The Incredible Machines

Welcome to Episode 56 of The Incredible Machines podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, Jon Oliff and Luke Holden sit down with Kuki Shah, a Kenyan born entrepreneur, executive coach, facilitator and former family business leader who now helps entrepreneurs and leadership teams unlock clarity, accountability and long-term growth through Bloom Growth. 

He is based in Dubai. After helping scale his family's business, he went onto successfully compete against multinational giants such as Unilever and Vaseline, he transitioned into coaching founders and leadership teams across Africa and the Middle East through Bloom Growth. Today he helps businesses build healthier cultures, stronger accountability and more intentional leadership. 

Kuki shares an honest account of the experiences that shaped his identity. He opens up about childhood bullying, constantly searching for belonging, moving between Kenya, England, Australia and Dubai, building and exiting multiple businesses, and learning that success means very little without self-awareness. 

This episode explores servant leadership, family business dynamics, entrepreneurship, coaching, validation, business exits, and the importance of putting yourself first before you can truly serve others.  Whether you are building a business, leading a team, navigating self-doubt or searching for greater purpose, this episode offers practical wisdom alongside remarkable vulnerability. 
 
 
 
⏱ Timestamped Overview 

00:48 – Introduction to Kuki Shah and why he never believed he belonged on a podcast. 
00:06:08 – Trusting the people who believe in you before you believe in yourself. 
00:15:15 – Childhood bullying, belonging and how servant leadership became part of Kuki's identity. 
00:23:13 – Kuki's entrepreneurial parents and the family business that shaped his future. 
00:30:01 – The pressure of family businesses and finding another path into the company. 
00:40:11 – Door to door sales in Australia and the business lessons that still influence Kuki today. 
00:50:44 – Returning to London, building a premium tea business and learning to embrace entrepreneurship. 
01:00:24 – Moving back to Kenya and earning his place inside the family business. 
01:10:00 – Building the Valon brand and competing directly against Vaseline and Unilever. 
01:24:01 – Negotiating the sale of the business and protecting minority shareholders. 
01:40:00 – Identity, validation and learning that success cannot replace self-worth. 
01:50:00 – Coaching, facilitation and why putting yourself first allows you to better serve others. 
02:01:10 – Moving to Dubai, finding clarity and embracing the next chapter of leadership. 

 
 
 
💬 Quote of the Episode 

“Service is one of my core values, and I do that because I get more from it than I think.” – Kuki Shah 
 
 
 
🧠 Related Campaign Example  
City Lodge Television Advertisement: Kuki highlights City Lodge's "Check In to South Africa" television advertisement as a brilliant example of emotionally driven storytelling. Rather than focusing on hotel rooms or amenities, the campaign celebrates the country's diversity, resilience and shared identity, reminding viewers that South Africa belongs to everyone. 

What stood out most to Kuki was the campaign's ability to make people feel something before trying to sell anything. He explains that the best marketing creates an emotional connection first, because people remember how a brand makes them feel long after they've forgotten the product itself. This aligns closely with his own philosophy on leadership and relationships, where genuine human connection always comes before transactions. 

City Lodge Television Advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwUvewBwqFM 

  

 
 
👣 Relevant Links & Mentions 

Kuki Shah’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kuki-shah-5240139  
Kuki Shah’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kuxshah/  

Coach Kuki’s Website: https://www.coach-kuki.com/  

Bloom Growth’s Website: https://www.bloomgrowth.com/  
Bloom Growth’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomgrowth/  
Bloom Growth’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1259247988796452/members  
Bloom Growth’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloomgrowth.ecosystem  
Bloom Growth’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bloomgrowth         
 
 
 
🌐 Connect with Tim Africa 

🔗 Website: https://www.tim.africa  
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.africa  
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🎬 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tim.africa_  
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Welcome to Episode 55 of The Incredible Machines podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, Jon Oliff and Luke Holden sit down with Thando-Rose Dladla, a spiritual healer, transformational breathwork facilitator, entrepreneur, speaker and the woman behind The Funkie Healer. 

Thando shares the experiences that led her from Johannesburg to KwaZulu Natal and ultimately towards answering her spiritual calling. She reflects on identity, culture, religion, ancestral wisdom and the complicated journey of understanding who she truly is.  

Beyond her spiritual journey, Thando is actively involved in entrepreneurship, construction, skills development and community empowerment. Through her family’s road marking business, she helped develop training programmes that equip emerging entrepreneurs with practical business and road marking skills. 

This episode is a must listen for anyone navigating authenticity, spiritual identity, personal agency and what happens when we stop changing ourselves to satisfy the expectations of others. 
 
