A Manifesto For Strong Women Who Refuse To Prove Themselves Anymore
by Dr. Khutso Madubanya
What happens when the very strength that helped you survive begins to hold you hostage?
For decades, women have been praised for independence, resilience, and self-sufficiency. But for many high-achieving women (and men), those same qualities quietly evolve into overwork, silence, burnout, and emotional isolation. In No More Free Passes, Dr. Khutso Madubanya exposes the hidden cost of independence - hyper-independence, really, and the myth that enduring more is a measure of worth.
A global scholar-practitioner, mother of three, and founder of Dance With Change™, Dr. Madubanya draws on lived experience across eight countries, single motherhood, and the unraveling and rebuilding of long-held identities. What emerges is a powerful reckoning: a shift from proving to becoming, from survival to self-trust.
Through candid storytelling, psychological insight, and guided reflection, No More Free Passes invites readers to examine how strength has been defined in their own lives and at what cost.
This is not a call to abandon ambition, but to release the belief that worth must be earned through exhaustion, silence, or self-erasure.
At its core, this book is both a memoir and a mirror. It challenges women to stop granting “free passes” to systems, relationships, and inner narratives that demand more than they return, and to reclaim peace, agency, and wholeness without apology.
Written in reflective, accessible sections, this is not a book you have to power through. It’s one you can return to especially when time, clarity, or emotional energy feels scarce.
“I read the first chapter and cried. Your book is an eye-opener and honest truth of what we go through. ”
Manthiba Malatji Akinthomas, USA & South Africa
“I resonated with so many of the themes — feminism, hyper-independence, the difficulty of asking for help, establishing boundaries, and finding meaning and growth in life’s hardest lessons.”
Laura Keiser, USA
“A must-read! I’d recommend it to men, too — we need to put ourselves in women’s shoes and learn empathy.”
Vince Chipatuka, Zambia
“Your eBook was awesome — so much resonated with my own experiences. The insights and learnings were impactful. Your P.I.V.O.T.™ framework has changed my thinking, and I’ll be using it daily.”
Nicolette Van Rooyen, South Africa
“This book is amazing — I wouldn’t change a thing. I want to actively write P.I.V.O.T. in my situations and give you feedback. Your book is motivating, practical, and deeply relatable.”
Aphia Ledwaba, South Africa
Dr. Khutso Madubanya is a global business scholar and practitioner, inspirational speaker, and author who helps individuals and organizations navigate change with confidence through her signature framework, The P.I.V.O.T.™ Method and her movement, Dance With Change™.
Dr. Khutso hails from South Africa and has lived in 8 countries. She has reinvented herself more times than she can remember. She is mom to 3 kids and regards herself a unicorn because she has never fitted into traditional societal roles. She has not followed the linear career path either but rather bounced between unrelated jobs following her heart and the wind of life. With a Ph.D in Business Management, Dr. Madubanya has zigzagged and done it all – gained it all, lost it all and learned to dance with it along the way. Today, her biggest passion is to inspire her audiences not to fear change – but rather, to dance with it to create the lives they want no matter what!