BY SITHA MALIWA:
As Women’s Month drew to a close, transformational education leader and child-development specialist Norleen Zulu brought women together for an intimate wellness breakfast focused on self-reflection, healing and reconnecting with oneself.
The Woman Within Wellness Breakfast, held at Daytona Cafe in Melrose Arch, was created around a question that has become central to Zulu’s work: What happens when women create space for the person behind everything they do?
The gathering provided an opportunity for women from different backgrounds to pause from their everyday responsibilities and engage in honest conversations about their identities, experiences, wellbeing and personal journeys.
Zulu, founder and director of Education Emporium, said the event was inspired by the need to celebrate women not only for their achievements and contributions, but also for who they are beyond the roles they perform.
“For generations, women have been celebrated for how much they can carry,” Zulu said. “We have carried families, careers, businesses, relationships, expectations, grief and responsibility. Yet, in celebrating everything we do, we do not always stop to ask: Who is caring for the woman carrying it all?”
One of the most emotional moments of the breakfast came when participants were asked: “What belief have you held on to that you are finally ready to let go of?”
The question encouraged women to reflect on long-held beliefs and personal experiences, with some participants sharing stories and emotions they had carried privately.
Zulu said this moment captured the essence of Woman Within – creating a safe environment where women could be honest, feel supported and recognise that they do not have to carry their challenges alone.
The programme featured facilitators and keynote speakers Raeesa Essop Tayob, Anesu Mautsa, Nomfundo Madonsela, Dr Masooda Essop and Thato Ncube.
Their sessions addressed issues including identity, pain, physical and emotional healing, wellbeing and holistic approaches to restoration. Participants were encouraged to engage in discussions, share experiences and learn from one another.
According to Zulu, the conversations highlighted the importance of viewing women’s wellness holistically.
“I believe women’s wellness needs to move beyond caring only for the body,” she said. “We have to make room for the whole woman: her identity, emotional world, relationships, boundaries, beliefs, body and the life she is trying to build.”
The event also highlighted the importance of maintaining conversations about women beyond Women’s Month.
Zulu believes women’s wellbeing, safety, development and visibility should remain priorities throughout the year, rather than being limited to an annual celebration.
She called for more consistent support and investment in initiatives that contribute to women’s wellbeing and development, including consideration of policies and programmes that extend commitments beyond August.
The breakfast was also an opportunity to acknowledge those who contributed to creating the space. One facilitator told Zulu that “some people deserve their flowers while they can still smell them”, recognising her efforts to create an environment where women could connect, learn and share.
For Zulu, however, the event represents the beginning of a larger vision.
She hopes to develop Woman Within into a platform for transformative wellness experiences that provide women with opportunities to pause, connect, release, rebuild and grow.
The next Woman Within experience, “Coming Home to Ourselves,” will continue this journey by encouraging women to reconnect with aspects of themselves that may have been neglected or placed on hold.
At its heart, the initiative seeks to remind women that their identities extend beyond their responsibilities and achievements. “There is a woman within every woman,” Zulu said, “and sometimes, she simply needs the space to emerge.” – @NewsSA_Online
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