Changing the Narrative of Inequality in South Africa with Rachel Kolisi

I'd like to ship you a free copy of my book, Habits of High Performers. If you come and join the 2026 goal setting workshop, I will ship you one of these today. The link is in the notes. Please come and join me to set up the very best 2026 you could imagine. If you've set up goals in the past or New Year's resolutions and they haven't substantiated, I'm here to help you across all the key pillars of your life nail your goals. I'll see you there. Welcome to Life on Purpose. My name is James Laughlin, former seven time world champion musician and now success coach to leaders and high performers. Each week I bring you an inspiring leader or expert to help you live your life on purpose. Thanks for taking the time to connect today and investing in yourself. Enjoy the show.

I'm incredibly excited to welcome in this week's guest, Rachel Kolisi. Rachel and her husband cf founded the Kolisi foundation in Cape Town, South Africa. In this week's episode we talk about her mission, Ubuntu and South Africa's greatest challenges. Enjoy the show folks and if you're listening on Apple, please hit that subscribe button. Same on Spotify. And also if you could leave me a rating and review, I would sincerely appreciate it. Really helps me to impact my more people. Have fun and enjoy the show.

Hey Rachel, I just want to say a massive, massive welcome to the Life on Purpose podcast.

Thank you so much, James for having me. I'm so excited to chat with you today.

I'm totally honored to get some time with you and I've been following you for quite some time and I'm really inspired by the Khaleesi Foundation. What you guys are doing is phenomenal and I just want to chat a little bit about where did your journey start with charitable work? Where did you get fired up and inspired to really get involved with charitable work?

I think it was. It was probably many years ago, you know, kind of as a child I. It's just something I've never been. It's never sat easy with me, you know, seeing, you know, injustice in South Africa and how some people are living in South Africa and how privileged some people are and just how big that void is. And so it's something I always wanted to do more about and I. And I always did in my own way. So like at school I would make an extra sandwich and after school, you know, I would volunteer at orphanages or a hospital or something and. And then when I guess my, my Platform was kind of changing. I just felt more responsibility to do more about it. And. And then I would just do projects, you know, community projects. And the thing is, is everybody wants to help, right? Everyone wants to do something more, but they often just don't know where or how. And so I just started kind of connecting, doing, like, community projects. So I would find, you know, a school would reach out to me and say, like, we would really, we really need a library. And I would just bring together, you know, 60 individuals who all just want to do something amazing, and we would do a project together. And then, of course, leading into the foundation.

I love it. It's amazing. And obviously, you guys are based in South Africa. And for those who are listening, who don't know much about South Africa, can you tell us what are some of South Africa's greatest challenges that you're trying to help support through the foundation?

Yeah. So our.

Vision for the foundation is to change the narrative of inequality in South Africa. And that is no small task for those that don't know in South Africa. You know, we come from such a tough history and such a challenging history, and, you know, apartheid is a massive part of our history. And it really has just kind of played out into the day to day now, you know, and I've spent a lot of time kind of understanding that as a, as a white person in South Africa, what is my responsibility? What does that mean for me? And it's been amazing. But the, you know, the difference is so vast. You know, there's actually a picture. You can probably Google it, but you Google the, like, higher class and the lower class in South Africa, it's almost just a road in between, you know, a township and a suburb. And that's basically South Africa. You know, summed up, we're moving in the right direction slowly, but we're moving in the right direction. But the injustice is still very, very, very much real and still very much alive here. And I just. It's beautiful to see so many people wanting to change that. And those are the kind of people that we want to partner with in the foundation. And, you know, even with the foundation work, you know, it's to change the narrative of inequality. And a narrative is a story, right? And we've always got to go back and unpack that we're trying to change stories in South Africa. You know, Sia, the way that he grew up is really where we started. We were just like, what injustices did Siya have? He didn't have access to food, didn't have access to role models, didn't have access to opportunities, didn't have access to educations like others do in some communities in South Africa. And that's really where we started was like, how do we change those narratives for children in South Africa? And it's been an interesting journey so far, but it's always inspiring to see how many people want to be a part of that change.

