Book Club · 02 Oct 2026
Joani Jacobs Launches Crowned in Confidence – A Celebration of Worth, Women and Reinvention
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
The South African entrepreneur, author and pageant leader steps beyond the crown with a deeply personal new book about confidence, resilience and recognising your own worth
There are crowns, and then there is the confidence to wear them.
South African entrepreneur, author and women’s empowerment advocate Joani Johnson Jacobs has officially launched her first book, Crowned in Confidence, marking another chapter in a career spanning more than two decades across modelling, pageantry, business and media.
The book looks beyond the polished stages, titles and public achievements to explore the more complicated realities behind success – insecurity, failure, criticism, difficult seasons and the courage required to reinvent yourself.
At its heart is a message that feels particularly relevant in an age defined by comparison: your worth does not need to be earned.
From A Small Modelling School To An International Business
Joani’s entrepreneurial journey began at just 24 years old, when she borrowed R10,000 from her father to purchase a small modelling school with fewer than 20 students.
That investment would eventually become Ace Models International, which has grown into an international modelling academy and franchise network with more than 30 active locations across South Africa, Namibia and Australia.
Her career took another significant turn when she won Mrs South Africa in 2009. Two years later, she stepped into the ownership and leadership of the organisation, developing it into a platform focused on women, purpose, confidence, leadership and social impact.
In 2025, she was recognised as CEO of the Year at the Women of Stature Awards. The acquisition of the Miss Supranational South Africa licence in September 2026 marked another milestone in her journey.
But Crowned in Confidence is less interested in the accolades than in what happened behind them.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_379-scaled.jpg” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Inside Crowned in Confidence
Part memoir and part leadership guide, Crowned in Confidence draws on Joani’s experiences across business, motherhood, divorce, rejection, leadership and life in the public eye.
Rather than presenting success as a perfectly polished journey, the book examines the moments that test confidence and the decision to continue showing up despite them.
As Joani writes:
“Worth is not something we earn through titles, beauty, success, relationships or approval. It is something we must first recognise within ourselves.”
The idea grew from an observation that transcended age, beauty, status and achievement. No matter how accomplished someone might appear from the outside, the same question can remain underneath it all: Am I enough?
Crowned in Confidence is Joani’s response.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_308-scaled.jpg” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
A Glamorous Johannesburg Launch
Naturally, a book called Crowned in Confidence knows how to make an entrance.
Joani launched the title with a glamorous soirée at Hotel Sky in Sandton, bringing together a room filled with familiar faces from South Africa’s pageantry world.
Her partners and a line-up of Mrs South Africa titleholders joined the celebration, including Cindy Nell Roberts, who arrived fresh from Melbourne, Australia.
The centrepiece of the evening was an intimate conversation between Joani, Tshego Gaelae, Mrs World 2025, and Erin-Jane Miller, Mrs South Africa 2025. The discussion brought the themes of the book to life through a conversation about confidence, identity and the realities behind public success.
Mirabelle Rosé, Krone Brut and Krone Rosé flowed throughout the evening, accompanied by canapés and a selection of cheeses.
It was an evening where confidence met couture, crowns met conversation and women gathered to celebrate something far more enduring than a title – knowing who you are.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_253-scaled.jpg” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_258-scaled.jpg” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_4,1_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_216-scaled.jpg” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_230-scaled.jpg” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_207-scaled.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”http://www.joburgstyle.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/20260930_398-scaled.jpg” alt=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” title_text=”Joani Jacobs Crowned in Confidence” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]
Confidence Is A Muscle
One of the book’s recurring ideas is that confidence is not necessarily something a person simply possesses. It is something strengthened through action.
In a chapter aptly titled “Confidence is a Muscle”, Joani considers the role failure plays in building resilience.
“Failure teaches you something. You get up. You adjust. You try again. And every time you do, you become more resilient.”
It is a philosophy shaped by business as much as pageantry. Make the call. Send the proposal. Walk into the meeting. Hear no. Then ask again.
That willingness to continue becomes its own form of confidence.
Beyond The Crown
Other chapters explore comparison, identity and major personal transitions.
In “The Lies We Believe”, Joani reflects on how easily young women can begin measuring themselves against others – and how quickly labels around beauty, intelligence and achievement can influence their understanding of worth.
“The Private Fire”, meanwhile, moves into deeply personal territory as she reflects on divorce and the experience of watching a future once imagined take a different direction. Her conclusion is one of reinvention: an ending can change the direction of your story without taking away its meaning.
It is here that Crowned in Confidence moves beyond Joani’s own story.
The crown may be part of her world, but the message is intended for women far beyond the pageant stage: beauty, relationships, titles and professional success cannot determine a person’s inherent value.
Because the most important crown, ultimately, is the one you no longer need anyone else to place on your head.
Crowned in Confidence will be available on Takealot and Amazon, with the book set to arrive on Exclusive Books shelves nationwide in December 2026.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_social_media_follow_network social_network=”instagram” url=”https://www.instagram.com/_joanijacobs/” _builder_version=”4.27.9″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#ea2c59″ global_colors_info=”{}” follow_button=”off” url_new_window=”on”]instagram[/et_pb_social_media_follow_network][/et_pb_social_media_follow][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]