In July 2025, at 50 years old, more than 32 of them spent working very hard, I made the difficult decision to take a break.
Yes, it was very hard to decide to pause my professional life, especially since I had just reached my big goal of holding a senior leadership position at a large multinational company. On top of that, it was the company I most enjoyed serving. Not only because my values were fully aligned with the company’s values, but also because I reported to the most inspiring leaders I’ve ever known, and because I had the great privilege of having an extremely talented team working with me, along with peers — women and men who were truly remarkable, both as professionals and as human beings.
So what motivated me to make this difficult decision? A combination of factors. Physical and mental health concerns made me reflect on how I wanted the second half of my life to look. I came to the conclusion that I want to see new places, meet new people, and have new experiences. I came to the conclusion that I want to prioritize myself, instead of putting work first for so long.
It’s worth mentioning that it was precisely my job — under Brazil’s standard salaried employment system (CLT), often demonized by many — that made this possible. The possibility of achieving financial freedom and, with serenity and peace of mind, being able to take a break from work and choose a new path, whether paid work or not. I’ll write more about Brazil’s CLT employment system and about financial freedom in future posts.
Since then, about 6 months later, I’ve used my time to listen to my inner self and reorganize my ideas, putting into practice my plan, which I named Reimagining the Route, and which gave rise to this blog that I share, with great affection, with everyone interested in my journey.
Why didn’t I choose the famous phrase from GPS navigators: recalculating the route? Because recalculating adjusts, and reimagining transforms. It’s time to transform.
Follow along for the next posts, and let’s go Reimagining the Route together!