Keri Stroebel is a Mrs Africa Continental Finalist 2016, Mrs South Africa Semi Finalist 2016, Motivational Speaker & MC, Pageant Judge and Ambassador for The SA Depression and Anxiety Association.
Originally from Pretoria, I am one of 3 siblings. There is depression scattered throughout my family which filtered down to me as well. An often tumultuous childhood resulted in my own issues, and when I had my son, I was diagnosed with postpartum depression. It was only after I started speaking to a psychiatrist that I realised I had actually been dealing with depression for most of my adult life. I am now based in beautiful Cape Town, I am a 32 year old wife and mom, balancing my time between my work in Digital Marketing, doing talks at schools, raising awareness for depression and anxiety, and raising funds for Dignity Dreams and the Nzuri Project, among various other charities. I have also been invited to judge various pageants and I am working on a mentoring program for young girls. It’s very important for me to raise awareness about the signs of depression so that it’s not left untreated.
Please tell us a little more about yourself and your journey thus far.
As previously mentioned, the real transformation of my journey began when my husband and I chose to move to Cape Town. This was a way to escape from a lot of the troubles I had been dealing with at home. However, it was no quick fix and I quickly discovered, alone in a new city’ that I had a lot of old baggage that needed to be dealt with. About 18 months after moving to Cape Town, I gave birth to my beautiful son and quickly realized that something wasn’t right. I was placed on light antidepressants for postpartum depression and tried to manage as best I could. I was too scared to get real help for a number of reasons, I was embarrassed and I was nervous about taking any other medication while breastfeeding. After some time however, my husband convinced me to go and speak to someone and I was diagnosed with full blown depression, placed on better antidepressants and I started being more open about what I was dealing with in the hopes of letting people understand why I was acting the way I was.
I was working on trying to get better, but I needed people to understand what was going on. I realized once I started talking about it, how many people were dealing with the same thing and how many people really needed to talk about it more. I ended up entering Mrs South Africa, not thinking anything would come of it, and that’s when things really changed for me. After Mrs South Africa, I was selected as a finalist in Mrs Africa, and my journey has been even more incredible since then. I have been asked to speak at numerous events, to judge pageants and to share my story. It’s not where I ever expected my life to go but it’s been the best thing that ever happened to me.
You are busy with some very interesting projects. Please tell us a little more about them.
I have always been passionate about helping where I can, so my fundraising efforts have included initiatives for Animal Welfare and CANSA. As part of my Mrs Africa campaign, I’m heavily involved with Dignity Dreams and the Nzuri Project, as well as DeskBags. These 3 initiatives are part of the Mrs Africa Foundation.
The Mrs Africa Foundation has currently 3 focus points in Africa:
- To establish Dignity Dreams, a non-profit organisation that distributes washable feminine sanitary wear to underprivileged girls and women in all participating Mrs Africa countries.
- To introduce DeskBags, a durable school bag made from recycled vinyl billboards that double-up as a portable desk, to support children with their education in disadvantaged areas in Africa.
- To financially support The Nzuri Project in Eastern DRC to treat women who suffers from Endemic Goitre and Fistula conditions.
My projects outside of the Mrs Africa Foundation include wellness sessions for those dealing with depression, I will be undertaking some training with the SA Depression and Anxiety Association to better equip myself with the knowledge I need to support the sufferers of mental illness better.
At the moment, I only have my story, and the will to advise people to seek help, and to not be ashamed. I believe that the more we talk about mental illness, the less taboo it will become. I am also working on a mentorship program for young ladies.
What are you passionate about?
With certainty I can say that I am most passionate about helping wherever I can. I find there are so many causes that need attention – and they are not always the issues you’d expect, which is why I really love DeskBags and Dignity Dreams. I personally had never thought that there were students on this continent, and in this country, that didn’t have desks in their classrooms. I had never thought about what homeless women, or those without the finances do when they get their period. And it’s only because most of us don’t grow up with those problems, so it’s not in your frame of reference. When I heard about these causes, I really wanted to help. With regards to talking about mental illness, I don’t want anyone to struggle for as long as I did, I’ve become very passionate about talking about the realities of depression and I’m very honest about it.
Who or what has been the biggest influence in your life and why?
When I was a teenager, the only people I thought I could look up to were generally celebrities, so I looked at women like Oprah Winfrey who were conquering and doing their thing, and more importantly, they were always trying to grow into better versions of themselves. However as I got older, and entered the working world, I have had many people influence me in different ways, they’re not all still in my life, but you can learn from everyone you meet, whether it’s taking a note on someone’s work ethic or discovering what you don’t want to be.
My husband has also been one of the greatest influences in my life – we’ve been together since we were 19, so he has seen me through a lot of difficult times and he’s still here, still motivating me. Currently there are two people who really inspire me.
What is your personal motto?
Don’t aim for perfection, aim for progress!
What advice would you give a woman wanting to follow her dreams?
Just begin. You can sit and daydream about all the things you’d like to do, you can write pages and pages of plans, but in order to make it happen, you need to just begin. Start small, but start somewhere.
What are your top 3 business tips?
Given that I am VERY new to this, I would say the 3 most important things I have learnt so far are:
- Networking really is very important. You have to get out and meet people.
- Do what you say you are going to do.
- Be confident, not arrogant.
What would you say is the secret to your success?
Probably persistence. Like everyone else, I have also given up here and there, but I always try again. Maybe I’m a sucker for punishment, but it now seems to be paying off.
Your favourite quote:
I have a few:
“There is nothing more powerful than a women determined to rise”.
“You can always tell who the strong women are, they are the one’s building each other up, not tearing each other down”.
“The women who does not require validation from anyone, is the most feared individual on the planet”.
Your favourite daily affirmation:
Usually when I’m driving and drinking my coffee in my car, I’m saying to myself, ‘Today is going to be a good day!’ – It’s pretty cool the amount of times I get home in the afternoon and get to say, I was right! It was a good day!
What advice would you give your younger self?
Believe people when they tell you that it doesn’t matter what other people think. It’s so hard to understand that when you’re a young adult, but generally the people that spent so much time breaking you down, or being negative towards you, are not going to matter in the end. There will always be naysayers… keep your eyes on the prize!
Which book are you currently reading?
I’m busy reading #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso – She spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and dumpster diving. By twenty-two, Sophia had resigned herself to working a mediocre day job she’d taken for the health insurance. She then started selling vintage clothes on eBay. Eight years later, she is the Founder & Executive Chairman of Nasty Gal and one of the richest women in the world. It’s an incredible story!
What book can you read over and over again?
#GirlBoss! I read it often, it’s like my little travel companion – I love reading it when I’m flying because it helps me focus on my goals.
One general piece of advice you would like to share:
You are the only one who is responsible for you. Your happiness, your successes, your responses to situations, that’s all on you. You cannot spend your life blaming circumstance, feeling sorry for yourself or wishing for things to get better. As Maya Angelou says: Nothing will work unless you do.
Contact Information:
Twitter: @keri_stroebel
