0:01Well, everybody knows Zimbabwe voice now, so that's for sure. And it's a beautiful voice, that one. One of unity, one of togetherness, one of peace, one of love, you know. That's to move forward.
0:41Mom, yeah. Yeah. I'm gonna I'm gonna... I feel like we're giving away all of the juice for the the content... For the main thing. You know what I mean?
0:48Okay.
0:49But before we start, you're gonna be fine. We're gonna do great. It's just you and I having... That's why I like to report first so that we can get catch up first and then get into it. Um, but, yeah, I wanna kick us off. Yara, thank you so much for your time and, um, for joining me. How are you doing?
1:05I am so well. I'm so excited. I feel famous being on your podcast. I... I'd be... I'd listen to all of them as... I feel so famous right now.
1:17Well, thanks for joining. I know you, um, I actually messaged you, to be fair, a while ago, and you being bad with your phone as you always are, um, with your WhatsApp did not respond. And I'm like, oh. Now so you you shared a couple of episodes. They're like, hey. Listen. I want to get you on this podcast. It'd be great to chat to you. So I'm glad that you're here today. You know? Yeah. I know. I'm really sorry. WhatsApp really isn't my strong point.
1:39And if you just phoned me because, yes, the amount of unopened WhatsApp's
1:45not good. No. But we're glad we're glad to have you. So So so you've been traveling, um, you... Where have you where have you just been? Have you just been
1:53traveling in Norway? I went on a nice little holiday to Norway up to the Arctic Circle just for just for just a little bit of fun. I think everyone's obviously been stuck and locked down and stuff. So, actually, it's been the first time people have been out. It was so weird going to the airport without a PCR test. I kind of felt a little bit illegal. And then in Norway... Really? So... And it's just like... Right. No.... Gear needed. Um, and in Norway, they don't even wear masks. So I landed back in Zim. I was like, oh, shame. I've lost my mask. So I had to wrap my scarf around my face. Um, but, yeah, no. Just a nice little holiday, so it's been good to get out. And then, yeah, back home now, ready to get back to work. Well, do I...
2:31Think? Do you work now? You do well. No. You do tell us. You tell us. But the... But why I wanted to talk to you, I was, um, of course, doing my research as I always do. And I may... I'm trying to think where I'm... I met you when I'm at university. I think it was two thousand and probably twelve, thirteen, around there. Yeah. And and, um, uh, what I wanted to talk to is, like... I was doing my research and I was like, jeez. Yara is actually... The more I think about it, one of the most patriotic slash passionate Zimbabweans I actually know, actually. That's exciting. Honestly, I was looking. I was like, no. This is... She's really patriotic, very passionate, and I thought we'd have the conversation to talk about it.
3:07Yeah. The patriot thing, I'm stuck. That that green mamba Zimbabwean passport, there's no hope for me anywhere else You own it.
3:17You're proud about it. You own it. You roll with it. Yeah. You know? And, um, so I think maybe we're we're to start the conversation. Um, of course, I met you abroad in the UK, uh, when we were college, but to take it back to the beginning, um, were you born here or were you... Did you come from... I know your mom's your mom's South African or she's from Zim? No. My mom's born in born in Zim. So I was... Okay.
3:39Third generation... I mean, she's managed to wiggle a South African passport. Lucky her. Mhmm. Mhmm. She was born in Zim. I was born here. Um, my dad was, uh, Portuguese, um, but died when I was one. So, yeah, being me and my... Living our best life. She's a geologist. Um, so grown grown up in Zim, um, traveled around a lot with her, um, as a child looking for gold. Um, and... Yeah. Beautiful senior school here. Um, yeah. So various in Barbian and then went off to Wales for university.
4:14And, um, before we went to university, I know, you know, you being in Zoom and stuff, your big thing that you're very passionate about is your equestrian or or horse riding, if I can call it that. Yeah. Uh, how did that even happen? Like, how did that even come about? Oh, gosh. So back in my formative years when I was, uh, yeah. I don't know I don't know how I actually... It it just it just came to me. Um, we were living on the mines, like I said, with my mom. Um, I thought... So would you guys travel from my... Like, because, of course, she has to do, like, exploration. So would she... Would you guys... When she's doing her mapping, you would go with her from mine to mine and everything? I was kind of just left with the maid on the side of the road, like, play.
4:56Right. Gotcha. So we did did a lot of field work, obviously, before I had to go to school. Um, so we're... Yeah. We lived on the mines, um, like, Kwikway, Kodoma, and and all that kind of stuff. But anyway, so... Yeah. I... Even since... Yeah. Ever since I was a child, I was like, mom, please please, I want a pony. I wanna ride. And she's like, no. What is this? Like, why do you... We don't... This this is not, you know, and I... This is not what we do. It's not what we do. I didn't really listen to, uh, my, uh, you know, anybody. When I was little, I just did what I wanted to. So, um, I... Yeah. And then we were on the mines, and she was like, Yara, you can have a donkey. And I'm like, I do not want a donkey. I want a horse, please. Anyway, so when I was in grade one and we moved to... Back to Harathi, I... How to start riding lessons. Um, and then... And that's also... You know, she thought I could be able to listen to a teacher because... Yeah. Why? Because you are... Were you ungovernable up until grade one? It's a bit of a, why don't you just left me and, like, my own thing? Like, I mean, I guess, I I still do my own thing now to this day. I don't really listen to the rules. It's terrible. But, uh, but... Yeah. No. So... And then that's how I started. And I came... We moved into town and then... Yeah. Obviously, I got addicted and then I did it. I still... I'm still riding. So... Yeah. It's a very... What do you like about it? What do you like about it? Uh-huh. So I feel like it's quite a popular sport in Zim, I would say. Of course. I think it's kind of growing now, actually. We... We're getting a lot more time into the sport, which is so cool. Um, but what I like about it mostly is that it's so... Well, one, you can do it. Like, it... Like, basically, oh, you, you know, dying. Long time. Um, it's also like that bond about connecting with an animal and, uh, you know, like, having a responsibility. Um, and, yeah, it's a very humbling leveling sport. I mean, one day you can be winning, winning, winning, and the next day, you know, on the floor or having an accident or... Yeah. So you never... It's a big... So you never get too big for your boots, um, you know, because it's just... You never know what's coming or what... How it's gonna turn out. So it's quite... It's cool. I guess you live in that moment of, um, a lot more than...
