Ingrid Corbett pinned her down to find out what makes her vulnerable, how she manages to wear so many hats, and about that time she trended on Twitter.
Multitalented entrepreneur, Mpoomy Ledwaba has blown up on YouTube with her popular podcast series, Wisdom and Wellness. With refreshing honesty, Mpoomy tackles important topics around the challenges women face in their careers and relationships.
It’s hard to imagine Mpoomy Ledwaba ever sitting still for more than a minute. She bubbles over with the sort of infectious energy that makes you wonder if she was once struck by lightning.
I’m relieved that we only have time for one cup of coffee, before I fire up my laptop and start peppering her with questions in the gap we are forced to find while she has her make-up applied for this month’s cover shoot at a studio in Cape Town.
Hardly a hair over 5ft tall, Mpoomy is an award-winning entrepreneur who has single-handedly shaped her own success story as a business owner, social media influencer and a creator of important content as a podcaster on YouTube.
Mpoomy on growing up
She talks a mile a minute, as she recaps her childhood, growing up in Middleburg, Mpumalanga, one of five siblings in a close-knit family. ‘My mom was a teacher and came from a family of educators. My dad grew up poor and worked hard to support his family,’ she recalls.
‘My parents celebrated our individual gifts, but treated us all as equals, encouraging us to explore whatever we chose to do in life.’ Sporty at school, Mpoomy excelled at hockey and netball, making the provincial team for the latter. ‘At one point, I thought I might pursue professionally, but I didn’t have the height,’ she acknowledges with a smile.
A vocal member of her local church, Mpoomy joined the choir and put her hand up to volunteer as an MC for events hosted in her community. ‘That’s not only how I started to find my voice, but also when I first realised that what I had to say could make a difference.’
After matriculating in 2012, Mpoomy enrolled to study a B Comm at the University of Johannesburg. ‘I knew nothing about being creative. I was good with numbers, and I knew accountants made money,’ she recounts. ‘I wanted to make money.’
In her third year she was invited to join a CSI initiative run by Investec. ‘It was my first experience in a corporate environment. I knew at once it wasn’t for me, but I held out for a year before I bailed,’ admits Mpoomy. She dropped out of varsity the same year, without a concrete plan regarding what she would do next.
‘I definitely wouldn’t advise it!’ she laughs. ‘Don’t drop out of school!’ As a student, Mpoomy had earned extra money doing promotional work at trade shows and comedy clubs. Her outgoing personality had made her a popular pick with agencies, and she was easily able get back on their roster.
Starting her own business
When I tease her by saying: ‘So, basically, you handed out flyers?’ she is quick to respond. ‘Yes, but the good ones!’ Keeping her eyes open for an opportunity, she came across an ad article that outlined 10 businesses you could start without capital.
‘My dad owned a small cleaning business when I was growing up. When I was 12 years old, I got a job as his tea lady. He paid me R100 a month,’ recalls Mpoomy. Aged 20, with practically zero experience, Mpoomy decided to launch her own domestic cleaning service.
‘I was totally winging it,’ she is quick to share, chuckling a little as she admits that she put a pamphlet together to advertise her new venture. Engaged in a spirited argument at a local supermarket with her then boyfriend (now husband) SAMA nominated house singer and producer Brenden Praise, the couple were approached by an elderly couple who admired their passion to make themselves heard.
‘They invited us to join a WhatsApp group of more than 100 people who were vocal about navigating the challenges of being in a committed relationship.’ Recognising an opportunity to market her fledgling business, Mpoomy asked for permission to distribute her flyer to the group.
‘It paid off. I got a great response, and secured enough regular bookings to get my business off the ground.’ A few months later over December, right after she had signed on a new client for a huge spring cleaning job, her staff quit without notice. ‘I panicked, and tried to do the job on my own. It didn’t end well. The client wasn’t happy,’ admits Mpoomy. ‘It was a hard life lesson, but it made me realise that I wasn’t passionate about what I was doing.’
A change of direction
Taking time out to lick her wounds, Mpoomy got married. ‘It happened pretty fast. We got lobola’d in the morning, and in the evening, we had a small celebration with family and a just a few close friends. Unsure where to go next, Mpoomy and Brenden were determined to hash out a plan.
