From airwaves to empowerment: Liezel van der Westhuizen's secret to building unshakeable confidence

27 March 2025 - 08:54
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Radio presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen is on a mission to boost mental fitness.
Radio presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen is on a mission to boost mental fitness.
Image: Instagram/ Liezel van der Westhuizen

When radio presenter Liezel van der Westhuizen is not keeping the listeners of KFM, Cape Talk and 702 entertained, she helps leaders, sales teams and founders build unshakeable confidence, resilience and peak performance under pressure.

Liesl holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources and industrial psychology, along with honours and master’s degrees in business communication management from the University of Pretoria.

Through her signature coaching brand, The Giraffe Brand, she empowers clients to stand tall, stand out and thrive in leadership and life.

“Mental fitness refers to the capacity to respond to life's challenges with a positive rather than a negative mindset. Without mental resilience, it's easy to succumb to stress and self-doubt, hindering your performance,” she told TshisaLIVE.

“Mental fitness is a foundation from which anyone will feel more solid to think, develop, strategise and action from.”

Through her own mental fitness development, Liesl advised what steps people can take to build mental fitness.

“It starts with self-awareness — like recognising negative thought patterns that sabotage success. One thing I used to do was 'not good enough' myself out of opportunities I thought I wasn't qualified for. Because I didn't have 100% of what they were looking for, I thought its better not to even try.

“Most of my career is giving myself permission to try. By engaging in regular mental fitness exercises, such as mindfulness and visualisation techniques, people from all walks of life can strengthen their brain's capacity to handle stress and the other challenges that come their way.”



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