• Navigating global transitions during season breaks

• 5 practices for keeping momentum

• The hidden cost of global work

• Reflections from my mentorship calls

• A question for global professionals

The Edition That Almost Didn’t Happen

This edition almost didn’t happen.

Not because I didn’t have a plan—I did. The topics were ready, the ideas mapped out.
But last week, I boarded a 36+ hour journey from Qatar back to Brazil, crossing four countries and more than ten time zones. The fatigue hit differently this time—long flights, shifting schedules, disrupted sleep.

But this is part of the reality of global work.

You can’t always control the conditions. What you can control is how you show up.

Thanks to the systems I’ve built over my career, I can stay consistent—even when I’m running on low. This edition is a reflection of that: a practice in showing up.

(you might be late, but never lost!)

5 Practices for Sustaining Momentum in Global Work

1. Prioritise Systems Over Motivation

Motivation fluctuates; systems endure. Establishing routines and frameworks ensures consistency, even when enthusiasm wanes.

(I have a strict calendar system that I plan to share in the future with you!)

2. Recognise Rest as a Strategic Tool

Rest isn't a luxury; it's a necessity. Incorporating rest into your schedule enhances productivity and creativity.

(I synchronise my rest period with the waning moon: never go heavy on the workload during that week is a saver!)

3. Embrace Incremental Progress

Small, consistent actions accumulate over time. Focus on manageable tasks to maintain momentum.

(Sometimes it’s about understanding: what’s the bare minimum I can handle even when sleep-deprived?)

4. Align Visibility with Authenticity

True impact stems from authentic engagement, not just widespread visibility. Prioritise meaningful connections over metrics.

(Don't ever get anxious for metrics! In our industry all you need sometimes is 1 person to support you - and more often than not just a small bunch is enough to change the world!)

5. Honour the Quiet Phases

Not every period will be high-output. Embrace quieter times as opportunities for reflection and growth.

Field Notes on Resilience

Resilience is not a word for me.

It’s the weight I carry on my body after 36 hours of travel—Qatar, Egypt, Brazil—chasing flights, running through terminals, breathing in airports, translating across time zones, currencies, and expectations.

Resilience is the ache in my lower back after 18-hour days, no breaks, no family, no safety net.
It’s the sound of a language I don’t speak filling the room, and knowing I still have to lead.

Resilience is crossing borders as an immigrant, an ethnic minority, an Indigenous woman from the dry lands of Paraíba and the deserts of the Arab world.
It’s carrying the silence of those who were told they didn’t belong.

It’s not about showing up—it’s about staying.
Staying when your body is tired.
Staying when the system is not built for you.
Staying because leaving is not an option.

This is what I’m learning.
And it’s not theory.

It’s the price of paving the way. And the cost of working in this field.

Mentorship Across Borders

Over the past two to three weeks, I’ve been holding 30-minute mentorship calls with young professionals who reached out to me on LinkedIn—each from a different part of the world, each navigating their own journey into global events.

🌍 Arham Khalid – from India, based in Qatar, now doing her Masters in the US

🌍 Zhaoyang Sun – from China, part of the OBS legacy during the Beijing Olympics

🌍 Pep Reyes Arriagada – from Chile, part of the Santiago 2023 legacy

These conversations remind me why I do this work: to build bridges, to open doors, to help others find their way. (And to actually LEAD the way!)
Because someone once opened the door for me, and I believe in passing that forward.

If you’re early in your career and want to connect, reach out. I’ll keep hosting these calls as soon as my new time zone allows.

A Question for Global Professionals

How do you keep your house in order—your systems, your work, your people—when you’re always preparing for the next big trip?

Who This Is For

We Work the Globe is a platform for:

• Creatives navigating cross-cultural markets

• Founders building across regions

• Professionals living between worlds

• Institutions investing in cultural infrastructure

If you’re building something borderless, with values at the center—you’re not alone.

Call for Volunteers: FIFA Arab Cup 2025

If you’ve been following my work, I highly recommend applying for the FIFA Arab Cup 2025 Volunteer Program.

