Jean-Marie Stander is a swim coach, full time mom and the co-founder of The Belmont - a brand new guest house in Franschhoek. Alongside her husband, CJ.
Glamour: What are you most proud of?
Jean-Marie: I’m proud of being a woman because women are strong and resilient yet caring and feminine. And of course our ability to multi-task is just impeccable.
Glamour: Please share your biggest life lesson?
JM: The top lesson I've learnt in my life is that “We suffer much more in our minds than we suffer in reality. ”Specifically for me, I often worry about things that have not even happened yet, and most of the time will never happen at all. So I’ve learnt to set most of my worries aside and only deal with what I can control at the time.
Glamour: And some of the lessons you’ve learnt in your professional capacity?
JM: Not everyone you meet/work/deal with thinks, understands or experiences things the same as you. Yet, try and treat everyone with equal measure patience and care.
Glamour: Given the opportunity, what would you tell your 16 year old self?
JM: I would tell her that she’s more than enough and that the best is yet to come!
Glamour: What inspires you?
JM: Improvement inspires me - Self-Improvement (I started running for the first time in 2021 and I love doing something that I can still improve on and reach personal goals with). Improvement in others (the swimmers I coach), and improvement at The Belmont; we’re always trying to elevate the guests’ experiences at our ‘home away from home’!
Glamour: What do you know for sure?
JM: Nothing lasts forever. Not the best of times, but certainly not the worst of times either. Everything is fleeting. Make the most of the good and just hold on during the tough times.
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