IN CONVERSATION WITH MA MATSHELENG MOGODI, Executive Life Coach
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The transition from high school to university is one of the most significant and
11:10
disruptive shifts in a young person’s life. For many first-year students at Wits,
this transition comes with academic pressure, independence for the first time,
financial stress, identity exploration, and the emotional weight of expectations
from family and society. While students arrive prepared academically, many are
unprepared for the psychological, emotional, and social demands of varsity life.
Orientation Week is designed not only to introduce students to campus systems,
but also to equip them with tools to navigate change, build resilience, and
develop self-awareness. Increasingly, universities are recognising that success at
varsity is not determined by marks alone, but by a student’s ability to manage
pressure, adapt to failure, seek support, and understand their own strengths and
limitations.
Life and executive coach Matseleng Mogodi brings a perspective shaped by
lived experience across education, entrepreneurship, and personal development.
Her work emphasises that while formal education is important, it is not always
sufficient on its own to unlock growth and fulfilment. Through coaching, she
focuses on helping individuals recognise their gifts, confront internal barriers,
and develop clarity about who they are becoming — a particularly relevant
conversation for students entering a new phase of life.
This discussion speaks directly to first-year students and returning students alike,
addressing the hidden curriculum of varsity life: emotional intelligence, self-
belief, purpose, and the courage to redefine success beyond comparison and
external validation.
11:10
disruptive shifts in a young person’s life. For many first-year students at Wits,
this transition comes with academic pressure, independence for the first time,
financial stress, identity exploration, and the emotional weight of expectations
from family and society. While students arrive prepared academically, many are
unprepared for the psychological, emotional, and social demands of varsity life.
Orientation Week is designed not only to introduce students to campus systems,
but also to equip them with tools to navigate change, build resilience, and
develop self-awareness. Increasingly, universities are recognising that success at
varsity is not determined by marks alone, but by a student’s ability to manage
pressure, adapt to failure, seek support, and understand their own strengths and
limitations.
Life and executive coach Matseleng Mogodi brings a perspective shaped by
lived experience across education, entrepreneurship, and personal development.
Her work emphasises that while formal education is important, it is not always
sufficient on its own to unlock growth and fulfilment. Through coaching, she
focuses on helping individuals recognise their gifts, confront internal barriers,
and develop clarity about who they are becoming — a particularly relevant
conversation for students entering a new phase of life.
This discussion speaks directly to first-year students and returning students alike,
addressing the hidden curriculum of varsity life: emotional intelligence, self-
belief, purpose, and the courage to redefine success beyond comparison and
external validation.
