My Dad Burned Down Our House - Finding Humour in Hardship

Coffee Charged Conversations · Nov 5, 2026 · 28m

Some of the funniest people you'll ever meet are carrying the heaviest stories.

In this episode, I sit down with Thabo Ngcube, better known as Chef of Expressions, for an honest conversation about childhood trauma, bullying, resilience and using humour to get through life's hardest moments.

Thabo grew up in a village in South Africa with an abusive father who drank and turned violent. When Thabo was 12, his dad burned their family home to the ground. Bullied at school for his looks and for what happened at home, he fought back with comebacks, with humour and by finishing top of his class…