Women of Rubies
In Career Gems By

HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS CHARLIZE THERON OPENS UP ABOUT HOW HER MOTHER SHOT AND KILLED HER DAD IN SELF-DEFENCE

Hollywood actress Charlize Theron has never hidden the fact that her mother killed her father in self-defense when Charlize was a teenager, but she hasnt spoken much about the experience publicly. Now, the Bombshell star opened up to NPR about what exactly happened that night.

During the interview, Charlize said that her father, Charles Theron, was drunk and threatened her and her mother Gerda one night in 1991 when Charlize was 15.

“My father was so drunk that he shouldnt have been able to walk when he came into the house with a gun,” she said. “My mom and I were in my bedroom, leaning against the door because he was trying to push through the door.”

“So both of us were leaning against the door from the inside to have him not be able to push through. He took a step back and just shot through the door three times,” she said. “None of the bullets ever hit us, which is just a miracle.”

Gerda ended up shooting her husband and killing him to save herself and her daughter. “In self-defense, she ended the threat,” Charlize said.

The actress also said her father was a “very sick man” who “was an alcoholic all my life.”

“I only knew him one way, and that was as an alcoholic… It was a pretty hopeless situation,” she continued. “Our family was just kind of stuck in it. And the day-to-day unpredictability of living with an addict is the thing that you sit with and have kind of embedded in your body for the rest of your life, more than just this one event of what happened one night.”

Watch Charlize talk about that fateful night and how therapy has helped her over the years:

However, Charlize also said that, “of course, I wish what happened that night would have never happened. It’s unfortunately what happens when you don’t get to the root of these issues.”

Charlize added that she shares her story of family violence “with a lot of people.”

“I’m not ashamed to talk about it, because I do think that the more we talk about these things, the more we realize we are not alone in any of it,” she said. “I think, for me, it’s just always been that this story really is about growing up with addicts and what that does to a person.”

 

 

Credit: pulse.ng

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

NEWLY CROWNED MISS WORLD AFRICA NYEKACHI DOUGLAS UNVEILS HER MISS WORLD’S ‘BEAUTY WITH A PURPOSE’ PROJECT

 

Nyekachi’s project focuses on the riverine slum in Lagos, and how to help make the lives of growing children through education, personal hygiene and healthcare.

Watch the video below.

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

MOMS OF CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME SHOW UP AT COURT HEARING OF SINGLE MOM WHO LEFT HER SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD AT THE HOSPITAL, TO SHOW SUPPORT

Diana Elliot was feeling overwhelmed when she left her 14-year-old son Sheldon, who has down syndrome, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. She was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree child cruelty.

Elliot was granted a signature bond Thursday in lieu of the $10,000 payment by a judge, WXIA’s Kaitlyn Ross reported. She was also granted a new support system, full of people she had never even met.

“Diana turned around and gasped when she saw them in the courtroom,” Ross posted on Facebook. “She had never met any one of these women and started crying when she realized they were there to support her.”

Other mothers who understand how she was feeling, showed up to court for her.

When the assistant district attorney asked Elliot where she would be living if released, Carla Griffin raised her hand.

“She will live with me. We are family now,” she said.

Griffin had a similar experience to Elliot 10 years ago, when she too left her 17-year-old special needs son at the hospital.

Elliot also found encouragement in the courtroom through the organization Black Mama’s Bail Out, who according to Ross, was willing to pay any expense it would take to get her out of jail. Other mothers with children who have down syndrome were also found in court supporting Elliot.

“This isn’t just today. We are not leaving her. We are not leaving this family. We are in this for the long haul,” said Sheryl Arno, Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta.

The association has set up a donations fund for Sheldon, Elliot and their family.

The 37-year-old left the eldest of her four children outside the hospital in a red minivan on December 4, reports The Washington Post. A nurse noticed the nonverbal teenager while on her break, Lieutenant Jeff Baxter said Tuesday in a press conference. After days of searching, police finally found who left Sheldon.

The single mother was living out of a hotel in DeKalb County at the time.

“She indicated that there were a lot of things going on in her life that were making it hard for her to support her family,” Baxter said. “She just kind of felt like she could no longer care for her kids.”

Baxter said there are certain responsibilities that come with raising a child, but he also could not imagine the difficulties in raising a special needs child.

Before her arrest, Elliot had no prior record. Her children were placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services.

Macon defense attorney, Brian Jarrad, represented her pro bono. He too raises three children with down syndrome.

The Department of Children and Families still has custody of her children. Until she regains custody, she will be able to see them if and only when the department allows, reports CBS 46.

