Winning The Away Game

Ping Productions
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Biweekly

Winning the Away Game launches on 20 November, just before the Ireland Test. This new podcast brings together successful South Africans who have conquered the world and pairs them with Springbok legends, including our co-host Flip van der Merwe. In every episode we look at resilience, legacy and the mindset needed to win when the odds are stacked against you. Whether you love Springbok rugby, business strategy or stories of South African grit going global, this is your new home for insight and inspiration.

  1. 14h ago ·  Video

    From Beauty Salon to Lifeline for South Africans in the US - Lily Van Die Plaas.

    "I am a refugee. That's part of my identity now." Lianda Alkema, known online as Lily van die Plaas, grew up in Mooinooi, ran a beauty salon in Port Edward, and in late 2025 moved her family to Fate, Texas, through the US refugee programme. It took three months from decision to plane. They gave away almost everything they owned. A year later she is a recruitment, marketing and talent community specialist at TUSA Inc., and her page has become a lifeline for South Africans landing across the US, with up to 2,000 messages a day. Justinus and Flip talk to Lianda about leaving her 96-year-old grandmother behind, arriving during the US government shutdown, the women who turned up with Lego and Walmart trolleys, and why so many South Africans are overwhelmed by kindness when they arrive. In this episode - Why she resisted the move, and what changed her mind - Saying goodbye when you can't go back for five years - How a WhatsApp group became Lily van die Plaas - Helping new arrivals find jackets in Buffalo and jobs in Dallas - The first weeks: jet lag, job hunting and mental health - What South Africans abroad can do for the country they left Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:39 Welcome: meet Lily van die Plaas 02:31 Her favourite South African memory 03:22 One year in Fate, Texas 04:41 How the refugee application started 07:23 Three months from decision to plane 07:40 Goodbye to her 96-year-old grandmother 10:17 The quiet moments: family left behind 12:20 Arriving during the US government shutdown 13:44 Walmart trolleys and the women who helped 16:50 "I am a refugee": owning the label 18:42 Mooinooi, the Congo mines and Rustenburg 22:02 Loss and resilience 24:03 How Lily van die Plaas started 25:27 "My kids don't have jackets" 27:02 Moving from Buffalo to Dallas 28:29 "If it wasn't for you" 31:51 Why the job hunt is so hard 33:00 The first weeks and mental health 37:44 Responsibility, and the trust from her salon days 39:55 Recruiting at TUSA Inc. 42:44 Big plans: Lily van die Plaas merch 43:57 South Africa's complexity 45:36 What South Africans abroad can do 50:19 Five years from now 52:26 Thank you and goodbye Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    From Beauty Salon to Lifeline for South Africans in the US - Lily Van Die Plaas.

  2. Oct 29 ·  Video

    Too Much Work, Not Enough People: A South African's American Away Game - Marinus Ferreira

