Some people bubble with energy. Sam Lopes is definitely one of them – walk with her anywhere, and you’ll have to pause every few steps as colleagues and clients stop for a high five, a laugh or a hug. This is a woman who appears to ignite the air around her – so it’s surprising when she says that, until last year, she felt as if she had lost her way.
“There’s this story about female flamingos that I really relate to – I think most women can,” she says. “Apparently, when the female flamingo has babies, she loses her signature vibrant pink colour – her feathers might actually turn white, because all her nutrients go to her chicks. It only comes back once the young are old enough to leave the nest.”
After years of focusing on her daughters, Paige (9) and Sienna (5), while giving her all as facilities manager at advertising agency Ogilvy South Africa, Sam definitely felt that her colour had dulled – but no way was she going to wait a minute longer to revive it.
It was the need for change that drove her decision to take part in the Auto & General Cross Triathlon in 2024. It was a bit of a leap of faith, she admits, as she had no prior experience in what is, undeniably, a gruelling sport. As a Springbok tap dancer, Sam had spent almost every afternoon of her childhood, from the time she was four right up until she was 20, at a dance studio – and much as she loved the art form, it meant she hadn’t tried her hand at any sport. “I actually didn’t have any of the equipment I needed when I started training – I had to borrow a bike and a helmet and buy a costume and goggles!” she says. Why not go for something a little less challenging? “My husband, Jeff, had recently completely Tin Man, and I thought to myself ‘If he can do it, so can I.”
Sam threw herself into training, and tough though it was, she says she saw her energy change to “blazing, fluorescent pink” once more.
The decision to compete again this year was a no-brainer – but she admits that the experience has been a different one. “At the moment, my pink is a bit soft around the edges! I was only able to fit in one proper training session, and I knew that I would probably be walking up all the hills!” But, rather than beat herself up about it, Sam took a pragmatic view that could – and probably should – be the life philosophy of any working mom: “I just want to do the best I can. Life isn’t easy – I’m trying to be a model employee while remembering my nine-year-old’s Afrikaans homework and sorting out fundraising events at my five-year-old’s school – added to which, since my husband recently set up a business [Indoor Padel Revolution, which was named Best Place to Play Padel in last year’s Best of Joburg, I’m often juggling all these balls by myself. But I need to find my joy – even if that means getting to work early so that I can run 3kms around the office campus, because that’s the only time I have.”
Sam adds that it helps to have made a commitment to herself, because it’s like an unbreakable promise. “In the beginning, it was hard to get my family to understand that I needed to do something just for me. But now, when my daughters see me getting ready for a run, they encourage me. I love that – I’m proud that I have shown them how important it is to value themselves.”
Sam admits that, sometimes, she feels as though she simply doesn’t have the energy to take time for herself – which, of course, is when she needs self-care more than ever. “I really have to dig deep. And there are obviously times when I’m just not up to it, but I always think that even if I squeeze in 20 minutes for myself, it’s better than nothing.”
What’s her next challenge? “Having started on this fitness journey, I feel healthier than ever before – so I think that the triathlon is the tip of the iceberg. Who knows what else I might be able to achieve?”
One thing she’s certain about, is that she is no longer going to feel guilty about saying no. “I’m becoming comfortable with the fact that ‘no’ is a complete sentence. I can turn down a request without owing an explanation. I don’t want to use up all my resources on everyone else. I want my family and friends to get the best of me – and that can only happen if I am trying to give myself my best, too.”
Details: Follow @samanthajanelopes on Instagram
Sam’s life lessons
- Your family, your partner, your career – they all matter. But so do you. You are not just the glue that holds everything together; you are the spark that ignites it.
- You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you weren’t made to run on fumes. It takes just 20 minutes a day to flip the switch – from running on autopilot to running on fire. Move, dance, stretch, run, breathe – do whatever makes your soul shimmy. Get those endorphins flowing, let the energy pulse through you.
- Don’t fade into the background: you were born to be bold, vibrant and impossible to ignore. You are not a supporting character in your own life. Take up space. Take your moment. Take care of you.
Text: LISA WITEPSKI. • Photo: MEGAN BRETT • makeup: Ryno Mulder, Makeup by Ryno. details: 071-688-0242
