Jodene is the co-founder of:
and founder of:
Published January 26th, 2012
A huge thank you to the biggest #FollowSA crowd to date ... 130 people, for making #howzite2012 such a memorable event!
I don’t know whether yesterday, the day of the event, or today was more of a whirlwind. What an incredible event #FollowSA #Howzit2012 turned out to be. My very rough estimate is that #followsa was Tweeted over 1000 times for the event.
The Fire and Ice Melrose Arch team headed by Anton Gillis who just happens to be an amazing DJ on the side. What a bonus
Twitter was an absolute frenzy of Tweets with the hashtag #fireandicema thanks to the generous hospitality of Anton Gillis and his Protea Hotels Fire and Ice team. I don’t have words to express the pride and emotion that filled my night as I took in the venue that made #FollowSA #Howzit2012 the most spectacular event to date.
A special thanks to Karen Battaliou who doubled as an employee and a very dear friend. #FollowSA was born because of my wish that people connected to amazing individuals in the way that I have and K, you are a shining example. Thank you!
The food just never stopped ... wow!
It’s the first time that a venue has catered for a #FollowSA event as part of the sponsorship and the combination of mindbogglingly delicious and the endless supply of it was just spectacular.
I mean, have you EVA?
Yes, that was desert. An unbelievably delicious tower of heavenly pastry, cream, chocolate and strawberry. I’m sure there’s a pic of me walking around with an entire plate full at some point.
Lovoka Milkshakes .... mmmmm
Thanks to Franco D’ Onofrio of Twiga Communications for organising the Lovoka sponsorship so that #followsa could welcome each guest with an adult milkshake that Fire and Ice Melrose Arch hotel is famous for.
Greggie talking the crowd through a very interesting prize from Hustler Girl's store, Hustler Extreme!
A huge thank you to the prize givers, @lovokaSA, @hustlergirl, @daisydeblonde of @lamb_media, @jdhairbeauty and @proteahotels #fireandicema … it’s always such a fun time at the events and with you guys there would surely be something amiss at #followsa
A host of amazing celebs graced the stage
I’m always so humbled by the amazing entertainers who have found their way to the #FollowSA events and found such joy in being a part of the excitement.
Thank you to my dear Sibu Radebe, who I happened to meet through my blogging journey, for stepping in to be emergency MC for the night. You are such a great presence and we were honoured to share the stage with you.
Crushanda Forbes came 3rd in the Idols finals last year and it was so great to have her join us on stage to hand out prizes. Thanks for being such a great sport and for you enthusiasm to be a part of a future #followsa event.
Then there’s Caitlin the electric violinist …
Caitlin, you are an entertainer beyond words and you took the crowd’s breath away by your incredible talent with the violin. Thank you for giving so generously of your time to make #FollowSA #Howzit2012 what it was … and thanks most of all for honouring my special request and playing Cotton Eye Joe for me! I love you kid!!!
I will be posting a video of Caitlin in action for her project me interview on the blog in the near future.
To the new faces and the old, you are #followsa and these events are for you and because of you and on behalf of Greg, Lifeology and me I thank you for every Tweet and every questions that asks: “when is the next #FollowSA event?”
Lastly … to the man in my life who doubles as #FollowSA’s resident photographer, Pat Sloane (and I don’t have a pic because he’s always hiding behind the camera) I thank you for capturing every event as a perfect moment in time, for loving and supporting me and putting up with speed wobble before, during and after every event!
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published May 16th, 2011Although I spend my life blogging thousands of words a day and Twitter might be limited to 120 characters but the possibility is endless, there are times when a picture truly does paint a thousand words.
I can’t begin to express my gratitude to everyone who embraced the excitement of my 500 days of blogging and I am thrilled to thank my latest sponsor, Skyetor photography for capturing my celebration so that I can share it with you all now.
So here it is …
Cafe Culture in Pineslopes Shopping Centre where the most gracious hosts with a special mention of the prego rolls that certainly are a signature delight! Kerry, thank you so much for the hospitality and for the incredible venue that you have. I can’t wait to host more Lifeology events there! Follow @cafeculturersa on Twitter.
To 6on13th for being an incredible sponsor of the #D500 event and for the awesome giveaway of the handbag that my mother won fair and square. We did a live Twitter competition where the person with the weirdest thing in their handbag won. Bless my mom … she had the original cover that her handbag was purchased in. Need I say more. To Bev, Mattie and Claire … I will never forget the enthusiasm with which you supported me and I look forward to so many more exciting functions together.
Thank you to The Residence hotel for providing chocolates that accompanied the info on all of my sponsors. I am blessed to have people who support Project Me: Hustler Extreme, Slimlab, Regim A, Thava Indian Restaurant, web new SA and Skyetor Photography
Let the Tweeting begin! In this picture is Melanie Minnaar from The Twitter Blanket Drive and Dean from UCit Social Buying.