Source: blavity.com

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

NIGERIAN WOMAN WHO WENT BACK TO SCHOOL AFTER HAVING 4 KIDS, GRADUATES WITH A PHD

A Twitter user @sophiebello has taken to Twitter to appreciate her mother who went back to school after having her and her 3 siblings.

According to @sophiebello, her mother who enrolled for a first degree program while she (sophie) was in the University recently bagged a Doctorate degree. She also recalled how her mother took care of her grandchild while working on her thesis.

Read her tweets below;

 

Nigerian mum who went back to school after having 4 kids, graduates with a PhDNigerian mum who went back to school after having 4 kids, graduates with a PhD

 

Credit: LIB

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

AMAZON PAYS OVER $25M FOR RIHANNA DOCUMENTARY

Amazon has reportedly claimed the worldwide rights for an untitled documentary centered on the Grammy award winning singer Rihanna.

Amazon doled out $25 million for the documentary directed by Peter Berg in a move that is said to bolster its streaming service platform, according to Billboard, citing unnamed sources.

This comes as the streaming wars near a fever pitch and viewers are being targeted from every vantage point across various services including Apple TV+, Disney+, Netflix and Amazon.

“Peter Berg’s bold and innovative Rihanna is an unfiltered look into Rihanna’s life, providing a glimpse into the evolution of one of the world’s most well-known pop artists,” Berg’s production company, Film45, said on its website.

During the production process, Berg was given “unparalleled access” into Rihanna’s world where he was able to compile over 1,200 hours of footage for the project, according to Film45.

“The doc takes us on a journey through private insights into Rihanna’s personality and humor, philosophies on work, family and love that are both moving and inspirational.”

– Film45, Peter Berg’s non-scripted entertainment production company 

 

 

 

Credit: foxbusiness.com

by
Keep Reading
In self development By

MORE THAN 1 Million PEOPLE SIGN PETITION TO TAKE DOWN NETFLIX COMEDY DEPICTING JESUS AS GAY

“The First Temptation Of Christ” has been created by Brazil-based YouTube comedy group Porta dos Fundos (which translates to ‘Back Door’). The Sun UKreports that the 46-minute Christmas Special depicts a weed-smoking Mary, and shows how Jesus comes home to attend his birthday party with a male friend.

So far, about 1.4 million people have signed an online petition calling on Netflix to remove the piece and take action against the producers for their ‘alleged insensitivity toward Christians.’

The film sees Jesus and a friend named Orlando arriving at Mary and Joseph’s house who are throwing a birthday party for their son. Jesus tries to downplay his relationship with Orlando, who hints the pair are more than just friends.  The movie description on Netflix reads:

“Jesus, who’s hitting the big 3-0, brings a surprise guest to meet the family. A Christmas special so wrong, it must be from comedians Porta dos Fundos,’  the description on Netflix.”

Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of conservative Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, took to social media to denounce the satirical special. He wrote:

We support freedom of expression, but is it worth attacking the belief of 86 percent of the population?

 

 

 

Credit: Bella Naija

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

KIM KARDASHIAN OPENS UP ON UNDERGOING FIVE OPERATIONS TO FIX THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY HER TWO PREGNANCIES

Kim Kardashian has revealed she underwent five operations within a year and a half to ‘fix the damage’ caused by pregnancy following the births of her children, North, and Saint West.

The mother of four said when she was pregnant with her first child, North, she had a condition called preeclampsia or toxemia. After delivering the daughter her placenta didn’t come out but grew inside her.

After she managed to deliver her second child, North, Kim said she underwent five operations to ‘fix the damage’ caused by the pregnancy.

Speaking in a video for her new SKIMS campaign, Kim said: ‘When I was pregnant with my daughter North, I had a condition called preeclampsia or toxemia, which is basically when the mom’s organs start to shut down.

‘The only way to get rid of that is to deliver the baby. At 34 and a half weeks, I had to go into emergency labour – they induced me. North was four pounds. She was almost six weeks early.’

She went on to explain that after delivering her daughter, her placenta never came out but grew inside her uterus, warning: ‘That is what women die from in childbirth.

She continued: ‘After my daughter was born, I still continued to do the process of freezing my eggs.

‘I was able to get pregnant through that with my son Saint, and then I had two embryos left. I had the same condition, same awful delivery that I had with my first daughter.

‘After that, I had to have five different operations within a year and a half to fix the damage that all of that did on the inside.’

She recalled: ‘I asked my doctors, ‘Can I do it one more time?’ And they were like, “We won’t even put an embryo in you — that would be like malpractice”.’

