Monday Musings 9 December: Why how we say goodbye matters as much as how we say hello
Four years ago, in a world turned upside down, Monday Musings was born. It started as a spontaneous scribble – a heartfelt response to someone feeling out of touch and isolated, wanting a connection amid the chaos of COVID. It quickly became more than a newsletter; it became a touchpoint, a shared pause in the […]
Monday Musings 02 December: Make my next drink a Philharmonic
Last week, a colleague and I were gifted tickets to a very special event (thanks Lee-Anne!). It was the launch of a new campaign – Poco a Poco – dedicated to the future of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) and its youth development and education programmes. We found ourselves in the Artscape’s Chandelier Foyer, which […]
Monday Musings 25 November: The man who made travel real
The travel world lost its greatest champion of real wanderlust this month. Arthur Frommer, who’s checked out at 95, might not be a household name here at the bottom end of Africa, but trust me – his fingerprints are all over your next holiday booking. In 1957, when overseas travel was strictly for the champagne […]
Monday Musings 18 November 2024: Face-to-face interactions are like Wi-Fi for humans (but better!)
I just returned from a conference in Greece (I know, I know – the sacrifices I make for work). I expected the mind-blowing Acropolis views to be the highlight of this trip. But while casually waving at the Parthenon during coffee breaks was definitely a highlight, it was the unexpected moments of connection with colleagues […]
Monday Musings 11 November 2024: Just dance
Need a dose of Monday motivation? Meet nearly four-year-old Luniko Balile from Cape Town, who’s here to remind us that sometimes, the antidote to chaos is joy in its purest form: dance. Luniko recently lit up social media while wearing a Spiderman costume and performing a spirited African warrior dance – and it just doesn’t […]
Monday Musings 4 November 2024: Surrender to the Flow
Last Monday I started the week by falling flat on my face. Or to be more specific, on all fours, in a river. Let me backtrack. The week before, I realised I spent 11 hours in front of my laptop in one day. I told my French class about it, and from the concerned looks […]
Monday Musings 28 October: “It’s okay to not be okay…”
This is the message of a hard-hitting radio campaign by HOT 102.7 FM focusing on mental health in South Africa and the many lifelines available to help us or those we care about. The campaign’s been running all month, with World Mental Health Day on the 10th as its centre point. In a series of […]
Monday Musings 21 October: The canaries will come…
I recently left a book behind on a plane, one that I had been telling all my tolerant fellow passengers is a must-read. Despite attempts to track it down with lost property, it was gone for good. Anyone who has made this mistake knows that feeling of kicking yourself and wishing you had just paid […]
Monday Musings 14 October: Why is TikTok in a tizz over October?
Here we are, perched in the middle of October, and I can’t help but wonder: have you felt that shift in the air? No, I’m not talking about the weather (although, let’s be honest, Cape Town’s spring winds are certainly making themselves known). I’m talking about the phenomenon that’s got TikTok in a tizzy – […]
Monday Musings 7 October: Travel therapy – ‘Micro’ bucket lists are good for the brain!
A close friend recently ticked off his ultimate, top-tier, bucket-list experience: the Rocky Run. A short loop along Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, followed by a dash up the 72 stone steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, before coming to a triumphant stop on its famous portico – à la Rocky Balboa. It’s […]
Monday Musings 30 September: Does adulting feel like a constant car crash?
Does your life ever feel like one giant, slow-motion car crash? Mine does. Regularly. But it turns out feeling like a totaled Toyota is pretty normal. Even healthy. According to a reel by Dr. Lisa Damour, the wellness industry has been low-key gaslighting us with this whole ‘achieve inner peace through scented candles and meditation’ […]
Monday Musings 23 September: Work less, braai more?
