For years, Liezel van der Westhuizen’s face and voice were familiar fixtures on South African television and radio. Glamorous, confident, and admired, she built her career in broadcasting with roles on platforms like Top Billing. Yet behind the lights, she was already preparing for a different mission, one that would touch lives in an entirely new way.
Why mental fitness matters now
Liezel has stepped into a fresh purpose as a certified business and mental fitness coach. Her goal is simple yet profound: to equip women with the tools to build resilience, strengthen clarity, and prevent the creeping exhaustion that so many are facing.
She points out that South African women carry a heavy load. They are leaders, caregivers, and entrepreneurs and are often expected to excel in all roles at once. Burnout rates are rising, and research shows that fewer than a quarter of people with mental health conditions receive treatment. Against this backdrop, her work feels less like an optional extra and more like a necessity.
“Mental fitness is not a luxury,” she stresses. “It’s a skill set that every woman should have access to.”
From the stage to the coaching circle
Her career shift is not just about reinvention; it’s about using influence for impact. Drawing on her experience under public pressure, Liezel now runs programmes, talks, and coaching circles grounded in positive intelligence, a globally recognised framework.
Her sessions help women silence the inner critic, rewire thought patterns, and strengthen what she calls “mental muscles.” This is not just stress management. It’s about creating sustainable habits that allow women to thrive without glorifying stress as a badge of honour.
Strong minds, strong women
Liezel’s initiative, Strong Minds, Strong Women, brings together corporate and community voices to open conversations around self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and the emotional toll of leadership. For many women in positions of influence, these dialogues are not just inspiring but deeply validating. They normalise the idea that resilience and calm are forms of strength, not signs of weakness.
A message for South Africa
In a country where mental health support remains limited, her approach is a call to action. It challenges the stigma that still surrounds mental wellness and reframes success as something that must include emotional balance. Her journey also shows how reinvention can serve purpose, proof that you can step away from the spotlight to shine in a different way.
Liezel’s message is clear: every woman deserves the confidence that comes from a healthy, grounded mind. Mental fitness, she says, is about giving yourself permission to live fully, not just to survive the daily grind.
Source: The Citizen
Featured Image: Good Things Guy
