Listen To Your Footsteps

Felicia Naiwa Sithebe is a producer, creative director and cultural worker whose life sits at the crossroads of theatre, television and radical care for African actors. In this conversation, she opens up about surviving a lupus scare and ICU, the gratitude alarms that now instruct her to dance in the middle of the day, and how those near‑loss moments reshaped her relationship with work, family and rest.​​
We trace her journey from community theatre in Soweto and an Indian neighbourhood in the south of Johannesburg, through acting on Soul Buddyz and other shows, to co‑founding Actor Spaces and helping drive festivals and industry platforms that archive, celebrate and develop performers. Felicia shares how she and her husband built a life and a business together, why they give away most of their time to growing other artists, and how they fund that generosity through casting, partnerships and teaching.​
Along the way we talk about theatre as spiritual technology, the slow erosion of live performance in the age of streaming and convenience, and what it will take to bring younger audiences back into rooms where stories can transform them in real time. Felicia also unpacks her current obsession with building “accountable actors” through financial literacy, wellness and industry literacy, so that artists are not just visible but able to sustain themselves and their families.​
If you are an actor, filmmaker, writer or cultural worker wrestling with burnout, money and meaning, this episode offers both a mirror and a roadmap.​
In this episode, we explore:
Growing up between Soweto, Orlando West and an Indian community, and how that shaped her eye for story and belonging

Discovering acting as a teenager and why theatre still feels like home and church to her

Working with her husband, building Actor Spaces and keeping love intact while running a business together

Surviving lupus, setting gratitude and rest alarms, and redesigning her life around healing

The economics of giving back, casting, partnerships and why most of their work is intentional service

Why representation, archiving and financial literacy matter for African actors and storytellers right now

Recorded at Vodcast TV

Senior marketing and communications strategist Tumi Rabanye joins Listen To Your Footsteps to explore why the best brand and creative strategies start with endless questions, not quick answers. Growing up between law, music and broadcasting in Mafikeng, she learnt to look behind the mic and ask who decides how society speaks, thinks and sees itself.
In this conversation, Tumi reflects on the influence of her parents, the teachers who expanded her sense of possibility, and the early radio experiences that stripped away the glamour of fame and revealed the craft of storytelling. She tracks her zigzag journey through journalism, television and financial services into a life devoted to strategy, and explains why “the why” is the core skill that keeps her in demand.
We talk about South African schooling, representation and hair politics, how homelands shaped a surprisingly big thinking community, and what it means to raise children with access that removes the novelty from media and influence. Tumi shares a powerful “midwifery” metaphor for creative strategy, unpacks how to nourish ideas so they live in culture, and discusses why brands must choose between exclusionary declarations and inclusive invitations.
We also dive into how she uses artificial intelligence as a thinking partner rather than a shortcut, why tools do not replace the work of curiosity, and how voice, writing and journaling help us hear ourselves more clearly. If you care about brand building, African creativity, or simply making braver decisions in a noisy world, this episode will shift how you think about strategy, power and possibility.

Recorded at Vodcast TV

What happens when your life refuses to fit into a single box? In this conversation, Kojo Baffoe sits down with Dr Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Oxford-educated scholar, SMWX host, musician and former aspiring professional footballer, to explore what it means to live between worlds.​
From dreams of playing for Liverpool and recording hip-hop with Entity alongside AKA, to studying politics, philosophy and economics, lecturing at Wits and building one of South Africa’s most influential political podcasts, Sizwe’s journey is a masterclass in convergence.​
Together they unpack regret and alternative timelines, learning to trust that “life is long” and that scattered passions eventually come together in unexpected ways. They talk about journaling as a practice of self-rescue, running two different notebooks, and using writing to design a more honest relationship with work, creativity and rest.​
Sizwe opens up about being raised by a white mother while rooted in Xhosa traditions, spending a year in the rural Eastern Cape, and learning to accept a hybrid identity that never fully belongs yet can move with ease across worlds. He reflects on parenting, his relationship with his father, and how public life, politics and social media have reshaped his sense of self and responsibility.​
The episode stretches out into African architecture, cities and history, asking how our built environment and broken historical threads shape the confidence of future generations.​
If you are a multipotentialite, a writer, a creative or simply someone trying to harmonise many selves, this is a generous, grounding listen.

Actor, poet, musician and social activist Antonio David Lyons joins Listen To Your Footsteps to talk about grief, ancestors and what it means to keep stepping through every open door.
Raised between Jamaican, Bahamian and African American worlds, Antonio traces how dance, poetry and libraries became early places of healing and imagination, long before New York stages or South African screens.
He shares how a stalled career in Los Angeles led to depression, envy and a promise to protect his soul, eventually pushing him to leave Hollywood, move to South Africa and rebuild an authentic lane across acting, house music, racial justice workshops and foundation leadership.
From Hotel Rwanda and Generations to the Valerie J MaynardFoundation and Georgetown University, his story shows what a true portfolio life can look like when you stop waiting for permission.
The conversation moves deep into grief, as Antonio reflects on losing his mother, stepmother and mentor, and learning that “you must hold yourself” while staying rooted in Yoruba spirituality and the belief that he is his ancestors and his ancestors are him.
Together with host Kojo Baffoe, he explores therapy, ocean rituals, responsibility to family and why some people are drawn to chaos while others discipline themselves towards peace.
If you are wrestling with loss, thinking about leaving an industry to save your soul, or wondering how to build a creative portfolio life that actually feels like yours, this episode offers language, companionship and a gentle push towards your next open door.

Recorded at Vodcast TV

Chartered marketer, brand strategist and podcast host Mpeo Nkosi joins Listen To Your Footsteps to talk about burnout, career change and choosing an intentional life beyond corporate comfort.
In this honest conversation, she shares how staying too long in the wrong role made her physically ill, why she now works three days a week and what it really takes to design the next 23 years of your working life on purpose.
We explore the psychology of consumers, the difference between skills and job titles, and how storytelling can help youbuild brands, businesses and careers that actually fit who you are.
Mpeo opens up about parenting a 23-year-old, letting go of control, navigating a blended family and getting married at 36 after deciding she might never meet her person.
If you are a mid-career professional, creative or entrepreneur questioning success, this episode offers practical reflection prompts and language you can use to renegotiate your relationship with work, time and validation.
Listen in for grounded wisdom on owning your choices, redefining stability and giving yourself permission to live an unscripted, more deliberate life.