It’s been a little over six months since I was here.
Imagine that!
I’ve missed this. Writing, reflecting, talking into my microphone, sharing pieces of my story in real time. I have missed it so much. Stories I Tell has been quiet. I know it looks like I disappeared and I honestly don’t know how to make it not look like that. But the truth is: Life got very busy and very “loud”.
Looking back, I think the silence had a lot to do with the intense levels of stress I experienced in Q3 and Q4, partly work-related and partly life-related. I’m talking about the kind of stress that no amount of sadza nenyama can fix. But, hey, even in the quiet, I’ve been here. Showing up where life “called me” and more than anything, working as hard as I possibly could to make sure there was a roof over our heads and food on the table.
Truthfully speaking though, there’s only so much working hard one can do.
God did most of the heavy lifting (as He always does 😊).
So before anything else, I want to start with gratitude. Gratitude for His provision. I’m so grateful for the doors that opened at exactly the right time. I’m grateful for new projects, unexpected opportunities, and people…no…angels…who showed up just when I needed help navigating some very challenging seasons.
Listen…2025 was that year 😅
A year of being stretched in every direction imaginable while still trying to hold on to some sense of calm and keep a brave face in the process. It’s a year that challenged me deeply around business, career and life. Mind you, this is not the stretching that was “admirable” or filled with feel good, Instagram-worthy captions and reels. Translate that to: At some point there were real tears that were shed.
But regardless…not all of those challenges were bad.
Actually, being stretched isn’t always a negative thing. There’s been so much growth and learning in some of it. I sometimes look back at certain moments and think, Wow… I can’t believe I handled that without losing it! These are situations that, a few years ago, would have completely driven me coo coo. I navigated them without losing my cool or falling apart.
Despite the wild curveballs, I still choose gratitude. Because I’m still here breathing and able to write, speak, and share stories with y’all. And that alone is something I never want to take for granted.
So… where have I been?
Let’s start with the major update…
Some time last year, one of my long-time remote work clients, who I’ve worked with on and off for over seven years now, invited me for an adventure. A new venture that would entail a very different mode of working to what we were both used to.
Hybrid…with mostly in-person in the early days.
But the idea of working in person again made me incredibly anxious.
I hadn’t worked in a physical office in years. Remote work had become my way of living. The thought of navigating shared spaces, routines, and people again stirred up a lot of discomfort within me. I’m not lying when I tell you this: I had a few panic attacks just thinking of it and questioned whether I could even do it.
And yet the opportunity sat right at the intersection of something I had been quietly praying for and really presented logistical convenience as far as how my life is set up right now.
I was longing, hoping and praying for a Learning and Development role since the beginning of 2025.
If you have been following my work in the last year, this is the kind of work I was even trying to create for myself. The kind of work my previous roles had already sparked a deep love for not just L&D, but also DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) and the Future World of Work.
So after thinking, considering, contemplating, adding and subtracting…I said YES to leading operations at Lubuto Learning & Development particularly focusing on programme delivery and building efficient systems.
And that yes marked the beginning of a season that challenged me professionally in all kinds of ways (mostly uncomfortable). The role has demanded that I apply myself productively which means tapping into very essential skills like operational efficiency, people and project management, change management, learning experience design, smarter use of technology, and navigating corporate politics.
I have been learning (or should I say re-learning😅) a lot about Zim corporate business, people, learning itself, critical thinking and problem-solving in this environment.
But more than anything, I have been learning something important about myself and the shift my remote work journey is experiencing.
Remote work has given me freedom, focus, and autonomy for over a decade now. It has allowed me to survive seasons that required deep flexibility. One such season that comes to mind is when I was dealing with my father’s battle with cancer a few years ago. My son was still an infant and not so long after my dad’s passing, he was diagnosed with autism. Being able to work from home full time helped me negotiate flexible working arrangements that would allow me to show up in these seasons.
Remote work has been good to me but if I’m being honest it hasn’t always been perfect.
Sometimes remote work has felt lonely. I think I even wrote about this here when I was thinking of applying for my post grad degree. I had amazing colleagues in my previous remote role and I miss them so much. But I also really missed collaborating in person and just stepping out of my virtual environment to co-work in a shared space. Of course, I longed for all of this on my terms and it wasn’t smooth sailing for me when I had to embrace in-person work last August.
Stepping back into a physical space reminded me of something.
In‑office work can be overwhelming. Yeah, that hasn’t changed.
The ditching of the comfy clothes. I miss wearing my soft leggings on a regular.
