Recovery Room

Natasja Jacobs opens up about alcoholism, eight years of sobriety, mental health, heartbreak and the reality behind her career on South African television.

Known for her roles in 7de Laan, Song vir Katryn, Egoli and Diepe Waters, Natasja has spent decades entertaining audiences. But behind the familiar characters is a deeply personal story of addiction, recovery and finding herself again.

In this episode of Recovery Room, Natasja joins Jennis and JC for an emotional and unfiltered conversation about the struggles that shaped her life.She recalls hiding alcohol from those around her, the moment her three-year-old son asked whether she was okay,  the devastating car accident that interrupted her acting career, and the night she finally decided to stop drinking.

From the characters we've watched on television to the woman behind them, Natasja shares what it takes to survive, rebuild and keep moving forward.

🎙️ RECOVERY ROOM
Own the Fame
Learn from the F@ck Ups!
Keep on Fixing It

One job isn't enough anymore. But when does your side hustle start costing you more than it's giving you?

In this episode of Recovery Room, Jennis and JC unpack moonlighting, multiple income streams and the reality of trying to juggle work, passion projects, parenting and everything else life expects from you.

From actors taking second jobs just to survive between gigs, to Jennis and JC confronting just how many businesses, projects and responsibilities they're juggling themselves. How many jobs is too many? Should every passion become an income stream? When does a side hustle become a distraction? And when everything matters, how do you decide what you're willing to drop?

0:00 Welcome back and the gaslighting vs moonlighting mix-up

2:15 Why the entertainment industry is a lotto with a stroke

4:29 JC's full list of side hustles, from Papa Bakes to Hello Hyperlocal

8:07 Jennis's other jobs: coaching, lecturing, writing, and Wags and Walks

10:22 The agency as a marriage and the production company as a mistress

11:59 The glass ball vs rubber ball rule for juggling priorities

14:30 What legacy actually means when the industry itself isn't sustainable

18:09 The rule for good moonlighting vs bad moonlighting

19:59 Over to you: what are you moonlighting on?

Own the fame. 

Learn from the fuck-ups. 

Keep on fixing it.

Armand Joubert opens up about The Voice SA, rejection from record labels, breaking into Afrikaans music and the hate that comes with refusing to hide who you are.

Before becoming one of Afrikaans pop's most unapologetic performers, Armand was rejected by Idols, reached the Top 32 of The Voice SA and spent years chasing an international music career. Then, after playing a show to around 15 people, one conversation pushed him back towards Afrikaans music.

But visibility has come at a cost.

Armand speaks candidly with Jennis and JC about homophobia in the Afrikaans entertainment industry, receiving death threats, queer representation, social media hate, the danger of becoming addicted to negative attention and why he no longer believes he needs to fit into spaces that don't want him.

A candid conversation about music, identity, rejection, representation and creating your own lane.

Own the Fame

Learn from the F@ck Ups

Keep Fixing It

Izette Blignaut joins Jennis and JC to talk about her journey from writing and working behind the scenes to becoming an award-winning Binnelanders actress as Petro.

Her career hasn't followed the plan she expected. An audition she didn't book led to her first acting role being written around her. She pitched again and again before writing a Showmax film at just 24. She auditioned for Binnelanders multiple times before finally landing Petro. And when the 10-year dream she'd been working towards happened in only two years, she found herself asking an unexpected question: what now?
Izette opens up about rejection in the South African acting industry, the reality of working on a daily soap, dealing with anxiety when the lines suddenly disappear on set, writing and directing, Khaki Fever, building a business outside acting and her ambitions to create her own production company.

It's a conversation about what happens when rejection doesn't mean you're on the wrong path, and what happens when the dream arrives much sooner than you expected.

Own the fame
Learn from the F@ck ups
Keep fixing it

Why don’t we know our neighbours anymore?

In this solo episode, Jennis and JC unpack community, loneliness, neighbourhood connection and why so many of us have become disconnected from the people living right beside us.

From growing up in close-knit small towns to navigating modern life in Johannesburg, they explore how crime, technology, survival mode and constant online noise have changed the way we show up for one another.

They also ask a bigger question: can ordinary people rebuild the communities they want to live in?

This is a conversation about Ubuntu, supporting local businesses, checking in on your neighbours and choosing to be the person who gets involved.

Own the fame.
Learn from the f@ck ups.
Keep fixing it.

Mitchell Godwin is a South African musician and content creator whose journey from Benoni to Hollywood took an unexpected turn when he woke up in hospital and made the decision to stop drinking.

In this episode of Recovery Room, Mitchell opens up about feeling like he never fit in, chasing a career in music, performing internationally, navigating mental-health struggles, and building a new life through sobriety, comedy, content and entrepreneurship.

