18 I was studying Geology. Lol! What a bad idea. 21 I was completing my economics degree (3rd major investment management). Did an internship at JP Morgan and realized that investment banking wasn’t for me. 24, management consultant, by 28 I was over it. And that’s just my 20s!

I remember getting this job when I was about 26. It was an EA role, had I taken it, it would have put me on the executive path at Nedbank. But day before I was meant to start I retracted my resignation coz I was VERY anxious coz the executive was too excited about me.

It took years to realize that throughout my childhood, varsity and career, I’d been living with a bad case of anxiety. So often I’d be too anxious to say yes or to say no. In addition to other normal, ‘18 is too young for that kind of commitment’ stuff.

And do you know why I studied Geology? When I was in matric I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I needed a plan because gap year wasn’t an option. My Geography teacher told me to apply for a Kumba bursary first geology coz my geography marks were so high. Dassit.

Geography wasn’t even my highest mark when I matriculated.