The Arab Cup is more than a tournament—it’s a space where football brings nations together, where Arab identity is celebrated through sport, and where young professionals can be part of something bigger than themselves.

Volunteering is a chance to belong to a legacy, to learn, to connect—and to shape the future of global events from the ground up.

Apply here → FIFA Arab Cup Volunteer Program

I’ll be there too—inshallah—let’s meet on the ground and build this together!

Final Thoughts

The sports season is slowing down.

For most, it’s a pause in the calendar.
For me, it’s a pause in the body.

After the long flights, the back-to-back calls, the hours spent building systems so others can shine—it’s a reminder that this work takes more than strategy. It takes stamina.

Resilience isn’t just showing up for the opening match. It’s having the systems in place so you can lead after the season ends—when the cameras are gone, when the stadiums are empty, and when it’s time to rebuild for what’s next.

💬 What will you do in your season break? Rest, reset—or jump into another project?

Whatever you do: make sure to keep coming back here every 2 weeks.

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• Entering a new market with intention

• 5 lessons from navigating cross-cultural growth

• Reflections on relationship-building and momentum

• A perspective on soft power and trust

• The emotional reality of global freelancing

I arrived with no map—only a calling

Three weeks ago, I landed in Qatar to begin the next chapter of my journey—this time not just as a consultant or project lead, but as a founder with a long-term vision for building something new in the Gulf.

I brought with me a clear intention and a framework to implement it, but I’ve quickly learned that bringing a plan and executing it are two different things. In this part of the world, doing business is a slow, relational process—and that’s not a flaw, it’s a feature.

You can’t force your way into this market. You have to build your way in. With consistency. With care.

5 Lessons I’ve Learned While Building Bridges

1. Your origin is your superpower.
Coming from Brazil wasn’t a disadvantage—it became my opening story.

2. Global work requires local trust.
You can’t build across markets without humility and local friendships.

3. The right room changes everything.
One dinner, one woman, one connection can open five doors.

4. You don’t have to be fluent—just present.
Culture fluency is earned by práxis, not knowing it all.

5. Community is the real strategy.
The most powerful strategy is being around people who remind you who you are.

Field Notes from the Middle

These past few weeks have been filled with early meetings, late edits, and conversations with a mix of former colleagues, longtime online allies, and new regional collaborators.

These relationships aren’t just transactional—they’re foundational.
Momentum in a new market doesn’t come from noise. It comes from quiet credibility, from trust earned slowly, and from shared values that translate across geographies.

This isn’t a waiting period. It’s a recalibration. The strategy is already in motion—even if much of it, for now, happens behind the scenes.

Leadership Lessons in Cross-Market Expansion

Entering a new region with a long-term business plan isn’t just about cultural fluency—it’s about timing, perception, and the ability to hold your ground while adapting in real time.

In Gulf markets, relationships often precede execution. Vision alone is not enough. Founders must be prepared to recalibrate the pace of their strategy while remaining anchored in intent. This is especially true for professionals arriving from fast-moving ecosystems who are used to delivering under pressure.

The challenge? Slowing down without losing momentum.
The opportunity? Letting trust—not urgency—lead the way.

Strategic Insight: Soft Power Builds Faster Than Hard Pitches

What accelerates influence in a new market isn’t exposure—it’s credibility.

Too often, entrepreneurs entering the Gulf prioritize visibility: press features, flashy decks, rapid launches. But local ecosystems tend to respond better to consistency, humility, and a strong word-of-mouth foundation.

Soft power—reputation, alignment, cultural respect—travels further here than an aggressive growth model.
In emerging cross-regional economies, the strongest positioning comes from building slowly and being invited in.

Beyond Strategy: Safe Spaces and Emotional Infrastructure

There’s a hidden cost to global freelancing and solopreneurship that doesn’t often make it into strategy decks: loneliness.

Behind every international relocation, every career leap, there are quieter truths—about the instability of project-based work, the emotional toll of constantly reinventing, and the challenge of finding belonging while building something from scratch.

In this phase, relationship-building isn’t just about collaboration. It’s about emotional survival.