That's amazing. That's really beautiful. And I think of you sharing Siya's beginnings and the challenges he had, and it's beautiful that people can then see, well, look. Look where he started. And now he's, you know, the captain of the best rugby team on the planet.

And you know what? I've. I'm actually just. I'm just reading his. The first draft of his book. He's recently announced that he's releasing a book called Rise.

Fantastic.

It's. It's amazing. And I'm just finishing the first draft. And, you know, I was recently saying to a friend, I was like, it's so weird to be married to someone, but to still have so much to learn about him, you know, and the book, I just cannot recommend it. And it's. It's not just, you know, it's not just for South Africans. It's for so many people. It's so incredibly inspiring. And, you know, he talks so much into what it was like for him in detail, what it was like for him growing up telling stories that I, you know, his wife have never even heard. So.

I just can't recommend, you know, reading that book enough to every single individual to really understand how many times an individual, you know, talking about Sia now, But every single individual, we all get knocked down, right? And we all go through challenges, but how do we get back up again? Like, how do we find the fight in us again to go again? And. And that really is just like, my short summary of, like, what he's put on those pages. But I just think, you know, it's so. So tangible for so many individuals because we all go through tough times, tough things, you know, but how do we. How do we. How do we go again?

You know, that's priceless. We all. We all need to learn those strategies because as you say, adversity is one of those things in life that we can't avoid. It's going to hit us at some point. And when the book comes out, I want to know, and I'd love to learn more about it. I want to tell everybody that's watching and listening where to get it as well. So when that comes out, please let me know.

Well, it's available for pre sales already.

Okay.

And I think the link is on his social media, but I'll make sure that we get that to you.

Please do. That'd be amazing. And with your foundation, so with the Khaleesi foundation, how do you carry out your day to day mission? So on a day to day basis, what does it look like?

So we always make sure and you know, obviously the foundation was founded during a pandemic, so it was immediate relief and we went straight into ppe. So protection gear for frontline workers, sanitizers, gloves, masks, those, you know, those whatever they call them, like protective gear for the doctors and stuff.

And then the doctors just kind of said to us like, hey listen, we've got enough ppe. What we need is for people to stay at home. And a lot of people, you know, all over the world, but obviously our focus was on South Africa lost their jobs. And when you're talking, and Sia talks about this in his book as well, but when you're talking about.

You know, the.

Under resourced communities, you know, you're talking about six to nine people living in a two bedroom home and then you asking everyone to social distance, you're asking everyone to stay at home. And some people have to leave home in order to put food on their tables. It's not really an option for them. And so it was so interesting going then being asked to then, please, people need food so they can stay at home. Because so many people had lost their jobs and weren't able to put food on their tables anymore.

And that's really what we got into first was food security. So that's one of our programs. And then of course after the first second wave, we kind of step back into how are we going to make our foundation more programmatic work. And that takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of learning. So we've really spent a lot of time just going into different communities, finding out what are the needs.

How can we partner with organizations that have been existing for years already. And you know, like if you look at something like a soup kitchen which so many South Africans depend on, and you know, they were functioning way before COVID They'll be functioning throughout Covid and they'll be functioning long after Covid as well. And some of them are almost grateful because they feel like a light has been shone on the work that they're doing. Right. And so for us it's really just been going into communities and Learning and putting a lot of structures in place for our programs, and then we're really going to get stuck in. But on the side, we still have some amazing projects that we're running, you know, in the gender based violence space, in the food security space, as well as in the sports development space, and a lot of really exciting things coming up. So I just, I can't stress enough. It's not just cni. Like, it's our heart, it's our, it's our vision, but we have the most phenomenal team that backs us and, and, you know, beyond our team even, there's so many South Africans who just bought into this vision. You know, not even South Africans. There's so many people who just bought into this vision and they were like, we trust you guys. We trust you're going to do the right thing. And it's just been an incredible journey because we've always just wanted people to kind of, when they see the foundation, they look at the work the foundation is doing and they, we want them to feel hopeful and we want them to feel a part of something good and something big.

