In the beginning, I studied medicine in Berlin, Germany, and worked clinically and in research. I had chosen this path to understand what life is, what causes suffering, how people heal, and how I could contribute to their health. But after two years of working as a doctor, the market-oriented system, the rushed interactions with my patients, and the high pressure of the job were grinding me down. I felt far away from what had drawn me to medicine in the first place. I felt stressed, disconnected, and lifeless. And I knew I was on a path towards burnout if I did not make big changes in my life.

I packed my bags and moved to Scotland to become a medical anthropologist. This bold shift led me to conduct research on Afro-Brazilian religious healing (Candomblé) in the Atlantic rainforest for a PhD in Social Anthropology. It was bliss! Finally, I could work on the big questions about the social roots of suffering, ritual performance, and collective practices of care. However, the realities of working as a university lecturer and researcher turned out to be exhausting as well - exacerbated by the pandemic lockdown with my young family.