Dr Samke Ngcobo

What does your company do?

Vocal Mentality (Pty) Ltd offers consultation for employee wellness initiatives, mental health wellness workshops and mental health advisory for corporates, educational institutions and individuals. Psycho education and stigma eradication surrounding mental illness and mental health is a top priority.

What is your biggest success?

Vocal Mentality (Pty) Ltd was birthed from a place of shame, pain and stigma related to my personal journey of being a medical doctor who is living with mental illness (Bipolar Disorder) but has flourished into a well admired and respected brand. Being among the top 5 finalists in the entrepreneurship category of the Rising Star awards in 20222 in the formative years of its inception was a major achievement. My biggest success in my business has been the ability to watch it transform from a passion project which came from a place of pain and struggle into a fully fledged income generating entity that attracts diverse clients ranging from JSE-listed companies (namely Discovery, Barloworld, BMW, Zeda, Glencore) and academic institutions alike. I’m deeply humbled and grateful for the fact that I have earned the credibility, trust and confidence of diverse audiences. I conjured the courage to utilise my struggles as a tool to create a psychoeducational platform that aims to attract people from all backgrounds.

What has been your biggest hurdle?

My biggest hurdle has been of a personal nature of fostering self belief and managing imposter syndrome in the midst of a rapidly growing brand. I have had to adjust mentally from being an employee to being an independent business owner. This reality has required a significant paradigm shift. I had to evolve while in the process of growing Vocal Mentality concurrently. I have learned the importance of maximising on my gifts and skill sets while delegating to others in areas where I wasn’t as strong or confident in order to ensure positive outcomes for my business.