The University of Pretoria’s (UP) alumni-driven LeadUP Podcast has released a new episode featuring poet, social entrepreneur and UP alumna Puno Selesho, whose work straddles the worlds of law, business, performance and community building. Fittingly released ahead of Women’s Month in South Africa, the episode celebrates a UP graduate whose creativity and leadership are making an impact across sectors.

The new episode explores Selesho’s unconventional career path – from graduating with an LLB from UP to becoming a sought-after spoken word performer and the creative director of her own business, Harvest House Creative Agency. She also holds a certificate in social entrepreneurship from UP’s Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), awarded in 2020.

As a spoken word artist, Selesho has performed for presidents, business leaders and global audiences. But behind the lyrical brilliance lies a deeper purpose: to use creativity as a tool for transformation – personal, social and systemic.

“It taught me that hope is a weapon on this battlefield called life,” she says in the episode. “And it’s the weapon I choose to have in my artillery.”

The LeadUP Podcast was launched in July 2021 by UP’s Alumni Relations Office to spotlight extraordinary UP alumni and associates whose lives are defined by innovation, leadership and impact. Now in its fifth season, Selesho joins a list of previous UP alumnus guests that includes Tatjana Smith, Olympic gold medallist; Clement Manyathela, radio and TV broadcaster; Laurie Dippenaar, co-founder of FirstRand Financial Group; Ndavi Nokeri, Miss South Africa 2022; Faan van der Walt, co-founder of WeBuyCars; Deepa Sita, Chief Financial Officer at Tiger Brands; and Dion Shango, Africa CEO at PwC.

Dr Samantha Castle, Senior Alumni Relations Manager at UP, says this episode exemplifies the podcast’s purpose: “Puno speaks with depth, honesty and humility – qualities that make this conversation not just inspiring, but profoundly human. Her story is a reminder that success isn’t always linear. It’s about living with purpose, creating beauty, and using your gifts in service of something greater – qualities that we see everywhere among UP’s alumni body of more than 300 000 graduates around the world. We are proud to be able to share some of these inspiring alum stories through the LeadUP Podcast.”

In her interview, Selesho reflects on how studying law shaped her early career direction, but creativity soon took centre stage. She shares her experience of building a business that supports creatives – not just in producing great work, but in developing sustainable careers.

“There needs to be humility…,” she says. “The purpose of art is to serve, to make spaces more beautiful, to make people more human.”

Through Harvest House Creative Agency, Selesho curates projects that bring together artists, thinkers and social changemakers. The agency acts as both a platform and a springboard for African creatives who want to use their craft for good.

Listeners also get a glimpse into her philosophy on navigating creative work with intention. Selesho speaks candidly about writer’s block, burnout, and honouring the rhythms of one’s life and energy.

“Creativity is seasonal – I truly believe so,” she says. “If you overwork the ground, so to speak, you’re either going to create from an inauthentic place, or you're not going to be happy with what you're making.”

Selesho’s emphasis on hope – not as a soft sentiment, but as a powerful stance – runs like a thread throughout the conversation.

“Hope for me is foundational in choosing how to approach life,” she reflects. “People have other things – intelligence, wisdom, critical thinking – and all of those are good. But without hope, none of those things has its proper place.”

It’s this blend of grounded pragmatism and soulful insight that makes the episode a rich and layered listen. Whether you're a creative, an entrepreneur, a student, or someone navigating career change, Selesho offers wisdom that is both practical and poetic.

In the episode, she speaks about embracing professional seasons of change – and how to keep showing up with authenticity even when the path isn’t clear.

“You need to tend your own garden first before you go tend the gardens of others,” she says, quoting a sentiment that has guided her through seasons of rest, creativity and reinvention.

With each episode, the LeadUP Podcast seeks to deepen connections between the University and its alumni community – and to share stories that spark courage and ambition across generations.

	Download, listen and subscribe to the LeadUP Podcast today – visit www.up.ac.za/alumni/podcasts, find the LeadUP Podcast in your favourite podcast app, or watch it on YouTube.