When you grow up on TV, as Hulisani Ravele did, it takes a while to realise that the kind of public attention and scrutiny to which you are subjected as a kid is not normal.
This year she celebrates 25 years in the entertainment industry, and the journey – both professionally and personally has required her grit, courage as well as kindness to herself.
“I take looking after my mental health very seriously," she says when we meet on one of her "chilled" days.
“I recently got back to Instagram after almost a month of being offline. A social media fast in this day and age gives me peace,” she tells Drum.
The former YoTV presenter is an advocate for mental health awareness. If you scan through her social media, she posts uplifting quotes or she uploads videos of genuine conversations, sharing her wins or losses in what she calls, By The Minute With Hulisani Ravele.
Having grown up in the spotlight, the seasoned broadcaster, Hulisani Ravele shares that taking care of her wellbeing is crucial. She does this by attending yoga sessions, or simply sleeping in for a day.
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Affter more than a decade on TV, Hulisani started radio 11 years ago – from 5FM’s entertainment show, to UJ FM, Capricorn and Power FM, moving up the ranks to where she is now, a 947 weekend breakfast show presenter. “This is my biggest milestone and achievement,” she shares.
“When you have put in the work, seeing the results is affirming and a reminder to keep working. What’s meant to be yours will find you,” she adds.
She started the show with a co-host and but she solely presents the 947 Weekend Breakfast show.
The former SABC’s YoTv presenter says although she loves what she is doing, she misses television. “I miss it, it’s no secret,” she shares. She has dreams of having her own talk show, “but it takes time,” she shares.
“I am celebrating 25 years in the industry. I trust in the delay of my dreams. I have been intentional about coming back to TV and what I will do has to align with my brand,” says Hulisani.
During Covid-19 lockdown last year, the 947 host was candid about her weight journey. Speaking on BBC Lifestyle, she said she has gained about 10 kilograms of ‘lockdown weight.’
She managed to shed it but, “gained it back”, she jokingly shares. What prompted her to be on a weight loss journey was a “personal thing,” she adds. “I woke up and I didn’t like what I saw.”
The media personality is now even more conscious about her holistic health. “I want my body to carry me. How we take care of ourselves now has a long-term effect and it’s not just the food, it’s mental and what’s in your heart too.”
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Although she says she's put the weigh back, she continues to do yoga and take care of her health. “I now know what’s happening with my body, I understand myself, why I overeat when I do.”
She's partnered with Castle Milk Stout to espouse the three pillars by which she lives – purpose, power and impact. The brand partnership is important to her, says Hulisani, because “African spirituality should be celebrated, and deserves to be recognised”.
She has also collaborated with Pdesigns by Phophi Mudau to create The Muofhe Collection, a range of clothes and bags that expresses modernity and culture.