That's stunning. And for any organization such as yourself, there's challenges, right? And one of those challenges is capital. So how can people help you guys to bring some capital and some joint ventures to the table where you guys can really take your mission and let it explode?

Yeah, so, I mean, absolutely, capital is a huge part of it. And, and you know, in order for organizations like this to.

Create a legacy and to work for years and years and years, you know, there's a lot that needs to be kind of explored in the capital kind of region. And, you know, everyone wants to give money and then see where their money goes. And a lot of people, I feel, and I'm not just talking about the Kholisi foundation, you know, all NGO kind of spaces. In order for them to, to have a good team and to create good structures and sustainability in the organization, you know, they have to have things like endowments. And it's a very, I must say, it's been a very challenging thing to fundraise for because people almost like, I don't want my money to sit in a bank. Like, I want to see it go out and do amazing work and stuff. But in order for that amazing work to happen, you know, there has to be, has to be money in the bank. But yeah, it's, you know, we're doing a lot of, I must say, like, gender based violence has been one of the most challenging programs to fundraise. For. It's incredible because everybody talks about how bad it is, you know, women and children being abused, being murdered. How bad is that? And, you know, it's almost like a popular thing to talk about, but people don't put their money where their mouth is in that regard. So I must say, it's been quite challenging. But, you know, we are always open to hear people's ideas and we don't know it all. And that's the thing is we're not trying to reinvent a wheel here. You know, we are always open to learn and to understand and to hear from others who. Who know this space well. So, you know, if there is anybody who feels like they can, you know, shed some light, then that's incredible. But really, we try and make our campaigns that we run in the fundraising that we do, and we try and make it look accessible to everyday individuals. So we've got like, these power packs, for instance, that go for like, 55 rand. I mean, I have no idea what that would be in your currency.

I think it's about five to ten dollars.

Okay, so like, five bucks. And that, you know, can sometimes be a matter of life or death for a woman. These packs we put together with pepper sprays and a whistle and a journal with all of the emergency numbers and stuff. And. And the thing is, is when. When you kind of put that into perspective, because not everybody has a bunch of money to give, right? Like, some people just have five bucks to give. And. And the thing is this. For you to know that that is going to somebody that could potentially save somebody's life, you know, that's important to us. You know, but if they are, you know, we always open to partnerships, we always open to suggestions. And we've got an amazing website up and all of the details. You know, if anyone is willing to donate or is in a position to donate or wants to have a conversation as a possible partner or bigger donor, then please keep an eye on our social media pages and our websites as well.

I love it. Well, let's just remind people where to go.

So the website is www.kholisifoundation.org. and then we've got the Instagram page. We're on Twitter, we're on YouTube, we're on LinkedIn, we're on Facebook and the Khaleesi Foundation. It's pretty, pretty simple to find. And, yeah, always amazing updates on there.

And I'll make sure, on all of our clips on Instagram, Facebook, all over, I'll make sure that all of your Links are in so that people can jump in there, and anybody that's listening or watching that's really into charitable work, that has got incredible skills. Please do reach out and I will connect you with these guys because, yeah, to share resources, ideas, and capital, I mean, that would just be great. Now, there's one thing I wanted to ask you. So I spent a whole year. It was just coming into Covid, and every year I pick a new leader, and I studied them, as many books as I can find on them. So I picked Nelson Mandela. And I've always looked up to him. I've always really admired him and how he carried himself, the things that he'd done in his lifetime. And I studied him in detail, and one of the things that came to light was this amazing word ubuntu. I thought, that's quite an incredible word. And then when I was investigating and researching what you guys were doing, I was like, that's one of your key values is Ubuntu, So could you please share what your thoughts and feelings are around Ubuntu and how that features in the foundation?

