The Sunday Sanctuary with Makho Ndlovu
A weekly series that profiles the most fabulous, hard-working, 24/7 hustlers, and how they spend their Sundays.
Makho Ndlovu is an on-air host, entertainment correspondent, event host and social media influencer. A multi-talented media personality, Makho has lent her talents to various outlets and stages, including stints as a life style expert for the Wendy Williams show, an acclaimed on-air host of Essence Now, guest host of People Now, correspondent for BET International, and emcee of various prestigious galas and panels. Makho currently co-hosts Today’s Deal Live, Amazon’s daily shopping show. The Zimbabwe-born tastemaker has made a name for herself as the go-to woman for all things global entertainment and culture.
Here’s how Makho spends her Sundays-
Q: What time do you wake up or does the alarm go off ?
A: To be honest, it depends on the Saturday I have. My family knows that if I had a Saturday where we had drinks or a fun situation, then I’ll wake up later than usual. Most times I like to wake up around 10 AM, which may seem really late to some people, but I like to sleep in on Sundays. I like to allow myself to ease into the day.
Q: What is your morning routine (specifically the first 15)
A: First things first, as soon as I wake up, I hate to admit it, but I check my phone. I am on Instagram, I’m on social media trying to see what people are doing. A lot of my followers and a lot of the people I follow are in South Africa, so they’ve updated quite a bit at night when I’m sleeping. So, I always feel like there’s a flurry of activity going on, so that’s the first thing I do. Then I freshen up, brush my teeth and wash my face, all of that. There’s no Sunday that’s complete without a cup of coffee, so I have to get a good cup of coffee in there.
Q: What is your Sunday mantra?
A: For me, Sunday is a chance to recalibrate and get my mind ready for the rest of the week. A lot of what I do is centered around getting my mind and my emotions in check, because most of the week is go go go. Also, just sitting in gratitude and being thankful for everything I have. My family, my friends, my career, the fact that I am working my dream job, that's all it. To sum it up, I’m thankful for all I have.
Q: Do you give yourself any Sunday self-care treatments?
A: Sunday is all about washing my hair, because I have to plan out what hairstyle I will have for the week. I sometimes do my natural hair, or sometimes I throw a wig situation on, so I have to prep for that on Sunday. The hairstyle I choose is what will last the week, because my week’s are so busy, I don’t have time for it then. So the one thing I make sure I do is get my nails done as well.
Q: What song is a good representation of your Sunday?
A: There is a gospel song by Fred Hammond called “We’re Blessed.” I love listening to gospel music. There’s a DJ on Instagram called D-Nice, and he does this Sunday gospel mix. And the way he just blends the music from slow to up tempo, it gets me in the mood and gets me in the reflective grateful happy mode.
Q: How has your Sunday routine changed over the years?
A: To be honest, it hasn't changed quite a lot. Right now, it’s just my husband and I. So Saturdays is the day for fun with our friends, or sometimes it's just me and him and we'll just relax at home and watch movies and stay up really late. So, our Sundays haven’t changed a lot. I anticipate that when we have little ones we won’t have those moments to sleep in and kind of do what we want, so we’re just enjoying it for now, because I’m pretty sure one day it will change. We’ve been pretty consistent in trying to enjoy it as our last “extra Saturday.”
Q: How do you prepare for the week ahead?
A: We spoke about the grooming aspect, the hair, the nails, and making sure my outfits are laid out, because a huge part of it is presentation. People will judge you on what they see when you first appear on their screen, or on their TV or tablet. So, that is one part of it. But then there’s the actual physical prep of it, moving through boxes and opening up items. The world has changed for a lot of us, we’re working from home and so it’s different then when we used to have a full studio. There used to be five people doing the one job you’re now doing, meaning we’re getting the lights out, we’re prepping for segments the next day, we’re creating our scripts, we’re looking through our products and steaming them. There’s a lot more work involved in my Sunday now.
Q: What are some of your favorite Sunday activities?
A: I love watching reality TV shows. Sunday is usually when Real Housewives of Atlanta is on — I love those girls, but also it’s been award season. Last Sunday, I watched the Oscars and the previous Sunday, I watched the Academy of Country Music Awards— I live for award season. Sometimes it may be a part of my job when I have to do a red carpet recap, but I honestly just watch it for leisure. These last few weeks it's all been about award shows.
Q: What is your ideal bedtime?
A: I don’t know if I should admit it, but I go to sleep really really late. My goal is to go to sleep at 11 or 12, but that never happens. Even when I have to wake up at 5 AM for an early call time, I still go to sleep late. I probably go to sleep around 1 am and then when I’m done with my day and I wrap early I may sneak in a nap, but then I’m up for the rest of the night. We’re pretty much late sleepers, so we’re sleeping around 1 or 2 if we are really pushing it. But my ideal, what I work towards is 11 or 12.