Krijay has been previously voted by the media as the funniest woman in South Africa. She has been rated one of the top three MCs (Sunday Times).
She has hosted for every major industry and corporation in South Africa and internationally.
She is an award winning performer, director and writer with 5 SAFTAs (South African Film and Television Awards). Govender is a published academic and holds a Masters degree in Arts.
Over the past few years, people have been introduced to and have come to love Dr Nokukhanya Khanyile, a medical doctor – currently practicing as a paediatrics registrar. From her daily “Good Morning Everybody” video messages on social media platforms that have captured the hearts of thousands to her authenticity, mental health insight and general life hacks, people all over South Africa and now the world has welcomed her as a household name.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Causing a stink: everything you need to know about nappy changes and baby poop
A force to be reckoned with – mom, wife, author, columnist, presenter, producer, there is no end to this powerhouse!
With a comedy career spanning over 15 years and with numerous nominations and awards (including Comic of the Year and Favorite Comedian) under her belt, Tumi Morake continues to be a formidable force in the comedy industry.
Since beginning her comedy career in smoky clubs in 2006, she has steadily grown into one of SA’s most sought after comedians, earning her the title of South Africa’s ‘First Lady of Comedy’ – not bad for a wife and mother of three.
She’ll be speaking on:
– If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry: a hilariously honest account of forgiving yourself as a mother
Meg is the best-selling author of the Baby Sense Series Books and an Occupational Therapist. She has a passion for the care, development, and education of babies and young children. Supporting parents on this journey has been her life’s mission.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Baby colic and calming
– Meltdowns, biting and other tricky behaviour: surviving the toddler years
Kath Megaw has been in child nutrition for 20 years. She is South Africa’s leading paediatric dietician and holds four medical qualifications. Kath is passionate about helping families navigate through a wealth of nutritional information that is available to them.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Food fight: trying to feed the fussiest eaters
– Starting solids: a survival guide for parents
Catriona Boffard is a Clinical Sexologist, Psychotherapist, and Sexuality Researcher. She is accredited with the College of Sex & Relationship Therapists (UK), the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapists, and the UK Council for Psychotherapists. She is an expert in the field of sexual behavior, well-being and mental health, and is particularly passionate about working with people who face difficulties in their sexual experience, especially women with sexual pain.
She has published numerous articles and book chapters, including in the Journal of Sexual Medicine and the ESSM handbook of clinical sexology, and hosts the podcast Asking for a Friend, which tackles topics relating to sex, intimacy, relationships and wellbeing. Catriona runs a global practice: consulting with clients, offering clinical supervision and running workshops to people around the world.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Not tonight, honey: sex after giving birth and how to get your mojo back
Affectionately known as “Dr Rico” by his patients, Dr Maraschin is passionate about preventative medicine and building trusted relationships with parents and patients is a priority to him. Well-known among the community, he is highly regarded with providing the best care for babies, toddlers and kids.
He’ll be speaking on:
– My baby seems to be ill. What should I look out for?
– How to treat a child’s fever at home and what you should NEVER do
Tony is a chiropractor who has treated babies and children for close to 20 years, He is passionate about his work and about paediatric spinal health. Tony completed a masters dissertation on chiropractic in the treatment of infantile colic. He is one of the founding members of Paediatric Chiropractic South Africa where he continues to function as an executive member.
He’ll be speaking on:
– Milestones – sitting, crawling, walking
Dr Carmen is a General Practitioner with a special interest in women and child health. She is currently working in the vaccine clinical trials, focusing on paediatric and maternal infectious diseases as well as the more recent COVID19 vaccine trials.
She uses her social media platforms for health education, vaccine advocacy and to share information that is both current and relevant to her as a MomDoc.
She hopes to empower women to make informed decisions about their health as well as that of their children.
She’ll be speaking on:
– The myths about childhood vaccinations that you might still believe are true
Amanda Rogaly is the Founder and Chief Mommy of #1ParentingPortal, BabyYumYum. She is passionate about empowering parenting, leveraging her own parenting journey to educate and inspire others. She was inspired to create BabyYumYum for real parents who understand the stresses and challenges of life.