Tomorrow is Heritage Day, and we’re all looking forward to a bonus day off and that obligatory braai with the family. Many of us are also dreading playing catch-up at our desks on Wednesday, wondering how it’s really possible to juggle productivity with rest and mental health. But did you know that for many companies […]
Monday Musings 16 September: The surprising link between novelty and nostalgia
The world is having a bit of a Y2K moment. Have you noticed? Dr Martens, Friends T-shirts, and Gilmore Girls binge marathons are popping up like psilocybin toadstools (no longer a sign of dancing faeries but dancing TikTokers). I’m all for this nostalgia. I’m buying those relaunched 90s lipstick shades as fast as you can […]
Monday Musings 9 September: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there”
It’s not often in my age group that you get invited to a wedding. But on Saturday, a special friend got married in a much-anticipated event that brought together far-flung friends and family from around the world, some reuniting after decades! The bridal couple themselves have been UK residents for the last few years and […]
Monday Musings 2 September: Looking back…
After five years, I recently went ‘home’ to Durban to see my family. I say ‘home’ in inverted commas because the concept to me is always more a feeling than a place. And whilst I can honestly say I loved growing up in Durban, my last 20 years in the Western Cape have felt more […]
Monday Musings 26 August: How demurely do you board a plane?
Let’s talk about a phrase that’s taken over the internet faster than you can say “cutesy”. If you’ve been anywhere near social media lately, you’ve probably encountered “very demure, very mindful”. And if you haven’t, you’re in for a mindful treat. It all started with TikToker Jools Lebron and her recent “very demure, very mindful” […]
Monday Musings 19 August: The ‘fool’s’ journey is the only journey…
Ah, the “fool’s errand” – that patronising pat on the head from the universe, usually delivered by some well-meaning buzzkill who thinks safety comes in bubble wrap. But let’s be real: if we only did what made sense, we’d all still be living in caves, arguing over who gets the flattest rock to sit on. […]
Monday Musings 12 August: Dance like everyone’s watching (because they are)
When Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn took the Olympic stage in Paris, she knew all eyes would be on her. As one of the first Olympic breakers, expectations were high. What she couldn’t have anticipated was the internet firestorm her performance would ignite. Memes comparing her moves to a hopping kangaroo and Homer Simpson rolling […]
Monday Musings 5 August: Life, when a hundredth of a second counts! (And your brilliant idea is just 5% away)
Akani Simbine. Remember that name. In yesterday’s 100m final, the South African ran his heart out. And guess what? So did three other guys! A photo finish where a hundredth of a second – literally – separated glory from “oh well, there’s always next time.” This, for me, is personal. We practically live at the […]
Monday Musings 29 July: What the Olympics’ opening ceremony teaches us about first impressions
Approximately 6,800 athletes from 205 countries participated in the spectacular procession that was The Olympics’ opening ceremony on Friday night. The ceremony took place on 85 boats across the iconic Seine River with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, attracting around 320,000 spectators along the riverbanks and broadcast to millions worldwide. It was also an […]
Monday Musings 22 July: Are we murdering the message?
A series called Better Off Ted came out in 2009. Like an off-the-wall version of The Office, it follows R&D Director Ted, his driven and slightly sadistic supervisor (Portia de Rossi), and their oddball team at the kind of ubiquitous company that’s all too common these days. You know the type – no one really […]
Monday Musings 15 July: An unexpected story of forgiveness
With Mandela Day later this week, South Africans will be coming together to honour Madiba’s legacy by devoting their 67 minutes in various ways. But the 18th isn’t only about charitable actions; it’s also about reflecting on his character and the example he set for the world through his empathy and immense capacity for forgiveness, […]
Monday Musings 8 July: A hopeful heart
Are you a hopeaholic? When the world appears to be falling apart, the roof is leaking, and seasonal affective disorder has set in, how do we find hope that the sun will shine again. Hopelessness can be mild – it could feel as elusive as that extra hour of sleep so badly needed, or as […]
Monday Musings 1 July: Who’s Taylor Swift anyway?
