Welcome to the era of passion-powered hustle, where creativity meets purpose and side gigs become soul work. Here, we spotlight an impactful content creator, Noluthando Mqina.
Digital Content Creator, Noluthando Mqina
My side hustle is my YouTube channel — which began humbly with just over 2 000 subscribers and, within a year, has blossomed into a beautiful community of more than 10 000 people. While growth like that is sometimes achieved through luck, with me, it takes showing up, again and again, even when the views are low or my confidence wavers. More than anything, it takes people who believe in you before you fully believe in yourself. For me, that person was a friend. Someone who saw a spark in me before I did. They kept nudging me, gently but consistently, and even offered me an online platform to gain my first 1 000 subscribers. I began creating videos not just to fill space online, but to build something that reflected my heart, my faith, my values, my joy, my lessons.
The ‘WHY’ behind it At first, it was just me speaking into a camera, not knowing who was on the other side, just trusting that someone might need to hear what I had to say. But over time, something began to shift. What started as a simple outlet for my thoughts became a calling. The channel organically started attracting people who had young families and were hungry for real conversations about love, marriage and faith. People who didn’t want perfection, just authenticity. As I shared my experiences, I realised I was offering something quietly radical: hope. Hope that love still works. That faith still matters. That family, in all its beauty and messiness, is worth fighting for. Now, I like to think of my channel as giving marriage and young families the good PR they deserve, wrapped in honesty, warmth and grace. It’s not about pretending everything’s perfect but rather about showing what’s possible when God is at the centre of your life and love is nurtured with intention.
Balancing Passion and a nine-to-five
Juggling a full-time job and a side hustle is far from easy, but it is possible — especially when you have the support of a loving family that believes in your dreams just as much as you do. My family’s encouragement, patience and presence keep me grounded when life gets overwhelming. I always say, “You’re never too busy for what you love; you make time for it.” That mantra has become a compass for how I manage it all. I carve out time wherever I can, early mornings before the world wakes up, late nights when the house is quiet and weekends when others are winding down. There are moments when I’m physically present with loved ones, but my mind is racing ahead, thinking about the next video angle or the story I want to share. It’s a constant tug-of-war between being present and being passionate. But that’s the nature of purpose, it keeps calling you forward. Balancing a creative pursuit with the responsibilities of a nine-to-five job isn’t always seamless. There are days when I’m tired and the to-do list feels endless. But because I genuinely love what I do, it rarely feels like a burden. Instead, it feels like I’m building something that matters. I’m not just chasing numbers or content creation, I’m nurturing a community, telling stories and creating space for love, faith and family to shine.
How it unfolded
I didn’t always see this as an opportunity — and certainly not the kind that would grow into something so powerful. In the beginning, I was simply sharing bits of my life: what I was learning, how I was growing, and the quiet, honest moments that made up my days. There was no grand plan, just a desire to be real and to reflect God’s goodness in my journey. But then, something began to shift. Messages started coming in — DMs on Instagram, comments under my YouTube videos — from people I had never met but who felt connected to what I was sharing. They told me they saw themselves in my story. Some said my content helped them believe in love again after heartbreak. Others said it gave them renewed hope for their families, or it simply reminded them that God was still present, even in the ordinary. That’s when it hit me. This was more than just content, it was a connection. It was a ministry in its most everyday, digital form. I wasn’t just filming for the sake of it anymore, I was showing up for people who needed to know that love, faith and family still matter and that they’re worth fighting for. It became clear that God was using what felt small to reach people in ways I never imagined. This journey has taught me that your story, even the ordinary parts, can become a light for someone else. That’s a privilege I never take for granted.
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