In August Carte Blanche celebrated its 30th birthday and Claire Mawisa joined her colleagues to celebrate the milestone. Less than two months later she celebrated a milestone of her own, turning 40 years old on October 7th.

Those that have followed her career over the years have seen her carve out a unique path that has made her one of the most recognised faces in South Africa. The entertainment industry is unforgiving to stars as they get older, and not many have been able to carve out long lasting careers. Yet, Mawisa is turning the big 4-0 as she also celebrates a two-decade run working in the entertainment industry.

And she is excited about the prospect of entering the 4th decade of her life.

“A long time ago, I thought it would be stressful to turn 40, but it has become an age milestone that I’m looking forward to the most. I feel good, I’m in a good space, I have a great career, and an amazing support system made up of friends and family. I am grateful for it all.”

It is no surprise though that Claire Mawisa would feel satisfied with the trajectory of her career. After all there is no job in the media industry that seems to be beyond her.

She started as a model, appearing on the cover of Cosmopolitan at the young age of fifteen, and would go on to appear on the covers of some of the country’s top magazines.

She has also worked as a magazine beauty editor, even interning as a fashion assistant after she had already graced our screens as an SABC 1 continuity presenter. Her willingness to challenge herself has clearly enabled her to have a successful and varied career in an industry that can be tough to navigate.

Her success at navigating different jobs doesn’t seem unique to Mawisa, as she believes everyone is multifaceted, with different skills and talents.

“To me, my career journey feels like it has been a natural growth of who I am, not necessarily a reinvention of the person I am when I take on a new role. There are skills and lessons I have learnt in each position that gave me the required skills to succeed in the next position. When I have felt like I have learnt as much as I could in one role, I like to challenge myself to level up, and get out of my comfort zone.”

And perhaps that is what has helped her stay a force to be reckoned with. Not everyone is brave enough to push themselves out of their comfort zone and take on a challenge. Not everyone would have left a prestigious job at a national radio station, because they wanted to take the next step in their lives.

As she approaches her 40th, Claire states that she does not miss anything about her 20s and 30s. She asserts that she has lived those decades to their fullest and she is happy with who she is right now. “Holding on or longing for a past age is futile,” she adds.

She threw a big party on Saturday, the day before her birthday that she had been planning for months, to celebrate with her loved ones. “The 40s are going to be amazing, I can feel it!”

We can only wait to see what else she has up her sleeve.