While South Africa woke up to the news of a new cabinet after a Family Meeting last night, we’re shifting our focus to a different kind of unity today – one that spans continents, generations and musical tastes. Now, believe me, I’m no Swiftie. I can’t tell you the names of Taylor Swift’s cats or identify […]
Tuesday Takeaway 25 June: Tuesday two-step (cause I missed my Monday Musings deadline)
Confession: I was supposed to file this column yesterday, but a 4 a.m. epiphany after an all-nighter led to a bit of soul-searching (and a serious caffeine deficit). Turns out, being a chronic people-pleaser tends to wreak havoc on deadlines. The upside? It makes for a pretty fitting topic when you’ve missed a deadline because […]
Tuesday Takeaway 18 June: The pun-ishing art of dad jokes
At Big Ambitions, we take our work super seriously…except when it comes to dad jokes. In the middle of sharing client wins and crisis updates, an epic battle rages in our WhatsApp group. The challenge? Unleash the cringiest dad joke to make even the most seasoned eye-rollers groan in defeat. It’s the Dad Joke Championship, […]
Monday Musings 10 June: You call it GNU, Belgium calls it spaghetti
As a Belgian living in South Africa, watching the formation of South Africa’s first coalition is like a ‘Groundhog Day’ of epic proportions. You call it a ‘GNU’, in Belgium we call it a spaghetti government. It’s a tangled mess of policies and power struggles where even seasoned politicians end up with sauce on their […]
Monday Musings 3 June: Making your mark
The recent elections in South Africa were a powerful reminder of the importance of making our voices heard. Across the nation, people stood for hours in lines to proudly cast their votes, knowing that every single mark on the ballot made a difference… and the obligatory thumb-fie posts quickly started flooding in on social media. […]
Monday Musings 27 May: Cookie Dough and Flower Power
I’m a bit obsessed with the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. At the end of May, I get my granny garden gloves on, prep a cup of strawberry tea, switch on the BBC coverage of the show, and get lost in the astonishing gardens the exhibitors conjure up in a matter of days. It’s utterly magical. […]
Monday Musings 20 May: All aboard the Magic Bus!
When I grow up, I want to be a gypsy. In the romantic sense of the word. Just as these colourful travellers led fascinating lives traversing continents, immersing themselves in intriguing destinations and cultures, each new day unfolding with a sense of wonder and “where to next?”, I want to be the modern version. Living […]
Monday Musings 13 May: This one’s for the birds…
The south-easter wind blows strongly in the Western Cape. When it does, I know the seagulls will take full advantage, flying as if for the first time, while other birds seem to take a break. I can only imagine this flight was what inspired Richard Bach when he wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I, like many, […]
Monday Musings 6 May: Are you a secret Gen Zer at heart?
How many of you have found yourself picking up hobbies traditionally associated with retirees? If you’re nodding, you’re not alone, and you’ve got competition from Gen Z! According to Emma Beddington in The Guardian, Gen Z is “coming for our hobbies, and they’re much better at them”. It seems the Gen Zers (born between 1997 […]
Monday Musings 29 April: A global heart awakening, rooted in South Africa’s story
There is a heart awakening stirring across the globe – a growing recognition of love’s transformative power to heal our world. It’s a resounding call to action to unite in creating a future grounded in heart-centred consciousness. And there is no place more fitting for this movement to take flight than South Africa, a nation […]
Monday Musings 22 April: All I need is 8 minutes… and a pineapple
Today marks 207 weeks of writing the Monday Musings. That’s 1449 days of navigating the glorious chaos that life has been since the pandemic. How did it all start? As the Big Ambitions team, we wanted to inject some clarity, empathy, and humour in an upside-down world. (We even had a Monday Musing called: “Have […]
Monday Musings 15 April: Lessons for life from Africa’s best travel conference
The BA team is fresh back from the craziest week of our lives – WTM Africa’s Africa Travel Week 2024. If the energy of a packed conference hall could be bottled, ATW would have struck liquid gold. This annual gathering of tourism pros was buzzing with enough deals, partnerships, and new business opportunities to make […]
Monday Musings 8 April: Manyana… tomorrow is another day!
