Africa-Press – Botswana. Kiki Tebogo Moribame-Setiko turns a moment of public humiliation into a transformative blueprint for wellness in her new book, When All Else Had Failed, offering readers practical advice and soul-deep reflections on what it truly means to heal.
It was meant to be an ordinary day. One spent browsing through a new boutique in hopes of lifting a low mood with a little retail therapy. But for Kiki Tebogo Moribame-Setiko, a cruel remark from a shop assistant would turn a seemingly harmless outing into the beginning of a life-altering wellness journey.
Mistakenly assumed to be pregnant because of her size, Kiki was left feeling embarrassed. But that pain didn’t just linger – it cut to the heart because it was quite caustic. “The experience served as a wakeup call for me,” she recalls, “Looking back, I am grateful for the journey it initiated.”
What followed was not another crash diet or punishing workout plan but a journey of education, self-compassion, and small, sustainable changes that would eventually lead her to shed 30kg in 12 months – and find her voice as an author.
“It had to come from within”
Kiki’s debut, When All Else Had Failed, is a title steeped in frustration and resilience. It mirrors the dead ends and false hopes that she encountered through countless diets and short-lived fitness programmes.
“I kept trying things that promised fast results, but they never lasted,” she says. “Eventually, I realised the solution wasn’t outside me. It had to come from within.”
The book’s title marks this turning point; the moment she abandoned conventional fixes in favour of something more honest, more sustainable and more loving. What sets When All Else Had Failed apart is its balance between vulnerable storytelling and practical, accessible advice.
Small but powerful change
Kiki doesn’t just share her transformation – she dissects it. She invites readers into her darkest moments and shows how each one planted the seeds for small but powerful change.
Interwoven through her personal narrative are wellness tips that span the physical, mental, and emotional spectra.
Filling the gaps in African wellness
Kiki’s mission goes beyond her own story. Her book confronts glaring gaps in the African wellness space – chief among them the lack of culturally-relevant, emotionally-grounded resources.
Local context and lived experience
“So many guides focus only on numbers – how much weight you’ve lost, how fast you can lose it,” she says. “They miss the real work: mental health, emotional resilience, and the way our communities shape how we see our bodies.”
By rooting her message in local context and lived experience, Kiki offers a voice that resonates deeply with African readers who have long been underserved in global wellness narratives.
At its heart, When All Else Had Failed is a love letter to those who feel defeated by their bodies, their diets or their past. Kiki’s message is clear: setbacks don’t mean failure. They’re just signs that it is time to try differently.
“You can begin again”
In When All Else Had Failed, Kiki chronicles her 12-month journey of losing 30kg – not as a triumph of willpower but as a testament to shifting mindsets, nurturing the body and healing emotional wounds.
A graduate in Public Relations with an MSc in Strategic Management, Kiki combines academic insight with lived experience to advocate for inclusive, compassionate approaches to wellness.
Autographed copies
She is driven by a belief in every individual’s potential and the power of telling our own stories to drive change.
The book is available at Botswana Book Centre (Gaborone Main Mall) and directly from 72540837 for P250 each. Autographed copies are available.
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