Zuraida Jardine: Living Life On Her Own Terms
Women's Health South Africa|September 2020
Yamkela Mdaka sits down with TV and radio personality Zuraida Jardine for a chat about reinvention, starting full-time studies at 40, her love for alternative healing and her mission to normalise mental health
Yamkela Mdaka
Zuraida Jardine: Living Life On Her Own Terms

In front of the camera, Zuraida Jardine is completely at ease; she's moving effortlessly, with little direction needed, and she delivers awe-inspiring shots with every flash. It's immediately obvious that she's no stranger to this life. But life in the public eye has taken a backseat since she started studying full-time at the age of 40. Today, Zuraida is not only a force in media, she's become a powerhouse health academic and her journey is far from over.

IT’S THURSDAY MORNING and the media personality is getting her make-up done for the first session of the shoot. I hear a bit of the conversation she’s having with the makeup artist, who’s pouring her heart out. Zuraida is fully engaged; she’s asking questions, listening, and offering advice as though she were speaking to her sister. Anyone who walked into the conversation wouldn’t believe that they had just met.

This is why I’m not surprised that when I begin my interview with Zuraida, she starts by asking me about my life. “You’re more than just a person writing my cover story, you’re a human being that I’m sharing space with,” she says. “I want to know who you are, where you’re from and your story – for you to experience me fully, I also need to do the same.” Her approachable and easygoing demeanor allows me to open up easily before eventually turning the focus back to her.

SCHOOLIN’ LIFE

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