At some point in our lives, we all reach a juncture where a respite becomes essential. Amidst the relentless demands of daily life, pausing to recharge becomes imperative for our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
For LootLove, this pivotal point arrived when she found herself entangled in a web of conflicting emotions, which included losing her brother, compounded by the expectations of her twins and the myriad other responsibilities she had to juggle. Life in itself seemed to be urging her to hit pause.
“The minute I started getting nervous or stopped caring, I knew that my time in that space was done. I felt like I had filled out whatever purpose I needed to fulfil at that moment.”
“A lot of what influenced the shutdown was that I couldn’t take anything else anymore. And I had to slow everything down at the cost of my career slowing down, so I could get myself back to a place of sanity.”
Taking a courageous step into the unknown, the star, real name Luthando Shosha, embarked on a journey of self-discovery, recognizing the need for inner reflection and renewal. She entered a time of purging.
“I had to let go of everything and lose everything. And have nothing but myself, my kids, my mom, my ancestors, and God; not forgetting my support system—in order for me to find myself in a place where I got my cup full again.”
With a replenished soul and an overflowing cup, LootLove started attracting all that was good for her.
And almost four years later, the star returned with significant endeavors in her portfolio, firstly joining the legendary Tbo Touch on Metro FM’s prime time show, the Touch Down, and secondly being announced as the co-host of this year’s Metro FM Music Awards alongside Tebogo “Proverb” Thekisho in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. The latter being something that she has always long for.
And what was a pause in her life actually reignited a love for her craft again—a love she describes as peaceful.
“Right now, I am very calm, I am very peaceful, I am not reactive to anything, and I let things play out. I have room for things to go wrong and for things to go right. I am not in a rush—not that I am not chasing my goals—but there is no clock ticking. I am just very calm and open to what this season in my life is bringing,” said the 35-year-old.
The multi-hyphenated media personality celebrates 12 years since making her debut on SABC 1’s Live Amp, describing the journey thus far as “such a fun time.”
And with over a decade filled with various milestones, significant life changes, and valuable experience gained, it is only now that LootLove feels like she is in control of her career.
And all it took was the will to surrender.
“Surrendering to what God wants for me versus dictating what I think should happen next has been a game-changer for me. And the level of control comes from knowing what my end goal is—knowing what I want to do in five years or how I want to move—and that’s the part that gives me control.
“Before, I felt like almost a puppet because, when you are new, you don’t have a voice, you don’t know what to say, and you kind of get given an identity. You are given platforms, and you don’t know how to say no,” adding that that phase, in hindsight, was also great in molding the person she is right now.
“I think this time around I have more control because, also, being a mother has taught me a lot about boundaries and being very clear with how I want to do things and why I want to do them.
“But on a grander scheme of things, everything else is still about surrendering. For example, getting back to Metro FM, I did not see it coming; I didn’t see it in my peripherals or in my short- or long-term plan. But it happened very quickly and now we are close to clocking a month. It’s crazy,” she said.
About being back on the radio with Touch, real name Thabo Molefe, she said, “It’s been so beautiful. So, prior to this gig a conversation about getting back on the radio was had with my manager, I think, once, so it was on my mind, although I wasn’t really proactive about it. I then got a call about getting back on air, and it felt so right.
“I had so much fun on that show. Touch is so unpredictable and so big and boisterous. But in all of that, I also find that he’s got such a beautiful heart. I have watched him lead us, and it’s been so beautiful. It’s almost like he’s a conductor, and he has this orchestra that he is commanding, and he does it so well.”
Apart from life’s challenges that tend to grow us, being a mother is another aspect of her life that has matured her, waking her up to the beauty of life and the beauty of who she is.
“I learned and experienced pure love with my babies; being a mother has taught me a lot about choosing oneself. I have daughters, so I have a very big job of building their confidence and teaching them how to trust and love themselves. So it definitely woke me up to the intensity of life, to how nature breathes, and to being present because of my kids. Motherhood has slowed me down, teaching me how to nurture life.”
So while things may seem to crumble, pushing us into corners and even forcing a pause out of us, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The story in this book that LootLove is writing is the story of a rebel with a course, going into spaces where she is uninvited and dominating. She is back to continue where she left off, building this legacy that will one day lead her to the International Plains.
“In my rebelliousness, my mission is for someone else to see themselves in me—that you can be anything you want to be, flip and change whenever you want to, but know that there is space for all of us. To stand tall and push forward who you are. That’s the mission.
“The one thing that I learned from losing my brother and everything else that has happened is that you have to operate at your best or not at all. You have to give it everything, and if you can’t give it everything, stop. Slow down and breathe.