We can do this by seeking out, sampling, sharing and celebrating first-time experiences - just like we used to as children, when learning and exploring formed an integral part of our lives. Back then, we naturally kept investigating and growing in multiple areas: physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally.

And while some of the learning experience may also have been challenging or even frustrating, we got up after setbacks, we kept in motion, we saw progress over time and we went with the flow of everyday life.

Most people lose the curiosity, playfulness, imagination, courage and trust we had at a young age as we get busy with adult life, and as the routines and beliefs that have been established in our subconscious take over and run our lives for us.

With this, a sense of stucked-ness, helplessness, loss of control, anxiety and worry starts creeping in. Eventually, we ask ourselves:

• Is that it?
• Will I keep going in circles for the rest of my life?
• Shouldn’t I feel happy - and why don’t I, given all I actually have in life?

Sounds familiar? It definitely does to me, since I was exactly at that point too, until I started to consciously create first times again in my life.

The process of curating a Many Firsts mindset and attitude to life has enriched my experience on various levels, and I am excited to share the deeply satisfying rewards of this journey through my blog.

Hopefully it also inspires and guides you on your path of (self)discovery and creating the life you want and deserve!

Horizons, Discovery, Exploration
I’m a continuous seeker of inspiration and a lover of deep philosophical conversation. I’m also an avid student of different cultures and ways of life, through travel and encounters with people from all backgrounds.

I have lived and worked in Peru, Mexico, the United Kingdom, China and Switzerland, where I was born. I am very thankful for the beautiful and safe country I was raised in, and for the many opportunities I have had to venture beyond its small but picturesque boundaries. I knew at a very young age that broadening my horizons is very important to me, and that this would require leaving the geographies I was familiar with. My international exposure and love of languages led me to be fluent or at least be able to have basic conversations in several languages, and I consider myself fortunate to have close friends in multiple corners of this beautiful world. 

I also love being physically active, and connecting with nature on walks or hikes. Over time, physical activities have become an additional opportunity for me to explore outside the well-known. I’ve hiked in the Andes and the Himalayas, climbed some of the highest mountains in Europe, and also learned how to stand on my head. 

Passions, Coaching, Transformations
After working as a high school teacher in the early days of my professional career, I have since spent more than a decade in the corporate world as an organizational change manager and employee experience lead. I’ve created and led the implementation of strategies in large organizations on topics like team and leadership development, communication, mindset change, as well as the adoption of new ways of working. I’m also a certified hypnosis, breath, health and flexibility coach, as well as a speaker and writer, and I have an executive master’s in art market studies. 

I’m very passionate about people and their needs, especially as they go through change and transformations that may not be the easiest or most straightforward to deal with. It has always been important to me to create safe spaces where people feel heard and show a genuine interest in each other. 

Stuckness, Adversities, Anxiety
Over time, I started to become more and more sensitive to the environments I found myself in. I perceived that there was quite some level of unhappiness and disillusionment around me. As someone who did not know how to set and communicate my own boundaries, and who had not yet become aware of how much others were actually mirroring my own inner world, the way I was spending my days started to suck life out of me. I felt less motivated, less connected, experienced brain fog, and struggled to maintain my energy levels for what seemed like long days. I was aware that I was in a downward spiral, but had no clue how to stop it or to even express how I felt. My stress levels increased. 

My anxiety reached new heights when I lost my job, house and partner all within a few months - a feeling that intensified during the pandemic, when even the basic everyday life I was holding on to changed overnight. 

Seeking, Overcoming, Finding
It was then that I heard a voice inside of me that said: “You are not giving up. The situation you are in won’t last forever.” And while I found myself in what was, for me, quite an uncomfortable place, I also sensed that it was an opportunity for me to create and influence my future and my overall state of well-being. One of the most difficult moments was when I realized how repetitive my own thinking was, and how some of my most painful experiences seemed to repeat themselves. If I wanted to get out of this habitual vicious cycle, which had landed me in the same spot again and again, I needed new thoughts, new feelings, new experiences. I needed first times.

The conscious practice of creating first-time experiences quickly brought a sense of flow and well-being back into my life. My mind, heart and soul opened up and, with this change, new people, opportunities, thoughts, feelings and healthier habits have entered and enriched my life. 

Wellbeing, Resilience, Mission
The Many Firsts approach to life helps me stay curious, keep learning and growing, recover faster from setbacks, take decisions more courageously, and cultivate a more playful view of life. After all, even if something doesn’t turn out the way I was hoping it would, it’s most likely still a first time I can add to my list and celebrate as something that has taught me something. Many Firsts has also sharpened my awareness, resilience and flexibility - key skills, to not only survive but also thrive in today’s fast-paced world - in a simple, natural, powerful and very effective way. 

I believe that what has worked for me can definitely also work for others. Every time people in my private and professional life get inspired by the Many Firsts approach to living a life unstuck, it touches me so deeply that it has become my mission to share it with as many people as possible. Ultimately, the better we feel about ourselves and the world around us, the more we can contribute to making this world an even better and happier place, one first time at a time.