The climb that changed everything: Saray Khumalo’s story
Three times, Mount Everest forced Saray Khumalo to turn back. What she learned on that mountain changed everything.
What do you do when life forces you to change direction? Jacaranda FM has partnered with Saray Khumalo to launch a powerful new JacPod Original, When Shift Happens, a podcast exploring how leaders rise through uncertainty, challenge and change.
Launched today, When Shift Happens is a new podcast hosted by Saray and co-produced with Jacaranda FM as part of its JacPod Originals lineup.
In the series, Saray sits down with leaders, professionals, athletes and change-makers to explore the moments that tested them and what those experiences taught them about leadership, resilience and growth.
The podcast opens with a deeply personal first episode, where Saray shares her own story. It is an honest reflection on persistence, identity and the lessons learned through challenge, setting the tone for the conversations that follow throughout the series.
Listen to Episode 1 of When Shift Happens at the top of the page or directly below:
From Episode 2 onwards, the podcast expands into conversations with leaders from different fields, each offering insight into how they navigated uncertainty, adapted to change and continued to move forward.
Each episode focuses on practical lessons and real-world experience, making the podcast relevant to anyone facing change in their career, leadership journey or personal life.
Leadership in moments of change
When Shift Happens forms part of Jacaranda FM’s JacPod Originals, the station’s premium podcast platform showcasing original, high-quality audio storytelling.
Through this partnership, Jacaranda FM and Saray have created a podcast designed to support listeners navigating career shifts, leadership challenges and personal transitions.
Each episode offers practical insight, honest reflection and grounded lessons on resilience, growth and responding when plans do not unfold as expected.
The series moves beyond achievement and focuses on the mindset required to continue leading when circumstances change.
A series for real conversations
Throughout the series, Saray sits down with leaders across industries to explore how pivotal moments shaped their paths and what those experiences taught them about leadership and personal growth.
These conversations reflect Jacaranda FM’s continued investment in meaningful, locally produced podcast content through its JacPod Originals platform.
The result is a podcast grounded in lived experience, practical leadership and the belief that shifts can become turning points.
Listen and subscribe
Listen on JacarandaFM.com under JacPod | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Listen on YouTube
About Saray Khumalo
Saray Khumalo is an award-winning mountaineer, business executive, speaker and author. She made history as the first Black African woman to summit Mount Everest and has also completed the Seven Summits challenge, climbing the highest mountain on each continent. Beyond mountaineering, Saray has built a successful corporate career and is the founder of Summits With a Purpose, an initiative that raises funds and builds physical and digital libraries in disadvantaged African communities. Through her partnership with Jacaranda FM, she now brings her leadership insights to audiences through When Shift Happens, a JacPod Original podcast dedicated to helping others navigate change and realise their potential.