Season Finale: Sowing Seeds into the New Year

WOOO, WE MADE IT! 

In this SEASON FINALE, we're getting all the feels as we reflect on an incredible journey of creating this podcast!  We're taking a moment to look back on what it was like putting this podcast together and sharing of our fears and surprises.

As we wrap up this year, we're getting intentional about what we want to sow going into 2026.  What seeds will we plant? What visions will we bring to life? We're talking about daring to speak, finding our voice, and owning it!  It's time to focus on the trifecta of awesomeness: body, health, and wealth.

But it's not just about adding more – it's about shedding what no longer serves us. We're letting go of playing small, worry, and anxiety.  We're making space for growth, joy, and EPICNESS!

Before we sign off, we want to shout out some amazing podcasts episodes that have inspired us and are mentioned in this episode: "We Can Do Hard Things: Becoming Full of Yourself | Austin Channing Brown" and "Aspire with Emma Grede: Creating Success Word by Word with Tracee Ellis Ross" (check 'em out, folks!)

As we head into the festive season, we want to wish YOU a holiday season filled with love, laughter, and all the things that bring you joy!  See you in the new year, in the new season!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I'm Debbie, a storyteller and seeker. Always curious about what makes us who we are. And I'm a zoomer, a dreamer and strategist, learning to find meaning in life's in-between moments. From Cape Town to Dubai, we're two friends in conversation about life, growth, and everything that moves us. Each season we explore a different theme. This one's about change. How it stretches us, surprises us, and teaches us to begin again. You're listening to Seasons of Change.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Cool, we're recording. Welcome everybody. Hi. This is our final recording of the season.

SPEAKER_00 0:41

Which is crazy. I can't believe we're already at the last one. That went fast. Did it feel fast to you? At times. At times it felt fast.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

True. At times it did not.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Very true. Now that I think about it, there were times where it felt slower than others.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Um final recording, which is really exciting. And it's a conversation between the two of us, which is always really, really exciting. At first I was kind of nervous for those ones because I was like, I think everything we talk about is super exciting. But will other people think so? And now I'm like, oh, guests are really cool. And talking to you on your own society. Um so yeah, there's some things you want to reflect on. Because we are reflective people, it's also coming to the end of the year, which is like really quite bizarre. Um, every year it's getting faster and faster, and I feel like that's just age, right? So true, yeah. Because when we were young, it was like so slow. A whole school year was fairly. It didn't feel like us, right? Yeah. Okay, so that being said, then we can cuss off with some reflective questions. Uh, something they want to both kind of think about, and uh seeing as I'm asking it, you will answer it first. Uh yeah, how has this whole experience been for you? Recording the podcast, having it out in the world, like what's been coming up for you.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

