Shades & Layers
Shades and Layers is a podcast focused on black women entrepreneurs from across the globe. It is a platform for exploring issues and challenges around business ownership, representation and holistic discussions about the meaning of sustainability in an increasingly complex global context. Conversations are wide- ranging and serve not only as a Masterclass in Entrepreneurship but also provide wisdom and tools for Successful Living. It is a space for meaningful conversation, a place for black and other women of color to be fully human and openly share their quirks and vulnerabilities.
Guests include prominent figurers in the beauty, fashion and wellness industries both in the Northern Hemisphere and the Global South.
Dr. Theo Mothoa-Frendo of USO Skincare discusses her journey from being product junkie to creating an African science-based skincare range. Taryn Gill of The Perfect Hair is a brand development whizz who discusses supply chain and distribution of her haircare brands. Katonya Breux discusses melanin and sunscreen and how she addresses the needs of a range of skin tones with her Unsun Cosmetics products.
We discuss inclusion in the wellness industry with Helen Rose Skincare and Yoga and Nectarines Founder , Day Bibb. Abiola Akani emphasizes non-performance in yoga with her IYA Wellness brand and Anesu Mbizho shares her journey to yoga and the ecosystem she's created through her business The Nest Space.
Fashion is all about handmade, custom made and circular production with featured guests like fashion designer Maria McCloy of Maria McCloy Accessories; Founder and textile/homeware designer Nkuli Mlangeni Berg of The Ninevites as well as Candice Lawrence, founder of the lighting design company Modern Gesture. These are just a few the conversations on the podcast over the past three years.
Shades & Layers
Resilience And Optimism with Noli Mini (S2, E4)
Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 3.
It’s not possible to talk about wellness and not discuss massage therapy and spa treatments, it is definitely one of the first association that people make when talking about wellness.
If you go for treatment at many South African spas, you will most likely have black women attending to your needs, but look in the fancy office upstairs or closer at the ownership/management structure, and chances are it will not be a black woman sitting behind the desk or there are few or none listed on the management team.
There are some exceptions of course and one of them is the Relax Luxury Spa Group. My guest today is Noli Mini, who is the Founder and CEO of this strong Cape Town brand, and today she shares her personal and professional journey to success, as an entrepreneur. We talk representation, lessons learned, family, Covid-19 and the future.
Noli is also an active member of several wellness and hospitality industry associations and bodies, she is an advocate for youth entrepreneurship and most importantly, uses her story to inspire others to follow their own dreams.
I hope you will be inspired by her energetic personality, resilience and optimism.
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