Episode 7 | Thato Rampedi: From Failing Engineering to Building a Digital Empire

He Had a Stroke at 27. Then He Chose Joy. | Rowyn Stoltz — Episode 9

Thank you for tuning into The Spirit of Alchemy, a podcast sharing entrepreneurs' life stories of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Rowyn Stoltz is a mechanic, a grease monkey by his own description, who runs Black Unicorn Auto, an independent workshop at WorkPods in Midrand. He was diagnosed dyslexic, left school in Grade 9, had a stroke at 27, lost his wife a month later, and came back to work on some of the world's most expensive cars with new physical limitations and the same quiet insistence on showing up fully. This is not a conversation about how to survive hardship. It is a conversation with someone who never quite registered it as hardship to begin with.   ✨ In This Episode Opening a padlock at age 7 with homemade tools, and asking: what else have I been told I can't do? Growing up with a brilliant, alcoholic father and a mother Rowyn describes as the angel who saved them Being diagnosed dyslexic and building an entire intellectual framework through observation instead of books Having two strokes at 27, relearning to walk and talk, and going back to work voluntarily clocking extra hours Why Rowyn never uses words like "tough" or "challenging" to describe his own life The four pillars he lives by, kindness, humour, curiosity, and gratitude, and why they are not rituals but just who he is Using the bicycle in his workshop as a backup plan for the days his body needs it What a stoic, neurodivergent, self-taught mechanic can teach the rest of us about presence   🌟 Why This Story Matters Most conversations about resilience are about what people did after things went wrong. Rowyn's story is different because nothing about his framing suggests things went wrong. He did not rebuild. He just kept going, with curiosity, with humour, with a bike in the workshop for the hard days. That is not a coping strategy. That is a way of being. And in a world that sells transformation as a destination, Rowyn is a quiet reminder that it was never about arriving anywhere.   Get in Touch with Rowyn Stoltz: Email: rowynstoltz@yahoo.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rowynstoltz/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rowyn.stoltz   Black Unicorn Auto: Email: blackunicornauto3@yahoo.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Black-Unicorn-Auto-100092543966152/ The Spirit of Alchemy  A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers, where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.    Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.   Stay Connected to the Journey ✨ The Spirit of Alchemy  Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_  TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy  YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast  Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com [http://www.thespiritofalchemy.com]   Bobby Forssman  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/] Rehema Isa  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681 [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world [https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa [https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa]  X: https://x.com/RehemaIsa [https://x.com/RehemaIsa]   For all enquiries: tanna@workpods.co.za [tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za]   Remember: you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

She Didn't Just Build a Brewery. She Reclaimed a Story. | Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela— Episode 8

In this episode, we sit with Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, founder of Tolokazi Beer & Cider and Brewsters Academy, for a conversation about ancestry, collapse, and what it takes to rebuild when everything falls apart. Apiwe was the first woman to qualify as a professional brewer in South Africa. She built a multimillion-rand brewery, lost it all during COVID, and then built it back on her own terms. This is a story about more than beer. It is about what happens when your business becomes the vessel for something much older than yourself. ✨ In This Episode * Losing a fully funded brewery during COVID and nearly losing her home * The ancestral connection between the Tolokazi clan and African brewing traditions * Why her real passion has never been having her name on a bottle * Using indigenous ingredients like sorghum and marula to tell an African story * How a LinkedIn post led to a three-year international distribution deal * Rebuilding self-funded through consulting work in Rwanda and Malawi * The African Renaissance as a business philosophy, not just a concept * What she would do differently if she started over 🌟 Why This Story Matters Apiwe's story is one of the most honest entrepreneurial journeys we have had on this show. She does not dress up the collapse or rush past the low points. She sat in the wreckage, worked out the worst that could happen, and then moved. What she is building now is not just a brewery. It is a living argument that African tradition belongs on the global stage, and that the people who carry those traditions forward do not always get to take the easy road.   Get in Touch with Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apiwe-nxusani-mawela-741bbb2b/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tolokazi_thebrewster?igsh=YmowMTVhN3Fzc3k2  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apiwe.nxusani    Tolokazi Beer & Cider  Website: https://tolokazibeer.co.za/about-us/  Email: info@tolokazibeer.co.za  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tolokazibeer  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tolokazibeer_cider?igsh=MWF1cXllYnl1MHF4OA==    Brewsters Academy  Website: https://www.brewstersacademy.co.za/  Email: info@brewstersacademy.co.za The Spirit of Alchemy  A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers, where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.    Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.   Stay Connected to the Journey ✨ The Spirit of Alchemy  Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_  TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy  YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast  Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com [http://www.thespiritofalchemy.com]   Bobby Forssman  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/] Rehema Isa  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681 [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world [https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa [https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa]  X: https://x.com/RehemaIsa [https://x.com/RehemaIsa]   For all enquiries: tanna@workpods.co.za [tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za]   Remember: you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Episode 7 | Thato Rampedi: From Failing Engineering to Building a Digital Empire