    Too much work, not enough people. That is how Marinus Ferreira sums up the American job market, and why a staffing career that started in Secunda now places South Africans in jobs across the US. In this episode of Winning the Away Game, Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe talk to Marinus about a career that runs from building sites in Israel and the bars of London to Sasol shutdowns, the Middle East and, since 2022, Texas. He explains why South African work ethic is an easy sell to US employers, how he filled a 150-person shutdown in Houston on his own, why recruiting in the US comes down to poaching, and how a training programme inside prisons could change lives. ABOUT MARINUS Marinus Ferreira grew up in Secunda and began his career in accounting and the commercial side of South Africa's industrial economy. He spent more than four years placing people into work in the UK before building a staffing career across major industrial projects in South Africa, the Middle East, Bermuda and the United States. Today he is founder and CEO of TUSA Inc. in Texas and Managing Director of the Southside Group. His work spans industrial staffing, executive search, business transactions and New Beginnings, a TUSA initiative that helps formerly incarcerated people return to stable employment. IN THIS EPISODE - Why South Africans earned 10 shekels an hour more on Israeli building sites - The radio line that made him quit Sasol for London - Running petrochemical shutdowns with 6,000 to 10,000 extra workers - How COVID made the business more money, and the 100% bonus that followed - Moving the family to Texas with eight suitcases - 150 ordered, 143 delivered: the Houston job that made his name in the US - How poaching drives US recruiting - New Beginnings: the plan to teach trades inside prisons - 300+ placements, and only three or four that did not work out CHAPTERS 0:00 Houston: too much work, not enough people 0:50 Welcome: meet Marinus Ferreira 2:17 Favourite Springbok memory 3:10 Growing up in Secunda 4:43 First taste of the world: Israel 7:06 From Sasol to London 12:20 Going it alone: labour-broking 14:44 The shutdown business 16:10 The Middle East 16:31 COVID 18:14 Making it in the US 22:41 Family 25:29 Starting again in Houston 29:02 New Beginnings 31:08 A new talent pipeline 40:26 What's next 43:55 Wrap-up Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    Too Much Work, Not Enough People: A South African's American Away Game - Marinus Ferreira

  3. Oct 22 ·  Video

    Damien Dossin on Why His Best Jobs Came From Relationships, Not Resumes

    Damien Dossin has started from nothing twice. He left East London for Belgian military service without a word of French or Flemish, then followed his American wife to New Jersey in 1997 and built a career of more than two decades in beauty packaging, starting with a bag of samples and a calling list. In this episode he tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe why the moves that shaped his career came through relationships rather than resumes, and why newcomers abroad sometimes have to push their way into a circle. He also speaks openly about the stage four cancer diagnosis that stopped him at the height of his career in 2018, and how it changed the way he handles stress and conflict. This is for South Africans starting over in a new country, salespeople who live with rejection, and executives approaching their next chapter and wondering what comes after the career. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:27 Springbok Memories From Brussels to Baltimore 04:19 Lessons From Selborne College 06:30 Choosing the Belgian Army 10:19 No French, No Flemish, No Friends 15:20 A New Marriage and a Move to America 19:09 Starting Over, Twice 22:55 How South Africans Took Over Baltimore 25:45 A Bag of Samples and a Calling List 29:30 The Diagnosis That Changed Everything 39:27 Why Relationships Beat Resumes 46:39 Giving Back Through Music 49:58 Raising American Kids With South African Roots 55:46 Turning 60 and Deciding What's Next 1:01:46 A South Africa That Works for Everyone Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    Damien Dossin on Why His Best Jobs Came From Relationships, Not Resumes

  4. Oct 15 ·  Video

    Glen Grundy on Selling Up After 27 Years and Deciding in 24 Hours

    Glen Grundy spent 27 years building a Bearing Man Group business in Witbank, starting in the stores on a first paycheque of R750. Then his partner walked into his office with a number on a piece of paper, and he said yes in 24 hours. In this episode he tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe how a family gap year turned into a second business in Utah, sealed by a franchise agreement that is still one text message long, and an eleven-year road to US citizenship. This is for founders weighing an exit, operators starting over in a new country, and South Africans abroad who feel they have to pick a side. Glen's answer is that you don't: be greedy, take both, and never turn your back on the country that made you. KEY TAKEAWAYS A good exit is rare. When a clean one arrives, with no earn-out and the cheque in the bank tomorrow, be ready to decide. Know your number before anyone asks. A recent, honest valuation turned a surprise offer into an easy decision. Trust compounds. A friendship from the army became a franchise agreement with no contract. Sell results, not "smoke and mirrors". Glen asks advertisers to track calls and hold him to account. Relationships open doors that applications can't. Glen is in Utah because two friendships happened to cross there. Staying connected beats staying cynical. Complaining about politicians helps no one; showing up for people back home does. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:31 Three One-Pointers in Paris 07:01 From Boarding School to Tank School 11:20 Back on Civvy Street 14:34 Succession, Then a 24-Hour Exit 18:46 A Gap Year Around the World 21:54 Falling for Utah and a One-Line Deal 25:18 "Measure Me": How The Home Mag Works 28:44 The 11-Year Road to Citizenship 30:39 Pretoria Boys High and Giving Back 36:47 1,000 Miles Nonstop With His Son 38:55 Looking Back With Honesty 41:38 Back to School at 62 47:20 Dakar and the Oil Trail 53:06 Don't Write Off South Africa Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    Glen Grundy on Selling Up After 27 Years and Deciding in 24 Hours