And I'm so glad that you sent me these questions so that I could actually sit with them a bit and think. Because sometimes the first thing in your mind is not necessarily like the thing that feels like what you want to talk about. Um but I guess just first things first, I'm just so proud of us. Yes, that we just do know what I mean, that we had like really, I remember that first conversation where I was like, I have an idea, but I'll talk to you in a bit. Do you know what I mean? Like it's just something that's popped up. You're like, no, share, share, share. And it was just an idea, and here we are. Like, you are always the person who's saying yes, and yes with enthusiasm to all of my kind of very not fully thought through, half-baked at the time ideas. You're like, yeah, that sounds amazing. Let's do it. So just I'm so grateful and happy and proud that that's the spirit that we came into this with and that we saw it through because there were times when you know life got busy, things got chaotic, it wasn't the most convenient, but we saw it through, and here we are at the end. So I feel like that's really important to say of France that I'm just so proud of us. We've come to the end. It does feel like it needs marking, right? It needs marking, and it's very unsatisfying that we're not in the same place. Being in two different countries, because I'm like, this needs like a celebratory lunch and you know, something, something nice, um, something with dappled light. I don't know what it is about dappled light that just feels so luxurious, you know what I mean? Sitting under dappled light, you're just you're feeling good. Thanks. Oh gosh. But um, in all seriousness, with time to reflect, I feel like the thing that did hit me initially, and I knew it was coming because I've done a podcast before, but it how it feels when it comes, it always kind of takes you by surprise that you're like, oh goodness. It's that vulnerability hangover where you feel in the moment, it feels so easy. We're sitting in our respective homes, we're looking at each other like as blocks on a screen. We're having the conversations we always have. It feels easy to be open and share, um, and to be vulnerable. And then you remember that you're not speaking into the void, even though it feels like it. There are actual people who are gonna be in their days and in their lives taking in these conversations, and and that the things that you've shared will go out into the world. Um, and sometimes that initial feeling just feels like being naked in public, like, oh my god, can everybody see me? Why am I girls off? How did you get here? And why? How why? And that feeling is very real, it's very real, but I also in the past where that feeling was enough for me to back off and be like, oh, I don't like this. Don't look at me, don't look at me. Uh no, no, no, no, I don't like this. And then I stopped because it felt too raw. Something about it felt too raw at the time. And I'm really glad that I pushed through with that feeling because it happened really early on. And I think had I dwelled on it more, it would have affected how I went into other conversations. But I'm glad that I pushed on because the truth is, and I know we realize that when we're talking to friends or when we're in like the pan-galac session in that community and speaking to other women, that so often when you try and you share the truth of your life and the truth of your experiences, that more often than not, other people resonate with it, they recognize it, and they feel some kind of like, yes, me too. You know what I mean? Um, and in the moment when we share those things, you feel seen. You don't just feel naked, you feel seen and it feels comforting and it feels like being held and not alone. And that I had to, in my mind, in the moment of that vulnerability and that feeling of being naked, remember that in that there's so many women, so many people feeling these things in our different isolated bubbles and lives. And that at some point, whether it be one-to-one in our friendships or in our friendship groups or on platforms through you know podcasts and things like this, at some point it's a gift when someone extends that vulnerability and authenticity and sharing. It's a gift because then it allows you just some space to do the same, you know. So if the feeling that I have to learn to hold is a bit of discomfort, but I get that, I kind of think it's worth it. So yeah, that feeling was very real, but um, I'm glad I pushed on. How was that for you? Did you feel that?

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Uh yeah, I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, I was like, and I hadn't had the previous experience with another podcast. So um my vulnerability hang on word was epic. Epic. I was like, I'm just not gonna tell anyone I know that this exists, you know? And I had hyped it up same, I'd hyped it up in my house, everybody knew when we were dropping, and they were kind of like satisfied, where is it? And I was like, What what are you referring to? Everybody makes a podcast, you would work in unclean's. Oh, that'll fake. Oh yeah, I mean, it's like on the internet. I was just like, I don't want anyone I know to hear it because of several things. One and this is always a tension I have because I want to archive, but when you archive, you also like almost put a stamp, a stand in time to say in 2025, October, I felt this way about this thing, and it feels a bit permanent as opposed to like looking back three, four years later and then being able to be fuzzy about what you thought about a thing. So I felt like I had to hold my convictions in the moment, and then once I got over hearing my own voice, also just like I know that community and connection is life-giving, like I know this, but I was like, Well, I don't need to be at the center of it though. I mean, it's great and it should happen, and then that really like brought up as you were talking to I was thinking about it like what does it mean to dare to speak, like to dare to have voice. And uh for those of us and the podcast you um pointed me to, which we should put in the show notes because I'm not mentioning it, but the podcast you pointed me to when you think about this, when you are so used to not being centered, right? That like any when you look in the world and your voice, your body, your thoughts, your community is not at the center, having the audacity to dare to speak, to place yourself at the center of a story feels really like audacious and bold and really scary. So I felt all of those things, like 100%. Um I still get a little like 100%. See it if you want, you know, I still haven't like sent it to the people that I keep reading to send it to. Uh, but that being said, I think the call to speak I mean not only speak, like to listen, right? Also to the voices that I think should be centered feels bigger. So that's amazing. Um, it's also just really lovely, like the rituals um was talking about. It's lovely to be in a ritual of like, oh, on Wednesday this thing was gonna come out. Like, I've I really enjoy the rhythm of that, actually. Um I listened to another podcast too, speaking about the same one actually that you put me on to like rhythms of the body. Like, what is a rhythm that you feel resonates with you, and that rhythm that really worked for me? Um, overall, indeed, very proud. Um excited. You want to talk more about that? About more to time, and maybe not surprised, but like like like um delighted. I'm quite delighted with what we're doing.

SPEAKER_00 11:29

Same, same, same. Um, and just as a quick aside, uh, because we've we've referenced it a couple times, the podcast Muza was talking about is a podcast that we are big fans of, we listen to quite often, um, We Can Do Hard Things with um Glenn and Doyle and her partner Abby and her sister. And they were interviewing um a woman that I've heard before, but I'm not that familiar with her work, Austin, Austin Channing Brown, I think is her name. Um and she's just written a book called Full of Yourself. And the podcast episode, I would recommend anybody to listen because it's really incredible. She just drops gem after gem after gem. So we've been kind of messaging back and forth about that for a while. But there's also something that also feels so nice to me to in a very, very small tangential way, to be in community with other women doing this exact same thing. Like Glenn and Glenn and Abby and them, we've been listening to them for years. We discuss them together with friends, with whatever. And now in our very, very, very small corner of the world and in our small way, we're we're in community of doing the same thing. And I like that. I feel like it's a good neighborhood to be in. I wanna I like being in this neighborhood. I like that a lot.

SPEAKER_01 12:51

Beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Um okay, so can I say some other things that have come up? The one was the vulnerability piece that was the kind of big one that jumped out, but then um just touching on the rhythm that you were talking about. I I wanted to touch on that as well. Because you know, I'm not like a huge with um routine and schedule. I love the the person who knows me so well. She's she's just looking at the ground right now and laughing. She's not even making eye contact with me in this moment. Um, so of the two of us, Mazuba is the one where organization is in her core, it's part of her DNA. She is just everything about organization, right? I am not that way. Hence, also we complement each other well when we come together, right? But I really appreciated part of this rhythm of having the Wednesday to look forward to as a dropping and knowing, okay, I'm gonna have a little bit of business to do because I was the one kind of putting the episodes up in there. So that felt like a nice thing to look forward to, a nice rhythm. But it did also make me think that um I want to do myself some more favors next time. That in some of the other behind-the-scenes prep, I want to do better at carving out more and better time for myself for that to prep, to get into shows, all of that. I kind of do feel sometimes that I'm rushing into an episode because I've had lots of things before or whatever. And sometimes you can't control that the schedule and day. But it would be nice to just have a bit more of a carve out around the time so that I'm coming into each conversation with the headspace I would like. Um, and yeah, life, small kids, things happen, but it would be a nice intention to have around it. And then to also carve out time because I am good when when I have some things that I know I want to think about or look at before an episode, like researchy type stuff, you know how it'll be in my brain. I'm always gonna be like in between stuff, looking up something, looking at it, listening to something. I'll do it in the gaps that I have before, and it always gets done. But same thing, to be able to carve out specific, more sacred time to be able to sit with that stuff, I think that would feel like such a treat, like a real spoil for next time. So, yeah, I would like to create some of my own rhythms and timings around the work for the podcast. And yeah, just appreciating that I enjoyed that regularity and that rhythm. It didn't feel kind of oppressive, it felt really good.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

So the routine and things that you love is wonderful. Um, exactly. But this kind of actually leads us really nicely on to the sort of next thing we're gonna talk about, which is around what are some of the seeds you want to sow going into 2026, both or you know, individually about the podcast and in your own personal life. I think you kicked off while kind of talking about that time for yourself for the podcast, but in other things. And it's it's really interesting too because I think about I'm far less busy in this moment in my life, and so I have a lot of um like time to not be frantic. But even during my frantic times, you know, I treated my exercise routine as sacred, I treated like drop off or pickup as sacred. So, you know, you're not gonna get to school 30 minutes late, you know, you're not gonna get to a voice recording like an hour late, you know. It's like the timing when we show up for others, we honor so well. But what does it mean to honor the times that we show up for ourselves? Um, which is just something to think about.

