Since I was a teenager, there was a powerful voice inside me who kept telling me to go travel, see the world, to put myself in novel and challenging environments where there were no cues as to how to behave or who to be. I was 16 when I adventured myself for the first time and went to Australia for three months. Today, I am lucky enough to have travelled around in more than 40 countries, mostly as a backpacker – either by myself, with friends or people I met on the road.

These experiences shaped my personality and opened my eyes to new realities, different cultures and beliefs. I realized how big the world is and started to understand how my mind was conditioned by pre-conceived ideas and rules created by “society”.

I studied a BSc in Economics and a MSc in Communications in three different countries, and I worked for more than three years in different industries. All these experiences provided me with valuable skills that I use every day to build myalfazema. However, throughout this time I always felt a bit lost. I was pursuing a career and living a life that was not my own, ignoring my heart while damaging my body with bad habits.

After being so lost for so long, I started looking for ways to live a better life. It took me a long time until I realised that the answer was inside me. It was not until I made peace with myself and let go of my constant need to be in control that things started to get better.

In the past few years, I have been intensively working on my personal growth. Honestly, this has not always been easy.There were (still are!) many moments of shadow, confusion, and fear. But step by step I started to see and feel the light. I felt at peace with myself, I felt stronger and could think more clearly than ever. More importantly, I started to realize how powerful it is to be a real and authentic person.

All this investment in my personal growth has given me the strength I needed to completely transform my life for the best. To take my passion for wellbeing and mental health to the next level, by quitting a stable job and enrolling in a BSc in Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. I split up my time and energy between schoolwork and building myalfazema, which is my true dream project.