Wanda HennigLeverage. Ubuntu. Sustainability. Transitions.

In her professional life, Wanda Hennig is a writer, an editor, a photographer and a communications consultant specializing, these days, in social media, editorial and PR writing. She offers her clients the benefit of more than 25 years hands-on experience gained from time spent on consumer magazines and newspapers, in the print media, and in corporate and nonprofit communications, both in South Africa and the United States. She has a National Diploma in Public Relations from the Public Relations Institute of South Africa. She is a social media consultant and coach with expertise in both traditional media and Web 2.0. She is an experienced presenter, speaker, publicist, facilitator, manager and creative strategizer. She is also a certified life and business coach with post-graduate degrees in psychology and education (counseling and teaching). Her  experience includes working as director of communications at a Durban–based nonprofit and in corporate communications at a San Francisco–based  international Goliath. Her life, interests and work are reflected in the stories and services she offers on this website.

Her intention with this site is to embrace the possibilities of the virtual world using the web, social media including blogs, the written word and the magazine format to communicate, and to get conversation flowing, among friends and strangers.

South Africa–born and a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Wanda’s first job in journalism was at The Daily News in Durban. She subsequently spent six years on the Sunday Tribune writing hard news and features before becoming the editor of the paper’s Sunday lifestyle magazine. Her time on The Trib was followed by five years as bureau chief on the South African edition of Cosmopolitan where she was also editor, for a time, of Cosmo Man.

While on these publications and freelancing for others — and in her personal capacity — she got to travel extensively around South Africa and internationally.

Wanda flew to San Francisco in the Nineties with a one-year return ticket. But as we all know, life happens, and the Bay Area became her home from home.

Her first California job was as special features editor on the now defunct Appellation magazine (Wine Country Living) when it was international and headquartered in Napa, California. She was subsequently editor in chief of Diablo magazine, and then the “late” Black Diamond Living, among publications that have bitten the dust. She also worked for a time on the Oakland Tribune and is a regular contributor on both Oakland and Alameda magazines. She publishes regularly on examiner.com, where she is the South Africa Travel Examiner and the SF Culinary Travel Examiner. She writes the Delicious Life column for Cuisine Noir magazine.

She is a longtime freelancer and a well-published photographer with an extensive portfolio that includes corporate clips, lifestyle features and profiles, cuisine and travel stories and more.

In 2009 Wanda was hired as a consultant / coach by Oakland Zoo to plan and advise on the implementation of a custom social media strategy. “Wanda was easy and fun to work with, has a creative, thoughtful approach, listens well and ‘gets it,’ and I would highly recommend her,” says Oakland Zoo director of marketing and PR, Nancy Filippi.

Her 2010 focus included writing extensively about Durban and KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, targeting U.S. audiences.

Wanda trained and certified as a life and business coach at the Coaches Training Institute in California about eight years ago having experienced the value of coaching. She now writes, and coaches, and writes about coaching, and coaches around writing, relationships (with self and others), interpersonal communication (as well as transitions, living in a sustainable manner, and other lifestyle issues) and social media (with nonprofits and intrepid individualists a focus). She was born in the Year of the Tiger and has a long-time Zen practice.

Some story links:

Oakland Magazine March/April 2012 — Word play, Amharic symbols and art

Oakland Magazine February 2012 — The Dating Game by Wanda Hennig

University World News December 2011 — South Africa: Local research on show at COP17

Sydney Morning Herald November 2011 — Dreams now in limbo, say shocked students

Sunday Tribune May 2011 — Meet the man showing there is life and hope in Msinga

Sunday Tribune and Independent Online November 2011 — Sex and the Big ‘C’

Sunday Tribune and Independent Online June 2011 — Cue those taxi violins

Sunday Tribune and Independent Online May 2011 — Get a coach, get a life

Sunday Tribune August 29, 2010 — Who put the trash out? Who cares!

 Oakland magazine assorted story links

All4Women — How a personal coach can help you

Reach us by e-mail here: