Cover Story By Natalie Mhandu

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Good day Natalie. You are a young lady who wears so many hats, beyond any doubt you have an amazing personality and you are a true definition of excellency and distinction, what’s your secret? Hey Christine, thank you for the compliment! I’d like to think of myself as a person who dreams in color so by virtue of that I apply wisdom to everything I do because my goal is soar higher than the sky. I understand I’m not meant for everyone I’m an acquired taste, but I put extreme effort in everything I do, be it in my work, my social life or parenting. I operate in the extremes so there’s no in-between it’s either I’m doing it or I’m not and that has helped me in a lot of things!

Natalie you’re an award-winning entrepreneur and a business woman something most people seem to forget, can you give us an insight on how you started your business and the growth so far? My entrepreneurship journey has been both depressing and exciting! But I want to acknowledge the help I got from other people to get to where I am right now. I started off selling from the back of a taxi and using my WhatsApp status to market my merchandise, I failed dismally twice; but I must say when I put my mind to something I go hard so I equipped myself with knowledge on financial intelligence and marketing etiquette. Most retailers overlook these things and face greater problems in the long run. Success comes with ridicule so half the time I have to put up with critics throwing stones at me but I remind myself that if the Confederation of retailers in Zimbabwe noticed my hard work, then I’m doing great.

Ihad a privilege of digging into your history of who Natalie really was far from the fame, in your own words, which things in your past can you point at in molding you into the Natalie you are today? I’m from very humble beginnings, I had to grow up way too fast as the first child to fend for my siblings as our mother got ill when I was about 15/16. My siblings have been my children since then so I naturally developed leadership and parenting skills at a very young age.

I’ve seen the worst and I’ve survived the worst but my strength is in making sure that doesn’t define me, but by virtue of all that I’m a very strict person in business, and as parent. I’ve endured greater pain as a young mother I lost a child at the age of 22 so naturally I guard my own jealously because the trauma that comes with loss is deeper than the eye can see. My strength is in my ability to soldier on with lessons and till this day I handle conflict very well because of that. I don’t believe in confrontation I believe in my sanity so I naturally repel negative energy and I pick my lessons and move on. I’m big on self-introspection because I’m an overthinker so in the heat of conflict I’ll be handpicking my faults and thinking of ways to be better hence I maintain silence always. My past pain taught me to never bleed on those who didn’t cut me but to rather band aid my wounds and let the scars remind me to be better as I proceed.

I prioritize my mental health darling! For the past few years, I’ve been a depression patient and this year has been the peak of it all! I’m naturally misunderstood and I’m ok with that; so, taking time off socials was a much-needed personal sabbatical leave on life in general, I’ve had to regroup and restructure every aspect of my life because the disappointment I endured was a bit too deep for any normal person to endure. Rumors are fueled by hate and I have no control over what people say but I have control over how I respond which is why silence is my response! I’m a firm believer of karma so I like waiting for the universe to bring everything to light so til then I smile and wave. Remember the saying”… if fish were to be judged by their ability to climb trees they’d spend the rest of their lives feeling stupid.” I don’t dwell on what I can’t control,

Natalie, you have been very quiet lately, your media presence was scarce and most people were wondering where you had gone. This gave room for people to believe any and all the rumors that came up about you. What’s going on? I’ve been so busy setting up structures for my expansion I’ve even lost track of time! The past few months have been hectic as I’ve been traveling up and down organizing a lot of behind the scenes set up. I’m venturing into new business ventures that require 200% focus because we are at a disadvantage due to COVID-19 restrictions and by virtue of being a young female entrepreneur extra effort is required to set up. I deactivated my socials way before the noise because I had very important things that required my undivided attention; however as for the rumors oh well, rumors are fueled by hate and malicious intent so I really have no control over what the next person has to say about me. Those who know me know the truth and those who believe these rumors have always been in pursuit of some negativity where my name is concerned. I’m not meant for everyone and that’s ok so I don’t dwell on hearsay or toxic energy I focus on what pays me hence I don’t respond! Brawls don’t pay bills at all, hard work does.

As a public figure, how do you draw a boundary between popularity and your personal life? Do you have secrecy and how come you don’t always respond to the backlashes that gets thrown at you on social media? There’s a difference between Enchantress and Mai Chloe! On social media my job is to entertain and advertise and it ends there! My personal life is exactly that, personal! I protect my relationships and day to day life from the public because I’m raising a girl child with the intention of making sure she lives a very normal happy childhood. My followers know what I show them only and it ends there, hence there’s always assumptions around my name. I respect my privacy so much that I protect my personal space and I guard it jealously! Like I said earlier, silence is never misquoted! I simply don’t join every circus because I don’t believe I can ever be a monkey! I’m responsible for my peace and sanity so I focus on that the rest is noise

Most Public figure suffer from mental health issues and are unable to come out to the public about it, because they are always under unnecessary scrutiny and often misunderstood. How do you cope with this? Our African culture stigmatizes mental health issues so much that a lot of young adults are suffering in silence. I’ve had the privilege of getting professional help and I’ve been able to overcome my issues and I can safely say that ship has sailed for me. There’s no coping mechanism for mental health issues I advise my peers to seek professional help and find safe ways to maneuver through their problems. Depression is real, it’s up to us to use our platforms to promote mental health care to our peers to limit suicide rates and to safeguard each other.

Natalie you turned 30, which things could you have done differently leading to this point in time? 30 is a milestone! However, I have no regrets as I believe everything, I’ve done good or bad has contributed immensely into making me the woman I am today. I’ve made some very bad decisions but the lessons I learnt from that are more valuable than crying over the initial mistake. The only thing I plan on doing differently going forth is making friends, clearly, I can’t please everyone I’m not a pizza .

Nurture Your Passion In Every Way You Can And Keep Pushing “

In The Story Of

ROSE MAMBO

Rose Mambo is a Fashionista and a talented gospel artiste who defied all the boundaries and allowed her intelligence to take her further. She is currently doing her PhD in Peace, Leadership and Governance.Rose’s musical career began in 2003 and its still going. Expect more in the near future.