‘I started applying for jobs, but I didn’t have enough relevant experience,’ she explains. She had a car, but couldn’t afford petrol. ‘You’re not going to believe it,’ she says as she straightens up a little in her chair, ready to recount what happened next. ‘I found a flyer!’
This particular ad invited interested parties to complete a six-month diploma to qualify as a nail technician, promising earnings of R10 000 on completion. ‘Flyers saved my life,’ laughs Mpoomy, who took a gamble and signed up for the course. Armed with a new skill set, Mpoomy put the tools she had to work.
‘I had a car and I could provide a service,’ she explains, struggling to supress the smile that tugs at the corner of her lips as she tells me she created another flyer, this time advertising that she did house calls. ‘I called it Nails on Wheels.
My dad branded my little Hyundai and I hit the road,’ shares Mpoomy. ‘I may not have been the best at doing nails, but I was great at communicating and making a connection with my clients.
At first, even though their nails broke, they still called me back!’ She got better at it. ‘It was a sharp learning curve, so it wasn’t long before I had gained the experience I needed. In my first month, I earned R10 000,’ says Mpoomy.
Encouraged by her success, it wasn’t long before she found a space to launch a full-service salon in Melville. ‘I invited people who had started following me on Instagram to the opening day. The first hour, no one came. But all of a sudden there was an influx of people, who turned into a regular customer base.’
Over the next couple of years, as Mpoomy’s following on social media began to grow, she began to host a series of curated boutique events intended to create a space for women to share their thoughts in a safe setting.
The power of YouTube
Observing the success of the turnout to these talks, Brenden suggested she should consider tapping into a wider audience by starting a channel on YouTube. ‘Why?’ asked Mpoomy, who at that point did not identify with that medium. ‘Because you have a lot to say,’ replied Brenden. Mpoomy agreed.
‘I would come up with content, but Brenden had to do the technical stuff.’ They got set up, and Mpoomy recorded her first interview. ‘The day we went live, we got 1 000 subscribers.’ The posts gained traction, and as Mpoomy’s following grew, important global brands came knocking.
‘Clients trusted me as an ambassador for their brand,’ says Mpoomy, who began to curate content for the likes of Clarins and Colgate. Discovering she was pregnant in 2018 did little to slow Mpoomy down. She continued to attend events, ignoring the changes that were taking a toll on her body.
‘I ran myself ragged and it became impossible to set aside the physical limitations that were part and parcel of my pregnancy. My skin broke out, my boobs began to sag. My feet grew so much that I went from wearing a size 4 to a size 8 shoe!’ groans Mpoomy.
‘I couldn’t handle it. Even though I was happy about the baby coming, I now know I was experiencing peri-partum depression,’ she shares. ‘I stopped going to work, I didn’t want to go out. I told Brenden I wanted to sell the salon and be a housewife.
The changes were so drastic, I didn’t know how to deal.’ Despite growing her salon into a bigger space and dabbling in the development of body care products, after the birth of her daughter in 2019, Mpoomy admits that she began to lose herself.
The global pandemic that led to lockdown a few months later seriously affected her finances. ‘Trying to keep my staff on salary at the salon while our doors were closed got the salon into serious debt,’ says Mpoomy, who felt under pressure to provide for her own family during those difficult times, but also for the employees who relied on her for income.
Focusing on her wellness
Prepared to acknowledge that she needed help to find her mojo again, Mpoomy reached out to a therapist. ‘Looking back on that time, I’m so grateful that she took a holistic approach. I was never medicated.’
During one of their first sessions, Mpoomy’s therapist presented her with a challenge. ‘I want you to do something that you consider outside of your reach,’ relates Mpoomy. ‘I went home, and forced myself to think about what that would mean for me.’
Tired of hearing herself complain, Mpoomy realised that her dialogue was negative. She decided to put pen to paper and write down 10 things she was grateful for. ‘My list included things like the fact that I was being kinder to myself, that I had cut out junk food, that I was exercising.
