Food is one of our oldest languages — a way we express love, preserve memory, and care for one another.

In this episode of The Spirit of Alchemy, hosts Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa sit with Anele, founder of Sweet Thymes, to explore how nourishment became both her calling and her practice. Trained in accounting but shaped by her family kitchen and a deep curiosity for food, Anele shares how she chose to leave corporate life in order to build something rooted in joy, care and community.

Together, they explore growing up between worlds, honouring ancestral food knowledge, building a business alongside motherhood and creating work environments where women can thrive. This conversation reflects on village, legacy and the long view, planting seeds you may never personally harvest but trusting that they will feed generations to come.

An intimate and grounding episode about choosing softness in a hard world, and discovering where food becomes love.

The Spirit of Alchemy

A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers — where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.

Stay Connected to the Journey✨

The Spirit of Alchemy

Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_
TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy
YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast
Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com

Bobby Forssman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/

Rehema Isa

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681

TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa

X : https://x.com/RehemaIsa

For all enquiries:
tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za

Remember: you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review — it really helps us grow our community.

The Silhouette of Self: KandyBoi and the Art of Becoming is a conversation about fashion not as trend, but as language — a way of expressing identity, confidence, and inner alignment.

In this episode of The Spirit of Alchemy, hosts Bobby and Rehema sit down with Kagiso “KandyBoi” Mokoena, South African fashion designer, stylist, and creative director, to unpack the philosophy behind his work and the personal journey that shaped it. Known for bold couture, sculptural silhouettes, and an unapologetic celebration of the feminine form, KandyBoi reveals that his brand is not built on garments alone, but on how people feel when they wear them.

From sketching designs at fourteen to officially launching his brand in 2017, Kagiso’s journey is one of self-teaching, patience, and intentional growth. He speaks openly about being “delusional” in pursuit of his vision — not as fantasy, but as disciplined self-belief and trust in his own clarity. For KandyBoi, becoming is not rushed. It is cultivated.

Together, the conversation explores:

• Fashion as an extension of identity rather than an external performance
• The female silhouette as a canvas for confidence, presence, and power
• Why how a client feels matters more than how they look
• Building a bespoke brand rooted in trust, listening, and energy alignment
• Protecting mental health as a non-negotiable part of entrepreneurship
• Learning every part of the craft before scaling or delegating
• Choosing alignment over money — even when it means walking away
• Growing alongside peers rather than chasing status or celebrity
• Patience, long-term vision, and redefining success on your own terms
• Legacy, mentorship, and creating pathways for the next generation

KandyBoi’s story challenges fast-growth culture and redefines success as self-honouring, intentional, and deeply human. It is a reminder that when identity, energy, and action align, the work speaks for itself.

This episode is an invitation to consider how you are shaping your own silhouette, and what it means to become with integrity.

The Spirit of Alchemy

A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers — where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.

Stay Connected to the Journey✨

The Spirit of Alchemy

Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_
TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy
YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast
Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com

Bobby Forssman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/

Rehema Isa

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681

TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa

X : https://x.com/RehemaIsa

For all enquiries:
tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za

Remember: you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review — it really helps us grow our community.

Step into a story where purpose meets permanence: a journey shaped by artistic instinct, discipline, and the quiet alchemy of becoming.

In this episode, hosts Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa sit with Gareth Miller, founder of Circle of Ikigai Tattoo Studio, to explore how tattooing became more than a craft, it became a philosophy of life. With no formal training and limited resources, Gareth taught himself through curiosity, repetition, and embodied learning, using his own body as a canvas and commitment to mastery as his guide.

Together, they explore:
• Losing direction and rediscovering purpose
• Ikigai as a lived philosophy, not a concept
• Tattooing as permanent storytelling and responsibility
• Learning through embodiment, discipline, and trial
• Cultural stigma, ancestral roots, and reclamation
• Choosing purpose without permission

Through honesty, humour, reflection, and lived wisdom, this conversation reveals what it truly means to align what you love, what you do, and who you are, and to allow purpose to leave a permanent mark.