So, yeah, and, you know, ubuntu is really a. It's like a South African proverb, if you will. It's basically the meaning is, I'm a person through other people, so I am who I am because of you. And, you know, South Africa is one of the most diverse countries in the world, and we have the most phenomenal Just people and from all different backgrounds and races and religions, and there's just so much value added to that. And I really do believe that that's why, you know, when foreigners come into South Africa, they just like, almost blown away. Like, I've managed to do a bit of traveling, you know, and. And there's nowhere where I go that's like, South Africa. I'm like, there's just so much of, you know, so much diversity, so much difference, so much beauty. And. And for us, you know, Ubuntu is really, I am who I am because. Because of you. And. And we. We tie that into all the work that we doing, because we're trying to cut out this whole thing of, I'm here to help you, I can save you, I can fix whatever it is you need, and kind of realize that without you, I can't be doing what I'm doing. So we kind of changed our language into partnerships. And, you know, just because somebody stays in a different environment to what you stay in and speaks a different language to what you speak and eats different food to what you eat doesn't make them less or more than who you are. And that's really the foundation of Ubuntu, is really just realizing that we are different, but all the same, you know, at the same. At the end of the day, you know. So it's really just something that we always remind ourselves of. And it's such a beautiful saying, and it's got such a strong, powerful meaning behind it.

It's really beautiful. And I know a lot of top sports teams all around the world. There was one in North America, I believe it was a basketball. And they became like, the best basketball team in North America. They adopted Ubuntu, and they attribute their success to that theme, that idea that carried them forward. So it's such a beautiful thing. So for everybody out there, I want you to go and check out the website and check out all the key values that you guys live by now. Remember, the one. One by one is that.

It's so funny because that was actually like a. That was an accident. So, honestly, James, we started this foundation. No website, no logo. In fact, the logo we had. Someone else called us a week later. They were like, it's pretty much exactly the same as ours. So sorry, please don't sue us. Like, we haven't even started anyway. There was being so funny and they were so chill. But we just. We started with, like, nothing. We were just like, we want to do good work. Like, we want to help. We want to. You know, we're in a pandemic. We've got amazing partners. We know we can kind of engage with people and get them moving. And, you know, the motto is just something that also just. It was an accident. And the thing is, it was an accident, but also just. It worked out perfectly. But we were just thinking, one thing that we never wanted to forget was an individual. We never wanted to. Because I feel sometimes like organizations, and whether it be in the NGO space or the charitable space, or in, like, big organizations of business organizations and stuff, I feel like people, you know, people now, you know, in the 21st century, just get so caught up in, like, okay, what can we do? What's next? Like, how do we make more money? How do we, you know, just more, more, more. And we just never wanted to miss out on the individual. And when we speak about the individual, you know, remember the one, one by one, we're not talking about, like, an individual in need. We're talking about the individual that has a resource to give as well. And for neither of those to be overlooked, you know, and to be underestimated. And because, you know, you talk about Mandela, he was one person, right? And imagine, imagine so many things in his life just never played out the way that it did. And South Africa would never be the South Africa that it was, that it is today. And that was because of one person.

And also the work gets overwhelming. Like sometimes you go out and you know, sometimes people like, oh, you must go to bed every night and like, pat yourselves on the back and like, you've done such a great job. And I'm like, no, absolutely not. Actually, we go to bed with our hearts heavier than before, you know, especially when we've been in a, in a, you know, in a rough environment and a community that's so under resourced and our hearts are broken, you know, and we just, you know, you feel this need of like, are we doing enough? Like, should we do more? What can we do? And that's where we just go back to the motto. Like, it's one by one. Like, that's what you need to focus on, that you're not missing out on the person today that you had a conversation with and the person today that you saw whose narrative is in the process of changing. And don't forget about that and don't forget the importance of that. So the motto just, it's landed up being so powerful for us. And sometimes the lifeline on the days that are very heavy and very hard, that's really powerful.

Thanks for sharing the background story because I read the motto and I was like, that's really cool. What's the story? There's got to be a story behind it. So I love that.

Yeah, no, it worked out.

And tell me, you know, you're a busy mom. You've got lots of things that you juggle. So how do you convey the message to your children about what you guys do and what you're doing for the community? What's the narrative you have for your kids around, hey, here's what mommy and daddy do.

