Becoming: A journey of reinvention, healing, and building Silo Luxury

There is just something so powerful and sacred about becoming. It’s not always graceful, and that is what makes it beautiful - the duality of being able to hold the contradictions of being soft yet powerful, broken yet whole, and that delicate balance of growing while grieving.

Nonkululeko Kubheka

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been drawn to beauty, and not just in the aesthetic sense, but in the emotional and soulful sense. I find beauty in stillness, in softness, and in the small moments that are grounding. And that is the essence of womanhood to me; it’s not always loud or performative. It is often quiet, nurturing, and resilient.

What makes me tick as a woman is exactly that: our ability to create and nurture. We nurture even when no one nurtures us back. We speak life into others while still learning to believe in our own magic. For me, that creation has taken shape in so many different ways - as a mother, as a founder, and as a woman who walked away from familiarity to begin again.

When I moved provinces to start over, I wasn’t just relocating. I was rebuilding. It was the scariest but boldest decision I have ever had to make…one rooted in instinct, not certainty. I walked away from a permanent corporate job at a global luxury brand and everything familiar, to chase a whisper that said, ‘Nonku, there’s more for you!’. And while this journey is still slowly unfolding in an intrinsically rewarding manner, it has already stretched me in ways I could have never imagined. There were days I felt completely alone. Days when I questioned everything... sometimes I kinda still do. But there’s something beautiful about building a life from the ground up on your terms, with your own hands.

One of the hardest parts of this journey has been the process of reinvention.

Reinventing yourself is not just about changing your career or environment - it’s about confronting the parts of you that were performing, pleasing, or simply surviving. It’s about asking, “Who am I really, when I’m not who they told me to be?”. The greatest lesson I’ve learned is that I don’t need permission to evolve. Reinvention is actually so messy, but it’s also liberating when you find your rhythm. And true to my first name, Nonkululeko (meaning mother of freedom in isiZulu), I am always seeking that which emancipates me. Every version of me has been necessary, even the ones I felt yanked out of and outgrew.

The inspiration that changed my life

Nonkululeko and Silosomanzini

I’m inspired by women who keep showing up for themselves, even when it’s tough. But my greatest muse is my son, Silosomanzini, the heart behind Silo Luxury. Becoming his mother changed everything. He reminds me of what truly matters - love, presence, and building something that will outlive us. That’s why Silo Luxury carries his name. It’s more than a brand; it’s a reflection of the love and purpose he has brought into my life.

A turning point in my life came after I lost my father in 2018. That loss shook the foundation of my faith. It left a lingering ache that reshaped everything I thought I knew about God, about timing, about myself. Then, 6 years later, in a moment that felt deeply divine, I resigned from my job on the same date my father passed away. Completely unplanned because something unexpected happened at work while I was also grieving something personal. The night before, I had dreamt of him helping me pack in my apartment; he was in such a hurry. I just knew something had shifted. That moment felt like confirmation and like his spirit was giving me the nudge I needed. That experience reminded me that God and our ancestors walk with us, especially when we step into the unknown.

Embracing healing

Healing from all of it, the grief, the heartbreak, the letting go, has not been linear. I’ve had to be incredibly patient with myself. Some seasons have felt heavy and still. Others have been filled with light and movement. This has taught me that healing isn’t a destination, but a daily decision…to keep choosing peace, even when the storms surround me. For me, healing has looked like a prayer. Like silence. Like lighting a candle and just breathing through the noise. It’s been in the small, sacred moments that I’ve found the most comfort.

That’s also what led me to create Silo Luxury. I wanted to offer more than just beautiful artisanal items. I wanted to offer tools for people like me who are healing, evolving, and recalibrating. Every candle, home fragrance, décor piece and every self-care ritual is made with intention. These are sensory experiences designed to anchor you. To remind you of who you are. To bring you back to yourself.

Silo Luxury Collection

If there’s one thing I’d tell someone in a season of transition, it’s this: you are not broken or doomed, you are falling forward and being rerouted. God is positioning you for your rightful kingdom blessings. Sometimes endings are necessary beginnings.

How does that song go? ‘Every new beginning comes from another beginning’s end’…you won’t always understand the timing or the process, but trust that it’s all part of your becoming.

Let the mess teach you. Let the stillness stretch you. And let yourself be surprised by what blooms after the great collapse.

With everything I’ve experienced: grief, growth, motherhood, reinvention - I’d say my superpower is alchemy. I know how to take what was meant to break me and turn it into something beautiful. I know how to transmute pain into purpose. That’s what I pour into my work. That’s what Silo Luxury is made of.

Silo Luxury Collection

Gratitude

As I reflect on the year, what I’m most grateful for is solace...

After years of emotional chaos, repetitive cycles, and confusion, I have finally found an inner stillness that can’t be shaken. I’ve also found vision, community, and the courage to keep becoming.

To every woman reading this: you are allowed to evolve. You are allowed to pivot and outgrow. Just make sure it finds you strong-willed and anchored in God or whichever higher power you conform to. Don’t shrink to fit into spaces that no longer honour you. You were made to dominate spaces! You are not too much, you are just the perfect dose of magic.

Journeying on...

So right now I am focused on expanding Silo Luxury - a luxury home and self-care brand rooted in scent, memory, and healing. We offer handcrafted home decor, luxury candles, diffusers, room & linen mists, and are slowly building a collection of nourishing skin rituals made to restore and protect your peace.

You can connect with me on Instagram @silo_luxury, TikTok @siloluxury, and request our catalogue to order from orders@silo-luxury.com via email. 

Soon, you will be able to visit www.silo-luxury.com to experience the full range.