Your Happy Hour - Honesty is My Love Language

Episode Date: February 20, 2026

In this episode, we chat to Guidione Machava - a product designer and founder who has spent the last decade building products, communities, and companies across Africa and Europe. We explored the topic of honesty in our personal and professional journeys and how self-honesty in assessing one's capabilities and ambitions can lead to the answers you seek. Guidione also shared how he balances between optimism and realism and how valuing direct feedback has become not only his love language but has changed his life.The Feels is all about having those honest conversations, the power of community for personal growth and taking those actionable steps towards being our authentic selves.Thanks for tuning in! Keep it raw and real out there xYHH is produced by swartkat.co - captured via riverside.fm & shared via rss.com.

It's the Friday feels and we're back with your first sip of the weekend. You're now tuned in to this week's episode of your happy hour. I'm your host Nicole Carmine and it's amazing to have you here. Joining me this week as we uncover the truths about being a human and a working professional. What are you up to this Friday? Well, whatever it is, this moment is just for you. Alrighty, we are back with another episode, a very, very big welcome to the field space and the Your Happy Hour podcast.

We are in the theme of February, which is called How to Honest It Up, a really, really important conversation that I think is pertinent for all of us in our journeys, and maybe becoming more and more so with everything that's happening in the world right now. and a lot of energy shifts that I'm sure we're all feeling. That's pushing us to be more honest with ourselves, but also with others around us as we journey. So today I have a really wonderful guest who I've also been recommended by one of our previous guests.

So a big shout out to Vincent and thank you to him for putting us on touch. And I really want to welcome you to the field space, Gideon, Machava. And thank you so much for joining us here and having this conversation. Thank you. Thanks for having me, Nicole. I'm a pleasure of being here and a shout out to Vincent to put us together. Yeah, absolutely. And so I thought maybe we could just start off with you telling me a little bit about your

journey and the audience. Like, how did you get to living in Paris and being in France and doing what you're doing today? Well, like, actually I came to live in Paris specifically by accident, but in France, by by accident too. I remember applying for a job at Shopify. But before applying for my job, I was running my company back in Mozambique. And I had a little bit of challenges. I was like, you know what?

Let me go back to the job market. But at that time, I didn't want to apply to any company in Mozambique. So I decided to apply for international companies. And one of the companies that applied to was, Shopify because it was remote and then I just came back to Mozambique because I was living in South Africa for a couple of years before and I didn't want to leave Mozambique anymore and I saw this job like by Shopify remote I was like fantastic I'm going to stay in my country finally apply for that and other three jobs I got accepted and like I started the process and after that

they they they asked me when are you coming i was like coming where isn't this job remote so coming to to do like whatever country you want it's emia remote but you have to live somewhere in europe i was like okay and but then i would uh i had like signed everything i left my company the company and i created before so it was like okay seems like i have no option here so Like, I think I only stayed in Mozambique for what, six, seven months, maximum. So I had to pack my bags again and move to France. Like, when I moved to France, I was living in Montpellier. But a few years down the line, I left Shopify.

I left the other company that I joined after Shopify, so I had to become an entrepreneur. But, like, been an entrepreneur from Montpellier, which is in the start of France, it's a little bit hard. Like, there you go more to live, not to work. work. The work-raft balance is very well balanced, which means it's hard to start businesses. And I came to Paris for a couple of days to see how things will go here and I've been in Paris for six months, never returned. I love that journey. I love that story. And I think the universe

does that right. Like it's like this is where you're going to end up. Maybe you're going to take a little bit of a windy road to get there and like you'll figure it out along the way but that's amazing and so you do product design and now you're an entrepreneur in that space and I also know when you sent us the bio you were saying that direct feedback is like your love language so I feel like that's really on point for for this topic so maybe just tell us a little bit about what you feel this theme means for you but also in your journey as in what you do I think like a couple of couple of days ago I did this talk for Nigerian designers. They invited me to talk about like how to position themselves in like in a global space or like how to become a world-class designer,

