If it’s not her voice on your radio, it’s her face on your TV screen… but one thing remains the same: Carissa Cupido makes audiences smile with her storytelling.
When I first see Carissa Cupido, she’s the picture of perfection – with her hair done and make-up flawless, sitting backstage at her day job. I’m a little embarrassed because I don’t have any make-up on (my laptop’s video accessibility issue miraculously resolved itself just before our call – hello, Murphy’s Law!). “Your skin is glowing,” she tells me. This one compliment to a stranger, despite this being her moment, says a lot about who Carissa is.
I’d say she’s definitely a girl’s girl. But, what’s more, she’s a people’s person. This is confirmed in the many articles and videos about her life until this point.
Who does she think she is?
By her own admission, Carissa is clumsy. Before contacting her for our interview, I heard her talk in previous interviews about how it’s not uncommon for her to trip over her own feet. So, when she quickly took the reins and sent me an interview meeting request before I could, I was surprised by how much of a go-getter she is. One thing’s for sure, there is no clumsiness in how seriously she takes business.
Carissa describes herself as a media personality, and listing her roles takes up space – TV presenter, MC, radio presenter (weekend slot at GoodHope FM), voice-over artist, content creator – and she does, too. How does one become so confident in a job that is based on the personal opinions of so many different people in the audience? By being truly authentic, it seems. “I always lead with my authentic self… I don’t know how else to be. I know who I am. I love who I am. Is there room for improvement? Always. But I don’t see myself as something that needs to be completed,” she says.
Remembering her roots
Born on 29 August 1992, and with a brother five years her senior, Carissa lived most of her life in Strandfontein, Cape Town. Her mother, who works in an admin department, has a bubbly personality, loves all things fashion and beauty, and embarked on a Christian journey that fostered Carissa’s own relationship with God, which still forms a big part of her life. Her father, who recently retired after 40 years in the navy, brought a stricter, serious tune to their household. This combination lead to a wholesome, balanced upbringing for their two children.
“My parents created the core of who I am today. They instilled values in me: integrity, kindness and the signs of a Virgo She’s routine-drive resilience. “While some of her personality may have been learnt, others come naturally. She doesn’t follow horoscopes but she does see the signs of a Virgo in herself: she’s routine-driven, grounded, warm and empathetic.
@carissacupido Your #BalancedLifeSA ♬ original sound – Carissa Cupido
Becoming a class act
Having attended a few different schools, Carissa went on to enrol at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and joined the campus radio station. It wasn’t her first radio rodeo – she had job shadowed at the Christian community station CCFM. It was during her time there that she received a sign – quite literally – that she had found something she was good at. “I was on air when a woman held a sign up to my window. It read: You have such a great voice!’ and that was the affirmation I needed,” says Carissa.
While completing her Bachelor of Arts degree at UCT, Carissa entered a few presenter search competitions. “I kept getting closer, but never close enough,” she says of her dream of becoming a TV presenter. “Growing up, I was a chubby kid with crazy hair and I really didn’t envision myself on TV,” she says, adding that her affirmations came from her auditions and her biggest one yet came in 2016, when she entered and won TLC’s New Great Presenter Search.
A step towards her future
After working the graveyard shift at GoodHope FM, one of Cape Town’s most popular radio stations, Carissa quit her job, packed her bags and relocated to Johannesburg with her long-term boyfriend, as she “wanted to chase the lights in a big city”. She joined YFM’s graveyard slot, which eventually lead to her occupying the weekday evening slot.
But landing a TV presenter role didn’t come as easily as Carissa had hoped. The despondence was so real. It seemed everyone around me was getting their ‘big break’ so I would ask God: ‘When is it my turn?’ I do believe in timing, though – it really is all about that.” When Covid hit, Carissa realised how much she missed (and needed) her community. “Joburg can become quite imbalanced if you don’t pay attention. It’s all about work so I didn’t pay enough attention to making deep-rooted friendships.” Their move back to Cape Town was one that took Carissa closer to her ultimate goal of becoming a “media maven”.
Her ‘big break’ came in May last year when, after nine years of trying, she landed a position on a TV show. And not just any show: a consistent, national TV show that people look forward to waking up to… Expresso Morning Show.
Her core strengths
You’d never guess there was ever a time that the woman on the screen felt shy or self-conscious, but she says she hasn’t always been confident. “I really need to work on my confidence because my anxiety sometimes kicks in and I have self-doubt. But as soon as I’m on live TV, I come alive; I feel recharged as soon as the cameras come on,” she says.