She’ll be speaking on:
– It wasn’t me – it was the dog: hilarious things no one tells you about pregnancy including how birthing a baby can lead to a new passion being born
Debra Langley is a professional pharmacist, wholefood plant-based nutritionist, DNA consultant, author and keynote speaker with more than 25 years experience in the field of health and wellness. Debra has hosted talks for the PSSA (Pharmaceutical Society of South Africa), the Gauteng General Practitioners Association, Equilibria School of Life, Geneway, The Pharmacy Show, Tsogo Sun, The Pharmacology Conference and many others and has been a contributor to the Natural Medicine Magazine and Oxygen. She is the operations and training manager for Supreme Fertility, passionate about understanding DNA and helping people fall pregnant and have healthy babies.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Reducing miscarriages and increasing IVF success rates
I love people and I love dentistry. Being an oral hygienist in a private practice I have the best of both worlds. I live out my passion for my profession and working with people. I am given the chance to make a difference in people’s lives, to be part of their journey through life and being appreciated for my role in society. I love teaching and I take every opportunity to lecture and share my knowledge and experience in dentistry.
She’ll be speaking on:
– How to get your kids to brush their teeth and why it’s important
– The best accessory you can show off is a beautiful smile
Jolandi and her 24 consultants at Good Night have helped over 8 700 families. She believes that sleep is the fundamental building block of healthy living. She considers education around better sleep and safe sleep as a passion rather than a job. She regularly speaks at seminars, on radio, TV, social media and at events around South Africa.
She’ll be speaking on:
– What is Sleep Training and how to attempt it in a responsible way
Shakti Births is run by Tamryn Schmahl, a certified HypnoBirthing® childbirth educator and doula in Centurion, Gauteng – offering group/private HypnoBirthing classes, doula support, and birth equipment for hire/sale.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Which one is right for you: the difference between a midwife and a doula
Survival CPR was established in 2011 by Sr Catherine Rodwell. With her vast experience in Trauma and ICU, as well working as a flight sister in medical evacuations across Africa, she saw a great need and passion to educate the public about learning basic life support techniques. Survival CPR encompasses a variety of emergency courses to equip parents, nannies, childminders, teachers and employees with the knowledge and skill to affect emergency response when necessary. Survival CPR’s Instructors are all highly trained and qualified ICU and trauma sisters with many years in emergency situations and have vast knowledge to share with course participants.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Would you know how to save your child’s life in an emergency? PLUS CPR Demo
Dr. Unterslak has a passion for reproductive medicine with a special interest in the prevention of recurrent miscarriages and infertility related to sexual dysfunction.
He’ll be speaking on:
– Struggling to fall pregnant: what are the conception options?
Peggie, the founder of Wheel Well, is a committed advocate for child rights in road safety and founded Wheel Well in 2012 with the help of Eugene Herbert from MasterDrive. The Car Seats for Kids campaign has been running for seven years, and more than 8 500 children have benefitted from a safe, clean used car seat. Since Peggie started her work with Wheel Well, the death toll of our children in traffic-related crashes have come down by 24%.
She’ll be speaking on:
– The most important parenting decision you’ll make: why we need car seats and the car seat journey
Dr Natalia Novikova is a highly qualified gynaecologist with extensive international experience who currently works in private practice in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Her special interests are pelvic floor disorders, cosmetic gynaecology, minimally invasive surgery. Dr Novikova is passionate about providing individualised world class care to her patients and helping women to find solutions to their intimate issues that suit their needs.
Dr Natalia comes from Ukraine, she has worked in Sweden, UK and Australia before coming to South Africa. She had dedicated a number of years to the public hospitals in Eastern Cape before embracing her own private practice initially in Cape Town 6 years ago, and subsequentially in Johannesburg. Dr Natalia has recently moved her private practice in Cape Town to a beautiful welcoming location in Vredehoek. Besides gynaecological services Dr Novikova’s practice offers non-invasive body contouring treatments such skin tightening, cellulite treatment and fat reduction.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Cosmetic gynaecology: what is the Orgasm Shot, should every woman have one & more
Theoni weaves together all of her experience as a doula, therapist and Hypnobirthing teacher to bring you Confident Hypnobirthing. Her insights and experience gained from over two decades of attending births, allows Theoni to engage with the deepest concerns of expectant mothers. Her empathy provides a forum for in-depth discussions with both mom-to-be and other parent-to-be.
She’ll be speaking on:
– I can’t keep calm, I’m having a baby! What is Confident Hypnobirthing and a practical experience workshop to create calm
With over twenty-two years of professional experience in South Africa and overseas, Judy Kirkwood’s aim is to provide new couples with confidence and peace of mind on their parenting journey. Judy is a warm, passionate and experienced expert who is renowned for providing proven, research-based care in an honest, easy-going and easily accessible manner.