We don’t talk enough about how important it is to have peers who witness you without needing a deliverable.
People who check in, who hold space, who remind you of the why when the how gets heavy.

Safe spaces aren’t separate from success.
They’re what allow it to happen.

A Question for Global Builders

How do you stay committed to long-term vision in a short-term attention economy?

Are you building for applause—or for alignment?
What would it mean to prioritize resonance over reach?

Who This Is For

We Work the Globe is a platform and studio for:

• Professionals expanding into cross-cultural markets

• Creatives building ecosystems between LATAM and MENA

• Quiet leaders with global ambition

• Institutions investing in culture as infrastructure

If you're building something borderless, with values at the center—you’re not alone.

Ways to Collaborate

We’re currently working with:

• Media and cultural institutions expanding into new regions

• Founders shaping brand narratives and audience strategy

• Executives seeking global perspective and creative partnership

From Solo Insight to Shared Practice

This platform began as a way to document the invisible layers of global work—from the cultural codes to the emotional infrastructure. But with each edition, it’s become more than that. It’s become a reflection space, and a shared language between those of us navigating complexity across borders.

What I write here isn’t just what I know—it’s what I’m still learning, in real time, alongside others who are charting similar paths.

If you’ve been reading, sharing, replying: thank you.
It means more than metrics. It means momentum.

This work is about more than delivering a message. It’s about creating a shared field of practice.

So if something in this edition resonates, let it start a conversation.

→ You can always reply, or find me on LinkedIn.

Let’s keep building—with clarity, with care, and with community.

• Personal reflections on how Lebanese professionals helped me find belonging in the Gulf

• A tribute to the Brazilian–Lebanese alliance in sports and beyond

• A historical overview of Syrian-Lebanese migration to Brazil

• Why legacy is more powerful than short-term gain

• How we uphold sports diplomacy through daily gestures

Fieldnote from the ground

In the world of global sports, victories are often counted in medals and ratings.

But for those of us behind the scenes, the real diplomacy happens long before the cameras roll—over coffee, across deadlines, in languages not our own.

As a Brazilian woman navigating the Middle East, I didn’t just survive these spaces. I was welcomed into them.

And more often than not, it was the Lebanese who opened the door.

5 Lessons the Lebanese Taught Me About Sports Diplomacy

1. The Invisible Power of the Brazilian-Lebanese Alliance

Brazil is home to the largest Lebanese diaspora in the world. What many see as a cultural footnote, I see as a quiet superpower. This alliance—historic, familial, and economic—has built trust across oceans. And in the sports world, trust is everything.

2. Lebanese Excellence Across the Gulf

From Doha to Riyadh, I’ve watched Lebanese professionals lead with precision, passion, and integrity. They build institutions, broker partnerships, and shape industries—with a work ethic that commands respect and a generosity that builds community.

3. How They Made Me Feel at Home

I came here with a passport and a purpose. But it was the Lebanese who gave me orientation, invitations, and a sense of place. They brought me to the beaches. They called me ‘sister.’ They reminded me that diaspora is not just dislocation—it’s legacy.
From Abu Dhabi to Al Ain, Sharjah and Dubai, I’ve watched Lebanese professionals lead with precision, passion, and integrity.

4. What This Teaches Us About Sports Diplomacy

True diplomacy doesn’t always wear a badge. It lives in the way communities uphold each other across borders. The Brazilian–Lebanese alliance isn’t a geopolitical headline—it’s a living practice of solidarity, trade, heritage, and care.

5. Why I Will Always Celebrate This Alliance

In every contract I sign and stadium I enter, I carry the gratitude of being shaped by this bond. I will always honour it, not just for what it gave me—but for what it represents in a world where alliances like this can be our best path forward.

The bond you don’t need to explain

Sometimes, the most powerful alliances don’t come from summits or treaties. They come from gestures. From being brought into someone’s home. From being fed before being questioned. From hearing, in a new country, a familiar story about departure, adaptation, and survival.

That’s how the Lebanese alliance felt to me. Unspoken, but unmistakable. Their presence in the Gulf reminded me of our shared histories—not only of migration, but of resilience.