Our very special mommies! On the left is Greggie’s mom and the right is my mommy … Hello mommies and thank you for the unfailing support in Lifeology and us two crazy kids.
And there in the background is JohnnyBoixxx and Hustler Girl’s Ponkie who isn’t on Twitter (as yet).
My beautiful friend, Hustler Girl who looks damn fine for feeling so sick! Thank you for making it to the event despite all your fluiness and for always supporting me!
Yummy … Cafe Culture officially rocks for the best prego rolls and potato wedges in town!
Greggie and I forgot to pose for pics (for a change) … so this is the one and only, but still a gem!
I choose things because they are pretty and they don’t have to make practical sense at all. I should have thought of that when I decided that the gerbera would be the icon for project me. What’s the joke … I look at plants and they wither away, but thanks to Hustler Girl, Greggie and Ponkie for the special gift anyway! Hold thumbs and let’s see if it lasts until #D1K.
My Twitter friend, @Champ_Payne, who has the ability to make nonsense sound like sense and then turns into the person I like talking to the most when sense is what I’m craving!
The awesome team from NewsClip SA, Joanne and Lindsey. It was such an honour to have you lovely ladies join the celebrations and thank you for embracing project me with such enthusiasm! I can’t wait for the interview 
These 3 crazy kids are proof that Twitter has the ability to go beyond work and just bring new friends my way! Thank you so much to Mike, Liza and Harm for making my event that over the top amount of fun. Liza, not many people admit to following Kim Kardashian with such enthusiasm so you deserved the prize hunny!
My dearest friend and sponsor, Niel who taunted me before the event and told me he couldn’t make it, would be running late, was coming in slip slops … and anything else to frazzle my nerves. Thanks for the support my hunny … you truly are one in a million (take that any way you like!!)
Within this crowd are some magical people who I can’t begin to thank for making the build up to #D500 and the night so spectacular. I met so many of you for the first time last night and I felt as though I have known you forever.
A special thank you to Norwin and Joslyn for your incredible support.
Then there are my dear friends Bryan and Trevor who embrace the whole Twitter, blogging, social networking thing with so much to learn … lol … but I’m there to help! You never know …
What would Greggie be without sporting a handbag? Thanks to him and Kerry from Cafe Culture for making the Kathy competition giveaway such fun.
On this note, I have to say a special thank you to my best friend and business partner for an amazing evening and for being the MC for the night. Greggie, you post for day 500 was beyond words and I am so excited to travel each day of of the journey to the days that follow, with you by my side!
There’s mommy and Kerry with the winning bag!
And lastly … here’s me! The happiest and luckiest girl in the whole wide world! Thanks to each of you, online and off, for making #D500 so spectacular.
So many people asked me if it would be the last blog and other asked where-to from here! No … it’s far from the last and I’m never one to say where anything is going judging from the place I started and the unexpectedly magical place I ended up.
I want to take a moment to thank my dearest blogging friends, Traci and Nikki for such special messages that Greggie read out to all my guests. To Robbie, I’m so thrilled that you took the time to send your message to me and I thank you for the dedication to commenting on my blog after all these days. To my Soldier Guy all the way over there in Canada … you are one special person and thank you for the message.
One message I want to share with you is from my friend Alexes AKA One Cluttered Brain who does these awesome vlogs and dedicated on just to me. My brainy friend … while everyone else danced and moved to your dedication … I cried … thank you for taking the time and for making my milestone such a treasured one. This vid is not to be missed
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published May 14th, 2011
A part of me can’t believe that I am writing my 499th post and other part of me can feel every moment of every word that has been typed. Sometimes I can’t live without it and other times I can’t believe I ever started it.
Today I had a mini primary school reunion. A part of me felt rushed and just wanted to get back to sorting out arrangements for tomorrow’s big #D500 party. On the other hand, it was so good to get together and catch up after about 25 years. Of course, both moments are thanks to the same thing … social networking.
Without Facebook, the 3 of us would not have connected and without Twitter I would not have the platform to have shared my blog with the world. Well, I would not even have a blog had it not become one of the post powerful forms of communication.
I’ve had a very melancholy few days and I keep bursting out crying with excitement and then overwhelming amazement at the journey. In all the emotion I’ve reflected on how I got to tomorrow being so supported, online and off and I’ve realised this … besides my mother and my best friend/business partner Greggie, every other person surrounding me is a part of my life thanks to social networking.
EVERY!!!!
Then I thought about the turning point when I knew that the blog went from being a commitment for 365 day to an open journey with limitless possibility … it was the day I looked at my blog and saw ‘sponsors’ in red writing and went … “WOW … I have sponsors”!
There is something in that. Something in someone believing in you so much that they put their brand behind you, spend time or money on you and encourage you to carry on way beyond 365, with a promise to be by your side.
