by Marilize Jacobs
If you’d told me fresh after varsity that my greatest professional qualifications in my mid-30s would be earned not in an office, but on the floor of a paediatric therapist’s room and in divorce court, I’d have cried. In 2017, I was deep in the “triathlon of overwhelm”: navigating my son’s autism diagnosis, a marriage ending, and a body screaming with adrenal fatigue. I was a shell, crying over spilt milk because the spilt milk felt like the final, cruel joke.
My healing didn’t start with a grand gesture. It started with a stupid decision to have a disco kitchen party while burning dinner. Remember this was before the days of THE Air fryer. My son stared, then giggled. In that moment, I tapped into an unexpected superpower: humour. As psychologist Dr George Vaillant put it, “Humour is one of the truly elegant defences. It doesn’t suppress the pain; it transforms it.” Science proves this. Laughter boosts endorphins, our body's natural painkillers, and dampens the stress hormone cortisol. My silly dance was a biochemical intervention.
I began to reframe my chaos not as a failure, but as the world’s most intense management course. I started drafting my real CV.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Project Manager | The Autism Recovery Project through The Star Academy
I orchestrated a full-scale, multi-disciplinary intervention for a tiny, non-verbal client. My days were a masterclass in logistics, juggling speech therapists, occupational therapists, and biomedical appointments around load-shedding slots. I became a research ninja, devouring studies on neuroplasticity while learning to interpret my son’s unique sign language. My stakeholder management skills were honed negotiating IEPs with teachers and explaining protocols to sceptical relatives. The payoff? Hearing “Mamma” for the first time. ROI: Priceless.
CFO | Startup Single-Mama Household
Post-divorce, I restructured our entire financial ecosystem. This required forensic budgeting, allocating funds to therapy, legal fees, and let’s be honest – then - emergency wine. I mastered negotiation, both with small humans (“three more peas for two more stories”) and large institutions. I developed an intimate knowledge of which Checkers had the best specials and which Woolies ready meal could pass as homemade. The achievement? Transforming financial panic into a sustainable, love-filled operation.
Crisis Manager | Corporate Dissolution Inc.
Navigating my divorce required diplomacy I never knew I possessed. I managed highly charged communications, translating “angry” into “practical” for the sake of our twin boy/girl. I developed resilience thicker than a potjie pot and a heart soft enough to assure my children they were loved beyond measure. I emerged with the ability to find the funny side of a disastrous first date.
Wellness Consultant | Sustainable Self-Care Systems
Burnout was my body’s final warning. I overcame it by instituting radical protocols. I pioneered the “5-Minute Recharge” - a killer playlist for the school run especially Lady Gaga. I became a black belt in saying “No” and instituted mandatory silly dance breaks and wrestling matches with my kids on my bed. We weren’t just dancing; we were lowering our stress hormones and doing cardio. The result? I transformed from a drained shell into a present, joyful mother.
Director of Left-Brain | Right-Brain Synergy | VocalCord PR and Reputation Management & Pigs Can Fly Interiors
This chaos forged me into an entrepreneur. I launched two businesses that are a direct reflection of my healed whole brain.
In my PR venture, I use the left-brain skills honed in crisis: the strategic planning, stakeholder management, and analytical thinking from managing therapy schedules and legal paperwork.
My interior decorating business channels the right-brain strengths fostered through rebuilding a home and a life: empathy, creativity, and the vision to see potential where others see chaos.
The constant switch between analytical problems and creative solutions is the ultimate cognitive workout. It’s my shield against burnout, proving that the ultimate work-life balance is actually a work-brain balance.
This isn’t just my story. It’s a call to action for every mama who has ever muttered, “I’m just a mom.” You are a project manager, a CEO, a crisis negotiator, and a wellness expert. Your Melting Pot of a CV is a testament to your incredible, marketable strength. So, the next time you feel overwhelmed, find one ridiculous thing to laugh at. Have a kitchen disco. Then, own your story. You didn’t just survive; you became qualified to dominate.
Marilize Jacobs is the founder of two businesses, Pigs Can Fly Interiors & VocalCord Reputation Management in South Africa. She is a reputation strategist with a BCom Marketing Management (UP) and a career spanning interior design, marketing, and PR. Clients, especially in the Financial Services, Legal, Pharmaceutical, Hospitality and Retail industries which revere her strategic skills, thoroughness and tenacity when it comes to building and maintaining reputations. On the personal front, she is a boat skipper and avid cyclist, and also has a pro bono involvement with The Star Academy, an international institution for children with Autism.
Reach her at: marilizeb@mweb.co.za / 082 418 6767
Facebook: facebook.com/pigscanflyinteriors
Instagram: @yespigscanfly
More articles by Marilize