The legacy Brazil carries with pride

When thousands of Lebanese and Syrian families left the Ottoman Empire seeking new beginnings, Brazil became their second homeland. , From Beirut to Brazil - Georgetown A Lebanese online archive chronicles

We welcomed them with the little we had and watched them become some of our finest businesspeople, educators, politicians, and neighbours. They didn't just integrate—they elevated the spaces they touched. I grew up seeing this community not as foreign, but as Brazilian. Fully.

That pride follows me now. It shapes how I walk into a room when I’m working in the Gulf. I know I come from a country that didn’t close its doors. I come from a people who know how to receive, and who are now being received in return.

In many ways, my presence here today is the continuation of that journey. We once gave shelter; now I’m being sheltered in return.

Lebanese presence in the Gulf: a sense of familiarity

Unlike other expat communities I’ve encountered, the Lebanese presence in the Gulf always felt more familiar to me—less foreign. Not always easy, not perfect, but recognizable in a way that mattered. There was a shared rhythm, a shared resilience, a certain cultural proximity that made it easier for me to navigate.

This wasn’t about dramatic gestures or flawless harmony. It was about small things: being spoken to with curiosity, not suspicion. Being introduced rather than overlooked. Feeling, instinctively, that I belonged.

I’m not here to romanticize. I’ve seen the pressures, the hierarchies, the inconsistencies. But what stood out was the sense of continuity—that what we do as Brazilians in these spaces reflects on our Lebanese partners, just as what they do reflects on us.

We share reputations in the international market. We carry each other’s legacy. And we should look out for each other accordingly.

Closing Reflection

There is a significant presence of both Brazilians and Lebanese currently active in the Gulf market. And in the projects where these communities meet—whether in sports, media, or production—I’ve seen some of the strongest examples of trust, clarity, and successful execution.

This is more than shared history. It’s a shared capacity.

We have the cultural memory, the economic ties, and the professional alignment to build something greater—if we choose to act with intention.

This is what sports diplomacy looks like when it’s lived, not staged. And this is the kind of alliance worth building from.

Thank you for reading so far!

👉 Have you experienced a moment of quiet diplomacy or unexpected solidarity at work? I’d love to hear your story.

• Personal reflections on my encounters with Portuguese & Spanish teams across global events

• A reality check on how Iberoamerica is failing to act as a bloc

• The unspoken fractures between LATAM professionals and their European counterparts

• A list of workplace comments that reflect deeper problems

• Concrete suggestions on how we can move forward differently

We’re living through a global reshuffling. New blocs are forming, old powers are clinging to familiarity, and the Global South is beginning to rise—not through charity, but through strategy.

And yet… where is Iberoamerica in all this?

Despite the shared language, culture, and history, Portugal and Spain have failed to think strategically about their relationships with Latin America. They treat LATAM as a nostalgic past or something to be dismissed—not as co-builders of the future.

But Latin America isn’t taking the back seat anymore.

Personal fieldnotes from the frontline

The first time I encountered Portuguese professionals in the global market was during the Asian Cup in the UAE. They were already well embedded—especially in the broadcasting space. Present, experienced, but culturally distant. No bridges were built between us. We were there together, but not together at all.

A few months later, something shifted. At the Web Summit in Qatar, I met a different group entirely—Portuguese women in leadership. They were sharp, inspiring, and generous with their presence. It left a mark on me. For a moment, I thought: maybe this Iberoamerican alliance we always speak of could be real.

But I never met them again.

What followed were repeated encounters with the same profile I first met in the Gulf—Portuguese and Spanish men in broadcast and technical crews, working across Latin America: Peru, Chile, and beyond. In every project, we were part of the same ecosystem but working under different companies—they stayed with the Iberian ones, we remained with the LATAM. Parallel paths. No real integration. No shared mission.

Only recently did I work under the same company as them—within a Portuguese-Spanish–led team. I was finally inside the room. Close enough to observe the internal logic. And something was missing.

No women in leadership. No diversity in perspective. No clear strategy.