Then there’s the constant interaction, the unexpected distractions, and the inevitable office politics (and yes… in-person seems to make it all a little louder, as I’ve learned over the years 😅).
The sensory input. Some days it energises me but on other days it completely drains me.
But the perks have also been fulfilling. I’ve made new colleagues and I’m nurturing more relationships. I have the opportunity to impact thousands of professionals from diverse backgrounds through my work (in the flesh 😅). This is probably my favourite part of the all of this because I am so fired up in teams that are committed to doing good work.
I’ve even cut my school-run trips by almost half because, on the days I go in, the office is in the same area as my son’s school. And more than anything, I appreciate the stability of having a steady flow of work from month to month. If you’ve read my previous post on the challenges of remote work, you’ll definitely understand and appreciate that last one.
Wait I forgot to mention that I lowkey love the dressing up for work too 🫣 (on some days)
Now, what I’m realising is this: I actually love both (and sometimes both get on my last nerve too 😂)
I don’t want to have to choose one and reject the other. I want the option to work in ways that make me more efficient, more present, and more myself. Some days I do my best thinking alone, in quiet, working remotely. Other days I thrive in shared, collaborative spaces where ideas move faster because people are in the room together.
This season has helped me understand that it’s not about me committing to a particular location, which had largely become my home at this point.
I’m giving myself permission to respond to the work, the season, and the energy I have.
As far as remote vs in-person vs hybrid is concerned, I am choosing flexible. Flexible with the intention of delivering value at every interaction. And that could be in-person or remote. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be able to serve in this in-between space.
…and now onto the other things
Remember my decision to embark on teaching Digital Skills? Well, towards the end of 2025 I met an amazing woman, Caroline, online. Carol was interested in my journey navigating remote work from Zim and I was drawn to her own journey in Learning & Development. Fast forward a few months, we found ourselves collaborating to deliver another cohort of the WIDB Digital Skills Training and I can tell you, it was one for the books for both of us! Carol and I committed to go beyond just facilitating a training but to also intentionally designing experiences that would inspire our learners to take action. We even launched The Action Lab, a safe space for individuals of all ages to learn digital skills, build confidence around tech and be inspired to take action through a system of accountability and support.
Alongside that, I continued to coach women desiring to launch their remote careers. We talked about fear, imposter syndrome, uncertainty, and just explored what’s possible. We talked about their skills and how they could start from where they are with the skills they have. Each interaction reminded me that this work isn’t just about skills. A big part of these coaching experiences has been helping women see themselves differently and trust that their experience is enough to take up space in global rooms and still be able to show up for their loved ones at home.
What I’ve realised is that many of us step into remote work with assumptions that aren’t true and expectations that are often unrealistic. Through coaching and mentoring, where I draw from my own lived experience of navigating remote work for over a decade, I’ve been able to help women gain clarity and confidence around packaging and selling their skills in the global talent marketplace.
In last half of 2025, I also worked with clients in countries I hadn’t partnered with before. My personal fav being Saudi Arabia! These projects sharpened my thinking and reinforced a truth I keep learning over and over again: Growth often comes when familiarity is taken away. You make way for it when you embrace discomfort. I mean, the fear I had embarking on some of these tasks…faaaaaam! But I didn’t give myself an opportunity to cop out.
After all was said and done…
One of the highlights of this season has been collaboration. Sharing the work. Exchanging ideas. Building alongside someone else. I’m learning that I don’t have to carry everything alone. Collaboration can be expansive, creative, and life-giving. In fact, I’ve produced better outcomes working with others than I ever did trying to do everything by myself.
I’m also learning what it means to carry others along on the journey of growth, and to be inspired by someone’s belief and trust in you to deliver results. My client’s confidence in my work, realising that my name is being mentioned in rooms I’m not even present in, has been both humbling and an incredible honour.
So, as you can see, while the blog and podcast were silent, the work itself was very much alive.
In these early weeks of 2026, I’m finding myself taking a mental pause and thinking about the year ahead of me.
I am craving something slightly different.
I want to intentionally define not just what I do but how I work, and how I feel while doing it.
I don’t want to box myself in. I also don’t want to burn out whilst at it. I want to remain open to opportunities that allow me to apply myself well, without constantly running on empty.
I entered 2025 really scared. My goodness!
There were just so many unknowns.
And I’m still scared if I’m being honest but clarity is slowly forming and stability feels like it’s getting closer. It’s not fully here yet… but I feel it coming on the horizon.
So for now, I guess that’s going to have to be enough.
I’m grateful to be back. I’m grateful to be writing again. And I’m grateful that there are still many stories left to tell.
Here’s to 2026!