7:09I don't know. Yeah. That's kind of what I like about it.... You're doing it, like, you know, for example, like, with other sports, like, uh, cricket or rugby, when you're on, you have someone to look onto TV and say, oh, I wanna be so and so when I grow up or whatever. But I could play, like... Did you guys have, like, similar role models that you could look up
7:26to?... Common sense or... A lot of top riders that we look at and, um, like, the ladies, you know, Dubina Topps Alexander to name one. Um, but, yeah, there's a lot of, obviously, top top that we look at, and they're amazing. And the horses are amazing. And, you know, they have these amazing tours where they go around and jump in big cities, and there was just one in Miami Beach and, you know, like, jumping right by the ocean. It's unbelievable the venues that they have. Yes. I guess I guess you do... Obviously, always, as a child, you look up to, you know, to the the top the top dogs that... The top top dogs. Right? Yeah. Yeah. And did you want to be a rider when you grew up? Like, um, or did you just wanna, like... Or do... Or was it just fun? Was it just fun? Yeah. No. I guess... I... Well, I think as a child, I guess, the... And in Zimbabwe, we're so privileged here to be able to, you know, try a lot of sports. I mean, half the time at school, we're forced to sports. I mean, half the time at school, we're forced to forced to do them. Yeah. So we we... I'd say, yeah, privileged to be try... Trying a lot of sports. But I guess once you start to, I guess, do well at one sport, you kind of specialize a little bit and, um, yeah, and then you get better and better. And and that's how you kind of, I guess, you grow in the sport and then you get, like, mini goals and... Yeah. So for me, I think my goal when I was younger was to go to the youth Olympic games, um, which was at the end of high school. So when I was eighteen, that was a a goal for me. Um, I had a a bad riding accident before, um, which was a little bit of a challenge. I... What happened? What happened? So I fell off, um, like, in a water causeway, um, and landed in front of the horse. And then the horse kicked me in the head and stole right back, and I had amnesia, um, and the tongue and all that kind of stuff. So it was quite a couple of months to try and, yeah, to try and get back and, um, obviously, a head injury, concussion, that's not great. Mhmm. One aunt, I couldn't remember her for a while because she was away Jeez. On a safari. So... Yeah. And even my friends, I mean, they came from school to visit me, and I didn't... Hi. I'm Yara. Nice to meet you kinda thing. So that was a little bit one of my bad falls that I've had. But, yeah, I had that fall in the January, and then, uh, it was the Youth Olympics in August of that year. So, obviously, not much turnaround time.... Even know how to still ride. That could, of course, let alone your memory. Was your muscle memory still sufficient enough to ride?... Was fine. Like, I could... I mean, obviously, it was a little bit nerve wracking to get back on a horse and my poor mother, um, you know, I don't know if I want my daughter back on a horse after... Once it happens. So, yeah, there would be a lot of, like, mental training and sports psychology and all that kind of stuff to get back onto the... For literally to get back onto the horse. And and if... Yeah. It just... It came back and I I was lucky I didn't have any falls because, obviously, I wasn't actually really allowed to ride for a year after my fall. Because if you have another head trauma after, um, it can be quite, um, yeah, yeah, detrimental and you can have permanent...... Crash... Right. So... Yeah. I came back from that and that was cool. And then I went to the youth Olympic games and that was very cool. And we got a bronze medal. Um, so that was... Before before you... The... Before the outcome of that, who did you go? Is... Do we have,
10:37um,
10:38are we well represented as Zimbabwe in terms of... At the Youth Olympic Games specifically for equestrian and horse riding? Yeah. So basically, what they do for the Youth Olympic Games, um, and we're actually coming up to, um, I think it's the the... Yeah. They... Well, obviously, because of COVID, they weren't able to have it. So we've got an athlete now going... They kind of got a a side competition in place of it going to Germany now. Mhmm. But how the selection happens is they choose, um, if you qualify. So, obviously, you've got to go to the qualifying event and you get a certificate of competency. So it's, like, at a level that the competition is gonna be held at. Mhmm. Obviously, it's like the top... Well, it's the top five countries in Africa that get chosen to go. And then you compete as a team, like team Africa. Mhmm. And... Yeah. And that's how it kind of is done. It's it's it's a bit confusing because obviously... I mean, you're going as Africa team and then obviously you have an individual competition as well. Mhmm. But... Yeah. I mean, it's a it's a very cool thing and it's... For us as a question sport, we aren't represented at all. You know? I mean, it's it's a big thing. This youth Olympic Games opens up certainly for myself, um, and for the athletes that have gone, um, after me. Um, it has opened up opportunities, and
11:53it's a great stepping stone, I think, for us onto more of a global global scale.... Global platform. Yeah. Is it is it is it tough is it tough to kind of grow the game locally? Because if you look at at least the perception of what equestrian and horse riding is, quite often it's like perceived, like, similar to, like, English... It's like, cricket or rugby. It's a posh it's a posh sports if I can call it that. Is is that... Is that is that still the case even in when you're growing up in Zoom? Were you aware like, okay. This is pretty posh as
12:23a... I mean, I wouldn't say posh. I mean, it's... Well, not posh, but but it's a it's a privileged sport because they have to pay for horses and training and... You know what I mean? All the... Yeah. I mean, that's... I'll I'll come to this a bit later. But, um, yeah. So we're trying to do a lot of, um, uh, development, I guess, in in the African, um, equestrian circuit. So we had a equestrian at all Africa games in twenty, uh, twenty nineteen, um, that was held in Morocco. Um, and we went and it was awesome because it was our kind of first continental championships, if you like. Like, we don't actually have a continental championship. There's a lot of very good riders in North Africa and a lot of very good riders in South Africa. South Africa, but in... Everywhere in between is kind of like... There's a... He's credible. So it's also about, yeah, like, the the access to the venues. I mean, when you fly your horse, it's expensive. I mean, it's, you know, ten, fifteen thousand dollars, you know, in transport fees for a horse. So it's not just like, oh, I jump on the plane and... With my hockey stick, and I can kind of get to the venue. Yeah. A lot of planning for a horse to leave Africa, they have to go into quarantine. So that's kind of what sets us, you know, apart from
13:38the Europe. Other nations of resources. Yes. Exactly.