they say. And like I ask questions in the audience what they think about that. And a lot of people say about skills and skills, exposure, network. I actually said you need to take a step back. It's about honesty. And they ask what you mean. I say, honesty, honest is about like you being able to be honest with yourself like actually being able to self-assess and know where you are and where you stand don't pretend that you know things you don't know don't don't pretend you're something that you're not like it's honestly like you want to be this right are you actually able or capable of doing that you should go deep down look in the mirror and ask yourself if you're capable of doing that because there is one thing about being delusional and

something about being optimistic. So like you have to know your capabilities like and being honest with yourself. I think that is the first step like towards becoming a world class design in my in my perspective. It's like you have to check what are the people who are aspiring to be due and check if you're capable of like doing that example. I cannot be a basketball player. I'm relatively short. So that's like a reality check. So like it's it's, it's, it's, it's. It's, it's, like if you want to be like a product world-class product design there is a there is a few things you need to know example how good is your visual taste uh there are people will say you can learn but you most likely will struggle to compete with people that naturally have good taste so like it's

about honesty about knowing your limitations i'm not saying that that should block anyone to do that but knowing what you're capable of and what you're not capable of it's even way more important So honesty is like the way to move. I think that's a really important point. And it's a bit like sometimes I've heard people say like envy helps you to know what you really want in your life. I think honesty really helps you to know like where to move next, excuse me, way to move next in your life because if you can be honest with yourself

and then take accountability for where you are and say, hey actually, okay, I do want to be a world-class designer. I do want to be ex-massive basketball player, whatever it is that you desire in your life. Where am I now and what do I need to do to go there? But if you're not honest with yourself, then it's quite hard to take the next steps. It's quite hard to guide your journey.

I mean, there's manifestation and there's like quantum leaping, you know, but that's part of, you have to take the little steps to get there as well. So I think that's really an important point. What's that looked like for you in your journey? Like how have you been honest with yourself and to get where you are today? If being honest, if you're like, if I told you that I knew this before I'll be lying, I think it's a realization that I had over time. Those are things that I've learned with time.

I was a little bit delusional. To be honest, I am a little bit delusional because sometimes you believe you can build things that, you're like, how actually you're going to make this happen? you have no idea it's important but it's it's it's a very thin line between like how you make sure that you're honest and you keep believing in yourself so like i think it's a process as you navigate through life and you're able to achieve the things you want and you end up learning the price of there's something else where does the honest comes comes here into reality check is like a lot of people talk about

wanting things like achieving so i want to do this like nobody talk about the cost of those things when you actually get there because the stories of people that actually get there are very few relatively to the people that actually tried um but when you get the example like i do consider myself a world-class designer but if you ask me the price that i had to pay to be able to like achieve this level to be able to work with the people that i have i had a pleasure to work with like personally, mentally, physically, I'll be like, maybe not so much. And that helps you like double check on whatever you want next because you end up learning how to balance whatever ambitions you have and the price that you have to pay.

Because there's this thing we do is like when you want something, you'll be like, oh yeah, I want to do this. Like the next question that should come naturally is like how much that are going to cost me. Not financially, but how much you're going to cost. because everyone says the universe gives, but nobody tells you that the universe also takes. So, why will the universe take in exchange? I'm just really enjoying your giggle around this topic because it is a big one, because, you know, I think it's a beautiful loop of energy, right? And so you got a giving, you got to take, you know, it's the ying yang of life.

but we're very, I think sometimes we can be a little bit selfish with our energy and we don't give enough. And then sometimes we give too much. And it's like finding that balance, you know, and finding that flow within yourself. But it's not easy.

