We had the privilege of interviewing Actress, CA (SA), Mrs South Africa Finalist 2016, Mother and Wife Maboshadi Chauke.
I really didn’t have to ask her how she was doing: it showed on her face. She is a woman who radiates the kind of peace and satisfaction that comes only when you’re living at your highest potential.
Her tone made me feel at ease and she exudes an aura, that is open and approachable, which turned a more serious interview to a fun filled chat, with a sister and friend I haven’t seen in a while.
In the past months we observed as Shadi made her mark, which had her featured on a double page spread interview with Destiny magazine and amongst her everyday corporate title as, Partner and CA (SA) at Deloitte and Touche, she ended a journey to Mrs South Africa 2016 as a finalist in October.
As if that is not enough she coined a guest appearance acting role on Etv drama series Gold diggers – all of this in a year!!
We obviously had to talk to this admirable woman and find out about the balance she’s obviously achieved in her life, and to get the story behind the glimmer in her eye.
Tell us a little about yourself:
My name is Maboshadi named after my grandmother, the eldest of 3 siblings 8 years and 15 years apart, but we are very close which is great.
I was born in Katlehgong in the East Rand, I didn’t live there though I grew up mostly in Soweto and Midrand. Now I’m happily married for 14 years, to my childhood sweetheart Rodgers Chauke whom I met in Varsity, such a blessing. We have 2 boys aged 10 and 6.
What does Maboshadi mean?
Every time I ask my parents what my name means? They always say I am named after my grandmother, I would always tell them there must be a meaning!
Some people say it’s a Pedi name because they’ve heard it in the Pedi tribe, so when I was in Varsity I asked a friend of mine to research when he went to Botswana what my name means and he said Boshadi is a piece of earth and I was happy with that, because Maboshadi would mean “Mother of the earth or queen of the earth”. I’ve yet to research and confirm.
What is a typical day like in the life of Shadi?
This year has been completely different from any other year, because this was the year I decided to pursue my passion in acting.
I decided to also stretch myself more by entering Mrs SA. It turned out that being a finalist for Mrs South Africa was a full time Job in itself. So a day in my life for most part of the year was different, because the competition in itself runs pretty much for 9 months.
I’m also an Audit partner at Deloitte that means I had deliverables within audit, and in a typical day I could also receive a script from my agent to learn, so I can go to auditions.
I’d have to literally squeeze in learning my lines and have time for my clients and also appear for promotions for Mrs South Africa Sponsors.
On the outside it looked like I was super woman, but to be perfectly honest it was rough because I’d sometimes have 16 – 18 hour days, If I had to do a promotion it would take an entire afternoon, then I’d miss out on my Deloitte work which id have to catch up at night, this would mean that something else has to give – like time with family.
I’m glad it was temporary because it is not sustainable. Now that Mrs South Africa is over which ended in October, I placed up to top 25 and I’m happy with that. Since then I’ve been focusing on my Deloitte work, acting and being a mom and wife which I can manage.
Would you say you’ve found work life balance?
You know what I don’t believe that there is such a thing and I’ve reached peace about that.
When I was a young mom, I used to get gutted about not being there for my kids and working as an audit Manager back then you’d typically work long hours, I really used to get cut up about missing key mile stones for my child when he was still growing up, to the point I left the firm, thinking I might find work life balance elsewhere.
But the thing is, if you are an ambitious woman, rising up the corporate ladder and in a position of leadership, it doesn’t matter what profession – being in leadership means that you have to lead and that doesn’t take 8 – 5, it doesn’t keep office hours. Any position of leadership means higher responsibilities, it means you are the one the responsibility stays with and sometimes there’s a need for you to work outside office hours. I thought when I left I’d find my 9 – 5 but I still didn’t find the balance being in leadership.
As a married woman I had to also try find balance in my marriage as well and as a couple we once went to a course that shows you your partners love language and my husband’s love language is physical touch. I’ve had to learn to make sure I meet that need as well, despite how tired I am after a long day and also go out for date night’s now and again.
