Welcome to Episode 66 of The Incredible Machines podcast! In this thought-provoking conversation, Jon Oliff and Luke Holden sit down with Richard Gorvan, a filmmaker, creative director and communicator, youth leader for Trulife, and author of Before You Call Yourself a Mentor.
His story moves from growing up in Durban, navigating a difficult family environment and intense bullying at school, to discovering creativity, filmmaking, music and a deep commitment to investing in young people. He reflects on the teachers and leaders who recognised his potential, the challenges that shaped his convictions and the experiences that eventually led him to rethink what mentorship actually means.
At the centre of the conversation is Richard’s belief that mentorship is not simply a title somebody claims. It is a mantle carrying the weight, privilege and responsibility of being invited into another person’s life. He also shares the concept of unreasonable mentorship and how unexpected acts of care can break down barriers and create genuine trust.
This episode is a thoughtful exploration of mentorship, identity, leadership, faith, relationships and what it means to genuinely invest in another person.
⏱ Timestamped Overview
05:59 – Introduction to Richard Gorvan and his journey into mentorship
08:13 – Richard on family, growing up and the influence of his mother
11:41 – Bullying at school, identity and refusing to change who he was
17:29 – Why young people carry hope and the value of investing in them
23:51 – Discovering video editing and finding creative mentors at school
30:33 – Writing Before You Call Yourself a Mentor and questioning what mentorship really means
35:27 – Friendship, boundaries and knowing when mentorship relationships need to change
40:38 – Why mentorship needs flexibility rather than rigid definitions
48:04 – Becoming a father during COVID and the traumatic premature birth of Richard’s daughter
55:31 – The origins of the word mentor and how its meaning has evolved
01:04:56 – The five phases of mentorship: spark, initiation, cultivation, separation and redefinition
01:15:09 – Mentoring young people and why parents should be part of the journey
01:21:05 – Driving teenagers to a pub and the lesson behind unreasonable mentorship
01:28:09 – Affinity bias, cultural awareness and mentoring people different from yourself
01:34:24 – Why mentorship is a mantle, not a title
01:40:43 – Listening, assumptions and the Mr Jambo lyric that stayed with Richard
01:44:19 – Unreasonable mentorship and the power of doing the unexpected
01:48:13 – Faith, moments of impact and Richard’s closing thoughts
💬 Quote of the Episode
“I think the fruit of great mentorship is a great relationship." – Richard Gorvan
“Well, I couldn’t speak his language I couldn’t even understand a word, but I knew the meaning was what I decided I had heard” – Kyle Gordon (one of Richard Gorvan’s favourite quotes)
🧠 Related Campaign Example
MTN Cheese Boy Campaign: Richard highlights the MTN Cheese Boy commercial as an example of advertising that captures the tension between traditional and modern African identity while showing how technology can create connection between people from different worlds. He describes the campaign as a powerful example of communicating complex cultural ideas in a simple and emotionally effective way.
MTN Cheese Boy Campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH4ZYjWBDcI
Allan Gray Mark Lives Campaign: Richard also highlights Allan Gray’s Father’s Share campaign. He admires how the campaign sells the emotional outcome behind the brand rather than focusing solely on the financial product. For him, the campaign demonstrates how marketing can reveal the intention behind somebody’s actions and completely change the audience’s understanding of a character.
Allan Gray Mark Lives Campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVv15eQL368
👣 Relevant Links & Mentions
Richard Gorvan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rgorven/
Richard Gorvan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gorves/
Before You Call Yourself a Mentor Website: https://beforeyoumentor.com/
Before You Call Yourself a Mentor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beforeyoumentor/
🌐 Connect with Tim Africa
🔗 Website: https://www.tim.africa
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tim.africa
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timdotafrica
🎬 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tim.africa_
Podcast Page: https://www.pod.tim.africa
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