Putting the Client First — Ego, Service & Top-Rated TV with Mpho Lengane

Mpho Lengane, founder of Barker’s Media, has built a reputation for producing some of South Africa’s top-rated television dramas and reality shows. But for her, the real product isn’t just ratings—it’s national conversation. By putting rural, township, and urban perspectives on the same screen, she sparks dialogue that resonates across communities.

In this Ignite 2025 episode, Mpho opens up about the setbacks that shaped her—being fired three times in 2021, formalizing her business in 2022, and discovering that self-awareness and humility fuel real growth. She shares a pivotal boardroom lesson from Ocean Basket on the meaning of service, explains how she approaches sales and closing as creative disciplines, and calls for more interconnectedness across EO forums and events.

This is a candid look at ego, resilience, and service—and why putting the client first is the surest path to building lasting impact.

🔗 EO Durban: www.eodurban.co.za 🎙️ Produced by TIM Africa.

Would you like me to also start compiling these into a master series index (Ep 1–17 so far) with titles, so you have one reference sheet for publishing and scheduling?

  ChatGPT said:

 

Here’s Episode 18 for Nokuthula “Knox” Magwaza — title, YouTube show notes, and Podbean description.

Episode Title (≤100 chars)

Episode 18: Keep Blooming — Purpose, Gratitude & Women’s Advancement with Nox Magwaza

YouTube Show Notes (with chapters)

In this Ignite 2025 episode, Nokuthula “Knox” Magwaza, founder of Bloom Marketing, Bloom Infinite Digital, and Bloom Inside Out, shares her journey of purpose, gratitude, and women’s advocacy. With 20+ years in marketing and a mission to build human-centered connections between brands and people, Knox explains why gratitude is her daily operating system and how vulnerability fuels authentic growth.

She traces her seeds metaphor back to Newcastle, recalls lessons from her time at Unilever, and reflects on the gap between European-led agencies and South Africa’s predominantly black consumer base. Knox also reveals why Bloom differentiates itself by putting women’s advancement at the core, and how AI-era storytelling can stay authentic and community-changing. Her Ignite message is simple yet powerful: EO is fertile soil for growth—keep blooming, because growth is the evidence of life.

🔑 Key Themes

• Vulnerability & progress over perfection

• Gratitude as a leadership operating system

• Seeds & soil: choosing nurturing environments

• Human-centered, purpose-led branding

• Inclusive creativity reflecting SA consumers

• Women’s advancement as a differentiator

• EO community as fertile soil for growth & impact

• Storytelling in the AI era that stays human

📍 Timestamps / Chapters

• 0:00 – Intro & Knox introduces herself

• 0:09 – Bloom Marketing, Bloom Infinite & Bloom Inside Out

• 1:05 – Ignite highlights: vulnerability & redefining success

• 2:18 – Gratitude in practice: service & developing talent

• 3:32 – Seeds metaphor & choosing the right soil

• 4:54 – Lessons from Unilever & inclusive creativity

• 5:30 – Purpose at the heart & women’s advocacy

• 6:01 – Human-centered stories in the AI era

• 6:12 – Message to future Ignite attendees

• 7:51 – Closing: you are a seed, keep blooming

🌐 Visit EO Durban Website: https://www.eodurban.co.za Podbean: https://eodurban.podbean.com/

🎙️ Produced by TIM Africa at EO Ignite 2025 — capturing the voices shaping tomorrow’s entrepreneurial landscape.

Podbean Description (medium length)

For Nokuthula “Knox” Magwaza, growth isn’t just business—it’s life itself. As the founder of Bloom Marketing, Bloom Infinite Digital, and Bloom Inside Out, she has spent over two decades helping brands land with cultural relevance while championing women’s advancement and authentic storytelling.

In this EO Ignite 2025 conversation, Knox shares why gratitude is her operating system, how vulnerability unlocks true growth, and why she believes EO is fertile soil for scaling both business and impact. She revisits lessons from her early career at Unilever, explains the seeds-and-soil metaphor that guides her leadership, and highlights how Bloom differentiates itself through purpose-led, human-centered creativity. Her message to fellow leaders: you are a seed—keep blooming.

This episode blends purpose,