SPEAKER_00 16:57

But what are your seeds? That's a big one for me to think about. Yeah, for sure. Seeds for 2026. It's a juicy part. I love this. Um so for the podcast, I'll start there. Um so the first seed, the big one that I want to plant, and you've already kind of touched on this, but it's that because we we um we intentionally and knowingly took this as like this season, this iteration is like the first bite. We knew this is gonna be like, let's test it. How does this work? What does it kind of look like? We we were really, it's just the first chunk of clay that you break off and you're just starting the beginning of a shape. You don't even know what the thing is yet, right? So we knew that it's gonna be iterative and that we're gonna allow it to kind of naturally grow and evolve, hopefully as time goes, and with our own learnings. And with that, the first this one, our emphasis was more on like just creating it and getting content down and having the conversations, and a lot less on the reach and marketing it and getting it out there and making sure this is heard. I think a big part of it for me was that I needed to make peace with the vulnerability part first. I think that feeling of emotional and vulnerability hangover, feeling naked was very real for me after the first podcast that I did, where I did do the whole social media and all of that. And then all of a sudden people were listening, and it was all of this big stuff that I'd been sitting with. And it just didn't feel as safe as it did when I was sitting by myself in my room recording. Um, so I do kind of like I have so much compassion for the fact that this time around, we really the focus was the focus, and it wasn't an outward-looking thing, and that I've we've given ourselves a chance to naturally kind of get comfortable, get comfortable with people hearing, feedback, all of that. But next time, absolutely want to sow that seed of having a plan and an intention for this to reach as many people as we can have it reach within our means of budget, our networks, whatever it may be. But let us not stand in the way of it going to where it needs to go. Let us wholeheartedly and freely like get let it out into the world. Because same thing, there's a whole bunch of people that I have not told about this podcast, that I have not sent the link to, that I have. So I also want to, you know, on the back end, when we know we're gonna package all the episodes together and make it linkable, I do now want to send that out to people as like a building the muscle. But that's a seed for next year's that I really want us to have intention, clarity, and plan around the reach. Um, and that's not to put any kind of pressure, but to slowly get us comfortable with the idea of yes, we've dared to have a voice, and now we dare to allow that voice to be in the world. Yes, I agree. I conclude. Um what is so maybe yeah, what are your seeds for 2026 for the podcast, and then we can do personal.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Um 100% to everything that you've said. I also feel like when I was reflecting on this, I guess I I think we started with this intention, and maybe we just want to continue um feeding it, is just to be free in our curiosity. You know, that like we wanted to have conversations with one another about the things that interest us. And I think after doing one season that we decided it was a season, I can I can imagine how one can be like, well, you know, will people be interested in this one thing? Should we have that conversation? And I hope that we give ourselves the freedom to explore our curiosity because I think that there'll be folks who resonate with what we explore, and some who don't, you know, which is like totally fine. So um freedom for continued curiosity. Um yeah, and I guess with that comes like an unlocking or a further enabling of our imagination. Like what is possible, you know. Maybe we could like you know, do a debrief of a podcast that we love, maybe we can spend a week being like The top five podcasts that we listened to this month that we really want to talk about because they brought up so many interesting themes. Like there's just so much that you can do, and to be unlimited in our thinking and imagining about how we want to be in conversation with one another. But I think in like life that's not recorded, that is what is present, right? Like you could call me to say something wild that I wasn't expecting, and like vice versa, and it should be that way. So I I hope that we have uh perhaps courage to lean into that.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Love. And personal, what's for you in 2023?

SPEAKER_01 22:50

Isn't it? Oh gosh. Um I'm not quite settled yet on this one. But what keeps coming to mind or coming to the surface is um I would like to uh pay more attention to myself. So I am generally, or I think I am, uh attentive um in the world, like attentive to life, attentive to others. But I'm not certain I've been attentive to myself. Um the podcast I listened to with Tracy Ellis Ross, who I love, and Emma, I don't know how to say her name.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Um, yes, you've spoken about her before, Emma Greedy or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 23:40

Um G-R-E-D, yeah. So Tracy Ellis Ross was talking about like at night, asking herself like what did I enjoy about my day? And at first I was like, maybe I never said this in one of the other podcasts, but at first I was like, oh whatever, I didn't want to ask myself that question. Oh no, I wrote it to our for now. And then I started just like writing it down for a few nights, and like, what did I enjoy about the day and why did I enjoy it? And it was so interesting, the things that I didn't had forgotten about the day that came up. And like, oh, I really love it when I do that. Oh, I didn't know about that I was interested in that, you know, and yeah, I would like to pay more attention to myself and in in like the best, like non like capitalist liberal, weird way, but in a way that allows me to learn more about myself in this market and how I'm evolving. Because I just don't think I have been doing enough of that.

