“My grandparents migrated from Portugal to Venezuela after WWII. They arrived with just one suitcase, but it was packed full of dreams, most of which came true. I was born in the seventies during the oil bonanza. Venezuela was the fastest growing country in Latin America with the lowest inequality rates on the continent. I had a great childhood, surrounded by a wonderful and loving family. I was educated at an all-girls Catholic school. I studied Economics at university. And I got my first job in a big oil company. Life was good.
But as the saying goes, the only certainty is change. There was a socialist revolution. Companies were seized and crime was rampant. We were taught how to drive safely: windows up, locks down. This was 1999. You could smell the fear. So I ran as far as I could to Australia, hoping things would improve while I studied my Masters. I returned a year later to Caracas but the city I longed for was no more. People were desperate. So like millions of Venezuelans, my husband and I left. We moved to a small rural town on Australia’s east coast. I had my first daughter in Bundaberg, where I felt safe, but very lonely; we don’t always get to tick all the boxes. We moved onto Brisbane where I had my second daughter, and then finally settled in Sydney. I have called this beautiful, safe, melting pot “home” for the last ten years.
Six years ago my marriage broke down. It broke me too. I left, down and out, with two daughters to support. I met someone who told me to manifest my dream job. So I did. I asked the universe for a place where I could help others and speak Spanish. A workplace that would value, trust and respect a single migrant mum with a thick accent. Most of all, I asked for a place where I could be myself as a woman, and take time off when my daughters needed me. A place full of amazingly kind and talented people, and where chocolates are free 🙂
Today, I’m the Head of Publishing at Insight Timer. I manage a team of 11 amazing women and 2 amazing men around the world. We are responsible for 12,000 meditation teachers and yoga instructors.
This time, I can honestly say, I got to tick all the boxes.”
#womensequalitymonth
