THE PATH SERIES - SPOTLIGHT DR JOY-TENDAI KANGERE

"I Planted the Seeds Early": A Conversation with Dr. Joy-Tendai Kangere

Dr. Joy-Tendai Kangere is a barrister, lecturer, public speaker, and writer who moved from Zimbabwe to Ireland — a country where she knew no one — and built a remarkable life defined by resilience, purpose, and an unshakeable commitment to bringing others along. In this conversation for APNI’s The Path Series, she shares the mindset, the setbacks, and the wisdom that shaped her journey.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your journey to Ireland?

My name is Dr. Joy-Tendai Kangere, and I currently practise as a barrister. Over the years, I’ve also had the opportunity to lecture, do public speaking, and write for newspapers. But I always like to say that I’m not defined by my titles — they are things I’ve earned through hard work, but they are not who I am. I would rather people see the person first.  I’m from Zimbabwe, and I’ve been living in Ireland for more than half my life. I came here wanting a better life for myself. Looking back, there were two things I always knew I wanted: to become a barrister, and to educate people. Since we don’t have barristers in Zimbabwe, the idea of going somewhere else to pursue that was already part of my vision. I’m glad it came to fruition. The second dream — to teach and educate — was recognised when the Open University awarded me an honorary doctorate. I planted those seeds very early, and even when I could have lost sight of them, I didn’t. There’s still plenty more in the bag, and we’re still going.

Q: If your titles don’t define you, what does?

It’s the values I learned early on. I lost my father at a very young age, which meant I had to step up and help my mother and family. I then left home for a country where I didn’t know a single person and had to build a life from scratch.  What defines me is that I’m an authentic person — open, warm, and driven by the belief that I am because we are. Every door that opens for me, I want to bring people through it with me. I’m a humanitarian and a pan-Africanist. I believe we have a short life and we have to make the most of it.  I’ve also never been jealous of anyone. I genuinely believe that if something belongs to someone else, my job isn’t to resent it — it’s to ask them how they did it and tailor it to my own path. What keeps me grounded is introspection, staying authentic, and knowing who I am without trying to morph into someone else.

Q: What was your first job — both back in Zimbabwe and when you moved to Ireland?

My very first job came out of necessity. When my father died, I needed to continue school but couldn’t afford the fees. So I opened a corner shop from our house — selling seeds, cool drinks, everything — so that neighbours didn’t have to go to the main supermarket. That was the entrepreneurial spark: finding a way through when something stands in your way.  Then I noticed a construction site nearby and realised the builders needed to eat. So every morning, before school, I would cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for them. At the end of each week, the foreman would deduct what they owed me from their wages. Systems thinking at its finest.  When I later finished my studies, I got a summer job in credit control — calling creditors, reviewing their books. That experience opened my eyes to how business and finance actually worked. Every single one of those early jobs taught me something that I still use today.

Q: Is entrepreneurial drive something you’re born with, or is it a muscle you develop?

I believe it’s a mixture. You need the instinct — the drive to fulfil a need, the hunger for something more. Most successful entrepreneurs have a story to tell. They’ve had to build something from nothing, and that survival instinct is what sets them apart. You might have all the money and all the resources in the world, but without the drive, a business won’t go far. You have to be visionary. You have to be hungry for success. And when you are, you become alert to opportunities everywhere.

Q: Did you have a clear career plan from the start, or a big vision you were working towards?

The big vision was always there: to be a barrister, and to earn a doctorate. But life doesn’t hand you things on a plate. When I couldn’t afford to pursue law right away, I pivoted. I received a scholarship to study IT, Business and Informatics, and went on to open a successful IT company in Zimbabwe. That company eventually became the springboard to come to Ireland, where I worked in the IT sector.  But the dream of law never left me. It stayed at the back of my mind the whole time. When I came to Ireland, I upgraded my business qualifications and worked in industry — but I also worked four jobs at once. My weekdays were my main job; weekends I worked at McDonald’s, did telephone marketing, door-to-door sales, translating (I speak several African languages). They called extra work “nixers” back then.  Being highly educated did not stop me from flipping burgers or working as a cashier at Spar. And honestly? I learned more than I expected. My people skills, my understanding of Irish society, how to connect with people from all walks of life — all of that came from those experiences. I still draw on them in my professional life today. There is no job too low, especially when you’re starting over in a new country.

