Johannesburg, 13 May 2025 – Following the roaring success of their podcast, South African thought-leaders and award-winning podcasters, John Sanei and Erik Kruger have officially unearthed their groundbreaking book, Expansive. A paperback chime to the very best insights from their podcast series, and a compelling manifesto boldly designed to reshape how South African business leaders think and grow in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
When it comes to holding true to the raw and real outlaw dialogues of globally renowned futurist, Sanei and leadership specialist, Kruger, you’ll want to know that there’s a book in tow that shakes the dust just the same – and as of 15 May 2025, there will be. No filters, no fences – just straight-shooting talk from two of industry’s most influential voices.
Expansive – the book – is a call to arms for leaders to adopt a “glocal” perspective—balancing the depth of local insight with the breadth of global relevance. It intends to challenge the norms of leadership in a South African context, and build the country’s capacity for glocal greatness. Sanei and Kruger, both celebrated for their transformative impact in leadership development and future-focused thinking, present this work as a vital companion for those ready (or not) to lead with agility, emotional intelligence, and bold vision.
The book was born out of the popular Expansive podcast, which hit number one in South Africa just two weeks after its release date. This followed with a series of smash accolades including the APVA Podcast of the Year (2024), whilst amassing over 350,000 streams. With a global community of listeners across business, technology, and personal development, the podcast laid the groundwork for what the authors call their “movement toward exponential living.”
“Since starting out as conversation partners, we always wanted people to feel like they were part of the chemistry between Erik and I; and that bigness is possible; and that great things glocalise when great conversations happen,” says Sanei, Co-author of Expansive.
“Our metric of success was never about how many listeners we had, it was about how many meaningful conversations were being started because of the conversation John and I were having,” adds Kruger, Co-author of Expansive.
Famed for its shoot-the-breeze style and authentic dialogues, the podcast’s success ranked in the top 5% of globally shared shows by Spotify – and the book will be no exception.
Expansive arrives all the same with its digestible, power-packed insights and sharp-witted quips between Sanei and Kruger. Structured as a 52-week journey, Expansive, the book, offers one supercharged insight per week, to guide leaders through a year of exceptional growth. While Sanei and Kruger continue to satiate a global appetite for accessible, deep, soulful, and practical leadership insights, the book is designed to hit different among South African captains; to move the needle across desks, boardrooms, executive strategies, and the world.
Glocal Leadership: South Africa as a Thought Exporter
A core theme of Expansive is “glocalising” leadership—bringing South Africa’s robust, high-empathy, and high-resilience approach to global business challenges. As the world becomes increasingly volatile and interconnected, the need for decentralised, adaptive, and emotionally intelligent leadership becomes undeniable.
“Each chapter is crafted to spark deep reflection and provoke meaningful conversations within organisations and leadership teams,” says Sanei. “It’s a go-to showcase of worldly discourses for those looking to build adaptive cultures, and empower expansive mindsets within their companies.”
This approach is evident throughout the pages of Expansive, where readers are invited to lean into their own cultural context while thinking boldly about global impact. It’s a radical shift from rigid frameworks to dynamic ecosystems of thought – and Sanei and Kruger are bringing out the big guns on all of it.
“South Africa has long been a story of survival and ingenuity and now is the time to take that DNA and export it! We need to show the world that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all model dictated from Silicon Valley or Western Europe. The future will belong to those who can localise empathy while globalising strategy. Erik and I believe South Africa’s got the goods, but now needs to find their international confidence,” says Sanei.
More than just a book
Expansive reaches beyond its purpose as a paperback – it’s a movement. It is a bold call for South Africa to root and rise from the burrows of staid, limited thinking; it is a smoke signal for true north leadership and future-ready pioneers; it is a break-up letter to every safe-player, small thinker and headway hiatus.
From themes of digital disruption and self-leadership to global economics and emotional maturity, Sanei and Kruger keep things simple, honest and real in the book, establishing Expansive as arguably one of the most influential essays of our modern world.
An expansive invitation to leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers
John and Erik are inviting industry pioneers and their teams to expand on their proverbial playbook thinking and join the Expansive movement; a now-generation goal to navigate digital transformation, remote leadership and generational shifts in the workplace. This is the time – and this is the book, that sets to serve as every leader’s weekly touchstone for growth.
“This is not a traditional leadership book. It’s a living, breathing tool for sustainable expansion. We’re offering leaders a practical way to develop weekly habits of thinking more broadly, leading more intentionally (and internationally), and creating cultures of purpose,” says Kruger.
Expansive goes on sale across Amazon, Loot, Our Books Direct and leading retail outlets in May 2025. Bulk orders of Expansive, starting from 1000 copies or more, retail at just R240 per copy, and include a personalised CEO message. Companies can add their own CEO message alongside these two South African industry stalwarts, whilst customising a company branded cover.
For customised bulk orders, contact: [email protected] or [email protected]
John and Erik will be hosting two launch events which are free to join. They will unpack the journey behind the book, the ideas that shaped it, and the questions that still keep them curious. The event details are as follows: