Redefine Success

When people hear about my ultramarathon project, they often call me courageous and sometimes a little crazy. When I tell them I moved to Spain alone, without speaking perfect Spanish, they say the same.

But honestly, neither of those things ever felt particularly brave to me. They felt natural. Like following an inner pull, something that simply felt right.

We often imagine courage as something loud: running into danger, crossing deserts, quitting your job to start over. But sometimes, courage is quiet. It’s the soft voice that says: this is who I am, and this is where I want to be.

What Courage Means to Me

The dictionary defines courage as “the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, or pain without fear.” But for me, courage has always had a much more personal meaning.

I recently spoke about this in a podcast on 30march Radio, about my life here in Spain and how I didn’t really migrate. I just chose to spend my time where I feel happy. And while that comes with plenty of challenges from paperwork to renting a flat to understanding the Andalusian accent, it never felt like a bold or brave move.

For people who have never left their hometown, that might sound terrifying. But for me, it felt like coming home to myself.

Courage Begins with Curiosity

I’ve always loved exploring. My parents took us on road trips to hidden places, and when I was eleven, I had pen pals from around the world such as Mauritius, Iran, and Ghana. I loved waiting for letters in my mailbox, real paper ones that sometimes took weeks to arrive, and learning about other cultures and lives far from mine.

Language and connection fascinated me early on. When I moved to Spain, my Spanish was very basic. I took classes, but mostly I learned by talking with neighbors, baristas, and people walking their dogs. And I love that now I can make small jokes in Andalusian Spanish, even if I don’t always catch every word. A smile always helps.

That’s courage too, the courage to connect, to stay curious, to try even when it’s imperfect.

The Quiet Work of Looking Inward

Living in Tarifa has shown me that real courage isn’t in moving somewhere new, it’s in staying long enough to meet yourself there. This place is full of people searching for freedom, for themselves, for the perfect version of life.

But it’s not easy to live where it feels like holidays all year. There’s constant movement, little stability, and a lot of mirrors.

The courageous part isn’t coming here. It’s staying. It’s facing what this energy brings up in you. Looking under the surface, seeing your own patterns, and working through them.

That’s what courage looks like to me, the inner work, not the outer adventure.

The Courage to Be Seen

Being brave is deeply personal. For some, it’s natural to speak publicly about their expertise. For me, it’s much harder.

Not because I’m not capable, but because I often think I have nothing special to offer. That’s what I’m testing every week when I write this newsletter, my limits, my voice, my courage.

And today, by being this open about my own doubts, I’m practicing what I teach. Because not many people talk about their real struggles. And yet, that’s where the real courage lies, in honesty, in showing up as you are.

Maybe someone reading this will see themselves in these words. Maybe they’ll find a little courage too.

Helping Others Find Theirs

This is exactly what I work on with my clients: identifying limitations and fears, making them less scary through awareness, aligning goals and values, building daily routines, taking action, and integrating it all into everyday life.

Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s moving with it.

So if you feel ready to be courageous, to sign up for your first ultramarathon, start your own business, or reconnect with who you truly are, I’m here to help. Because I know how it feels. I’ve been there. And I’ve got both the science and the tools to help you become the most courageous version of yourself.

If you want to hear more of that story, how moving abroad became less about a place and more about finding peace within myself, you can listen to my conversation on 30march Radio. (YouTube, Spotify)