SPEAKER_00 24:57

Oh, I love that. I really do, and it kind of feels a bit of like what you were talking about with Austin's book, being full of yourself, and that centering yourself, that paying attention to yourself just feels like another way of describing that centering yourself in your life that you spoke about before. Um, here, here. Second there. Um, I was thinking about this, and two things came up for me as like really important to focus on for myself for next year. Um, and the first one and biggest one, I think, just because everything flows from that, is I want my body to be a main focus in 2026 in every kind of way. Also, just because there are a lot of things I've been neglecting, just realistically, I'm not a sort of something's wrong, but I'm putting it off. Don't go to the doctor type person. But I have been neglecting just regular routine checkups just because of post-COVID life. I don't know, post-COVID, I just didn't, I stopped taking care of certain things that were just part of my life before. I don't know what it was. So I just need to get back on it. So, like all my checkups, all my stuff, I just need to get all that stuff done. Um, I want to get on my my vitamins, my all the things, you know, all of that. I also want to attend to my energy levels because that is the biggest thing for me right now, is that I need the energy, the physical energy to do all of the things I need to do. And I'm struggling with that right now. And it feels like more than just, oh, you didn't have a good night, you need to catch it up. There feels like there's a deficit of something going on because it feels like I'm pulling on kind of like an empty tank of fuel. So I just want to get on that, do whatever blood tests I need to do, just find out what's going on, take whatever I need to take, or eat more of whatever I need to eat more of, or do whatever I need to do, and just get my hands around that. And I'm looking forward to that. Like it's a process I'm actually looking forward to. Um, especially because I want to get strong next year. You've really, you've inspired me. Our good friend Wenya, who's also lifting weights, has inspired me. Um, I've done all kinds of exercise and movement-based things over the years in my life, but I've never lifted weights. So weight training is something that I think could be really fun, you know. But I think now being post-40, it's got to be in the mix, you know? Um yeah, so I'm looking forward to that. It's like something that I know needs to happen, but I'm also looking forward to it. Um, my my reasoning in the past has always been like, oh, you know, I don't have the budget for that, and I always put the kids stuff, everything else before that. And I'm like, I don't care if I need to start with just everything I do is free, but it needs to start, and then it needs to take precedence in my budget as well. Um, but yeah, just to get that going. So the body is number one big important thing. And then I want 2026 to really be a focus on finance and money and wealth building solution.

SPEAKER_01 28:08

Correct.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

Huge focus on money because same as the body thing is that everything flows from there. If my body doesn't, if I don't have the basic energy to do the things, I can't do the things, you know. Money is also unlocking like stuff with money in my mind and in my heart will just enable and allow so many other things because money is tied up with so many things. It's like our sense of self and worth, our value to other people, all these things, right? Um, so the main things that I want to focus on in terms of money, because I think that over the last couple of years, I have done a lot of like the emotional work around money and really starting to look at some of the family stuff around money, personal self-work around money. But next year is really about just getting organized, nothing. It's about the financial infrastructure of my life, not feelings.

SPEAKER_01 29:00

It's about the retirement annuity.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

You know what I mean? What return do I get on that account for investment for this long? I'm going to do X investment. And, you know, the way the money guy that we like, Ramit, the way he talks about it, that once you have that financial infrastructure, everything's set up, and you can just automate it and those payments just go off. That's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. The nuts and bolts of everything. My updating my will, all my stuff, my all my things, just getting everything together. Also, very much looking forward to that financial house cleaning. It's already started. I've got a guy, I've started on the stuff. So I'm just, yeah, very excited about that. I also have a business. Um, I'm a farmer, I have a cattle business, and I've been running that for a few years, but I'm really investing in the business in a new way, as from next year, through um external funding, which you know forces us to, you know, we have our books have to be great and all of this. But we are in line. There's so much great funding that is available in South Africa for women who want to be in agriculture, for young people who want to be in agriculture. Like there's a lot of assistance that is available. And I've just not been applying. I've been doing it the hard way off of my own back and my own income for all these years. And there is help out there. So I'm like really excited about just getting organized and getting myself in the way of that funding because what that can create for my children in terms of generational wealth, um, creating a basis of security and stability for my family, um, that what it can do for me in older, you know, older age, all of those things as a working actor, as a creative person, that's huge for me. That's huge. So, yeah, those are the two big focuses for me next year.

SPEAKER_01 30:46

Yes, we take it. We take it. Um, I was gonna say that the course that you put me on this year might also be something to consider. Um relax money, really, really thing. And it was very influential for me. Okay, okay, beautiful, beautiful. Um well, we have a third. I don't know if we wanted to go into this one, but like if you're listening, then it means we did. Um, is there anything you want to shed in 2025? So I always like these questions. I'm always in a couple minds about because like I don't want to dwell on anything that I don't want to take forward. However, sometimes it's quite important to name behind. Oh, yeah. So is there anything you want to shed in 2025?