Despite the challenges, Kim said all the struggles were ‘worth it’. She concluded: ‘I’m so thankful for my beautiful kids, no matter how they came to me — they came to me. I’m so thankful for surrogates. I’m really thankful for my family. I grew up with so many siblings. I just loved being in a big environment.

‘I would have gone through the same pain and back for the result of having my babies. It was all worth it.’

Kim Kardashian’s other two children, Psalm and Chicago West were carried by a surrogate.

 

 

Credit: LIB

 

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

RIHANNA RANKS AHEAD OF BEYONCE ON FORBES’ ‘100 MOST POWERFUL WOMEN’ LIST

Barbadian singer Rihanna alongside American singers Beyonce and Taylor Swift have made Forbes list of 100 most powerful women.

Forbes on Thursday released its list of 100 Most Powerful Women list for 2019. The list comprised of women who have made a profound impact in six categories: business, technology, finance, media & entertainment, politics & policy, and philanthropy.

On the newly released Forbes’ list, Rihanna ranks as number 61 ahead of Beyonce, who is positioned at number 66 and Taylor Swift at 71. Other female entertainers on the list are Ava DuVernay (79) and Reese Witherspoon (90).

Born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, the Barbadian singer has sold over 250 million records. She is one of the world’s best-selling music artists. She has earned 14 number-one singles and 31 top-ten singles in the US, and 30 top-ten entries in the UK. Her accolades include nine Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, and six Guinness World Records.

From fashion to cosmetics, Rihanna has been on a trail of entrepreneurial ventures. Her cosmetic brand Fenty Beauty was launched in September 2017. Fenty Beauty was named one of Time magazine’s best inventions of 2017.

Forbes ranked her among the top ten highest-paid celebrities in 2012 and 2014, and Time named her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world twice (2012 and 2018). With an estimated net worth of N216,000,000,000 ($600 million), Rihanna is the richest female musician in the world.

American singer, songwriter Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 100 million records worldwide as a solo artist and a further 60 million records with Destiny’s Child. Forbes ranked her as the most powerful female in entertainment on their 2015 and 2017 lists, and in 2016, she occupied the sixth place for Time’s Person of the Year.

American singer-songwriter Taylor Alison Swift is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has sold more than 50 million albums—including 37 million in the US—and 150 million singles.

Time included her on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in 2010, 2015, and 2019. From 2011 to 2015, she appeared in the top three on the Forbes Top-Earning Women in Music list with earnings of $45 million, $57 million, $55 million, $64 million, and $80 million respectively.

She has appeared in Time’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world (2010, 2015, 2019).

 

 

Credit: guardian.ng

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

LUPITA NYONG’O LISTED AS ONE OF NEW YORK TIMES’ GREAT PERFORMERS OF 2019

The cover spotlights Lupita Nyong’o’s most praised role as Red and Adelaide in the horror-thriller, “US”. 

Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lopez, Leonardo Dicaprio, Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, amongst others were also mentioned.

New York Times says:

One is “sane” and the other is “evil,” meaning Nyong’o alternates, terrifyingly, between poles of psychological extremity. Sure, that in itself is a feat. But it’s merely the most obvious thing to applaud. The rigor of her achievement is that it won’t stop revealing itself. For the movie’s first third, what she’s doing might seem rather unremarkable. She plays Adelaide Wilson: bright, upper-middle-class and on vacation at her California ranch house with her goofy husband and their two children. Her biggest worry appears to be her teenage daughter’s decision to quit the track team. But you can sense her gathering fear that some terrible event is on its way; it’s dimming her glow as it heightens our anticipation.

The event, of course, is the other Nyong’o. This one is credited as Red and has made her way up from deep underground to Adelaide’s house, on a mission to exterminate the planet’s current inhabitants so that her people — all clones — can take over. As Red, Nyong’o stands with the bearing of certain dictators — crimson jumpsuit, shoulders back, nose up — but moves as if she was reared by Alvin Ailey (if his dancers also carried water in a Japanese teahouse). Red looks prepared to bellow. But Nyong’o makes Red’s voice thin and gasping, the sort of sound that makes you want to call an E.N.T., even as it brings you to the edge of your seat to get closer to her mouth.

Maybe Nyong’o had a pre-existing model for this character. (She has mentioned that Peele prompted her with words like “regal” and “cockroach.”) But I’ve never seen anything like what she’s done here. Just the flick-flick flitting of her hand to command her troops to attack scared a year of my life. The movies are rich with textured villainy. But it’s not villainy that Nyong’o is acting here. It’s having been irrevocably wronged. And the woman who wronged her, decades ago, is 10 feet away, trembling on the sofa.

Visit www.nytimes.com to read more.

