She's Gutsy

In Episode 24 van die She’s Gutsy Podcast gesels Juli met Parys 2024-Olimpian, wêreldklas, driekampatleet, hoofafrigter en ma van twee, Vicky Van der Merwe, oor veerkragtigheid, dissipline en die najaag van onmoontlike drome.

Terwyl die meeste mense net gesien het hoe Vicky Suid-Afrika op die Olimpiese verhoog in Parys verteenwoordig, weet amper niemand waar daardie reis werklik begin het nie. Net veertien dae nadat haar seuntjie Adrian gebore is, het Vicky die besluit geneem om vir die Parys 2024 Olimpiese Spele te kwalifiseer. Teen drie maande postpartum, terwyl sy borsvoed, slapelose nagte hanteer en haar eie besigheid bestuur, was sy reeds op 'n vliegtuig na Marokko om internasionaal mee te ding teen 20-jarige atlete sonder enige familieverpligtinge.

Vicky praat met rou eerlikheid oor die werklikheid agter haar sukses, van hoe sy sport aanvanklik as 'n emosionele skild en beskermingsmeganisme gebruik het tydens 'n moeilike kinderlewe met veelvuldige egskeidings, tot haar pad deur 'n ernstige heupoperasie en die hartbreuk van die Rio Olimpiese Spele misloop weens klierkoors. Sy deel die deurslaggewende oomblik toe sy eindelik haar diepste emosionele wonde in die gesig gestaar en genees het.

Sy neem ons ook deur die ongelooflike uitdagings tydens haar Olimpiese kwalifiseringsyfer: van haar man wat per ongeluk haar wedrenfiets op die bakkie se dak verbrysel het die aand voor 'n belangrike wedren, tot om ernstig siek te kompeer en deur 'n kameramotorfiets omgery te word tydens 'n driekamp.

Hierdie episode, wat opgeneem is net drie weke ná die geboorte van haar tweede kind, bewys dat ware sukses nie gebou word op perfekte omstandighede nie, maar op daaglikse dissipline en 'n onwrikbare geloof in jou droom.

Hierdie is nie net 'n onderhoud nie; dit is 'n ware, eerlike gesprek, geen druk, geen opvoering en geen perfeksie nie. Gryp 'n koppie koffie (of luister na jou oefensessie!) en sluit by ons aan vir 'n kuier oor ware groei, bepalende oomblikte en die bou van 'n betekenisvolle lewe.

Wat was jou grootste takeaway uit Vicky se storie?

📱 Volg die podcast op Instagram: @shesgutsypodcast

In Episode 23 van die She’s Gutsy Podcast gesels Juli met die ongelooflike Karo van Tonder, internasionale Windsurfer, Afrika-snelheidsrekordhouer en 'n ware voorbeeld van onwrikbare moed en veerkragtigheid

Karo neem ons terug na waar haar passie vir die water op 12-jarige ouderdom in Langebaan begin het, hoe sy haar eie suksesvolle besigheid gebou het, en hoe sy gegroei het tot een van die vinnigste vroue op die water wêreldwyd.

Sy deel die reële, onkeurde waarheid agter die skerms: van die fisiese impak van vyf operasies en ernstige beserings, tot die hantering van onverwagse "trojan horses" en traumatiese uitdagings wat haar pad gekruis het toe sy haar drome nagejaag het.

As jy al ooit gevoel het jou liggaam of omstandighede wil jou breek, of as jy wonder hoe om geloof en moed te behou wanneer die lewe jou onverwags tref... is hierdie episode vir jou.

Hierdie is nie net 'n onderhoud nie; dit is 'n ware, eerlike gesprek, geen druk, geen opvoering en geen perfeksie nie. Gryp 'n koppie koffie (of luister na jou oefensessie!) en sluit by ons aan vir 'n kuier oor ware groei, innerlike krag en die opbou van 'n betekenisvolle lewe.

Wat was jou grootste takeaway uit Karo se storie?

In Episode 22 of the She’s Gutsy Podcast, Juli sits down with the incredible Tracey-Lee Lusty (@fitnessgirlza), creator of Fitness Girl, attorney, body positivity advocate, and endurance athlete.

Tracey-Lee opens up about her ten-year journey online, from battling weight struggles since primary school and navigating binge eating, to discovering body positivity and making the life-changing decision to undergo bariatric surgery in 2023. She shares how she went from 130kg and severe health risks to completing 5 Half Iron Mans and 2 Full Iron Mans in just two and a half years post-op.

