Devoted to upliftment and revival, Liezel van der Westhuizen chats about self-improvement, her beloved furry friends and living life to the fullest.
Personal branding coach, public icon, television presenter, fitness and wellness radio presenter for four radio stations — Liezel Van Der Westhuizen is a woman of many talents. She’s come a long way from becoming the second woman to present Idols South Africa, and being the first female commentator at an Ironman Triathlon and the Comrades Marathon, respectively. One thing’s for sure, Liezel remains dedicated to strong work ethics, entrepreneurship, and elevating others to reach their true potential.
Finding Her Way
Liezel began her public speaking career in South Africa, more than 10 years ago, and has hosted over 500 events across the country, as well as in popular eventing destinations such as the United Kingdom, Thailand, Hong Kong and the Seychelles. Apart from being an amazing public speaker, Liezel has become quite the macro influencer, with more than 155 000 social media followers across various platforms. Today, her self-made business known as ‘The Giraffe Brand’ is assisting people all across the country with personal branding and career growth. ‘The origin story of my company is a milestone because it came about when the journalist of the Sunday Times society pages at the time, designer Craig Jacobs, called me a giraffe 10 years ago in his write-up about an event I’d attended,’ she says. ‘The nickname just stuck, and I decided to lean into it.
I built a strong personal brand around the insult and founded my Giraffe Brand Academy in the spirit of it too.’ Turns out the combo of mile-high legs, skill, and spirit can make for amazing career milestones! ‘I am launching The Giraffe Brand Academy Personal Branding 101 Course soon, which people can go to in order to help them build their personal brands and actually further their career paths. A personal brand is so important for your career. It makes you far more visible — both online and beyond — to the ideal audience you want to connect with, get business from, and develop a community with,’ she explains.‘This is just the tip of the iceberg of what my Personal Branding 101 Course will equip people with in the long run.’
Pawful of Love
Aside from being an amazing businesswoman and coach, Liezel is a ‘dog mom’ to two dachshund rescues, Leia Skywalker and Luke Skywalker. ‘I have a family that has always loved animals. We had worked with various conservation projects growing up too. So, I have grown up surrounded by a beautiful and pure love of animals,’ Liezel expresses. ‘It just happened by chance that we became rescue dachshund parents. We never set out to be. They chose us.’ ‘My now-fiancé Mike Fannin and I arrived at the Grassy Park SPCA to see all these beautiful dogs standing near the front of their cages, trying to get our attention… From the very first moment our eyes found this skinny brown rescue sausage at the corner of a cage at the back, we were smitten!’ laughs Liezel. 
This was when Leia was adopted. Shortly after, Luke Skywalker was rescued from the Cape Dachshund Rescue. ‘Little did we know, at the time, that this poor little guy had been saved from a bad environment where there was someone with a bad temperament who had left a real mark on Luke,’ Liezel explains. ‘Luke was petrified of everything at the start of our journey together. Four years of classes and steady adoration later, our family has a confident pup who loves to play with his sister Leia. Today, the two are inseparable!’ ‘My dogs have a weekly workout lesson with behaviourist Karen Sinovich from DogHubSA, and it’s just amazing to see what the dogs learn from her. I also enjoy walking on the mountain with them, and playing ball, or getting them to the beach,’ Liezel explains.
Self-Love Journey
When asked about her positive affirmations going into the ‘Month of Love’, Liezel emphasised peace, harmony and self-care. ‘For me, it’s all about affirmations of learning self-love! Often, as entrepreneurs,we spend so much time pushing our businesses that we forget about our own love and self-care. Taking care of yourself is so important – and not just when you’re stressed and burnt out!’, she says. ‘I’m reminding myself that my peace matters, and that my time matters. I’m affirming, through words and actions, that I care about myself and that I will continue trying to not be so critical of myself. I want to celebrate myself more.’
A Word of Advice
‘You are allowed to fall apart. You’re just not allowed to give up on living, and eventually fighting for what you believe in. We are still surviving a pandemic and I think the narrative to be productive during this time can be somewhat harmful – depending on the kind of person you are. I want people to understand that “surviving” is their daily success, and it’s okay to have just that to show for this time. Self-care is also so important, and it involves allowing yourself to feel everything you’re feeling, but not letting it consume you so much that you no longer see the potential of your future.’
FAST FACTS
Full Name: Liezel van der Westhuizen
Nickname: The Giraffe
Dog names: Leia & Luke
Hometown: Cape Town, South Africa
Social media handle: @liezelonline
Words by Chandré Emma Kippie
Photography: K-leigh Siebritz/HMimages.co.za
