The Power of Humanising Leadership
Lerato Solomon’s journey is one of courage, empathy, and reclamation. Through lived experience and purposeful leadership, she is reshaping how mental wellness, humanity, and social impact are understood and proving that healing can be both personal and collective.
I was born a Motswana girl in South Africa — Black, brave, and deeply human. Raised by a single parent who embodied both softness and strength, I learned early that survival itself is an act of faith. At the age of ten, after my first suicide attempt, I was diagnosed with clinical depression. That silent battle awakened my empathy long before I had language for advocacy or leadership.
Younger Self
I was raised in the rhythm of botho, humanity towards others, a value that became the compass of my life and work. It taught me that healing is collective and that our humanity is bound together. This belief fuels everything I do, from coordinating development programmes to founding Mental Matters, a platform created to restore dignity to mental wellness in our communities.
Being African means belonging to a story that refuses to die, a legacy of resilience, grace, and quiet rebuilding carried by those who persisted even when silenced. My work is to continue that story, to heal and humanise the spaces we occupy, and to rewrite narratives scarred by stigma and silence.
From my ancestors, I inherit resilience, reverence, and rhythm. The women before me led revolutions without microphones, teaching me that leadership begins at home, in how we nurture, serve, and rise. My legacy is to carry their strength forward, using my voice to turn our stories into sacred medicine and our shared humanity into healing.
I have always known that I was born to serve communities. Long before I could name it, service was already my sanctuary. Throughout high school, I volunteered in church and with local NGOs, drawn by a quiet but persistent calling toward people, purpose, and healing.
After matric, financial constraints forced me to take a gap year, during which I volunteered at Tswelopele Youth Foundation. That experience deepened my conviction to help people rise beyond their circumstances.
Although I could not initially afford university, I enrolled for an LLB at UNISA, studying part-time while working as a till operator at Woolworths. That season taught me humility, discipline, and the quiet dignity of honest work.
I later worked in a law firm and a legal technology company, developing project management and leadership skills across Africa. Despite outward success, I felt deeply unfulfilled. In 2021, I took a leap of faith and left the industry, enrolled for a BA in Community Development, and founded Mental Matters, a platform dedicated to mental wellness advocacy and social impact.
Graduation Day
My path has never been linear. I first studied law because the world said I would make a great lawyer, I had the voice and determination, but not the peace. Over time, I learned that intelligence without purpose feels empty. Leaving the legal field was not failure; it was faith.
"Education has been my anchor through uncertainty, shaping my voice as both scholar and servant leader."
In 2023, I graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Community Development from UNISA a degree that healed me as much as it taught me.
In 2024, I completed my BA Honours in Development Studies and am currently pursuing a Master’s in Development Studies, researching The Role of Social Capital in Community-Based Mental Health Promotion.
My career has been guided by a commitment to mental wellness, youth empowerment, and human-centred development. From coordinating community-based programmes to leading teams across Community Care Centres, I have learned that empathy and accountability are the foundations of sustainable impact.
Founding Mental Matters marked a defining milestone in my journey. Through advocacy, education, and creative storytelling, I have worked with corporates and communities to reduce stigma and equip people with practical tools for mental wellbeing.
These experiences strengthened my resilience, strategic vision, and belief that innovation rooted in compassion can scale meaningful change.
Over the years, my work has been recognised through honours such as UN SDSN Youth Fellow, Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans (Health), DHL GradStar Top 100, Forty Under 40 South Africa Community Development Finalist, 30 Young Mandelas Mental Health Category and Embrace Impact Mamandla Fellow.
My proudest achievements remain mentoring young people, supporting Community Care Centres, and building programmes that equip communities with confidence, skills, and hope.
One of my greatest challenges has been navigating workplaces and systems that lacked humanity, while living with a mental illness myself. Early in my career, I encountered environments where empathy was missing both toward communities served and colleagues within the system.
I chose to respond by leading differently, advocating for myself, creating space for honest conversations, and championing human-centred approaches to leadership and programme delivery. The result was not only personal growth, but cultural transformation.
I lead by the principle that humanity must come before process. Without compassion and respect for people, no strategy can succeed. True leadership is measured by how we care for, empower, and inspire those around us.
A defining turning point came in 2021, when I chose to start my life afresh at the age of thirty. I left formal employment, faced unemployment, returned to university, and launched Mental Matters all at once.
That leap of faith taught me that when purpose leads, risk becomes opportunity and uncertainty becomes the foundation of legacy.
If I were to summarise my life’s work in one sentence, it would be this “I am a bridge-builder from lived experience to leadership championing empathy and purpose to build communities that thrive in both heart and opportunity.”
Motivating Others
I am deeply grateful to mentors who saw the person before the professional and shaped how I lead with empathy and intention. Their guidance reminds me that the strongest legacies are not measured by titles, but by how we uplift others along the way.
My vision is for a South Africa and a world where mental wellness is honoured as deeply as physical health, and where leadership is defined by kindness, courage, and dignity. Through Mental Matters, I remain committed to building emotionally strong communities and transforming social development from transactional to transformational.
Ultimately, I hope to be remembered as a humanising leader, one who saw the person before the process and led with heart.
