Startup Story
Ronel and Dr Marli Jooste, two sisters and co-founders of PhysEQFiT Wellness & Leadership Development, a business focused on Transforming People. Transforming Workplaces, and Transforming Leaders. The name, PhysEQFiT, implies the importance of overall wellbeing, including Phys = physical wellbeing (health, fitness, nutrition, brain health, stress management, burnout), EQ = emotional wellbeing (personal mastery and growth, whole-brain thinking, neurocoaching, mental health, team dynamics, mediation etc, Fi = financial wellbeing, and FiT = all these aspects need to be in balance to enhance your overall performance, leadership capacity, wellbeing and lifestyle. The business was founded in 2015 and employs 5 people.
Ronel Jooste is a Chartered Accountant and multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur who has started 5 businesses in different industries – PhysEQFiT Wellness, PhysEQFiT Guesthouse, FinanciallyFiT Group, FinanciallyFitLife Academy and JohRon Real Estate. She is the author of the award-winning book ‘Financially Fit and Wealthy’ – a guide to personal financial success. As an internationally accredited NeuroCoach, Brain Health Licenced Trainer and John Maxwell Leadership Coach she is helping individuals to discover and grow the leader within to achieve their full potential and live their best lives following holistic wellness principles.
Dr Marli Jooste holds a PhD degree in Psychology from the University of Pretoria. She is a registered Counselling Therapist, Psychometrist and Coach with extensive experience as a personal growth activist across various industries, both nationally and internationally. She believes in unlocking true potential within and eagerly co-journey with individuals and teams alike. Her focus in this regard often includes psychological wellbeing with specific reference to burnout. Marli also has a private practice and co-owns PhysEQFiT Guesthouse.
LoA spoke to inspirational co-founders Ronel and Dr Marli Jooste about their passion for holistic wellness and their ambitions for the future impact of their business.
“We aspire to living a healthy, active, happy, and financially fit lifestyle and we want to inspire and help others to have that too. Our focus is on Transforming People. Transforming Workplaces, and Transforming Leaders.”
What does your company do?
We aspire to living a healthy, active, happy, and financially fit lifestyle and we want to inspire and help others to have that too. Our focus is on Transforming People. Transforming Workplaces, and Transforming Leaders. We offer wellness programs for individuals, couples, teams, entrepreneurs and leaders, as well as leadership development programs. We help leaders and teams grow into becoming high performers while being holistically whole and holistically well.
The name, PhysEQFiT, implies the importance of overall wellbeing:
Phys = physical wellbeing (health, fitness, nutrition, brain health, stress management, burnout),
EQ = emotional wellbeing (personal mastery and growth, whole-brain thinking, neurocoaching, mental health, team dynamics, mediation etc.
Fi = financial wellbeing,
FiT = all these aspects need to be in balance to enhance your overall performance, leadership capacity, wellbeing and lifestyle.
What inspired you to start your company?
We are sisters and best friends. Our dream was to find something in life where we can combine our qualifications, experience, expertise and passions all into one solution and PhysEQFiT was born.”
Ronel says: “I built a successful career as a Chartered Accountant in a senior leadership position at one of the largest listed corporate financial services companies spanning more than a decade. Despite climbing the corporate ladder and earning a lot of money, I was sick often and struggled with injuries when running. I was also not entirely happy and fulfilled. The long hours and extreme pressurized environment eventually had a negative impact on my health and emotional wellbeing. After multiple medical tests, a doctor asked: “When last did you take a break?” That was my a-ha moment! I realized the importance of holistic wellness – your physical, emotional and financial wellbeing are equally important. All these aspects need to be in balance to achieve ultimate wellbeing.”
Marli says: “I was within the human capital space and one would have assumed that everything will evolve around the human being. Unfortunately, that was not the case at all. Most corporate processes dismissed uniqueness and rarely touched on soft skills, emotional support or at least showed some sense of empathy. Despite fulfilling leadership roles quite soon in my career, I really struggled to align my deepest passion and ingrained values to that of the day-to-day job expectations. I eventually became quite disengaged and had to put in all effort to drag myself out of bed in the morning. One can only continue that long if your heart and head are not in the same place. It was not before then that I realized the utmost importance of an alignment between one’s job (irrespective of industry or sector) and who you truly are and what you stand for.”
Our personal experiences made us realize we were longing (like so many other people) to experience wellbeing on a deeper level in all aspects of our lives. Our desire was to find and live our purpose. We wanted to do more, be more and achieve more. We wanted to make a bigger impact in people’s lives and reach our full potential. We wanted to be healthy, active, happy and financially free. We wanted to live our best lives – the dream lifestyle we envisioned for ourselves and we believe God intended for us to live.
