Sonja Stribling brings a new Heritage Month conversation to South Africa
SONJA STRIBLING BRINGS A NEW HERITAGE MONTH CONVERSATION TO SOUTH AFRICA
U.S. Army retired Major, combat veteran, entrepreneur and business strategist visits Johannesburg September 6–14, challenging women to think beyond what they inherited and consider the legacy they are building for generations to come.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — September 2026 — As South Africa celebrates
Heritage Month this September, international business strategist and transformational leader Dr. Sonja Stribling is bringing a different question to the conversation:
What will they inherit because you lived?
Dr. Stribling, a retired U.S. Army Major, combat veteran, entrepreneur, author and international speaker, will visit Johannesburg from September 5–14, 2026, where she will participate in speaking engagements, media interviews and conversations with South African entrepreneurs, thought leaders and business leaders.
Her message during the visit centers on a powerful reimagining of heritage:
“Heritage isn’t only what you inherit. It’s what you build, change and leave behind.” — Dr. Sonja Stribling
Through the concept HERitage: The Legacy She Builds, Dr. Stribling is opening a conversation about the intersection of women, wealth, leadership, entrepreneurship, identity and legacy.
The timing is significant. South Africa’s August Women’s Month conversations around women’s advancement, leadership and economic participation naturally transition into September’s Heritage Month — creating an opportunity to examine not only the legacy women have inherited, but the economic, professional and personal legacy today’s women are creating for those who will follow them.
FROM HERITAGE TO HER LEGACY
For Dr. Stribling, heritage is not simply about looking backward.
It is also about asking what we are intentionally building forward.
What beliefs will the next generation inherit from us?
What businesses will they inherit?
What wealth will they inherit?
What opportunities will exist because we were here? And perhaps most importantly:
What generational patterns will end with us?
“Heritage tells us something about where we came from. Legacy forces us to ask where we’re taking the generations coming behind us,” says Dr. Stribling. “We can honor what we’ve inherited while still having the courage to change what should not be passed forward.”The conversation extends beyond traditional definitions of women’s empowerment. Dr. Stribling believes true empowerment must also include economic participation, ownership, entrepreneurship, leadership and wealth creation.
FROM TEENAGE MOTHER TO THE BATTLEFIELD AND BOARDROOM
Dr. Stribling brings an extraordinary personal story to the HERitage conversation. She became aother at 14. She later joined the United States Army, serving for 21 years, completing three combat tours and ultimately retiring as a Major.
Following her military career, she reinvented herself again — entering entrepreneurship, media, speaking and business strategy. Today, she works with entrepreneurs, CEOs and experts to help them strengthen their leadership, grow their businesses and turn their knowledge, experience and influence into revenue.
Her journey has taken her from the battlefield to the boardroom, but she says one of the most important decisions she made had nothing to do with a military rank or business title. It was deciding what her children and the generations following her would inherit because of the choices she made.
“At some point, I had to decide whether my children would inherit my circumstances or the choices I made to change them.” — Dr. Sonja Stribling That decision became part of the foundation for her work today.
A CONVERSATION WITH SOUTH AFRICA — NOT A MESSAGE TO SOUTH AFRICA
Dr. Stribling says her visit is not about an American leader arriving to tell South African women what empowerment should look like.
Instead, she sees the trip as an opportunity for shared conversation, connection and learning across cultures.
South Africa has its own extraordinary history of women whose leadership, courage, entrepreneurship and advocacy have shaped families, communities and the nation. HERitage creates an opportunity to ask:
What will this generation add to that legacy?
Dr. Stribling hopes to engage South African entrepreneurs, women leaders and changemakers in conversations about what American and South African women can learn from one another about resilience, leadership, entrepreneurship, economic advancement and generational legacy.
WOMEN. WEALTH. POWER. LEGACY.
The HERitage conversation explores four interconnected areas:
WOMEN Who must women become to lead the next generation?
WEALTH How do women move beyond earning income toward ownership, assets and generational economic power?
POWER What happens when women fully recognize the power of their voice, expertise, leadership and influence?
LEGACY What are we intentionally building today that will continue to create opportunity after we’re gone?
Dr. Stribling believes entrepreneurship can play a particularly important role.
“For many women, entrepreneurship isn’t simply about owning a business. It can become a vehicle for changing the economic trajectory of an entire family,” she says. “When a woman builds something sustainable, the impact can extend far beyond her own lifetime.”
AVAILABLE FOR SOUTH AFRICAN MEDIA INTERVIEWS
During her Johannesburg visit, Dr. Sonja Stribling will be available for select television, radio, podcast, print and digital interviews from September 4–13, 2026.
Potential interview topics include:
- HERitage: What Will They Inherit Because You Lived?
- Women, Wealth & Economic Power: Why empowerment must include ownership and wealth creation
- From the Battlefield to the Boardroom: Leadership lessons from 21 years in the U.S. Army
- Breaking Generational Patterns: Honoring where you came from without being limited by it
- Entrepreneurship as Legacy: Building businesses that change families and communities
- The Reinvention Conversation: Becoming the person your next level requires
- Women & Leadership: What today’s women are building for the generation coming behind them
SUGGESTED TELEVISION / RADIO CONVERSATION STARTER
“When we talk about heritage, we often discuss what previous generations left us. But what are
today’s women building that the next generation will inherit?”
ABOUT DR. SONJA STRIBLING
Dr. Sonja Stribling is a life and business strategist, international speaker, author, retired U.S. Army Major and combat veteran.
After becoming a mother at 14, Dr. Stribling went on to serve 21 years in the United States Army, complete three combat tours and retire as a Major before transitioning into entrepreneurship, media and business strategy. Today, she helps entrepreneurs, CEOs and experts strengthen their leadership, grow their businesses and turn their knowledge, experience and influence into revenue.
Her media appearances and features have included CNN, NBC, BET and FOX, and she previously appeared as a television host on Bravo. She is the author of From the Battlefield to the Boardroom and a recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. Through Dr. Sonja Brands and P3 University, Dr. Stribling’s work focuses on leadership, entrepreneurship, business growth, sales, revenue expansion and personal transformation. She will be in Johannesburg, South Africa, September 6–14, 2026.
MEDIA CONTACT
Rochelle Hazel
Media Relations Manager
Dr. Sonja Brands
Media Requests: Media@DrSonjaBrands.com
Website: www.DrSonjaBrands.com
Johannesburg Media Availability: September 6–14, 2026
Television • Radio • Podcasts • Print • Digital • Business Media
