Yolandé Conradie, South Africa

Yolandé Conradie describes herself as an ordinary woman who lives an ordinary life but has had extraordinary experiences. She is a psychosocial therapist by profession, but loves teaching and educating, and puts her skills to use as a life coach and a university educator. 

In this first episode of Season 4, Yolandé discusses growing up in a cult where her parents were members, a cult in which there were many rules for girls and women and very few for men, and where friendships outside of the cult were discouraged… the fear that was instilled in cult members, and the excommunication they faced, if they did not adhere to the rules… being an observant child, and noticing the inconsistencies between what people preached and what they did… at 19 years old, getting married within the cult… being exposed to more of life and eventually realizing that she had to leave the cult, even though it would not be a quick or easy process… finding a psychosocial therapist who first helped her discover herself and a different life path, “writing a new ending to an old beginning”… studying to become a psychosocial therapist herself… getting divorced from her husband of 20 years at age 39… moving to a new city to begin a brand new life and a new career, making her way completely on her own terms… realizing that she is stronger than she thought, and that she was capable of doing more than she once believed was passible.  (South Africa)