Samantha Macfie

I have always felt an innate urge, more accurately: an indomitable drive to make an impact. To foster a life that has meaning outside of myself. This lead me to founding my first charitable trust during university aimed at funding therapeutic and healthcare services for children with neurological conditions in an underprivileged area in Johannesburg. Following that, this drive led to my becoming a neuro-physiotherapist and to working in a number of healthcare settings in South Africa. A role where I found the opportunity to be a source of hope during the most challenging of times extremely fulfilling and the intricate nature of treating acute neurological conditions rewarding and challenging. With compassion and a keen yearning for innovation and out of the box strategies, I prioritized serving my patients and their families to the best of my abilities. Contrastingly, this experience also brought forward some big questions. Is the physical and functional rehabilitation of individuals enough? Does it create enough of a meaningful, resilient change? Does our current healthcare system in South Africa adequately achieve its mission of rehabilitation? What does successful rehabilitation look like and who defines it? Is it functional or physical recovery or is it a return to a meaningful, purposeful life with autonomous participation in a broader community and societal context? I have always been somewhat of a disruptor, unable to resign myself to the 'that's just the way it is' mindset and so birthed my most recent venture, Teamworkz. A company that strives to impact individuals living with neurological conditions through providing an opportunity for meaningful social and life participation whilst enticing the existing rehabilitation landscape in South Africa to evolve with global trends of community driven healthcare.