 
 
⏱ Timestamped Overview 

00:51 – Introduction to Thando-Rose Dladla and Moving to KZN. 
04:13 – Reconnecting with her Zulu identity and family roots. 
10:22 – Growing up in Johannesburg, moving frequently and becoming adaptable. 
15:19 – Becoming aware of race and identity as the first Black girl at her boarding school. 
20:12 – Division, belonging and the need for healing across South African communities. 
28:17 – Language, curiosity and why more South Africans should learn isiZulu. 
30:18 – Boarding school, studying law and discovering her creative identity. 
38:06 – Meeting her second husband and recognising the importance of compatibility. 
42:13 – Spiritual experiences, danger and the marriage that led her to answer her calling. 
48:09 – Divine protection, surviving a dangerous journey and recognising her purpose. 
50:07 – Challenging conventional thinking and searching for something deeper. 
52:58 – Understanding spiritual initiation, ancestral guidance and different healing gifts. 
56:14 – Decolonising spirituality and exploring the relationship between religion and African practices. 
01:00:12 – What it means to be called as a healer and carry ancestral gifts. 
01:13:03 – Entering radio and rediscovering the power of her voice. 
01:20:22 – Land, migration, xenophobia and the responsibility of leadership. 
01:34:04 – The meaning behind “Delayed obedience is disobedience.” 
01:43:31 – Creating road-marking and entrepreneurship training programmes. 
01:48:12 – Creating healing retreats and safe spaces for men. 
 
 
 
💬 Quote of the Episode 

“I am a spiritual being having a beautiful human experience. I just happened to come into this body.” – Thando-Rose Dladla 
 
 
 
🧠 Related Campaign Example  
Checkers Little Shop Minis Campaign: Thando selected the Checkers Little Shop minis campaign because of the way it combined nostalgia, collectability and family participation. 

The campaign encouraged customers to collect miniature versions of familiar products when shopping through Checkers and Checkers Sixty60. For her, the campaign recreated the childhood excitement of collecting, swapping and displaying items with friends. 

She explains that the campaign became about more than the products customers were buying. The desire to complete the collection strengthened engagement with the Checkers brand and encouraged repeated purchases. 

Checkers Little Shop Minis Campaign: https://youtu.be/WrO4r_41cy0  

  
👣 Relevant Links & Mentions 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thando-rose-dladla-08355b66/   
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFunkieHealer   
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thandorose_dladla/  
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheFunkieHealer   

Funkie Healer Website: https://thefunkiehealer.com/   
 

🌐 Connect with Tim Africa 

🔗 Website: https://www.tim.africa  
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.africa   
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timdotafrica   
🎬 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tim.africa_   
  Podcast Page: https://www.pod.tim.africa

Welcome to Episode 54 of The Incredible Machines podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, Jon Oliff and Luke Holden sit down with Shaadia Vawda, an award-winning marketing executive, leadership coach and former global executive who has built brands across South Africa, the United Kingdom and international markets.  

Known for her passion for leadership development, innovation and helping organisations embrace change, Shaadia offers practical wisdom for navigating an increasingly uncertain world. During the episode we also touch on her leaving corporate life, the future of AI and human judgement, and why authentic marketing will always begin with telling the truth.   

From discovering marketing almost by accident to leading iconic brands at Unilever and Nestlé, she shares the lessons that shaped her leadership philosophy, why curiosity is more valuable than certainty, and how empathy unlocks the potential in people.  

This episode is a must listen for anyone interested in leadership, marketing, and building a career driven by purpose rather than certainty. 
 
 
 
⏱ Timestamped Overview 

00:51 – Introduction to Shaadia Vawda. 
02:20 – Growing up in Durban during Apartheid. 
03:14 – Discovering Marketing by Accident and the Unexpected Career Path. 
04:23 – Cold Calling Businesses and Landing her First Marketing Role. 
05:21 – Joining Unilever and Beginning a Career in Global Brand Marketing. 
07:02 – Why Empathy is the Foundation of Exceptional Leadership. 
10:08 – The "Yesterday's Best" Exercise and Building Culture. 
14:52 – A Difficult Manager at Nestlé London and One of her Greatest Teachers. 
21:06 – Childhood Independence and Early Responsibilities. 
22:07 – The U Train Leadership Programme. 
27:39 – The Values that Guided her Throughout her Career. 
32:38 – Leaving Corporate Life and Completing an MBA. 
35:25 – Escaping the "Golden Handcuffs" of Corporate Life. 
43:59 – Lessons and her Perspective on Entrepreneurship. 
48:52 – AI will Push more People towards Entrepreneurial Thinking. 
49:44 – Her MBA research into Artificial Intelligence and Human Judgement. 
57:02 – The Biggest Challenges Organisations Face when Implementing AI. 
01:18:10 – Why the Greatest Principle in Advertising is Telling the Truth. 
 