I have those sponsors and I ask you to indulge me as I thank each one of them for their role in making ‘project me’ what it is today.
The gorgeousness of this blog is all thanks to Bruce Young and his combination of patience and web design genius.
Bruce, thank you for the countless hours committed to bringing ‘project me’ to life. I have requested the impossible and expected everything to happen at the click of a button. I have crashed my site and turned it upside down and each time, there you are … my knight in shining web designed armour!
Hustler Girl, where do I begin to thank you for the support and dedication to my blog and our friendship?
Never once did I question the need for the sponsorship of your adult store. When it comes to being a single girl with an open mind about sex, it is refreshing to know that there is someone in the industry with the compassion, care and discreet respect for every client. It’s the greatest joy and fun to be able to call on you during the single days and the attached ones (as fleeting as they have been of late!)
I think that the journey with weight never leaves a person whether they get to their goal or not. Obviously the whole point of ‘project me’ is to show that it’s more about the purpose than the goal and that is a difficult route to take when dealing with a sponsorship that is driven by the scale or the tape measure.
I don’t know how to explain my gratitude for this sponsorship or how to thank Niel for taking his time to understand the choice to not follow the route of the goal, but to live the purpose. Your support has been unfailing and after I injured my back and couldn’t train for month while the weight crept back on, you kept cheering me on. Your product is truly all it promised to be and still it stick within my beliefs that you might have support, but you still have to do the work yourself. Thank you for believing in me … always!
Tracey, when my mother told me that you had heard my story of having teenage skin in my (late) 30′s and wanted to sponsor my blog, I was beyond thrilled. Every day that I wash my face, put on my day or night cream and look at myself in the mirror and smile at my clear skin … I give thanks to you and the amazing product your represent.
I got told that I looked ten years younger than I am but it was when the person nearly fell over at my real age that I said: “It’s thanks to my amazing sponsor, Regim A!”
This sponsorship began in an instant, with a touch of spice and a warmth of hospitality.
To ‘my family’ at Thava Indian Restaurant, I am blessed to have you share so many special moments where you feed my friends, family and myself. When I was sick in bed for months, you bought me food. When I have had celebrations, you have opened your hearts to my guests. You have rescued my sister during shock Joburg floods and you have fed my heart with an unfailing warmth.
As for the food … well, I don’t say you’re the best in town for nothing!
The new kid on the block:
I hate having my picture taken. Okay, I hated having my picture taken and now I can handle having my picture taken. I am tired of hearing that there are rules to photography and that what I look like is what the world must see. It’s not easy trying to explain what it’s like being a bigger woman and wanting to feel sexy in front of the camera. Well, it wasn’t easy until Pat Sloan entered the picture and told me how he specialises in photographing woman for boudoir shots. Pat, for the first time ever I have felt ‘semi’ comfortable with a camera in my face. The picture featured on my post tonight is that very confirmation … wow, I love me in that shot!
I thank you for the comfort with which you make me feel and for making me brave making the camera my friend … here’s to my boudoir shoot (a few weeks down the line of course).
My #D500 Sponsors
Well am I not just the luckiest girl to have the awesome duo of mom and son sponsoring my big day! Bev and Matt, you have been unfailing in your support and your excitement for tomorrow. I am honoured to be inspired by your passion to shine.
Thank you for the support when the wheels fell of and for helping every step of the way. I can’t wait for everyone to see the Kathy van Zeeland bags and to give one away courtesy of 6 on Thirteenth.
I have a sneaky suspicion that this is just the first step along and exciting journey of collaboration and celebrations.
I fell in love with the venue before I even walked in the door and with every step through it I just knew that I wanted to host #D500 at Cafe Culture.
Kerry, you have embraced this special day with such excitement and have the same vision as me for the endless possibility of networking and socialising as the greatest tool to explore endless possibility.
I see myself sharing your venue with so many people, be if for project me or any of the other products within Lifeology. I can’t wait to taste the prego rolls you are raving about … oh, and the potato wedges. I know they are going to be worth a few tweets.
Project Me would love to welcome more sponsors on board and now has advertising space, so please read more about it where it says ‘sponsorship/advertising’ in the tool bar.
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published March 15th, 2011
My journey has been a long one and by no means is my journey over…
I think it is always good to look back and remind ourselves just how far we have come and what we have achieved along the way.
There have been many events in my life, some bad and some good but all of them have had a significant impact on me and they have made me who I am today. I try to be a “glass is half full” kind of person. I believe that we are given challenges in life to help us grow as individuals and hopefully help us achieve our life’s purpose.
It has taken many years for me to build my confidence my self esteem. It is a constant conscious effort. When one begins to explore the reasons why one has fears or low self worth issues, you are made aware of the impact that certain people or situations have had on you.