Hey, James. Here. I wanted to take a quick moment to let you know about something. Look, I get asked to deliver keynotes and workshops for teams and companies all over the world, from London to Antarctica, from America to Australasia, from armies to small businesses to large corporates to sports teams. But I go in and deliver keynotes around the mindset of high performers, around the habits of high performers, about how we navigate change. If you would like me to come and speak to your team or speak at your conference or deliver a bespoke workshop, please get in Touch with my team. Carolinejlochlan.com will be able to help. I'll also make sure that we put that in the show notes.

Yeah. And you know, lockdown was really hard for them because we were traveling by car all over the country because we were doing food deliveries and we wanted to make sure, you know, the food was distributed where it needed to be and got into the hands that it needed to be in. And we partnered with pick and pay and boxer stores and they were just absolutely phenomenal and always making sure, you know, food was where it needed to be and distributed as it should be. But we were just always there. It's just for our peace of mind to make sure. But you know, in that process, I mean, Sia was on the road for 16. I stayed home for a couple of the trips because of the kids, but Sia was on the road 16,000 kilometers. He drove around just over 16,000 kilometers. And I mean, an eight hour drive. Started feeling like going down the road for us and we must have gone, you know, to where he grew up at least eight times within a month. And.

And you know, it just, it kind of helped us create our foundation. Spending time and, and with different people, different communities and spending time learning, understanding, hearing, seeing what, what needed to be addressed. And, and that's kind of how we, we almost figured out how the foundation was going to like, come together and what work we were going to do. But for the kids, you know, they were obviously at home. We all, we all, all across the world all had to do the homeschooling thing. And Lord knows how challenging that is. I love my kids so much, but cheapers, I was excited when schools opened.

Yeah, likewise.

I don't think there's a parent out here that can possibly deny it. Agreed.

But you know, for them it was really challenging because they didn't understand. And, and the thing is, it's important to teach your children the right messaging to not be like, oh, we're going to go feed all these hungry people, you know, yes, they hungry. But like, you've got to, you've got to teach them from a young age, like, why are they hungry? Like, how did it get to this place that we've got so many people in our country that are in such a unjust, you know, unjust environment and living space and how did it get there? So my son, you know, he's, he's six and he's got a good understanding of it, but one thing that is super important to us is making sure that they spend Time in different communities as well. So whenever we can, you know, if we're doing a project, we'll bring the kids along actually. So some of those library projects that I spoke about, I always brought the kids with and you know, they would do some of the painting on the walls or whatever, but we never want them to have this thing like, oh yeah, we're coming to help and like fix it for you and say and then we're going to go back to our nice house. But to really, you know, get involved and engage in those kinds of places and.

In different people's worlds. And it's been such a beautiful thing to see because they so they so like open and they so caring and they've got such a heart for people, you know, and, and my son is so aware of it. You know, he's, he's a very, he's a very aware and open eyed young boy and, and he's just always, you know, he's like mama, like what can we do about that person on the street? You know, there's been a massive storm in Cape Town yesterday and, and he's like, what can we do? Like she must have been so cold last night. And, and you know, then it causes me to think as well. So for us it's just making sure that our kids are also doing the work with us so they understand what's happening and they don't have this thought in their head like, oh, shame my mom. The Saviors are feeding a bunch of people around South Africa. We don't want them to have that narrative in their minds. We want them to understand the full picture. So we take them whenever we can. And I mean it's a legacy, the foundation is a legacy project. And my real hope is that one day it's something that they will be working in one day as well.

That's tremendous and I'm very confident that they will. And if you fast forward, let's say 30, 40 years, long way out. What would be one of those moonshot goals? If the foundation could achieve one thing and make a big dent in something, what would be like an amazing thing to achieve?

Yeah. So you know, again, one thing that Siya talks about a lot but you know, also addresses in the book as well, is.

Is really around.

Having to leave his community. So he was living in Zwide in the township and had to go to Grey so couldn't speak English.

