It Starts With ME Global

03/09/2026

Sometimes a story begins long before we realise that it has begun. Years before Cecile Murray-Louw became part of It Starts With ME, I met her younger sister, Karien, when she moved to Cape Town to study filmmaking in Observatory.
At the time, I was managing a house in my street for dear friends from Denmark. Karien became their tenant, and from the moment I met her, there was a connection. She was young, wonderfully creative and quite extraordinary.
One of the first short films she made during her studies was called Two Feet Apart. It was so powerful that I later included in workshops & talks.
Not long after Karien and I met, we were sitting together in my kitchen in Observatory when she said something I have never forgotten:
“You are going to meet my sister one day. You two could be sisters. You are so alike. When I speak to you, it feels as though I am speaking to her. My sister must do It Starts With ME.”
And lo and behold, she was right.
Cecile and I eventually met. She joined It Starts With ME and trained as a facilitator. Today, all these years later, I am walking alongside her as she develops into a Master Trainer of the programme.
And now Cecile has sent me this beautiful article, telling the story of the work she and this remarkable group of people are doing in communities.
As the author and creator of It Starts With ME, I cannot adequately describe what it means to witness this. A programme may begin with one person and one vision, but it only truly comes alive when others take it into their own hearts and hands, live its values and carry its message into the lives of others.
I am so deeply proud of Cecile and every facilitator, congregation and person involved in this work. You are showing exactly what the programme was created to do.
Change begins with me, but it cannot end with me.
Sometimes a seed is planted around a kitchen table in Observatory, long before anyone knows what it will become. Years later, you look up and realise that God knew the whole story all along.
What a beautiful, full-circle ripple. 💙
Adéle Grosse
Read this beautiful and inspiring article: https://kaapkerk.co.za/verandering-begin-by-jou-maar-eindig-nie-daar-nie/

03/09/2026

What an incredibly proud moment for me as the author and creator of the It Starts With ME programme.
To see this work being carried so beautifully into communities all over the world, and to read about the lives being touched through the commitment of soon to certified It Starts With ME Global MASTER TRAINER, Cecile Murray-Louw, the facilitators, congregations and everyone involved, fills my heart more than I can say.
This is what It Starts With ME has always been about. Change begins within each one of us, but it was never meant to end there. When one person begins to think differently, live more consciously and take responsibility for the part they can play, that change ripples into homes, churches, schools and entire communities.
A very special shout-out to Cecile and every person helping to carry this work forward with such dedication, integrity and heart. I am deeply proud of you all. You are not merely presenting a programme. You are living its message and allowing it to become something real in the lives of others.
Sometimes, as the person who planted the first seed so many years ago, I simply have to stand back and marvel at what God continues to grow from it.
It starts with me.
It grows through us.
And it does not end there. 💙
Adéle Grosse
Read this beautiful article:

Ons praat maklik oor verandering. Ons almal begeer gelukkiger gesinne, veiliger gemeenskappe, hoopvoller jongmense en ’n samelewing waarin mense mekaar sal respekteer en ondersteun. Maar waar begin sulke verandering? Die antwoord van It Starts With Me (ISWM), wat deur Adéle Grosse ontwikkel is, i...

24/08/2026

Yesterday, Cecile Murray-Louw and I sat down for one of those honest, heart-filled conversations about It Starts With ME®️: where the work has travelled, the lives it continues to touch, and what its next chapter may hold.

Cecile has carried this work forward with extraordinary commitment, often quietly and in her own time. Seeing the ripple she has continued to create reminds me that when something is rooted in purpose, it keeps finding its way into the hands and hearts of people who understand it.

We are not ready to share too much just yet. For now, let’s simply say that we are listening, exploring and allowing the next steps to unfold with care.

Some conversations are not announcements.

They are beginnings. 🧡

12/08/2026

Women urged to ‘pick up the baton’ during ItStartsWithME Women's Day event.
So proud of this team, they are on fire and hosted this ISWM Women's Day celebration as well as going to perform the story of the Women's march at local schools te educate the learners. Trainee facilitators and parents were involved, and self-esteem was boosted by including parenting programme alumni and learners to make up the day's programme. Thank-you leaders!

09/08/2026

🇿🇦 This Women’s Month…
Let go.
BREATHE.
And BE.

We women are incredibly good at DOING.

Carrying. Fixing. Helping. Giving. Organising. Holding everyone and everything together.