As I sit writing down my thoughts for this week’s Monday Musings, the gale force winds and rain are increasing in ferocity, making for a very windy, wild, and adventurous welcome to all the Africa Travel Week delegates. Likely, there’ll be more drama to report by the time this lands, which ties in with my […]
Tuesday Takeaway 2 April: Beat the ‘brain drain’
We’re all back from the Easter break and hoping to hold onto that blissful, well-rested feeling, right? But we know how it goes. One day back in our routines and it’s all gone. Well, I’ve got the goods on beating the brain drain! Fact: you can actually trick your brain into feeling less tired by […]
Monday Musings 25 March: When Did I Become ‘Cheugy’?
I often gush over my dog Lucy’s cuteness and her ‘scrunchy puppy face’. The way her skin wrinkles a little by her muzzle is adorable. But, while applying makeup the other day, I realised that I, too, am developing a scrunchy puppy face. Putting on eyeliner was akin to dragging a crayon over tissue paper, […]
Monday Musings 18 March: Mind-bending musings
My new obsession? Podcasts – the video versions. It’s like going back to varsity but this time around, being in a global online lecture hall where your profs are delivering information on steroids! My mind has been opened to topics as diverse as near-death experiences, childhood trauma (looking at you, Dr Maté ) and AI […]
Monday Musings 11 March: In the pursuit of JOY…
After a little reassessment at the close of last year and feeling like I had a lack of it, I decided to choose the word JOY for my word of the year. So, how is it going so far? Really well. Historically, I have often chosen a word that was more action based, but choosing […]
Monday Musings 4 March: Mind the “liking gap”
Have you ever felt that some people seem effortlessly likable while you have to work twice as hard to make a good impression? New research from academic scholars Boothby, Cooney, Sandstrom, and Clark on the “liking gap” suggests that certain traits like confidence, emotional intelligence, and charisma can ignite positive first impressions and easy rapport. […]
Monday Musings 26 February: Surviving the MICE invasion with wit and a bit of introvert magic
Ah, MICE season—when the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions world descends upon us like a well-dressed flutter of butterflies, armed with business cards and ready for a week of schmoozing. With Meetings Africa taking the spotlight this week, hot on the heels of last week’s AGEIS 2024 and the Travel and Technology Conference, it’s been […]
Monday Musings 19 February: Why you need a Skid and Slide course to navigate life
It’s only February and I’m already feeling like everything has been hurling at me at 200km/h this year. Life in 2024 feels a bit like an obstacle course on a game show. You know the ones where you’re half expecting to face-plant into a mud pit while the audience roars with laughter. I’m dodging work […]
Monday Musings 12 February: The tweens are coming! Hide the anti-ageing creams!
Can’t tell your Drunk Elephant from your Summer Fridays? No judgment here – it just means you’re over 13. And if you’re a parent of a tween, a global beauty brand, or even a marketer, the soaring popularity of these brands should make you break out in hives. The beauty biz is having an identity […]
Monday Musings 5 February: Love Is in The Air
February, the month that arrives with a subtle but undeniable scent of infatuation and adoration. As a hopeless romantic, I am eager to dive into the annual celebration that can turn even the most stoic among us into starry-eyed admirers. But I must acknowledge that we are a dying breed. On Valentine’s Day, when Cupid […]
Monday Musings 29 January: Less clutter. More calm.
The research is in: the clutter in your home is probably the reason you’re still munching on junk food and binge watching Netflix even though you swore 2024 was the year you were going to cut down. It’s also likely part of the reason you’re stressed, anxious, and depressed more often than you’d care to […]
Monday Musings 22 January: A bookish travel adventure
Last year, I received the best gift for my birthday – I discovered a whole new genre of fiction that I love. By the end of the month, I’d read 15 books (plus all the bonus material on the author’s website), and I was hooked. I’m still going strong. When I was young, I could […]
Monday Musings 15 January: An unlikely catalyst for course correction.