13:43Um, so I think they're trying to do a lot of, you know, competition where we go to the different countries and we borrow horses. Obviously, it's not the same when you're not on your own horse. Mhmm. Yeah. It it can be a bit of a challenge. Um, but it's good for us to get out there, and it's good for us to, you know, meet people and grow the sport and bring in, you know, bring in traders, bring in officials, bring in judges to also, you know, uplift our sport in our own country because it's all very well. We're all going off somewhere else. But, I mean, you wanna be developed in your own country. Yes. Which has been... It has been. I mean, we've also got an amazing facility now, which we never had, and we've got so many young riders coming up through the ranks, which is amazing. So... Mhmm. Yeah. It's definitely getting better. Um, obviously, there's always room to improve. But, yeah,
14:28I'd say a question is looking bright in Zimbabwe. And where where do this... Where there are changes for someone listening to be like, oh, okay. My daughter likes watching ponies on television or horses or sun for that matter. Yeah. Would they even...
14:40Well, I guess there's a couple of beginners, um, in in them. Um, you can go kind of to, like, a riding school and learn, then obviously, you progress and you get your own horse, and then that kind of goes into a stable yard. And, yeah, and you get into the show system, and then you start, like, doing shows locally, then you can go... A lot of riders have actually just gone out to South Africa for, uh, Easter. There's quite a few... There. So... And then and then you kind of go from there. So, yeah, there is a few trainers locally, and it's... It is quite nice that it's still... You know, you can still get into the sport. I mean, it is... Obviously, the main thing is is kids and grassroots. We need the children because, obviously, they they are the stars, you know, the future star, which it is kind of... Once once you get into it, it becomes a bit of a family affair. So it's like, past generations, I guess. Um, but, yeah, you can definitely get into the sport. I, like, I I had no... Around nothing. Like, I
15:36wanna do this. And, you know, it's... And pretty much do whatever you want, I think, if you if you put your mind to it. Wait. I have two questions. Yeah. The the sec... The the first is I know you said you guys did the youth Olympics as a, you know, as Team Zim. How was that? That's my first question. And the second question I'll ask after is it's... I'll do my research. It says... It said you are... Afterwards, you are a youth Olympic games change maker. What does that mean? So maybe answer the two. What was the first one? Like... How was that? First of foray? Second one. Yeah. Youth Olympic games. Um,
16:07so I went in twenty ten. So it was the... Actually, the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore, which was amazing. Such a cool experience. Um, as team Africa, we won a bronze medal, which was also very, very cool. Mhmm. Yeah. Win a win a bronze. Um, and then from that experience, I met a whole bunch of, um, you know, Olympians and, um, you get... Obviously, our Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, like, funded us, and we... I kind of got into the system there with with ZOC. And they're super supportive, and they have been, you know, since since I was, yeah, seventeen, since I went to those games. Um, and it was just amazing to, yeah, to be part of it and, like, you just realize how how big the world is and how many Right. How, like, how elite sport is. It's unbelievable how Mhmm. You know, how people can get to that level and how they train and... Yeah. So going to those those games was was awesome. Um, I then obviously still carried on riding. I went to university and all that kind of stuff. Um, carried on riding, carried on being involved with our Olympic Committee. I did a lot of volunteering here and there. They'd call on me to come and do, yeah, like, uh, help with, like, education through sport. Um, and, obviously, like, I'm a very patriotic Zimbabwean, so I love to, you know, share my experience and share, you know, how I got to the youth Olympics or how... You know, like, basically, my journey and stuff. Mhmm. And just check young athletes if they are, you know, having a little bit of doubt or, like, how can I do this? My biggest thing that I always tell everyone, it doesn't matter if it's, you know, if I I wanna go to the Olympics or out of business, it's just start. Like, honestly, you don't need everything. And be ready. You don't have to be ready to start. You know? You can just take that first step and and then that's when things start flowing and you meet people and you learn and you kind of, you know... So I think Mhmm. Was my biggest takeaway is to start something. Um, and then I was involved in in... With the Olympic Committee, like, the whole time that I was away. Um, and then I came back and, yeah, they basically, um, nominated me to be the young changemaker. So I then went as, like, a young ambassador, um, for the games to Buenos Aires. Um, and, basically, again, it was a mentor role. So I mentor the... Zimbabwean, um, and then, obviously, international. So we met... So there was basically one change maker from each country, um, that travels with the team, um, and you interact and you obviously... There was a a few, um, conferences and, you know, added about what was current, um, within the Olympic movement and all of that kind of stuff. Um, and it's also... Again, it's all about networking and meeting people. Um, and, actually, the person that I went to visit in Norway was a friend who I met at the Olympic Academy. So it's all very Right. Network and that kind of stuff. So Right. Yeah. And then I've just stayed involved with our, um, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, and I'm now actually on the athletes commission as well. So I'm sitting on a board with, um, our, you know, top That's it. Marathon runner. And Right. So it's amazing. Um, it's amazing where you can get and how you can go. And it's... I mean, it's... The Olympic values are basically friendship, respect, and excellence. So I kind of try and, you know, portray that in all my walks of life, which is... It's a very cool values and it's very cool, you know, three things to go by. Um, but... Yeah. So that's how I've been involved and kind of grown.
19:35Yeah. As a as a mentor in... Like, you know, as a one who's had to be a mentor, what is the big strength, um, as young... That young Balmain athletes? What is the biggest strength that young Zimbabwean athletes have, and what's the biggest weakness that you are seeing?
19:51So I'll I'll start with the weakness. I think I think the main thing is is resources. I think there's a lot of, you know, a lot of lacking in resources in Zimbabwe, and it's unfortunate that a lot of our top athletes have to leave the country to, you know, shine and get, you know, sponsorship or or the coaching that they need. Um, but I think the main thing about about Zimbabwean athlete strength is, you know, they never give up. I mean, they just keep going and keep going, and there's hurdles. There's always hurdles, and they just, you know, they are strong individuals, and they they just carry on. And it's amazing. People go... You know, I was listening to your podcast with Hilton and his story, and I just... And you heard that completely. And with Yeah. You know, they both top top of their game as well, and it's the same thing. It's just you gotta keep going, and you've gotta keep going. And, eventually, at one point, you will, you know, get there. So, uh, for me, I think that is the strength of Zimbabwean athletes is they are... They're so resilient and they just keep going. Um, and, uh, there's so much there's so much talent here. Um, it's just kind of nurturing it and, you know, getting it out there.
