Suits & Sneakers presents: RISE 2023 (Joburg Edition)

ABOUT

WHAT IS THIS EVENT ALL ABOUT?

There is a special and renewed energy that accompanies the start of a new year and we want to make sure that 2023 is your best yet! With this in mind, Suits & Sneakers is hosting our 5th edition of RISE where where we quiz some really smart people on the tips and tricks we can use to knock 2023 out of the park!

More than anything, we want to ignite a conversation around growth, and we also want to facilitate human connection which was sorely missed during the pandemic. We believe in gathering like-minded individuals who want to grow personally and professionally.

RISE will be taking place on the evening of Wednesday, 8 February 2023 at The Tryst and there is no cost to attend. We will be recording the event on the night and airing the replay a few days after the event.

WHO ARE THE SPEAKERS AND WHAT WILL THEY BE SPEAKING ABOUT?

At the beginning of every year when we host RISE, we always try focus on topics that are incredibly relevant at the time. This year, we have asked Wayne Duvenage (OUTA) and Naomi Holdt (psychologist, author, speaker) to join Mark Sham on stage. When you consider the current political and economic climate that South Africans are living in, it's clear that we can't rely on the government to fix South Africa, and the change has to come from the public.

Mark Sham will be speaking to Wayne Duvenage about the actions that South Africans can take in order to make South Africa a better country. After that, Mark will be speaking to Naomi Holdt about the actions we can take in order to preserve our mental and emotional state of beings throughout the year. We feel that these two guest speakers are perfectly poised to help us knock 2023 out of the park!

WHO IS WAYNE DUVENAGE?

Wayne Duvenage is a South African businessman, entrepreneur and civil activist. He is also the CEO of OUTA, the organisation that recently scored a victory by bringing an end to E-tolls in Gauteng.

After university Wayne went into the tourism industry. He cut his teeth as a young businessman at Avis, running the Namibian operations at 27, rising through the ranks to become the chief executive. He left Avis in 2012 to form OUTA, the acronym originally standing for the "Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance", which later changed to the "Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse". He left Avis when his role at OUTA became more demanding, choosing to dedicate all his time to the activist organisation. Today, OUTA continues its campaign against corruption and the abuse of power by the state with Duvenage at the helm.  

WHO IS NAOMI HOLDT?

Naomi is a psychologist, author and speaker with over 20 years experience in education, educational psychology and psychotherapy with a special interest in the emotional well - being of children and young adults.

Naomi caught the attention of Mark Sham when she shared an article that she wrote toward the end of 2022 on social media. That post went viral for all the right reasons which prompted Mark to meet with Naomi, and that's when he knew she had to be a guest speaker at RISE.

We'd like to share her article with you so that you understand why she will be on our stage:

A gentle reminder about why you are utterly exhausted…

No one I know began this year on a full tank. Given the vicious onslaught of the previous two years (let’s just call it what it was) most of us dragged ourselves across the finish line of 2021… frazzled, spent, running on aged adrenaline fumes…

We crawled into 2022 still carrying shock, trauma, grief, heaviness, disbelief… The memories of a surreal existence…

And then it began… The fastest hurricane year we could ever have imagined. Whether we have consciously processed it or not, this has been a year of more pressure, more stress, and a race to “catch up” in all departments… Every. Single. One. Work, school, sports, relationships, life… 

Though not intentionally aware, perhaps hopeful that the busier we are, the more readily we will forget… the more easily we will undo the emotional tangle… the more permanently we will wipe away the scarring wounds…

We can’t.

And attempts to re-create some semblance of “normal” on steroids while disregarding that for almost two years our sympathetic nervous systems were on full alert, has left our collective mental health in tatters. Our children and teens are not exempt. The natural byproduct of fighting a hurricane is complete and utter exhaustion…

So before you begin questioning the absolutely depleted and wrung-dry state you are in- Pause. Breathe. Remind yourself of who you are and what you have endured. And then remind yourself of what you have overcome.

Despite it all, you’re still going. (Even on the days you stumble and find yourself face down in a pile of dirt).

Understanding brings compassion…

Most of the world’s citizens are in need of a little extra TLC at the moment. Most are donning invisible “Handle with care” posters around their necks and “Fragile” tattoos on their bodies…

Instead of racing to the finish line of this year, tread gently. Go slowly.

Amidst the chaos, find small pockets of silence. Find compassion. Allow the healing. And most of all… Be kind. There’s no human being on earth who couldn’t use just a little bit more of the healing salve of kindness.

DIRECTIONS