#282: Inviting Opportunity: Meet 2025-2026 International President Aletta Rochat, DTM

The Toastmasters Podcast with Greg Gazin

The Toastmasters Podcast is like a radio talk show featuring interviews with Toastmasters usually featured in the Toastmaster magazine. The purpose of the podcast is to amplify the magazine - to dig deeper or to put a voice to a face or written wordBut unlike a radio show, a podcast is on the Internet, and available, for free, to anyone in the world with an Internet connection, and a connected device capable of playing audio. 260+ episodes are at ToastmastersPodcast.comThe Toastmasters Podcast is co-produced by Toastmasters International and Archieboy Holdings, LLC, for our global audience of Toastmasters and those interested in public speaking and leadership.

[30:44] Meet Distinguished Toastmaster Aletta Rochat, the 2025–2026 Toastmasters International President from Cape Town, South Africa. Aletta is an inner life skills wisdom partner and certified coach, an accomplished author and global speaker who has delivered training in 21 countries. She also coaches TEDx speakers to craft messages that leave a lasting impact. In August 2025, she made history as the first International President from Africa and only the tenth woman in 100 years to lead Toastmasters International.

On today’s episode, President Rochat shares her remarkable Toastmasters journey—from discovering her “helium hand” that compels her to volunteer, to rising through club, district, and global leadership roles.

She reflects on the power of validation as a leadership tool and reveals practical strategies for making leadership easier, including the simple habit of sending voice-note thank-yous to team members.

She also discusses:

• How her nomadic childhood taught her communication as a survival skill

• The bold presence she brought to the world championship stage to celebrate African culture

• The one-on-one coaching moment that sparked her professional career

• Her post-pandemic vision for growth, including seizing local opportunities to start new clubs

Read President Rochat's profile: "Meet Aletta Rochat, DTM, 2025–2026 International President: South African speech coach makes history," by Paul Sterman in the September 2025 issue of the Toastmaster magazine.

Photo Credit: KOA Photography