Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorce mother. She is really my superhero. That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities, perspectives, and emotions about life. Too many women in this world feel alone. They worry about the judgment of others and they struggle with their mental health. But when they listen, the Rare Girls podcast were empowered women share their voices and tell. Their stories, many women will feel inspired to live a life of freedom and to overcome all insecurities. They will feel it is a safe space to find their confidence, to remember their unique beauty, and to feel their self worth and they will connect with a sisterhood of Rare Girls who encourage their success and support their dreams. That's what this podcast is all about. My guest today is Nakedi Monia Morato. Nakedi is a film graduate from Johannesburg, South Africa currently based between Africa and Europe. She obtained an undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Arts, Motion Picture Medium, Measuring in Film Production and Sound Design. Nakedi prides herself in being a self-taught freelance photographer, video, and photo editor. Nakedi, how are you today? I'm doing good on yourself. I'm feeling blessed, very, very positive, super excited to know much more about you. So I'll begin with this nice first question, which is Nakedi, if your friends and the people that know you best could describe your personality, what would they say about you and would it be different? In South Africa compared to Italy, are you a different person? Maybe the weather affects you? I don't know. Tell me more. I think both of my friendship groups in both countries would see me differently. But one common thing is I am introverted and I'm reserved. And I like to. I'm mostly quiet and I analyse a lot. But in South Africa, I was very like... The part of me in South Africa is very different from the part of me in Italy because in South Africa, I was very reserved. I didn't spend much time with my friends. But going to Italy, I was in a new country and I had set a goal there to try and get out of my comfort zone. So I made more friends. I interacted a lot more. So both friendships in both different countries would have a different perspective of me. Thank you. I love that. And I want to explore that decision. You said you decided to go out of your comfort zone. I believe it will help many women who did not reach that point yet. What happened in your mind? Did you look at your life and you thought, I want more excitement or this is not exactly how I want to live or life is too short or there is so much to learn by going out? What was the reason, like the motivator, that made you decide to go out of your comfort zone? Because if other people can get the same insight and click, it can be very helpful. So I always wanted to travel. I always said in university, I want to travel. And I always told myself it's going to happen. I don't know how, but it's going to happen. So I graduated last year in 2023 in March. And I was prior to that in my third year, I was trying to apply for jobs in production. And I wasn't successful. And I was so frustrating staying at home and I couldn't see myself going, like being at home, not employed or anything. So I was very frustrated. And also I had the decision to do my postgraduate, go back to school, to do my postgraduate, but I didn't want to. I was like very tired. So I went to Italy on a student visa because I did also a cultural exchange as an au pair. But also I was learning the language as a student. So I also, for me, I think it was a good motivation because as a firm graduate, the whole point for me is to really learn about different cultures and have an open perspective from what I know in order to tell stories in the future. So I decided my friend actually told me about this au pair. So I was like, OK, let me just apply to be an au pair. But I don't know exactly where. So it's like, let me just apply in Europe, like anywhere in Europe. I also did apply for Interby. So it's like any country. And I didn't actually think Italy, but Italy is where I found a family. And then I moved there and then everything changed from where we found them. Thank you so much. I noticed that you said in order for you to tell stories in the future, you needed life experience. First, how do you think about stories in your mind? What is a story? What's the story worth telling? Tell me about that structure because you see the world in a way where you're collecting stories and living for the story. So first, what does that mean so that other people can be on the same page as you? For me, a story is literally your journey first and foremost. It's your journey. Everything that happens in your life is literally a story to me. Also observing other people's stories in their journey and listening to their journey. That's a story because what you go through, someone can relate to that and may feel like they're the only ones. But there is someone out there that also goes to them. So I feel like sharing your journey encourages others that feel like they're alone and just telling your story to them. It really is encouraging and also motivational. Thank you. I appreciate that very much. And so in your mind, as an introvert, you spoke about people connecting and feeling they're not alone, being motivational. Do you feel those are things that are needed in this