The Spirit of Alchemy

A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers — where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.

Stay Connected to the Journey✨

The Spirit of Alchemy

Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_
TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy
YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast
Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com

Bobby Forssman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/

Rehema Isa

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681

TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa

X : https://x.com/RehemaIsa

For all enquiries:
tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za

Remember: you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review — it really helps us grow our community.

Step into a story where ancestral wisdom meets modern innovation: a journey shaped in the soil of Thembisa and refined through the quiet alchemy of becoming.

In this episode, hosts Bobby and Rehema sit with Zama Shabalala, biotechnologist, entrepreneur, founder of Earthling Emily, and a son of herbalists who transformed lineage into legacy. Together, they explore:

• The influence of growing up with traditional herbal medicine and herbal healing
• How biotechnology opened the doorway to plant medicine and cannabis research
• The courage to challenge norms, including stopping a national brewery beer line
• Building Earthling Emily and pioneering accessible cannabis wellness
• The deeper mission: community upliftment, spiritual wellness, and surrendering to purpose

Through raw honesty, laughter, reflection, and the wisdom of lived experience, this conversation reveals what it truly means to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, and why surrendering to the unfolding often leads us exactly where we’re meant to be.

Connect with Zama:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zama_shabbaranks

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zama.shabalala.5/

Earthling Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/earthling_emily_/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@earthling_emily

Website: https://earthlingemily.com/

The Spirit of Alchemy

A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers — where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.

Stay Connected to the Journey✨

The Spirit of Alchemy

Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_
TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy
YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast
Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com

Bobby Forssman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/

Rehema Isa

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681

TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa

X : https://x.com/RehemaIsa

For all enquiries:
tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za

Remember: you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review — it really helps us grow our community.

Step into the fragrant world of Conza’s Biscuits, a story rooted in Soweto kitchens long before sunrise, where a mother’s love, a timeless recipe, and the unbreakable bond of sisterhood shaped a legacy that continues to rise.

In this inaugural episode of The Spirit of Alchemy, hosts Bobby and Rehema sit with sisters Rhulani and Randzu, whose journey uncovers the poetic truth of entrepreneurship: that the most powerful stories begin in ordinary moments, carried forward by extraordinary women.

Together, they explore:

• The matriarchal foundation that gave life to Conza’s Biscuits
• Growing up in the rhythm of early-morning baking and informal trade
• How sisterhood became their greatest business strength
• Fires that forged resilience: financial loss, displacement, sabotage, and rebuilding
• The creation of a reseller network empowering more than 50 families
• Their mother’s enduring influence and the legacy she passed on
• Dreams of taking Soweto’s vanilla biscuit to the world

Through laughter, truth, and deeply personal reflection, the sisters share how a single product can hold memory, meaning, and possibility. Their story is a testament to turning adversity into abundance, and transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Connect with Conza’s Biscuits:
Website: https://conzasbiscuits.co.za/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biscuits_insoweto
TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/@conzas_in
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1863746717218744

The Spirit of Alchemy

A space of transformation and truth-telling, The Spirit of Alchemy invites you into the stories behind the makers — where wisdom, courage, and creativity come together to form something new, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Hosted by Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa.

Stay Connected to the Journey✨

The Spirit of Alchemy

Instagram: @thespiritofalchemy_
TikTok: @thespiritofalchemy
YouTube: The Spirit of Alchemy Podcast
Website: www.thespiritofalchemy.com

Bobby Forssman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbyforssman/

Rehema Isa

LinkedIn : www.linkedin.com/in/rehema-isa-6372681

TikTok : https://www.tiktok.com/@rehema.world

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/rehema.isa

X : https://x.com/RehemaIsa

For all enquiries:
tanna@thespiritofalchemy.co.za

Remember: you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review — it really helps us grow our community.