5 things I’ve actually heard at work

1. Cultural superiority narratives

"The Portuguese taught Brazilians to speak."

They didn’t teach us to speak—they erased our language. They persecuted our cultures. This isn’t a harmless comment. It reflects deep ignorance and should never be normalized in a workplace.

2. Defensive responses to colonial history

"Can’t have a Brazilian complain about stolen gold anymore—I’m down to return the money, but you need to go live in the forest again."

This isn’t historical accountability. It’s sarcasm rooted in guilt and resentment. Jokes like this attempt to silence justified criticism and invalidate colonial trauma.

3. Casual racism

"Is your wife Black? I didn’t expect that."

These comments are said out loud. In offices. In front of colleagues. Without consequence. It’s as if they are stuck in the past.

4. Lack of cultural awareness

Many Portuguese & Spanish professionals enter multicultural workspaces without training, curiosity, or reflection. The result is entitlement masquerading as informality, and ignorance that actively harms collaboration.

Especially when working with Latin America, whose history is deeply marked by violence inflicted by Portugal and Spain, cultural sensibility should be primordial. If they lack that, they must be trained.

5. Lack of professionalism in global spaces

Microaggressions are brushed off. Leadership is informal and exclusionary. Structural imbalance is excused with phrases like “Relax, we’re all friends here” or “It’s just the way Portuguese people behave."

I’ve been shouted at in front of colleagues. When I raised it, I was told I was too sensitive. When I told my story to other Latinos, they shared similar ones. Repetition of behavior. Normalization of aggression.

I’ve seen workplace communication channels used to gossip in Portuguese or Spanish about Arab, Indian, and Pakistani colleagues—mocking their accents, questioning their competence, hiding behind language as a shield for prejudice.

Swearing is common. Jokes cross boundaries. Hierarchies are vague. And dignity is optional—depending on where you come from.

The Gulf: a case study in missed opportunity

Even in the Middle East—where Portuguese & Spanish professionals are among the best established in the global event industry—their presence lacks long-term vision.

Instead, what I saw clearly was a group fragmented by short-term ambitions and a striking lack of collective vision.

Too many come with the goal of making money fast and going back home. They don’t learn the local culture, don’t engage in long-term strategies, and often perpetuate colonial behavior—looking down on the region and even on immigrants from their own bloc.

They complain about everything. Replicate European elitism. And when they return home, they speak with bitterness, rarely acknowledging their role in the disconnect.

Come in. Make money. Go home.

There’s no interest in legacy-building. No community engagement. No joy. Only survival, complaints, and distance.

They criticize the cities they work in and the locals:

• "This city is ugly."

• "There’s nothing to do."

• "People here don’t know what they’re doing."

And when they return home, the resentment continues—only now it’s turned inward.

• "Foreigners have taken over our neighborhoods."

• "My kids are starting to speak Brazilian Portuguese."

But there’s no reflection on why those demographic shifts are happening. No connection to the centuries of displacement, violence, and economic extraction that fueled this exact global configuration.

Just a growing sense of entitlement and a refusal to see the bigger picture.

The fracture is now undeniable

Despite shared history, the relationship today feels severed.

Brazilians and other Latinos increasingly feel mistreated, patronized, or subtly undermined—especially as we rise. We’ve adapted. We’ve learned. We’ve earned our place.

And that’s what some Portuguese & Spanish professionals cannot handle.

Today, Latin Americans are better positioned than ever. We are technically skilled, culturally agile, resilient, and globally networked. In many companies, we’ve become the face of innovation and delivery.

Meanwhile, Iberian companies are losing clients, contracts, and legacy ground.

Even within their own region, they’re being displaced:
HBS, a French-Swiss company, is now the Host Broadcaster of La Liga, Spain’s top football league. That’s not just symbolic. It’s systematic.

And newer global companies? They’re hiring Latinos.

What’s happening isn’t revenge.
It’s realignment.

So what can be done?

Acknowledge the pain

Stop pretending there isn’t a fracture. Listen beyond your own echo chamber.

Invest in multicultural training

Especially for export-oriented teams. Cultural literacy is a necessity.

