My Journey

I have more than 30 years of experience with meditation and other contemplative modalities of self-awareness. I have studied with many teachers, learning from transcendental to dynamic meditation, from self-inquiry to mindfulness, from yoga to breathwork, from shamanic practices to human design.

I dedicated my PhD research at Utah State University to study Transformative Learning, developing an online course to introduce mindfulness to higher education students to help them develop interest in their well-being and engage in self-care practices.

I am a certified mindfulness teacher by UC Berkeley through Tara Brach’s and Jack Kornfield’s MMTCP program and I had Jill Satterfield as my direct mentor. I am a certified yoga teacher, somatic breathwork practitioner, and specialist in quantum human design. I am also trained in mindful communication and mindful leadership with a focus on applied mindfulness at the workplace.

A little bit of story…

I have always been curious and interested in spirituality and transformation. I started my journey with meditation and inner investigation at the age of 5. I have always been a kind of a rebel, an outlier. Spirituality for me was never about organized religions, but about connection with myself in a deeper and broader way.

For the longest time, my spiritual practice was a big part of my private life, but not so much connected to my public life. Although it influenced my way of being in the world, I did not make it my flag. However, I have always wanted to change the world, because I saw how much suffering there was due to the inner disconnection.

I started my professional life in the field of Social Communications. I graduated in journalism motivated by the ideal of changing the world, but needless to say that did not happen. lol

Soon after I graduated, I started working as a copywriter and web designer at a local web agency. I invested in a specialization degree in Graphic Design and was quickly invited to take on leadership roles in this agency, managing design projects and teams.

Because I wanted to have greater opportunities, I decided to apply for a master’s degree in Communications and Techno-Culture, where I studied Interaction Design.

I was then invited to teach at a Design College. I felt deeply (and positively) challenged by the process of teaching — and consequently being an eternal learner.

Working in higher education, I was called to rescue that old dream of changing the world. I noticed that connecting with and guiding students, providing them opportunities for growth, was something that gave me great satisfaction and fulfillment.

I was also invited to take on leadership positions in the educational institution I worked for, first as the Internship Supervisor and, later, as the Program Coordinator.

Following the natural and expected progression of an academic career in Brazil, I got a secure job at a federal university and, at the same time, a scholarship to do a doctorate abroad. The university did not allow me to do both, so I had to choose between the two and I chose traveling abroad.

I went to the United States for my doctoral studies in the cross-field of Education and Technology at Utah State University. It was a life changing experience to be a foreigner and open myself up to a different culture like that. I went through many crisis, but I also enjoyed and lived fully. I kept challenging myself to learn from every situation.

Because of my experience in the world of academia, I decided to conduct my research on the topic of mindfulness in higher education, more specifically, I studied ways to help students develop interest in mindfulness meditation and promote transformative learning in higher education. This was the official moment when my private spiritual practice overlapped with my public professional life.

After 6 years and a shift in my worldview, I graduated with a Ph.D. in Instructional Design and (Transformative) Learning Sciences, but then saw little meaning in continuing on the formal academic path, with the educational system as it was. I wanted to provoke change in the system, so I started teaching mindfulness at the university I earned my Ph.D..

I realize that the greatest change anyone can undertake in this world is one’s own and that is what mindfulness can do: help us develop self-awareness and transform our lives for the better. To have the audacity to look inside for what is meaningful and have the courage to act on what makes us feel alive (that makes true sense in the body) is radical. It goes completely against the system.

I decided to dedicate my life to help people reconnect with themselves, know who they are and get clarity on what is meaningful to them, spark their inner fire and support them in being alive and purposeful.

Today, after more than 30 year of personal contemplative practice and 20 years of formal studies and certifications, I design and facilitate transformative learning experiences to bring about inner reconnection and transformation in peoples lives.

My purpose is to serve the awakening of conscious and integral beings to live purposeful and inspiring lives. My passion is to help them remember their most authentic and free selves and realign with their innate healing and creative force.