Why I created "The Next Chapter"

If you'd told me years ago that one day I'd be coaching women through life's transitions, I probably wouldn't have been surprised.

Long before I started Positano, I was fortunate enough to be trained as a life coach as part of my corporate career. I worked with middle managers, helping them gain clarity, build confidence and step into their potential. It was rewarding work, and I absolutely loved it.

There was something incredibly fulfilling about watching someone realise they were capable of far more than they had ever imagined for themselves.

When I started Positano, I thought I was creating a clothing and swimwear brand.

What I didn't realise was that our Live Fabulously philosophy would become the catalyst for some of the most meaningful conversations of my life.

Over the years, women have shared so much of themselves with me. In the store. At the markets. During our Positano Plunges. Over coffee. Through messages and emails.

I've listened to stories of burnout, divorce, menopause, empty nests, online dating, changing careers and changing identities. I've met women who have spent years looking after everyone else and have slowly lost themselves in the process.

And I've met just as many women who aren't sure they've ever really known themselves at all.

Women who did everything they thought they were supposed to do.

Built the career.

Got married.

Raised the children.

Ticked all the boxes.

And still found themselves wondering:

"Is this it?"

I felt that burning question myself over 8 years ago when I made the decision to move from Johannesburg to Cape Town.

What followed was the start of one of the toughest, most rewarding journeys of my life.

One that humbled me in ways I wouldn’t want to repeat (thank you COVID!), but also paved the way for a more purpose-driven, authentic way of being in the world.

If you had told Joburg Debbie she would be modelling swimwear on the internet, I would have never believed it. Having been employed my entire career, becoming an entrepreneur wasn’t ever on my radar.

And yet, here I am hustling and tap-dancing as only a business owner knows how! And there’s nowhere else I would rather be… well, except Italy. On a beach. Sipping a cocktail! I digress…

Turning 50 has been a pivotal chapter in my own life. It's a new season of stepping fully into my power, caring less about what everyone else thinks, and continuing to focus on creating a life I don't need a holiday from.

It's also made me realise that many women are craving the same thing.

They're also craving connection.

Real connection.

Not another social media follower or WhatsApp group.

Someone who will genuinely listen, ask the hard questions and create the space to explore what comes next.

Not a different life.

A more authentic one.

A life that feels aligned with who they are today. Not when they were in their 20’s or before they had kids.

A life where they feel excited again.

Inspired again.

Alive again.

The Next Chapter was created for those women.

Women who know there is something more waiting for them, even if they can't quite see what it is yet.

Women who want a safe space to dream, explore possibilities, gain clarity and create meaningful change.

Women who want to stop existing and start truly living.

My hope is that every woman who joins this journey leaves feeling seen, heard and empowered to make choices that honour who she is and what she wants from this next chapter.

Because after spending so much of our lives being who everyone else needed us to be, perhaps the greatest gift we can give ourselves is the courage to ask:

"What do I want from this next chapter?"

And then give ourselves permission to find out.

Debbie xx