Joani Johnson Jacobs is a South African entrepreneur, author and women’s empowerment advocate whose career has spanned more than two decades across modelling, pageantry, business and media.
At 24, she borrowed R10,000 from her father to purchase a small modelling school. What began with fewer than 20 students would eventually become Ace Models International. Today, Ace Models has grown into an international modelling academy and franchise network with more than 30 active locations across South Africa, Namibia and Australia.
Joani’s career took another defining turn when she won Mrs South Africa in 2009. In 2011 she stepped into ownership and leadership of the organisation and went on to build Mrs South Africa into a platform centred on women, purpose, confidence, leadership and social impact.
In 2025, Joani was recognised as CEO of the Year at the Women of Stature Awards. Crowned in Confidence deliberately looks behind the accomplishments. The acquisition of the Miss SupraNational South Africa license in September represents another milestone in her journey.
Last night was the jewel in the crown as Joani launched her first book “Crowned in Confidence” – her call to women to rediscover the worth they may have lost along the way. Crowned in Confidence certainly knows how to make an entrance.
Joani Jacobs launched her fabulous new book with a sexy, sassy soirée at Hotel Sky in Sandton, bringing together an enviable gathering of power, glamour and plenty of personality.
And when it comes to a room full of queens, this one delivered.
Joani’s partners and a dazzling line-up of Mrs South Africa titleholders turned out in force, with the gorgeous Cindy Nell Roberts making a particularly memorable entrance. Fresh off a plane from Melbourne, Australia, Cindy was clearly not about to let jet lag get in the way of looking fabulous — stepping out in a sensational dress, faux-fur jacket and those legs for days.
The evening’s main event was an intimate conversation between Joani, the inspiring Tshego Gaelae, Mrs World 2025, and the stunning Erin-Jane Miller, Mrs South Africa 2025. And what a conversation it was.
Compelling, entertaining and sprinkled with plenty of personality, the three women had guests completely captivated — so much so that nobody seemed in any hurry to leave those seriously sexy animal-print chairs.
Naturally, the bubbles were worthy of the occasion. Chilled Mirabelle Rosé flowed alongside Krone Brut and Krone Rosé, while delicious canapés and an irresistible selection of cheeses kept the mood effortlessly indulgent.
It was an evening where confidence met couture, crowns met conversation and a room full of remarkable women celebrated the power of owning who you are.
Because if there’s one thing Crowned in Confidence makes abundantly clear, it’s this: the crown is fabulous — but confidence is the real accessory.
Crowned in Confidence is part memoir, part leadership guide. Drawing on more than two decades in business, the book moves beyond the polished stages and public successes to explore what happens behind them: insecurity, failure, criticism, difficult seasons, reinvention and the decision to keep showing up.
“Worth is not something we earn through titles, beauty, success, relationships or approval. It is something we must first recognise within ourselves.”
Why She Wrote the Book
Joani realised that regardless of age, beauty, success or status, so many people wrestle with the same fundamental question: Am I enough?
Through seasons of triumph and uncertainty, Joani has navigated success, rejection, motherhood, divorce, business, leadership and life in the public eye.
Crowned in Confidence was born from a desire to share the lessons behind the achievements — the challenges, growth and truths that shaped her journey. At its heart, the book is a reminder to every woman that she does not have to earn her worth. She was born with it.
Crowned in Confidence will be available soon on Takealot and Amazon as well as Exclusive Books shelves nationwide in December (2026).
FOOTNOTES
Chapter Two: The Lies We Believe
I learned early how easily a girl can begin measuring herself against somebody else. We are given labels before we are old enough to understand what those labels can do to us. Prettier. Smarter. More talented. Number one. Number two.
And somewhere along the way, comparison starts convincing us that somebody else’s beauty somehow diminishes our own.
If I could go back to that thirteen-year-old girl travelling to Bloemfontein every Saturday, I would not tell her to try harder to be prettier.
I would tell her that she was never in competition to begin with. That she was never number two. That her worth was never something to be ranked.
She was already enough, exactly as she was.
Chapter Three: The Private Fire
Not all fires happen publicly. Some unfold behind closed doors, in the silence, in the parts of our lives nobody else sees.
Divorce was one of those fires for me.
We married young and, although our paths eventually grew apart, that chapter of my life will always hold meaning because it gave me my beautiful daughter.
But divorce is not simply the ending of a relationship. It can be the unravelling of dreams you once shared and a future you once believed was certain.
It leaves questions behind: Was I enough? Could I have done more?
That season taught me that sometimes even our best efforts cannot hold everything together.
Accepting an ending does not mean that your life has ended with it. Your story can change direction without losing its meaning.
Chapter Four: Confidence is a Muscle
What if failure is not actually the thing we should fear? What if the greater loss is never trying?
Failure teaches you something. You get up. You adjust. You try again. And every time you do, you become more resilient.
I learned the same thing through sponsorship and business.
You make the call. You send the proposal. You walk into the meeting. And sometimes the answer is no.
Then what? You ask the next person. You keep going until somebody says yes.
A no is not the end of the road. But if you never ask, you never move at all.
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Author: ZEBRA SQUARE from Zebra Square on behalf of Joani Jacobs.
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