Tumo Mabedi Tlotlo Sehube is a woman shaped by learning, resilience, and an unrelenting desire to see others grow. A graduate of the University of Botswana, she holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE). Currently, she is pursuing a Master of Education in Educational Leadership (MEDEL) with Botswana Open University, an academic journey that mirrors her lifelong commitment to growth, leadership, and empowerment.
Naturally gifted in languages, Tumo’s love for communication began early. Excelling in languages at BGCSE level inspired her to take on the challenge of learning French at university. It was not easy, but it was worth it. Determined to succeed, she enrolled in two institutions simultaneously, supplementing her studies with extra lessons at Alliance Française de Gaborone. That struggle shaped her belief that growth lives on the other side of discomfort.
To Tumo, teaching is not merely about transferring knowledge. It is about inspiring belief, motivating action, and eliminating ignorance in all its forms. While she teaches French, she refuses to teach it in abstraction. Her classroom is a space where language meets life, where lessons are infused with encouragement, healing, and self-belief. She firmly believes that her students succeed not because she knows all the French, but because she teaches them to believe in themselves.
“I always say nobody who has been with me will ever leave with nothing,” she reflects. “Whether it’s a life lesson, genuine laughter, or just the confidence to try something new.”
The classroom, however, is not a simple space. It is filled with diverse personalities, abilities, backgrounds, and destinies. Managing that diversity is demanding, but for Tumo, it is also the most beautiful part of teaching, carrying every learner along and witnessing their growth. Not necessarily in grades, but in confidence and clarity of self. Her master’s studies have further strengthened her ability to empower learners, reinforcing a philosophy she lives by: everyone is a leader.
Yet beyond the classroom, Tumo’s life has unfolded through profound personal trials.
A series of life events once pushed her into deep depression, eventually bringing her to rock bottom. But even in her darkest moments, she found ways to rebuild. Entrepreneurship had always lived in her, selling biscuits in primary school, Tupperware in varsity, clothes from the boot of her car once she started working. When life became overwhelming, she turned inward and chose real estate as a quieter form of survival.
She built twin two-bedroom houses in her home village during a time when her personal life was breaking apart. Brick by brick, she was rebuilding herself. Construction became a source of comfort, grounding her in purpose. Today, she is close to completing her third and fourth houses, with dreams of expanding further. Real estate, she says, is not just business, it is passion.
Still, the journey has been far from easy. Late payments, vandalism, unoccupied properties, and financial strain often stall progress. The cost of repairs sometimes outweighs security deposits, and patience becomes both a necessity and a burden. While she has not yet reached the point of satisfaction, Tumo hopes that by the end of 2026, her first multi-residential project will stand complete, a tangible symbol of perseverance.
Fashion, too, has been a consistent thread in her healing. Dressing well, and dressing others, became therapeutic. Her wardrobe once doubled as a boutique, complete with price tags. Friends, sisters, and cousins would borrow, buy, or be styled for special occasions. Eventually, this love for style evolved into La Tumie Collection, a fashion line focused on elegant, formal, and work-appropriate apparel.
The La Tumie Collection is deeply personal. Tumo curates pieces she would wear herself, to work, church, or an interview. Her aim is simple: to make women feel comfortable, beautiful, and adorned. Seeing someone shine in an outfit she selected brings her immense fulfillment.
In September 2023, Tumo survived a suicide attempt after a prolonged battle with depression. That moment became a turning point. Awakening from what she describes as a “long coma,” she realized how precious life truly is. Through therapy, meditation, and deep introspection, she embarked on a sincere journey of healing.
Out of that journey came a book, born from diary entries, research, and raw truth. Although initially written to heal others, it ultimately healed her. The book explores how seemingly disconnected life events can culminate in depression, how the brain, like any other organ, can malfunction, and how self-acceptance is key to healing. Above all, it affirms her faith that God heals all diseases, including mental illness.
“There is hope at the end of the tunnel,” she says. “Trauma has no degree.”
Motherhood adds another profound layer to Tumo’s life. Raising a child, she admits, demands sacrifice, financial, emotional, and psychological. It is often exhausting and overwhelming, especially when driven by the desire to ensure her child never has to heal from what she herself endured. Through humility and determination, she has cultivated a healthy co-parenting environment, one that prioritizes freedom and emotional safety. Watching her child thrive in that space is one of her greatest victories.
Balancing all these roles is not easy. Some days, she feels like she has survived a hurricane. Mental health remains an ongoing journey; her brain, as she candidly puts it, sometimes refuses to cooperate. Regular therapy check-ins, a simplified lifestyle, fewer social pressures, and a move to a quieter township have helped her find balance. Slower living, patience, and relentless faith keep her moving forward.
Authenticity is her compass. Everything she does must speak to her, heal her, and make a difference in someone else’s life. Profit matters, but purpose matters more.
She rests when she needs to. School holidays are sacred, time to travel, go home, reconnect, and reflect. Walking across the old Nata bridge of her childhood reminds her of who she was before life happened. Learning, she believes, never stops.
“I keep it real,” Tumo says. “If I need to tone down, I do. If my businesses are doing well, I live life. Lifestyle only becomes demanding if you make it so.”
As for what comes next? She chooses patience.
For now, her focus is on finishing and perfecting the multi-residential project. After that, she will wait, faithfully, for whichever door God chooses to open.
And when it does, she will walk through it, stronger, wiser, and still building.
Duncan Sebeso