 
 
💬 Quote of the Episode 

“The most fundamental thing you can do in advertising is tell the truth.” – Shaadia Vawda 
 
 
 
🧠 Related Campaign Example  
BMW Mouse Ad Campaign: Shaadia highlights the BMW Mouse commercial as one of her favourite examples of effective advertising. She admires the campaign because it doesn't try too hard. It transforms a technical feature into something entertaining and emotionally engaging, while remaining focused on what the product can actually do.  

For her, the advert demonstrates that truth in advertising does not need to be dull or overly literal. A brand can communicate an honest product benefit while still using imagination, music, humour and exceptional creative execution to capture attention. 

BMW Mouse Ad Campaign: https://youtu.be/JNuaQrTubeI?si=Bckb1FPL7n0raZzU  

  
👣 Relevant Links & Mentions 

Shaadia Vawda’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/execmktdirector-bluechip-fmcg/   
Shaadia Vawda’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aidaahsshaadia   
Shaadia Vawda’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidaahsshaadia/   
 

🌐 Connect with Tim Africa 

🔗 Website: https://www.tim.africa   
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.africa   
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timdotafrica   
🎬 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tim.africa_   
  Podcast Page: https://www.pod.tim.africa

Welcome to Episode 53 of The Incredible Machines podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, Jon Oliff and Luke Holden sit down with Clinton Shum, the founder of Xpect Performance, a golf fitness specialist, entrepreneur and host of his own podcast called, Xpect Performance. 

Clinton shares how courage became his guiding word for the year and explains why intentional action matters more than perfect planning. He reflects on growing a business, opening a second studio, becoming a father and learning to make decisions despite uncertainty. The three also explore the hero’s journey, lessons from The Lion King, and the importance of staying present. Clinton openly speaks about experiencing depression and using exercise, gratitude and meaningful conversations as tools for resilience. 

From podcasting to psychology, philosophy and human connection, Clinton demonstrates why performance is about far more than physical strength. It's about understanding what you expect of yourself and ensuring that your behaviour reflects those expectations. 

This episode is for anyone navigating uncertainty, building something meaningful or learning how to become the hero of their own story. 
 
 
 
⏱ Timestamped Overview 

00:39 – Introduction to Clinton Shum and the Yearly Compass Exercise 
08:23 – Difficult Experiences Build Discipline and Create an Identity Shift. 
12:27 – Burden of Potential and Becoming the Hero of your Own Story. 
20:25 – Lessons from The Lion King, Psychology and Changing Human Behaviour. 
28:52 – Voluntary Adversity and Preparing for Life’s Challenges. 
33:15 – Travelling Overseas to Develop his Golf Fitness Expertise. 
38:09 – Fatherhood, Depression and Rebuilding Certainty. 
50:13 – Gratitude, Hope, and Accepting a Lack of Control. 
1:00:07 – Clinton’s Advice to his Sixteen-Year-Old Self. 
1:04:34 – Why Clinton Started a Podcast and How Creativity Renewed his Purpose. 
1:15:21 – Podcast Lessons about Experience, Action and the Traces we Leave on Others. 
1:28:13 – Creating an Emotional Connection with a Brand. 
1:35:28 – Building a Niche in Golf Fitness and Expanding Xpect Performance. 
1:40:14 – The meaning behind Xpect Performance. 
1:46:36 – Coaching and Supporting Clients through Difficult Periods. 
1:51:30 – The poem that shaped Clinton’s View and Asking More from Life. 
1:58:08 – Living Intentionally and Rejecting Business as a Measure of Productivity. 
 
 
 
💬 Quote of the Episode 

“I bargained with Life for a penny, 
And Life would pay no more, 
However I begged at evening 
When I counted my scanty store. 

For Life is a just employer, 
He gives you what you ask, 
But once you have set the wages, 
Why, you must bear the task. 

I worked for a menial’s hire, 
Only to learn, dismayed, 
That any wage I had asked of Life, 
Life would have willingly paid.” 

— Jessie B. Rittenhouse  
(one of Clinton Shum’s favourite quotes) 
 
 
 
🧠 Related Campaign Example  
City Lodge Television Advert Campaign: Clinton selected the City Lodge campaign because its humour created an immediate emotional connection with the brand. The advertisements exaggerated the idea of feeling at home by showing hotel guests behaving with the same comfort and familiarity they would display inside their own homes. The comedy made the advertisements memorable while consistently reinforcing the City Lodge promise that guests would be made to feel at home. 