I think I stopped at 5, and I posted it with the hashtag #speaklifeseptember on 1 September. It trended on Twitter, reaching the number one slot.’ It was exactly the shove that Mpoomy needed to remind her that she could put a positive spin on any of life’s hurdles. ‘The response I received from people made a huge impression.
There was no way I was going to quit.’ On the first of October, she put out a new hashtag: #doitoctober. Then, a month later, #irunnovember, setting herself and anyone willing to join her a target of running 100km that month. ‘Around the same time, I was completing a major revamp of my salon,’ recalls Mpoomy.
‘The builder was way behind schedule, but ignoring all the signs of an impending disaster, I booked a date for the unveiling of the new space, convinced things would fall into place.’ It was a total shit show.
‘My parents drove all the way from Middleburg, celebrity guests started arriving… the space was a mess,’ recalls Mpoomy. ‘I broke down and cried.’ The day after the fiasco, she received a parcel from Sibu Mabena, founder of the Duma Collective, an agency specialising in social networking and brand management.
‘It was a book entitled The 5am Club by Robyn Sharma,’ says Mpoomy. ‘And it changed my life.’ Sharma’s best-selling book is a work of fiction, but the key concept it promotes is very real.
‘You wake up an hour before your spouse and kids, and use that time, free of distractions, to focus on your personal wellbeing through a combination of exercise, meditation and reading,’ explains Mpoomy, who is convinced that adopting this habit helped her restore her focus.
‘The routine fuels my mind and body for the day. Not only have I become much more productive, I’m also able to navigate challenges with a reassuring sense of calm.’
Mpoomy became the book’s unofficial ambassador. ‘I shared the insights I gained on my socials and soon someone suggested that I start a book club.’ Passionate not only about the title’s content but also about encouraging women to read, Mpoomy took up the challenge and hosted her first live event to promote The 5am Club.
The event sold out, and firmly established the business as a platform for raising awareness around mental health. ‘The pandemic had a major impact on our ability to cope with life’s hurdles,’ says Mpoomy who is committed to helping others find the tools that they need to heal.
‘It’s a journey. Nothing happens by chance. Discipline is the key to success.’ Today Wisdom and Wellness reaches more than 250 000 viewers on YouTube and has translated into over half a million followers on Instagram. ‘Our content is centred on five key pillars: spiritual wellness, mental and emotional wellness, relational wellbeing, physical wellness and financial wellness,’ explains Mpoomy.
We’ve talked for several hours now and she’s barely paused to catch her breath. I glance at my phone to check the time, reluctant to remind her that we’ve got to wrap things up so she can make it to the airport on time. I drive her there myself and she continues to chat away easily, as if we’re already old friends.
I call her up the next morning and catch her while she’s stuck in traffic. I’ve got one last question: how the hell does she do it all? ‘One step at a time,’ she laughs. Without further prompting, she shares the simple yet powerful phrase that has become her motto: There is Grace for Today. ‘When I start to feel too excited or overwhelmed, I remind myself to focus on the moment.’
MPOOMY IN A FLASH
MR & MRS
Mpoomy and Brenden often MC at events together. ‘We got all glammed up that day to do a wedding. Not ours!’
FAMILY IS EVERYTHING
Brendan, pictured here with daughter Nuri Lethabo and son Zani Lehumo. ‘We make time for each other, and for our kids.’
QUICK QUESTIONS
What are you reading right now?
The Light We Carry by Michelle Obama and A Visible Man by Edward Enninful.
What has marriage and motherhood taught you?
A lot of self-reflection… about the good, and the not so good.
How do you define success?
Peace and contentment.
You’re hosting a dinner, you can invite 3 people, dead or alive… who’s on your guest list? Oprah, Steven Furtick, Issa Rae.
POSTER GIRL
Mpoomy has become a trusted brand ambassador for important global clients such as Clarins and Colgate.
COMING UP…
Want to see Mpoomy in action?
Book tickets now for the Wisdom and Wellness Unlimited Festival on the 4th of March in Johannesburg. ‘We will be bringing together a host of inspiring speakers and performers.’
Photography: Getty Images
