Meet Sonja Squires

Sonja Squires, a dedicated change-maker and thought leader, was born and raised in Gauteng, South Africa, as the eldest of four siblings in a loving, God-centered family guided by her parents, Sydney and Elizabeth Fryer. With a strong academic foundation, Sonja holds a BCom Hons in Industrial Psychology and a postgraduate Management Development Program (MDP) from the University of Pretoria.

Her professional journey began with 10 impactful years at Eskom’s Head Office, where she specialized in Change Management. She later transitioned to the banking sector, serving as National Head of HR, Marketing, and Operations. In 2005, Sonja, together with her late husband Richard, made the life-changing decision to leave the corporate world to focus on social entrepreneurial projects aimed at uplifting rural and underserved communities. These projects have been deeply rooted in the innovative neuroscience-based tools and methodologies developed by Neurolink.

Sonja and Richard became accredited in Neurolink’s applied neuroscience and technology in 2010. Since then, she has been a passionate advocate and practitioner, leveraging these tools to design and implement people development projects. Her approach uses Neurolink methodologies as a gap analysis framework to identify and address developmental challenges, particularly in socio-economic and enterprise development in rural school communities.

Project Highlights

Sonja has been instrumental in the success of numerous impactful initiatives, including:

• Healthcare Support: A 10,000-patient HIV support program in collaboration with an NPO assisting Steve Biko District Hospital.
• Educational Development: Programs supporting Grade 8 learners with mild mental handicaps in Tshwane and high achiever programs for university library staff in Gauteng.
• Literacy Advancement: Public library initiatives for Grade R to 3 learners in the Northern Cape.
• Academic Support: The Department of Education’s Rise and Excel pre-exam interventions for at-risk Grade 12 learners, along with post-school learnership support.
• Community Empowerment: The Ability Identity program, sponsored by a renewable energy entity, implemented in primary and secondary schools in Loeriesfontein.

Current Focus Areas

Sonja continues to lead programs that address critical developmental needs in rural communities, including:

• Ability Identity: A program stimulating intelligence preferences for learners from Grade R to 12.
• Rise and Excel: Providing pre-exam support for at-risk Grade 12 students.
• GITTY (Give It To The Youth): An agricultural job creation program training youth to become saffron spice out-growers.

Her work also involves identifying and mentoring local community facilitators through Neuro-Link’s Neuro Agility Profile. These facilitators are equipped over five years with the tools and knowledge to enhance critical intelligences, such as linguistic, bodily, logical-mathematical, sensory, and visual-spatial skills.

A Legacy of Impact

Sonja’s late husband, Richard, who passed away in early 2023, shared her unwavering commitment to serving rural communities through this meaningful work. She continues to honor his vision, tirelessly co-laboring with the Neuro-Link team to bring hope and transformation to South Africa’s most vulnerable populations. Her dedication to applying neuroscience to bridge developmental gaps ensures that her work leaves a lasting legacy of empowerment and growth.