City Lodge Television Advert Campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwUvewBwqFM 

  
 

👣 Relevant Links & Mentions 

Clinton Shum’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clinton-shum-1a6a9461/  
Clinton Shum’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clinton.shum/  
Clinton Shum’s Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/clintonshum/  

Xpect Performance Website: https://xpectperformance.com/  
Xpect Performance Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/xpect_performance/100083539536027/ 
Xpect Performance Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/xpect_performance_/  

Xpect Performance Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/xpectperformance/  
Xpect Performance Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xpectperformancepod/  
Xpect Performance Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@xpectperformance9247  
Xpect Performance Podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4x5ccQWsRffcC9KI0Etnn0  
 
Yearly Review Compass: https://yearcompass.com/  
 
Ice Bath Website: Comment for details
 

🌐 Connect with Tim Africa 

🔗 Website: https://www.tim.africa  
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.africa  
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timdotafrica  
🎬 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tim.africa_  
  Podcast Page: https://www.pod.tim.africa

Welcome to Episode 52 of The Incredible Machines podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, Jon Oliff and Luke Holden sit down with Samantha Edwards, a marketing and advertising professional whose life and career have taken her from Port Elizabeth to London, back to South Africa and through two cancer diagnoses. 

Samantha shares how her stable childhood, early working years, time in the UK, agency life, marriage to Scott and motherhood shaped the person she is today. She speaks openly about the fear of diagnosis, the shock of cancer returning, the emotional weight of waiting for answers, and the support that carried her through surgery and chemotherapy. 

From the kindness of Leonie, who asked to scrub in during surgery despite barely knowing Samantha, to the unwavering presence of her mother, Samantha’s story is a reminder that resilience is rarely a solo act. It is built through family, friendship, medical care, breath by breath thinking and the decision to stay present when the future refuses to be predictable. 

This episode is a must listen for anyone navigating uncertainty, supporting a loved one through illness, or trying to understand how life, work and purpose shift after adversity. 
 

⏱ Timestamped Overview 

00:48 – Introduction to Samantha Edwards 
02:40 – Growing up in Port Elizabeth and discovering advertising. 
05:03 – Studying, working and gaining early production experience. 
06:09 – Moving to London and working in production. 
08:10 – Eight years in the UK, public relations and European travel. 
12:05 – A failed engagement and the decision to return to South Africa. 
16:35 – Samantha’s mother as her incredible machine. 
20:11 – Support and facing the uncertainty of cancer. 
25:08 – Moving to Durban and joining the agency world. 
28:03 – Fear of flying, control and how cancer shifted perspective. 
35:03 – Running Two Oceans after her second surgery. 
40:50 – Marriage, motherhood and life before diagnosis. 
44:18 – Hearing the word cancer and preparing for surgery. 
47:08 – Surgery, fear and the kindness of Leonie. 
53:57 – Waiting for biopsy results and receiving a stage three diagnosis. 
58:02 – Choosing to step away from work during treatment. 
01:03:31 – Her mother’s support through surgery and chemo. 
01:08:30 – Finding the right oncologist and feeling heard. 
01:13:28 – The shock of Samantha’s second cancer diagnosis. 
01:17:33 – Scanxiety, waiting and the fear of not knowing. 
01:27:10 – Returning to normal life after cancer. 
01:41:26 – This too shall pass and finding perspective. 
01:45:11 – Samantha offers support to anyone recently diagnosed. 

💬 Quote of the Episode 

“You can’t control the future. You can only control what’s going on right now.” – Samantha Edwards 
 

🧠 Related Campaign Example  
BMW Beat the Bends Campaign: Samantha chose BMW’s Beat the Bends as her related campaign example. The ad stands out for its sharp conceptual thinking and its clever response to Mercedes Benz on Chapman's Peak. Samantha highlights how the idea communicates confidence without needing to directly state superiority, making it a memorable example of South African creative advertising. 

BMW Beat the Bends Campaign: https://youtu.be/cwPrlsJYwKY?si=2C9FGziNl6Azdxz8 
 

👣 Relevant Links & Mentions 

Samantha Edwards’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samedwards81/  
Samantha Edwards’ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samantha.hewitson  
Samantha Edwards’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthedwards/  
Samantha Edwards’ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@samanthedwards  
 

🌐 Connect with Tim Africa 

🔗 Website: https://www.tim.africa  
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.africa  
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timdotafrica  
🎬 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tim.africa_  
 Podcast Page: https://www.pod.tim.africa