In this episode, we unpack: * How Thato’s journey into content creation started in university * The early days of YouTube in South Africa and building without validation * The difference between a content creator and an influencer * Why storytelling is the most powerful tool in a world driven by AI * The reality of content creation: consistency, patience, and no immediate rewards * Turning content into income—and why it’s harder than it looks * The shift from personal brand to building a scalable business * Lessons from failed models, experimentation, and reinvention * The importance of intentionality in building both content and life * Curating your inner circle and designing your environment for growth The Spirit of Alchemy  A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers, where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.    Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.   Stay Connected to the Journey ✨ The Spirit of Alchemy  Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_  TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy  YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast  Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com [http://www.thespiritofalchemy.com]   Bobby Forssman  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/] Rehema Isa  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681 [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world [https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa [https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa]  X: https://x.com/RehemaIsa [https://x.com/RehemaIsa]   For all enquiries: tanna@workpods.co.za [tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za]   Remember: you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Episode 6 | Eleve Verde: Healing, Plants & Possibility

Thank you for tuning into The Spirit of Alchemy, a podcast sharing entrepreneurs’ life stories of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. In this episode, we sit with Eddie Nyarkoh, founder of Eleve Verde (meaning Elevate Green), for a fascinating conversation on healing, intention and building a wellness brand rooted in both science and spirit. What began as a personal search for relief from chronic pain became a journey into plant medicine, conscious entrepreneurship, and global vision. From studying Math and Computer Science and working in IT to founding a cannabis-infused wellness company with dreams of exhibiting at Spannabis in Spain, Eddie’s story is one of calculated courage and intentional growth. This is a conversation about balance, in the body, in business and in life. ✨ In This Episode • Turning personal pain into entrepreneurial purpose • The science behind cannabinoids and homeostasis • What “start low, go slow” really means • Building a wellness brand with integrity and intention • Why culture in business is everything • Moving beyond the idea of a “side hustle” • Balancing corporate life with visionary entrepreneurship • From Johannesburg to the international stage 🌟 Why This Story Matters This Episode is a reminder that transformation often begins with discomfort. It shows us that healing can be both deeply personal and powerfully entrepreneurial and that building something meaningful requires patience, vision and daily intention. Eddie’s journey reflects a new generation of entrepreneurs who are blending science, spirituality and strategy to create businesses that don’t just generate income but restore balance. Because sometimes, elevating green isn’t just about plants, it’s about raising consciousness, culture and possibility. Get in Touch with Eleve Verde: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eleveverde/   The Spirit of Alchemy  A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers, where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.    Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.   Stay Connected to the Journey ✨ The Spirit of Alchemy  Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_  TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy  YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast  Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com [http://www.thespiritofalchemy.com]   Bobby Forssman  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/] Rehema Isa  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681 [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world [https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa [https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa]  X: https://x.com/RehemaIsa [https://x.com/RehemaIsa]   For all enquiries: tanna@workpods.co.za [tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za]   Remember: you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

Where Food Becomes Love: Anele and the Practice of Nourishment

Food is one of our oldest languages — a way we express love, preserve memory, and care for one another. In this episode of The Spirit of Alchemy, hosts Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa sit with Anele, founder of Sweet Thymes, to explore how nourishment became both her calling and her practice. Trained in accounting but shaped by her family kitchen and a deep curiosity for food, Anele shares how she chose to leave corporate life in order to build something rooted in joy, care and community. Together, they explore growing up between worlds, honouring ancestral food knowledge, building a business alongside motherhood and creating work environments where women can thrive. This conversation reflects on village, legacy and the long view, planting seeds you may never personally harvest but trusting that they will feed generations to come. An intimate and grounding episode about choosing softness in a hard world, and discovering where food becomes love. The Spirit of Alchemy  A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers, where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.    Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.   Stay Connected to the Journey ✨ The Spirit of Alchemy  Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_  TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy  YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast  Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com [http://www.thespiritofalchemy.com]   Bobby Forssman  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/] Rehema Isa  LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681 [http://www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681]  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world [https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa [https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa]  X: https://x.com/RehemaIsa [https://x.com/RehemaIsa]   For all enquiries: tanna@workpods.co.za [tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za]   Remember: you don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.