I think that's life's purpose is trying to figure out that balance and within your life and in your journey. So that's a really good point. Yeah. Yeah. So like, and I think like another point about honesty, I think honestly nowadays it's so rare that when people are honest or try to be honest with each other of themselves

feel like an exorcism act because like it's so painful like it's so painful yeah it's a yeah it's a like it's the thing is like like we live today with this false positivity narrative that being true to yourself, that like, that being true to yourself and being true to others, end up like,

end up like hurting more than helping because I do believe that like being honest allows us, at this is the way I operate, allows us to be more efficient on how do we get things. Like when I said like, honest is my love language. If, example, if I'm asking for feedback

from someone, for anyone, I would rather the person like me straight with me right away. It's going to hurt. yes 100% but I'll rather take it like I've learned over time to not take anything personally I've learned that Shopify that feedback is a gift sometimes takes me like a little bit of time to accept but I'd rather people be straight with me right away it's actually what helped me improve and become better like tell me the truth the way it is do not try to spend time make it look pretty too because you worry about my feelings because I'm more

concerned with my results, my output than how I'm going to feel because like for me that's it's it's a point of efficiency like how they become efficient like with reality with things just be straight yeah I think it's really hard because when I think of feedback and I'm you know I'm the same I actually really prefer when people are direct with me even though I come from South Africa where we like really subtle and how we talk about things you know and you kind of have to guess what's what's the actual But I feel like because even just being in France, it's been such a wonderful refreshing experience to have this directness. And people are okay with that, you know, and you can be more of yourself in that way.

But I find it's like a two-way street. Like you can be accepting of the feedback and want that honesty. But sometimes it's quite hard for the person giving the feedback to say it so directly and honesty because of their own experiences, their own, you know, maybe it's from their family or something like that where they haven't really learned how to communicate directly. Have you dealt with people like that? Have you had that experience where like you're okay to accept the honesty, but maybe that person was really struggling to give it to you?

Yes, I do all the time. But here's the thing. I try to balance the way I behave and who I surround myself with. I'm super selective with my surroundings and whoever is on my network, whoever I'm talking to. One, because my level of honesty can be offensive if you don't know me. So, like, I speak out loud sometimes a little bit too much. And I try to make sure that I'm in a safe environment

where people will not take my words out of the contest and they actually know me. So I am that person in my family when I'm calling to a brother, people will be like, hey, I'm speaking in loudspeak because they know how I have to behave myself.

I'll talk whatever comes to my mind. And like, so I, like, most of the times I need to, I need to control that. So, like, I try to, my environment but also when I can't I make sure that I adjust my communication levels to the people that I'm with it's not always easy in the requires me double of the double effort but like I'm very mindful that not everyone can take like direct feedback as much as I do and and to make my life efficient I

try to control how many people I talk to like my close friends and the people that I work with. I try to be upfront with them like right away saying, hey, I don't sugar go to things. I go direct. You have a question. Like sometimes I respond in two sentence and no, it's a complete answer for me. So do not expect me to explain. So like, that's that's that type of things. And saying things, for example, like, uh, what do you think about this thing? What will you think about me? I'll say like, if I'm thinking of something about you, you'll be the first to know because I do not make people guess what I'm thinking. And so So like it's a little bit hard, but at the same time, establish a certain level of trust.

I'll give you an example. I have one of my cousins, she started going to the gym, and she was starting feeling sexy. And everyone's saying, oh, you look good, like good shape. And she was struggling to believe every single person that she knew. And she called me. First, she sent me pictures, and then she called me, how do you think am I looking? I was like, oh, you're looking good. And then you said, now I believe.

because I am one of those few people that if you know, look, I will tell you in your face. So I'll tell you in your face. So like there is that positive part. I love that. We need more of you in the world, honestly, you know, because there's too much sugar coating. But I think it is like you're right. You know, you have to understand your audience.

It's like when you do a presentation or you go through life, you have to understand who you're talking to. And they have to understand you. I grew up with a dad who's like, he's so compassionate and kind, but the way he communicates on email and things like that, like he would just reply to something and go like noted or proceed. You know, it's like one word. He's an engineer. Like, I mean, it's just efficiency.

