MPOOMY ON TOP

We chat to SA's most popular female podcaster about love, loss and her booming success

- NOKUTHULA ZWANE-EJIKEE

SHE'S one of those people who exudes warmth and confidence without even seeming to try it just bubbles out of her.

And Mpoomy Ledwaba has used her personality and her drive to carve a career many young people can only dream of.

The 30-year-old is South Africa's most popular female podcaster by far - her show, Wisdom & Wellness, has more than one million downloads and fans can't get enough of her blend of celebrity interviews and inspirational snippets about spiritual, emotional and mental health.

Talking and sharing is her life and when we meet her at Glow Studios in Greenside, Joburg, she's as chatty and upbeat as ever, brimming with energy after recording yet another episode of her podcast.

"On my drive here I listened to a good podcast, I got myself my favourite coffee and I'm wearing my favourite colour," she says, pointing to her vibrant yellow outfit. "I'm in good spirits." It's this vibrancy that's helped the online personality, entrepreneur and influencer make her first million by the age of 27 and earn a place on Forbes Africa's 30 Under 30 list last year.

Mpoomy is often asked how she managed to achieve so much and now she provides that answer in her new book, How Did We Get Here? She says writing the book was "an instruction from God" and she hopes it will empower young women and encourage them to follow their dreams.

She also wanted to give an unvarnished account of her life and show readers that "it's not just sunshine and roses".

She opens up about how her marriage to acclaimed musician Brenden Praise (30) hit a rocky patch in 2023. In fact, the couple, who have two kids, Nuri (6) and Zani (4), were on the brink of divorce when family members intervened and convinced them to work on their relationship.

"I felt it was necessary to help women to heal by sharing my own hurt," she tells us.