That inspired us to to start our PhysEQFiT journey. Today we combine our qualifications (Ronel as a Chartered Accountant, NeuroCoach and qualified fitness and brain health trainer, and Marli with her doctorate in psychology), experience (combined 18 years in corporate and 24 years in business) and passions (for empowering people and leaders, entrepreneurship, finances, wellness and fitness) to guide others on their journey towards holistic wellbeing.
“We follow a 'Whole-person' approach inspired by the 'A'.S.P.I.R.E model.
We look at wellness holistically – physical, emotional, and wellness, but we also integrate within these aspects.”
What makes your business, service or product special?
We follow a 'Whole-person' approach inspired by the 'A'.S.P.I.R.E model.
We look at wellness holistically – physical, emotional, and wellness, but we also integrate within these aspects. For example: we look at how brain health impacts your money decisions, how thinking preferences, mindset, and habits impact your financial wellbeing, and then also educating and empowering you with financial principles and knowledge to establish financial security and create generational wealth. Then again how financial strain is impacting on your physical and emotional wellbeing. Many programs look at mental health but few look at brain health too.
Tell us a little about your team
We often collaborate with other experts to create capacity and scale our business. However, the bigger success story is the growth and development of the staff at PhysEQFiT Guesthouse that we own in Centurion. Joyce and Evah joined the team as cleaners. Following lots of coaching and training Joyce and Evah can today largely manage the guesthouse themselves, run conferences, cook delicious meals, are computer literate, understand business and the guests adore them. Evah completed a barista skills course and Joyce obtained her driver’s license in 2024. They are ambassadors of holistic wellness. The two ladies are flourishing and gained significant self-confidence. No doubt this is a story of true women empowerment. The PhysEQFiT team certainly is a dynamic team set to achieve big goals in the future.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Not at all. We grew up in a small town where most people were employees. We knew very few entrepreneurs. Both of us felt stuck in the corporate world as if we were put in a box based on our qualifications and there wasn’t the opportunity to think outside of the box, to live our purpose, and to reach our full potential. It is tough transitioning from a senior position in a corporate environment into entrepreneurship. You learn quickly to become comfortable outside of your comfort zone, be more resilient, adapt to change, and think on your feet. We wouldn’t want it any other way though.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
The demand for wellness services has increased significantly since Covid. The remote working and webinars concept opened doors for us nationally and internationally. It became second nature to present a workshop with attendees from across the globe. Although we still prefer the in-person journeys more, and it is exciting that the demand for that is also picking up again.
We invested a lot of money and time into studying and upskilling ourselves the past two years. As a result, we developed multiple new programs – all results-driven; offering practical, sustainable solutions; and have a more integrated approach. Our focus currently is on getting the word out there about our latest programs and offerings; expanding our client base and building a global brand. Our strategy for the future incorporates digitalization to scale our business, wellness retreats, and a wellness centre.
“Our focus currently is on getting the word out there about our latest programs and offerings; expanding our client base and building a global brand. Our strategy for the future incorporates digitalization to scale our business, wellness retreats, and a wellness centre.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Living our purpose and passions. We love the freedom it brings. The freedom to go for a morning run when other people sit in traffic on their way to work. The freedom to go to gym after lunch. The freedom to go on a 5-week international holiday. It is also much more rewarding when you see actual results, when you can make an impact in other people’s lives, and you can contribute towards the economy and job creation.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Invest money and time into educating and upskilling yourself. Know your personality, values, and strengths and align your business goals with them. Cash flow and financial management are critical to the survival of any business. Build a strong personal brand. Be authentic. Learn to manage stress effectively and ensure you have work-life balance. Learn to be productive and not busy. Always strive for excellence in anything you do. Enjoy the journey!
Find out more
Email: info@physeqfit.co.za
Website: http://physeqfit.co.za/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PhysEQFiTWellnessSpa
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/physeqfit_wellness/?hl=en
Why LoA loves it…
As entrepreneurs we know that the health of our businesses depends on our own health and well-being, and that of our employees too. The need to look at wellness holistically is key as it really does impact so many other aspects of life and business, including financial well-being. Ronel and Dr Marli Jooste have recognised the need to help others achieve a more holistic approach with their well-being journeys, providing the tools, insights, guidance, and practical solutions that achieve lasting results. As the world of business continues to apply pressures and increasing numbers of stress-points in our lives, it has never been more important to take a more holistic approach to well-being. Ronel and Dr Marli Jooste have tried and tested solutions ready to help us on that journey. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa