{"id":20870,"date":"2025-02-24T13:58:17","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T11:58:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/?p=20870"},"modified":"2025-02-24T13:58:17","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T11:58:17","slug":"finding-her-pink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-north\/blog\/2025\/02\/24\/finding-her-pink\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding her pink"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some people bubble with energy. Sam Lopes is definitely one of them \u2013 walk with her anywhere, and you\u2019ll 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 \u2013 so it\u2019s surprising when she says that, until last year, she felt as if she had lost her way.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s this story about female flamingos that I really relate to \u2013 I think most women can,\u201d she says. \u201cApparently, when the female flamingo has babies, she loses her signature vibrant pink colour \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 but no way was she going to wait a minute longer to revive it.<\/p>\n

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 \u2013 and much as she loved the art form, it meant she hadn\u2019t tried her hand at any sport. \u201cI actually didn\u2019t have any of the equipment I needed when I started training \u2013 I had to borrow a bike and a helmet and buy a costume and goggles!\u201d she says. Why not go for something a little less challenging? \u201cMy husband, Jeff, had recently completely Tin Man, and I thought to myself \u2018If he can do it, so can I.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam threw herself into training, and tough though it was, she says she saw her energy change to \u201cblazing, fluorescent pink\u201d once more.<\/p>\n

The decision to compete again this year was a no-brainer \u2013 but she admits that the experience has been a different one. \u201cAt 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!\u201d But, rather than beat herself up about it, Sam took a pragmatic view that could \u2013 and probably should \u2013 be the life philosophy of any working mom: \u201cI just want to do the best I can. Life isn\u2019t easy \u2013 I\u2019m trying to be a model employee while remembering my nine-year-old\u2019s Afrikaans homework and sorting out fundraising events at my five-year-old\u2019s school \u2013 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\u2019s Best of Joburg, I\u2019m often juggling all these balls by myself. But I need to find my joy \u2013 even if that means getting to work early so that I can run 3kms around the office campus, because that\u2019s the only time I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam adds that it helps to have made a commitment to herself, because it\u2019s like an unbreakable promise. \u201cIn 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 \u2013 I\u2019m proud that I have shown them how important it is to value themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sam admits that, sometimes, she feels as though she simply doesn\u2019t have the energy to take time for herself \u2013 which, of course, is when she needs self-care more than ever. \u201cI really have to dig deep. And there are obviously times when I\u2019m just not up to it, but I always think that even if I squeeze in 20 minutes for myself, it\u2019s better than nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s her next challenge? \u201cHaving started on this fitness journey, I feel healthier than ever before \u2013 so I think that the triathlon is the tip of the iceberg. Who knows what else I might be able to achieve?\u201d<\/p>\n

One thing she\u2019s certain about, is that she is no longer going to feel guilty about saying no. \u201cI\u2019m becoming comfortable with the fact that \u2018no\u2019 is a complete sentence. I can turn down a request without owing an explanation. I don\u2019t want to use up all my resources on everyone else. I want my family and friends to get the best of me \u2013 and that can only happen if I am trying to give myself my best, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Details: Follow @samanthajanelopes on Instagram<\/em><\/p>\n

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Sam\u2019s life lessons<\/strong><\/p>\n