#TBT🏆: Media Recognition in Japan II

My journey has always been marked by new beginnings, each of them leading me to discover new ways to serve and transform lives.

In 2004, I had an experience that changed my destiny: I was selected to host the program Escola x Escola on IPCTV in Japan. The news was published in the IPCTV NEWS newspaper under the headline “TV Adds a New Color to Brazilian Education in Japan,” and the recognition of being featured in all the major media outlets at the time in Japan gave me strength and clarity. It confirmed that I was on the right path, not because of a need for public approval, but because the work truly fulfilled its purpose: helping people through the immigration process, which is often a very painful and challenging journey.

The mission of the program was to bring Brazilian culture and education to the Brazilian community in Japan, strengthening connections, preserving our language, and inspiring pride in our roots. It was there that I learned the power of communication as a tool for social transformation and witnessed firsthand how education and culture can restore identities and renew hope.

Years later, back in Brazil, I founded APSIVIDA Integrated Psychology Clinic. Just as in Japan, I witnessed inspiring stories of renewal: people who, through psychological care, found the strength to restart their lives. APSIVIDA became a space for support, growth, and reconstruction—not only for patients but also for me.

Today, that same spirit is present in ToothTalk by Alex, a project that combines health and communication to promote smiles and open doors to new beginnings through oral health, which restores not only the smile but also the joy of living that comes when we smile. I believe that many of us, at different stages of life, will need to start over—and that is something to be proud of, not ashamed.

This belief also led me to fulfill another dream: returning to study at the age of 50 and advancing academically, something I had not been able to do earlier in life. This stage, lived with maturity and purpose, is living proof that it is never too late to start a new path, especially when we carry the experience and wisdom capable of transforming the lives of others.

Just as it happened to me in Japan, in Brazil, and now in the United States, I believe that every new beginning is a unique opportunity to make an impact and inspire the world around us.