And I think Johannesburg also there's some energy there that's a bit more like that. So it's for me, I got used to it, you know, and even though I am more of a sensitive soul. But I think it's really quite interesting to have this. conversation on the feels podcast, which is talking about feelings and how we express those. And I think it's really indicative to me that it just reminds me that we are in control of our own feelings. You know, you are the master of how you react to something, how you take it, how you accept it, how you give it. And so thanks for reminding us of that today. I think that's

really, really important. And I'm curious also, like, have you had someone that's kind of mentored your you through your journey to learn more how to be honest? I would say like books mostly I like growing up in Mozambique I learned really early that if I want to succeed

in life I'll have to be because I'm a very competitive person I always find ways to win like I am those type of guys that you don't want to compete with because I'm very intensive. But like in my group of friends,

I had people that were like good, better looking than me, taller than me, funnier than me. I end up realizing that I was smarter than most of them. So I was like, okay, how do I do more that? How do I become smarter? Like, because of my competitive nature, I started reading books and I would read a book

and I would come talk to my friend. I realized that they did not know. I was like, huh this is something and i'll go read another one another one and i became hooked and like with books i've read a lot of them and you end up learning the like because you read books when you are true seeking and uh when you're true seeking you end up learning like philosophy like everyone who reads book and up if you complete the destination you end up learning books about philosophy because you end up realizing that those guys understand the world's way better than most people you will read

a book about entrepreneurship at the end you end up realizing that oh this principle it's actually stoicism like masqueraded in something else right and if this guy is talking about stoicism of these old buzzwords what if i go just read marcozarellius directly instead of like spending time with them so like you do this journey of reading these bestsellers book that's tells you a lot of like vitamin and no painkillers and end up learning that okay you're wasting time on this journey and maybe the original writers are the ones that you should be spending more time with you end up learning stoicism and all those things so on that's true seeking journey but like you learn with people's biography like about mistakes about like how to navigate life

and you end up realizing that like honesty is like the way you you end up doing things. I love that. I love reading. And I agree with you. I think just going back to basics, you know, those people spend time thinking about life and not just thinking about it, like really feeling it and being in it. And I think maybe honesty comes back to the concept of intuition.

Like really, when you're honest with yourself, you understand the insides of you. You know, you listen to the insides of you. Like, that is your guiding light. and I feel like a lot of the philosophers they understood that concept and understood how to like sit and be I think that's really awesome and we're going to chat about books in a second

because I do have a little question for you on that but I just want to take a quick moment to also kind of give a shout out to some of our collaborators that help us make this happen and you know help us put all these honest conversations that we have out into the world and that is rs.com

They are distributing platform and also to Blender Bombs, a bomb company, a very successful founding company in America, but also spread internationally. And they sell these very nutritious snacks. And so both of these companies have given our audience a very generous discount of 20% that you can DMS us on the socials for. Thank you to them for doing that. And then we've also partnered with B&ESM, which is a fantastic ESIM, and it's called best network ever and it really is it's been amazing for me and my journey and we'll share a little bit more about that on socials but thank you to them for being part of our journeys and then gideon we want to do a little segment called the people places and spaces and that is something that each

week we choose a person or a space or organization that we feel have the feels and so this week my shout out goes to sow her house i had the beautiful privilege of going to the one of Paris. It's not something I have done often. And I really had a wonderful time there. I attended a conversation with Shaka Live podcast. It was about female founders really talking quite honestly about their journey and filmmaking and how difficult it is actually as black females in a filmmaking industry that is difficult in France coming from different places. And I found that it was a really, really honest and open conversation. And I really, really enjoyed that.

So thank you to them. Thank you for Soa House for hosting these wonderful events and for the lady who invited me. So that's our shout-out for the week. And then we do this thing called The Gems. So that is like our moment to say what you learned this week or maybe something that you felt gratitude for. And I'll start. and mine was, gosh, I guess just appreciating, I want to say the ordinary, but the ordinary being extraordinary for me.

I had my birthday last week and, you know, just every time you have a cycle around the sun, you think about your life, honestly, and you think about it, truthfully, about where you are. And just thinking back to where I was last year and where I am now and I felt so grateful to have a very ordinary day, but a really beautiful. ordinary day that felt really extraordinary to me compared to what the journey has been. So thank you for all the love from everyone and that was really a big dream for me. What has yours been? I think it was about learning about rejection.