world? They are missing. How did you experience them in your life? Can you speak a bit more about these points? So I use my life because I grew up very shy and very reserved. And for me to be the person I am today, it's a lot of experiences, but I feel like there are also other young girls. I couldn't be the only young girl that's very scared to be out there, put themselves out there and talk to people. So I've also also me listening to podcasts and also other people sharing their story. There's aspects of their life that I relate to. And it feels like, oh, I'm not I'm not the only one who went through this type of situation. And it's also just motivational, just hearing from other people's life journeys and where they come from, because we don't know. You can't really tell about someone from seeing them online. But when they tell their journey and the story, it's it's inspiring to me. And I feel like for everyone to sharing your story to others, it's sharing your journey. It can help someone you don't even know. Thank you. I like that very much. So are you a kind of person that for you, you feel your purpose in life is to help other people? Is that important to you? Can you share also a bit of that side of yourself as someone who is an introvert for a long time? What do you believe is the purpose in life? Is it the goal to be a helpful person, the goal to discover yourself? What is it and how is it related to your answer? So my goal is mostly in my career, but it's very broad. So I, Michael, is to empower especially females in my career, which is the form and TV space, because this comes from my experience in university and trying to get jobs. And it's very male dominated and it's really hard for females. We're not looked at or represented as much. So I feel like we shy away from expressing our creativity and our odds, just because we're not really represented or considered. So my goal, this is why I want to do like my master's in producing for producing. So I just understand like the form production as a whole, so I can empower females all over the world to also look at like big major roles, like being a producer and that it's just encouraged that we share more of our stories rather than just allowing others to tell our stories. I agree with that and I want to discuss it a bit more. But the topic that comes to my mind, you as someone in the media field and the production field, there is so much talk about AI and how it is changing the landscape of production and media. Have you had thoughts about this? Have you some worries or exciting interests in it? Just tell me you as someone who's studying within a time where the whole media landscape could be changing. How do you approach it from your own perspective? I feel like it's not a bad thing, but I feel like it's also a good thing. Maybe we have AI, but I can't see it freely taking over because like certain things, it needs emotion, like to tell a good, like very good phones that have like, it has to evoke emotion. I can't see a robot having that or being able to achieve that with the audience. Thank you. I agree with you. I believe there is a level of energy resonance that no machine could ever create within humanity. And let's return to women and your desire to support them, help them share their stories and communicate their emotions and their insights. At the same time, there are parts in the world, for example, in Dubai here related to castings for different roles that some women might have. Some notice that there is competition rather than cooperation and helping between women. Do you believe or in your experience within the fields of media that most women that you find that could have a breakthrough and a male dominated sphere are supporting each other or are they competing with each other? What's your perspective on this? Are you too introverted to notice because you spent your life just more alone or I don't know. What is your experience with that? No, I do interact with people, but I haven't worked with only like females. I work like I can only tell you in a like broad space between like males and females. I know the industry is very competitive. I know in South Africa, it's very competitive and it's like I don't know. People aren't really open to help others as much unless you're very connected with someone. So I feel like people may have this aspect that they don't want to share. They don't want to share the opportunities just because they feel like that person is going to take everything. I feel like there's no way that an industry is going to be completely taking the space for everyone and everyone has a unique talent and something that they can bring to the table. Thank you. And you as an introvert and I am too, it's part of your energy that you might get exhausted if you spend too much time doing extroverted things or dealing with people. So to you, how do you recharge yourself when you spend too much time away from your solitude castle? What do you do maybe in Africa or in Europe in order for you to take care of your mental health and to feel energetic? Is it walks in nature? Is it reading books, watching stories and movies? I don't know. But when it comes to self-care, what do you do so that in a world where you need to go out there and be more extroverted to create your dreams? You don't feel burned out in the process. So I definitely take walks. It helps me a lot because even when I'm doing