While this is the first Monday Musings of the year, never fear; it won’t be about New Year’s Resolutions! But try this on for size: how does course correction sound? Course correction can be as simple as adjusting your priorities or making small changes that deviate from the way you’ve always done things – without […]
Monday Musings 11 December: There’s still a trifle to do…
As the year supposedly winds down and many of us are already in holiday mode, the to-do list seems as long as ever. Work tasks excluded, my latest list includes spring cleaning of my home, my laptop and making time to update all my info, aka my life, to a new phone. My self-induced to-do […]
Monday Musings 4 December: The cosy girl era – a cry for comfort?
We may be welcoming sunshine and pool days here in Mzansi but up north, the world is awash in pumpkin spice, plaid, and all things hygge. Enter the “cosy girl” aesthetic dominating social media. The ‘cosy girl’ hashtag has racked up over 29 million TikTok views, with interest soaring over 20 times in three years. […]
Monday Musings 27 November: Hatching happiness: How backyard chicken-keeping gave me back my zen
Honestly, life already felt like a chicken run – kids, work, repeat. I didn’t have a minute to spare. Yet, in a moment of sheer madness, I decided to get chickens for my garden. And, let me tell you, falling in love with these mother cluckers was the best thing I didn’t know I needed. […]
Monday Musings 20 November: Where does your melodic time machine transport you?
Music has a funny way of worming its melodic tendrils deep into the crevices of our minds, stirring up memories and emotions we’d long since forgotten. A bit like your oldest friend who knows exactly which strings to pull to tug at your heartstrings, whisking you away to corners of your memories, some dustier than […]
Monday Musings 13 November: Why watching ads is the marketing superpower you never knew you needed
Raise your hand if you’re a serial binge watcher. I definitely am. But as I listened to a recent Marketing Against the Grain podcast episode, I realised how much I missed TV commercials. In their episode “5 Marketing Lessons from the Best Ads of 2023,” they made me nostalgic for the days when ad breaks […]
Monday Musings 6 November: Neither here nor there, but right where we should be
Ah, November – the Malcolm in the Middle of months. South Africa is fresh off the 2023 Rugby World Cup victory, while homes and stores alike are deciding when to transition from Halloween to yuletide decorations. Which begs the question: what is November’s claim to fame? Is it the forgotten middle child of the calendar […]
Monday Musings 30 October: In rugby, we share backward. In unity, we move forward.
Image credit: Flickr Government ZA It’s probably the wrong time to admit this, but I’m not that into rugby. I don’t really understand the rules. I cheer at the screen at random times in the hope I get it right, but I’m never quite sure. I’m like this little dude. And, although I’ve been told […]
Monday Musings 23 October: Juggling 101
You don’t have to be all things to all people. I love these 10 words. They serve as a mantra when I’m overwhelmed and stretched out like a sticky rubber band trying to please everyone and on the verge of snapping. I’m certainly not the only one who feels this tension. It’s in no small […]
Monday Musings 16 October 2023: The future of writers – according to ChatGPT
The recent Writers Guild of America strike cast a spotlight on the future of all writers, not only the scribes ensconced in Hollywood. Among the central issues were concerns about redundancy and exploitation. In their usual contractual negotiations that take place every three years, writers had asked studios not to use AI-generated scripts but the […]
Monday Musings 9 October: Is the canary in the coalmine as dead as a dodo?
Some people may not know what this title means. And that is exactly the point. In a recent conversation with a friend, who was brainstorming some ideas for a conservation campaign, she was suggesting something along the lines of “Stop the fat lady from singing…” My response, “Not sure that’s PC these days? And does […]
Monday Musings 2 October: Musing on our search for meaning
What ARE we searching for? For now, scrap looking for the car keys or the answer to your existential crisis. We’re talking about those questions we pose to man’s other best friend – Google. Heard of Google Trends? Not only is it a nifty research tool for the serious stuff (work and, like, life stuff), […]
Monday Musings 18 September: Be your own wrecking ball. It’s good for business!