20:57So it's the... So we have we have it. We have the resilience, the the drive. It's just the lack of resources. And by resources, I mean, dollars and cents. Right? Yeah. I I think as well, what may be a little bit of...... Information.
21:09Is the planning and the management. I think a lot of these... If they were, you know, taken taken under a wing of of good management, I feel like certainly in my in my experience with going to competition shop, that is where we lack. We lack management. We lack, um, exposure. Like, we should go to games and we should... Like, for example, our all our games. Like, we should have gone maybe a week before, prepared, rode our horses, you know, got got new experience, I guess, before just, you know, we we kind of go to these events and then we adhering. We're like, oh, my god. What what is going on? Yeah. You you Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I'm I'm riding with my heroes. I'm competing with my heroes and looking around as opposed to, you know, being You are. It's competing. Same... You know, you're on the same playing field as them. You know? You are as good as them. So stop stop looking around and watching what they do. You know? Do your thing and kind of... So I think a lot of that is management and preparation. And I think, yeah, we've got the athletes and we've got definitely, you know, the talent. It's just making sure we can nurture it and put it in in the right, um, direction and make sure, yeah, they are able to, I think, as well.
22:17Mhmm. Yeah. Mhmm. It's huge. Yeah. Yeah. I've seen this a lot. Like, I I I always say this all the time that our greatest resource is our people. Like, we're... Yeah. Zimbabwe Zimbabwe's greatest resource isn't even this, like, land or it's sunny weather or it's Yeah. You know, resource... Gold for... It's actually its people. And if you just learn how to nurture and manage them well, I think there's a lot can be done in a phenomenal way. If I can use, um, horse riding as a metaphor for life, it seems like a sport where, you know, at least for you, you know, it's a passion, but, of course, a lot of challenges. You climb on your horse. You get hop off. You get injured. Do you know what I mean? But your your big thing was, like, a lot of people... Even this thing that I found is just start. Right? Um, if I can go into... I was gonna touch on business first, but, like, no. Maybe I'll touch on university. Um, when you said I'm gonna start university now, you know, what was the thinking there? And, you know, what did you study? And was it related to horse riding at all or or no? No. Nothing is related in my life. I do too many different things. I
23:26just... And so I went off to university, um, South Wales, and, yeah, I studied GIS. Uh, the reason I went to university is because I... Is that what geographical information information system?... Information system. So, like, geoscientistics, uh, mapping kind of stuff. Um, the reason I went off to university... So I was all set to be a professional show jumper, and that was my dream and my vision. And I fell off my horse and, um, had that that, uh, mission. I was like, When the proverbial... I didn't mean to laugh because it's funny, but, like, the... I'm also like, oh, fuck.... Off my horse. Like, so, like, what happens if you know wheelchair then career gone kinda thing.
24:05Um, so... Yeah. So I went off to university and I quality finish. Wait. So you're actually going to... You wanted to do this thing professionally? Yeah. No. Then you had the injury, you said, let me have a a callback. Yeah. And
24:18my mom was also like, just... Yeah. Just go to university. Like, it's amazing. You'll have fun. Like, just do a degree, and then you can do whatever you want. Like, promise. Like, promise. Promise. Mhmm. Yeah. Cool. Okay. Like, I was probably gonna have a gap year anyway. Whatever. Anyway, went off to uni um, and it was actually so fun. I chose a degree because there was lots of trips. This seems fun. Yeah. I was like, oh, they get to go to Australia and, like, New York. I was like, yeah. I definitely want... And, obviously, I grew up, like, as a geologist daughter. So mapping and travel and... Yeah. Like, that bug was kind of put in. Um, so, yes, I went off and did my mapping degree in Wales of all places. And also the... Wales is because it had nice accommodation. I didn't wanna share a shower. So I was like, yes. Please go. Um, went off to Wales and did three years, um, of mapping. And then after that, I went to South Sudan. Um, and I worked there for two years doing landline clearance mapping. Mhmm. The question time, again, you asked me why did I go to Sudan? And my my thinking behind that was like, uh, well, I'm never gonna go to South Sudan on holiday, so I may as may as well go and work there and see what it's like. Um, yeah. So, again, went into that very, very blind and with no no clue of what I was really doing straight out of university. And Mhmm. Amazing experience. And, obviously, like, I earned a lot of money there, which enabled me to start my business after. Um, yeah. And then I... Must I stop talking or or or... Wait. Yes. Because
25:53here's the thing. Like, a lot of people... Often, there's this... I don't know if you had this... Well, maybe you you you not so much, but you... There's there's often, like, this sort of pressure. If you have studied abroad, there's this way to where it's like, oh, so what you gonna do afterwards? You know, what do you wanna do? That type type of thing. And and and, you know, and some people have... I think... What did you wanna do? What did you wanna do? You know? What what did I really wanna do? Yes. Honestly. Honestly.
26:19To be honest, I don't really know. But maybe, like, travel and, like, I don't know, chill, live a good life. I didn't really have any plans. I mean, to be honest, I don't... I wanna say I plan for things, but I mostly just wing most things that I do. So I don't I don't really have many plans. Like, if someone asked me tomorrow, hey. Do you wanna come to Hawaii? I'm like, sure. Let me just find out how to get a visa, and then I'm there. There. So... Yeah. I I guess I didn't... Obviously, after university that there's that always that big question of, so what next? And most people are like, I have absolutely no idea. Um, and I think that was kind of my Sudan moment because I had absolutely no idea. You know, I'd qualified and got a degree in mapping. So I was like, cool. Let me let me make sure I use that a little bit. You go to Sudan a little bit. Yeah. You see what it's saying in South Sudan. Yes. Let me use that. What's that? Yeah. Yeah. So... But, I mean, it was really cool. And I I, like, I was actually just having this conversation today, and it's it's so funny how people... Like, what you actually study at university unless you're, like, a doctor or a lawyer, you generally take a lot from that. I mean, my current business, I probably should have gone into... Done an MBA and maybe some kind of food, um, food course might be helpful. But... Yeah. Yeah. So I didn't I didn't do that. Yeah. So I went into Sudan and then... Yeah. That was... That... It was a very cool time. Very cool time. Very different and... Yeah. Being in a war zone was was a bit wild. But, yeah, very cool.
