At Ballito Lifestyle Centre, strong women are building brilliant businesses, and they’re not doing it alone. We celebrate the powerhouse teams behind some of your favourite stores, as the owners introduce us to their right-hand women and share a little insight into what empowerment means to them.
WENDY VAN ZYL & STEPHANIE WILKES, MUZE
Our go-to ladies, Jessica and Hannah, bring loads of support, both strategic and emotional, to our business. Each of them has their own strengths, and the way they handle a million things at once makes them a huge part of what keeps our women-led business growing. With a desire for women to overcome insecurities, they take on the role of “personal stylist” upon walking into our store at Lifestyle Centre. Women empowering women is all about lifting each other up through support, mentorship and sharing opportunities. It’s creating a space where encouragement, confidence and respect are the norm. In the workplace, it’s choosing collaboration over competition – helping each other be heard, opening doors and building inclusive spaces where we can all grow and succeed together.
CAROLINE JELLIMAN, LIFESTYLE HEALTH
At Lifestyle Health, we’re incredibly fortunate to have Dr Crystal Andrew as a vital part of our team. As a fully qualified homeopath, she brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that enriches our store. Her warm personality and professional approach make her an invaluable resource for our clients. Empowering women means fostering an environment where we uplift and support each other, both personally and professionally. On a personal level, it’s about building genuine connections and encouraging each other to reach our fullest potential. Professionally, it’s about advocating for equality and creating opportunities for growth and success for everyone.
MANDY GRAY & TANYA STANISSIS, CASTAWAY LOVE
We have two right hand ladies, Sharon and Sarah, who work alongside us to make Castaway Love run smoothly. Our ladies run our entire shop and have been with us from our very beginning in the Lifestyle Centre, which was nearly 8 years ago. Our store ladies know our regular customers and always make each and every customer’s experience in our shop unforgettable. Women empowering women professionally means to uplift, support, mentor and encourage women in the workplace. It’s about creating opportunities to collaborate with other women, sharing knowledge and experience and working together to create an end goal. Personally, it’s about standing together to grow and heal.
AMANDA MAIDMAN, SCOOP
21 of our 26 team members across the Scoop business are women. They are powerful, passionate women who help make Scoop what it is today. Every one of them plays a vital role in building our brand, our culture and our future. Our purpose at Scoop is to provide hope to our communities through job creation and mentorship and happiness to every customer we serve. Nontobeko, my Scoop store manager at The Market, and all the other women (and men) in our business are my purpose; my why in life. They are all my right-hand ladies and this month I celebrate each and every one of them, both past and present.
DAWN DE BEER, HOMEGROWN
It takes a team to run our little organic grocery store smoothly and I’m privileged to be surrounded by strong, resilient women who are all indispensable. As a team, we are passionate about bringing fresh whole foods to the community. The business has grown tremendously since it first started in 2013, and we love our space at The Market at Ballito Lifestyle Centre. Women empowering women is about courage and resilience. Bravery and grit. Support and love. Life gets hard; we all need a village.
MORGAN TREMEARNE, HOLIDAY
Jessie, Zama and Bee are my right-hand women. They are the face of my brand on the ground and it is their wonderful energy that makes our customers feel happy, energised and excited whenever they walk into our store at Lifestyle Centre. Personally, women empowering women means completely open, positive and honest support for all the women in our lives! Professionally, this is about working as a team and motivating our fellow colleagues to reach further, aim higher and become the best version of themselves in their career.
CHE PEINKE, SWEET PEAS
I’m so lucky to share my business with my twin sister, Stacy.
Stacy handles operations with calm precision, while I manage the creative side. Our shared values and complementary strengths create the perfect balance. We rely on the hard work and support of our right-hand woman, Luh, in our store at The Studios at Lifestyle Centre. Women empowering women means showing up, celebrating each other’s wins, and creating space to grow authentically. At Sweet Peas, it’s our foundation – lifting others through kindness, opportunity and encouragement. We choose collaboration over competition, building a community where women feel seen, valued and inspired to dream bigger.
Michelle Royston, WAXIT
Gugu Bhala has been part of the WAXIT journey for seven years, and she’s now stepping into her next chapter as a future franchisee under my mentorship. She’s played a huge role in the success of WAXIT Ballito and Oceans – she lives and breathes the brand, and it shows. For us, empowerment means opening real doors. Supporting Gugu’s transition from employee to future owner is one of my proudest moments. When women back each other, we don’t just grow a brand, we grow a movement.
WIN! A collection of products and vouchers from the stores featured on this page. Follow Lifestyle Centre to enter:
IG: @lifestylecentreballito, FB: @ballitolifestylecentre, Ts & Cs apply.