I decided in order for me to be truly happy I needed to rid myself of negativity. Two years ago I confronted the person who played a big part of instilling fear and lack of self worth in me. Confronting this person was one of my biggest fears. I felt such relief and closure once I took back my power. I was sick of being made to feel that I am useless, pathetic, a failure, a disappointment, an embarrassment, not good enough etc.
I am blessed to have people in my life who encourage and support me and who are proud of me. I have created my own success and have been on a journey I would never have expected to go on, yet I have enjoyed every minute of it and I am satisfied with where I am today. I took my circumstances and made them work for me. I became the owner of a business at 26 and have since then grown my business knowledge and skills.
My empowerment has come from owning my adult store! It has been a big challenge for me and I had to overcome many of my fears in order to succeed.
I used to be so extremely shy and be scared of my own shadow. I had difficulty expressing myself and had low self esteem issues. I was always worried about what people thought of me. I was thrown in the deep end with the store and had to learn very quickly to overcome all of my insecurities and fears if I wanted to be a success and be taken seriously. I have been able to overcome many of these fears and build my confidence through my business.
As I said before my journey is a not over …. I have just started studying towards my BA Social Work Degree and once I have that I can specialize in Sexology.
Project Me is definitely a work in progress!
Sponsors Information: Hustler Extreme
Hustler Extreme is an upmarket adult store located in Linden, Johannesburg. We have been operational since August 2005. The store is owned by Kim Joselowitz
The store has a pleasant atmosphere where customers can feel comfortable shopping alone or with their partners, checking out the merchandise and asking questions. We provide our customers with a professional and friendly service. We offer many products to help you create joyful experiences of intimacy and pleasure. We are constantly updating our product range so please visit our site again or visit us in store.
If you have any questions or enquiries please feel free to contact us.
Shop 10 Manlam Court, Corner 5th Street and 4th Avenue
Linden, Gauteng, South Africa, 2121
Email: kim@husterlextreme.co.za
Call: +27 11 782 1570
Online bookings and postal delivery available
With courage, consciousness & a sense of humour
Published December 31st, 2010
I did it! I actually did it! I can’t get past staring at the 365 part in the title. I’m awash with emotion and gushing with pride, yet somehow I can’t help but think of everyone but me right now. I have been dreaming about doing the 365th blog and always imagined doing a recap of the year that passed but all I want to do today is say thank you.
This is going to sound totally like the collection of an Oscar award but if you don’t know that little bit of drama in me by now … well you just haven’t read enough of ‘project me’.
Where to begin? Continue reading
Published December 10th, 2010
Friday is nearly done and dusted but I will have to share my story about today, tomorrow because I’m still trying to get my head around all of the events. Don’t fret … it’s the simplest things that I’m turning into a touch of chaos. Go figure. In the meantime, I have been waiting to share yesterday with you and the extreme activities that took me from a relaxing massage to a girlie dinner that got gatecrashed by the best boys in town.
Last night’s adventure has been planned for a few weeks. The girls were meeting at Hustler Extreme for some toy shopping and then we were going to head off to dinner. Well, didn’t the boys want in on the fun? Continue reading
Published December 2nd, 2010
Percy Pigs finally in SA ... thanks Woolworths
In 2001 I climbed on a plane and flew to London to see Ronan Keating perform. Yes, I am working through my shame and admitting some of my craziest moments. He was amazing by the way … and touched my hand and I never wanted to wash it again. Along with that memorable moment, I discovered the best sweet in the world … percy pigs. That was me, I was in love! Sadly, percy wasn’t available in South Africa and for the past 10 years I have had friends bring percy to me with every international visit.
Well that’s not absolutely true … mother did not bring me a packet when she was last in London, but I’m dealing with that slowly Continue reading
Published November 27th, 2010
You never quite know what’s going to happen when you throw a totally different kinds of friends together. Some started as Greg’s and others began as mine. Yes, that bit of info does have a very important point to ‘project me’.
I come from a background of ‘clicky’ crowds and don’t like to ever find myself in that situation, let alone come across as a member of that kind of group, so throwing a bunch of strangers together was a touch apprehensive for me. Continue reading
Published November 1st, 2010
Hustler Girl in her fitting attire as she celebrated her birthday with me.
I don’t miss a day of blogging often, but after all the excitement yesterday I went to sleep bloggless. It usually takes me ages to catch up the day but despite all the aches and pains in my butt, I’m blogging twice today … and for such a great reason.
It’s Hustler Girl’s birthday and I’m taking this special opportunity to dedicate this post to my very special friend and sponsor of ‘project me’. Continue reading
Published September 29th, 2010
This sponsorship could not have come at a better time and with more gratitude than when I am feeling the way I am right now. I can’t believe what all the medication has done to my skin and it was frustrating to begin with. There are not enough words of gratitude to this incredible product for jumping on-board and taking care of all my skin care and body care needs. Continue reading