27:42Yes. Well, then you came back to them and said, okay. Cool. Like, you know, I've I've got this mapping degree. I could use it, you know, here and there. I I think you did use it, like, in parts sometimes. But then you said, like, I think... How does one think, like, you know, I think a Scotch cart could be, like, a vibe. Do you know what I mean? Like, it's... You're like, how does that even come to your brain? What was that? You... I know you just said, just start. But how does that even come into your mind? Yeah.
28:10So, obviously... Yeah. So my business is The Scotch Cart Company. Um, and, yeah, I started... It's a food... I mean, for a while... Actually, that's a lie. For a while, when we first started The Scotch Cart, I was, like, having these visions of how we'd, like, do community development projects with, you know, like, maybe we'll bring in some mapping and we can, like, go and, like, help this... Like, I had all these weird visions and then I sat down with, um, my uncle at the time, and he's like, hey, Yara. You have a catering business. I'm like, no. But if... We can, like, use the resources to, like, maybe map out, like, where we're getting our carrots from, and we can, like, create a side pro... And he's like, no. You're a caterer. I'm like, okay. Okay. So now this is my job. I'm a caterer. Like, I didn't even know what I was doing in the beginning. Right. Right. Um, but, yeah, I guess the reason how I started the business was I came back from Sudan. I... Yeah. Obviously, it was quite rough and tough there. Um, I got a job in Zimbabwe doing a bit of mapping as well. Um, but I I guess I was never... I love to, I guess, challenge myself a little bit, but I also don't like working for people. I'm a little bit, um, um, bossy myself. Um, so I I kinda just like doing my thing and having my own time and doing it in my own time. So... Yeah. Um, and we were also actually at Haifa, um, which is, yeah, Harari International Festival. Was that was that your was that your first night? Was that in the early days? That was in the early days. You... Haifa. Haifa, me and my friend, and we were sitting there and we're like, how cool would it be to have something, you know, so Zimbabwean at Haifa next year? Like, that'll be so cool. And then, yeah, I kind of had a a course box, um, obviously, from my riding career. It was actually my small little pony box that was broken down with no tires and, like, a nineteen sixty Ford Zephyr bearing system that you can't find those bearings ever. So we actually got on that trailer now. We probably should get new ones, but it... No. We just keep keep those old nineteen whatever Ford Zephyr bearings. But... Yeah. So I had that old horse box, and then, yeah, we kinda just decided, myself and my friend, to, um, yeah, start a mobile food trailer kind of vibe. And, um, yeah, we just just did it. Um, and in the next year, we were at Haifa, which was obviously our... That was our kind of goal. We just didn't have a massive goal. I mean, well, actually, that's a lie. We sat down with the same uncle who who told me that I had a catering business because I clearly wasn't aware. Um, I looked back the other day, and my my goals were, you know, have ten Scotch carts and, you know, like, build this massive empire and whatever. So, um, yeah, I didn't I didn't have big goals back then, but I... Actually, looking back on my goals then, they were big. So... Yeah. Well, you're on you're on number... You're on your way to ten,
30:57ironically.
30:58Oh, it's too bad to work. It's fun.
31:03Um, and what has been the the greatest, um, joy and the greatest challenge that you've experienced from that journey?
31:14Uh, from the Scotchgard? Yep. So I think, um, the greatest joy, I think... So, basically, in the business, when we started, it was myself and a friend. Um, and then throughout after a year, we kind of weren't getting along in the business. So that was obviously the best the best way to settle it. Um, I get... My greatest my greatest joy is seeing the business grow. And I only employ women in my business. Um, so I don't know. It's a little bit of a woman empowerment kind of thing. But, um... Dude, we love it. We love it. We love it. We love it. And and women also make the best coffees. No. I'm kidding. I kind of just... When I came into the business, I wanted to kind of have something that I could I could grow, and I could grow people, and I could grow something. It wasn't necessarily I want to do this whole food catering that clearly, in the beginning, wasn't the thing. But I wanted to, like, empower people and grow people. Um, so my biggest joy is, you know, my current manager, she came in as as our first employee, actually, and she was a barista and the manager, and she runs around, and she, you know, she basically is the big boss in the in the business. So that for me is is awesome. And I don't don't necessarily employ people with experience in, you know, a barista or in food or in a kitchen kind of thing. We kind of train them on the job. And and, yeah, that that is... It's so awesome because they are just so so loyal to the job and it's... You know, I wanted to give people skills. Like, that was my thing in the business. Like, I I wanna create a business. Yes. Cool. Amazing. You know? But I wanted to do it so that people could learn and people could grow. And for themselves, if they leave the Scratch card, they, you know, at least go away with a skill. Um, so... Yeah. So that for me is is the greatest joy is seeing people grow. And obviously now, like, we've got six, um, six cafes and two mobile trailers that go to events. So it is a lot bigger than one little trailer at Haifa. Um, but... Yeah. So, obviously, our staff base is a lot bigger now. But, um, yeah, it's that... For me, that is... It's so cool to see them grow and and and, you know, take on those roles in the job.
33:17Yeah. And why is it why is it important that you empower people or especially women specifically? Why is that... Is that always been a thing that you've wanted to do or that you've carried? Why is that so important to you? Um, well, I don't know. I I mean, I, like, I've grown up in a family with, um, strong independent woman.
33:34Um, my granny, um, had raised five children, basically. My grand... So my grandpa died when my mom was one, um, and my granny had five to raise. So, yeah, she's she's the matriarch of our family. So she raised those five children, and then, again, my mom raised me by myself. Um, so I guess I've always seen it as, like, the norm. Like, a woman is a strong woman in the workplace, kind of do anything. So for me, I think I wanted to pass that, you know, knowledge and strength that I got from my early... To to woman, I guess, in Zimbabwe that haven't had that, you know, upgrade and brought up like that to know that they are able to have a job and maybe be the stronger partner in their family and, you know, cultural cultural sensitivity around that. But at the stake, like, these women have gone from strength to strength, and it's amazing how if you give someone a job and if you you... Obviously, you train them and then you put them in a higher role, they have to raise raise their standards and and and meet that... Time and then it's so cool to watch people do that and, you know, see people grow and learn and, like, take on responsibility for themselves. And, yeah, for me, it's it's it's very cool. So that's, I guess, I wanted I wanted people to be like that and and know that they can, you know, fix their own tire and Mhmm. Drive themselves. And, yeah, I guess that was for me, like, why.
