Karina Marais is a South African educator, entrepreneur, and now creative storyteller who is possibly breaking new ground in memoir writing. 

Upstairs Downstairs – A Living Apart Together Musical Memoir may be the first of its kind—told through words, lyric readings, music, and video, transforming personal storytelling into a multisensory experience. 

She is even redefining what a book launch can be by engaging all the senses in a fantasy setting, where sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch come alive through an eleven-course fun-dining & wine-pairing experience as well as a three-course breakfast inspired by the food in her book. 

Her three albums, with thirty-one original songs, form the soundtrack of her life, blending themes of love, resilience, and daring aspirations. 

She co-founded BrainBoosters, an educational NGO, recognised as one of the best in Africa, and created the Running with Bulls financial literacy board game, endorsed by the JSE and sold nationwide. She also presented a television series about children and money on DSTV’s KykNet.

Currently, she is a Non-Executive Director at Eureka DIY and Forum Homini Boutique Hotel.