SPEAKER_00 31:38

Okay. And we kind of touched on it. It's out of here. Time to go. Like, really, I'm over it. This playing small business, enough. Enough. No, seriously. Like, we can't do a whole podcast and then be shy to send it to our friends. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Enough of that. That ends this year for this one and for the next one. We're gonna be shouting it from the rooftops. But it's also in my own life, like I play small, you know, where I'll put so much effort and work and whatever into something, and then I won't tell anyone about it, or I'll be cast an amazing TV show, a great role, and I'll never watch it because I'm like, oh, I don't want to see it. Or like all these ways of hiding and playing small, done over it, enough of that. No, no more playing small.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Because I guarantee anyone who loves you, who's listening, has told you this in some form over the years. So please remind her that she's done with playing small in 2025.

SPEAKER_00 32:44

Thank you very much. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_01 32:47

Um, this one I didn't actually have an answer for, but um there's so many. I think I am quite present to how uh like heavy I can be sometimes, um, and how I can kind of spiral into like worst-case scenario for just about anything. And I would like to shed that process a bit. So what I'm practicing is like getting into action around the thing that I'm feeling worried or anxious about, which is usually like some form of communication. So it's like, should I say that, should I send that, should I call, or should I? And I spend quite a bit of time in that. I like timing is also very like you know, should I start the process now or should I wait until I can do that a lot? And I would like to share that a little bit because it takes up a lot of time that's unnecessary. So what that looks like, or what that will look like is if I have a question about what to say, when to say it, say it, do it, and let it be what it is. Um, is really what I'm putting into next year.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

That's a good one. That's a really good one. Yeah. Um, I also had a question for you. Is that number three? No. Um I do I did come up with some rapid fire questions, but just in what you just said now made me think of it. That is there a goal or a vision or something for yourself for next year that you have that you would like my support with? Oh, I dore it. Get you a friend who asks you such questions.

SPEAKER_01 34:38

I've had really um interesting experiences with my friendships this year. They have been like highlighted, there have been so many highlights and lowlights. Like nothing, so many highlights, and also recognizing step things for myself. So, yes, thank you for that question. Anything I would like you to support. Wow, for a self-sufficient individual. That is a difficult one, isn't it? Oh, you know what? Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 35:13

No, I was gonna say, feel free though, it doesn't expire. You can sit with it, and when it does come up, you can let me know. But I would like you to let me know if there is anything specific that you can do. I have to do now.

SPEAKER_01 35:24

I don't think aware. Um, I am quite a fun-loving person, but I have not been um seeking out fun enough, I think. And so I would like you to kind of hold me to that a little bit, you know, like are you having fun? What are you doing for fun? Like, what is fun for you? Because it's something that can really get left behind in my little organizational plan for my life.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

I see. I love this assignment, number one. The best assignment for me. Because I will find the fun. You know, I will find it. Do you have any specific kinds of things that fun is seeming like for you, or it's like a blank slate wide open what that could be?

SPEAKER_01 36:17

I don't. I'm not even really certain what I do for fun anymore.

SPEAKER_00 36:22

Okay. Well, we that will be fun to find. Okay, happy.

SPEAKER_01 36:28

I appreciate you. Yes. Happy to take that as well. I mean, I I could like assign myself biggy, but feel free.

SPEAKER_00 36:40

Assign yourself a task happily, but the body one. Like, I'm gonna need if if body is the assignment next year, you've been doing it. You're the one who's inspired me. You're the one who's lifting the weights, who's doing the things, who's doing just keep it going, babes. Keep it going in spirit. Send me the resources you have if you've got a YouTube lady that you love, if you've got a whatever, if you've got a meal plan, send me the things your soul.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

Send me the things consider it done.

SPEAKER_00 37:07

I'm on it. So that's the one I want you to to hold me to. That's that's beautiful. Um should we get into rapid fire and then wrap it up?

SPEAKER_01 37:19

Yes, yes. Okay, which is before we do rapid fire, I was gonna do this at the end, but I really have to give a specific shout out to my sister Tundo. I have not mentioned her name this whole season, which is like Ruby Subby.

SPEAKER_00 37:40

We have not mentioned Dando's name in the podcast, but we speak about her often in our meetings around the podcast. Definitely. But we are so glad to bring you into the room, into the space with us.

SPEAKER_01 37:55

I have a champion in life called the younger sister, who is both adoring and loving and supporting to like the nth degree.