Photo Credit: @jackdavisonphoto

 

 

Source: Bella Naija

by
Keep Reading
In Editor's Choice By

“THE PERSON YOU MARRY HAS THE ABILITY TO MAKE OR DISRUPT YOUR JOURNEY”- AMAKA CHIBUZO-OBI

They say Happy is the man who finds a true friend, and far happier is he who finds the true friend in his wife. This is one of things Amaka Chibuzo-Obi’s organization wivesroundtable advocates for.

An  organisation dedicated to using media to empower women with valuable information, tools and resources to help them live wholesomely.

Amaka who is also the founder of The Wivesroundtable Foundation ; dedicated to improving the lives of indigent, low income women in her community, using entrepreneurship and education, is also an NLP and results certified coach, a Family Life practitioner and a certified Positive Psychology practitioner.

A graduate of Computer Science from the University of Calabar with an MBA from Lagos State University, Amaka Chibuzo-Obi is passionate about women development and empowerment having coached many women to fulfill their dreams. The beautiful wife and mom of three is also an event compere, having hosted many high brow events with glowing testimonials

Childhood Influence

I had an interesting life growing up. I was an only child to a woman who was mother to many. My mom was that woman who opened her doors and her heart to everyone who needed help. I saw generosity, empathy and the desire to make a difference, first hand in my mother. She died when I was just 8 years old (God keep resting her beautiful soul) So growing up, I always knew I wanted to change people’s lives for good. I had no idea how, what path I will take or what vehicle will lead me there but I just knew I was going to do something that will cause major impact in lives and in my world.  Even though I battled low self-esteem and acute shyness at one point in my life, this desire to positively affect my world helped me overcome all that and keep the focus. So yes, my childhood kind of prepared me for what I do now.

Inspiration behind  Wivesroundtable franchise

Like I said, I had always wanted to make a mark in my world, to positively affect lives and impact people. I just didn’t know how. I grew up watching Oprah Winfrey and loved how she used media to make a difference. I wanted to be like her. I dreamed I would one day rule the screens like Oprah. I kept that dream in the coolers as I faced the realities of life. After youth service, I came to Lagos in search of a better life. I took up a job in a media independent agency. In the years I worked there, I got married. I remember coming back from that break after the wedding to my colleagues who warmly welcomed me, especially the married ones. Shouts of “welcome to the club” filled the air. One welcome actually played a huge part in changing the trajectory of my life. A good friend (or so I thought), someone with whom I had shared so many things in confidence, walked up and after welcoming me, she said “Ehen, Amaka, now I can really talk to you. Because now you are married, you will understand me better”. This got me thinking deeply. I realized 2 very important things as I thought about this remark. (1) That married women felt more comfortable discussing with other married women on issues important to them (2) That married women didn’t have a lot of avenues to vent. So, years later, in 2011, Wivesroundtable was created. And it started as an online platform for married women to anonymously relate with one another, share their stories, experiences, concerns and challenges and get suggestions and encouragement from each other. This later morphed into the Wivesroundtable radio show which started airing every Thursday evening 8pm on 92.3 Inspiration FM Lagos in April 2013.

To further meet our objective of being an agent of positive change in the lives of women, The Wivesroundtable Foundation was born in 2019. This foundation’s objective is to empower poor and vulnerable women through entrepreneurship and financial literacy. We set them up in business and then train them for several months after, so they can learn the basic skills required to effectively and successfully run their businesses

Being  a certified computer scientist, but tilting my tent in the Coaching sector

Let me be very honest with you, when I filled in “Computer science” on my JAMB form back in the day, even I knew that I wasn’t going to go on that path! I only did the sciences to prove to my father that he had an intelligent daughter. LOL. You know how it was back then with the science Vs Arts dichotomy. Because of my desire to directly and intimately affect people’s lives positively, especially women, coaching was the most logical way to go. So, after I had satisfied myself in the paid employment industry and left to start Wivesroundtable, I started empowering myself with knowledge, courses and certifications that will help me be a coach that will hold women’s hands on their way to a life of well-being

Being  a certified coach, family life practitioner, Positive psychology practitioner, radio host, women’s advocate, wife and mom, and managing it all

Two words – Intentional living and Support. I tell people, women especially that I don’t claim to be super woman or super mom o. I do what I can, when I can. I prioritize per time. I don’t entertain guilt that will cause me to ignore myself and my needs in the scheme of things. I remind myself daily that, I matter too. That my goals and dreams matter. I look for, pray for and get capable hands to support me on my journey. My husband is also incredibly amazing and highly supportive. He allows me space to fly while he fans the wind beneath my sail. Every woman deserves to have support and should also be open to utilize the ones they have, so they can go for and achieve their dreams. Also, God has been super faithful and gracious. He has given me the Grace, Strength and Courage to do all these.

