🎙️ The Incredible Machines Podcast – Episode 22: Thobani Ndlovu
Leading Through Curiosity

Welcome to Episode 22 of The Incredible Machines Podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, Jon Oliff and Luke Holden sit down with Thobani Ndlovu, an architect, author, and TEDx Durban curator, for a deep conversation on creativity, personal growth, and building platforms for transformation. Thobani shares his unconventional journey into architecture, how feeding the homeless led to a discovery of his voice, and the behind-the-scenes reality of bringing TEDx to Durban.

Through themes of curiosity, community, and the courage to challenge personal limits, Thobani offers listeners a refreshing reminder: you don’t have to fit in a box; you can build your own.

Thobani Ndlovu is a South African architect, TEDx Durban curator, entrepreneur, and author of Leading Through the Mirror. A passionate advocate for personal leadership, he has built platforms that empower voices, inspire change, and encourage introspection. Thobani is also the co-founder of the nonprofit Legacy Creators and a speaker devoted to conversations that matter.

Through themes of curiosity, community, and the courage to challenge personal limits.

⏱ Timestamped Overview

00:00- Introduction
01:00 – The power of curiosity & starting TEDx Durban
03:00 – Growing up between Greytown and Pietermaritzburg
06:00 – Struggles fitting in at school and varsity
10:00 – Discovering architecture by accident
13:00 – The creative vs. practical tension in architectural work
18:00 – Sports, failure, and resilience as life lessons
21:00 – Close-knit family and growing up with a single mother
26:00 – Volunteering, feeding the homeless & discovering his voice
30:00 – Writing ‘Leading Through the Mirror’ and founding TEDx Durban
36:00 – Building TEDx Durban: challenges, breakthroughs, and purpose
41:00 – The behind-the-scenes work no one sees
44:00 – Trip to TEDx London & international inspiration
58:00 – Learning from failure & embracing public platforms
01:03:00 – Why curiosity matters more than comfort

💬 Quote of the Episode

"We suffer more in imagination than in reality." - Seneca

🧠 Related Campaign Example

Thobani admires how this cinematic campaign used cultural symbolism and national pride to unite South Africans around a shared identity. It sparked his early understanding of representation, legacy, and the power of sport as a narrative tool.

Sasol Spingboks Ad: https://youtu.be/G_kThmkABac

👣 Relevant Links

TEDx Durban Website: https://tedxdurban.org/
TEDx Durban Profile: https://www.ted.com/profiles/11198205
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thobanindlovu_/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThobaniNdlovuPage
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thobani-ndlovu-4a5563190/
Book: Leading Through the Mirror by Thobani Ndlovu

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🎧 Podcast Page: https://www.pod.tim.africa

TOMANDO PIPAS con RICARDO DE PASCUAL y JESÚS ARROYO enGrama - Psicología T02 E13