Shades & Layers
Shades and Layers is a storytelling platform celebrating Black women and women of colour who are building something of their own — on the African continent and across the diaspora.
The podcast launched in 2020 and is now more than 100 episodes strong. In 2025, the show was nominated for Best Long-Time Podcast at the Black Podcasting Awards.
In each conversation, host Kutloano Skosana sits down with founders to explore business ownership, representation, and what sustainability and success really mean in a complex, interconnected world. The conversations are wide-ranging — part masterclass in entrepreneurship, part wisdom for living well — and always a space for women to be fully human: to share the quirks, the doubts, and the vulnerabilities behind the highlight reel.
These days, Shades and Layers is two things woven together. Alongside the podcast, Kutloano — now exploring a new chapter of her own in Italy — sends Life Notes: honest monthly letters on identity, motherhood, reinvention, and the business of building a life.
Shades and Layers’ founding philosophy is: a story well told can change your life, you don't need big accolades for your entrepreneurial journey to matter.
The guests span beauty, fashion, and wellness, North and South: Dr. Theo Mothoa-Frendo on building a science-based African skincare range with USO; Taryn Gill of The Perfect Hair on supply chains and brand-building; Katonya Breux of Unsun Cosmetics on melanin and sunscreen for every skin tone; Abiola Akanni of IYA Well on non-performance in yoga; and designers like the late Maria McCloy of her eponymous fashion label, Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg of The Ninevites, and Candace Lawrence of Modern Gesture, championing handmade, custom, and circular production.
Whether you're here to listen, to read, or to build something of your own — welcome to the circle.
Shades & Layers
Lotsha Home Foods with Chef Mokgadi Itsweng (S4, E9)
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If you've ever considered going plant-based/vegan/vegetarian, or even turning your foodie passion into a business, then this episode is for you. My guest today is Chef Mokgadi Itsweng, Creative Director and Head Chef at Lotsha Home Foods.
Today she shares all the wisdom she's gathered throughout her 17-year journey in the food industry. And now that she's got many skills and lessons under her belt, she's ready to share it with us all through the products she sells on your supermarket shelf, her cook book Veggie Licious, the farmers she supports, her speaking engagements and teachings on various platforms, including Shades and Layers.
In today's episode, she talks about:
-Food sustainability
-Organic Farming IRL
-Consciousness vs. Convenience
-Pivoting a Business (Agility)
-And of course, her very own personal story since childhood
Definitely don't miss this one! We had loads of laughs and I hope you'll share in the joy of this conversation.
LINKS AND MENTIONS
Sechaba Mogale – Co-founder of Iconic South African clothing brand, Loxion Kulcha: https://loxionkulca.com/
SPAR’s – When Mokgadi mentions what sounds like ‘spas’, as in wellness centers, South Africans understand that she’s actually referring to the supermarket chain, which is also present all across Europe:
Siyakhana Food Garden: https://siyakhana.org/temp/
Future Food Institute: https://futurefoodinstitute.org/
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