Page 45 - KZN Top Business Women - eBook 2023

Our job is to discover our unique potential

and then help others do the same.

the chief revenue office of Trudon owned by Telkom. Future goals
Founder and managing director of
Wendy commented, “I became a regional executive at
Newmella & Associates Wendy’s journey to self-inclusion and the role self-
29 and a national executive at 33 and I could attest my
success to my experience working for a Dutch media inclusion plays in accelerating innovation, has allowed
endy Mahoney is the founder and managing company based in Belgium between the ages of 23 her to learn that you cannot accept another unless
director of Newmella & Associates. Newmella and 25. That experience was a turning point in my you accept yourself. This learning is crucial to accepting
Wwas launched over eight years ago with a life because of the training I received and the belief the diversity essential for innovation and has driven
desire to help people and organisations to access human the company had in me to start managing teams at Wendy to develop a new framework for leaders that
potential for innovation. Over the years of working the age of 24. Knowing how that company’s training can solve the complexity of problems in existence,
with some of Africa’s largest brands, they have refined changed my life has driven me to impart the same enabling all to thrive.
their approach and created unique programmes that life changing experience to others, allowing them to
accelerate the self-inclusion and inclusion of others access their potential as mine was.” That, says Wendy, is what her PHD research, which she
necessary to accelerate sustainable innovation. plans to complete by 2024, aims to provide the world.
She is in the process of publishing her first book on
“That is, innovation able to sustainably solve wicked Hiroshima moment leading in this new age and developing a world class
problems in this rapidly evolving age and add value to learning management system specifically geared for
the entire ecosystem, ensuring we all thrive in this new Wendy commented that her resilience has been both a agile leadership.
age,” explains Wendy. blessing and a challenge. She has had three burnouts,
the first at 25, the second at 31 and the third at 36. She On the personal front, Wendy says, “I am in the process of
explained, “You see most people stop when they are uniting networks in KZN for the purposes of catalysing
Accessing human potential
tired, but I didn’t, because of my resilience I just kept hope and inspiring potential. Whatever we focus on we
Wendy’s professional passion for accessing human pushing until I fell over. I call my third burnout, my see more of, I believe if we focus people on hope, there
potential and enabling people to thrive transcends into her Hiroshima. I literally burnt my life down and was lost for will be more to feel hopeful about.”
personal life. She currently chairs the 30% Club campaign a number of years.”
for Business Engage in KwaZulu-Natal, which focuses on Somehow in the midst of that burnout Newmella was Her advice to young women is that every human was
driving inclusion within the corporate space. She serves on founded and found its way simultaneously to Wendy. created unique, and that we all have unique God given
the National Business Initiative Council for KwaZulu-Natal “We grew up together. I was very lost after exiting potential. “Our job is to discover our unique potential
focused on inclusive growth and on the Tedx Durban, Vega corporate as success had defined me and I didn’t know and then help others do the same. We don’t have to
KwaZulu-Natal and Institute of Innovators and Inventors who I was without my career. I had to acknowledge that be anything or anyone else other than who we are and
advisory councils. She is a non-executive director for Dare three burnouts was indeed a pattern and that I clearly then figure out how to bring that gift to the world.”
Restoring Worth; an NPC focused on the development of had a lot of inner work to do. I took a sabbatical and Wendy added that truly nothing is impossible, when you
youths in rural areas. Together with Cathie Lewis and David lectured innovation at Vega for two years while doing believe there is a way, there is a strategy, there is a person
White, Wendy has initiated the Green Lights Sustainability my Masters at Vega in Brand Innovation and researching to support you; nothing truly constrains any of us other
Initiative (GLSI) to help business leaders better understand the language of the mind (NLP) in the United States than our own minds.
sustainability as a global dilemma.
and Australia, because I wanted to understand what Wendy commented that she is passionate about playing
Wendy has been blessed with an amazing career and in happened to me.” a significant role in the community both professionally
reflecting on what may have motivated her, she would “Why does one wake up one day, have it all and be and personally. She is a professional speaker and moderator
say it was a combination of five aspects. “Resilience in dissatisfied, burn it all down and walk away. The short and has produced a lot of online content over the years,
the face of challenge, courage to step into the unknown, answer is that I was sublimating, work and my success is all geared at inspiring a better way of being and doing, for a
desire to give of my best, belief that anything is possible what I used to fill the void of not feeling enough. I started better world together.
and those who have walked beside me and seen my the long process of truly valuing myself, knowing that I Wendy concluded, ”I aim to leave a legacy that will live
potential when I did not.”
was enough without achievements, to learn the dance beyond me that contains a formula for this better way.
Her last two corporate positions were the sales and between surrender and free will, and guiding others on In all I do I seek to enable and inspire human potential.
marketing director of CNBC and Forbes Africa and the same journey with my learnings.” This is what gives me the greatest joy.”

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