From Silenced Child to Celebrated Author: The Journey of Lehlohonolo Mazindo
Who I Am
My name is Lehlohonolo Lucas Mazindo—most know me as Mr. Maz. I was born in the mining town of Welkom, Free State—South Africa; and now reside in Pretoria, Gauteng—South Africa. I’m a Registered Counsellor with the HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa), a Relationship Therapist, Mental Health Practitioner, Psychology Lecturer, and Keynote Speaker with nearly two decades of experience. I have been privileged to share expert psychological insights on platforms such as SAfm, SABC 1, SABC 2, eReality, Soweto TV, Motsweding FM, Lesedi FM, Kaya FM, Power FM, Metro FM, and News24. And on 21 March 2025, I received the prestigious Mzansi Men of Influence Award under the Men’s Health category—a moment that reaffirmed my commitment to healing hearts, challenging minds, and awakening purpose in people across South Africa and beyond.
But what most people don’t know is how far I had to travel internally to get here—not geographically, but emotionally and spiritually. Because before I was a speaker, I was silenced. Before I was celebrated, I was dismissed. And before I found my voice, I lived in the crushing absence of one.
The Pain of Being Unheard
As a child, I felt things deeply. My heart was heavy with ideas, questions, and stories I wanted to share. But every time I tried to speak, my voice was met with disinterest or irritation. I was labeled “slow, sluggish, and stupid”—a branding so persistent that I eventually internalised it, and it left an imprint in my soul. I called it the “SSS Syndrome,” a mental prison built brick by brick by the careless words of others.
I wasn’t just unheard. I was unseen. Like a ghost, I was right there, but nobody noticed.
Imagine having a storm of expression inside you, yet being treated like an empty sky. I remember classmates retelling movie plots with flair, drawing laughter and attention. When it was my turn, they’d interrupt or turn away saying I was unable to narrate the stories. My words landed like whispers in a hurricane—lost before they even left my lips.
Even basic trust was withheld. Adults wouldn’t let me run errands; they feared I’d mess them up. That subtle rejection—those quiet votes of no confidence—echoed into my teenage and adult years. Loneliness didn’t just visit me. It moved in. And when you’re repeatedly unheard, you begin to believe that your voice doesn’t matter. That you don’t matter.
When the Pen Spoke Louder Than My Voice
Then something miraculous happened.
People who ignored my voice started praising my words—when they were written down. Essays, reports, messages—they read them and were moved. Captivated. Even inspired. It was jarring at first. Why did the same thoughts that were dismissed in conversation hold weight on paper?
Eventually, I understood. Writing wasn’t just a tool for me. It was my salvation.
It gave me a way to say what my voice couldn’t carry. My pen became a microphone, and the blank page became the stage I’d always longed for.
Turning Ink Into Impact
But I still wanted to speak. I wanted to stand in front of people and share—not just write behind closed doors. So I began writing speeches, memorising them, and delivering them like rehearsed poetry. Slowly, my voice caught up with my message. The hesitation faded, and the fire returned.
Today, that fire has become a calling. I now speak on stages across the country, blending psychology, spirituality, and lived experience into messages that don’t just motivate—they transform. But this journey wasn’t about becoming a speaker. It was about reclaiming the voice that life once tried to erase.
Healing the Wounds of the “SSS Syndrome”
Being labeled “slow, sluggish, and stupid” left more than just emotional bruises—it fractured my identity. For years, I lived beneath my potential, not because I lacked ability, but because I believed the lies.
Then I encountered a saying by Les Brown in his speech that would change my life: “Someone’s opinion of you does not have to become your reality.”
It hit me like lightning. I realised I had been living a reality constructed by others’ disbeliefs, not my own truth. That moment marked the beginning of my mental emancipation. I started dismantling every limiting belief I had swallowed, replacing them with affirmations rooted in truth, Scripture, and psychology.
The Birth of Think or Shrink
During that awakening, I immersed myself in the world of thought leaders—Earl Nightingale, James Allen, and others who explored the incredible power of the mind. I studied the inner worlds of the world’s most successful and impactful people. Their common thread? They thought differently.
I distilled those patterns into 15 life-shaping mental strategies and wrote Think or Shrink: Explore Your Mind to Expand Your Life. It wasn’t written for applause. It was written as a lifeline—for the unheard, the unseen, the misjudged, and the dismissed. It’s part psychological blueprint, part spiritual manifesto.
Think or Shrink didn’t just come from research. It came from wrestling. With doubt. With fear. With shame. It came from a boy who was told he had no voice and grew into a man who now helps others find theirs.
When the World Finally Listened
For a while, the book sat quietly, waiting for its moment. And then it caught fire. People began to read it. Share it. Quote it. Interviews followed. Messages flooded in—testimonies of lives changed, mindsets renewed, and destinies awakened.
Each time someone tells me the book helped them break free from mental chains, I’m reminded: This isn’t just a book. It’s the mountain I always dreamed of standing on. And now, the world is listening.
Think Like a King or Shrink Like a Pawn: The Game of Chess Analogy
Think or Shrink is built on a simple but profound choice: Will you think like a king and lead your life with intention, or shrink like a pawn and let life happen to you?
Like chess, life is a game of thought. The king moves strategically, with clarity and confidence. The pawn is reactive—small in mindset, passive in purpose.
Every chapter, every speech, and every counselling session I give is aimed at helping others think like kings. Because our lives rise or fall to the level of our thoughts.
Legacy Over Labels
My story isn’t about becoming famous or successful. It’s about becoming whole.
It’s about taking a broken label—“SSS”—and turning it into fuel. It’s about proving that a voice, once silenced, can one day speak into the souls of thousands.
From Welkom to the world, from being dismissed to being awarded, my life is proof that your past doesn’t get the final word—you do.
And now, I ask you:
Will you think, or will you shrink?
Will you rise like a king, or shrink like a pawn?
The choice is yours. And it always has been.