Wivesroundtable Radioshow

The Wivesroundtable radio show which started airing on Thursday April 11th 2013 has aired 339 episodes as at Thursday 28th November 2019. In this time, it reaches an approximate 180,000 people every single week in and around Lagos! The Wivesroundtable radio show has changed people’s mindset and beliefs about themselves and their relationships. We receive emails very frequently from fans of the radio show who just write in to appreciate us for the work we do. More than 15 women have gotten their fertility issues resolved from information and resources gotten on the Wivesroundtable show! Numerous marriages have been restored and businesses set on the path to success. The Wivesroundtable radio show has, in various major ways, been a catalyst for positive growth and development in the lives of numerous people.

Challenges of being a Social Entrepreneur

There are many issues facing us at Wivesroundtable, top of which is the issue of Finance. The business terrain in Nigeria is a very peculiar one. There are many jobs we do for advertisers where payment gets delayed for as much as a year! Also, financial support is a crippling challenge in our work with The Wivesroundtable Foundation. Raising funds to empower the women is a herculean task – people who wish to support usually have little means and those with the wherewithal most times ignore the call. In spite of all these challenges, we still push through because we know what our goal is and we do not desire to stop anywhere short of it.

My thoughts on Society’s  perception of women who don’t conform to pressure to marry at a certain age?

The society is changing gradually but surely. We live in a society where marriage is a big deal. From when a girl is born, the prayers for her getting a good husband and beautiful children starts. So, you can imagine the shock when said girl gets to a certain age and isn’t yet married. Society kind of gets disappointed and tries to shame her into getting married. This is actually very ridiculous because marriage is just one of the very many things humans do on earth. If a woman chooses not to, it’s her life and therefore, her prerogative. I am glad that the narrative is changing. More and more people are refusing to be cowered into taking a major decision such as getting married just because society wants them to. More and more people are taking control. One thing I know is that, society will find a way to adapt as the narratives continues to change (it always does) so women should keep standing up for their rights.

Being a Woman of Rubies

My empathy, my strength, my resolve to make a positive difference and my resilience to not give up all make me a bona-fide woman of rubies!

Final word for Women, especially wives who are finding it hard to have a work life balance.

Know yourself and the dynamics of your life. Utilize every resource available to you. Remind yourself daily that you matter too. Don’t be shy or afraid to speak up and ask for help when needed, especially when speaking up has the potential to favor you. Know yourself well enough to know your path and love yourself enough to follow it doggedly.

Nuggets for singles and Married, especially the newly weds

Let me start with the singles – Realize that the person you marry has the ability to make or disrupt your journey so open your eyes wide when dating. TALK! Talk about all areas of life, so you can have an idea of how the person reasons and how he/she sees life. Ask relevant questions. Ensure that your goals and dreams are in alignment or at least, that the other person is not opposed to yours.

Then for the newlyweds, realize that the butterflies in the tummy will settle sooner or later. This doesn’t mean you have fallen out of love. It just means that the journey has started in earnest. From there on out, what will keep you both will be a firm commitment to and mutual respect of each other. See yourselves as a team – much like Arsenal and Liverpool. Teams score together, win together and celebrate together. They also lose together if they do not prepare or perform well. When you realize that it is TOGETHER not INDIVIDUAL, you will take the other person’s matter like yours and help each other be better versions of yourselves. Be kind. Be considerate. Be open. Practice effective communication. Learn it, if need be. Develop yourself inside marriage. Do not take your marriage for granted. Work on it like you do for every other thing of importance in your life. Your marriage is worth it. You are worth it.

On a last note…

I coach women how to create Balance in their lives so they can effectively play the different roles they have and still live a life of well-being and harmony. My mantra is “Creating a better world one woman at a time” (which is also the payoff line for the Wivesroundtable Foundation) and I do at least one thing every day to achieve this. It is my desire to affect the lives of women in Nigeria and beyond. Some people say “Women have so many initiatives for them. Isn’t it too much?” I always reply “It isn’t nearly enough!”

Women deserve every single initiative directed at empowering them. After centuries of being marginalized, discriminated against and belittled, women need all the help they can get to get on their feet, drag a chair and sit at the table! A world where women aren’t afraid to be and do all they want to do; is a world I dream to see. That is what I work to achieve! You can find out more about what we do at our website www.wivesroundtable.com.ng. My name is Amaka Chibuzo-Obi and I am proud to be a woman!

 

by
Keep Reading

©2025. WomenofRubies. All Rights Reserved.