Hi, I’m Zelna Oberholster
I am an author, wholeness coach and speaker. I am living my best life.
It wasn’t always the case. For very long I was blinded by the labels ‘poor’, ‘not good enough’, ‘worthless’, ‘rape victim”, “reject”, “ugly”, ‘fat”. For half of my adult life, I thought I was the label.
I have kept silent when I should've spoken and the predators preyed on more innocent victims. I am a helper and healer and it gives me huge satisfaction and sense of worth if a client achieves something they thought was impossible.
After one failed suicide attempt my life changed. I was given a choice. I had a helping hand stretched out to me, and I took it because he was an inspiration to me. Slowly I got to know myself and got the help I desperately needed. Finding out who I actually am was daunting, yet exciting! It was also a lot of hard, often difficult work. I wanted to give up many times! But it is so worth it!
Why do I coach?
Because I get tremendous satisfaction seeing someone else succeed! It makes, my life of horrible experiences worth it. My education, and portfolio work and life experiences are put to great use.
Being coached and inspired by someone who understands my circumstances and has the tools to guide me through achieving my dreams has such a magnificent impact on my life.
NOW I DO the same for my clients so that the tools I give them enables them to achieve their own greatness and feeling good enough.
I am extraordinary! Successful! Good enough! Worth it! Beautiful! And body confident at 50!
I want that for you too.
I started studying and saying no to jobs that didn’t fit in with my plan for myself. That plan changed as I transformed into the person I am today. I started saying yes to great opportunities. I studied. Got headhunted for the first time in my life. I started to like Zelna. I knew I wasn’t perfect, and that it was okay. I don’t know who teaches us this impossible lie!
When I was ready to receive the most amazing partner he came. I am happily married to my second husband. We have two daughters, Ivana and Zita and too many dogs! I have a not- so- secret obsession with Cocker Spaniels. Oliver, Ozara and Xavier. We also have two German Sheperds, Yola and D’Arcy. I looove chocolates, and I used to love Amarula and stilettos, but it is no good for my lupus. My daughter, my husband, my friends and spaniels have been tremendous support through very difficult times including suicide attempts. I want to spoil them rotten with all that I am for the rest of their lives
I am a bit socially awkward and some days I cope better with my Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) than others, but I am living with lupus; I’m not dying of it! I love Chocolate, Jaguars, MGs and Volvo’s. I also like adventure-ish activities like ziplining and white river rafting. Another favourite of mine is art. I love playing in the kitchen as much as I love creating our garden.
I have an MBA degree and qualifications in Cognitive Behavioural (CBT) life- coaching and (Neuro Linguistic Programming) NLP coaching and more than 30 years’ work experience across various industries in leadership positions and business owner (I am a serial entrepreneur) and certain charities are very close to my heart. I have founded the SelfHelp Foundation to uplift the people in my beautiful country, South Africa, so that they can be employable and ready to work!
Love and light!
Z.
My Approach
My coaching approach is adaptive, using a combination of Cognitive Behavior Coaching (CBC) and to a lesser extent Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Goal Oriented Coaching. The seven dimensions of wellness (intellectual, spiritual, environmental, financial, physical, emotional and social), is used as a foundation to build any strategies on.
Dream it
What do you want? What is a goal that is standing like a mountain ahead of you? That’s right! Its big and scary and you have a belief system which concurs: You can’t do it. What if you can? What if we challenge your beliefs about yourself and what you are capable of and equip you with the tools to summit that mountain?
Build it
With your openness and willingness to talk about your current situation we will identify blockers and together unpack, clarify and gain momentum on reaching your goals and put together an action plan to reach your dream. We partner in implementing your plan of action and I hold you to what we decide to do.