Podcaster. Writer. Storyteller. Creator. True Crime Addict. Host and creator @TCSApod @LivedThroughPod
Nicole Engelbrecht worked in corporate management for 20 years before moving on to try her hand at creative entrepreneurship in 2019.
She is the creator and host of the popular True Crime South Africa and I Lived Through This podcasts.
True Crime South Africa consistently charts as South Africa’s most popular true crime podcast even among international offerings, and in 2021, Business Insider ranked the podcast as the 5th most listened to podcast overall in the country.
The podcast’s potential has been identified by several prominent South African media organisations with Arena Holdings hosting the podcast on their multimedia platform and Jacaranda FM having recently partnered with Nicole to produce an Afrikaans version of the podcast.
Her first true crime book, Samurai Sword Murder: The Morné Harmse Story hits book stores in October 2022 and is described by journalist and fellow crime writer, Jana Marx, as being “true crime at its very best.” Published by Melinda Ferguson Books (an imprint of NB Publishers), the book is Nicole’s first published in her own name, although she has ghostwritten several international true crime books.
Nicole works with television production companies to research and develop true crime documentaries and pioneered the first companion podcast of its kind with Showmax in 2021: the award winning, Devilsdorp: The Official Companion Podcast.
She also records and produces audiobooks in the true crime space including Jana Marx’s The Krugersdorp Cult Killings.
In the hopes of growing the true crime space in South Africa, Nicole actively mentors other true crime creators to help them create their own podcasts and YouTube channels. She also partners with selected production companies to work on influencer campaigns for documentaries and television series that align with her victim-focused style of true crime content creation.
Using her knowledge gained in the corporate management field, Nicole also writes articles for international executive clients in a ghostwriting capacity and is a contributor under her own byline in Strixus. She is published weekly on the TimesLive platform.
Nicole lives in Cape Town and is a self-described dog mom (although the cat might disagree). When she’s not fully immersed in the world of true crime she enjoys listening to podcasts, reading, and volunteering at animal welfare organisations.
