Why all this? A little window into my journey…

I’ve just turned 50.

When I was 30, newly married, we moved to the UAE.
In one single year, I changed jobs twice, got married, moved houses twice—and changed countries.

It was a lot.

Leaving behind the identity I had built for 30 years, all at once—new home, new job, new country—was a shock to my system.

But… I coped. We all do, right?
Some cope better. Others struggle more quietly.

I kept doing what I had to do, every single day. Long hours. Very short weekends. No real recovery time. Over time, it took a toll on my health. After three years of constant stress, pressure, unknowns, and taking care of everyone else… I fried.

I stepped out.
I decided to have a baby.

Between burnout, pregnancy, and all the hormonal changes, I no longer recognised my own body.

We chose for me not to return to work then, so our family could have some stability.
And life continued to move.

Prague.
Istanbul.
Dublin.

Constant change. Constant adaptation. Always being the support system for the family.
And my body kept going—absorbing it all. Complaining. Sending signals I felt I had to ignore because… life.

(I’ll go deeper into the impact all of this had on my health in another post.)

In Istanbul, though, something shifted.
I started breathing again.

I made a decision to prioritise my health: regular training, daily walks, proper nutrition. You’d think the weight would just fall off. And while I did feel stronger, my body didn’t change the way I expected. My legs and arms stayed the same.

On top of that, I started experiencing frequent bloating—watching all my hard work seemingly disappear overnight, for no clear reason.

So I started asking questions.
Researching.
Listening.

At 46, I finally got some answers. I began adjusting my routines and adding new habits to my daily life. At 47, I received a diagnosis of lipedema—and with it, new tools and understanding.

Then came 2024.
The year of returning to Portugal.

Life needed to look different now. Our child is a teenager. There’s less need for a full-time support system at home—and a greater need for financial stability (Portugal is wonderful, but not cheap!).

I knew one thing clearly: I didn’t want to return to the corporate world. My values no longer align with many of the behaviours and perspectives of today’s version of capitalism.

So I thought: Let me do something of my own.

Do I love selling? Not really.
But if this is my best strategy right now, then I want to do it with intention—by choosing and sharing products that are meaningful to me, and that I truly believe can help others in one way or another.

This shop is not just about products.
It’s about sharing what I’ve learned, telling my story honestly, and hopefully helping someone else feel seen, understood, or less alone along the way.

And that’s how we got here.

If you choose to join me on this journey—and if I can offer you help, insight, or even just a simple laugh—then that’s already “job done”.