like work at home or online, I really get frustrated. So walks, I like walks. I also like just being in nature and taking photography. That's my self-care. But really being by myself and also reading and getting reading to build my knowledge also is very I really love that a lot. I actually, funny enough, I don't watch phones or TV shows or like that. It's very weird because for someone who's in the eye, I can't because when I watch it, it feels like my brain is working overtime and I'm analyzing everything. So I do anything except that. Thank you for sharing that. And so first, you as an introvert, who dare to go away from your family to a part in the world that's far away? There are many, many women in the world who might be living a life that is more safe in their comfort zone, following the rules that society or expectations of parents that they told them. But deep inside, they want to live their dreams and they worry. They think, oh, what if I fail and I disappoint my parents? What if I disappoint myself? What if people think that I didn't succeed and that overthinking stops them from going for their dreams? Did you deal with this? How did you overcome it? And what's your advice to women so that they can actually truly live their lives without allowing the thoughts that are happening when they're overthinking to stop them? I feel like the first first important thing is not to think about what how anyone will perceive anything because people will always perceive something about you, but don't live life because what would people think? Regardless, it's people will always perceive whether you feel like you're doing something good or bad. It's really like their perception of you. And it has nothing to do with you. I definitely for me, going was a bit like it was a bit hard because my mom was like, I don't understand why you would want to go just stay. And since I grew up in a strict household, so it was just like it was a lot of conflict in the beginning, especially because it took me time to like those a lot of admin. And it felt like I was in succeeding. So it was just like, why do you have to? You could just stay and do your postgrads here. But because I was very determined and this is what I wanted. Regardless, it may have had like conflict, but I told myself I will go and this is what I wanted. But once I did go and then she saw that I'm doing things like what I want to do and I'm finding what I want to do, she was more accepting of it. So I feel like do things. If you really want something, go for it. If you fail, you fail, but at least you tried and you can always try again. Do it again. It's really not the end of the world, but it's always good to try rather to not do anything and be like what if or have regrets in life. I agree with you a billion percent and live in a life of no regrets, of always doing because nobody regrets. Regrets what they have done is always what could have been if you did something else. And I want to return to your safe haven of photography. I interviewed the female artist before and to her she said when she paints, she is expressing her emotions on the canvas. When she is doing photography, she's capturing the emotions of the moment. And so it's a different thing to her. What emotions, what experience does photography give you when you are there? Doing your photography exactly how you want it to do. How does it make you feel? Can you share that? For me, photography is like a form of storytelling, but without it's just by pictures because I can take a picture for me. I can take a picture, but it could have so many different meanings to you. And I feel like taking random pictures, let's say random nature pictures, putting it together as a form of storytelling without a script. So to me, that's how it really makes me feel. It feels like storytelling. It's so peaceful. It's like a form of expression. I like that, which means I'm going to ask you a question that might be easy or difficult depending on how it is for you because there is something called unconscious competence to you. What elements create a story? Because if to you a photography storytelling, well, some people might think just one frame. How can you tell a story? What's happening? So to you, what is a story like when there is, let's say, a picture or photography piece that is on point? What needs to be there for you to consider the story? What are the elements? Maybe you see the frameworks that make a story in a way that can help someone listening and understand it even better. For me, the perfect picture is a picture that is not considered perfect because a perfect picture, you try to organize it and make it look perfect. But a picture that's not maybe a random, most random picture when you analyze it into detail, maybe look at the the lighting. Sometimes when you take a picture and it's not something you it's very random. There's always like an light orb that shows that is really nice because it could be striking from another distance showing to the other side. It's the contrast. So many aspects to it. Also, I love color. Like it needs like the color. And it just speaks like the different colors and the hues. There's a lot. Thank you. Thank you so much for sharing that. I appreciate you for this. And I want to say since the time where you graduated and you began coming out of your shell as an introvert, is there a lesson that you have realized and insight about