Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and Rachel Kolisi have made headlines after announcing their divorce following eight years of marriage.Recently, Rachel’s podcast episode, Rachel Kolisi: How To Lead Your Own Life, resurfaced and highlighted the strain their relationship faced due to long periods of separation.In the episode, Rachel shared the challenges of Siya’s career demands, which often required him to be away for months at a time.“You just get so used to it and kind of get on with life,” she shared, noting how technology helps them stay connected but mentioning the importance of presence in relationships.
Rachel emphasized her frustration with people not being fully present with loved ones, particularly when phones interfere with quality time.
The podcast episode has since gained attention, with listeners resonating with her message on prioritizing presence in relationships.What Rachel Kolisi said:
“From the beginning, you know, we have always had situations of him being away for one, two, three, four months at a time and you learn to kind of live with that,” Rachel said on her podcast.
“I have friends whose husband will travel for three days and then (they say to me) I don’t know how the heck you do this, this is insane.You just get so used to it and so yeah, you kind of just get on with life and I mean, there’s so much access over the phone that’s been made a lot easier now to stay connected.
“It’s like a pet peeve for me, it’s like when people are with one another like at a dinner or something and someone’s on their phone, like it’s just an absolute no-no for me.”
“It’s just something that I cannot stand. I’m like, if you are going to take the time, then be there, you know, be there, be present and there.
“There’s so much nonsense … I think that that is just the most inappropriate and the most disrespectful thing people can do is just to be on their phone.
“It’s different if you, you know, there’s something really important that’s coming or an emergency with the kids or you trying to sort something out, that’s a completely different situation but to sit and be like on Instagram when you’re with people and that like just works on my nerves.
“I just think the time that you do make for people, make sure that you’re fully present because that goes a long way with people, just making them feel like they’ve got your full attention, your mind is nowhere else, your eyes are nowhere else, they’ve just got you, that can last you a good few months.”