To be honest, like you reminded about rejection on a Saturday of learn. I met someone who said he got rejected 97 times and it does cold calling like for his company. just start up and he said he makes hundred calls a day and 97 of them is like a nose and I asked how do you how do you how do you how do you take that I said like when I wake up I'm just looking for the three people that are going to tell me yes I completely ignore everyone else I was like that's some tough skin there like that's yeah like because his mentality according to him was like okay you say no you say no they say no they say no they say no like who is who who who who are you my yes guy who are you my yes guys so like untyui so like that's which mentality on like

focus on the yes it's like and i told like that's superpower you said like i just call people say like that's that's that's not normal uh most of us can't do that yeah oh well now that's a lot of like yeah deciding how you accept feedback that's a really great gym so yeah rejection is i think a lot of times people tell me rejection is like protection and it's like the avenue to success so thanks for sharing that and i have one more question for you yes and that is what is on your stack so as an avid reader is there one or two or more books that you could like to recommend to our audience maybe it's something you haven't even read yet and i want to ask you what is in your stack actually there is two books uh that i would recommend people

which is, will be surprising for most people, especially the one that know me, because, like, I'm famous from being a very tough person, direct and emotional less. I try to be practical, but the two books that, like, I would recommend one is The Little Prince, but Antonin Zupierre, my all-time favorite,

because it just, that book just hambles you, like, takes you to basics. makes you reflex about life in ways that I remember reading that book so many times it's a very small book by the way and it just handles you and the second one is the alchemist by pauloquo it's uh someone like it's basically like it's a true seeking guy trying to get somewhere and the journey that he went that it goes through it's like rather revealing and it's it's it's like it's basically a journey to your soul it it it allows you to look into the mirror but in ways that you usually don't get that by any other way like in my opinion but like one thing about

books that i'll write to like flag here is most people might take the books that i just recommended and try to read and not connect with them. Something I would like to tell people is books are contextual. Example, if we start talking about Joburg and the distance between Joburg and Pretoria, most of audiences will get, I think they're going to get lost. What is Joe Berg? Like Johannesburg. So that context that we have allows us to understand this conversationally.

a little bit better. So those books are important for me. They are my recommendation because there are things that I knew before. So by the time I read the book, they connect. Right. So sometimes you you will hear like a recommendation and you go going to go read the book and you'll be like, but this is like my book. But yeah, that me is because there is a part, pieces of the story that you need to have to be able to make that experience special to you. So I'll be a little bit careful with like when people go read those books and in terms of I'm just I'm just doing like expectation management here, which is aligned with the topic of today like being talking about honesty and be true seeking.

Yeah. I think that's really cool that you said that because I also believe a book has a time and place in your life, you know? Yeah. And sometimes someone will give you like a book for your birthday. and then like years later you're like oh i'm ready to read this now you know and so i feel like everyone has to kind of take that responsibility of like knowing when they're ready and not forcing it so thank you for saying that and yeah just a really big thank you for coming on and sharing

so openly so honestly and of your heart and yeah you're a really amazing speaker and i can i can kind of like feel like i can see the the associations in your mind like you you you give them to the conversation, which is really wonderful. So, yeah. Thank you. Appreciate that. All right. And for everyone else listening out there, I hope you have a fantastic week going forward.

I hope you feel all the feels. We want to hear all the thoughts and feels that you have about this topic. Where are you not being honest with yourself? Where is honesty challenging you and your next journey? We're just sending you all the love. If you haven't just yet, follow Friday Feels on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn. You can share with us all your feels this week by tagging us at Fridayfeels.com. And you can also find the website at that handle.

And now, as you ease into this weekend, take a moment. Celebrate who you've become, what you've overcome, and what is yet to come as you do the crazy and cool things. things that you do as the authentic you. You know the truth about life and work is that it's hard, but the beauty is this global working experience that you're in while we earn it together. So keep connecting, empowering and inspiring this week. And of course, keep it raw and real. Until next time.