Travel. A realm where the unexpected is the norm, and where “business as usual” is as mythical as a week without load shedding. We’re no strangers to chaos, are we? Ash clouds, political unrest, the occasional misplaced luggage. Yet today, I choose to talk about disruption. Not the sort that involves a stag-do commandeering the […]
Monday Musings 11 September: When the bokke made dictionary history
We know all about the highs and lows of social media. It’s crept into every corner of our lives to the point that it’s become a case of “can’t live with it, can’t live without it”. If you think I’m overstating, consider the fact that it has even consumed the attention of one of the […]
Monday Musings 4 September: What Learning a New Skill Can Teach You About Life
Two years ago, I bought myself a guitar. I’d chewed over the idea of learning to play for a couple of months and finally decided it would be a good hobby to pick up (as if hiking, target shooting, gardening, and painting weren’t enough). You must understand that my parents encouraged us to get into […]
Monday Musings 28 August: Are you a hopeless mess? Or brilliantly creative?
I wouldn’t immediately describe myself as a ‘hopeless mess’, but those who know me would say I can be a little ‘disorganised’ and ‘scatterbrained’. My desk is flooded with scraps of papers. At any given time, I have a thousand tabs open on my computer. And let’s not even start discussing the state of my […]
Monday Musings 21 August: Aliens on earth and humans in space
Recently I got schooled by my eight-year-old nephew on the subject of – aliens. He gave me a comprehensive lesson on the types of aliens, their motives, their spacecrafts, the aggressive kind of aliens (apparently found in Mexico and the USA), and the friendly kind. “Do you know where you can find the Friendly Aliens?” […]
Monday Musings 14 August: People make the place
As the Good Things Guy keeps reminding us, South Africa is a very special place. Reading Brent’s post this week about how his website started, got me thinking about our one-of-a-kind people, including my precious group of “forever friends”, all born and raised here. These are friendships forged “a hundred years ago” – in primary […]
Monday Musings 7 August: It’s a Foolish Dog…
Every morning I take my dogs for a walk and along the way I often find myself advising them on their behaviour. I tend to find little messages in nature, like the time I told a bee “Don’t get angry, it will kill you.” Yes, well! I am never quite sure if the message is […]
Monday Musings 31 July: Barbie or Ken – are you your everything?
If you go down to the movies today, no doubt you’ll see one of two flicks: Barbie or Oppenheimer. The simultaneous release of these two highly anticipated blockbuster films sparked the Barbenheimer phenomenon sweeping the world wide web and social media. (Fun fact: did you know that the word Barbenheimer – a combination of the two […]
Monday Musings 24 July: Out of the Office, Into the World
According to Deloitte, as of 2023, 80% of organisations globally allow some level of remote work. Of this percentage, 27% allow for fully remote work, and 53% follow a hybrid model. That means two out of every 10 businesses still insist on full days spent in the confines of the office. The marketing agency at […]
Monday Musings 17 July: Let it snow – bad weather delivers good lessons
As eight of South Africa’s nine provinces found themselves blanketed in snow last week – SA felt all the feelings. Disbelief (it’s sleet, not snow! Wait, it is snow). Anger (musician Shimza faced the Twitterati’s wrath when he shared a post of himself in the snow — except his was taken in another country). Finally, […]
Monday Musings 10 July: Canine Capers: Unleashing new tricks in Ireland’s forests… and life!
Staring down the barrel of another decade, a colleague and I recently shared a candid conversation over a quick work catch up. From our respective corners of the world – mine temporarily relocated to the emerald greenery of Ireland – we pondered life’s “what ifs” and the chances left for us to grab at something […]
Monday Musings 3 July: Turning The Mid-Year Slump into A Second Wind
We’ve officially crossed the half-year mark. All the generous public holidays that bled into weekends are behind us. With only a small reprieve in the form of Women’s Day and Heritage Day (which in fairness, does deliver a long weekend), a lot of us will be thinking ahead to the end of the year. Add […]
Monday Musings 26 June: What you think about in the shower could shape your destiny!
For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn. It’s the shortest, most impactful story ever written. The story goes that Ernest Hemingway wrote the gut-punching line to win a bet against his writer friends. Of course, there’s no evidence that such a bet ever took place, and some even question whether Hemingway really wrote it. It does […]
