"This can’t be it. I need to be there.”

When I returned from my two-month journey, the first thing I told my mom was,
“I need to go back. I can’t return to work here. There’s more to life than this. This can’t be it. I need to be there.”

I didn’t know exactly what “there” meant. All I knew was that something inside me had shifted. The version of myself I had rediscovered while being away,the one that felt awake, connected, full of purpose couldn’t be boxed back into the life I had before.

My mom looked at me and calmly said, “Well then make a plan, Em. You’ve always loved helping people. Maybe you can help them with their travels?”

And she was right. I’ve always loved people. That’s honestly the one constant in my life, my love for connection. That’s the only thing that’s ever really made sense to me.

So I started searching. I talked to coaches. Had late-night calls with friends. Googled visa options and read blog after blog. I posted on LinkedIn asking if anyone knew a way to build a life in South Africa.
Nothing felt clear, but I trusted that somehow things would unfold.

the start of downsouth. (and the foundation)

So I started searching. Travel agent after travel agent. Day after day. I dove into the research.
Could I create content there? Could I work remotely for a Dutch company, just based in South Africa?
Could I get hired by a local tourism agency?

The answer was always the same. No. Nobody wanted it. Or they didn’t know how. Or they simply didn’t believe in the idea. And slowly, doubt started creeping in. Was I dreaming too big? Was this just a phase?

Then one afternoon, Naomi looked at me and said,
“What if I come with you? What’s even keeping me here?”

I paused. “Wait... are you serious?” She nodded. “Yes. Why not?”

Just like that, it wasn’t mine alone anymore. The dream became shared. A two-woman mission.

We didn’t have a clear plan. No step-by-step guide. But we had each other.
And we had ideas.

We both knew how to create. We could film. Edit. Tell stories.
So we asked ourselves, what if we just start?
Create a small portfolio. Reach out to lodges, safari brands, boutique stays.
Surely someone out there would want what we had to offer.

Let’s just make a video. Let’s start an Instagram. Let’s call it doownsouth.
At the very least, it gives us a place to create.

So we did. And then... something happened.

People started watching. Reaching out. Sharing.
We were surprised,not because we didn’t believe in our idea, but because it suddenly became real.
This thing we made? It moved people. It sparked something.

So we kept going. We created. We filmed. We dreamt.
And quietly in the background, we started planning our move to South Africa.

But even then, we knew: we didn’t want to move just to do our own thing.
This wasn’t about running away from something.
It was about following something that was calling us.
Something bigger. Something we couldn’t quite explain, but felt deeply.

That’s when I thought of Vez.

We met years ago through a mutual friend and always stayed in touch.
He’s based in Langa, a township just outside Cape Town.
One of the most inspiring creatives I know.
He builds. He mentors. He creates. He gives others tools to grow.

I called him. Told him what we were building.
And he said, “What if downsouth became part of what I’m doing?”

It hit me straight in the chest. Because suddenly, it wasn’t about us anymore.
It was about all of us.

It started with a presentation from him to us. Then one from us to him.
The ideas flowed. The energy aligned. And something shifted.

We went from talking about “helping with funding” to
“Let’s start a foundation.”

And from that point on, nothing has been familiar.
Every step has been new.