  5. Oct 8 ·  Video

    Honorata Nel: 11 Years to Win Gold. What Came Next?

    Honorata Nel spent eleven years chasing a South African pole vault title. She left corporate and built a business so she could train, then moved her family from Pretoria to Cape Town, New York and Amsterdam. Only after all that did she realise the achievement was never going to give her what she expected. In this episode she tells Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe how a denied green card, a job hunt into a pandemic and two years of trying to do it all forced her to rethink what winning means. This is for driven professionals and South Africans abroad who perform hard in every part of their lives and are quietly wondering what it costs them. Hon is candid about the trade she made, a step back in title in exchange for presence with her kids, and about why serving others gave her more energy, not less. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 02:20 The 1995 World Cup Through Immigrant Eyes 04:30 A Squiggly Career Built Around Training 07:54 The Letter That Ended New York 12:55 Made in Poland, Born in South Africa 17:08 Eleven Years to a National Title 21:22 What Now After the Gold? 22:51 The Book That Changed Her Definition of Winning 28:35 Why New York Was Only Meant to Be Two Years 30:27 Having a Baby Far From Home 32:27 From Performance to Presence 37:57 Two Years to Crack 40:12 A Reset Through Serving Others 43:52 Helping South Africa From Abroad 46:13 Why the Dutch Are Hard to Crack Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    Honorata Nel: 11 Years to Win Gold. What Came Next?

  6. Oct 1 ·  Video

    Surviving Cancer and Starting Over in London - John McLoughlin

    What does starting over look like when you have already built a business across five continents? John McLoughlin founded J2 in South Africa in 2006, working from a shared desk in a Honeydew warehouse. The company now serves more than 800 customers. But when John moved to London in December 2022, breaking into the UK market felt like building a start-up all over again. He says it was “a hundred times harder” than he expected. In this episode of Winning the Away Game, John joins Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe to share the personal story behind that business journey. He speaks openly about losing his infant son, undergoing cancer treatment while working to establish J2, and the support his wife Natalie gave him through those years. We also discuss adapting South African directness for a different market, the emotional toll of moving abroad, and why John has built giving back into the way J2 does business. For founders and South Africans abroad, this conversation offers an honest account of what it takes to keep building through difficult circumstances. Subscribe for more conversations with South Africans building businesses and lives around the world. Which part of John’s story stayed with you? Tell us in the comments. Winning the Away Game is produced in collaboration with The Lekker Network, connecting South Africans around the world to support one another, do business and create lasting impact. https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF Listen on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Website https://wtagpodcast.com/ Chapters 00:00 You’re not dead yet so fix it 00:27 Meet John McLoughlin 01:46 John’s favourite Springbok memories 04:12 Growing up and learning to adapt 09:42 From a spinning studio to software 13:39 Losing his son and facing cancer 17:00 Starting J2 and the return of cancer 20:28 Natalie’s support through treatment 24:15 Living with the loss of a child 29:16 Resilience and finding a fresh start 32:34 Accepting the past and taking the business leap 35:03 The financial crisis and personal debt 37:15 Why London made sense 38:17 Starting over in the UK market 40:02 The difficulty and emotional cost of moving abroad 42:15 A turning point in a Johannesburg hotel room 45:12 Recognising progress and giving back 47:12 Creating opportunities in South Africa 49:23 How J2’s impact fund works 52:42 The lessons John takes forward Justinus Adriaanse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Flip van der Merwe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Produced by Jonathan Warncke at Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    Surviving Cancer and Starting Over in London - John McLoughlin

