Purpose, power & building a life of impact

FOR decades, Margaret Hirsh has been a formidable figure in South Africa’s business landscape a woman who built an empire brick-by-brick, not just through ambition but through an unwavering belief in discipline, generosity, and heart-led leadership.

The House of Motherly is a storytelling platform designed to explore the different “rooms” of our inner lives. Each room holds a theme, a purpose, and a particular kind of wisdom. The Study / Library is where we explore purpose, leadership, career evolution, self-belief, and the courage it takes to write and rewrite your story.

Margaret arrives in this room carrying the wisdom and light of a life that has been built with intention. Her story begins in modest circumstances and ascends into one of South Africa’s most recognised entrepreneurial success narratives. Yet what stands out most in conversation with her is not the empire, it is the ethos.

In our discussion, Margaret speaks candidly about discipline: the kind that anchors you when motivation runs dry. She shares the simple, non-negotiable habits that shaped her leadership, from morning rituals to structured planning to finding meaning in service to others. She reflects on how success doesn’t come from luck or a single breakthrough, but from “doing the small things right, over and over, even when no one is watching.”

The conversation is open and reflective around childhood memories and Margaret as a young girl. How she went on to paving a way of hard work and immense discipline, as well as asking her if she thought there was place for compassion in the boardroom. Margaret gives practical tools for money, mindset and momentum.

I also loved the story of how she built a business model rooted not only in profit but in community upliftment, women empowerment, and the belief that when one woman rises, many rise with her.

Inside the Study, the theme of legacy becomes a thread woven through every answer. Margaret’s understanding of legacy extends far beyond financial success, it is about the people one lifts along the way. She talks about mentorship not as a nice-to-have, but as a responsibility. She explains how leadership must be modelled, not spoken, and she offers generous, practical tools for anyone navigating their own career pivot: setting clear intentions, building a support system, cultivating self-belief, and valuing consistency over intensity.

What becomes clear is that Margaret doesn’t separate her personal story from the story of the people she serves. Her leadership is deeply relational. She lights up when she speaks about helping young people start their own businesses, or guiding women through self-doubt into self-trust. For her, the Study is not a place of ego, it is a classroom, a sanctuary of learning, a place of passing the torch.

What has stayed with me long after this conversation ended is how often Margaret’s words resurface in my everyday life. One story in particular continues to echo her account of being rear-ended on the way to the airport, and the conscious way she chose her response to the person who hit her.

There was no reactionary anger, no escalation, just a measured, human response rooted in awareness. It was such a simple moment, yet it landed with immense weight. It reminded me, in the most grounded way, of how powerful our words truly are. How what we say especially in moments of stress or inconvenience has the capacity to either fracture or soften a situation.

Since that conversation, I’ve noticed myself pausing more, choosing my words with greater care, understanding that language is not just communication, it is creation.

Equally striking is Margaret’s clarity around momentum. She shares an image that I find myself returning to often that of a train hurtling down a track. When momentum is in motion, a small obstacle placed on the tracks won’t stop it; the train moves forward regardless. It is such a powerful metaphor for life and leadership a reminder to keep moving, to stay in action, to trust the forward motion you’ve built.

Yet what makes Margaret’s wisdom so balanced is that she holds this alongside the importance of pause. Momentum, she reminds us, does not mean relentless speed. There must be moments of deep gratitude, reflection, and stillness spaces where we acknowledge how far we’ve come before continuing forward. That balance drive paired with presence feels like one of the most valuable lessons to carry out of the Study and into our lives.

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