How would you describe yourself?
It's not an easy question, but I can say that I consider myself a person with a lot of energy, with enormous willpower and with a good heart. I feel privileged in the life I am having, and as such I also feel the obligation to channel this energy and willpower in order to contribute to a better future.
How did bodyboarding come into your life?
In a natural way, since I was a child, one of my family's programs was to go to the beach, almost always to Leça da Palmeira, because my grandfather worked at APDL, and therefore there was always this relationship with the beach and the sea. On one of those days when the family was gathered on the beach, my cousins went into the water with bodyboard boards, they even made some waves. At that moment I had a click, an enormous desire to explore that.
I started to be part of the groups of people both in Porto and Leça that did Bodyboard, I quickly started competing, traveling, sponsors, getting to know the world, people, cultures, and getting to know myself. So Bodyboard came into my life in a natural way but completely directed it and shaped a big part of my personality.
What is a healthy lifestyle for you?
A healthy lifestyle for me means first and foremost a balance between physical, mental, emotional health and the purpose of our life. I think that in general we have an incomplete view of what health is, we compartmentalize everything, instead of looking at it as a whole. Most athletes who compete at a high level know that these dimensions are linked, for example, I can be technically super trained, physically in top shape, however if I'm depressed or anxious, I won't yield the same. And depression and anxiety are thoughts that turn into emotions, and on an acute level they manifest in the physical body.
Therefore, knowing how to take care of the body (through movement, nutrition, hydration and rest), knowing how to take care of the mind (thoughts through practices such as meditation), knowing how to deal with our emotions (through the development of intra-personal and inter- personal), and follow a path that fills us, that makes sense to us, is the matrix of what I consider a healthy life.
Are you a routine man? If yes, what does this include?
I can say that I am not a person with a fixed routine. I try in my day-to-day to go following the desires I have and reacting to what comes up, and this is one of my points of balance. However, during a week there are a series of activities that I usually simply do without rigidity either in order or in the schedule. Almost every week I go into the sea, swim in the pool, develop projects that I created or that I am involved in, I do yoga, I meditate, I am with family, I am with friends, I connect with nature, and so on. In fact, I think I learned to listen to the body and understand what makes the most sense to do.
We have been following your education project closely, do you want to talk a little bit about that?
It was something I never aspired to, but it came out suddenly and with great force. And realizing that it was important, I started to study education - public education, alternative models, what is done out there, then pedagogues, philosophers, visiting schools, and talking to teacher friends. What I'm doing is creating a simple and replicable model that links traditional education to alternative education. This relationship is broken, and I believe the path is integration. Like? Creating equipment, a center, that provides services to schools through the implementation of alternative programs that enhance the return to Being and nature. Also creating a team of employees prepared not only to teach children but also to train teachers. The space is in Serralves, Porto, at the moment most of the demolitions are done, there is already a vegetable garden, chickens, vermicomposting, the works on the house where we are going to live will start, and the school's licensing project is being prepared to give Entrance.
I think education is the big topic of the future, more than AI or technology. We are raising children for an unknown future and we cannot continue to be governed by a model that has been stagnant for over a century and a half, because that would mean depriving them of the potential to develop their human, creative and adaptive capacities that will allow them to solve problems. of the future.
What did you think of your first Deeply Together?
In fact, I would even consider this one as the second one, because when the team got together in Alentejo this spirit was present, and it was really high. Deeply is committed to change. The ownership shift came together with a desire to be more than just a surf brand. It intends to spread well-being, the sense of community. And this is a new path for the brand, challenging and exciting.
I think this Deeply Together was in a very honest way that, a group of people with a great connection to the sea, getting to know each other, connecting, exchanging ideas, moving their bodies in a healthy way, and catching waves together.