35:01It is very on brand. It is very on brand. There's also, like, this... The the Zimbabwean woman empowerment thing, but then also there's, like, the... I won't talk about the Zimbabwe piece around Operation Out of Town. Well... That was that was that was a... You do... We did a few of those. Why was that important to you? Um, do I speak on what that was and why it wasn't important to you? Yeah. So... Okay. So Operation Out of Town. So basically, we created... And, Dimi, you were on, like, some of those pioneer... Yeah. I was I was on the first two. I was on I was at the first two.
35:29I'm there. Amber was double triple chin under the... No kidding. You're a thing like this. So, um, so, basically, operation out of town was kind of a thing we started where we actually took the Scotch card on a few, which was a little bit wild, like, off on these these, uh, treacherous roads where the the poor old, uh, um, the stove, like, actually fell. Bad idea. Bad idea. Anyway... But... Yeah. So Operation Out of Town was basically... We kind of created a group of people that wanted to go out of town, explore parts of, I guess, close to Harare, maybe an hour, an hour and a half out of town. We go on a weekend, um, and, yeah, just just, like, hike and swim and, like, just explore a little bit of, you know, the country we live in as opposed to what is kind of, you know, the norm in Harare, I guess. It's like quite a party, drinking kinda scene, which is totally not my fault. Um, so... Yeah. So just people outdoors and, like, yeah, appreciating appreciating the beautiful country we live in.
36:32Yes. You said... There's a there's a quote you said. You said something like to... I'm reading it now. You said to call Zimbabwe, uh, you... To call Zimbabwe home is such a privilege, and sometimes we forget it. Yeah. Um, give you... What? Now to you, I said, you are here as... This is different English. Yeah. Then she says... Then then she go on to say, um, to remind us of the wonderful lives we are truly lucky to have in our great and complex nation. This is you. I said, this is this is something for... This is poetry. Um,
37:03I can add that to my reading. But you agree. You agree. I mean, you think of... Agree. I mean, it's the same thing. I I I mean, I I I I live by those words. I mean, I really... We are... We don't... We get stuck in our mundane and our, you know, our day to day jobs of we've gotta do this and, you know, survival mode, really. We are surviving. And while we are still... That is that is a very prevalent thing. We do a lot to survive, I guess, um, as opposed to live. Um, so I think, yeah, it's it's nice to step back and just go out and see and appreciate where we are. I mean, we have so much on our our front doorstep. So... Yeah. That... And, obviously, I love traveling and going around, hence why I chose my university degree based on the trips. I... So, yeah, I guess I've got a little bit of a travel bug in me. And, actually, going on from that now, um, we kind of stopped the operation out of... Well, not stopped it, but, obviously, I went Of course. Mhmm. Traveling and whatever. So... And a COVID and all that kind of stuff. So I'm kind of now planning on... I've... I'm trying to link it into my business and all that kind of stuff is I've just bought a Land Rover, um, and I'm gonna convert into, like, a mobile home. Um, and I'm driving up at the end of the year, driving up to the equator, and then driving back down to Zim. Um, and I think I'll be about, like, four or five months doing that. Um, and I kind of wanna write a cookbook about, um, like, what food I get. I mean, all very brief and, like, rough still in my head. It might change. Um, but, yeah, write a cookbook about... Like, so you have your basic camping box of food and then, like, what you can get in the countries that I go through and then kind of try and link that to... Yeah. Yeah. The Scotch part and food. I guess I'm a caterer, so I need to really have that in the front of my mind and remind myself that cooking is your job. It's like you're you're running a catering business. Yeah. So I'm gonna... Yeah. So I'm kind of just do, like, a travel journal and, like, how I go through the country and... Yeah. Because I think it's it's quite a... It's a it's a fun fun little, uh, project that I'm gonna put up for myself. And, yeah, I think, um, that's again bringing operation out of town back in... I mean, I keep going into these things of, like, travel and but wanting to be Zimbabwean. But, you know... So, I mean, I guess, I'm trying to link everything together. Scotch card, donkeys, horses. You know, we're trying to bring people together. Um, but... Yeah. So I guess it'll be operation out of Zimbabwe that it'll it'll move in to. But, yeah, again, it's about meeting people and and learning about the places and being in different places. And... Yeah.
39:30So... It's so funny because I was writing my notes. I I even wrote down. I said I said Yara could have a travel show. Literally, I wrote that down, like, on my bullet points. Oh, really? So it sounds like... Yeah. She was... She... She clearly stole it from my mouth. But, yeah, you could literally have a good travel show with your... You know, it's... You're clearly, like,
39:47a a travel and an adventure already. You know? My travel should basically be me consisting of being broken down on the side of the road in my land. Like, one... Know how... Where to put the oil and, um, which makes me get a lot of entertainment from, I tell you. It's always the Land Rover and Cruiser, um, conflict. So, yeah, I think that that would be my travel show, how to get yourself unbroken down. No. I'm kidding. That's true. But, yeah, I love travel. It's never been done before. It's good. It's like a... It's never been done before. Like a Zimbabwean...
40:19Not Top Gear, but you know what I mean? Like a travel safari vibe. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. I'm getting sidetracked. But speaking of travel, you hiked Mount Kilimanjaro. And, um, you... When you summited, you know, sometimes, like, do you have opportunity to say, um, I wanted to summit for a cause. And your cause was small and mental health. Yes. Why? Why was that the cause that you you chose?
