By: Natasha Archary
Rachel Kolisi has come a long way from her attempted suicide at the age of 15, and is now an inspirational force, businesswoman and philanthropist, apart from her most coveted titles of mom and wife.
In an interview with Mpoomy Ledwaba 2-years ago, the wife of Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi shared her struggle with depression, and substance abuse.
Through her joint foundation with Siya, Rachel hopes to make a difference in the lives of the youth who may feel like there’s no other way out, except to end their lives.
Snippets from Rachel’s 2021 interview with Mpoomy reveals a woman who draws strength from God, as she quotes verses from the Bible and puts the words into practice in her life, and that of her family’s every day.
A glimpse at her life today would never reveal the torment Rachel faced in her teen years, which is testimony to the adage, “You never truly know what people are going through until you actually hear it from them.”
Her parent’s divorce pushed Rachel into a dark place of self-harm
Rachel’s parent’s divorce pushed her into a dark place of self-harm, and she started cutting herself.
She was also, through friends, introduced to cigarettes and alcohol, using started smoking and drinking as coping mechanisms, spiraling in and out of depression and dependency.
“I know everyone in their teenage years has their own struggles. Mine were because of my parents’ divorce and we were all involved in that process and dragged in middle of it a lot.
My parents’ divorce was really challenging, I lost my way so much and found myself in unhealthy friendship circles.
They would be like, ‘if you’re having a bad day, let’s have a drink or a smoke’, and that’s the environment I found myself in and it just spirals. Depression does that.
I was in a hole and I just wished that someone would drop down a ladder or a rope.
At 15, I tried to take my own life. I spent two to three years cutting myself and crying for help but not finding it.”
An excerpt from Rachel’s 2021 interview with Mpoomy Ledwaba
Today, Rachel Kolisi is the driving force of her family, and through her foundation helping by dropping down a ladder or rope to those who are in the same place she was in at 15.
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