With my boys I’ve tried to put in a routine which is tucking them into bed and no matter where I am in the world, I would call them and we would pray over the phone and id “virtually” tuck them into bed. So establishing those routines have somehow helped me in working at creating balance for myself.
Tell us a bit about your acting career:
I discovered that acting was my passion in High school.
I love the impact that it has on people, the instant feedback you receive when on stage based on your performance, whether you can inspire someone to laugh or inspire someone to cry.
I received accolades for best actress and best director in High School and since then I thought that this was my thing and It’s what I want to study, but it was not the same reaction I received from my dad.
He insisted that I do something that will make me money, instead of being a “struggling actress”, he felt I was bright and intelligent and that I should do something that will secure me a high paying job.
I listened to his advice and furthered by studying BCOM Accounting, but my heart was in doing drama. I tried through my commerce studies to do drama part time, but in my final years I had no time, so I had to concentrate on my commerce studies alone.
I qualified as a CA and after my articles I wanted to go back into my acting. Deloitte has a secondment programme, where they give you an opportunity to go abroad to do audit; I went to America, I thought when I’m there, I’ll also see what I can do about my acting.
I even wrote a letter to Operah mentioning I’ll be in the states at certain dates and its always been in my heart to do acting plus I’d love to meet Steven Spielberg, I thought someone would read my letter but that did not happen. I came back to South Africa and thought I could still do acting part time, I however had to drop it because of my work.
In 2014, I decided to make a decision and commitment. I asked my husband to allow me to pursue acting – I honestly felt it was a calling.
My husband agreed and we saved money so that in 2016 which is this year, I was going to pursue it full time and it was a leap of faith trusting that God will supply our needs. I had to approach my leaders, tell them I am a closeted artist and I’d like to leave the firm to pursue my acting.
The Johannesburg leader suggested that I must not leave the firm completely, but decrease my portfolio so that time is opened up on my schedule, which will allow me flexibility to pursue my acting.
That has been my testimony this year and biggest highlight!!
Are you involved in any community work?
I’m at a point in my life where I feel I could do more.
I feel that as a working woman I have not had the time and it has been in my heart to have a larger tangible impact on my community. Me Entering Mrs SA was one platform I felt would allow me to give and do more community work. Mrs SA requested that all the finalists raise funds for CANSA and I decided to marry my passion for empowering woman with my initiative for fundraising by recruiting business woman, to do a pop up market which I hosted at Deloitte.
It was wonderful to tick the boxes of empowering woman who are themselves empowering other woman by employing them. It was a successful day we had 8 stalls, people came and traded all day and some of the funds went to CANSA.
I want to do more of that, it is all about making the time and committing to it.
If you were to speak to young woman who want enter any pageant, from your experience with your journey what would your advice be to them?
If it’s in your heart to enter anything like that, I would say make sure that you are whole and complete and are rooted in God, you have to be self-aware and know what your strengths and weaknesses are, because once you get onto that platform, you are on stage and you have to really believe in yourself.
If there’s any kind of issues you still need to work out – do that first, do some development on yourself first, before you step into something like that, because you are going to meet some really tough competition and you have to tell yourself that you have a very fair shot at beating all of them! You have to go in with a huge amount of self-love and acceptance.
What inspires you?
What inspires me is triumph over adversity.
Everyone has a story to tell, every human goes through a patch of hard time and telling stories of others overcoming adversity inspires me.
I love seeing women who rise above being single mom’s and overcome, I love people who are Christian who journey with God no matter what and takes leaps of faith to pursue their dreams – that inspires me.
That’s it for now adorners, catch you on the flip side of another powerful impact making women interview.
Photography: Lucaphotpgraphy.co.za
Shoes: Nine West
Dress: Abantu Creations
Makeup: @makeupilicious