40:47Okay. I wanna give you, like, a long, um, a long, like, emotional thing. I really wanna be a good person. But, basically, I just wanted to combine Kilimanjaro. And and... Well, the people that I was doing it with, um, Pete and Raymond, they they had this cause, and I was, of course, very cool to join on. Um, and I think for me, what was quite cool, I had a bad axe... Riding accident in, uh, the, uh, the February, March of that year. Was this only last year? I feel like I've lived five years in, like, this first four months. Yeah. They're gone. Um, but... Yeah. So I'd had a... You know, and, obviously, myself, I dealt with a few mental issues, um, you know, after the horse fall and that kind of stuff. Get it... Getting back on the horse. For me, I guess I've never really struggled with mental health before. Um, but for me, I guess, it was it was a very cool thing to, you know, raise funds and do that for that cause because for myself, it was... I'd had a mental battle from falling off the horse, and I hadn't actually gotten on my horse until after I climbed Kilimanjaro. That was, like, my goal is, like, okay. If I can climb Kilimanjaro, if my body can be strong enough to do that, then I can kind of get back on the horse. So, yeah, that was a kind of... That's that's a bit of an extreme thing. Quincher's got, like, therapy or something. Like, can you get to climb a... I have to climb a whole mountain. God. I have a whole mountain to tell me that I was fine, that I could walk again. No. No. No. Yeah. But I mean, the mental health thing, I think it... And also... So, um, basically, what they did is they raised funds for an app to develop this app called Nani. And it's, um, how... So, basically, it's accessible to people, um, everywhere in Zimbabwe, um, that are struggling, you know, with their mental health. Um, what's that called? What's that app called? Nani. Say it again? Nani. Okay. Oh, Nani. Nani. Okay. I'm okay. Alright. Gotcha. And it's basically... Yeah. So they're trying to have this app that's, you know, accessible to Zimbabweans because, obviously, it's very... Again, culturally, it's quite hard to... Or even... It doesn't even have to be culturally, but it is very hard for you to admit that you have a problem or that you are struggling. It's it's, uh, you know, and mental health is a little bit still taboo, I think, in Zimbabwe. So... Yeah. Yeah. Basically, it's a hotline that you can call and speak to somebody, um, about what's going on and, you know, how they can help you. So it was a very cool it was a very cool course to hike for, I think. Um, and, yeah, obviously, doing the hike as well for myself was also, you know, quite quite cool, um, to know after that really bad accident that I... You know, your body your body really can do anything. It's your mind that will, you know, either you or or make it even better. I mean, you can put your body through so much, um, suffering, but it's the mind that is really the strongest thing. That was a very cool a very cool trip as well.
43:35Do you go to, um, therapy?
43:38I did go to therapy between when I had my riding accident, um, uh, well, after I fell off my horse because I I literally didn't know whether I was, like, coming or going. I didn't know what I wanted to do anymore. Like, it was it was... I didn't wanna get back on the horse. But I mean, I get... And I'd I'd never really been to therapy before. I, like, I'd done sports psychology, which was obviously mental training of how to, you know, be aim and learn how to, like, you know Mhmm. All that kind of stuff and, like, envisioning yourself there. But I've never really gone and, like, spoken about my feelings or, like, how I'm doing. And I think... Yeah. I I mean, I I think I should go to therapy every every week. I mean, it's great. It's basically just a chat of seeing kind of how you are, and and it's it's basically make you aware of of your emotions and of of why you're doing things and how you're doing things, but why you're doing those things, I think. And you need to question, like, why am I speaking to a person like this? Or, you know, why why did I react to that so much? And after you thought about it, but it could have been previous trauma that you've had in your life or, you know, you so... Yeah. It's it's very interesting to see. And also you can feel yourself starting to react in a certain way. You can kind of either stop it or... Mhmm. Like, I think the biggest thing I got away from those therapy sessions as well was, like, make sure you feel everything. Like, don't feel ashamed to be in your state or feel that you have, like, a picture perfect life or, you know, go through the... Or the phases, I guess, of life in a certain way. Like, definitely not. Like, it's it's kind of being present and learning about yourself. And I think for me, that was... It was awesome. Like, I I found out I'm so bossy. I need to be less bossy. And... Yeah. And... No. No. But... Yeah. So I think I think... Yeah. Mental health, I mean, obviously, it's been it's been on the front. Um, well, it's been very prevalent after COVID. I think a lot of people have been addressing mental health issues, all that kind of stuff. So, I mean, I think, yeah, anyone that is struggling or suffering or, you know, just doesn't even... Like, they just... You can't think of why you're behaving the way you are, why... Yeah. I think it's so it's so cool to just go and chat to someone, and it's... There's nothing wrong with it at all. I mean, I think Mhmm. Like, for for many years, people thought, oh, you know, like, oh, you've gone to see psychologists. Oh, they must be crazy. Crazy. Like, oh, you know? But I think it's I think it's a very cool thing. And, yeah, I definitely saw saw a therapist after my fall. And I think, yeah, I think even maybe in a few months' time, if something's not going right, I might just give her a call and say, hey. What do you think? Like, how do I how do I deal with this? I'm so stressed. Why am I stressed? And then after you realize, actually, you're stressed for no reason. You've created Not at me. Your own problems. Actually, why? You know? So... Yeah.
46:22Yeah. I go I go every month. I've been going every month for the past three years. Yeah. It's like three years now. It's a long time. So I... No. I think it's good. Like... But I think that's... I I I speak about it opening up because I think it's important to de stigmatize it, especially, like, as men as men especially, it's like, are you okay? It's like, well, I think you you just went into all the reasons why it's so good, and I agree fully with those things. Um,
46:49you just have to destigmatize it. I think it's very powerful and very useful, You know? Yeah. But also, I think, I mean, a couple of people that I've spoken to kind of after, like, after I went and, like... And and, again, like, you you must check-in with people. Like, it is... Because after you've been struggling for months, like, you... What is going on? Like, I just can't do this. I don't know why. Like, you're so frustrated and you're like, oh my god. And it's a simple thing of, like, you you question yourself. Like, why do I actually want to do this? And you're often just doing it because you've put that goal out and you have to kind of achieve that. But, actually, you don't really have to do that. You've put yourself in that box of you must do this. And Mhmm. Goes and says... Ask you literally one question. Why do you wanna do that? And you're, like, actually, I I don't really know. Like, I don't...... Do it to do it. Oh, actually, I don't really wanna do that. So why am I stressing so much about that? Um, Yeah. No. I... Very cool very cool thing.
