Meet the heroes behind our Toyota Fortuner challenger
Excitement is at an all-time high at Independent Media ahead of the imminent Toyota Fortuner Challenge, our third straight year of competing in the multi-challenge physical and mental fitness endurance epic, that pits our selected hero with those from other local major media houses.
Our hero this year is Justin Maguire, a veritable powerhouse of brawn and brains, whose numerous ordeals and resilience of spirit make him one of our sternest contestants yet.
Justin and fellow competitors will be put through a series of tasks on the final day and when all is said and done, the winner will drive away in a brand new Toyota Fortuner. We cross our fingers that Justin will be that lucky winner – not only does he possess what it takes. The Challenge is being hosted in his backyard too – in Gauteng, just like the last edition.
Think bike trail, running while laden with kilos of hard stuff, driving over testing terrain and the odd brain teaser (last year this involved assembling a pyramid).
For someone whose life has revolved around creating the right synergy and surrounding oneself with the right people, we spoke to these pillars of strength in Justin’s life, the dependable people who have stood with him in times good and bad, to get an idea of what makes him tick. And we started with…you got it, his mom, of course. Isabel Vermaak – mother
Isabel describes her relationship with son Justin as very close: “We are very much on the same wavelength emotionally, intellectually and psychologically.”
Justin’s inventiveness and can-do attitude started in childhood, she said. “I didn’t have to stand behind him so he could do
his homework: And he has brought that to his life”.
Justin’s talents mostly lay in creative abilities, from painting and drawing to writing. It is hardly surprising that he has channelled all those talents to remarkable effect in adulthood. “He’s an empath,” says his mother, using that rare word which refers to someone who is easily attuned to the people around him or her. “He doesn’t have boundaries and limits.”
“I think he will excel. He’s doing this for people around him,” she adds of his chances in the challenge. We too of course feel lucky to have someone of Justin’s calibre in our camp ahead of the Toyota Fortuner Challenge.
In returning the compliment, Justin says: “if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have overcome my challenges. I’m grateful to you for being my mom and always believing in me when everyone wouldn’t. You were always in my corner.”
Dr Shahista Khan
When rumour went round among the ladies in the medical facility that a “hot guy” had checked in for consultation, little did Dr Khan think that said well-built guy would become a veritable brother with whom she would form a strong business bond.
Justin had seen other specialists before coming to Dr. Khan but the visit to Dr Khan had a particularly happy ending: she successfully diagnosed the autoimmune disease, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, after the polymath had been shunted from pillar to post, thanks to clueless specialists. Six eventful weeks of therapy and medication followed and Justin was well and truly on the road to recovery.
“We built a bond of trust,” says Dr Khan, who enthuses about the benefits of biohacking, that is, the do-it-yourself biology aimed at improving performance, health and wellbeing, the basis of her collaboration with Justin. To date, the pair has designed beneficial outcomes for athletic professionals and clients with diabetes, cancer and emotional distress, among others, in countries as diverse as Russia, Switzerland and Dubai. It has been exciting to not be restricted to one’s locality, thanks to the overseas aspect of the work, says Dr Khan.
“Dr S and I were able to create something unique. We were able to attract like-minded individuals,” says Justin, whose Autonomic Coaching integrative medicine health and wellness outfit leverages diverse specialisations to ensure optimal outcomes for clients and patients.
Dr Khan sees it as fulfilling to work with
new options within biohacking to assist clients look their age or even younger where required as well as assisting women during the transition to menopause, to cite only a few.
Most of all, she is happy to be able to make a difference as she states that the financial motive was secondary. It has been heart-warming to be able to open doors for others through initiatives such as internships, she says.
“Autonomic Coaching is like a family business. We work as a family and we have a good relationship and there’s also the opportunity to help others,” she says.
Says Justin of Dr Khan: “You will find your potential when you surround yourself with good people. This thing started on a laptop and hours of work getting people through networking”. The collaboration’s initial success is such that they are looking to spread their wings even further afield.
They both seem to agree that integrative medicine’s great potential aside, the moral of bringing passion to one’s vocation while working to further others’ wellbeing has proved equally relevant to successes achieved thus far.
Dr Ahmed Haffejie
Equally useful has been the input of Dr Ahmed Haffejie, whose interest in integrative
medicine has brought immense value to bear on solutions that the company delivers, says Justin.
Dr Haffejie and Justin started out as patient and doctor but over time, with Justin’s health improving along with his energetic and well-sculpted figure, attention turned to functional medicine, an area in which they shared a mutual interest. There were multiple topics on which both Dr Haffejie and Justin had an insight and which would benefit their current clients and patients.
“There were certain services I was able to perform in providing assistance to Justin’s clients and patients that fell outside the realms of conventional functional medicine,” says Dr Haffejie.
The two developed a great friendship and business partnership that superseded their initial areas of collaboration to offer dynamic coaching to benefit clients.
Dr Haffejie believes in Autonomic Coaching’s capacity to transform health based on its ethos to provide a comprehensive service that involves a multitude of healthcare practitioners working to offer the continuous support that is needed to keep motivation at its best.
He congratulates Justin for creating a synergy that transcends an understanding of the biochemical physiological aspect of integrated medicine and biohacking by turning it from a lifestyle option to an acknowledged mainstream health benefit.
Sonja Buckland
In years’ long working relationship with Justin, Sonja Buckland has been able to observe at close quarters the sheer power of the human mind to imagine and achieve objectives. “It’s all in the mind. Whatever you think, you can become,” she says of what she has learnt from the Autonomic Coaching head.
She describes Justin as a workaholic who sometimes needs reminding that it’s enough for the day.
She also has learnt about the essence of humility: “I certainly grew up in an environment where you get to say less about yourself. Learning the difference between vanity and value certainly earns someone a lot of self worth,” says Sonja, who feels inspired with her role at Autonomic Coaching.
She however imagines herself as being at the stern of the ship on a voyage on which she prefers to stay under the radar. “What she doesn’t have she’s always been willing to give,” says Justin.
“I think trust is earned and is not given,” explains Sonja, who held the fort when Justin took ill and was booked off for a lengthy period. “It’s a matter of saying I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine,” she adds.
In acknowledgement of the wonderful support from his inner circle, Justin thinks that life becomes more meaningful when one is surrounded with people one values highly. “Your life can be much more rewarding with the right people. I moved into a relationship from the shadows to light and with that I was able to grow. I thank the people that created the purpose for us to help, the purpose to belong – and to liberate people to health.”