We also dive into the real, unscripted moments behind the scenes: unlearning food shame, understanding obesity as a brain disease and medical condition, redefining body positivity around health and performance rather than size, and her honest, amicable transition after a 17-year relationship.

If you have ever struggled with body image, felt limited by a label or weight, or wondered what it truly takes to break through your own boundaries and step into your power... this episode is for you.

This isn't just an interview; it's a real, honest conversation, no pressure, no performance, and no perfection. Grab a coffee (or listen post-workout!) and join us for a chat about true growth, defining moments, and the unscripted reality of building a meaningful life.

We would love to hear from you in the comments: What was your biggest takeaway from Tracey-Lee's story? 👇

Make sure to subscribe so you never miss a conversation! 🎙️✨

In Episode 21 van die She’s Gutsy Podcast gesels Juli met die ongelooflike Jeanine Claassen, eienaar en stigter van vier La Coco C restaurante regoor Suid-Afrika, ma, atleet en 'n female founder wat die Here vertrou in elke liewe stap van haar pad.

Van brownies bak in haar ma se garage op 24 tot die bou van 'n geliefde nasionale restaurant-handelsmerk, Jeanine deel haar eerlike pad van harde werk, geloof en dissipline. Sy praat oopkop oor die lesse van besigheid, hoekom kwaliteit en consistency bo 'n lavish lifestyle staan, hoe om samewerking bo kompetisie te kies, en hoe sy die balans tussen 'n groeiende onderneming, haar huwelik en moederskap handhaaf.

As jy al ooit gevoel het jy wil jou eie droom bou, gestoei het om getrou te bly aan jou waardes in 'n besige wêreld, of gewonder het hoe om op te hou stress oor die klein goedjies... is hierdie episode vir jou.

Hierdie is nie net 'n onderhoud nie; dit is 'n ware, eerlike gesprek, geen druk, geen opvoering en geen perfeksie nie. Gryp 'n koppie koffie (of luister na jou oefensessie!) en sluit by ons aan.

📱 Volg die podcast op Instagram: @shesgutsypodcast

Om jou hele lewe en identiteit van voor af te herbou is een van die moeilikste dinge wat 'n mens kan doen. Maar om oor te begin is nie 'n mislukking nie; dit is waar ware herstel plaasvind.

In Episode 20 van die She’s Gutsy Podcast gesels gasheer Juli Kleinhans met Nienka du Toit, voormalige Suid-Afrikaanse sewekamp-atleet, HYROX-deelnemer en afrigter. Van haar vroeë sukses as 'n 17-jarige sewekamper en 'n volle atletiekbeurs in Amerika tot ernstige kniebeserings, haar ouers se egskeiding en 'n donker stryd met depressie, kyk ons verby die goud en glans van die atletiekbaan. Nienka openbaar hoe sy drie keer in drie jaar van voor af moes begin, die emosionele en fisiese pad van herstel moes stap, en hoe sy deur rehabilitasie, ondersteuning en 'n nuwe passie vir HYROX ontdek het dat daar altyd hoop is.

As jy al ooit gevoel het jy moet jou lewe van voor af herbou, gestoei het met beserings of burnout, of gewonder het waar om die moed te kry om net nog een tree vorentoe te gee... is hierdie episode vir jou.

Gryp 'n koppie koffie (of luister na jou oefensessie!) en sluit by ons aan.

In Episode 19 of the She’s Gutsy Podcast, host Juli Kleinhans sits down with Tiffany Amber Moses, a specialist wellness counselor, entrepreneur, and former pageant titleholder.

For 19 years, Tiffany lived in a world of modeling and pageantry where worth was often reduced to a standardized checklist of physical features. But after opening a modeling school that quickly grew to fifty students, the financial and emotional stress of managing her business became too heavy to carry. She opens up about the high-stress years that sent her cortisol levels soaring, her decision to close her school in 2024 to focus on her own future, and the quiet journey of letting down her guard to discover who she really is behind her titles.

If you’ve ever felt like an imposter, waited for fear to disappear before taking action, or struggled to believe you are enough, this episode is for you.

This isn’t just an interview; it’s a real, honest conversation, no pressure, no performance, and no perfection. Grab a coffee (or listen post-workout!) and join us.

We would love to hear from you in the comments: What was your biggest takeaway from Tiffany’s story?

Running 90 kilometres across the brutal hills of Comrades is daunting enough. Doing it while continuously skipping rope sounds completely impossible.

