Mrs Globe dreams of healing ‘broken’ women
Current Mrs Globe, Riana Mooi (42) - a proud South African from Johannesburg - dreams of healing all the heartbroken women in the world.
The Advertiser recently caught up with her when she was visiting Emperors Palace.
Mrs Globe is the largest pageant in the world for married women.
“There are just so many ‘women in need’, which aligns with the WIN Foundation and what it stands for: women who are hurting, women who have been through very painful journeys, women who need to be healed and have such low self-esteems,” said Mooi, who was the first South African to be crowned Mrs Globe.
“I’m looking forward to being able to provide them with the tools to go on the journey of healing, on how to love and to believe in themselves.”
Not only is she a beautiful woman (as her surname indicates), but she’s a cluster risk manager at Nedbank Ltd., wife to Craig, and mother to Brad (22) and Dilon (17).
And, as much as she’s a cultured woman, Mooi has a wonderful sense of humour.
“I’m actually a comedienne; my work colleagues laugh all the time, because I always have funny things to say,” she said.
Mooi was first runner-up in the Mrs South Africa contest, in November, last year, which presented her with the opportunity to compete at Mrs Globe, in China.
Mooi grew up in Durban and moved to Johannesburg after she had matriculated in 1991.
She started a modelling career in Durban and was offered an opportunity to come to Johannesburg, where she also met her husband of almost 23 years.
Mooi said she lived through a hard and difficult childhood.
“I’ve been through abuse in my life, so it wasn’t easy; but you go through a journey and you heal,” she explained.
“I’ve gone through a process and I’ve now come to a place where I know I’m worthy and I know I’m loved; I have a wonderful husband and kids who love me.”
According to Mooi, it wasn’t an easy decision to enter Mrs South Africa. She knew the only way to embark on such a journey was to get the necessary support of her family, her colleagues and her manager.
“I spent 10 wonderful days in China getting to meet the Mrs Globe management team and, of course, 49 other beautiful women competing for this title from all over the world,” she said.
“They were not just beautiful on the outside, but they all had such beautiful stories to tell.
”I’m very happy and feeling blessed and grateful that the judges chose me to represent their brand and to become their international ambassador.
“I’m still who I am; I’m still a mom, a wife, a worker – I’m still going to live out my passion of getting involved in community projects and serving people.
Mooi wants to be a change-maker.
Her motto is: “Never look down at anybody, unless you are helping them up”.
“I have a vision to touch just one life at a time,” she said.
”I want to start off by giving women back their self-confidence, by constantly going back to my journey and what I’ve been through.”
Mooi’s message to all the women out there is: “Don’t let anybody define you.
“You can’t sit back and expect someone else to change your life. You have to make a decision to change it.
“You are the director of your own movement; be in charge of your life and make decisions for the better. ”Don’t get stuck in the hurt, the anger and the negativity that bring you down. They break you down and kill you; they just consume you.
“Don’t allow that; seek help. Speak to somebody, but make a decision to make a change in your life for the better, so that you can grow.”
Mooi plans to publish a book before the end of the year, which will include her journey of being crowned Mrs Globe.
Dr Tracey Kemble, former Mrs Globe and the WIN Foundation founder, along with Mooi, is hoping to stage a global women empowerment conference in South Africa.- @IschkeBoksburg
