Natasha Joubert is one of the most beautiful women in the world, but it's her resilience through hard times with depression that make her a force to be reckoned with.
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00:00 Natasha Huber made it to the top.
00:02 And the winner of the Miss South Africa Pageant 2023 is...
00:10 Natasha!
00:16 But did you know that to get there, Miss SA 2023 had to overcome the deepest debt?
00:23 I fell into depression.
00:25 There was so many days that I didn't want to get out of bed.
00:28 Even though I had so much support from South Africa, I just didn't feel like enough.
00:31 I didn't feel worthy enough in myself.
00:33 Before we learn how Natasha Huber went from failure to normalising mental health,
00:40 let's find out what success actually means to this beauty queen.
00:43 Success to me is in the little things daily.
00:48 For my family, my friends, having quality time, being healthy, being able to move.
00:55 Truly living out purpose and passion, that's success.
00:58 On her way to becoming Miss South Africa 2023,
01:04 Natasha had to turn her weaknesses into her strengths.
01:07 What was her turning point?
01:10 I knew from the get-go, entering the second time,
01:14 it was going to have to have more substance in order to show who I really am.
01:21 I went in saying, I'm not seeing this as a competition,
01:24 but truly speaking on my life experiences, which I've done from the first time.
01:29 In 2020, I touched a lot on my father that passed away and losing our family home.
01:35 And I touched on those things, but I didn't really work through them.
01:40 Every single time that I would speak on any childhood trauma
01:43 or the loss of my father, I would cry.
01:45 Every single time.
01:46 In my interview, I would be so emotional that I would have to restart the entire time.
01:52 Her father passed away in 2013 when she was only 16 years old.
01:57 Looking back, Natasha has grown a fond appreciation for the difficult time.
02:03 How can that be?
02:04 I think this is why Miss South Africa is such a,
02:07 it's a very personal and special journey to me,
02:09 because I have worked through so many traumas in my life
02:13 that I wouldn't have if I did not enter.
02:15 I would have never gone to therapy.
02:17 I would have never known what real mental struggle felt like.
02:20 And not that I say everyone should,
02:22 but I think you have a different understanding of life
02:24 when you really do struggle mentally.
02:26 You appreciate things differently.
02:27 You see it differently.
02:28 You engage in conversations differently.
02:31 You respond differently.
02:32 You understand that sometimes the person's reaction is not on you.
02:35 It's who they are.
02:36 It's the way that they think.
02:37 But what you need to do and master is how you react to it.
02:43 Her learnings are clear, proving that beauty isn't just skin deep,
02:47 but a reflection of inner strength.
02:50 When you sign up for something like Miss South Africa,
02:54 like Miss Universe,
02:55 it's so important to know yourself,
02:59 because otherwise you will come back lost.
03:02 And I feel like in some sense that was me.
03:04 I thought I knew myself and I said,
03:06 "I'm strong enough to do this."
03:08 Like people think a second runner-up can't do it.
03:10 I'll show them.
03:11 And now knowing what I know,
03:13 it was developing into a woman that's completely different,
03:16 that can really speak on substance,
03:19 on failure,
03:20 and know what it feels like.
03:23 Natasha's relentless spirit and caring heart
03:27 have paved her way to the crown.
03:29 What has she learned at home to keep her path bright?
03:33 I think the thing that I'm most proud of
03:38 is the way that she deals with difficult situations.
03:42 I like sometimes think,
03:43 "Wow, you know, she really makes me proud
03:47 of the way how she deals with things in general."
03:50 I want Natasha to be herself like she is at the moment.
03:53 Because if you are your true self,
03:56 it doesn't matter if you're your true self now
03:58 or your true self in future,
03:59 you're still going to be that person
04:01 that's very humble towards anybody else.
04:03 And I see her becoming somebody that I would be proud of,
04:07 of somebody that I feel that will motivate people
04:11 and people have to look up to her.
04:14 And as soon as, you know, if that happens,
04:16 then I know I've done a great job as a mom.
04:18 Natasha, you bear her journey is far from over.
04:22 She wants to make a statement.
04:24 So that little girl that has been maybe looking at my journey
04:30 or currently me as Miss South Africa,
04:32 just knows that circumstances shouldn't be a defining factor.
04:37 You won't always be in the ideal situation
04:40 to make something work or have the means to do it.
04:43 But if you decide that this is something that I truly want,
04:46 once you put your mind to it, once you manifest it,
04:49 once you can envision it, it's yours.
04:51 And I think that's what's making this reign so significant.
04:55 It's people relating to failure and normalizing it.
04:58 From failure to normalizing mental health issues,
05:02 Natasha You Bear's journey is a testament to courage
05:06 and the transformative power of self-knowledge.