Mmatshilo Motsei is an author, speaker and spiritual life coach with a keen interest in integrating ancient teachings with modern innovations. This emphasizes the union of intuition, logic, spirit, science and community based leadership that encourages a compassionate engagement with people and the environment.
For over 10 years, she worked as a founder and CEO of ADAPT, an organisation based in Alexandra Township in Johannesburg using holistic methods in addressing domestic and sexual violence in urban and rural communities.
In 1995, she was seconded to the Ministry in the Office of President Mandela to start a process of formulating policy for women’s empowerment. She has worked with various public and private organisations in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Somalia, USA, Canada and Europe.
In honour of her work, she received numerous awards including the International Human Rights Award in New York as well as the United Nations Habitat Scroll of Honour Award for her work in involving men as part of the solution to violence against women. In 2007, she was a finalist in the South African Woman of the Year Award. In October 2008, she was a finalist for the Africa Prize Leadership Award, The Hunger Project, New York.
She is at home in nature, mostly around mountains and rivers. It is from Mother Nature’s serenity and tranquility that she re-aquaints herself with who she is. As aptly described in one of her poems titled Moondance
“It is when I dance to the moon that I know my name”
