COACH SPOTLIGHT
From Stage to Life Coaching: Heidi Mollentze’s Journey to Becoming 2024’s Top Life Coach
Malcolm Nicholson – iCN Journalist (UK)
Malcolm Nicholson (MN): Hello, everyone, and welcome to the International Coaching News Series of Coach Profiles. Today we have an interview which truly brings the ‘International,’ ‘Coaching’ and ‘News’ to International Coaching News, as I have great pleasure to be having a conversation with somebody over 5,600 miles away; I’d like to welcome Heidi Mollentze, founder and owner of Heidi Mollentze.com.
I’m looking forward to today’s conversation, Heidi, because we have some really interesting things to cover, both in terms of your life before and during coaching and your coaching life.
And so, if I may, I’d like you to just start off by just telling us a little bit about what did life consist of before coaching…
Heidi Mollentze (HM): “I come from a smallish city in the middle of South Africa, called Bloemfontein, where I studied drama and education at university, completed my degrees, and then moved to Johannesburg almost 30 years ago to pursue acting and I have been a performer for stage, television, film and radio. And I’m very blessed to still be performing whilst sharing my love between acting and coaching. It seems like these 2 worlds have merged in an inseparable way.”
MN: What are some of your performing career highlights?
HM: “In terms of theatre work, the productions and roles that stood out for me are the female lead roles of Maria Elena in ‘Buddy, the Buddy Holly Story’ and Audrey in ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. I never got tired of performing in these shows. The combination of music, dance and acting kept me on my toes and loving every minute – being nominated for best actress in a musical for these shows is proof of that!
A theatre highlight for me was The Revlon Girl, by Welsh playwright, Neil Docking. I won the Naledi South African Theatre award for best featured stage actress for my portrayal of Rona in this gripping story. Playing Rona was gruelling, but immensely fulfilling, in every performance.”
“Television highlights for me were playing Marina in the TV series Onse Kazi (Our Home). This series and Marina’s character had an excellent blend of serious and comical moments. I love playing ‘laugh with a tear’, pathos characters. It is challenging and very rewarding.
Another such character was my latest TV role, Felicity, in the daily drama Diepe Waters (Deep Waters). Felicity has a free spirit and loves life, but she often gets into dangerous or difficult situations because of her ‘whatever will be, will be ‘attitude.”
“I’ve always done training in presenting skills, self-confidence and also acting, and speaking voice training. I also was a university lecturer in stage and screen acting. And was also resident voice speaking coach at the university for 7 years.”
“And during that time, I realised that something was missing.”
“Then I remembered from when I was a little girl. I’ve always had this desire to help people to thrive in this world. We’re not merely here to survive. And that’s where the coaching studies came in. The university where I lectured understood that performers should have time to explore our performance as well as honing our skills, because that makes us better lecturers.”
“So, I then expanded my horizons and obtained internationally accredited qualifications in Life Coaching, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Rapid Transformational Therapy, and Hypnotherapy. I was allowed to pursue those studies by the university, and I ended up here where I am today with my own business, my own practice while still doing my performance work. My love for and dedication to empowering and uplifting clients from all over the world resulted in the prestigious African Excellence Award for Life Coach of the Year 2024.”
“When playing Felicity in Diepe Waters, I realised we have to see the characters pictures in our heads. We have to hear the character’s voice in our head. We have to speak the character’s words for ourselves in order to feel the character’s emotions, and once we feel the character’s emotions, then we behave in the way that the character behaves.”
“So that is how we operate as human beings every day, the pictures you see in your head, and the words that you say to yourself determine how you feel and that determines how you show up in this world, for yourself, for work, for your family.
And the day that penny dropped with me – that acting really is a mirror in a far deeper way than I ever expected – was where the marriage of these 2 worlds really started for me. And that was so exciting and connected me to the coaching and the NLP.”
“My 1st love is working with groups. I just so love a group dynamic. I think all these energies in a room or on the screen in front of a person really excite me. And the thing is also any group of people is made up of individuals, and so often the individual and his or her thought processes and subsequent feelings are overlooked in favour of the group. The group can’t function as a whole if each individual does not function wholly.”
“So I developed some programs for groups, primarily in the workplace, but anywhere where there are people who need to function together as a unit.”
“My programmes are designed to be equally effective online and in person, catering to both large and small groups. My unique skill set as a seasoned actress and experienced coach ensures that participants receive a transformative experience that blends fun, engaging, and serious moments of insight and growth.
MN: So would you tell us about your High-Powered Communication Skills Programme?
HM: “Sure. This was the 1st program that I started for groups. In today’s fast-paced business world, effective communication is key to success. My High-Powered Communication Skills programme is specifically designed for corporations, companies, businesses and groups of people. Communication is my thing. It’s what I do and understand. I’ve always operated with this thing in my mind, even as a little girl, that communication equals connection and effective communication is the key to success, in the workplace, at home, with your relationships because our whole life is made up of relationships. The programme has a proven track record of success, helping participants enhance their communication skills and achieve their professional goals.”
