Pechakucha Johannesburg invited Sonia to share the stage with a fantastic group of interesting and unique speakers. With her talk titled THINK, Sonia entertained the audience with a brief look into how Thinking Styles shape our behaviour relationships... and opportunities for "pissed-offness".

With the UP Team's fun brand, Sonia's sense of humour, and an engaged audience, it was a winter's night well spent.

Connecting People Around the World

PechaKucha is a free online and offline global storytelling platform that celebrates people, passion, and creative thought. Our users share ideas and connect with others visually, concisely and memorably. We are redefining authentic human connectivity through inclusive social engagement and technology.

What is a 20x20 PechaKucha?

The PechaKucha 20x20 presentation format is a slide show of 20 images, each auto-advancing after 20 seconds. It’s non-stop and you've got 400 seconds to tell your story, with visuals guiding the way. PechaKucha was created in Japan in 2003 by renowned architects, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. The word “PechaKucha” is Japanese for “chit chat.”

Sonia Killik from the UP Team joined other esteemed speakers at the 2023 Old Mutual OWN Summit, where the topic of what equity and equality means for women in today's time.

International Women’s Day (IWD) - a United Nations sanctioned global celebration held on 8 March every year - celebrates the contributions of women to society, raises awareness about the fight for gender equality and inspires support for organisations that help women globally.

The IWD theme for 2023 is #EmbraceEquity and during this event Old Mutual celebrated the women who are championing equity in the advancement of technology and digital education in the world, as the digital gender gap is explored and how it is widening economic and social inequalities.  

The panelists are comprised of Old Mutual's Celiwe Ross, (Director Group Strategy & Group Human Capital), who is also the proud patron of OWN, Zureida Ebrahim (Chief Operating Officer), S’onqoba Vuba (Business Development Manager, NEXT176 Strategic Partnerships) and Thabile Nyaba, (Chief Risk Officer, Old Mutual Insure).

The #EmbraceEquity theme resonates strongly with us at Old Mutual because diversity and inclusion are part of our core values. Inviting a panel of phenomenal women to join us in this discussion clarifies our commitment to driving transformation, inclusivity, and gender equality at home, in the workplace, across the communities in which we operate and throughout the world.  

The UP Team was honoured to share the stage with the beautiful Amanda Dambuza at her annual Vastly Sage UPliftment Brunch and launch of her third book Therefore I Rose. Amanda is a seasoned and highly regarded businesswoman, she was named in the Top 30 women you need to know, and applauded by Leadership Magazine, but most importantly she is a proud mother of three children.

Our unbelievable Sonia shared our magic through creatively connecting with the exquisite attendees, supporting them in releasing their past stories and claiming their NOW! Using one of the UP teams' unique experiences, everyone was able to seek growth outside of their pain. The journey of growth was felt and shared through emotions, togetherness, and true empowerment of self.

Making the day magical through their inspiring stories was: Ayanda Mbanga (Entrepreneur and Business Coach), Bongiwe Gangeni (Deputy Chief Executive ABSA Retail and Business Bank), Captain Londy Ngcobo (Ship Navigator, Dredge Master and Speaker), Amanda Dambuza (Businesswoman, Author and Speaker), Unathi Nkayi (Singer, Broadcaster, TV producer and Author), and our very own Dr Sonia Killik (Metaphysician, Author & Coach).

The energy of hearing everyone ROARING in claiming their I AM will resonate through our spirit for life. Be BIG everyone. Remember these important statements, wonderful humans:

To experience the power of seeking growth outside your pain:

The UP Team ran their first workshops of 2022 where we got to bring our magic to the next Superhero and Rainbow Queen graduates. We were so happy to have the brilliant Brad Shorkend join us on the men's workshop, who brought his unique brand of powerful intention and story-telling.

The feedback from our UP Experience has been phenomenal, with participants reporting back immediate and tangible change within their lives, how they are managing their energy and time, and most importantly, how they are feeling about themselves.

We at UP are filled to the brim with gratitude and joy that we got to meet new, brave people, and partner with them during their life journey. 

If you would like to participate in the next Rainbow or Superhero Bridge Experience, be sure to check the available workshop dates, or if you would like to use this platform for your corporate wellness and awareness, be sure to give us a call.

The UP Team are rested and ready for another year filled with abundance and magic. As we all gear towards setting our goals and objectives for the coming year the UP Team shares gratitude to all the wonderful humans that supported our Christmas Magic Charity run with Nabai Foundation.

We managed to collect an unbelievable quantity of clothing and hygiene products and a staggering R6, 312 so Nabai Foundation could provide a magical Christmas and more for the children they support.

The UP Team is excited to continue our work with the Nabai Foundation. We think it is important to outline some of the reasons why this work is close to our . We always intend to bring magic and joy into our content, sometimes we need to explore the deeper side of humanity to bring to life the amazing work our psychologists at UP do. 

Gender-Based Violence has become a global pandemic that affects 1 in 3 women in their lifetime. This issue is not only devastating for survivors and their families but also entails significant social and economic costs. In the first 8 days of the South African COVID lockdown, 87, 000 cases of domestic violence were reported. This is a staggering statistic but serves to highlight the systemic existence of this ongoing issue within South African culture. 

Factors that contribute heavily towards domestic violence are personal history, the immediate context of where the abuse takes place, the social systems that underpin the environment, and the general attitude towards and influence of culture. All four of these contributors become inflamed under economic and social pressure, with a lack of education and support further fanning the flames.

Just as the cause for the high occurrences of domestic violence cannot be reduced to a single factor, the solution too long term reform cannot be approached without addressing the holistic environment of those involved. The UP Team along with Nabai Foundation will be working closely together to ensure adequate support for short-term challenges (COVID-19) and long-term sustainability (education, therapy, shelter, funding, job security, and growth).

We are excited and hopeful that we will continue to bring magic and joy into the communities supported by Nabai Foundation.

We had the best time sharing knowledge and support with the incredible team at Evolution Space Chats, brought to you by Siphokazi Divinity Roji and Sowetan. 

 Sit back, grab some coffee, and enjoy the podcast.

EPISODE DETAILS

In our lives there is a constant moving and shifting as we grow into different parts of ourselves and our journey. It is important that we are attuned with the different seasons and times that we find ourselves in, with it being the end of the year; I believe that we are in resting and releasing time.

In this episode, Dr Sonia Killik and I talk about tapping within ourselves and shifting our perspective in order to find our inner power. We talk about answering the call to be human again particularly as we are about to unite with family and friends that we have not seen in a while.

To become the true guardian of your heart and mind be part of The Rainbow Bridge experience which offers a deeply transformative journey that awakens and bridges your empathetic heart to your emotional intelligence, creating an evolution of self that leads to powerful self-leadership.

Use the discount code evolve4U when making your booking.

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