Cancel the pagose has andver been just one thing.
Not as a kid in South Africa, balancing choir rehearsals with math competitions. Not as a Deloitte accountant running a YouTube channel back home on the continent. And certainly not during his eight years as a TikTok executive, where he was quietly building a fragrance platform on the side.
“I was born multi-hyphenate,” he said. “As a kid, I was both analytical and creative. People thought it was unusual; to me, it was natural. And I noticed something—when you show up in full bloom, others are inspired to do the same.”
Today, the highly sought-after influencer and lifestyle creator known as Sir Candle Man has turned that bloom into a full garden—more than 838,000 followers across social media, a bestselling Nordstrom candle in partnership with LAFCO, and recurring features in The New York Times and House Beautiful.
He’s also published a book, Let It Burn: Illuminate Your Life with Candles and Fragrance, and launched a podcast, Not Just One Thing, part career playbook and part cultural commentary on what Black wealth and success look like now. And just a few weeks ago, he added another lane, becoming Vice President of Creator Partnerships at Tubi.
Kudzi’s father spent three decades at one company, leading at the highest levels across Africa. That example shaped his drive, but not his definition of achievement.
“From him, I learned to go for gold, work hard and honor commitments,” Kudzi reflected. “But I let go of the idea that success means following one path. The world of work has changed—you have to diversify your career portfolio. The gold is in the work ethic, not the identical path.”
His second career began with a single scent. “In Paris, I discovered a candle scent by Francis Kurkdjian, posted about it, and a community grew—especially during the pandemic, when everyone wanted candles,” he recalled. “But being a creator allowed me to be even better at my job supporting creators at TikTok. I liked my corporate job, so there was no escape narrative. The creativity as Sir Candle Man fueled my main job, so I did not have to have the courage to ‘go big’ because I loved what I was doing on both sides.”
For generations, stability meant one job and one paycheck. Not anymore. “Today, with AI changing work, it’s about diversifying your skills and income,” Kudzi explained. “These tools give us the ability to test ideas quickly and build careers that match who we are. Sir Candle Man and my podcast all exist because of these tools that allow me to express myself creatively in an easier way. My advice to the next generation: build externally so people see you and shape a portfolio career. Security isn’t in one paycheck—it’s in building more than one lane.”
As a Black, gay man from Zimbabwe who grew up in South Africa, he’s long felt like an outsider in many rooms. But he says that difference became his edge. “Being the oddball is my superpower. I’ve always assessed rooms from the outside in. What I thought made me an outsider actually made me memorable. Whether in tech or fragrance, my differences became my in. What makes you different makes people take notice—use it.”
On social media, it all looks effortless. The reality is grittier. “I post almost daily. Every video is my face, my voice, my editing. Weekends are production time. I have to work to create the content, and while I enjoy it, it still requires effort,” he said. “It has cost me some time with friends, some rest and time for myself, but ultimately, I love it and it pours back into me.”
For those tempted to leap into a portfolio career, his advice is clear: don’t just quit—plan. “Don’t just ‘leave’ security—build it by creating a transition plan. Many people think they have to jump immediately, and I don’t agree. Use the security to build the safe space for you to shift. The key is to know your financial runway and work on your side explorations while keeping your main thing strong. When it’s time to shift, you’ll have the foundation to sustain yourself. I don’t just shift, I have a strategy and then execute against it.”
The key, he insists, is staying rooted in purpose. “I started Sir Candle Man to illuminate lives through fragrance. That purpose keeps me grounded. If you focus only on money or followers, it’s like eating empty calories. I have fallen victim to this when I focused on going viral. Virality is like empty calories. They feel great in the moment, but are essentially meaningless and cause more harm in the long term. When you go back to your why, the work keeps you fulfilled as well as energized. If your why fuels you, you’ll never run out of energy.”
He laughed at how generic it sounds, but his final piece of advice lands with weight: “Success is enjoying the process, not just the outcome. We have this one magnificent and lucky chance to live, enjoy it. Don’t stress out too much. Make the best of it. Create a life that energizes you, stay focused on your why, and let the rest follow. The win isn’t the thing—it’s loving the building of it.”
That drive to live in the “and” instead of the “either/or” isn’t just Kudzi’s story. It’s a generational one—especially among Millennials, the first generation to come of age knowing that stability doesn’t have to mean just one paycheck, one lane, or one title.
Take Dr. Janel Gordon, a triple board-certified family, obesity and lifestyle medicine physician in Indianapolis who also appears on WISH-TV multiple times a week. She’s proof that you don’t have to give up one calling to honor another—and that even in demanding fields, Black professionals are carving out space for more than one lane.
Dr. Gordon knows just what it means to thrive in two worlds most people assume can’t coexist—medicine and television.
She recalled a colleague recently asking why she wouldn’t just choose one. Her answer was simple—the exam room limits her to the patients in front of her, while television and social media expand her reach far beyond those four walls. “Media also gives those very individuals the ability to continuously view the evergreen content,” she said. “I truly am blessed to have found corporations that appreciate what I have to offer and respect the various avenues in which I share my knowledge, whether that is seeing patients in clinic, working with resident physicians in a teaching kitchen, speaking at conferences, or lending my expertise during my twice-weekly TV segments.”
Her path speaks to the same pressures Kudzi challenges.
“My story is another example of what is possible when you truly trust God, seek out mentors and allies, continuously perfect your craft and never give up,” Dr. Gordon said. During her training, people often asked about a backup plan. “To be honest, I never had one. No matter where I turned, even if there seemed to be an obstacle, God always provided a way around, under, over, or through.”
And she knows success isn’t about giving up one calling to honor another. “To be successful you definitely have to pursue your goals while being open to opportunities that you may have never imagined,” she said. “Some may say that you should feel grateful for your success to date and not understand your desire to pursue another certification, obtain another degree, change jobs, reduce your hours or even take a pay cut. However, if God has given you a desire, I encourage you to trust and proceed.”
Kudzi and Dr. Gordon may work in different industries, but their stories bend toward the same truth: Black success today isn’t about shrinking yourself to fit one path. It’s about building careers that reflect all of who you are—and daring to live in the “and.”
