Claudia, The 40 Over 40 Women’s Portrait Campaign

Claudia, 46

I have been described by my friends and family as…

Heart of gold. A go-getter, there for so many. Strong, independent, fierce. Dependable, loyal, trustworthy, brave, feisty, reliable, protective, cheeky, a control freak. Sarcastic, funny, clumsy and Miss Diva.

My husband describes me as ambitious, determined, loving, inspiring, caring, and kind.

The best quality I think I have is my caring nature. I’ve felt hardship, heartache, and loss first hand and I feel the pain people go through.

I celebrate people’s success and happiness as if it were my own, it takes very little to get me as excited as you are about your achievements, etc.

I am most proud of…

I’m most proud of my children, they are the reason I get up every morning and “show up”. We went through a less than amicable divorce when they were quite young, and it wasn’t easy on them.

I’m proud of the young adults they have become, despite the hardships we went through. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not grateful for being their mother.

A few years ago I decided to change my profession completely to become a Pilates Instructor.

My very first full-time job when I left school at 17 years old was working in a gym. It’s so ironic how life has done a 360 on this aspect of my life.

I remember going to my first lecture, being handed a ton of manuals, surrounded by a room full of vibrant, flexible 20 /30-year-olds, wondering what one earth I was doing there.

I was completely overwhelmed. The only thing that made me persevere was, of course, the support of my family, but also that I didn’t want to disappoint my children.

I wanted to show them that you are never too old to make a change or to keep challenging yourself. I’m a qualified Pilates Instructor and love it.

My favourite quotes…

“It is what it is”,

“Life is what you make of it”,

“We all have hardships, how we choose to deal with it defines who we are”

What advice would I give my 20-year-old self…

I was very insecure growing up, right into my 20’s and most of my 30’s. Life was hard growing up. I constantly felt like I needed to prove myself.

Looking back now I hid behind a very loud, cheeky, and daring persona to disguise my insecurities.

So, if I had to give my 20-year-old self some advice it would be ‘You are perfect the way you are, you are good enough. It’s okay to be afraid and to show vulnerability.

Don’t take other people’s opinions so personally.”

Then I’d probably hug my 20-year-old self and give her some money LOL!

We all experience many lifetimes in this one life. What did you find were the most poignant changes as you entered your 40’s?

When I entered my 40’s I shook off a lot of ‘dead weight ‘that I had been carrying around. Harbored emotions and uncertainties, things I hadn’t dealt with or found difficult to let go of.

For the first time in my life, I felt that I accepted myself, with all my imperfections. It was as if a light switch went on and I was like, ‘Hey you rock girl!’.

I met the love of my life shortly after my 40th and this proves that you truly do attract what you put out to the universe.

Happiness! Of course, it’s not all peaches and cream, when you hit 40 your body suddenly hands you a few challenges of its own, and let’s not talk about the brain fog hahaha!

Years ago, I worked for a well-known FMCG group. We were recording a ‘dog and pony’ type interview with two South African rugby players.

At the end of the afternoon, I wanted a few photographs with the players, but being so short I grabbed a patio chair and hopped on, only to find I couldn’t get off because my very high heels had got stuck in the gaps in the chair.

Without hesitation, the one player picked me up at the waist and shook me a few times until the chair promptly popped off my shoes. True story LOL!

Thoughts on aging…

I don’t honestly think about aging, I only think of fighting the signs of aging.

Eating as healthy as possible or as much as my willpower allows and exercising to keep my physical injuries at bay.

A goal or dream I still have is…

I want to travel, try new things, see my children be happy and successful and hopefully give me a few grandbabies.

Maybe retire in Koh Samui and become a Pilates instructor on the beach.

The dream is real people!

Claudia booked me for the 40 Over 40 Women’s Portrait Campaign when she saw that her friend Nicolette had been to me for the same shoot. We instantly connected over the phone and then proceeded to chat frequently before the lead-up to her shoot.  Claudia arrived at my studio with a gift bag for me – totally unexpected and such a generous and kind gesture. It was filled with goodies and bubbly – which I’m saving for New Years eve!

Claudia has this incredible energy! When she mentioned that she wanted some of her portraits on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, my brain immediately flipped into creative mode! And I’m so glad we made it happen!

A good friend of hers met us at Maidens Cove beach next to Camps Bay, with his Harley! And despite the bright sunlight and wind, everything unfolded beautifully!

We then headed back to the studio for the 2nd part of her shoot, where we created even more magic.  The day was amazing with great conversation and lots of laughs.

  Thanks to the amazing Donna Hay for doing such striking and natural hair and makeup. Here are a few from Claudia’s shoot.