Jenn Foster, co-owner of Elite Online Publishing, interviews Alison Weihe, an inspiring South African entrepreneur and founder who has spent over 25 years honing her expertise in identity intelligence. Alison shares her transformative journey from being a shy political activist in the anti-apartheid movement to an award-winning entrepreneur and eloquent storyteller.

What You’ll Learn In This Episode:

• Vulnerability in Personal Growth

• Identity Intelligence as a Tool for Transformation

• Importance of Tribes and Community

Quotes:

“I barreled through the information, and now I speak slowly, I pause, I allow things to land. That’s a voice that’s been grown.” (06:49)

“It was the storytellers, not the how to speakers. It was the storytellers that touched my soul and whispered, you have a story, you just haven’t had the courage to tell it.” (16:16)

“A young, pale girl growing up in anti apartheid South Africa who became a political activist because she saw things that she could no longer unsee and she heard things that she could no longer unhear. And she was so deeply moved by the madness and the abnormality and the pain and the anguish of apartheid that she stepped into the other side and became an activist for almost 20 years, a political journalist and so on.” (20:21)

About Alison Weihe:

Alison Weihe is a founder and award-winning entrepreneur in the construction industry in South Africa over the past 25 years. The Creative Stone Company has built a reputation as an ethical design- driven company of excellence and service. In the past six years she transitioned into the coaching, speaking and writing space where she won further awards – Speaker Factor Winner 2021 of the Professional Speakers Association Of South Africa (PSASA) and a Global Coaching award from the Coach Foundation and is a nominee in Women of Stature Awards in South Africa 2025 in the Coaching and Mentoring Category.

As a serial entrepreneur passionate about making a difference, Alison became an Executive Partner in the Mindset Development Institute, alongside her business partner, Jabu Zwane and their growing team, recently winning a further award as one of the top empowerment companies in South Africa. Both Alison and Jabu have a deep commitment to do legacy work, build entrepreneurship education and tell the untold stories of hope and healing in South Africa. Alison has an interesting background as an entrepreneur.

She was a political activist for almost 20 years in different shapes and forms, as a journalist and a trade unionist under COSATU. Alison was part of COSATU’s launching Congress in 1985 and worked directly under President Cyril Ramaphosa and many other remarkable leaders of that time.

What sets Alison apart is her vulnerable tone as a profound storyteller. She is known as a Soul Speaker. She believes it is her mission to use her voice as one of reconciliation, hope and healing at a seminal time in our country’s history.

Alison’s message: Own your story, live with grace, step into the power of who you were truly meant to be. That is how we heal some of the anguish in the world, one conversation at a time.

Alison’s review:

Being a guest on the Elite Expert Insider Podcast with Melanie and Jenn was an experience that left a deep imprint on my heart. Our conversation wasn’t just an interview — it was a soul-level exchange rooted in authenticity, courage, and connection.

Together, we explored what it truly means to discover your voice — not as something outside of you, but as a truth you come home to. We spoke about the emotional discomfort that often accompanies real transformation, the tender work of becoming emotionally intelligent, and the courage it takes to choose vulnerability over perfection.

One of the most meaningful parts of our discussion was the focus on identity — how it's not a title or a role, but a layered unfolding of who you’ve always been beneath the noise. We also touched on the importance of finding safe, aligned communities that hold space for you to rise, evolve, and fully be seen.

For every woman who feels like she’s navigating the space between who she was and who she’s becoming — this conversation was created with you in mind. It’s an invitation back to your voice, your truth, and your wholeness.

I’m deeply grateful to Melanie and Jenn for creating such an open, sacred container for this dialogue. Thank you for allowing me to share a piece of my journey on your powerful platform.