  7. Sep 24 ·  Video

    Sean Temple on Why Moving Countries Won't Fix What Lives Inside Your Head

    After a tough first year at boarding school, Sean Temple wrote a ten-page letter to Arnold Schwarzenegger — and the signed bodybuilding encyclopaedia that came back set the direction of his life. Decades later, after a career in banking and a humbling encounter with a kettlebell, he opened his own gym in Durban, trained some of the country's leading rugby players and found himself on morning TV, until the business fell apart. In this conversation with Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe, Sean takes full accountability for what went wrong: chasing the fame instead of running the business, taking the wrong advice, and discovering too late that he was the brand. This one is for founders who have become the face of their company, and for South Africans abroad who have ever treated a new country as a fresh start. Sean is candid about ego, therapy and honest friends, about why no move will outrun your problems, and about rebuilding into a role leading AI in banking in Copenhagen. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:40 Springbok Memories From 1981 to Today 04:20 Growing Up Across Southern Africa 08:12 The Letter to Arnold Schwarzenegger 12:19 Road Cycling and Learning to Enjoy the Suffering 16:39 London and the South African Work Ethic 19:14 Humbled by a Kettlebell 24:13 Building a Gym and Training Rugby Stars 26:56 Where It Went Wrong 31:17 The 5am Drive That Changed Everything 33:25 Ego, Resilience and Starting From Zero 38:59 You Can't Outrun Your Problems 42:11 Copenhagen, AI and Life Among the Danes 48:31 Building a South Africa That Works for Everyone 53:30 Looking Ahead to Australia 2027 Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    Sean Temple on Why Moving Countries Won't Fix What Lives Inside Your Head

  8. Sep 17 ·  Video

    Kemp Swanepoel - Turning Down Sweden and Japan to Bet Everything on Canada

    Kemp Swanepoel is the CFO of Ford Motor Company in Canada, and his career turns on a day he didn't have to show up: a finance guy who volunteered to smash car windows at a product demo for Volvo, and met the executives who would later call him out of the blue. In this episode he takes Justinus Adriaanse and Flip van der Merwe from seven schools before the age of ten, to walking away from the audit route, to turning down Sweden and Japan and betting everything on Canada. This is for South Africans abroad, and anyone weighing the move, who want an honest account of what relocation really costs a family: the slow build of self-doubt, the friendships that fade, and a culture that makes spending far too easy. Kemp shares the simple decision ritual he and his wife return to whenever they question the move, how he leads a large team by taking the pressure off them, and why he believes South Africans abroad should refuse to assimilate. CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction 01:37 The Anthem in the Lounge 03:56 Faith, Family and Fitness 05:57 Seven Schools and an Ironman 09:29 Love, Audit and a First CFO Job 1 4:13 Smashing Windows for Volvo 17:11 How Constant Change Shaped Him 20:37 Betting Everything on Canada 25:00 The List That Ends the Blame Game 28:30 Reasons, Seasons and Lifetimes 30:43 Staying True in a Spending Culture 33:23 Friendships, Trust and Letting Go 38:05 Efficiency and Rising the Tide 43:07 From Volvo to Ford 46:37 Building a South Africa That Works Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa’s top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/

    Kemp Swanepoel - Turning Down Sweden and Japan to Bet Everything on Canada
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About

Winning the Away Game launches on 20 November, just before the Ireland Test. This new podcast brings together successful South Africans who have conquered the world and pairs them with Springbok legends, including our co-host Flip van der Merwe. In every episode we look at resilience, legacy and the mindset needed to win when the odds are stacked against you. Whether you love Springbok rugby, business strategy or stories of South African grit going global, this is your new home for insight and inspiration.

Information

  • Creator
    Ping Productions
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Winning The Away Game

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