He shares the reality behind the funny TikTok persona, why talent alone is not enough in the modern music industry, and how learning to connect with an audience changed the way he approached his career.

Follow Mitchell:
Instagram and TikTok: @mitchellgodwin
YouTube: Awaken by Mitch

Own the fame.
Learn from the f@ck ups.
Keep fixing it.

This time, it’s just us. No guest. No expert. No one else to hide behind. 

In this episode of The Recovery Room, Jennis & JC get brutally honest about the stuff that usually stays off-camera: our own secrets, the highs that come with fame, the pressure behind the success, the choices we got wrong, the mistakes we’d rather forget, and, most importantly, the f@ck-ups that taught us the most.

Because the truth is, nobody gets through life without screwing things up. We’ve both had moments where we thought we knew better, got it spectacularly wrong, had to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and figure out what to do next.

We talk about the parts of our stories that don’t always make the highlight reel. The wins, the losses, the ego, the lessons, the ridiculous moments and the uncomfortable truths.

It’s honest. It’s personal. It’s sometimes uncomfortable. And yes… there are a few things we probably shouldn’t be admitting on camera. Just two friends talking about life, fame, failure, ambition and everything we’re still figuring out along the way.

Because maybe the goal isn’t to get everything right?

Maybe it’s to keep fixing it.

Own the fame. 
Learn from the f@ck ups. 
Keep fixing it.

Annie Malan has been famous for most of her life. But fame is only one chapter of the story.

Long before she became a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman, Annie was a child actor, appearing in iconic South African productions including Fiela se Kind, Saartjie, That Englishwoman and ’n Pot Vol Winter. 

In this episode of Fame, F@ck Ups & Fixing It, Jennis and JC sit down with Annie to unpack an extraordinary career that has crossed acting, business, advertising and media.
She talks about being on a film set at just 11 years old, stepping away from acting, building a business, eventually returning to the industry, and what she has learned about failure, leadership and knowing your own strengths.

This is a conversation about fame, reinvention, business, acting, failure and the importance of simply asking:

"What do we do next?"

Own the fame.
Learn from the f@ck ups.
Keep fixing it.

What happens when the career, relationship, and identity you thought you had suddenly change?

In this episode of The Recovery Room, Jennis and JC sit down with actress, photographer and creative storyteller Blyde Smit for a deeply honest conversation about the realities of building a creative career — and rebuilding yourself when life doesn’t go according to plan.
Blyde opens up about starting her acting career at just nine years old, being recognised as Gabby from 7de Laan, and eventually finding another creative outlet through photography. She shares how her own experiences of feeling uncomfortable and vulnerable in front of the camera inspired her to create a space where actors could feel seen, understood and confident.
But the conversation goes much deeper.
Blyde speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, the pressure to equate your worth with your work, freelancing, heartbreak, anxiety, rebuilding her life after a long-term relationship ended, and learning that one person doesn't have to fulfil every role in your life.
The conversation also explores creativity, concept development, accountability, the courage to pursue a dream that scares you, and Blyde’s ambition to become a writer and director.
From pitching a series to Showmax to turning that rejected idea into a novel, Blyde’s story is a reminder that a “no” doesn't mean the end of the story — sometimes it just means the idea needs more time to breathe.
This is an episode about evolving, starting again, trusting the process, and continuing to create even when you don't know exactly where it's going.

In this episode: * Blyde’s journey from child actress to working creative • Life after 7de Laan and the uncertainty of freelancing • The reality of imposter syndrome • Photography as a way of capturing someone's energy and story • Rebuilding your life after heartbreak • Why one person doesn't have to be everything to you • Creativity, concept development and creative fatigue • The importance of accountability • Turning rejection into a new beginning • Blyde’s dream of becoming a writer and director • Learning to trust your own evolution

🎙️ Watch, listen and join the conversation.
And remember: Own the fame. Learn from the fuck-ups. Keep on fixing it.

#TheRecoveryRoom #RecoveryRoomPodcast #ImposterSyndrome #CreativeJourney #SouthAfricanCreatives #Acting #Photography #Storytelling #StartingOver #Reinvention #Creativity #TrustTheProcess #PodcastSouthAfrica

Most people know Thandi Stoltz from TikTok.
But very few know the story behind the videos.

In this episode of Fame, F@ck Ups & Fixing It, Jennis and JC sit down with one of South Africa's fastest-growing content creators to talk about identity, adoption, belonging and growing up in an Afrikaans family as a Black woman.

Thandi shares what it was like constantly being questioned because of her surname, speaking Afrikaans fluently, and feeling like she didn't fully belong in either world. She also reflects on how her upbringing shaped her values, why discipline still matters, and how social media gave her a platform she never expected.