He was really, he was top of the class, you know, at Nsingeni, at the school that he was at in Swede and Then all of a sudden, bottom of the closet, Gray. And, you know, he says, I wasn't stupid. Like, I was a clever boy. And instead of Gray learning more Xhosa, you know, he was then expected to learn English. And so I think one thing for us, you know, if we look 10 years in, it's to really build townships in South Africa and create resource and create equal opportunities in townships and to kind of stop this whole thing of like, oh, my gosh, don't go into the townships. They're so dangerous. Like, you have to be so careful when you're there. And, um. But to. To really build that space, to address this. This inequality.

That's tremendous. And it's interesting because I've never been to South Africa, and I've wanted to go for so long, and once Covid disappeared.

Oh, you have to.

I totally have to.

You have to.

And I want to go to the friendships, and people are like, oh, James, you gotta be so careful. But I want to go, and I want to experience how everyone lives and see what life is like.

No, it's amazing. And there's actually, you know, in the sporting development program, there's something incredible that we work on it just in a meeting about it yesterday, and something really, really, really incredible that we're working on. So hopefully when you do get a trip out here, you can actually come and see what we've done, because it should be well underway by then. So super exciting.

That's epic. I love it. That's so cool. Now, there's one question I really wanted to ask you, and it's one that I ask everyone to finish up, and that is, to you, what does living a life of purpose really mean?

You know, I used to. I used to do. Well, I still do, but women's events all over the place. And, you know, it's something that I always encourage women, because I find that we give so much of ourselves. A lot of people do, but women especially, you know, we raise kids, we're good wives, we're expected to have good careers, good social lives, you know, be successful, look a certain way, make sure your health and fitness is good. You know, all of these just unrealistic expectations of a woman. And you almost get so lost in making sure everybody else is fine. So, like, kids are fine, marriage is fine, like, home is fine, work is fine, that you almost lose, like, touch with you, and you give so much. I always use this analogy of pouring from your cup. You pour into everybody else's cup. And when do you take the time to Fill your own. And one thing for me, you know, when I spoke about purpose and finding your purpose, I really believe that that's in. In something that breaks your heart. So if you spend a bit of time, like just a bit of time, close your eyes and think about something that really breaks your heart and something that really is. Doesn't sit well with you, and something that you can't just think about it like, oh, it breaks my heart, and then move on. So for me, it was always children on the street. I'm just like, that is just crazy for me. I'm like, how is that. How is that a reality, you know, that children on the street, it was just. It was insane for me. But that's where I found. I believe I found my purpose was there because that broke my heart and. And I chose to do something with that. And doesn't necessarily mean that, you know, you've got to give a bunch of time, you've got to give a bunch of money, but it means that you've got to open your eyes to something. And I really do believe that your purpose is found in that. And what you do with that, I believe, is.

Really sets you up for your life, you know, and what you want to achieve in your life and the legacy that you want to leave behind. And, you know, we all. We all getting older and.

And one day, you know, when you're coming towards the end, like, what's something you're going to look back on and be like, got my kids to school, bought a house, you know, had a good marriage, bought a car, paid off all my bills. So what's that one thing that you're going to be like? I'm so glad I was a part of that. I'm so glad that I addressed that. I'm so glad that I did something about that. So whatever that looks like for an individual, like, I'm just so. Just dive into it and do it, because. Yes. The time is now and.

Life is short.

That's beautiful. The time is now and life is short. I love it. And what I heard from that was, your purpose is in your pain. Wherever your pain is, that's where your purpose lies.

Yeah, 100%. 100%.

I love it. Well, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you for taking the time to connect, Rachel. It's been amazing. And I'll be putting all the links to. To the foundation and to see his new book. I'm excited to get my hands on it myself. And I'll be ordering a few copies because I've got a few friends actually in the rugby sphere who would probably love a read of it as well because they admire him on the field as well. So I'll get a few extra copies.

It's going to be incredible. And thank you so much for having me on, James. I really appreciate it. And yeah, I look forward to welcoming you in good old South Africa.

Thank you so much for listening in today and investing in your own personal growth. Please hit that subscribe button and I would love, love, love if you'd leave me a rating and review as it really helps me to impact more people. I've got some amazing guests lined up in the coming weeks and folks, it's that time. Get out there and live long life on purpose.

Sa.