Marsha Parcou is not a stranger to the Cosmocreole regular readers, and she is known for her entrepreneurial, coaching, and authorial skills. In 2024, we saw her publish a new book, “Coffee.Chocolate.Cardio”, co-written with her South African husband, Kirschlee Naidoo. The book is about their deeply personal journey of love, growth, and discovery as a couple, the challenges they faced in life, and how to overcome them. Coffee, Chocolate and Cardio is about a transformational journey from weight-loss to wellness lifestyle and aims to impact and help others on their own transformation journey.
Marsha is a transformational coach, neurolinguistic programming practitioner, and wellness and fitness advocate, and her husband is a sports nutritionist and fitness coach. Joining forces to write the book seems a fitting idea. When quizzed about the title, Marsha explained that the book title reflected things that the couple loved and that “cardio” is symbolic of their commitment to fitness but also their resilience and determination.
While “coffee” represents how their love story took shape “over afternoon coffee dates at Cappuccinos or the Woolworth Café in South Africa”, it also represents the business the two opened together in Seychelles.
“When we came to Seychelles from South Africa, we saw that there was no decent coffee shop around, which led us to open Chatterbox,” Marsha added.
“Chocolate” in the title not only represents Kirshlee’s name – inspired by the Lindt Chocolate – but it also symbolises “the sweet indulgence” that binds them together and is a symbol of their shared experiences and intimate moments, explained Marsha,
“Coffee, Chocolate and Cardio is more than just a book- it is a celebration of love, resilience, and the simple pleasures that make life worth living. Through our story, we hope to inspire others to embrace the journey of self discovery.”
Marsha emphasised that the book is for everyone who is already on their own fitness or transformation journey or who wants to embark on a journey to transform their lives.
As the book talks about their personal journey as a couple, Kirshlee highlighted that while it has been a learning experience, it was also a hard one.
“It showcases your vulnerability, struggles and accolades. The part I found most difficult was having to open old wounds I have healed from and revisit the times in my life when I was at my lowest.”
When asked what made them write the book, Marsha explained that they wanted to help “those who could not afford one-on-one coaching. We wanted to reach as broad an audience as possible to help them learn about the journey.”
It wouldn’t be a conversation with Cosmocreole if we didn’t ask Marsha what will be her message to our readers and anyone who would listen, and she had this to say:
“Climb your own ladder! It’s your own journey; accept and embrace each season, as each season is a learning and growing phase. It is important to understand the value of delayed gratification. Nothing worth having comes easy, and nothing that comes easy is worth having.”
If you want to get a copy of the new book, you can purchase it in bookshops on Mahe, namely Antigone, Chanterelle and Lo Brian or at Chatterbox cafe and souvenir shop at the airport.