But somewhere in all that doing, we can forget the importance of simply BEING.

Being still.
Being present.
Being enough.
Being YOU.

Sometimes the strongest thing a woman can do is stop… BE… BREATHE… and come back to herself.

Because when something changes in ME, it creates a ripple far beyond me.

YOU matter too. ❤️
BREATHE. BE.
It Starts With ME.

Happy National Women’s Day, South Africa. 🇿🇦
With love,
Adéle Grosse❤️…still learning to BE.
Creator & Custodian | It Starts With ME
It Starts With ME Global

www.itstartswithme.global Grosse

09/08/2026

When communities take ownership of active citizenship, a special kind of fire is ignited! One that is not lit by outsiders, but flames fanned by communities themselves who have tasted the hope of healing, growth and change.

There is nothing more encouraging and rewarding than seeing the contagious, empowered team of trainee facilitators of Graaff-Reinet burning bright and initiating additional training!

They are calling upon the experts in their own community to upskill them in the areas they feel they need additional knowledge and training.

With support from Cecile Murray-Louw, Ryneveld Primary School, and Kaapkerk's Hope and Reconciliation Trust, team member Dr Harry Solomons (advanced board certified chaplain with the Association of Certified Chaplains in South Africa) gave a full day training to 23 trainee facilitators, educators and parents in Basic Trauma Support. Thanks to Jesmine Williams, Ms Botha and the rest of the team who made the day a reality!

They had recognised the need for psychosocial first responders and put their hands up to learn how to responsibly address the immediate trauma and needs of children and parents. These proud caregivers will strengthen the schools' abilities to reduce school dropouts and absenteeism, refer when necessary and be a safe space when trauma needs to be unpacked by parents and children.

Today they will be awarded their certificates of completion in the presence of parents who attend the very first It Starts With ME Women's Day celebration.

Thank you Father for guiding these impassioned individuals to say "No more waiting for someone else to step in and fix what's broken in our communities, It Starts With ME!" 💪🏾 💪🏾 💪🏾

30/07/2026

SO bemoedigend wanneer 'n ouer die volgende terugvoer gee:
Tyreeq Williams skryf “Vergewe, nie omdat hulle dit verdien nie, maar omdat jou hart vrede verdien❤️"
‘Vergewe mekaar soos God julle ook in Christus vergewe het.’ – Ef 4
Dit is die boodskap wat my die week bygebly het...
En elke oggend maak ek dit 'n punt om dit uit te leef...
Vandag kan ek met soveel trots se dat ek besig is om in "Answered prayers " te lewe en besig om die Vrugte daarvan te pluk...

Baie dankie weereens vir die platform ❤️📍wat nie net my hart kom verander het nie, maar vir my Kennis, Wysheid en Insig kom byvoeg het

is verewig dankbaar

29/07/2026

We are so proud and encouraged by the trainee facilitator team in Graaff-Reinet who are taking ownership for transformation in their schools and community! Not only that, but they are encouraging parents who have completed the programme to get involved in their kids' schools, community workers are signing up to support where there is need and this is just the beginning of change! This team is SO fired up, there is just is no stopping them!

Jesmine Williams took the initiative to respond to Ryneveld Primary School's need for cooks and together with fellow team members Julia Baartman and Dr Harry Solomons, school parents and CWP members, they volunteered to prepare meals this entire week so that kids receive a good meal at school. For many it is their only meal. This initiative has stood still for weeks awaiting new appointments. But they said ! We will not wait for someone else to do it, WE will jump in where our children need support!

Lingcom Primere Skool GRT was visited by Elroy Prins, Past Rudi Stafford and parent alumni to share the value they received through the programme and invite parents to support groups. . Other team members have visited schools, parent groups and more. Support was given at Thembalesizwe Primary School by Limandy Adams, Nonkosi Noni, Thiliza Manqola and Lizaniya Zaan Vrolik, and parent support groups are being planned at every of the 11 schools we have a supporting agreement with in Graaff-Reinet.

Our local project co-ordinator Belinda Botha is organising an It Starts With Me Women's Day celebration on 9 August, and your participation is requested to make this an event to remember. Every woman who has experienced personal growth and transformation through the recent It Starts With Me programmes has the opportunity to let that strong self-esteem SHINE!

We cannot wait to see how this ripple of responsibility reaches new shores in the communities of Asherville, Kroonvale and uMasizakhe!