industry needs innovation given its long history, how to decide which technologies to invest in, the potential of open innovation collaborations, and views on the most promising and exciting future technologies like AI, IoT, robotics, and remote operations.

Elaine mentions that the main reasons for innovation in the mining industry are usually to improve efficiency, productivity, sustainability, safety, and business expansion. The discussion emphasizes the need for collaboration between companies, startups, research institutions, and local communities in developing and deploying new solutions. Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

A lesson on how to navigate in a male-dominated mining work environment.

In this episode, Petro du Pisani speaks to Dr. Patience Mpofu, who is a multi-award winner as one of the most influential women in Mining, and a former Vice President of an Australian listed company. She is a global mining sustainability thought leader (ESG) an IWF fellow alumni, executive leadership coach, and STEM advocate.

In this episode Dr. Mpofu gives an overview of her personal history, a story of grit and determination... and how she ended up writing her No. 1 International best seller "Unleashing my Superpowers," which teaches women how to navigate and succeed in a male-dominated mining work environment. Find Dr. Patience Mpofu here · Peak Performance with Patience · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

A learning journey conversation with a fellow EMBA student.

I recently completed an Executive MBA through the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business. With classes moving on-line (in 2020 and 2021) due to the covid-19 pandemic there wasn't enough time (for me) to connect with fellow students and hear about their research projects.

In this episode, I speak to Karen Nadasen, CEO of PayU. Her research project focused on the relevance of open bank and how to assess whether open banking should be used. Karen patiently explained open banking to me, a non-finance technical person. Her study resulted in her theory of open banking, whether open banking is useful (i.e. would it make a difference if this model is applied) and how this could be applied to the South African banking system. Learn more about the UCT GSB's EMBA programme here · Reach out to Karen Nadasen here · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

A learning journey conversation with a fellow EMBA student.

I recently completed an Executive MBA through the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business. With classes moving on-line (in 2020 and 2021) due to the covid-19 pandemic there wasn't enough time (for me) to connect with fellow students and hear about their research projects. I decided to interview my fellow students to learn about their research. In this podcast I speak to Jordan Ludlow, who is the managing director of Tradereach.

In his research project Jordan explored the role of shared leadership to improve the flow of strategy development and execution.

In enabling strategic coherence he had three major findings:

1. Shifting from command-and-control to shared leadership;

2. Understanding social constructs (i.e. the underlying story of an organisation);

3. The importance of human agency. Reach out to Jordan Ludlow on LinkedIn · Learn more about UCT's EMBA · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

A learning journey conversation with a fellow EMBA student.

I recently completed an Executive MBA through the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business.

With classes moving on-line (in 2020 and 2021) due to the covid-19 pandemic there wasn't enough time (for me) to connect with fellow students and hear about their research projects. I decided to interview my fellow students to learn about their research.

In this podcast I speak to Dr. Mauritz Venter, CEO and co-founder of AzarGen Biotechnologies about his desire to be a biotech entrepreneur.

Being an entrepreneur is risky, and Mauritz wanted to explore why even in spite of uncertainty, risk and anxiety there was nothing else he would rather do.

This study followed on from the intense reflective practice which is part of the EMBA course.

Delving deeper into his desire to be a biotech entrepreneur he found that this desire was a result of trying to be true to his values in finding a meaningful orientation that would lead to creating a better world. Learn more about UCT's EMBA · Connect with Dr. Mauritz Venter · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts

A learning journey conversation with a fellow EMBA student.

Over the past two years (2020-2021) we have been working towards our Executive MBAs through the University of Cape Town's Graduate Business School. With classes moving on-line due to the covid-19 pandemic there wasn't enough time (for me) to connect with fellow students and hear about their research projects. I decided to interview my fellow students to hear about their research.

In this podcast I speak to Desereé van den Berg (RBS | HR Executive) about her research project which explored the link between remote work and organisation design. Remote or hybrid work is a hot topic as most of us have experienced the shift to remote work over the past couple of years, a trend accelerated due to the covid-19 pandemic.

Desereé tells me more about why she chose this topic, how she did the research and what her major findings were. She also shares how this research changed her and the way she has applied her research in her workplace.

Desereé found that a company's strategy is so intertwined with organisational design that that it is imperative that a strategic decision needs to be made about remote work at the correct level of the organisation. Find out more about the UCT GSB EMBA · Connect with Desereé van den Berg · Connect with Petro · Solid Gold Podcasts