SPEAKER_00 38:06

Also, our number one first listener.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

Number one, number one, number one, and like spreads this to everyone she knows. So I really just want to say that I think she is the whole world, and I love her so much.

SPEAKER_00 38:20

We both love you, Dando. Thank you so much for being the amazing sister to Mazba that you are. But also, thank you for being like the most amazing day one listener. Hopefully, you'll be there for season two, maybe even uh a little bit more hands-on in the party with you.

SPEAKER_01 38:36

That would be nice if we can just recruit you a little bit. Because actually, I'm having a really interesting conversation with her about um drug use, because she works with folks who are struggling with substance abuse, because we no longer say that people are addicts.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Right.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

Yes, and she has a lot of really cool work around that, which I think would be interesting.

SPEAKER_00 39:03

Well, we love you, Ndando. We love you.

SPEAKER_01 39:05

Hopefully we don't use you.

SPEAKER_00 39:07

So rapid fire girls.

SPEAKER_01 39:09

Yes, okay. So it's kind of rapid fire, but of course, my question is we're not like absolutely designed for rapid fire, but it gave you a time, give you a sentence, two sentences. All right, so um in your vision of your future self, what quality would you like to most be present?

SPEAKER_00 39:32

In myself or in my future life?

SPEAKER_01 39:34

No, the quality in yourself for your future life.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

I would really love to have the sense of feeling comfortable in my skin at that point in my life, at ease in my life at that point, that everything around me feels like it's in harmony with me, like everything feels like me. You know? Um, and that I'm comfortable in my skin, my life is comfortable on me, it suits me, it works for me. Um, yeah, that would be really, really nice. Beautiful. Oh no, do your three and then I'll do my three. I think it might be weird.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

Okay, okay, guy, got it, got it.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

One feature of mine, it might be I love that.

SPEAKER_01 40:33

Okay. This is what I'm glad they can't see us. I wish Lady Can we just like get all of the production quality to record this as a visual. Um what compliments have you received that has stayed with you? Oh, you're smiling so bright. Bless you.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

The whole picture of the thing the person said to me the night that it happened, it always just so clear in my mind in that moment. Um I wish I could remember this woman's name because you you know her, and I'll remember it as soon as we get off this call. But she's someone that we know from our UCT days. She wasn't in our like our course or direct group of friends, but we saw her all the time. Like she was out and about, and she is just gorgeous and elegant, and just like, you know, whenever you bumped into her, it was like, oh my god, hey, you know. Um, so we knew each other, but very kind of distantly, knew each other in our student days. Um, and I remember I uh found myself at a party that she was at as well. And when I was leaving, she said to me, and it's weird because so um in Cape Town, we are a we're a service industry to the the film, the international film industry. So we're often, you know, if someone is shooting the south of France, they'll shoot in Cape Town instead of the south of France. That's what you know the service industry is. So we do get a lot of movies and actors and and people who come through here to shoot. This particular party that she and I ended up both at, you know, unplanned, was a rap party for this big movie that had been shooting in Cape Town. And she was dating the guy who was the lead actor's friend. So that's why she was there. I was there randomly, made no sense. But I wasn't there as a university. As it happens, right? So I'm leaving to take somebody home. Um, and she introduces me to this main actor guy, this American actor. And the when she introduced me to him, I you know when you get the sense that someone's been told something about you before? Because they come with an enthusiasm that's more than just the introduction that's happened now. So he, with all this warmth and eagerness in his eyes towards me, is like, oh hey, I've heard such cool things about you. Nice to meet you. Hopefully, we'll get to work together one day, which blew my mind of like, but what do you like? You're this person. I know you. And I'm like this tiny little actor in a tiny little acting town and a tiny little service industry. We're not gonna work together, you know what I mean? But in the moment it was like, oh my gosh. And then to know that whatever she'd said to him about me had given him this sort of warm feeling about me. And then he walked away to talk to some other people who were close by, and then she came to say goodbye to me and she hugged me and she said, you know, I was telling him earlier that something I've always thought about you is that you've always given me this sense that no matter what happens, you will always be okay. There's just something about you, and I've thought it since the first time I saw you. Just whatever happens, you will always be okay. And it just when she said that about me, it like hit me in my core, like, oh, really? That's how you see me. It was it was quite something. So not only was I just very flattered that she. Spoken so positively about me to somebody who's like a world famous person, but that she had this like really beautiful view of me from the first time she met me. Um, yeah, it was quite something. So beautiful, it's great.