“I help you improve your confidence – being settled in yourself in your own skin. Part of this is verbal and nonverbal communication skills which are extremely important. So there’s a module on that, then communication mindsets. As we discussed a little earlier, everything starts with the pictures you see in your head, and the words that you say to yourself, so that is the mindset, and we have to have the correct mindset.”
“The programme leverages my 30 years of award-winning acting experience and expertise in life coaching and NLP to transform complex communication concepts into engaging, practical, and impactful skills for participants. It results in improved teamwork, stronger client relations, and increased overall productivity for participants and their organisations.”
MN: What do you bring that is unique to this programme Heidi?
HM: “Well, with three decades of experience as a successful actress, I bring a unique perspective to communication training. My background in the performing arts allows me to teach communication skills dynamically and engagingly, making complex concepts easy to understand and apply. I leverage my experience to help participants improve their confidence, verbal and non-verbal communication, communication mindsets, conflict resolution skills – If you don’t know how to resolve conflict with people. I’m afraid it’s going to be a very difficult life for you, – public speaking, listening skills, EQ, interpersonal communication, and presentation skills, ensuring they can convey their messages confidently and effectively.”
“As a result, investing in this programme provides a massive return on investment. Participants will leave with enhanced communication skills that translate into better teamwork, improved client relations, and increased overall productivity.”
MN: Now, you’ve also been working on and have launched the Peak Performance Blueprint Productivity Programme. Tell us a bit more about that please Heidi
HM: “My Peak Performance Blueprint Productivity Programme is designed to help individuals and groups maximise their potential and contribute optimally to their organisations. It empowers participants to take their place in their environment with confidence, perform at their best, and align their efforts with the vision and mission of their organisation. It empowers participants to take their place in whatever environment they find themselves in, whatever organisation. This is with confidence, because you’ll see when people stagnate, there’s usually a confidence issue as well.”
“As a successful actress with three decades of experience, I understand the importance of discipline, focus, and resilience. I bring these qualities into my coaching, helping participants develop the mindset and skills needed to excel in their roles. My background in teaching and coaching enables me to design a programme that is both practical and inspirational, ensuring participants leave with actionable strategies to boost their productivity.”
“As a result of attending this programme, participants will learn self-awareness and personal mastery, effective communication and collaboration, resilience and stress management, innovation and problem-solving, leadership and influence, and productivity tools and techniques. The benefits to companies and organisations are significant, with employees who are more motivated, efficient, and aligned with their organisational goals.
MN: What makes your Peak Performance Blueprint productivity programme unique?
HM: “The programme is uniquely designed with insights from my 30-year acting career and expertise in life coaching, NLP, and hypnotherapy to empower participants with practical strategies and a resilient mindset for optimal performance and alignment with organisational goals.”
MN: And if I were a business leader considering investing in this programme, What are its benefits to my organisation?
HM: “My Peak Performance Blueprint productivity programme leads to increased motivation, efficiency, and alignment with organisational goals, ultimately boosting individual and team performance. I always say my programmes are the gift that keeps on giving, because you learn and you transform. And then if you refer back to the notes and workbooks, back to some of the exercises that we did together, that empowers you to grow further and to learn further and to. It’s continual, because we, as human beings, we can never stop learning. The day we stop learning is the day we die spiritually, mentally, emotionally. So that’s what makes it high powered. It is motivational, inspirational with practical things that you can do to make your life better starting Day One. And if the individual’s life is better, if the individual thinks better, speaks better, does better, the organisation does better.”
MN: What are your key points of uniqueness as a coach?
HM: “My combination of skills has enabled me to work with individuals, small and large groups, both online and in person. My academic achievements, including an honours degree Cum Laude in acting and teaching, underscore my commitment to excellence and my ability to design and deliver impactful programmes.”
“Also, my acting career has honed my deep understanding of the human condition & nature and my ability to connect with audiences and deliver engaging and impactful presentations. My qualifications in life coaching, NLP, and hypnotherapy provide a solid foundation for creating programmes that are both insightful and transformative. I understand the challenges faced by individuals and organisations and have the tools to help them overcome these challenges and thrive.”
“I think this unique blend of transferable skills as an actress and voice artist provides a strong foundation for coaching and training programmes, ensuring impactful and memorable experiences for my clients.”
MN: Okay. And finally, Heidi, where can people find you?
HM: “I’m everywhere! [laughs] So my website is www.heidimollentze.com. People can pop in there, and there’s a contact form if you need any information, or if you want to say Hi, and then I’m on LinkedIn under the same name, Heidi Mollentze. And I think the other one that is important to mention is that I started a YouTube Channel Heidi Mollentze earlier this year. I’m currently doing a series on anxiety and fear – such an important thing. And, also then Facebook.”
MN: Great. Heidi, thank you so much for taking part in today’s ICN Coaching Profile, And obviously we wish you every success as you grow your coaching practice as well as your fantastic acting practice, and good luck with the High Powered Communication Skills Programme and the Peak Performance Blueprint Productivity Programme, which I’m sure will go from strength to strength.
To view the entire interview with Heidi, just click HERE
