About Yolande and Cape Belle Collective

My name is Yolande, and Cape Belle Collective grew out of a life that did not follow the script.

I was born and raised in South Africa. For many years, my life looked settled from the outside. I had a career in corporate marketing, a marriage and a familiar community around me. Then my son was born, and life began to take a different shape.

My son is non verbal and autistic. Early on, it became clear that he would need specialist support that was not easily available where we lived. Almost ten years ago, I made the hardest and clearest decision of my life. I left South Africa and moved to the United Kingdom so he could access the care he deserves.

I left behind my family, close friends and a dream job. I arrived in a new country where nothing felt familiar and the future was full of question marks. Over time, my marriage ended. I had to rebuild not only a practical life, but a sense of who I was.

Immigration, motherhood in complex circumstances and divorce all reshaped me. There were years that felt like a constant wave of challenge. Navigating the care system. Learning the language of diagnosis and support. Rebuilding a career in a new market. Parenting a child whose needs did not match the parenting books.

Alongside the hard parts, there were moments of deep beauty. Quiet, wordless connection with my son. Female friendships rooted in honesty. New communities that formed when I allowed myself to tell the truth about how life actually felt.

Mothering a child with autism has been the most humbling experience of my life. It has required patience, resilience and a kind of love that does not depend on milestones or expectations. It has also been the reason I chose to become a trained mental health advocate and to put my energy behind diversity and inclusion work.

Across all of these chapters, one theme kept returning. I am at my best when I am caring for my own wellbeing as well as everyone else’s. Not in a superficial sense, but in the way I move, sleep, eat, connect and create.

I developed a deep interest in mental health, strength training, movement, nutrition, beauty and intentional living. These choices helped me feel grounded in a life that could easily have become defined only by stress and responsibility.

Cape Belle Collective was born from this place. It is a wellness and lifestyle platform for women who are redefining themselves through strength, wellbeing and intentional living. It is for women who have lived enough life to know that things do not always go to plan, and who are ready to meet midlife with curiosity rather than fear.

Here, I share stories from my own journey, reflections on wellbeing, strength and identity, and resources that have helped me along the way. My hope is that you will find a sense of recognition and encouragement, whether you are navigating motherhood, career changes, diagnosis, relocation, or your own quiet reinvention.

Women do not disappear with age. We refine.

If you are standing somewhere between who you were and who you are becoming, I am glad you are here.