This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Miss South Africa 2023, Natasha Joubert. We discuss her Miss SA journey, from childhood aspirations to be a woman that inspires others, to competing in 2020 and entering the Miss Universe stage, experiencing disappointment and overcoming depression to go on to win the Miss SA crown in 2023. A person’s encounters have an impact on their life, but Natasha emphasises that people should never allow themselves to be a product of their circumstances, but to be a product of their choices. This was the philosophy behind conceptualising her fashion brand Natalia Jeffreys, which was the product of her father losing his job and her mum’s determination for Natasha to continue competing in pageants and having the outfits to do so. Financial exclusion challenges people’s access to opportunity, but through Natasha’s determination she entered pageants and won bursaries that accumulated into her BCom Marketing Management qualification. Based on her lived experience part of her Miss SA endeavours is an education-based project that partners with institutions to award full bursaries to people that cannot afford to study. Tune in for more to hear this resilient, inspiring, young woman that embodies the four pillars of Miss South Africa – duty, championship, empowerment, and beauty. #SecondChances #Empowerment #Resilience #Dream