SPEAKER_01 44:16

I love that one. Um, okay. Last one. From what you know about your ancestry and your lineage, what element or characteristic would you like to call upon going into next year? It came to me in the card today. I'm so happy.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

My questions are so ratchet compared to yours. Can we just put it out there first?

SPEAKER_01 44:45

But I gave you an explanation of the type of questions, and so that's on you.

SPEAKER_00 44:49

You did, but mine are a little bit more ratchet, but it's cool because the two. Beautiful. The yin and the yang. Um, yeah. What elements that from my ancestors would I like to pull through for next year? Yeah, I wanted to bring them into the room. I mean, I have two grandmothers, my mom's mom and my father's mom. My father's mother, I grew, I spent more time with when I was younger. So there's much more of a shared bond, more time. But both grandmothers have had a huge influence on me all through my life, huge. Um, and I revere both of them for different reasons and in different ways. But both of them were just such badass women. Both of them lost their husbands much earlier than either of them anticipated and went on to be such powerhouses on their own with big families, lots of kids, and they just pulled everyone together and just forged forward. And, you know, this was before boss girling and this and independent women and what, but they were entrepreneurial. They had businesses, they made money, they raised children and grandchildren and nephews and nieces, and like they just they contained multitudes. And there was a sense of like, and I don't want to say fearlessness because I'm sure, you know, being in that situation, there must have been fear, there must have been anxiousness and worry and all of those things, but the ability to go on no matter what, and that sort of sense of strength, and we're going. We're not aiming and out, we're not falling down and crying, we're not on a heap on the ground because it's too much. We're going. We're going. And that sort of that tenacity, that um uh assuredness of purpose and direction that my grandmothers have, I'm really pulling for this next year. Because I feel like next year is a big year for me of just putting my stake in the ground of what matters to me. So to be carrying both those women on my on either shoulder with me for that additional strength. Yeah, that would be nice.

SPEAKER_01 47:03

Oh, that's so beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that.

SPEAKER_00 47:07

Love it, love it, love the questions. So now um the more rapid version. First up, we do not judge. We listen, we do not judge. Finish the sentence in 2026. I want more and less.

SPEAKER_01 47:30

In twenty twenty-six, I want more joy. Let's worry.

SPEAKER_00 47:44

I love everybody. In twenty twenty six, my love life will be banging, sparkling, continuing to flourish.

SPEAKER_01 47:56

It will be at the mountain tops. It will be the embodiment of the things that are in my soul.

SPEAKER_00 48:06

Love it. Banging. The muscle I want to build in my next job or role is um so that's my next word role.

SPEAKER_01 48:25

Oh Jesus. I don't know, I'm kinda caught between like I was gonna say listen more, then I was gonna say talk more. I just wanna do both, you know what I mean? Like I wanna be big, not small, but I want to be loud and quiet. Yeah, like I wanna be loud when I feel the need to be, and I want to be quiet when I feel the need to be, and I want to remind myself that both of those things are me.

SPEAKER_00 49:07

Yes, love that for you, and that's all I got. More ratchet than yours. My love life in 2026 is gonna be. And you're asking me about my ancestors, what I'm gonna bring forward from my ancestors.

SPEAKER_01 49:23

I was like, they're all connected, our love lives, our ancestry is all connected, they're slowly, lovely.

SPEAKER_00 49:32

Well, the last thing to say is thank you for you. Thank you for you because I I wish this for everybody. I wish everybody to have a partner in thought, in crime, in execution, a partner in dreaming, somebody who answers the call with an enthusiastic yes, someone who is happy to took all of the crazy rides with you. So I'm grateful that you have been and continue to be that person for me. I'm so glad we did this. May there be many more. And I am so looking forward to this next year for you and for me. Um, and I yeah, I'm I'm glad that I get to walk alongside you as we see what happens. Come on, come from my heart string means I'm rock with you, bro.

SPEAKER_01 50:26

I'm like down always for you. I'm down. I love you. That's it. That's right. Thanks, everybody. We'll see you in 2026. Be safe out there in December to care. You it's a difficult time, it's festive, it's the holidays, have joy, have love, but be good to you.

SPEAKER_00 50:50

Always. Love you. Bye. Thanks for listening to this episode of Seasons. If something in this conversation resonated with you, share it with someone you think might be interested too. And if you enjoyed listening, please rate or review the show. It really helps people find us. Until next time, take care and keep growing through your season.