Judy will provide you with the preparation, techniques and confidence to ensure a smooth beginning for you and your baby. She will also make the process fun and informative, while also helping you feel more confident and relaxed! Her patented Sharklatch technique is easy-to-grasp and will have you breastfeeding like a pro in under an hour! Happy mom = happy baby!
She’ll be speaking on:
– Doing your breast: why breastfeeding is good for you and your baby
Juls is the unofficial “mother” of JEFF, after opening up her own home to the world at the beginning of lock down. A fiercely strong wife to Johno and mother to two little girls, Hunter and Halle, Juls connects with the community in her unique and empathetic way. A qualified kettlebell instructor, makeup artist, & many years working in the pharmaceutical industry, Juls aims to share her passion for fitness, health, and a happy balanced life with everyone
she meets.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Exercising post pregnancy and ‘bouncing back’ after your baby
– Mommy Fitness Workshop
Julie is a mom of three beautiful and adventurous little girls. She is an Occupational Therapist and accredited Car Seat Technician. She is the CEO and Founder of Precious Cargo Child Safety, and is passionate about child safety.
She hopes to empower parents with knowledge to enable them to make the best decisions for their families when it comes to car seat safety, safe sleep, baby carriers etc.
She’ll be speaking on:
– How to strap a baby into a car seat demo, and choosing the safest car seat for your baby
Heather prepares couples for birth and parenting, and supports them afterwards, with breastfeeding and parenting skills to enable them to really enjoy their babies and parent with confidence. She likes to think of her clinic, Thula Baby Centre, as a safe haven of support and nurturing care. Heather has a nursing and midwifery background and is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and is co-author of Pregnancy Sense, with Meg Faure and Jacky Searl.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Should you eat your placenta?
Rianette Leibowitz focuses on Cyber Wellness and is on a mission to save lives by taking a more holistic view of our digital habits. Rianette founded SaveTNet Cyber Safety and has helped many victims of cyberbullying, hacked accounts and more.
In her book “Raising a SCREEN SAVVY Child”, (also available in Afrikaans) Rianette empowers families to become responsible digital citizens while equipping parents with practical tools. Families book Rianette for personal coaching sessions and she speaks at schools, churches, companies and conferences. Additionally, Rianette has played a significant role in the development of cyber safety toolkits for schools and corporate cyber wellness programmes for companies.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Digital Parenting: raising a screen savvy child
Sr Bronwyn Roussot is Next Biosciences Medical Officer and has been with the company for over 5 years. Sr Bronwyn also looks after our Newborn Screening programme, as well as our CSI programme. She is a qualified Nurse and Midwife with over 26 years’ experience in the industry.
She’ll be speaking on:
– What are stem cells and why are they important for your baby?
Alisia is a registered, clinical dietitian working in private practice, with experience in both public and private hospitals. She enjoys working with a wide range of clients, but she has three main areas of interest namely: women’s health and nutrition, child and adolescent nutrition and non-communicable diseases including: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes. She uses up-to-date research and guidelines in which her work is based on. She is passionate about what she does and she always strives for what is best for her patient or client.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Nutrition during pregnancy and why supplementation is recommended
Nicole Canin is a counselling psychologist with over sixteen years of clinical experience. She has a special interest in working with infants, young children and their families. She has worked in private practice, government and private hospitals as well as community clinics. She was the chairperson of the Gauteng Association for Infant Mental Health from 2018-2020. She has developed courses, trained and supervised other professionals in this area. She is currently completing her PhD which focuses on the developing relationship between premature infants and parents in the NICU.
She’ll be speaking on:
– Postnatal depression: when your greatest joy becomes a living nightmare
Dierdrè started her career as a professional nurse and specialized in paediatrics. This shifted to education of young children when she joined Opti-Baby & Kids in 2009.
She currently leads the company as General Manager to offer a premium infant and ECD experience.
She invests her expertise to the continuous development of staff to apply inspired efforts to grow young minds and bodies.
Her passion for children drives her to ensure the company offers an extended family environment through parental partnerships and loving, nurturing care.
Outside of work she is a mother of two boys and enjoys running and cycling
She’ll be speaking on:
– The importance of a quality Pre-School Education Programme
