The Nancy Stevens Lifestyle Show | Episode 67 | Tendai Rukarwa

This week’s conversation brings together Nancy Stevens and Tendai Rukarwa , a chartered accountant, auditor, keynote speaker and founder of the Penguin Village. What begins as a discussion about networking quickly becomes something far deeper — a reflection on loneliness behind professional success, the need for genuine human connection, and the emotional toll of constantly performing in work and life.

Tendai shares how her journey from Zimbabwe to the UK shaped her understanding of belonging, culture, and identity. She speaks openly about motherhood, navigating professional spaces as a black woman, and the subtle but persistent challenges of bias and perception in leadership environments.

At the heart of her story is the creation of the Penguin Village — a deliberately safe space where women meet without job titles, expectations, or performance. Just people, connecting as themselves. The conversation explores why that matters more than ever in a world where networking often feels transactional and exhausting.

There’s also a candid reflection on public speaking, confidence as a learned skill, and how storytelling can become a tool for both personal and collective empowerment. Alongside this, the episode touches on cultural adjustment, community, and the grounding power of shared food and tradition.

A conversation about ambition, vulnerability, and the importance of being seen beyond the roles we play.

Key themes

- Authentic connection vs transactional networking
- Identity, migration and cultural adjustment
- Motherhood and balancing multiple roles
- Leadership, bias and lived experience in business
- Confidence and public speaking as a learned skill
- Community-building and emotional wellbeing

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