The phrase ‘Do it scared’ is one that Carissa claims is her biggest driver. “If you wait for motivation, you’ll wait forever. magic and incredible moments come from moving into the fear of stepping out of your comfort zone. It all really depends on your lens; how you see things,” she explains.
Surely, she must have off days, though? She does, she says, but working with a team of incredibly talented and empathetic people helps. “If you’re not feeling good, someone else will carry you. If I’ve got nothing more to give, someone else will give.”
@expressoshow Nothing but happy tears as @Carissa Cupido joins the #ExpressoShow family 🥹 💛 #tiktoksouthafrica ♬ Blood Tonic (Sped Up) – Guchi
Staying healthy and happy
‘Escapism’ is a term I hear Carissa bring up a few times and when I ask her why, she admits to being a dreamer. “I think it’s so important to allow your imagination to run wild. When life gets hard, we need ways to understand (or escape from] it and to gain perspective,” she explains. “I enjoy doing physical things with my hands, painting, drawing, journaling, shooting and editing videos… These are all modes of escapism for me, as is self-expression through fashion and beauty.”
When she’s not escaping to the things that make her most happy, Carissa is trying to find a balance in her busy life. “I don’t have the luxury of regular hours or consistency so I try to do what’s doable. I create mental checklists: Have you connected with God? Have you spent time alone? Have you been drinking water? Have you cooked a meal in the last two weeks? If I answer ‘no’ to any of these, I know I’m not doing well and need to get back on track,” she says.
Is she a morning person, I wonder, considering her day starts before the sun’s out. I can’t imagine how many cups of coffee it takes to arrive on set, ready to entertain South Africa. None, she says. “I’m a green tea girl! I never used to be a morning person. I had to create and foster it. Like tea, I needed time to brew into my full self.”
Her full self loves to stay active, whether that’s in a gym class (“I need the motivation! And I love dancing”) or outdoors on a long walk on the beach, hiking or running.
I can’t see how she does it all in just 24 hours. “My day starts the night before as I research and prepare for the 5am call time, we’re live from 6am to 9am, then I’m off to do on-the-ground filming. I get to do adventurous things like surfing at Muizenberg Beach to spinning around at aerial yoga classes!”
I wonder if this adventurous spirit is a core part of who she is, considering she got engaged to her boyfriend of seven years on a hot-air balloon ride in Paris (bucket list stuff, right?). But she tells me she had no idea what he had been planning… “It’s very hard to surprise me,” she laughs. “I’m so bis (Cape Town slang for inquisitive]!”
She adds that she does enjoy doing adventurous things, but that she often feels anxious about the thought. Her now-fiancé once gifted her a tandem skydiving experience, which was “scary, but I did it!” – his way of gently pushing her out of her comfort zone is just one of the reasons she can’t wait to take the next big leap. We had been dating for a while and I know he’s my person so I’ve been wanting to marry him,” she says.
Planning her future
When we get to what’s in the pipeline, Carissa says everything is still being imagined. She dreams about creating a series of sorts, perhaps a visual podcast, that’ll take people on a journey. “The Virgo in me is a perfectionist and I want it to be award-winning from the very first episode.” She believes it’s a good idea for creatives to have a project that’s their own – or more than one, even. “We often overthink ourselves into oblivion – until someone else comes along and just does it. It’s never going to be perfect but trust yourself. Trust your dopeness – nobody can do it like you.”
She wants more than just an established career. “I want to be a family woman, and I know I can do both. I want to be an example of what that looks like; to show my future children that their mom is a bad ass and was brave enough to dream.” She wants to be an example for them, but also for other girls who struggle to find their voice. But Carissa is setting her sights beyond suburbia and plans to become a household name beyond South Africa. She’s humble but she knows her worth and it’s this quiet confidence that suggests this is exactly who she’s meant to be.
Carissa in a flash
Home-cooked meals, dining out or ordering in?
All of the above! I’m such a foodie. I’m on my journey of learning to cook, but I also love being served.
Hair or make-up?
Why do I have to choose?! If my hair is done, nothing’s good in the world.
Text or call?
Text me. Better yet, send me a voice note.
Gym or outdoor workout?
Outdoor workout.
Local or international travel?
Ooh! I would be inclined to say international, but we have so many local places to explore. The Eastern Cape is on my travel bucket list, and I’d love to visit Egypt, Morocco and Zambia.
Follow Her
Instagram: @carissacupido
By: Shani Tsai
Photography by: Zhann Solomons
Text courtesy of Balanced Life magazine