Diversify leadership

Innovation dies without diversity. We need women, different ethnicities, generations, and nationalities in decision-making.

Create shared projects, not just shared events

Build something lasting. Residencies, joint ventures, production hubs.

Replace nostalgia with strategy

Shared language isn’t enough. We need structured leadership and forward-thinking.

What comes next?

Right now, international forces are realigning—BRICS is expanding, the GCC is deepening its global partnerships, and the Global South is positioning itself as a strategic player, not a passive recipient. And I’m doing my part.

Brazil is leading the Latin American bloc in the global events industry.

We’ve built this slowly and with intention:

• 2007 Panamerican Games

• 2014 World Cup

• 2016 Olympics

• Qatar 2022: we were the largest nationality employed

• Paris 2024: we were officially recognized by the Brazilian Embassy in Paris for our presence, celebrating the diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In the MENA region, the shift is happening fast. Iberian companies are losing space. More global players are stepping in: IMG, DAZN...

The market is moving, and while Iberians complain, Latinos show up. With discipline. With strategy. With joy.

We see the region as a land of opportunity—and we connect with it. We value the region, we understand it.
In Qatar, we’ve held powerful leadership positions for over a decade now.

In Saudi, Brazil is leading historic commercial deals through our bilateral Chamber of Commerce. (CCBS)
We are acting as a bloc, representing Peru and Colombia in ongoing negotiations.

While we continue to be underestimated, we know exactly where we’re going.
And still—we’re more than willing to strengthen our Iberoamerican relationships.

But that will take listening, humility, and real change.

And if Spain and Portugal are smart, they’ll want to come with us.

Because this work? It’s not just about budgets and screens.

It’s about geopolitics. About power. About building something that lasts for our nations within world economy.

Ask yourself:

👉 Are you working as a bloc or in isolation?
Do you understand your country’s position on the global stage?
And what are you doing—today—to strengthen it?

Tell me your stories.
Let’s build something better. 💬🤝📣

You learn in airports and visa lines, in production tents and late-night edits, across time zones and tangled languages.

You learn from moments that stretch you.

Sometimes break you.

Always shape you.

And if you’re lucky, you don’t learn alone.

You learn from mentors who cleared the way, and peers who walked beside you—even when the ground kept shifting.

After a decade across continents and cultures—from the World Cup to Formula 1, from Qatar to Chile—here are five lessons that truly stayed with me.

Not as answers.
But as conversation starters—for anyone navigating the complex, beautiful work of building global events together.

1. Soft power is real—and it starts with how we work.

Every detail you deliver reflects more than just you.
It reflects your culture, your ethics, your legacy.
👉 This work is not just technical. It’s diplomatic.

2. You can be excellent and still invisible.

Especially if you're a woman, from an ethnic minority, or outside Western institutions.
Sometimes the people holding the show together are never in the spotlight.
👉 That’s why I believe in documentation, legacy-building, and naming who’s really behind the scenes.

3. Communication is 90% of the job.

Language barriers. Cultural codes. Ego. Silence.
👉 Knowing when to speak—and when to just listen—is a leadership skill.

4. Curiosity travels further than confidence.

Every culture has its own rhythm. You won’t always understand it.
👉 But if you stay curious, you’ll always find your way.

5. Community is the difference between surviving and thriving.

This industry moves fast. But no project is worth your health, your dignity, or your soul.
👉 Find your people. Or build your space.

If you’ve ever felt like your career doesn’t fit the mold—this space is for you.
Not to follow a blueprint, but to draw new ones together.

Every two weeks, I’ll be sharing tools, reflections, and real stories from the field—
from the backrooms of broadcast compounds to moonlit rooftops in cities we barely had time to learn how to pronounce.

Because we don’t just work events—we build the narratives that move the world.
We carry soft power in our workflows.
We’re the bridge between cultures, crews, and futures yet to be defined.

And I believe that if more of us are seen, connected, and intentional—
we can build a better industry from the inside out.

✉️ Three months of content are already written.
The first edition is live. And this is just the beginning.

See you in your inbox.