life that maybe you can share with other people in the world or with other introverts so that they can know a bit of the wisdom that comes on the other side of the comfort zone? What is something you learned about yourself or about the world that you believe other people should hear so that they can learn more about life? I think being an introvert is OK, but we as humans, you need to interact with other people. So moving to AT&T has and speaking to people has given me it gave me a perspective that you need to also be open to speaking and interacting with people because my perspective, like my mindset before I left and my mindset now in a span of a year has is so much different. I have like an open perspective on life and I think differently and also with interacting and learning about different cultures because, yes, I was in Italy, but I had a lot of international friends. So just learning a lot from people, you can you can gather so much and learn so much, but also literally interacting with people, a lot of opportunities you would never think about. Can happen with whoever just with whoever you just don't know who it could be. Then tell me more because there are a lot of women that want to speak to more new people, but they worry about rejection and they imagine that someone will say something hurtful or anything like that. Did you deal with this? What are your thoughts about it? Yes, it's very important, but to some women, they might think, well, I'll wait. Then the people that will not reject me will talk to me instead of trying to talk to new people and then worrying to bother them or anything like that. So you'll never know who will reject you or not. You can never know, but you have to just keep putting yourself out there. There are going to be people that reject you and they're not for you, but there's also people that are for you, but you can never decide and look at someone and be like, oh, I think they will like me or they would reject me. You have to put yourself out there. If they reject you, it's fine. You'll meet another person. But there is going to be someone who is going to appreciate you, but definitely shouldn't be a factor that stops you and makes you overthink. From creating friendships or relationships with people. Thank you for sharing that very, very much. I appreciate you, Nakedi. And I want to know something more, which is this. Often for you to feel brave enough to go through the things that are outside of your comfort zone. Often there is some metaphysical belief or spiritual belief that you're protected somehow or that you have a great destiny or anything like that. How do you see the world and your place in it from a metaphysical way? Do you feel that, oh, you are protected somehow or you have some kind of faith or some view of reality and of the future that makes you feel safer? Maybe that can help someone else feel safe and protected to go and conquer their dreams. I feel like I mostly believe in manifestation. I really believe that you need to fully believe in what you want. And that comes from me because I told myself after university, I'm going to travel. I am going to. And I had no idea how. But I told I used to tell my friends that I am going to travel. I feel like manifestation also only works if you fully believe in it and you believe that it's going to happen. Not when it's like, I believe, but I have doubts. You don't truly feel it's you don't truly believe in it. So I don't feel like it would work. Also, it's just about having that energy, like having that energy of faith and just believing that something that you really want is going to work for you. And I feel like everything else will follow, even if it just takes time. But the right timing with the right time, it will all work. Then tell me more because that don't leave the audience hanging. What is your manifestation method? How do you develop and cultivate your energy of faith? What do you do in order to manifest your dreams? You have specific rituals. What do you do to have that faith? Do you tell yourself some affirmations? Tell me more something that you do that allows you to develop that ability to manifest your future. I can't say that I have any words or anything I do, but I think I imagine it. And then I always speak to myself like I'm already in it. Like I would imagine like while doing my process, my visa process to for Italy, I wasn't I couldn't say if I was sure if I was going to say I was still waiting. But I would imagine myself like that I am. I would tell myself, OK, we are going to be on the plane. We are going to travel and then we're going to see Milan and everything. I would speak to myself like I'm already in it and I would imagine myself. I think to some some people you could say delusional, but that's actually that is the only way. Exactly. And if it's delusional, but it gives you your dream life, it's well worth it. Thank you so much, Nakedi. It was my privilege and my honor to have you here to share your voice and perspective. I'll make sure to put your Instagram in the description if anybody is interested to connect with you or speak to you more. And thank you so much for participating and sharing your voice. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure to impact the opportunity to even find me and to interview me. That was it's such a pleasure. And I'm always appreciative of this opportunity. You are welcome. Thank you.