47:45Okay. And then... So everyone listening to therapy is great. We look into Nani. I think the main things that making therapy affordable, especially, like, in a Zimbabwean sense. Like, so it's... You're stigmatized, but then also accessible for everyone Yeah. That can you... I I think that's important. So I'll look into that and then. Um, with regards to the place we call home, um, and I actually look... Think of Zimbabwe as like... Or anything really, like, as a story. And a story has many... As a beginning, a middle, and an end, or, like, many chapters in between the start and finish. Yeah. Uh, what do you... And so in this particular chapter, right, I like to... From my perspective, it's like I'm trying to think a lot about how in this next chapter of my life, how can I use my chapter to contribute to Zimbabwe's chapter in any small way than I can? And the vehicle to which I do that is through hearing people's stories, how they, you know, how they came to be, what compels them to be Yeah. As care... They are for Zimbabwe and the various cause that are there. Um, in your particular sense, for Zimbabwe's... And this is... I I specifically try and keep its politics aside. But if a person wants to do that, they can. But I can't separate it because politics gets in the way of... It always has to, like, you know, get in the way of everything that's good that we have. So in the Zimbabwe's next chapter, what would, you know, shifting its story for the better look like for you? What does that look like for you? Oh, Lolo. To come up with something something fancy now. Doesn't have to... You could you could say, I just wish everyone rode horses, man, because... Or some some guys say... Some guys once told me, um, it's... What what the one guy say? He said... Well, his name is Kuda. He says, it's being invested in everyone else doing better. You know what I mean? Yeah. But that was, like, the nice one. So what does it look like for you? I mean, for me, I think, like,
49:41I would like to see, um, Zimbabweans really, I guess, living in the present Zimbabwe instead of always wanting to be... We're doing this for the future and, like, we're only gonna do this once this happens kinda thing. Like, yeah. Cool. Like, we wanna we wanna, you know, I don't know, start a business in two years' time when I've got funding from this and then, obviously, you know, you've gotta see realistic change. But I think, like, people... I want people to just, yeah, just do things. Like, take that step forward and just not... Like, and even if you fail, like, cool, you failed, but, like, you've learned so much from it. You can do something else, which might be better tuned to what you wanna do kind of thing. So I think a lot... I wanna see a lot more people starting things and doing things and creating things because I think everybody everybody has the potential to be, you know, great and do their own amazing things. But I think often people are too scared, especially in Zimbabwe because, like, oh, it's so tough here already. And, of course, I mean, Iona best in Zimbabwe. And it is... Like, life is tough and it's, you know, but I mean, everywhere. Everybody has something that they're doing that is tough. It's not only us, you know, and I think as Zimbabweans, we'll sometimes feel a little bit victimized. Like, oh, you know, we Zimbabweans, it's tough here. Like, it can't do this. It can't do that. You know? That, um, attitude here. So, I mean, I think for me, it would be go and do everything and go and do anything that you kind of want to. To do. And for me, I think that would be the Zimbabwe that I want... Wanna see, like, kind of go getters and, you know, everyone thriving, I guess, and, yeah, and doing things. And and knowing that you can do stuff in Zimbabwe, it's not... You don't have to leave to be better, or you don't have to leave to have a, you know, a better life, or, of course, go out, experience the world, see the things. But, I mean, Zimbabwe is home, and, I mean, it might not be my home forever. I might move. I might change. I mean, I'm far up to the equator. I might stay there. I might I might break down. I might break down. I'm not gonna go... Or get knocked out of the country. I don't know. But, um, but I think just I think just, yeah, live and enjoy enjoy living as opposed to, you know, waiting for stuff to happen to do something. Just just go and do it. And, yeah, And then you'll realize there's so much out there to do and enjoy and see.
51:57Yorehansen, thank you for your time. This has been great. Yeah. Perfect. I I don't know how better I get to end. I think you just nailed... Hit the nail on the head. So thank you.
52:07Of course. And thank you for having me, and I feel so privileged to be on this podcast. I listen to all of them, and I'm like, wow. There are some fancy people out there. Like, cheapest Zimbabweans are. And, like, congratulations to you, Dimi. This is... It's such an awesome podcast. I love it. And I I always tell everyone to listen. I'm like, mom, mom, you have to go and listen to this one. I always think, like, I I say to him, I'm like, I always feel so clever after talking to Dimi. Like, he always makes you, like, think about things and and, you know, you... I just feel clever after I've spoken to him. So, yeah, good on you because it's so cool chatting to you and also, yeah, hearing everybody else's stories. And it's amazing, like, with this podcast how, yeah, Zimbabweans are scattered everywhere. Like, I mean, not really... Okay. There's one one friend in Norway. Um, but, like, Literally. Up there and she real fancy. Um, but it's just amazing how Zimbabweans are scattered all over the world. And, um, there is always that one thing. Like, you see a Zimbabwean and there's, like, the head nod or, you know, the way, like, I felt it. And you're like, oh, they are my people. They were. It's very, very cool to, yeah, hear people's stories, and it's kind of, yeah, warming and and exciting to know that everybody is. So just just cool people, man. Zimbabweans are great. I love them. We are phenomenal. We are Yeah. A phenomenal
53:36people. Um, wait. Who would ever... Here's my... Well, I have one thing I wanna ask before I I let you go. Who do you want me to interview? Or who do you wanna... Whose conversation would you want to hear? I mean... Put you on the spot? Oh, look. Outside of outside of yourself.
53:51Uh, what? Do you... Do you think I love listening to my own voice, Shane? No. Me outside of you. I'm just gonna go and listen to the podcast over and over again.
54:02And... But under that yourself, who would you who would you think would be cool to to have on the pod... On the show?
54:07Zimbabwean, obviously. Well, I've just been to Norway to visit Tenday, Jamba. Mhmm. And got a very interesting story about, yeah, how she's now living in Norway, and she's working for, like, Christian Deal and all the major brands through, like, yoga and wellness. And, yeah, she's obviously a black Zimbabwean in a very, very white Scandinavian world and how she's navigating that. And, yeah, I think she... She's she's a cool cool person to chat to.
54:39Done. We'll reach out to her for sure. Alright, Gary. Yazi, thank thank you so much for the time. Have a fantastic day. Thanks for having...
54:46And we'll chat again soon. Yeah. Definitely. I'll I'll reply to my WhatsApps. Bye bye. K. Bye.
