 Life coach Sanlia Marais is busy establishing her own coaching business and has a passion for unlocking the limitless potential in people and increasing awareness through consciousness coaching.
How did you get into your chosen line of work?
I was a high school teacher before I started coaching, and here I realized that I had a passion for empowering people. As a teacher, I always felt that something was missing in the relationship I had with my students – the individual, unfathomable potential they had was not being acknowledged or realized. I wanted to help people to reach a higher level of consciousness about their contribution to and impact on the world and each other. I unintentionally came across the concept while I was in my dentist’s waiting room – I read an article on ‘consciousness coaching’, and I was instantly intrigued. After a lot of research, I completed a course in business coaching at UJ.
What do you love most about your current job?
To see the light in people’s eyes and the smiles on their faces when they have a breakthrough in their personal or professional lives.
What impact do women have in your field?
An important aspect of consciousness coaching is a personal process to enhance your ability to consciously choose your response to anyone and everything and your awareness concerning your personal identity, your environment, your emotions, and most importantly, your built-in belief systems and conditioning. Women, I have found, act with a natural urge to ‘create’ through understanding rather than just to ‘react’ to their situation.
What challenges do you feel women face in the workplace?
In my experience, a career change in your midlife is no joke. When you’re facing fifty, it can be difficult to establish yourself in a completely new career direction. I feel that the workplace has become more tolerant towards women, but setting out on my own has been a huge difficulty for me to overcome because of the high level of involvement I previously had in my children’s lives. It was difficult to adapt to the ever-changing nature of technology, marketing and communication.
What unique value do you think a woman brings to the workplace?
Women, who are often so closely involved with the upbringing of their children, often have a higher level of emotional connection in their relationships.
What advice would you give someone starting out in their life/career?
Be passionate about everything you do – success will follow. Doing it the other way around ensures a very long, difficult and frustrating journey. Work hard – you’ll reap the benefits.
What has been the hardest lesson you have learnt in business?
Putting a price on the service I offer was a difficult decision, because I don’t offer quick fixes. I had to learn not to sell myself short or underestimate the value I bring to my field.
What is the secret of your success?
Be connected with what you’re doing, and focus on life-long learning. It’s not all about knowledge, however – always listen to your heart.
To find out more about life and business coaching, contact Sanlia on 082 801 4043 or at
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About the Author: Kayla is currently a second-year Journalism and Media Studies student at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa. She is the editor of the Comment & Analysis section of student newspaper Activate and she a writer for the Politics, Business, and Features sections, as well as a sub-editor for the paper. She devours books and sees herself as one of the blessed few who actually enjoy working. She is involved with student society SHARC (Student HIV/AIDS Resistance Campaign) at Rhodes and has recently graduated as a certified Peer Educator. She is the community engagement representative for the African Drum Society and is currently working with up-and-coming student society Common Ground in the same capacity. She loves watching art films and her guilty pleasure is shopping.
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