Q: What were some of the challenges you faced while juggling all those jobs and settling into a new country?

The challenge was — and still is — that I’m a workaholic. I don’t know when to stop. Part of that came from being the first person in my family to leave home. I had to cover my own bills here while also looking after family back in Zimbabwe, and manage the expectations that come with living in Europe as an African abroad.  In hindsight, I wish someone had told me: think of living abroad like being on a plane. In an emergency, you put the oxygen mask on yourself first. But when you’re from an African background, you give your oxygen away. You send remittances, you support everyone else, and you end up choking — because you haven’t built yourself first.  My biggest regret is that I could have reached my goals much earlier if I had invested more in myself. I’m not complaining, because my struggles made me. But I do think we need to have more honest conversations in the African community about the effects of black tax and the emotional cost of not prioritising yourself. Some people have built houses back home that they’ve never lived in — because life moved on and they became separated from that place.  My advice: whatever you earn, invest in continuous learning. Raise your skills above the level of where you want to be. Invest in yourself first, so you can genuinely help others from a position of strength.

Q: How do you define success — personally and professionally?

Personally, I measure success by looking back at where I came from. I think about my 6-year-old self, my 13-year-old self, my 21-year-old self — and I see how far I’ve come from a place of poverty and self-doubt to a life I once only saw in films. That’s success.  It’s also in the personal growth — learning to put up boundaries, learning to speak my mind, learning to listen to feedback without ego. Some of the traditions we were raised with have become outdated, and part of growing is recognising that. I genuinely learn from young people. There is wisdom in those conversations.  Professionally, success is continuous learning. I went from being seen as a migrant worker to someone whose voice is respected — by judges, lawyers, doctors — regardless of their background. That doesn’t happen overnight. It happens every day, through every small effort to be better, and through acknowledging your mistakes when you make them.

Q: How do you figure out what you’re truly meant to do?

When something stops feeling like work, that’s when you know. For me, the law is a passion. I could work through the night on a legal matter and not feel drained — it puts a bounce and a smile on my face. It’s the thing I could still see myself doing well into retirement.  For someone who’s early in their career and not yet sure: don’t just leave your job and leap into the unknown. Stay where you are while you build the foundation. Do the courses. Attend the seminars. Build the networks in the industry you want to enter. That way, when the big move comes, you’re not jumping into a void — you’re stepping from one solid place to another. And you’re only 24. I went back to study law with two children, in my thirties. It is never too late.

Q: If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would not listen to what other people thought of me. I would have fired on with self-belief and followed my heart much earlier. I would have upskilled sooner and travelled more — just enjoyed life a little before getting serious.  But honestly? My struggles are what made me. Every challenge gave me a solid rock to stand on and the determination to keep going. So I wouldn’t change the story — I’d just be quicker to tune out the voices that tried to bring me down.

Q: What or who has been your greatest motivator?

My children. I wanted them to see what is possible — as children of African descent growing up in a predominantly white world, it isn’t always easy to see what success can look like for people like them. They watched me go back to study law as a mother, and become a barrister. They’ve seen that the sky truly is the limit.  And my son who passed away is always with me. His death redirected me back to my passion. It gave me the courage to follow the path I was always meant to be on. Without him, I don’t think I would have found the strength to become the person I am today.

---

Quick Fire Round

Describe your morning routine in one word.

Chaos which stands for

C - Confidence

H - Humility

A – Attention /Attitude

O – Optimistic

S - Success

One book that changed how you live?

Partnering by Jean Olawoye — about how building genuine business and personal relationships is the foundation for finding your purpose and creating real impact.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t shrink yourself.

One thing people misunderstand about leadership?

The difference between niceness and kindness. You can be kind without being nice — and leading with kindness doesn’t mean people can take advantage of you. Empathy is a strength, not a weakness. People see me smiling and easygoing and sometimes mistake that. But there is always intention behind the warmth.

A country you’ve never visited but really want to?

Brazil. Rio de Janeiro, the carnival, the favelas — I’d love all of it.

Dr. Joy-Tendai Kangere is a barrister, honorary doctorate recipient, and community advocate based in Ireland. She is a proud Zimbabwean and speaks several African languages. Follow APNI for more conversations in The Path Series.