Heart of gold: Heidi Marais. Photo: Saleem Naidoo
Jewellery designer and teacher Heidi Marais creates the opportunity for her students to express their creativity. She also volunteers her time on the Gauteng Climbing Committee to inspire and grow the climbing community.
A qualified goldsmith and jewellery designer, Heidi launched her studio, Soul Inspiration, in Bryanston, Johannesburg, two years ago. There, she teaches people how to make jewellery, with a keen focus on female empowerment through her craft.
“I started my jewellery studio so that I could create an environment to inspire the soul through creativity,” she explains. “I do team-building workshops for six people at a time. It’s a space where people can just switch off from their everyday life, and experience what it’s like to create something out of metal. They create with tools and files, they hammer and melt metal, and in the end, leave with a beautiful piece of jewellery.”
Having grown up with little means, Heidi understands that it can take decades to become an overnight success. To this end, she is grateful for what she and her husband have managed to manifest in their lives, hence her focus on giving back to others.
Besides her studio, Heidi also runs retreats for women, giving them space to recharge their batteries through sound journeys, yoga, meditation, healthy meals and creative exercises.
Heidi is also an avid climber and active member of the Gauteng Climbing Committee, where her role is to grow the prevalence of the sport.
“We have a Gauteng team that competes nationally, and in fact my son, Jasper, is now in the Protea team. And we’re going to Helsinki in July this year,” she adds with pride. “So, my purpose there is to inspire and grow Gauteng climbing. It’s a relatively new sport, so trying to grow it, trying to transform it, and trying to find ways to create funding is challenging and exciting.”
Gauteng Climbing is a non-profit organisation, and it goes without saying that the time Heidi puts into the organisation is done free of charge.
Heidi prioritises time with her family by combining it with her love of exercise: doing CrossFit together three times a week and climbing three times a week with her son, while also running her jewellery school, her household and the family’s finances at large.
“Even when we had far less as a family, we always had a culture of saving. To this end, we ensure that we teach our son to respect money, as it can be used as a tool for empowerment. For many years, we have taught Jasper to use his monthly allowance responsibly, through a system of four glass Consol jars. So, for every R100 he receives, R50 goes into the spend jar, R30 into the invest jar, R10 into a short-term savings jar, and R10 to charity. As the ‘minister of finance’ of our household, it’s a habit I sincerely hope he takes into his adult life.”
But it’s her need to teach and inspire the soul through creativity that motivates Heidi.
“I coached climbing to children for five years. I love children. I once had a workshop where there were six 12-year-old girls who came and made something. That was just amazing, inspiring them to work with their hands. I’m a giver by nature,” she says.
As a self-professed Jill of many trades, Heidi’s life is a balance between raising their son, growing her small business, supporting her husband and running their household, while also making time for her health.
Finding a balance, Heidi says, stems from her passion for all aspects of her work and home life, explaining, “I find my balance in creating beautiful things. Whether a beautiful jewellery piece, a beautiful home, a beautiful experience climbing in the mountains, or just a beautiful dinner as a family around our kitchen table.”
By balancing caregiving, careers, and community roles, mothers contribute significantly to both the economy and social well-being, underscoring their value to society.