My story begins not with a place, but with a series of profound losses. Abandoned by my parents when I was only a few months old, I was raised by my grandmother in Angra do Heroísmo, a historic city on Terceira Island.

Then, on January 1, 1980, when I was three years old, a catastrophic earthquake destroyed everything we had. We lost our home and lived in precarious conditions in what was effectively a refugee camp, our shelter a modified shipping container.

To grow up poor and struggling amidst the remnants of what once was, and to witness the resilience required to rebuild, shaped my worldview.

Growing up surrounded by structures that have stood for centuries, in a city so tied to maritime history it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has become the cornerstone of my professional philosophy: the most enduring solutions are not built from nothing, but are woven into the fabric of what already exists.

The years that followed were defined by profound instability, a difficult education in survival that required building a character in defense. This experience, while challenging, would later transform into a strategist’s mindset: an ability to face any obstacle not as a barrier, but as a problem to be methodically solved.

My professional journey has been similarly unconventional. After early ventures in media and civil construction, I found in the world of code a language to build new structures. This path led me deep into the WordPress ecosystem, where I have contributed as a DevOps professional and a Senior Support Specialist. I believe firmly in the power of open-source, which is why I am an active contributor to several WordPress teams and why my company sponsors the “Five for the Future” initiative.

A life-altering health diagnosis at the age of thirty-four became an unexpected catalyst. Faced with a future of progressive physical limitations and a forced pension, I had to reassess my entire world. This period of profound challenge led me to relocate to Colombia and to found my company.

The name itself, Atmostfear Entertainment, was born from this mindset: a way to confront fear, to understand its limits, and to transform it into a driving force for creation. My illness, in many ways, reinvented me, giving me a more focused and driven approach to both personal and professional matters.

This philosophy now guides everything I do. Where others may see friction between disparate systems, I see an opportunity for integration. I believe leadership is less about commanding and more about conducting—listening to all the individual instruments before bringing them together to create something powerful.

It is also why my company is committed to creating opportunities for others, particularly those with disabilities who are too often neglected in our industry. This is not just an ideal, but a practice. It is the driving force behind my work on projects like the Séance WordPress theme, which was intentionally designed with a gothic aesthetic tailored for individuals with color vision deficiency, ensuring that digital beauty is accessible to all.

I created this space to share some of the insights I have gathered, rooted in a commitment to perpetual learning and community engagement. While my professional focus is on technology, my spiritual compass aligns with the tenets of the Sumerian religion, another layer of history that informs my worldview.

I am convinced that in our increasingly connected world, the greatest challenges will be solved not by technical brilliance alone, but by a true diversity of thought. The most powerful tool we possess, after all, is perspective.