In Episode 18 of the She’s Gutsy Podcast, host Juli Kleinhans sits down with Marissa Groenewald, the pioneering athlete known globally as The Rope Runner. What began as a modest 15-minute jog just to clear her head from toddler chaos quickly grew into podium finishes at trail ultras, a severe hip injury, and the accidental birth of a discipline no human had ever attempted. From pushing through gale-force winds and agonizing collapses to facing public mockery, Marissa opens up about navigating single motherhood, building a business, and turning physical agony into a sacred mission.

For Marissa, it was never a stunt for applause: every step a prayer, every skip a life to shine a light into the darkness of human trafficking and protect the voiceless.

If you have ever carried a calling that didn't make sense to anyone else, or wondered whether the quiet, broken pieces in your hands could ever be used to change the world... this episode is for you.

This isn’t just an interview; it’s a real, honest conversation, no pressure, no performance, and no perfection.

Grab a coffee (or listen post-workout!) and join us. What was your biggest takeaway from Marissa’s story?

In Episode 17 van die She's Gutsy Podcast gesels Juli Kleinhans met Elizma Esterhuyse: model, entrepreneur en die stem agter Her Unspoken Truth.

Gender-Based Violence Command Centre (GBVCC)

In Episode 16 of the She's Gutsy Podcast, host Juli Kleinhans sits down with Abbi McDuling, a trainer, coach, and mom of two who has spent years unlearning almost everything she was taught about her body. For a long time, the gym was a punishment and the scale was the boss.

Abbi grew up thinking movement was something you did to shrink yourself, taping up magazine models as "goals" and weighing herself before and after every session. Then a back injury stopped her in her tracks and forced her to rebuild from the ground up, this time around what her body could do instead of what it looked like. But the real reckoning came with motherhood. Two pregnancies and a big physical change asked her the question she'd been avoiding for years: who are you when your body isn't the point?

She's honest about the fear of not recognising herself, the parts of early motherhood that nearly took her under, and the slow, unglamorous work of coming home to herself on the other side. What she found wasn't a smaller body. It was a steadier, stronger sense of self, held together by faith and a whole lot of honesty.

This is a conversation about the stories we inherit about our worth, the difference between respecting your body and obsessing over it, and why you can't hate your way to peace. It's tender, it's funny in places, and it's for anyone who's ever tied their whole value to a number.

In this episode: Why the gym started as punishment, and what changed everything ; The injury that forced a completely new relationship with movement Motherhood, identity, and the fear of losing yourself; Body respect vs. body obsession, and finding the middle ground; Starting before you feel ready (and why nobody's really watching); Leaning on faith through the hardest seasons.

If you've ever felt like happiness was always one goal weight away, or you're sitting in the thick of postpartum wondering where you went, this episode is for you. This isn't just an interview; it's a real, honest conversation. No pressure, no performance, and no perfection. Grab a coffee (or listen post-workout!) and join us. We'd love to hear from you. What was your biggest takeaway from Abbi's story?

In episode 15 van die She's Gutsy Podcast gesels ons aanbieder, Juli Kleinhans, met Katinka Oosthuizen, een van Suid-Afrika se oorspronklike influencers, komediant en TV-persoonlikheid wat sy al sedert 2016 ken.

Die hele land ken Katinka se lag. Maar agter daardie lag is 'n seisoen wat swaar gevoel het. Sy vertel eerlik oor hoe sy jonk getrou het, oortuig dat sy die regte pad volg, en hoe die lewe heeltemal anders geloop het as die prentjie in haar kop. Net toe alles onseker voel, gaan 'n splinternuwe hoofstuk oop, en haar grootste droom word waar, net op 'n manier wat sy nooit voorgestel het nie.

As jy al ooit gevoel het jou lewe moes teen 'n sekere tyd 'n sekere vorm gehad het, of as jy in die messy middle sit en wonder of jy ooit weer jouself gaan terugkry, dan is hierdie gesprek vir jou.

Hierdie is nie 'n stywe onderhoud nie; dit is 'n ware, eerlike gesprek oor moed, weerloosheid en heling. Geen druk, geen opvoering en geen perfeksie nie. Gryp 'n koppie koffie (of luister tydens jou volgende oefensessie!), en sluit by ons aan vir 'n kuier.

Ons sal baie graag van jou wil hoor in die comments: Wat was jou grootste "takeaway" uit Katinka se storie? 👇

Maak seker jy teken in (subscribe) sodat jy nooit 'n gesprek misloop nie.

SADAG (die South African Depression and Anxiety Group) is 24/7 daar: bel 0800 567 567 of sms 31393. 🤍

🔗 Oefen saam met die Gutsy Gemeenskap op ons app: www.gutsy.global